#man we flew so high to this meme

[aalt-ctrl-del]

republicans today really be out here having "that talk" with parents, telling them to tell kids,

[genderless-crisis]

My Roman Empire is my high schools production of a play called “get smart”.

It was based off of a TV show from the 60’s about a bumbling spy.

So many things happened but here’s a small list of things that stand out:

There was a scene that was supposed to be in a chinese restaurant, and there were supposed to be ninjas. The director decided to have all of the costumes in that scene be “Authentic Chinese clothing”. So imagine my surprise when there was 3 girls in kimonos, a girl in traditional Korean clothing, and my friend wearing his MARTIAL ARTS UNIFORM.

We had a giant box of fortune cookies left over and for closing night I took like 25 home.

This was the week before covid lockdown happened, and everyone was on edge.

A glass bottle broke on stage halfway through the first act.

OH, SO THE MAIN GUY HAD TO HIDE IN A TRASH CAN FOR LIKE TEN MINUTES. AND HE IS T A L L. Like, 6’7, 6’8? AS A HIGHSCHOOLER. and when he stood up, in the trash can, the glass bottle flew out and broke.

I hid pictures of random celebrities and memes on and in the desk.

I was working with a bum knee. (Had broken it two months earlier) But I was the strongest person on Crew so I had to push the heaviest set piece on stage, which was a wooden telephone box with the already mentioned tall man inside of it.

Oh and another thing about the “Chinese restaurant scene”, there were no POC in it. I went to a predominantly white highschool that was literally in between cornfields.

I had lots of time in between things I had to do, so I would watch NCIS and play video games on my IPad in between.

I honestly don’t know why we did this play, it was so bad and so dumb.

[itznarcotic]

Some of the recordings caught Tesla customers in embarrassing situations. One ex-employee described a video of a man approaching a vehicle completely naked. Also shared: crashes and road-rage incidents. One crash video in 2021 showed a Tesla driving at high speed in a residential area hitting a child riding a bike, according to another ex-employee. The child flew in one direction, the bike in another. The video spread around a Tesla office in San Mateo, California, via private one-on-one chats, “like wildfire,” the ex-employee said. Other images were more mundane, such as pictures of dogs and funny road signs that employees made into memes by embellishing them with amusing captions or commentary, before posting them in private group chats. While some postings were only shared between two employees, others could be seen by scores of them, according to several ex-employees. Tesla states in its online “Customer Privacy Notice” that its “camera recordings remain anonymous and are not linked to you or your vehicle.” But seven former employees told Reuters the computer program they used at work could show the location of recordings — which potentially could reveal where a Tesla owner lived. One ex-employee also said that some recordings appeared to have been made when cars were parked and turned off. Several years ago, Tesla would receive video recordings from its vehicles even when they were off, if owners gave consent. It has since stopped doing so. “We could see inside people’s garages and their private properties,” said another former employee. “Let’s say that a Tesla customer had something in their garage that was distinctive, you know, people would post those kinds of things.”

[worthyheir]

❛  bastards  can  rise  high  in  the  world  .  ❜ / @lvscinvs sent a MEME

There had not been a desire in him to return to Westeros since he was a small child, felt abandoned, likely considered dead, drowned in the sinking ship to the sea. A deserted boy, thought lost, making his own way in the world, only short years after his breeching. Jacaerys was a man grown now, shedding the last name that had never rightfully belonged to him. Even has a child, he had been suspicious of the truth, though there truly had been no way of knowing without his mother or father confirming it, and he had never had the time to ask. Too young, when he had disappeared into the world, his name likely forgotten across a sea that he does not wish to journey over.

The deal does intrigue him - he would renounce any meager claim he did have upon his arrival, as that would be the only way they would seek to trust the eldest Prince, a specter returning to his homeland. He had no wish to remain in Westeros once he had been paid, his fees high. It had been almost a game to him, continuously raising the price of his aid, watching his once Uncle's ever growing frustration. Certainly, Aemond could burn Jacaerys' whole fleet, his dragon much larger and more war worthy, but that would have only made this a waste of time. They needed a dragon on their side, more than the ships, though there was a blockage, the gullet held by his former house.

The words are funny enough to cause him to chuckle, shaking his head, long curls pulled back at the nape of his neck. He is not offended - he has accepted the truth of his life, his status as a bastard, for many years. It will likely cause a shock to whatever remaining kin he does have in Westeros: he has not bothered to ask after them. He had only recognized Aemond as a Targaryen, and until he had introduced himself, could not have said who he was. Aegon, Aemond, Daeron, another. It did not matter to him, truly. None of them were family to him any longer.

