#mAKING AND BUILDING THINGS WITH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE AS THE WAY TO LIVE A FULFILLED LIFE

[enhani-ki]

enhypen as your "stressed" boss

warning(s): very suggestive content, cursing, etc.

when your job is to make your boss' life easier but he gets hard to you instead...

HEESEUNG ─── ★

"do me a favor?" heeseung asked, lifting his necktie between two fingers like it was a dead thing. "fix this again… i swear these things come alive at night."

you exhaled slowly, not even dignifying that with a response. he didn't even bother standing up. he just stayed leaned back in his chair like he was doing you a favor by being seated.

heeseung's legs were spread open just enough for you to stand between them. his shirt sleeves were rolled up, the two buttons were left undone... it's enough to draw eyes, or maybe just to suggest something.

apparently, none of his past secretaries ever lasted more than two months. some said they quit, others claimed they were transferred, and according to office gossip, he couldn't even make it through the first week without anyone crossing a lineーyou could see why.

people believed what they wanted, but you've been working for him over a year now and had never actually fucked your boss like everyone said you had.

though, sometimes… you kind of wish the rumors were true.

your fingers started moving automatically. you looped the fabric, tightened the knot, and smoothed his collar… you could probably do this in your sleep by now.

"don't look so serious," he murmured with a soft chuckle. "pretend you love doing this for me."

you glanced at the guy who was already looking up at you. "love is a strong word, boss," you muttered before resting your hands on his shoulders, "but i ca—"

the door swung open suddenly, making both of you jump in surprise. the intern's eyes went wide, stammering, "i—i—i'll just come back!" like they just walked in on a porn set, before slamming the door shut.

you stepped back instantly, running a hand down your face with a sigh. "great. that's gonna be all over the building before lunch," you said, making him chuckle again.

"heeseung," you said sternly. he actually preferred it when you used his name like that—just casual and familiar, even if you only say it when it was just the two of you. "you really need to learn how to tie your own damn tie."

he whined, "i don't want toooo."

JAY ─── ★

you're sitting on the edge of his bed, legs swinging slightly, doing everything in your power not to look anywhere inappropriate while your boss buckled his belt in front of you.

this was the third time this week that jay had been late to work. he kept oversleeping, ignoring calls, blaming traffic and accidents that never even happened.

you've seen this version of him before, back when he lost all his motivation and nearly quit. this time, you weren't letting it get that far.

you let yourself into his apartment, pushed open the heavy blackout curtains, dragged him half-asleep out of bed, and make sure he gets to office in time.

"thanks for coming to get me," he muttered. his voice was still raspy from sleep, running a hand through his messy hair. "my alarm's been… off lately."

you reached for a pillow without thinking. you hugged it tightly to your chest, burying your face in the soft fabric, trying to hide the heat creeping up your cheeks.

jay smirked, catching the way you refused to look at him before shamelessly staring at your bare legs that's still swinging awkwardly above his floor. "you always get this shy?" he laughed, tugging the tank top down over his torso with a little stretch.

"just fucking hurry!" you muttered angrily into the pillow.

he chuckled again, shaking his head at his cute assistant while grabbing his keys from the nightstand. "you can wait in the living room next time if you don't want to see me naked again."

you peeked, "and let you fall back asleep? no way."

JAKE ─── ★

jake has been side eyeing you. he cleared his throat butー "don't even say it," you muttered before he could even speak.

he crossed his arms, eyebrows raising. "say what?"

"that you need another coffee... i know i'm your assistant but honestly, you look like shit."

"oh, wow..." his mouth fell open, amused. "you always look sexy whenever you scold me, you know that?"

"yes."

he blinked, taken aback by your bluntness—then snorted, shaking his head with a grin as he leaned back in his chair. "...then be careful. i'm ten seconds away from dragging your ass over here."

you rolled your eyes, unfazed. "you say that like it's a threat."

jake spun slowly in his chair, eyeing you with a grin before biting his lip. "come here... let me touch something that doesn't make me want to scream."

SUNGHOON ─── ★

you knocked once before stepping in, sunghoon didn't even look up. he was seating behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, tie already discarded somewhere across the room. his hair is a mess from running his hands through it too many times.

he looked pissed. "about the meeting..." you started carefully, "i already sent the corrected draft."

"okay..." he replied, eyes still locked on his screen. "i think i'm going to have a fucking aneurysm."

you hesitated. "…are you?"

sunghoon looked at you like, seriously? before smirking, "depends. are you planning on doing that thing again...?"

you smiled a little. "depends. are you going to give me a few vacation leaves after?"

sunghoon leaned back in his chair, finally letting out a breath. "yes. and i'm going with you too."

you raised a brow. "oh? as my boss?"

"no... as someone even worse, baby."

SUNOO ─── ★

sunoo was laying across the couch, resting his head perfectly in your lap while wearing a soft, hydrating face mask on his face.

his hand traced circles on your knees while you ran your fingers through his soft hair, nails scratching lightly against his scalp. "you're too good at this..." sunoo murmured. "you trying to make me lose my mind?"

“i thought you already lost it?"

he smiled faintly. "which one do you think's doing it? the scalp massage or your attention?"

you chuckled, "which one do you like more?"

"hmm…" he hummed again, giving your knee a playful squeeze. "both. mostly your attention." he was about to close his eye but then he suddenly raised his brow, lips quirking. "why do you always touch your boss like this when you're off the clock though??"

"are you okay? you're the one on my lap."

sunoo smiled, closing his eyes. "sorry but you can't report me at my own house," he teased, then continued, "i can say whatever i want."

your hand slid in his chest. "i might start saying things back." you said, making sunoo sat up without any warning, signature eye started dropping through his ridiculous face mask.

"start talking."

JUNGWON ─── ★

"what are you looking at?" jungwon said without even turning his head as he could feel your eyes on him.

he hasn't spoke much since he walked in. he just buried himself behind his screen. you blinked, looking down at your desk like you hadn't been caught staring. "no—nothing."

he finally stood up, brushing past you slowly to grab a pen. you gulped, his height always did something inside you whenever he got too close.

he sighed through his nose before loosening his tie.

truth was, he hadn't been able to focus for the past hour because of you. and the way you bit your pen while choosing from the series of his pictures, making his brain short-circuit.

he really was trying to be good today.

you stood and walked over, leaning slightly over his desk to drop off a file. jungwon's fist clenched lightly on the desk as his eyes lowered right to the edge of the table, where your hip was angled just slightly in his direction. oh, it'd be so easy if you just drop to your knees now—

you tilted your head. "boss... you okay?"

he nodded eagerly. "yeah. yeah—just stressed." he said before looking up at you again, looking so innocent even though his tongue was pressing into his cheek, legs bouncing uncontrollably under the desk.

"...it's making me think of things i probably shouldn't about my assistant."

you blinked, confused. "whaーwhat?"

jungwon cleared his throat and quickly looked away, cheeks growing faint pink in embarrassment. "ignore that. i didn't say anything."

he avoided your eyes, rubbing the back of his neck... feeling how tight his pants suddenly felt.

NI-KI ─── ★

you tapped your foot impatiently as ni-ki walked past you in nothing but a towel and toothbrush hanging from his lips.

he pointed vaguely toward the bathroom, eyes half-lidded, and mumbling something incoherent before disappearing behind the door.

you checked the time as thirty minutes passed. why the fuck he was moving like a sloth?

"ni-ki?" you called, knocking on the bathroom door but there's no answer. you frowned before pushing it open, and just as you suspected, he's not there. the shower hasn't even been turned on.

"ni-ki!" you stormed into his bedroom—only to find him curled up on his bed, hugging his pillow like a baby. ni-ki groaned, cracking one eye open. "ughh, the fuck you so loud for?"

you marched over and shook his body, "we're gonna be late!"

and instead of getting up, he just reached out and pulled you into the bed like a goddamn trap. he locked you in his arms and buried his face into your neck. "let me borrow you real quick," he mumbled, his breath felt warm against your skin.

"ni-kiー" you struggled, squirming in his hold.

"shhh," he shushed you, tightening his grip with a little smirk, "you keep calling my name like that, i'll make sure you'll moan it out the next."

a/n: random ahh fic. posted this with round with my baby - reader x ni-ki

masterlist: マスターリストm.list

[fireinmoonshot]

unreal | robert reynolds x reader

THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MARVEL'S THUNDERBOLTS*.

Pairing: Robert 'Bob' Reynolds x Reader Summary: Bob offers for you to share his room while your room in the Watch Tower gets renovated... there's just one problem – he didn't think about the fact that he'd have to share a bed with you. Warnings: General mentions of mental health issues (nothing specific) Word Count: 2.1k A/N: Okay, so it's been over a week since I last wrote for Bob and the response on my last Bob fic is insane. I cannot believe how much love it's gotten 🥹 I have since seen Thunderbolts three more times and I love Bob even more. This was the fic idea that won in the poll I posted earlier today and it was so enjoyable to write. I am really looking forward to writing more for him (including the other ideas that I had in the poll). I hope you all enjoy this one as well. Requests are always open! 💗

“You can share my room” are five words that Bob regrets the second that they’re out of his mouth. Not because he doesn’t want you to share his room, but just because now that it’s out in the open, the prospect of you saying yes is terrifying.

When you’d all moved into the Watch Tower, you hadn’t considered the fact that most of the building was still a work in progress. There were so many rooms that still needed to be built and while there had been bedrooms, there weren’t many and Valentina had insisted on building you all your own. Nothing but the best for my New Avengers, she’d said.

Your bedroom was the last one to be renovated. Every other member of the team had gone through the room-sharing phase while their rooms were completed. Yelena and Ava had always shared, though they’d hated every second of it – both girls loved their personal space. Both Bucky and John refused to share with Alexei. Bob had managed to come out the other end without sharing a room at all. 

Until his offer to you, that is.

“Seriously?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest as you look around at the others. “None of you are offering to share with me so you’re making Bob offer?”

Walker scoffs. “You think we put him up to it? Please.”

“No one put me up to it,” Bob shakes his head. “I just thought I’d ask you since… y’know… none of the others have… and you probably don’t wanna sleep on the couch out here.”

He’s not really sure why he’d offered, actually. The words had been out of his mouth before he’d had a chance to think them over, which was strange for him. He supposes it might have something to do with the fact that he’s been crushing on you for a solid few months. It would be fine, though. He didn’t have a couch in his room, but he’s slept on his fair share of floors before and this one would be no different. Sharing a bedroom with someone he was slowly falling head over heels with was definitely going to end well.

You cross the room and put a hand down on Bob’s shoulder. “Are you really sure you want me to share with you? I know you haven’t had to share before and I really don’t want to intrude on your space.” Your voice is soft, for Bob’s ears only.

He nods once. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

You don’t completely believe him. He’s undoubtedly the most independent out of all of you, but it’s been proven that he really does love being around other people. The last thing you want is to get in his way or make him uncomfortable.

“Bob,” you meet his eyes. 

His lips turn up into a small smile at the tone of your voice. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to share with you.”

That seems to do the trick, because you nod your head and step away from Bob after that before announcing that you’re going to go and start getting all your things together. 

That afternoon, you move your things into his room so that the renovations can start on your own. Bob makes some space for you – not that he has a lot of things himself – but he wants to make you feel comfortable. He doesn’t want you to feel like you’re living in his room. He wants it to feel like it’s yours too.

It only starts to feel real once it’s gotten dark outside and everyone has started to retire to bed. Once he’s in his room again, sitting on a bean bag in the corner, a book in his hand and he sees you walk into his room, hair a little bit wet from your shower. 