They seat at a table one his main ship, or what he has led Aemond to believe is thus. No use in exposing all of his secrets. They are not hostile, but they are certainly not friends, and he does not trust anyone from his former family name, would not easily do so. He was not seeking out the home that he knew lay across the sea, and remembered enough of his mother to know he would have been welcomed back in open arms. The beloved eldest son and Prince once more. That was not who this man was any longer. If this is the end of their negotiations, Aemond shall depart on the back of the large beast that he flew in on, and Jacaerys will meet the blockade that plagues the capital.

"You seek my help, and wish to cause a rise out of me? Or did you think I would find it funny?" He does, given it's truth. He would direct his ships and men towards the blockade at the gullet, his dragon rising above and burning the ships of the Velaryon fleet. A fleet he might have sailed with in a different life, and one he would destroy in this one. The irony of how much one choice can alter one's fate so readily. "We can indeed, if given the means to it. Otherwise, you would not have bothered to fly all this way, would you? Unless you suspected I would return to Dragonstone instead. Tell me then, uncle, emagon ñuha nādrēsy lēkia risen eglie isse se vys?" ('Have my bastard brothers risen high in the world?')

[evienyx]

DSMP Citizens POV- Part 1

I've seen a lot of the memes going around, but I'm not funny enough to write that, so here's my addition to the trend :p

This is part one, because I had a lot of fun with this and want to do it more.

- - -

DSMP Citizen POV Masterlist

- - -

Sometimes, it was odd for the residents of the Dream SMP to be reminded of the fact that the constant state of chaos that their server was in was not, in fact, reflective of every server.

"Why did we move here?" One woman in Snowchester whispers to another as the sirens go off for yet another nuke test and they duck down into their bunker.

The other shrugs. She doesn't have an answer. No one does.

Things started out all right, the people supposed. There weren't any wars, at least. Some of those who lived on the server before the Revolution could remember back far enough to tell you about the first true conflict, between Dream, the creator of their home, and TommyInnit, a sixteen-year-old who could yell shockingly loud, even for a teenager. Dream fought against Tommy and Tubbo (yet another teenager), and it seemed to all be in good fun.

Some will tell you now, though, that the signs of tension were already there, and when Wilbur Soot joined, those tensions only escalated.

One moment, things on the server were normal, the next, there was a Revolution.

"Did anyone else hear Dream shouting about 'white flags' this morning?" One person would ask their friends, and receive nods in return. "Anyone know what it's about?"

"A Revolution," one would respond. "Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are starting a new country."

"Oh," the first would hum. "How long until they get completely crushed?"

"Eh, I give 'em a week."

It was only a week, but it did not end the way anyone thought it would. Instead, L'Manburg gained its independence after TommyInnit gave up his discs once he lost a duel with Dream.

"Is the L'Manburg cabinet missing someone?"

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, did you hear that Dream just declared that Eret is to be crowned king?"

"...Can he do that?"

"He's Dream. He can do whatever he wants."

After the Revolution, when the server finally had more than one ruling faction, more than one place to live, things seemed to pick up a bit. President Soot, with Vice President Innit (VP Tommy, the people called him), ruled over L'Manburg, and called it a place of freedom. When word spread to other servers, people came to see for themselves.

And often, they stayed.

It was peaceful, for a while.

"President Soot announced he's holding an election," one man said to his wife one day.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Said it was for democracy." The man snorted. "He and Innit are the only party running, though. Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me."

"Darling, I know you're still salty about losing the war, but there's no reason to talk bad about a child," his wife said.

The man wrinkled his nose. "Still."

It was peaceful during the campaign.

For a while.

Then, though, Quackity announced that he was running for president, with GeorgeNotFound, best friend of Dream himself, as his running mate.

"This feels like a sitcom," one girl says as she watches the debate reruns with her friends.

"At least it's entertaining," her friend replies, shoving popcorn into his mouth.

And, for the people of the Dream SMP, from both L'Manburg and the Greater SMP, it was entertaining.

Until the election results came in, Schlatt was declared the winner, and President Soot and VP Tommy were banished.

"Dude, dude!" One teen says to their friends, running up to meet them on the Prime Path.

"What is it?"

"I just saw Technoblade join the server!"

The arrival of the Blood God shifted something in the people of the Dream SMP. When he joined Pogtopia, the rebellion being led by the two ex-leaders of the country, the people felt something settle within themselves.