“I just realised,” you say, stopping in the centre of the room and looking around, “that you don’t have a couch.”

“Oh, yeah,” Bob nods, closing the book and sitting up a little straighter. “I just sit here. I, uh, I changed the sheets on the bed earlier so that you don’t have to sleep in dirty ones.”

You frown and look over at him. “Me? I’m not sleeping in your bed, Bob. I assumed I’d sleep on the couch. But I can just sleep on your beanbag. I’ll go and find some blankets…”

You turn to go and leave the room when you see Bob standing up in the corner of your eye. He stumbles a little, the blanket on the ground in front of him briefly catching his feet, and then rights himself. 

“No, you don’t have to do that,” he says. “You take the bed. I’m fine with sleeping on the floor. I’ve done it more often than you think.”

“Bob… you’re not sleeping on the floor.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s really okay.”

He really doesn’t mind. As long as you’re comfortable, he will be too. He’s slept in worse places. Plus, he doubts he’d even be able to sleep soundly knowing you were uncomfortable on the cold, hard floor. How could he let the person he likes sleep there rather than on his perfectly comfortable bed?

You cross your arms over your chest and shake your head, slowly starting to walk towards him. This is a losing battle, you can see that. There’s no way that Bob is going to relent and let you sleep on the floor or the bean bag, and there’s no way you’re going to let him sleep there either. You couldn’t live with yourself if he did.

“Why don’t we both take the bed?” You suggest.

Bob’s eyes widen a little and he opens his mouth and then closes it again without saying anything. That’s the last thing he’d expected you to say. Sharing a bed? Had any of the others shared beds when they’d shared rooms? He highly doubted that. The members of the New Avengers weren’t particularly comfortable when it came to physical contact. 

“I don’t think we have to do that,” he mutters.

“Why not? I don’t mind it. That way, we both get to sleep on the bed and neither of us have to be uncomfortable on the floor. I promise I’ll stick to my side.”

Bob stares at you for a moment. You’re really suggesting this. You really want to share a bed with him. But how is he supposed to share a bed with you? This is not going to be beneficial towards his crush at all. It’s definitely not going to help him in his mission to get over you… he hadn’t started on that mission yet but he was definitely going to start soon… oh, he really shouldn’t have suggested this…

“All right, then,” he hums, and then squeezes his eyes shut as he winces. What the hell is he doing? Why are the words he’s speaking and the thoughts he’s having so out of sync?

You smile at him – one of the beautiful smiles that always sets his heart alight – and then move towards the bed. “Which side do you usually sleep on?” 

“Closest to the door,” he says, starting to walk towards it.

“A man after my own heart,” you grin, voice teasing as you pull the sheets back to the other side of the bed and slip underneath them. “Can you get the lights?” 

Bob tries his best to ignore your words, thinking about how he is actually after your heart, and slowly walks towards the light switch. He turns them off, then makes his way towards the bed in the dark. His heart is racing in his chest. It’s not until he’s sitting on the bed, hands fisted in the sheets, that he realises he’s sweating bullets.

He’d forgotten. How could he forget something like this? He’s always run hot. He’s been known to wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, especially after a nightmare.

Maybe, once you’re asleep, he can slip out of the bed and go back to the bean bag without waking you up… surely that would be okay. He could make up some excuse in the morning about not being able to sleep in the bed…

“Everything all right?” You ask from beside him.

The room is so dark that he can’t see you to tell how far away from him you are, but your voice is close. He trusts that you’ve stuck to your word, though, and that you haven’t crept over to his side of the bed.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea actually.”

He hears the sheets rustling and can somehow tell that you’re sitting up now. 

“Why not?”

Bob sighs and tucks a piece of his hair behind his ear. He doesn’t know why he’s so embarrassed about this. It’s not like you don’t know. You were there in the vault. You heard him admit it to Yelena. You’ve seen so many parts of him that he hates and you’ve never judged him for any of them, so why would you judge him for this now?

“Hey,” your voice is gentle. “You can tell me. If you don’t want me here, I can go.”

“No,” Bob shakes his head, quick to respond. He doesn’t want you to feel like you’re not welcome here when truthfully, all he wants is to have you here with him. He just wishes he wasn’t so awkward about it. “It’s not that. It’s just…”

“There’s no rush.” 

He turns to look at where you’re sitting, his eyes now adjusted to the darkness so he can see you just barely. “I run hot,” he says quietly. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if I sweat a lot during the night. I should just sleep on the floor by myself.”

There’s silence for a moment and Bob takes that as your answer. He swings his legs off the bed and is just about to stand up when he feels the mattress shift underneath him, and then he feels your warmth pressed against his side.

“Hey, no,” you hum, leaning your arm against his. “Don’t do that. You don’t have to worry about things like that with me. If you sleep on the floor, I’m sleeping on the floor too. You’re not giving up your comforts for me.”

Bob turns to look at you through the darkness. “I’d just make you uncomfortable.”

“No,” you reach down and find his hand, entwining your fingers together. It’s true that the members of your team are bad when it comes to physical contact, but you don’t mind it. Bob’s always been a little concerned about touch ever since the incident that had happened a few months back but you can tell by the way he doesn’t tense up at your touch that he doesn’t mind it. You’re surprised to find you can actually feel him relax a little. “You won’t.” 

“I won’t?” 

“No,” you repeat. “I’m really glad you offered for me to share your room, Bob. I don’t care if you run so hot that the whole bed feels like a giant inferno. I’m not going to leave unless you ask me to.”

“I won’t. ” 

You give his hand a squeeze. “Okay, so should we get back into bed and try and get some sleep then?”

Bob nods and then remembers it’s dark and you probably can’t see him. “Yeah, all right.”

He hates the feeling of emptiness when you let go of his hand. He can feel the mattress shifting as you move back to your side of the bed. It takes every part of him to swing his legs back up and to lay down. It’s only once his head hits the pillow that he feels truly relaxed. It’s strange, even just knowing that you’re right beside him puts him a little bit at ease.

“I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” You say, voice so close to him that he almost jumps.

“Okay,” he murmurs, staring up at the dark ceiling above him. 

He’s so certain he’s going to wake up in the morning and all of this will have just been a dream. Not a good dream, not a bad dream. Just an unreal one. One where you hold his hand and sleep beside him. One where, as he’s drifting off to sleep he can feel the warmth of your body inches away. One where he can remember the feeling of your arm pressed against his with such clarity it almost feels real. 

But when he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he sees is you sleeping soundly beside him and he knows it wasn’t a dream. A small smile makes its way onto his face. He can’t remember the last time he slept through the night without waking up… not until right now. 

[purebarnes]

WHAT SIDE IS RIGHT?

SYNOPIS. an argument between bucky and reader ends them breaking up

TAGS. Angst. Small fluff.

PAIRINGS. Thunderbolt! Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader

NOTE. My babies. Marvel is getting my therapy bill atp anywayss please send requests ya guys have/want!!! i love hearing what you guys would like to read and also if you want to be be on a tag list lmk cause im up to create one

You weren’t exactly sure what had happened to you in the last year, to be exact the last 14 months when everything went so wrong. After the whole catastrophe with Thanos and losing many people in the process, you sort of didn’t have an idea on how to cope with that loss. You didn’t have anyone after Tony died.

He was like a brother you never had. But then you had Sam and Bucky, you thought that was enough. You didn’t need anyone else. Things were running smoothly, stable. It was you three.

Sam was your best friend.

Bucky was everything.

You deeply cared about both men so much, you all had lost people and gone through hell in your lives. But in this line of work, you understand what it meant to be a protector and people needed you.

So you had to make a choice. Even though it hurt you to even consider to get between them, you knew what it had to be.

Sam was the right choice. Right?

Sam had told that Ross had wanted him to re build the avengers. Past you would had many flaws and comments about that but it was Sam that would lead them. You knew he would be great. He obviously asked if you’d join his team and you of course obliged.

Then as he told Bucky, you only came to realize that he would be joining a new team called the “New Avengers.” Oh how that stinged.

Sam was distraught and betrayed by his best friend. Ross showed you the media report as he told you two that extreme measures needed to be taken. You groaned internally at this ‘War’ that it would create between each side.

So there you were, on the hard floor laying down. Just gazing up on the ceiling, biting your bottom lip slightly but enough to feel a little blood from your nerves that were pumping.

You felt the steps of a certain someone. He took a seat down on the floor and laid the same way, turning his head to see your face.

“This is about to turn to shit. You know that?”

Sam nodded, his face not changing.

He let out a loud sigh, his brows slightly raised. He understands what was about to happen but he couldn’t help but feel so hurt by Bucky.

“Well, i got you. Don’t I?”

Your mouth slightly raising, “Yeah, always.”

Sam leaned in and gave your cheek a quick kiss, watching him leave to go do business with Joaquin.

Bucky was a mess.

You left him. You couldn’t do it anymore, he made his choice pretty clear and so you needed to do the same. If you chose Sam then that meant you couldn’t be with Bucky anymore.

You were a nervous wreck that night..

You stood in the elevator, waiting for it to ding to show you were there but you were honestly happy that it was taking forever because you didn’t know if you were going to be able to go through with it.

Your heart was pumping, your left hand feeling a little numb. But that was just your nerves and they were shit.

You had a little liquid courage. Maybe that would help. Probably not.

The elevator doors opened and dinged and you saw that it was empty, you took a step forward. Bucky who was standing in front of the island, making a drink for himself as it looked since he was alone.

Sliding the alcohol, he drank it.

His eyes met yours as he licked his lips. He sort of relief seeing you, “Hey, doll.” He whispered gently looking at your emotional presence, your smile faded, eye lids heavy and just looking so exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” Reaching over to grab your hand but you refused him to hold you. You backed up, “Don’t.” You muttered, looking down to refuse to meet his gaze.

Bucky’s brows creasing, a slight frown appearing. Confused, “What?”

“I can’t do this. We need to break up.”

Your lip already quivered, you felt the tears already forming but stay on the bottom of your eyes clearly refusing to fall.

“No. What are you saying? Did Sam put you up-”

“No! You jerk. This is all me, I can’t be with you if you are going to do this. You hurt him.” The tears already streaming, making your vision blurry.

Bucky shook his head. “Please. Don’t do this.”

“You made your choice. You choose others over us. Your family?”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

You wiped the tears with your palm, “I hope they are worth it. Goodbye Buck.”

With that, Bucky grabbed you with all force and smashed his lips onto yours. Pure desperation, he couldn’t let you leave over something like this. The kiss full of lust. For a second, you cave in and started to kiss back with the same desire but you couldn’t do it. You shoved him back,

“No.. no. Stop.”

The second your lips parted, you let out a breathy sigh, earning for him back but you came here to do something.

“Tell me what to do..” He begged you, his eyes glistening with some sense of hope.

Your lips parted, waiting to say something. “If I said to leave, would you?”

“I can’t leave them. Bob needs us..”

You frowned at the older man, “We needed you. You said we were your family, we were there for you.” A permanent absence memory clearly.

“It’s different-”

“Bullshit. Everything I’ve done was for you, I nearly lost Tony just for you.” You seethed, a sob threatening to escape.

“Then I lost him and I had no one. Then I got you both and now I’m losing you again.”

Deep down Bucky knew the right answer. If it was for you then he’d do anything for you, you knew that but everything changed when he went back to New York.

“Please..” He voice faltering,

“Goodbye, Buck.”

You spoke finally and he just stood in place, not knowing what to say to you to help you or himself. There was no fixing what had broken, it was more then just Sam.