All of a sudden, choosing sides wasn't as simple as where you live.

It was what you care about.

As the son of the ex-president burned down the old flag, the people of the Dream SMP, of (L')Manburg and of the Greater SMP, realized suddenly that they had to make a choice.

Without even wanting to, without doing anything to deserve it, they would have to fight.

Some people went to Pogtopia, some stayed in Manburg, some in the Greater SMP. Those in the latter two stayed where they were because they wanted to stay out of it.

It didn't change anything, in the end.

In Manburg, they watched their president (Emperor) fall further and further into alcohol, yelling at his cabinet and talking of expanding into territory that they had no right to.

In the Greater SMP, murmurs of King Eret's attempts to assist the Pogtopia rebels filled the alleyways.

In Pogtopia, people sat and watched the decline of the man that they had all once believed in. As Wilbur Soot slowly devolved until he was no longer recognizable as the man who had once led people to freedom, the residents of Pogtopia ate potatoes farmed by a man famous for his bloodlust and pretended that they were sleeping somewhere warm.

The day of the Manburg Festival, though, things felt better. Other than ex-president Soot and ex-VP Tommy (Wilbur and Tommy, the two insisted. No one listened), everyone, even the rebels in Pogtopia, were invited to attend. The people wandered through the stalls playing games, watching as Soot's son attempted (in vain) to drown Technoblade, buying food, and chatting with people from other factions, friends and family that they hadn't spoken to in weeks.

When the time came for the speeches, before the true festivities were set to begin, everyone was feeling good about the day. People congratulated Secretary Tubbo for a successful event, and offered him small words of encouragement for his speech coming up. The teenager would grin at all who spoke to him, and looked (rightfully) proud of how well he organized and decorated the festival.

Secretary Tubbo gave his speech, and people clapped, and then fell silent as President (Emperor) Schlatt laughed, asked for his Vice-President's assistance, and encased the teenager in a cage of concrete.

And then he called Technoblade to the stage.

And then, in front of the people of the Dream SMP, a teenager was executed in a spray of color that shot toward the sky.

Fireworks rained down on the people in the stands, then, and, regardless of where they were from, the people of the Dream SMP ran.

The Pogtopia ranks grew that day, and a nineteen-year-old who claimed to be a doctor without showing any credentials forced four other people to help her heal VP Tommy after he fought Technoblade in a pit, egged on by a man who once might have called himself his brother.

"How is this kid not dead yet?" One of the helpers asked, looking at the unconscious teenager's face.

"Pure spite?"

The first hummed. "Sounds about right."

One day, a bit after the festival, the people of Pogtopia woke to find Vice President Quackity walking through the ravine as if he owned the place.

One resident was noted to rub his eyes, blink three times, and then say, "It's too early for this shit," before heading back to bed.

A surprising number of people followed his lead.

Finally, the day of November 16th came, when Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit vowed to take their country back.

"I heard President Soot is planning to blow up L'Manburg," one Pogtopian woman mentioned to her friend as they suited up and prepared to fight, as they had signed up to be part of the forces.

"That's stupid," her friend replied.

"Bet you ten diamonds he blows something up."

"Fine."

As the country of L'Manburg blew sky-high, one woman was seen following another, screaming that she wanted her diamonds.

When Pogtopia won the war, the forces from both sides sat outside of the remains of the van as President Soot, VP Tommy, Secretary Tubbo, Dream, Technoblade, and many more, all piled inside to confront Emperor Schlatt.

They emerged fifteen minutes later, and Dream announced to the crowd that Schlatt was dead.

There was no time for the news to sink in, as they played hot potato with the presidency, going from VP Tommy to Wilbur Soot to Secretary Tubbo.

"President Soot is leaving, do you see that?"

"Probably going to the river to celebrate the win, if you know what I mean."

"Literally shut up. Never speak again. I hate you."

As the newly-inaugurated President Tubbo finished his speech, the people felt a wave of relief wash over them. Maybe the server could finally be peaceful once more.

Then, there was the tell-tale hiss of explosives under their feet, and the people ran as the ground beneath them fell away.

Stories of what happened next are conflicting, to say the least.

Words of President Soot dying in the explosion, of him turning the blade on himself, of another man killing him.

"He had wings," people who saw the man said. "Blonde hair, a green hat and robes. He stabbed Soot with the guy's own sword."