You started to walk the other direction as you met the eyes of 5 other people. Sensing they were the new team, your gaze turned into a unrecognizable stare.

You shook your head, that betrayal was worse then anything.

A final farewell, “One last thing. When it comes down and it will. This is a fight you won’t win and I don’t care who I hurt.”

The blonde and Brunette stepped forward, “Don’t worry. We got each other." Giving you a hard glare.

You chuckled incredulously, “How sweet.”

“You don’t have to do this.” John Walker spoke to you, a sort of understanding that he knew.

“See ya. Whenever that is..” you spoke before stopping and seeing one person, “And who are you?”

He looked up, nervously pointing. “Uh, me? I’m Bob.”

“Bob. Huh, see ya Bob.”

lifting up, you soon vanished away.

All eyes now turned to Bucky who had gulped down another glass of his choice of liquor.

Bucky, Yelena, John and Ava all walked out back in the new Avengers tower, “But we are the Avengers. The government said so.” Yelena spoke out.

“How does Sam Wilson not understand that?”

“Well, he does have the shield.” Bucky replied.

“I have a shield also.” John stated.

“It’s not a shield.” He retorted.

“It is a shield- It’s a shitty shield.”

“Great shield, Bucky.” John added before rolling his eyes.

Yelena groaned, “Okay. If he,” pausing before saying your name slowly, “put together a team then they call themselves the Avengers. Then who are the real avengers?”

Ava shook her head as Bucky eyed her since he still was dealing with losing you. It had been so difficult without you.

“Well, that’s the question the internet has been asking. And judging by the nasty memes I’ve read.. they don’t think it’s us.” John sighed sadly.

Yelena turned back to Bucky, “Weren’t you going to talk to him?”

“I already did.” He blankly spoke.

“And?”

“It went poorly.”

“And did you try to talk to her?” She gently asked.

“Yeah, she wants nothing to do with me. Nothing I can do.” Bucky blinked. Averting his eyes towards the floor.

“Great going.” Ava replied, “If you two didn’t have to say anything then she’d probably-”

“She thinks I chose you guys over her and I kind of did.”

“Do you regret being on our team?” John added hesitantly.

“No. I just miss her, like alot.”

Getting many sympathetic looks his way as he looked away, John nodded quickly.

“Look. I can help you find someone- I don’t want anyone.” He seethed shoving him harshly.

“Your track record is pretty awful.” Ava spoke truthfully.

“Shut up. I hate you all.”

Right in came Alexei, wearing an atrocious outfit like he was a nascar driver or something. “Hello, team.” Grinning at them.

Bucky groaned at his outfit, “What the hell are you wearing?”

“I heard about Wilson and your not girl anymore. They are dumb.”

“But, me, I’m smart, I’m smart man. I have smart solve.”

Yelena opened her mouth in disbelief.

“A-V-ENGER-Z! Avengers with a Z! There is no copyright.” Looking to see the approval from the team but no one liked it at all.

“Look- Feel. Like a baby seal.”

Bucky got up abruptly, Yelena looked up.

“Where are you going?”

“To go fix this.”

Bucky had not gotten far clearly as he saw you in the hall. Face clearly upset from possible tears you had fallen,

“Bucky..”

“Doll..”

You ran directly towards him as he opened his arms openly, you wrapped your arms around his neck . You both stayed there until you were forced to move. You couldn’t do it anymore, you were so alone and he was your light.

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled in his neck.

“No, I’m sorry. I love you and I’m sorry for making you feel the opposite.”

You sighed, “I don’t want you guys to fight. I love you both.”

He nodded, “I know, baby. I know.”

You leaned back, “Can you please just try to talk to him? He agreed to hear you.”

“Yes.”

You smiled, in response you leaned in immediately peppering him with kisses, on his nose, many on his cheek, jaw, forehead.

“Thank.” Kiss “You.” Kiss. “I.” Kiss. “Love.” Kiss. “You.”

Bucky chuckled at the many kisses and gave you a long and passionate kiss. We’ll make out session as she brought you in a supply closet that night.

-

“Huh. You think they made up?” John asked.

There you were laying on top of Bucky, his breathing easing you up each time. Snuggled up together, Bucky having his arm wrapped around your back as you sighed happily in your sleep.

“No shit.”

“Aw, they are adorable.”

“Shut up. You are gonna wake them.”

“Just one picture-”

“No- my bad.”

You woke up to the shutter noise and started to groan at the loss of sleeping and your man’s warmth.

Bucky groaned. “You got 20 seconds.”

“What- wait Bucky. Too late.”

Bucky then had gotten up and chased them as you sat up and saw Bob who was reading his book.

“Hey Bob.”

“Heyy.” Waving at you so innocently. Oh boy.

[pansylair]

How did you get started with ceramics? I always thought it was going to be what I did for a living but out of high school everything has remained prohibitively expensive. Surely there are avenues for people who are serious about it but don't have the money to drop on pottery guild memberships and kilns, right? Would it just be knowing the right people at that point?

After I graduated from my high school and its art program (I’ve never had post-secondary education) I went to my communal studio and paid roughly $6-800cad a year for a higher level of membership (storage space and full studio/glaze kitchen access 24/7), give or take. It’s been ages so I can’t remember the exacts, and fees on everything in general has been slowly creeping up. You are correct in that there is a lack of financial accessibility regarding artisanal crafts and global inflation isn’t helping in the slightest, my rental fees are a bit over $1k now and clay prices have tripled ($71cad after tax for a sleeve of the cheapest clay body ((tack on supply shortages and mine closures to the list of problems)) :(

I’ve seen some communal studios with absolutely ridiculous expensive membership fees to ones with various membership options like my studio starting at lower price points, and studios with paid or unpaid internships.

Many ceramicists are very understanding and give their insight and tips, or hooking someone up with their old equipment. I’ve been offered using/sharing a kiln or space in people’s private studios if ever needed. So continuing to try and reach out to servers/pages of online and in person communities and can be worth it.

Government art grants can allow for some studios themselves to be more accessible in multiple ways, including financially, and applying for and receiving individual grants has been a giant aid to the careers of friends and coworkers. It varies on a country to country basis but. god, would sure love to have art funding globally valued and well sustained.

One small mercy and neat thing however is microwave kilns. basically exactly what’s written, it’s a vestibule you put into a microwave, turn it on, and you get small, low fire ceramic (or glass) work which I’ve seen many people use for small sculptures.

I’ve also seen people make gorgeous work via pit firings, raku in a charcoal grill for example, or build a simple wood fire outdoor kiln. Kick wheels are also a possible cheaper investment for wheel throwing.

I’ve dug up and processed some lovely and pretty wild clay around where I live and hope to do some pit firings with it as tests have gone well.

I’ve seen small secondhand kilns starting at $250cad for a manual and seen programmable ones at $600cad. Understanding prices for rewiring, repairs, installation and ventilation etc. also needs to be taken into account, lots of research needs to be done before investing in one.

I hate that I have no clear and helpful answer for you, but if you’re still searching, I sincerely hope much sooner than later you can do ceramic work without having to worry about affording it

[bonediggercharleston]

Isekais have changed a lot. Used to be the main character was a kid that went to a different world and learnt valuable lessons in some kind of hero's journey a la Inuyasha, Fushigi Yuugi, Leda, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Escaflowne and Magic Knights Rayearth. The saddest part is that for the most part those two worlds were separate so friends were lost forever.

Nowadays they are escapist in the sense that the main character is reborn. They usually loathe or lament their misspent life and get a do-over, where they either have a power fantasy (all the ones you think of when someone says isekai) or in some cases a world building fantasy (Log Horizon and Killing Slimes come to mind), but I think it is a reflection of Japan's hypercapitalist and hyperconsumerist society. The stress being so overwhelming that dying and trying again is preferable and the distractions being etched so deeply in the conscious that every isekai is just a world with video game mechanics and not an actual fantasy world.

It also shows how the genre of anime has entirely focused on depressed adults longing for their childhood but not in the positive way were it is a fun adventure but a legitimate escape. The desire to build and live in a world the viewer feels less alienated in is baked into the genre now.

This is why Frieren and Dungeon Meshi are a breath of fresh air. While you can argue they definitely still have RPG influence (but so did Record of Lodoss War which was basically just an adapted DnD campaign), it is more organic, self-contained and real because they treat the world as their own and they focus less on the power fantasy of one character but on the arcs of the party members. There are main characters, but they are not more special than their supporting cast.

That is not to say modern isekai are inherently bad. I really enjoyed Log Horizon because it examines what societies would form in a trapped in the game plot, Killing Slimes is a study on how important it is to take life easy, Grimgar is like an animated pastel painting that injects visceral humanity in to the gameplay loop of an RPG setting by making clear that the mobs are struggling to survive like the teenagers are, Life as a Villainess makes fun of the genre in a loving way and wants to save all the characters even the "bad ones", KonoSuba knows exactly how stupid the premise is and I have heard good things about Re:Zero in that it is a bit like edge of tomorrow. It's just that the power fantasy variety of Isekai is cheaper than any shounen battle manga and not the best use of that kind of story, because it reinforces that you can't as you are and need to reroll the dice. The basic assumption is that there is no chance of improving without a blank slate. I don't know if this reflects more on the people drawn to this than the society that creates such people.

Also very often it starts to feel like you are only grinding a game instead of reading/watching a story and there is no character progression beyond number go up. At least the porn versions of such stories are honest about what they are.

Isekai just seems like a profoundly sad genre of fantasy by design. Yes you have rad JRPG powers now and you get to hang out with big tiddy elves who love you but do you not have like. Friends that you mourn. Family that you miss. Habits that you can’t practice now without tripping. Familiar sounds and smells you’ll never know again

Either you did and you don’t care in the face of JRPG powers and elf tiddies, or you didn’t, and both options are profoundly sad in their own ways

[rhiannonsknife]

hii, are you comfortable writing g!p readers? coz i think housewife!rhiannon x g!p reader is good with that baby fever, but it's okay if you don't write g!p HAHAHAH i just got the idea

(；゜∀゜)

i haven’t before so this might suck but…enjoy? nsfw content so mdni!!

just imagine having a sweet, murderous housewife <33

housewife!rhiannon who never imagined this life for herself; housewives who went on and on about their partner’s latest achievements, like that was all they had going for them, usually earned a spot of honor at the top of rhiannon’s mental kill list. you, of all people, weren’t supposed to be the one to make her soft.

now she finds herself humming while she folds the laundry, a shirt no longer stained with blood from her latest kill, getting wet over the thought of being bred right there on the kitchen counter before dinner <33

she doesn’t miss her work at the gazette in the slightest. the only thing she misses, occasionally, is the writing. but that’s what the kill lists are for and if giving that up means living this life, with all the time in the world to go out and kill, she’ll happily leave journalism behind.

housewife!rhiannon who gets jealous of people with families 😭

suddenly, happy families end up on her mental kill lists just for…being there. she wouldn’t actually do that. she wants to protect kids, not harm them or their parents. it’s more of an impulsive thought that comes to her involuntarily. (think: “people i’d love to kill…people who don’t deserve what they have. people who get to build families without ever really loving their partners…”)

housewife!rhiannon who brings it up while you’re fucking her bare. “i’d look so pretty carrying your babies” she gasps, head tossed back as she moves on top of you, the bed creaking under the constant shift of her weight. “you’d stay, wouldn’t you?” she whispers with her eyes closed, crossing her ankles behind your back. her fingers dig into your shoulder blades and her tone grows breathless as you push deeper. “fill me up”

housewife!rhiannon who’s still in control. she sets the pace, decides when to let you cum and when to drag it out. her hands rest against your chest while she rocks on top of you. “deeper,” rhiannon instructs, her voice already cracking, “i want to feel it in my throat”you try to tell her how good she feels, how tight & warm, and she only moans louder, one hand drifting between her legs.