Technoblade apparently gave an incredible speech, and anyone who was there to witness it lamented that they hadn't recorded it.

Then, two Withers flew through the sky, and blood ran down the newly-exposed stones, and people who had never experienced death on the server before finally knew what it was like to die.

Afterward, though, when the anarchist had fled and the ex-President lay dead, President Tubbo, with VP Tommy by his side, stood and addressed the people, and made promises of a brighter future, and the hope and determination in his eyes was enough for the people to hope that maybe he was right.

("Whoa, cool wings, dude," a resident of L'Manburg said to their newest neighbor, a man in green with wings, burned across all the feathers, sprouting from his back. "Wait, what happened to them?"

"Oh, I was protecting my son from the explosion," the new resident replied.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Is your son all right at least?"

"No, he died just a few minutes afterward. His last life, too." The man sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, he probably deserved it."

A beat. "What did he do?"

"Well, you may have heard of him. Wilbur Soot? He was the president here before Schlatt, I believe."

"...Holy shit, you're the bird man that killed President Soot!"

"Yeah, mate, that's me."

"...He was your son?"

"...Yeah."

"...What the fuck is wrong with your family?")

[jaminjims]

「BRAIN GO BRR」

anon request: Heyyy! Could I request for an imagine for prompt 83? An ot7 platonic bts 8th reader crack / fluff? Like they’re playing around and it gets a wee bit competitive? 😅

prompt: “if you want me, come and get me, motherfuckers.”

pairing: platonic!bts ot7 x gender neutral!reader

genre: crack >:), fluff

warnings: strong language?? should that be a warning?

words: 1.3k

~**~

You looked seriously into Taehyung’s eyes, determined that you would get it right no matter what he did. The stakes were high as your team was only one point away from winning.

Tae meowed.

“Monkey!”

There was a brief pause before several different things happened at once.

“Monkey?! I meow and the first animal you think of is monkey, oh my god. Can I hit you?” Taehyung looked at Jin for permission, “Can I hit Y/n?”

“Yah! I can’t help it if you sound like a monkey all the time; you never evolved past caveman! That’s natural selection Tae! Aish, why couldn’t you just evolve past caveman brain.” You whined and messed with your hair in frustration. Jimin and Jungkook looked on in despair as now the Hyung team was a point closer to winning the game and now the two teams were tied. Hoseok and Jin did all they could not to pass out from laughter while Yoongi just nodded to your exclamation like it was universal knowledge that most people, indeed, did not evolve past caveman brain. Namjoon looked like he would like to end his suffering and was contemplating if it was too late to resign as leader. He should let Yeontan take up the mantle. Or maybe get a lizard. Lizards are patient and wise, right?

Ah yes, the elegance that was animal association; where you make an animal noise and if your partner gets it right then the team gets a point. If your partner gets it wrong, then the other team gets the point. Simple really.

Well, unless it came to you, apparently. There was really a 50/50 chance with you.

It was your birthday and you were all gathered in the dorm living room, having a mini party to celebrate while v-living the event. It seemed like the mass lack of IQ you had spread and lowered the general intelligence of everyone in your vicinity though, as Taehyung exclaimed;

“You never evolved past tadpole brain!” He pointed back at you and you had half a mind to bite his finger.

Before you could act on your biting instincts, Jimin laid a hand on your shoulder with a grim expression on his face. “Even I knew it was a cat, Y/n-ah.”

There was obviously something missing in their brain functions because no, that was definitely a monkey. You lunged for the phone to consult ARMY in the decision but Namjoon had enough sense to pull it away from you before you did something rash. Coincidently, you tripped trying to get up to get it back from the leader, and he just looked down at you with something akin to utter misery for this game in his eyes. Or maybe it was war flashbacks. Probably war flashbacks.

Hoseok couldn’t help it; he was basically wheezing he was laughing so hard and Jin went to help you up, though, he was laughing too and almost fell on you in the process. Yoongi was trying his best not to laugh but he kinda looked like the embodiment of the 👁👄👁 face to you.

“Hey! We can still win this, team! They can still get the next one wrong!” Jungkook exclaimed with determination in his eyes. Jimin nodded along with him as you four sat off to the side and the four eldest got together. It was Jin and Yoongi’s turn and Jin thought of an animal that they haven’t done yet.

He hissed.

There was a tense few seconds before Yoongi, quite confidently, replied with “Hedgehog.”