housewife!rhiannon who begs you not to pull out whenever you’re fucking. she stays on her knees, spreads herself open for you, and whispers: “don’t pull out this time. want to feel it. all of it!” you push into her and she gasps in relief. afterwards, she lies there, legs still open, feeling it with her fingers.

housewife!rhiannon who gets so overwhelmed she starts whispering “thank you” on every thrust….

housewife!rhiannon who keeps you edged for hours. she knows that, after being denied for so long, you’ll explode once she lets you cum. “i’ll take care of you, sweetheart,” she whispers, licking a long stripe up the side of your neck. rhiannon’s hand is firm, keeping it at an agonizing pace. every time you buck your hips, she lifts off slightly, laughing. “aw, are you trying to fuck my fist?” rhiannon teases, leaning over to kiss the head of your cock once. “maybe i’ll let you come…but not yet”

housewife!rhiannon who wants you to fill her and keep going. you’ve already emptied yourself inside her once and she could’ve stopped there. instead, rhiannon keeps moving. “don’t stop,” she begs, legs locked around you. even if you wanted to pull out (which you don’t), there wouldn’t be a way for you to do it. “i want all of it. i wanna feel it leaking down my thighs.” rhiannon babbles. she’s twitching under her own hand, barely managing to talk you through another round. “don’t care how sore you are. you’re gonna give it to me. i need it”

cockwarming with housewife!rhiannon…?

she sits on top of you, moaning softly, her walls fluttering while you ache beneath her. “no thrusting,” she warns. “just let me feel you.”rhiannon is soaked where you’re buried in her, squeezing you in gentle, rhythmic waves that make your whole body twitch. “feels like you’re throbbing,” she purrs once, circling her hips slowly. “is it too much, baby?”

housewife!rhiannon who talks to her abdomen post fuck…she’s tracing lazy circles over her stomach, almost like there’s already a baby in there. “your mum’s going to protect you,” she whispers. “she’d kill for you” then, rhiannon brings your hand down to join hers, intertwining your fingers low across her belly.

[germesthegenie]

Ward Era Tattletale has a coat in my head

Finished Ward Arc 11 (plus the rest of Arc 10), thoughts below:

The Rest of Arc 10

Damsel, Swansong, and Victoria sharing an apartment together feels like a good setup for a sitcom

Wonder if the Anelace subplot’s gonna go anywhere. Kinda interesting to have a love interest not even in the main group (as opposed to Rachel Brian), but also that’s a recipe for a fairly irrelevant one most of the time.

(10.12) “Some of my allies were shot” IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THE MAJOR MALFUNCTIONS I WILL-

(10.12) If these are the anti-parahuman people, I’m starting to wonder if it’s a psyop play to just make the opposition to parahuman rule look ridiculous and violent.

(10.13) Ah, so Theo reminded us some people deserve being beaten up so we could have Antares go pretty brutal on these guys

Close enough, welcome back Hatchet Face. Admittedly cooler because its actually fair

(10.13) Sveta :( it really was self defense bc damn these assassins were no joke

Finale’s wail formed the bulk of the background noise.  I spared a glance, even though I didn’t want to see.  Her teammates were hurt, not dead

(10.13) DO NOT TOY WITH ME LIKE THAT WILDBOW

(10.13) So probably not the anti parahumans, but doesn’t quite seem like Teacher either, at least not his power.

(10.y) Chris living the baby turtle experience and having a million things trying to kill him from the moment of birth lmao

(10.y) Lab Rat? The ball?? How far ahead was Wildbow setting up Ward damn

(10.y) Is that the most direct Taylor cameo so far? Original Lab Rat was kinda funny for pausing in the middle of passing out these devices at the end of the world to go “hehe bug box for the bug girl”

(10.y) Also yeah he definitely won the bet

(10.y) Amy. Amy you better not be considering that latter offer. AMY-

Interesting backstory for Chris overall. Looks like he’ll be building something up in the background for now

(10.z) Chicken Little really is the Telemachus to Taylor’s Odysseus (in the Epic the Musical sense). Inexperienced, but with a similar spirit in some ways, and kinder heart.

The Heartbroken kids also seem neat. Liking the variety in the powers, the similarities to Regent, Cherie, and Heartbreaker are there but they still stand out.

(10.z) The kids are friends yay! Now I’m reminded of the post I saw before about the Undersiders and the Brockton Wards if Imp and Vista became friends and the groups had to be begrudgingly friendly to each other as a result. Is that whats in store for Breakthrough?

(10.z) CHICKEN LARGE?? Please let nothing bad happen to this boy 😭

(10.z) Tattletale really in her mom era. Again, third time’s the charm hopefully

(10.z) Bogeyman captured?? Contessa what are you cooking?

(10.z) Also Dinah compromised??

Arc 11

I like how Victoria’s aura makes her more intimidating, Goddess’ aura makes her worshipped, and Rain’s aura makes him look like even more of a pathetic wet cat (ik thats not the only thing it does but its funny)

Some rather dark tactics on Victoria’s part to get Bitter Pill’s team to abide by her terms. Still a long way to go to reach Taylor’s war crime count, though

Kenzie’s reaction to the news about Chris :(

Also damn didn’t think about the implications of “the transformations don’t undo all the way” thing of Chris’ when it comes to Lab Rat’s victims. Wonder if he ever got framed for the C53s like Manton was

(11.3) The Ashley-Damsel-Victoria roommate situation continues to sound like a sitcom, too bad it sounds like its coming to an end

Oh no what awful person would do this to Victoria’s stuff- oh hi Imp!! nvm she deserves to do a little arson /s

I was wondering there for a second like “hey Wildbow why are you going so overboard on the scene breaks” but now it makes sense

(11.3) Not Chicken Little sharing sensitive documents over earth gimel’s facebook messenger 😭

Ah I missed how funny Imp is

(11.3) I’m guessing this is where all the Imp/Vista stuff comes from? Does seem like the most likely of the Brockton Bay Wards (aside from maybe like Kid Win). Though considering it’s Imp saying it, there’s like a 50% chance she’s bullshitting to throw off Victoria. Funny if true though

Sidepiece’s interlude has exactly the blend of wholesome, sad, and freaky I expected from the character

(11.a) “Romantic but in a platonic way” exactly what I’d expect atp Mr Mccrae

(11.4) Time bubbled people getting similar blindspots to Eidolon, GU, and the Endbringers? That can’t be good

(11.4) Weld. Weld. My boy. My temporary fav post-Amy pre-Cuff. The fuck are you doing???

Like I get it. He has his own wants, he simply isn’t built freaky enough. It isn’t a Parahumans couple without something being messed up (unless you’re Golem/Cuff). There have to better ways of handling things than just dumping the poor girl, though. Also hopefully imagining things but is there some kind of setup being done between Weld and Victoria? The whole “forcefield made him feel something” bit? Please no. If there’s anyone in this couple she’s getting with post breakup, it aint you my guy

(11.5) Oh boy the Heartbroken are like having 3-4 freakier Alecs (the older ones anyway, the kids skew more Aisha-like). Poor Rain. But also like nice he has people who can somewhat relate to him

(11.5) Victoria witnessing average hormonal teen behavior: “This must be the work of an enemy stand cape”

(11.5) Well, about time we get the “midgame rematch with the starting boss you lost to” moment

(11.6) …What the fuck

(11.6) Victoria getting tricked by a decently observant child: “This must be the work of a Thinker”

(11.6) Victoria thats bank fraud

(11.6) WHY DOES HE TYPE LIKE THAT 😭

(11.6) Never trusting a fridge in a parahumans story what the hell is this

(11.6) Suddenly glad Golem and Cuff aren’t more prevalent if this is how they’re treating rebel-sqrrl’s faves damn (oh nvm this is one of her favorite arcs apparently)

(11.7) “I think there are lines” he says as he becomes a bunch of lines Lord of Loss is so funny actually

(11.8) Wildbow this is the third mpreg power you’ve made, is there something you want to share with the class 🤨

(11.8) I feel like between the Goddess stuff and Rain’s aura that Victoria associating all doubts with powers is gonna either be really handy or really bad for her self control

(11.8) Terrible day to have eyes and ears to read this chapter good lord

(11.8) What do you mean Lord of Loss is 30??? Typing like that as a grown ass man????

Also people joke about Taylor killing a baby (who was actually a toddler by that time) meanwhile Victoria is out here actually killing a fetus and we have no funny “Slaughterhouse Nine and Under” jokes for her smh 😔 as far as I’ve seen anyway

(11.b) Nailbiter really just trauma dumping to this kid and then went “anyway, drugs?”

(11.b) Oh, guess it was good timing to research Breaker triggers. Assuming that’s what Colt has now. Interesting thing with the “greater power over a pit”. Would taking that have been the difference between whatever she got and a Broken Trigger?

(11.c) Darlene vs Operator Red was neat. Bro got killed by a kid with no weapons whatever Thinker rating he was knock it down by 1 😭

(11.c) I should be horrified at what happened to Capricorn and Tattletale but all I can think of is how cool that basically lightsaber whip is and how it’d be way cooler if wielded by anyone but Cradle

(11.9) Ok now that is a scary power. PTSD beam that puts voices in your head for 3 months. The fact the voices still behave like the person as you remember them and not just being angry is interesting

(11.9) Rachel!! I love the sharp contrast of her siccing her dog on the mercenary immediately followed by being Good Auntie Rachel to the Heartbroken. She’s come so far from how she was in Early Worm, but is still recognizably Rachel. Taylor would be proud

(11.9) Welp, should’ve figured Coil’s mercs (if they haven’t all been replaced by this point) wouldn’t stay loyal once the money stopped coming in. Same reason they betrayed their old boss, after all

Return to Brockton Bay! Should’ve seen it coming with all the reunions leading up to this. Hoping for more Golem there in that case

(11.10) Colt got added to the mall group chat??

(11.11) Foil using guns by shooting the bullets through a hole in her hand?? Taken up Grue’s/Skitter’s role as the Undersiders’ Crazy Ass

Speaking of Taylor, she would be like almost fully unfazed by getting Cradled. Just reforms herself and speaks using the bugs. Would suck for Brian though having his senses spread out in several pieces would be horrifically familiar.

(11.11) Yknow what back in Arc 1 I thought Carol would remain at least like top 3 hated characters until the end but she’s getting pushed out of top 10 jfc Cradle?? Love Lost?? Not even to Rain, literally kids, kids who were already incapacitated or surrendered????

(11.12) Vista with an empty Earth practically has worldedit damn.

Looks like a hell of an upcoming arc. Lets look at the table of contents… Starting off with an interlude? 12.All?? 12.None??? This is about to go crazy isn’t it

[sparrows4bats]

So I saw another edit of Jondami and Would you Fall in Love with Me Again from EPIC the Musical and I have gone down the rabbit hole and may never resurface. (I am obsessed with musicals and world mythos, and this is hitting all of my special interests at once) I know other people have done their versions of this, so this is mine.

What if when Jon goes to space, there isn't a dimensional time difference? What if each second of those six years of absence is felt by those who love him?

They all search for Superboy, tirelessly, relentlessly, but they can't find him. The Justice League, the Green Lantern Corp, and every ally they have ever made across space and time look for a child lost in the stars. And they all fail.

Clark never stops searching even though they all beg him to.

Lois mourns but still prepares for her son's return.

Konner and Kara pick up what is left behind because the world didn't stop needing their help when Jonathan Kent dissappears, but they ache in their grief.

Damian just stops.

After six months go by with no news, he gets desperate, studies magic and science for a way to bring his best friend home. It never works, and every empty lead and false hope breaks him.

So Damian searches and waits.

He joins Clark on his search in any way he is able, defying his father. He stays with Lois when Superman travels too far for him to follow. He sits in Jons kitchen and eats at his table consumed with longing.

When Clark comes home empty-handed each time, Damian holds them both as they cry in his too small arms. Lois and Clark thank him every time. Look at Damian and see a boy who believes just as much as they do that Jon lives still, that he will be back, that misses him.

All three hope.

Jon didn't plan to be gone long, didn't leave purposefully, or give any of them momentos. Everything he ever owned looks as he left it, ready for when he returns. His books, his clothes, his unmade bed.

Damian doesn't try to return to normalcy without Jon at his side.

Even when his father threatens to take Robin from him if he does not return to Gotham, Damian just rips the symbol from his chest and leaves the cave. What is the point of being a hero without Jon beside him? They promised they would do that together, and Damian would not betray him.

The rest of the batfamily try to encourage him to take a new name, a new team, or make new friends, but Damian refuses every attempt. He will do those things with Jon when he returns, not a second sooner.

When Bruce tells him he is waiting on a ghost, Damian feels his heart break, and he leaves permanently. Jon wouldn't be welcome in Gotham, anyway. Not with the no meta rule.

Lois and Clark take him in. So Lois is never alone, and they can wait together.

Clark refuses to give Damian back to Bruce. Damian asked to stay, and Clark will be damned if ever lets a child leave again if they dont want to. Bruce loses his temper and accuses him of using Damian to replace his dead son. Batman and Superman don't speak to each other again for a long time.

Talia, surprisingly, gives them temporary custody. She understands Damians longing and will never forsake any part of him he inherited from her.

Nightwing and the others visit the Kent house weekly and accept that Damian will not leave. They learn to be a better sort of family, loving their brother and starting to hope again for his sake. All of the bats, besides Bruce, have dinner with Lois and Clark twice a month. The seat beside Damian is always left empty.

Damians pets join him at Kent Farm, and Damian can't help but greive because this is the future he and Jon used to joke about under their covers during sleepovers. They used to imagine living together with as many animals as they wanted and building somewhere safe to come home to.

At least Damian can have one of Jons dreams waiting for him.

He never mentions how Jon used to joke about marrying him one day, a childish proposal sealed in a pinky promise while Damian rolled his eyes. He remembers the way Jon pecked his lips afterwards. The memories burn now.

Damian realised long ago that he is in love with Jon. He will tell him one day.

After some time, Lois encourages him to go back to school. When she sees how bored he is, she gets him placement tests, and when he tests out, she sets him up at an online university. He accomplishes degree after degree and starts to help Lois with her research. They take down several corrupt labs and corporations together.

Damian goes to med school after seeing how many die without proper care while working with Lois. Damian hopes that Jon will be proud of him for still saving people, even if it's different without him.

They all still search. They all still cry when they find nothing. They all still wait.

Then one day, Jonathan Kent returns.

The Watchtower picks him up, and Dick calls them as soon as it happens. Lois and Damian are home at the time and rush to the Zeta tube with a desperate speed.

Clark is already waiting for them when they arrive.

They walk, the three of them, on shaky legs, holding their breath.

When Damian opens the door, he can't believe his eyes.

"Jon."

The man turns, and Damian freezes, beside him Lois sobs.

He is taller, Damian, despite his growth spurt still has to look up at him. His hair is longer, his black curls almost in his eyes. He has lost his baby fat and instead grown broader and more defined. There is a scar on his jaw and Damian dreads to think how he got it. His eyes, though, are the same bright blue, tired and heavy as they look.

Clark and Lois embrace their son falling to their knees, but Damian stays back until they are done.

Jon hugs his parents tightly, and when they come back to reality, Lois whispers in his ear too softly for Damian to hear, but Clark smiles at them and turns to look at Damian.

Then, Jon breaks the hug and walks towards him.

"Damian." He says as he reaches for him, voice so full of emotion that Damian wants to cry.

"Is it you? Is it really you, habibi?"

"I'm not the same as I was, I don't think I could ever be. With everything I've seen and everything I've done." Jon starts hesitantly.

"I killed, I hurt people, I tricked, I manipulated, I did everything I could to come back home, to come back to you." He admits. Jon looks away in shame, and Damian can't bear it. "I'm not what you were expecting."

He closes the distance and grabs Jons face.

"I don't care!"

"But-"

"No, you remember what you promised me?!" Damian demands.

"Of course! That we'd be heroes together."

"And?"

Jon blushes. "And that I'd build you a farm, give you a safe place to come home to." He swallows nervously, "That I would marry you one day."

Damian smiles so wide, uncaring of the tears running down his face. "I have waited for six years in your house, on our farm for my future husband."

Jon gasps, but Damian continues.

"I love you, Jonathan Kent, I don't care what you have done or will do. I don't care if you're different, grown, or anything else. You are mine."

Damian takes a breath and stares into his eyes. "In this life and the next, I will always wait for you. I dont care how long or what you had to do. You came back to me, and that is all that is important."

Jonathan closes the distance between them and kisses him, pouring passion, desperation, and astonishing love into it.

When he draws back, he whispers against his lips desperately, "Always, my love. I love you, I love you so much. I will do anything to bring me back to you, oh god. Damian."

Damian feels something unwind in his chest and pulls Jon closer still. They'd never let go of each other again. Here, in Jon's arms, Damian felt whole for the first time in years.

"I missed you every moment," Jon says finally.

"Me too."

[darnell-la]

MADE THE FIRST MOVE

pairing: Robert “Bob” Reynolds x reader

summary: y/n knew her job as a hero would be difficult, and most people don’t look after Bob like she does. somehow, she enjoyed it, and couldn’t help but fall for the guy. sadly, his depression kept her back from showing any feeling. that was until he surprised her with the first move.

warnings: smut, depression mentioned, mutants, etc

———

Bob has always been an insurance guy. Ever since y/n got to know him, she’s tried to build his confidence. Even after he almost wiped out everyone in New York a few mo the ago.

The Avengerz live in the old Tony Stark tower, helping each other out in life, even after saying multiple times how they couldn’t stand each other.

Y/n and Bob were the only ones who loved being around each other. After a while, they’ve became close, so close Bob could barely function around y/n. It’s almost like his heart would stop any time she’d come around.

“I’m sorry about like this — Usually I’m fine, but he’s just being difficult right now,” Bob said, speaking above the Void who had started getting to close to taking Bob over again.

For the past month, Bob grew a huge heart for y/n, and Void began taking the chance to make Bog over think every possible detail about y/n and him being anything but friends.

“It’s fine, Bob — Really,” y/n said as she slipped off her house shoes and got under the covers. Y/n had been staying with Bob for the night to make sure he felt needed and wanted. Not in any sexual way, but as a friend.

She would be lying if she said she had no feelings for Bob. She just couldn’t bring herself explain it to him or anyone. She felt like it was wrong, especially with that Bob had going on with himself.

“Why do you do this? I know you see something in me, but y/n- I’m a grown man. And, adult, and I can’t even control my emotions. I suck so bad at it that if I feel too down, I could get rid off the whole city in seconds,”

Bob wouldn’t stop speaking down about himself, as y/n switched the TV off to have something going on in the background as they rested for the night.

“Bob, look — We’ve all got our problems, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve help. Why would I watch you and ignore you when u can help? You’re not bothering in any kind of way. Trust me,” y/n said as she turned to look at Bob.

Y/n’s stomached filled with butterflies at the way Bob was looking at her. “I appreciate you, y/n, you know that, right?” Bob asked as he scanned her face, falling in love with her for probably the thousandth time today.

“And, why is that?” Y/n asked, knowing why, but wanting him to speak about her in a way that may make her fall for him harder. “I mean- Just look at you. A gorgeous girl wanting to take care of me — That sounds like a dream,”

“I think you’re over exaggerating just a little bit,” y/n said as she went to tuck under her covers but Bob stopped her by moving closer to put his hand in her cheek. “Not even a little,” Bob said, feeling some courage to show her how much he appreciates her.

“I don’t know what to say,” y/n spoke low, now feeling shy. “You never have to say anything to make me happy,” Bob said as his eyes sprightly glowed yellow. “You’re perfect no matter what you do or say,” y/n was at a loss for words at the moment.

Bob has never been then type of man to have confidence and show it. This was very new for him and her, and she didn’t know how to react. She was happy, yet too shocked to say anything.

“I think I’m actually happy,” was the last thing Bob said before he leaned into y/n, connecting his lips onto hers. Before either of them could settle in, Bob deepened the kiss as he moved on top of her.

“Tell me if you’re uncomfortable, and I’ll stop — I promise,” Bob pulled back to make sure he wasn’t ruining anything by his quick decisions. “I would never tell you to stop. Ever,”

That’s all it took for y/n and Bob to be sweating, moaning, and shaking underneath the covers. They both weren’t to experienced, or had a great person to do this with. Now, they finally do.

“I swear, I love you, y/n — I really do. You’ve changed my perspective on life — On living,” Bob said as he softly, but same time roughly thrusted down into y/n. “I-I’m glad I could h-help,” y/n stuttered as her back arched.

“I want you to — I need you,

[nicohii]

Part two to this promt

Sylus isn't proud about very few things. You can count in one hand, and on top of the pile is his silent search for you despite the fact you wished for him never to find you. In the days where he is accompanied by himself, his feet drag him in front of the door of what was your room. There are days when he finds himself lost in the memories of the things you have left behind, they're still there. Just like how you left it. It's an instant really, how it all crashes down on him, that all the things you left are all the things he had given you. 

He sits on what used to be your bed. There is still a faint trace of your scent on it, when he closes his eyes, he can almost hear you breathe. "Come on, Sylus, tell me what's going on in that brain of yours... "

And when he opens his eyes there is nothing but neatly kept sheets. There is a worn out photograph on your night stand. You and him. Almost tore at the edges from being in your pockets. He caught you looking at it at times, when you thought no one is there. There is youth in that photo, how there is is mirth, how there is oozing affection from you that wraps his entirety that makes him to warm in this cold city. 

He isn't proud of his decision to send Mephisto your way in secret. He isn't proud of how he lurks. He isn't proud of the tinges of regrets and remorse in the nights even after being one with the one he had sought for. There is already shared lifetimes between them, but sometimes, when he sees her with other people she's shared lives with, he can't help but think if that's applicable to him too. Dis he have other people to share his other lives too? Did he share a lifetime with you too? 

He sees you, in Mephisto's eyes. You are a far cry from who you were when you were in the N109 with him. He sees you in probably the biggest smile he has seen you in, laughing with a man who waited for you to come out of the building you just came out off. There is something in the way you run to someone else's arm in a carefree way. There is pain when somebody else lifts your body and twirls you around like you're the greatest treasure in the world. Because you are. There is something in the way you caress their face, bury your nose in their hair, the way you look into somebody else's eyes. 

He isn't proud of it, the way he didn't stop looking even when you went home with your partner. Eavesdropping and watching through birds eyes as you go about your day with someone who loves you back. He can see it, the way you are held back, the way you are wrapped in their arms as you cook a meal , the way you both waltz in the kitchen barefoot. 