Jin’s eyes widened as he smiled, that caused Hoseok to whoop in victory because if Jin was acting like that then Yoongi had obviously gotten it right. “Aish, you’re so smart.” Jin complimented. Yoongi smiled and looked at the younger ones with smug victory in his eyes. Namjoon sighed like the long suffering parent he was.

It only goes downhill from here.

Your poor brain struggled to make sense of it. “Hedgehog?! What the fuck?! Do hedgehog’s even hiss!?”

This time Hoseok, Jin, and Yoongi started laughing and celebrating their victory while your other three team members looked at you.

You met Jungkook’s cold stare first, “I am going to defenestrate you.” Then they all lunged at you. You yelled and bolted up, grabbing one of those sticky, stretching rubber hand things you can throw at walls to get them to stick there. (if you know, you know) You had insisted you have them as party favors.

You ran around the couch so there was something between you and the other three maknaes. “But we live on the fourth floor!”

“Exactly!” Jimin added, “Maybe if you hit your head hard enough you can gain some brain function back!” Tae continued.

They ran around one way as you ran around the other. You used your sticky hand to hit them in the face when you could while the Hyung line stood a respectful distance away from the chaos and got it on camera.

“Pause!” You yelled and you all froze. You pointed at them while they pointed back at you. Hoseok started laughing again because it reminded him of the one cartoon spider-man meme.

You smirked at them, “If you want me, come and get me, motherfuckers!” Then you bolted away and the poor hyungs didn’t realize you were running to them before it was too late. You hid behind Namjoon as Jimin, Jungkook, and Tae came at you.

You growled and barked at them like the rapid animal you were and it spoked Namjoon enough to almost drop the phone (that was still running the v-live, by the way).

“Did you just bark?” Yoongi said in disbelief while Hobi and Jin also had a look of confusion mixed with concern mixed with slight horror directed at you. Namjoon quickly moved out of the way so he didn’t contract whatever brain cell eating illness you had. You moved to get behind him again before the other young ones could get to you.

He would would have poked you back with a stick if he had one, “Back! Stay back I say!”

You paled when you realized that you had no cover and bolted down the hallway, Jimin hot on your feet and the other two not to far behind.

The hyung’s followed to wherever you were going to make sure everyone made it out somewhat still intact.

You ran into your room and only paused momentarily when you saw that, huh, when did you open the window?, before regaining your senses and dodgeing the three others as they came barreling into the room.

So, the scene looked like this. You on one side, closest to your closet and desk, while Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung were across from you, backs facing the weirdly opened window. The four oldest were watching on with non concealed laughter and amusement (well three of them were, Namjoon looked a little bit like he wanted a nap.)

With nothing between you and your attackers, you did the last thing you could do; which was throw the sticky green hand at them.

You missed and you all watched as it went falling out the window.

There was a few seconds of nothing before you all jumped at the sound of Hoseok’s phone. He looked at it and then back at the other members.

“It’s Sejin Hyung.” He answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Hoseok-ah, would you like to explain the sticky, green, ... hand thing that just flew out your dorm window and into Y/n’s cake?” That was Bang PD’s voice. Which only meant one thing; their boss was with their manager and they had just witnessed you throwing something out the window and landing in your cake.

Wait, it landed in your cake?!

“Wah! It landed in my cake?!” You whined in misery as Hoseok couldn’t help the incredulous giggle that escaped him. It was quiet on both sides before you heard your manager laugh from the other line.

After that it was a domino effect and you all started laughing, even Bang PD himself. While laughing you still couldn’t help the little whines that escaped you.

“But what about my cake??”

[end]

~**~

end note: PLEASE, i live for crack fics you guys. along with writing angst (which i seem to write the most, for whatever reason) crack is one of my favorite things to write. i feel like i get to really just let my already deteriorating mental stability go and write whatever comes to mind with prompts like these so i had sooo much fun! thank you so so so much for the request anonie! i loved it so much and i hope you like it as much as i did 💜

masterlist

request something!

taglist: @boba-tea1206

[starkeristheendgame]

I had this idea and- Tony and Peter in the lab working together when suddenly Peter gets a call and it’s Ned just talking about LEGO stuff so Peter puts him on speaker. Thing is, Ned has no idea he is with Tony because Peter didn’t address it so he suddenly says “So how’s it going with your Iron Daddy crush?” Or something like that and Peter and Tony look at eachother absolutely SHOCKED

I spent a solid ten minutes wholly entertained by this idea and cycling through all the reactions Peter could have. I hope I did you proud on this one, Non! Thank you so much for considering me ❤️

No triggers/warnings. SFW

Working with Tony was fast becoming one of Peter's favourite things to do. It was even better than building LEGO sets or patrolling the streets, and that was saying something. He lived for the long hours spent in the lab, working alongside or merely coexisting with Tony as they worked, playlists cycling through in the background. It was calming, it felt right. 

If he were to hazard a guess, he would say Tony enjoyed it too. He obviously didn’t have much evidence to compare to how Tony had been in the lab prior to his arrival, but these days Tony sang along to the music and talked to Peter about their projects and ordered too much takeout even for the two of them and sometimes, even fell asleep against the workbench after too many long hours. 

It was one such night when they were working together; each on their individual projects but bouncing information and ideas between them. Peter was working on adding a small-scale explosive to his web mechanism for things like blowing up concrete or doors and Tony was working on what looked like part of the suit, but could frankly be anything at this point. Peter had once asked him how working on the Gauntlet was going only to be informed it was a vase. A mechanical vase, no less. 

“Diamond laser, diamond laser…” Tony muttered, petting about the bench. Peter picked up the tool laying on his own bench. 

“Here,” he called, tossing it over. Tony caught it, offered him a brief, warm smile, and dove back into his work. Time passed quietly, until he heard a soft mutter of oh, that’s not good and then-

“Duck!”

Wordlessly Peter dropped down, tucking himself under the safety of his bench as there was a hiss, a clang, and a piece of metal flew over where he’d just been standing, ricocheting off the wall before it clattered to the floor. He righted himself, peered at it curiously, then went back to his own work. Mishaps in the lab were far too common to make a fuss of. 

It fell back into a lull, working in tandem and comfortable silence until Peter’s phone rang on the table besides him. He paused, nose crinkling. Aunt May wasn’t expecting him to be home tonight, so that left…

“Hey, Ned,” he greeted as he swiped the call, lifting it to his ear. There was a scuffle and a huff on the other end of the line and he waited patiently as Ned got himself set. 

“Dude! Have you seen the new LEGO Avengers set? You gotta get one. It’s got everyone! Well, except you, but technically you’re not an official Avenger yet-”

“Gee, thanks for reminding me,” he drawled, rolling his eyes as he fiddled with a coil one-handed. Ned continued to speak, rattling off the pieces, the details and resolutely demanding they went the moment the store opened tomorrow to get the set. Peter hummed along in agreement, interjecting here and there to demand details. 

“Oh, I thought about what we could do for our science project, too!” Ned began, and Peter huffed in irritation as he tried and failed to connect a wire with just one hand. Tony more or less comfortably forgotten in the background, he shuffled his phone down onto the desk and tapped the speaker icon, picking up his tools once Ned’s voice filled the room. 

“So I was thinking, right? And I was thinking; hey! Peter has access to all this stuff now! And I know we can’t do anything too dramatic because we’re still losers, but what if we use…” Peter listened intently, tongue sticking out as he focused on screwing on the pressure plate. Ned’s idea actually wasn’t all that bad - Taking inspiration from the web shooters to make a spray-able temporary hole/crack fix. 

It was nothing Peter hadn’t already made, so it ought to be easy enough. It was easy to listen along and work; both motions equally soothing. Tony said nothing in the background, engrossed in his own tinkering and content to let their conversation be background noise. 

"Oh, and hey! How's the whole thing with Mr. Stark going?" Ned asked on the tail-end of a ramble about how Peter could use the web formula to start his own business and make billions. Peter opened his mouth to explain their current projects, temporarily forgetting that he hadn't actually told Ned he was at the Tower right now. 

"Or should I say Iron Daddy now? Was that just a one time thing? Its so weird saying that, though. Just get his Iron Rod already so we don't have to keep-" 

Peter froze, staring at the phone in movie-comical horror. Across the lab there was a deafening clang and a curse as Tony jerked upright and knocked his head on Butterfinger's mainframe, dropping the diamond laser to the table. 

"-Like just go right up to him and say 'I want you to be my Iron Daddy,' like how hard can it be? You could tell him about your old fan account, I bet he'd be flattered. I bet he'd even-" 

Peter made a high distressed sound, flailing on the spot. His mind screamed SHUT UP NED SHUTUP HE'SHERERIGHTHERE SHUT UP but his throat wouldn't work to get the words out. On the other bench Tony looked vaguely like the arc reactor had glitched, eyes more white than iris as he gripped at the edge of the table. 