This is how you love when you are loved back, don't you? This is how you love in a safe place don't you? You love in a peaceful, quiet and content pace. You have created a beautiful world without him in it. You have created a haven out of the freedom you had asked of him, and here he is, watching you. Wondering if things turned out differently, maybe the peace you had made could be shared by the both of you. 

Does you fiance know about him? Does he know about who you loved unadulteratedly before? Does he know about the way you yearned for him---

"If you invited the twins, don't you think you should invite him too?" He hears your partner ask you. 

So he does know about him. 

And that punches him more, knowing that you have left nothing hidden of your past. There is no little secret in between. There is no whispers of him and you, because you have laid it all out. 

"He's a busy man. The twins are all I need baby. " You smile before you kiss him on the lips. 

Sylus hates the ugly bitterness in his tongue. But what is there to say? Is there anyone to blame? 

----

Sylus stares at the photo of Luke, Kieran and you. 

Sylus had always saw you in red and black. 

There is blur in his vision, there is tightness in his chest, there is an unexplainable void in him that opens as he stares at you. He isn't proud of it. But he'll live with it. 

For the record, he admits, you look most beautiful in white.

[antianakin]

If they were going to have Bix leave Cassian instead of killing her off (which I do like by the way, I appreciate that she is just killed for convenience), they should've swapped her narrative with Cassian's in this season instead.

BIX should've been the one becoming less and less committed to the Rebellion because she just wants to be able to find peace where she can instead of giving what little she has left to this Cause.

CASSIAN should've been the one refusing to leave and becoming more and more committed the more of himself he's given to the Rebellion because who is he if he leaves now, what will it all have been for if he quits NOW.

For one, it fits in better with Cassian's entire arc in Rogue One. Cassian's speech to Jyn at the end when he brings the volunteers to her is that all of them have done awful things for the Rebellion and they don't regret that, but they WILL regret it if they stop fighting now and have to live with knowing it was all for nothing. He can't walk away anymore. Either they take down the Empire or Cassian dies working towards that goal. Those are the only two options for Cassian anymore and that's SO CENTRAL to his character.

For two, it would be an interesting foil to his earlier conversation with Maarva in season 1. People have pointed out that there's a clear PARALLEL between Cassian's two conversations with Maarva and Bix and, to me, what this shows is that Cassian hasn't really developed all that much between the two seasons even though multiple years have passed. He's still not committed to this really, he still somehow believes they can find a quiet place to just hide away from the Empire and have a normal life. But if you turn it around so that now someone else is asking Cassian to walk away from this and Cassian is now the person who refuses to do so and he has to parallel Maarva's "That's just love" line... oof that shit hits SO GOOD and shows how far he's come as a character at the same time.

For three, it allows BIX to develop more as a character. Yes, she's a fighter, and she's strong and competent and fierce. But throughout season 1 she also has so much she's still fighting FOR. She has Timm, she has Cassian, she has Brasso and Maarva and the Paaks and Ferrix in general. She's fighting for her home and her family and her loved ones. But one by one she loses them. Timm is killed, Cassian leaves, Salman Paak is killed, Maarva dies, Ferrix is occupied and then they riot and who knows how much of Ferrix and its people is even left in the aftermath of Rix Road but even if there IS something left Bix has to run from it with no real hope of being able to ever return.

And then we get to season 2 and she almost immediately loses Brasso and B2EMO. The home they'd started to make on Mina-Rau is also something they have to leave behind and the safehouse they're in on Coruscant is clearly not something Bix feels is really a home. She has SO LITTLE left to keep fighting for the way she did before. And it might've been interesting to see Bix, who had been the original rebel on Ferrix, the one who was actually Luthen's connection to the planet and to Cassian, be the one to start losing that conviction because so much of it had been connected to her love for her people and her home and a desire to save it.

Bix is a fighter, yes, but the whole reason she's with Timm at the beginning of season 1 is because she DOES want a more normal life, one that Cassian isn't able to give her even before he becomes a rebel. Bix wants to be able to build a home with her family that she can grow old in and build a life in. She WANTS that, but she also loves her family and her home enough to fight for it when necessary. But then it's all taken away and they keep expecting her to go out and fight and more and more she isn't quite sure WHY she's still doing this. Maybe she's doing similar things to Cassian, maybe she's also having to go out and be an assassin or a saboteur and it GRATES at her because this isn't the person she wants to be, it's not the life she ever thought she'd live, and she wants to take out the Empire and avenge Ferrix and Brasso and all the others who died on Rix Road, but she finally hits a point of no return where she just can't keep fighting like this and making these sacrifices, she CAN'T. And she tries to convince Cassian to come with her because she can see him chipping away at everything she'd loved about him, she can see the way it eats at him too, but Cassian is Maarva's son and now that he's committed himself to this, there's no looking back.

And so Bix leaves, because she knows she deserves more than this and refuses to lose who she is, and Cassian stays, because he knows he'll never forgive himself if he doesn't see this through. Bix finally learns to fight for herself, and Cassian learns to fight for everyone. Maybe it's even amicable. That could be another foil to the conversation with Maarva where he tells her he doesn't understand why she's staying. But this time, as Bix explains why she can't do this, he can understand, because he's BEEN there now. And Bix understands why Cassian can't leave with her, too. There's no animosity between them when they separate. They were on opposing paths and they met in the middle for a while, but now they're at different places in their lives again and they have to say goodbye. They've done this once already and survived, they can do it again.

[chaifootsteps]

I have been kicked out of my own home TWICE, I know what it's like to lose everything you loved and being unable to see your family member. NOT ONCE did I ever act like Stolas, I was extremely grateful for my friend's family housing me, my mother and sister. You shouldn't treat the person who literally saved you from living on the streets like some butler.

I get that for Stolas, who's lived his whole life having everything to suddenly having nothing is very hard to adjust to because I felt like that the first time, it was one of the lowest points in my life but he didn't ever thank Blitzø ONCE for giving him food and shelter. No, he had the audacity to ask for more expensive meals, make classist remarks to the imp's holiday and trash the office of an imp who worked hard there to put food on Stolas' own plate.

I HATE the excuses his fans come up with to rationalizing Stolas' attitude in Sinsmas. "He has a special diet so we can't judge him for that", BULLSHIT, he was shoveling sad spoonfuls of miserable cereal in the episode Ozzie so he can obviously consume other foods. "He's depressed so he's not thinking well", I was depressed too but at least I made sure that I was grateful to the one housing me instead of just complaining about how poor I was. "He's having a meltdown over not seeing his daughter so it's a justified crashout," I had my moments where I was incredibly angry at my circumstances where I did things out of anger I will never be proud of but I would have never have taken out my frustrations on the possessions and workplace of my friend's family especially when they entrusted me with the job of handling it.

Not everyone has the same experience of being nearly homeless and we all deal with it in our own ways but being ungrateful and inconsiderate to the people who's kind enough to make sure you can live under a roof, feed you and help you get back on your feet to build a new life for yourself has NO excuse. The least you can do for them is say the words thank you to them and somehow, with every opportunity Stolas was practically handed to on screen to say it, not once has he taken it.

This, this, this. Some of the excuses the stans make for Stolas's behavior show give you the impression that they barely understand how to interact with other humans, much less analyze a cartoon.

Most people who find themselves with nothing know enough to show some level of basic gratitude. Hell, even the ones who end up pawning their hosts' radios and stealing from their medicine cabinets say thank you before that happens.

[probably-flowers-and-cats]

//something something about bottling up, pressure building, relapses again, Makochi being full of people who love unconditionally, Sakura, Nirei, and Suo. mostly Sakura.

it's raining. and it's heavy. all of this. Sakura looks at his knuckles, all red again, bruises starting to bloom with purple and blue. he's alone. he's alone — and he did it to himself. again.

old habits die hard, huh?

they don't fucking die. never. immortal bitches.

he clenches his fists, and sharp pain shots up to his throat. no. he's not going to cry over what he broke himself. no. he's. he's capable of being on his own. he lived years before Makochi all alone. it's not a big deal.

no. it's not tears stinging his eyes. no. it's not breath staggering. it's not a familiar rope he's climbing back on. no. he's not dumb. he won't. he won't.

he wants to run? or. what does he want?

Sakura chooses to cover his face with his hands. they smell of blood and mud and — Nirei's mint cough drops; and — Suo's stupid roasted tea leaves; and pastries townsfolk handed him.

he feels sobs growing louder in back of his throat. bubbling, boiling. scorching. h o t. kids' playground. raining. all alone.

Sakura wonders if he wakes up tomorrow with a fever, sore throat, and the whole town feeling alien again, dangerous.

he is dangerous. he bottled up too many things. too many words, too much pain and hurt. bottled up his yells back. his screams. his tears. his annoyance and tiredness. he bottled up himself, letting out only anger that is helping him survive.

everything before Makochi was a survival. state of alertness from 00:00 to the 23:59. then repeat. he was loved — the name he was given speaks volumes — but loneliness was his skin.

Jesus fucking Christ.

he snapped. he snapped, and out of all people who faced his bottled up hurt was Nirei. who was goddamn sick even before retrieving kittens out of a river. and Sakura was so, so, so scared of losing him that instead of reacting like a normal person he snapped. anger making its way out; down the carved path.

and Nirei just stood up there listening. then walked away. and Sakura stayed. raining. and heavy. and he hurts all over again. he doesn't want to leave Makochi.

Sakura belongs here.

he lowers his hands. he. he will stay. he still loves them — he cares for them all. Kotoha, Suo, Nirei, Anzai. townsfolk. it doesn't matter they won't love him back. it's okay.

Sakura shakes his head.

it's not raining anymore. wait. no. it's raining. and it's still heavy. and he still regrets his words. and his knuckles are red, bruised, and swelling. and old habits do die hard, bastards. and love is still there, unconditional and irresistible.

and an umbrella is there, too.

"Nire-kun told me everything. he's very upset and him crying doesn't help him to recover any faster." Sakura curves his lips, guilt twisting his insides. "but he also understands that you was scared. let's get you warm first, shall we?"

"I have to apologize," Sakura mumbles.

"you do," Suo says. "and you will. relapses are quite a common thing, you know. you can bury yourself with all your hurt and scars and tired heart as deep as it's possible, but it will resurface. because you care."

Sakura listens.

"because you love. because you know what it is to lose what you love. what it is to have scars that crawl back into your nightmares. because you know how it hurts to be alone, and how your heart beats when you have people you care about."

a beat of silence.

"come on in. we don't want you to get sick."

it's raining. and it's still heavy. but it's raining, and droplets are bouncing off the umbrella, and it's still heavy — and shared. Sakura lingers on the thought that he wanted to stay either way.

he wonders — does it have to do anything with the fact that no matter what there would be at least one person who believes in him?

(it's the whole town, silly. the whole town believes in you. deal with it. get loved. scars will fade. hurt will get less sharp. heart will recover. and the box you keep unpacked will be finally empty.

you will stay. because you want to.)

[hainethehero]

Steve is held to an impossible standard and therefore the bad takes on him are almost always by people who need to find a way to make it about their “favs.”

Case in point: Tony and Bucky fans. Almost always at the scene of the crime, and continue to be. I say this as someone who is solely a Steve fan and not Bucky or Tony fan. I don’t care for either of those characters and especially their deranged fans who feel the need to make everything about Steve about them instead of Steve. But I would never go into their tags and make stuff about Steve. Because it’s their right to talk about their favs but I don’t think it’s fair that Steve needs to always be dragged into convos that have nothing to do with him.

Steve as a character hasn’t been in the MCU for about 6 years. Yet his tumblr tag contains nonsense to this minute, and it’s mostly Bucky fans making everything about him 24/7 or bitter Tony fans making civil war discourse in 2025.