Panic rose like a tidal wave and Peter gave a strangled sound, operating on pure fear and horror as he raised his palm and pressed the trigger on the web shooters. The StarkPhone went up in a spectacular display of sparks and flying metal, Ned's voice cutting off abruptly. 

Dully, Peter thought huh, it works. As the last pathetic sparks fizzled to the ground Peter turned his head, staring meekly somewhere near Tony's shoulder. 

"Sorry. That was... Your phone," he excused lamely, belatedly noting he no longer had his chappy old IPhone but Stark Industries' latest, sleekest model courtesy of Tony. 

“Technically it was yours,” Tony replied back rather dazedly, leaning heavily against the bench. An awkward silence fell over them for several seconds, before Tony’s expression twisted. 

“Iron Daddy?” 

Peter made a sound between a groan and a whine and collapsed against his own bench next to the smoking remains of his phone. “Oh my god. I was a meme. I sent him a meme one time.”

“And my Iron Rod is…?” 

“Mr. Stark, I am begging you to stop talking.”

There was a terse pause where Peter awaited morosely to be told to leave; to be dropped outside his apartment again with a bye, c’ya, don’t call. And then - 

“Do you?” Tony’s voice sounded... Small. Peter looked up quizzically, brows furrowing as he watched Tony rub at his arm. It was a tic - an emotional tell. “Want me to be your Iron Daddy?” 

Peter almost groaned. Might’ve, if the meaning behind the words hadn’t rendered him incapable of anything other than surprise. 

“I’d... Always thought it would be more a boyfriend thing,” he admitted. His crush had never been a secret but had always been swept under the rug as idolism and hero worship, never taken seriously. It had only been in his dreams and fantasies that Tony had ever reciprocated the feelings or taken his compliments to heart. 

“Hm.” It was a flat response, thoughtful and veiling any true emotion as Tony moved to rub at his jaw, then turned away. “I’ll get you a new phone. FRI has all your data on back-up, so you won’t have lost anything.”

Peter’s heart sank a little and he took the unspoken rejection graciously, lowered his head with a short nod. He willed himself to be mature about it, sweeping away the remains of his old phone into the waste disposal and thanking the older man in a small, fragile voice when he was handed a sleek new device.

Tony had turned it on whilst he brought it over and it cycled through an installation before vibrating in his hand.

[Iron Daddy] I can do boyfriends. [19:21]

[alolowrites]

Juice

Summary: Bakugou’s daughter demands juice, but he refuses. 

Author’s Note: Story inspiration came from a video I saw on YouTube a few weeks ago. Video was about MHA/BNHA memes (lol), but please click here to watch it. The specific timestamp for the meme I used for inspiration is at the 1:38 minute mark. The joke originally came from Kevin Hart. All credit goes to the comedian and the person who made it into a MHA/BNHA meme.