Sam is getting similar treatment because he’s taken on the cap mantle but his treatment is worse with an added layer of obvious and sometimes not so obvious racism. He also cannot make a mistake or do something that is controversial because he will be held to an impossible standard. I could get into this but since this post is about Steve I won’t. But Sam deserves better and TBH, I think Sam/Steve deserves more love and I find that ship to be much less toxic because the fans seem to know these two love each other dearly and how much Steve wanted to be around Sam since Day 1. How much Sam respects Steve and simply watches his six and why Steve handed him the Shield.

But guys like Bucky and Tony can do lame and act dumb shit after dumb shit and will always be forgiven or sympathized with by their fans because their fans love to be delusional about them. Poor them always.

Bucky is getting a lot of support for potentially screwing things over for Sam but the GP and fandom is mostly on his side and it appears he’s now being compared to iron man if the thunderbolts new poster has anything to do with it.

Tony gets sympathized with because his character is arguably the MCU’s face and most important. The Russo brothers purposely having Steve withhold info from Tony (unconvincingly IMO, because where was the build up? How did allegedly no one else know but Steve and how or when did he even find out? Why is he the only person who gets blamed for this when idk, shield and everyone else involved is right there??) was always going to set people off. Ironman asskissers will support anything he does and he is the most popular character. So if anyone goes against him or something happens where it looks like he was wronged of course the masses will jump to support him and villainize the other person. In this case, it was Steve. But you know, they could have not written the script like this and did the comics version of civil war or idk avoided civil war altogether and went with serpent society and did a real cap movie like they were supposed to. But I digress.

But yes, you are correct. The bad takes towards Steve by Tony fans are very funny but Tony fans literally have it all. He is the face of the cinematic universe and that’s sort of bled into the comics side of things since the MCU mainstreamed his popularity over the last decade and a half. He snapped in endgame to save the world and now his memory lives on. What else do they need to be mad about?

Maybe because oh…idk, even after all this time, Steve’s storylines and discourse are still being discussed to this day and he’s still somehow relevant to a universe that has placed him in the rear view. The conversations around the super soldier serum continued throughout the TV shows, movies, and even Cap Civil War is still discoursed about day after day. Could it be, marvel realizing that Steve became a more compelling character than they expected and his popularity was starting to eclipse that of their Godfather so Civil War had to come in and throw a wrench into things.

After TWS, the popularity for Cap/Steve exploded and I don’t think marvel was expecting that. I also don’t think marvel was prepared for the visceral response by some of the fandom towards the ending of Steve’s arc and how much some fans still cannot let that go and the constant wondering of where he went, demanding for rewrites and fix its and bringing him back and etc etc so on.

I think it’s interesting to say the least. Such a “boring” “do good” “self righteous” lame character shouldn’t still be in everyone’s mouths and thoughts after all this time…right?

THIS. ALL OF THIS.

[yuta-nakamots]

All I Got - B.Baekhyun

Pairing - Baekhyun x GN Reader, slight Chanyeol x GN Reader

Genre - Fluff, Angst 

Warnings - lots of yearning, jealousy on Baekhyun’s end, slight arguments 

Summary - Caught between comfort and the slow unraveling of unspoken feelings, you begin to notice the weight behind Baekhyun’s lingering glances and late-night silences. One quiet moment leads to a kiss, and soon, pretending not to feel anything is no longer an option.

Word Count - 3.3k

Author’s Note - This is inspired by a dream I had, though it was originally about Jeno and Chanyeol instead of Baekhyun and Chanyeol lol

Taglist - @k-vanity @exo-writers-net @exosnet (join my taglist!)

Written for The Mirror Of Erised Collab originally hosted by @taem-min. 

Now playing: All I Got - Baekhyun, Hasta La Vista - Chanyeol, Black Out - Chanyeol 

At the local animal shelter, you and Chanyeol are knee-deep in suds and fur, laughing as a puppy shakes water all over the two of you. Chanyeol is a friend you met while volunteering at the shelter on weekends, and you bonded over cleaning kennels, organizing adoption events, and playing with the shelter residents. 

Your friendship has always been fun, easygoing, and filled with inside jokes. He’s the golden retriever to your “I can handle it myself” energy. You tease him for being too soft with the animals. He calls you scary for how strict you are with their training, despite your constant explanations about the animals needing good manners to have a higher chance of finding their forever home. 

Today, the two of you were assigned to the front of the house, greeting guests, showing them around the shelter, handling adoption papers, and supervising other volunteers. One of them makes a comment. “Wait– are you guys together? Like, dating?”

You both laugh it off, but Chanyeol’s gaze lingers on you for just a second before answering. “We’re not.”

People often assumed you two were dating, but you always brushed it off. “He’d be more of a handful than any of the dogs in here.” You remark, causing Chanyeol to playfully shove you, albeit a little more forcefully than he meant. 

Later that day, as he walked you home, he noticed the way you slightly shivered. You had been running late in the morning and in your frenzy, had forgotten your jacket at home. Chanyeol took off his jacket and threw it over your shoulders without asking, the large garment engulfing you in warmth as his warmth clung to it. “You always act like you don’t need help,” he murmured, rubbing circles onto your back. 

“Because I don’t,” you respond. “I’ll be fine.” 

Chanyeol shakes his head with a grin. “Doesn’t mean I won’t offer.” 

When you arrive at the front of your apartment building, you bid Chanyeol farewell, and he watches you until you’re safely in the elevator before leaving. You return home and are greeted by a cup of your favorite tea already waiting, with a note placed next to it. 

‘Hope your day went well. Here’s something to unwind. -B’

After taking a large sip of the tea, you pick the note off the table, putting it in your bag for safekeeping. After setting down your belongings and tea in your room, you change into more comfortable clothes and wander into the living room where you knew you’d find Baekhyun. 

He was quietly reading on the couch, glasses slipping down his nose. He appeared so serene as golden rays of sunlight cast over him, making him appear as if he was glowing. He looked up, hearing your footsteps drawing closer, and a smile gradually grew on his face. “Hey, how was everything at the shelter?” 

You plopped yourself next to him, sinking into the cushions of the sofa. “Same old, same old,” you tell him. “Ran the front desk today, showed some people around, and did paperwork. Got asked if I was dating Chanyeol, but overall, it was pretty uneventful. I guess that’s good, in a sense.”

Baekhyun loved hearing you talking about your day. He loved listening to your voice and learning about all the things that brought you joy. He especially loved it when you were talking about him. Which is why this time, when he smiled, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“I think I forgot my tea in my room,” you realize, standing up from the couch to grab the mug before it gets cold. “Thanks for making me some, I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Baekhyun responded. Anything for you, he wanted to say, but he swallowed those words down with another sip from his mug. 

You and Baekhyun were college classmates and reconnected after graduation when a mutual friend was looking for people to take over the lease on their apartment. Living with Baekhyun started off as chill since he was always kind and surprisingly thoughtful. Out of habit, he’d make himself tea throughout the day, and from the moment he caught you sneaking a sip, he started making two cups. One for him and one for you. Aside from that, he liked to leave notes around the place. Little things that kept you going through the week, sometimes reminding you to buy more dish soap, or saying he took out the trash but went out to buy more bags. 

He was understanding in ways you had never expected a roommate to be, and he also didn’t question your relationship with Chanyeol whenever you brought him over. But unbeknownst to you, Baekhyun watched how naturally you and Chanyeol mesh together, and the more you bring him over, the more Baekhyun feels like he’s losing something, even if it was something he never really had. 

The next weekend, Chanyeol is over at your place once again, effortlessly helping you cook dinner and joking around as if he lived there. Chanyeol set the table while you cleaned off the stove before going to Baekhyun’s room, telling him that dinner is ready. It felt almost like domestic bliss in the way that the three of you came to the table and enjoyed a meal together. 

Baekhyun ate quietly, watching you and Chanyeol banter and laugh with each other. It’s like he was looking through glass, as if he were in a separate room. He didn’t feel that it was his place to play around with Chanyeol when they barely knew each other. Chanyeol is your friend, not his. 

Despite that, Baekhyun hung around after finishing his meal and started washing the dishes. “You guys cooked, I’ll handle cleaning up.” 

Shortly after, Chanyeol excused himself from the table, saying he would be heading out. You walked him to the door and bid farewell, closing the door gently as the smile faded from your cheeks the further Chanyeol got from you. 

You fell into place next to Baekhyun, standing in front of the sink as he scrubbed the dishes and rinsed them clean. Grabbing a spare towel, you began drying the items Baekhyun set aside. The silence between the two of you was comfortable and familiar, filled by the movement of water, crackling of soap, and clinking of plates and silverware until Baekhyun spoke. “He’s easy to love, isn’t he?”

You pause in the middle of drying a plate. “What do you mean?”

Baekhyun handed you a fork. “Nothing. Just observing.”

“He’s just a friend,” you tell him, though deep down, it feels like you’re trying to reassure yourself, too. 

Baekhyun hummed as he accepted the answer, letting the conversation die out. His head was swimming with thoughts, and he told himself that maybe what he saw was just an illusion. The way you laughed at Chanyeol’s jokes, the way your cheeks rose into a smile whenever he was around. Or if those weren’t an illusion, certainly the way you treated him must be. The way you would keep his notes after reading them as if they were something precious, or the way you talked to him about anything that came to mind as if there were no limits between the two of you. 

Maybe it would be better if everything were an illusion. 

The weight in Baekhyun’s chest grew heavier every time he saw you with Chanyeol. Your conversations with Chanyeol flowed so effortlessly, the way he made you smile as if it was second nature, and the way he hovered so close to you whenever he was in the apartment. All of it made Baekhyun ache with envy, craving to be the one that you were talking to, despite knowing he would have his turn at the end of the day. 

Baekhyun felt out of place in his own apartment the day you and Chanyeol brought home two stray dogs, claiming “they needed a bath” before they could be brought into the shelter. Baekhyun knew better than to complain and become the cause of the face you would make at him, something comparable to a sad, wet kitten. 

Yet he soon wore his own sad, wet kitten face as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom, and you caught him with a misplaced jet of water in the midst of trying to get Chanyeol back for spraying you. “Sorry!” You shout to Baekhyun over the mess of soap and laughter you and Chanyeol had created.

Baekhyun only shook his head while closing the bathroom door, muttering under his breath about how he had “just finished laundry.” 

After the door clicks shut, Chanyeol turns to you. “What’s gotten into him? He’s been all brooding recently.”

You think back to your conversation with Baekhyun after dinner, and things started to click together. The more you brought Chanyeol over, the more distant Baekhyun was. Yet you swore to him that Chanyeol was just a friend, and you would never lie to him. Just what was going on in that pretty little head of his? 

You shrug as you return your mind to the situation at hand, the dogs. “I’m not sure, but let’s get these little guys cleaned up and dried.”

Chanyeol nodded in agreement. “Do you think Baekyun would be mad if we used one of his towels?”

You laughed at the joke, but Baekhyun didn’t as he stood on the other side of the bathroom door. He never left. He only fled from his spot when he heard the ruffling of towels come to a stop and your voice saying, “okay, I think they should be dry enough now.” Hardly even a second later, the bathroom door was creaking open, and you stepped out with one of the dogs in your arms. You were so engrossed in the way it tiredly rested its muzzle on your shoulder that you didn’t catch the tail ends of Baekhyun disappearing into his room. 

You and Chanyeol left the apartment with the dogs wrapped in towels. Both of them had been so thoroughly exhausted from the bath that they had to be carried to Chanyeol’s car. You felt similar as you helped Chanyeol load them into the back seat, but the fatigue finally hit you while watching him drive off, his license plate growing smaller and smaller until he made the turn out of your neighborhood. 

After returning to your apartment, you made quick work of cleaning up the bathroom and yourself, opting for comfortable clothes and a nap. It was still early in the afternoon, there were still tons of time left in the day, you told yourself. 

By the time you woke, the sun was casting a golden orange glow through the flat, and you could hear the faint sounds of Baekhyun in the kitchen. You threw the blankets off your body, wishing you could enjoy their warmth just a bit longer, but you were not about to let Baekhyun make dinner alone. 

“What are you making?” You asked, leaning against the refrigerator. 

“Curry and rice,” Baekhyun responded dryly, not even sparing you a glance.

You step closer to him and peer into the large pot he was stirring. “Anything I can help with?”

He shook his head. “It’s almost done.”

You weren’t going to take that as an answer. “Surely, there must be something I can do.”

He sighed. “If you really want to make yourself useful, you can get out the bowls and spoons.” 

With ease, you pulled two bowls out from the cabinet along with two spoons from a drawer. “Done,” you announce proudly.

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at the set and finally looks at you. “Only two?”

“What? Was I supposed to grab more?” You question.

“No, I just thought– never mind.” Baekhyun opened the rice cooker and scooped a generous serving into both bowls. 

“Whaaaaat?” You whine, tugging on the hem of his shirt. “Tell meeeee.”

He glanced over at you, casting a half-hearted smile as he ladled curry over the rice. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously not nothing if it’s got you all moody and brooding like this.” Baekhyun paused. You used that word, that same word Chanyeol had used earlier. Brooding. Baekhyun had never had anyone describe himself as ‘brooding’ before, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. 

“I’m not brooding,” he snapped. 

“Yes, you are,” you responded in the same manner, swiping a bowl from the counter along with a spoon. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this is all about Chanyeol and how you’re jealous that I spend more time with him than I do with you.” You storm off, taking your food with you to the couch in the living area. 

Baekhyun followed like he always did. “And what if it is?”

You sit down on one end of the couch, back against the armrest, with one knee to your chest as the other hangs off the cushion. “Then I expect you to talk to me like a man and say it instead of moping around like a child.”

“Okay, then I will.” He sat at the other end, hardly even a foot away from you. “I’m jealous.”

You had barely taken your first bite of the curry when he confessed. A sly smirk spread on your face. “And why are you jealous?”

He exhaled heavily through his nose before setting his bowl on the table next to the couch. “I don’t think this is a conversation we should be having over dinner.”

“This isn’t dinner if neither of us are eating.” You set your bowl next to his. “Let’s talk.”

He looks between you and your bowl in disbelief, rolling his eyes and looking away from you. “I don’t want to.”

“Then why’d you follow me here?” You press. 

“I just–I didn’t want you to leave me.” He spoke so quietly it was nearly a whisper, and yet it tore at your heart. 

You moved over until you were sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, yet he refused to look at you. “Hey,” you begin, gently hooking your index finger under his chin and pulling him to face you. “I won’t leave you.”

He stared at you, intense and quiet. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Your face twisted in confusion. “Like what?”

“Like I’m someone that matters to you when I’m not–”

“But you are.” 

“Clearly not when Chanyeol’s around!” 

A heavy silence settled over the two of you, and you welcomed it. Your hand fell from Baekhyun’s face and into your lap, but you kept your gaze on him. He made a move to stand, but you grabbed his wrist. “Sit down,” you said softly, more of a plea than a command. He froze and stood staring at the floor, neither sitting nor leaving. 

“Chanyeol is my friend,” you continued as steadily as you could manage. “He’s always been my friend. That’s all it is.” Baekhyun didn’t answer, but you saw his jaw tighten. “Do you think I talk to him the way I talk to you? Do you think I tell him anything and everything the way I tell you? Do you think I let him see me when I’m tired, frustrated, at my worst, when I’m in my room and haven’t washed my hair in days?” His eyes finally flicked toward you. “I’ve never shown myself this way to anyone except you.” Baekhyun didn’t respond, but something shifted in the air– like he finally allowed himself to hope. “I spend time with Chanyeol,” you acknowledge, voice lowering, “but I wait for you. You’re the one I come home to every day.”

Baekhyun’s gaze hardened at the mention of his name. “Then why does it feel like I always come second?”

You exhaled shakily, hand squeezing tightly around his wrist. “I don’t know what this is yet,” you admitted. “I just know that when you’re not okay…I feel it.”

He didn’t respond, but he finally sat down next to you. You tried to smile, to lighten the mood, or to thank him for staying, anything to distract you from the ache in your chest. “No smiling at me like that,” he said quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was trying not to fall apart. 

But then you leaned in, and he met you halfway. The kiss wasn’t perfect, but it was hungry, hesitant, and full of everything you both had been holding back. Baekhyun kissed you as if his life depended on it, his hands falling to your waist while yours ran up his chest and sat on his shoulders. When you finally pulled away, both of you fighting for air, he didn’t move. 

“I already knew that was going to hurt,” he whispered. 

You didn’t know what to say, so instead you just stayed. You stayed close enough to him to prove that you wouldn’t leave him this time. 

Days after the kiss, things didn’t return to normal, but they didn’t fall apart…yet. There were countless nights of you staying in each other's spaces, though not quite crossing the boundary between the two of you. The distance was charged and sensitive. Neither of you said much. Baekhyun didn’t push, and you didn’t promise him anything you weren’t ready to give. But when you lay in his bed and interlocked your pinky with his, he didn’t move away. 

Everything came to a head on a late Tuesday evening. Chanyeol had forgotten his wallet at your place, and you stood outside the apartment building waiting for him. You spotted him walking toward you from where his car was parked at the far end of the lot, his hair damp from a shower, and his jacket half-zipped as if he had left in a hurry. 

He smiled when he saw you, but it quickly faded when he saw Baekhyun trailing behind, hovering just inside the entrance to the building. “Hey,” Chanyeol says loud enough for Baekhyun to hear, his eyes flicking between the two of you. “Why did he come down with you?” He asked, this time only for your ears. You turn around to glance at Baekhyun. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching you. You turn back to Chanyeol, his brows pinched while staring back at Baekhyun. “Did something happen?”

You shift your weight from one foot to the other, your eyes darting between Chanyeol’s. “Not exactly,” you murmur while trying to avoid the way Baekhyun’s gaze warms the back of your neck. 

Chanyeol’s brows furrow further, concerned. “Is he bothering you?”

You let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh. “No. He’s not the problem.”

Chanyeol watches you closely, his voice dipping lower. “Then what is?”

You glance down at your hands, then back at him. “You’ve always had this way of pulling me toward you even when I’m already leaning somewhere else.” He blinks, caught off guard. “I just…I need to figure something out, and I can’t really hear myself think when I feel like I’m being watched for the answer. 

Chanyeol looks over your shoulder towards Baekhyun, and his expression shifts. “Oh.” The silence stretches until Chanyeol exhales, long and slow. “Do I need to step back?”

You don’t say yes. But you don’t say no, either. You just meet his eyes, full of kindness and warmth. And that much was enough. Chanyeol nods, backing away with quiet understanding, hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He doesn’t press for more, he never has. “Take care of yourself, okay?” He says softly. 

You give him a small nod. “You too.”

Once he’s gone, the space around you feels bigger. Quieter. Behind you, Baekhyun hasn’t moved, and you don’t turn around, not yet. The breeze seems to whisper with everything left unsaid, and for now, that’s all there is. 

Autoplay: If you liked this, you may also like Groove - K.Jongin 

[farkleysparkley]

Yo amazing!! Glad i understood what you going for! And imma absolutely tell you about the AU, i got you homie. Put below the cut cause it gonna be long.

Here their ages in the AU so you got lil more context, sorted from young to old:

Mindy: 14

Lillian: 15

Mitchell: 16

Houston: 18

Aurora: 18

Zerk: 18/19

Sean: 19

Jet: 19

Sydney: 19

Stella: 22

Also yea, Houston and Aurora part of the gang too! They be stopping by occasionally.

They all best friends with each other! But there is some bickering, especially due to some their personalities being different than the others. They also all got wildly different taste in stuff, it add to the fun!

They go out and do stuff a lot, their favourite things to do are go to the arcade, fuck around at a playground, film silly videos and skits with each other and post them on YouTube, camp out, go to water and theme parks, mess around at supermarkets, and explore abandoned buildings. Got a fic in the works about them ghost hunting..

And speaking of YouTube, they got a channel called XxTeam_PropulsionxX with about a thousand subscribers where they post skits and stories, video game let's plays with them, memes, vlogs, and few other things!

Also you definitely right about Stella swearing. She be saying fuck every three seconds, and often told to tone it down lol. Zerk also swear a lot, but in a different, stranger, more meme-oriented way. Mitchell only swears when angry, Jet does not swear and gets sad when he says "frick", Lillian and Sean occasionally do it- usually under their breath, Mindy swears a normal amount fo a teenager, and Sydney don't swear but swears in her head sometimes.

Mindy love to jokingly annoy people, but never outta malice! They also all love to watch cartoons together in their lil pillow fort. Most the time they hang at Jet's house

Some them got jobs! Mitchell working his first job at a pizza place, Sean a janitor fo said pizza place. Zerk use to work at Subway but got fired fo chasing customers with mops, Stella currently work at that Subway as a cashier and watched the whole thing. Sydney is a freelance artist, and Jet is proudly unemployed.

Sadly, Cody ain't doing too well. He's old, and rarely goes outside no more. But on a better note, Sunspot and Moonbeam still kickin- headcanon Sunspots live fo a long time! Also completly random, but Sunspot knows how to use a gun. Don't ask why or how he learn this, he jus knows.

Jet got more advanced with his science and inventions, and even won an award at the local fair and got on the news! Sydney, as previously mentioned, now making money off her work!

Also, none of them doing well mentally, except fo Sydney. She kinda the therapist of the group, she love helping people, especially her friends! Could go into detail about what each of them got, but dunno if you down fo that type of discussion. Please let me kno if you are and i'll absolutely tell!

Got much much MUCH more but this what i able to come up with right now. Hope you enjoyed it yo!!

Ummm RJG HC bc I said so teehee

Most of my silly lil AUS take place when they're just a little bit older mb

Mitchell doesn't even know what his plan is gonna be once he finds out Jet is an alien tbh. Lil bro just wants to be right soooo damn bad.

Jet is very smart intellectually but street smart? Nah someone save him PLEASE.

Mitchell has canonically tried to "poison" (according to Jet and Mindy) Jet with ice cream at least ONCE. Stella did not take this well. (I like to think she does care about him and his friends and may even be a little protective of them)

Idk how I came up with this one but Zerk and Stella have MAJOR beef for some reason.

Carrot should just stick with baking bro's cooking is NOT it.

Ummm the Bortronians may or may not be immune to Earth weapons teehee.

If Stella loses her ship or her the thing she keeps it in the crash out will be BADDDDDDDD. She's turning the entire planet upside down looking for that sh (Either Mitchell or Lillian snatched it.)

"Isn't that Stella's….?" - Mindy as the entire planet is up in flames

"Whose?"

Jet would be the first one to die in a horror movie I'm sorry..

Zerk doesn't really get the earth hype and suggests that Jet visit him on Bortron instead.

Stella's hands MUST always be occupied. Whether it is with a fidget, hand gestures or something.

That's all for now teehee