Enjoy!

~~~

“You’re gonna die, Shitty Hair!”

“We’ll see about that, Bakubro!” Kirishima challenged him with a shark-like grin, shifting into a defensive position with his sharp arms.

Bakugou mischievously gritted his teeth while he charged at the red hedgehog he grudgingly called his best friend. Although it was Bakugou’s day off from work, he wasn’t going to sit his ass down all day. Luckily for him, Kirishima was also free today and itching to spar with his longtime bro from U.A.  

The two Pro Heroes never lost touch with each other after graduating from high school. While Bakugou would never admit this out loud, he really appreciated his friendship with the eccentric, jolly man. He respected him, and viewed him as an equal, but Bakugou would always strive to be better than him since no one else deserved to be the number one hero in Japan.

That coveted title was for Bakugou, and damnit, he’ll achieve it one day.

Bakugou flashed a feral smile at his opponent, his razor-sharp teeth menacing as he threw one powerful blast at the hero. The blonde-haired man rushed forward into the dark smoke to deliver the final blow at his unsuspecting spar partner, not holding back one bit since Bakugou knew he could handle it. He was a damn Pro Hero, after all.  

As the dust settled, Kirishima tapped against the winner’s shoulder.

“Alright, alright, you win,” he groaned and Bakugou smirked. Standing on his two feet, Bakugou offered his hand to his friend and Kirishima graciously took it.

Bakugou threw a white towel at his friend. “Get clean, I’ll get us some drinks.”

“Yay, daddy!” A little girl screamed from the sidelines. She sprinted towards the sweaty man, snatching his hand while jumping up and down. Bakugou gave his daughter a victorious grin before scooping her in his arms.

Kaida Bakugou was the crown jewel in the Pro Hero’s life. You knew your daughter was the definition of a daddy’s little girl. The moment Bakugou laid his eyes on his newborn daughter at the hospital, it was over. He was whipped once Kaida yawned and opened her tiny, crimson eyes at him. It was one of those rare times when Bakugou actually had a genuine smile on his face.

As Kaida grew, she slowly developed her personality. Unsurprisingly, she was just like your jackass of a husband: determined, passionate and loud. In fact, she was the spitting image of him except for her hair; that was all you (and maybe your nose if you squint a little), but those eyes—they were definitely his.

Both men trudged their way to the kitchen. Kaida squirmed in her father’s arms, and Bakugou realized she wanted to be put down. The little girl darted to the refrigerator, eagerly pointing at the door.

“Daddy, juice,” Kaida requested, and Bakugou frowned.

“No,” he grunted at her. “You had enough juice. You’re gettin’ water.”

Kaida glared at her father. Standing up straighter, she curled her small fists and puffed out her chest in a bravado manner. The toddler aggressively babbled away, swinging her fists up and down as she argued for her juice. In her head, her reasoning sounded perfect, full-proof, a guarantee to win her request.

At the end of Kaida’s jibber-jabber, she demanded: “Juice!”

Bakugou was stunned at her behavior while Kirishima’s hand flew to his mouth to stifle his laughter at the sight unfolding. A large vein appeared on the father’s forehead.

“Who the fuck you think you talkin’ to?”

Kirishima lost it and banged on the counter. Bakugou fiercely jabbed his finger at his daughter’s direction. 

“You are not gettin’ juice! You already had two pouches before lunch.”

“Juice!” Kaida stomped her foot for emphasis.  

“No, brat,” Bakugou sneered. “You get juice when I say so. One more outburst and I won’t let you watch that annoying, pink British pig garbage you like so much.”

Now Kaida was a toddler, but she wasn’t stupid. She carefully thought through the pros and cons for a minute before deciding to surrender. Kaida scowled at her father and stormed out of the kitchen to who knows where in this house.

Bakugou pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Kirishima’s laughter echoed behind him, earning a snarl from the hot-headed father.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!”

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

After Kirishima left, Bakugou went to find his daughter.

He knew where she would be, so he dragged himself upstairs to the second floor. Bakugou glanced at the various photos you hung on the walls. Some were from your wedding day; others captured the trips before Kaida was born. The remaining ones were of your daughter, either alone or with her parents. 

Standing in front of her door, Bakugou sighed and knocked.

“Kaida, it’s me.” Not waiting another second, he pushed the door opened before walking inside. Bakugou shot himself in the foot by doing this when his eyes narrowed at his little girl’s body curled up on her bed.

Her back faced toward him, and she didn’t bother turning around when he knocked. Bakugou hauled himself to her bed and sat down. Kaida sensed the mattress sinking and shuffled away, clutching her mother’s pro hero plushy. Bakugou groaned as he saw his own tossed across the room.

He fucked up big time.

“Listen, Kaida, I know you’re angry at me,” he exhaled, shoving his fingers through his hair. “And I know you’re stubborn like your damn mother, which is a good thing, but not when it’s used against me.”

“Daddy, go away,” the toddler mumbled.

“Daddy ain’t going anywhere,” Bakugou retorted at the girl. “Kaida, I’m your father. That means you gotta put up with my shit because I’m the grown up here.”

No response.

“Oi, you know I hate seeing you like this.” Bakugou scooted closer to the toddler. She didn’t move away from him, so Bakugou laid down next her fetal position. “But you have to understand you can’t have everything whenever you want. There are limits and rules.”

“I want juice,” Kaida sniffed.

“You know you can’t have juice. Mommy said you can only have two juice pouches a day. That’s mommy’s rule. Do you want to break her rule?”

Kaida shook her head. “Hewo no bweak wules.”

“Exactly,” he answered. Kaida rolled around and faced her father; she hugged him, and Bakugou wrapped his arm around her tiny frame, pulling her closer to his inferno chest.

Parenting was no walk in the park. There were moments where Kaida tried to push his buttons and test the boundaries, but he needed to remain firm. He was responsible for guiding her down the right path with strong morals. That all began with her understanding certain things like ‘no means no.’ He wasn’t going to raise a selfish brat.

Sensing that Kaida was no longer angry, Bakugou gently shook her so she could look up at him.

“C’mon, let’s get you washed up so we can eat dinner.” Bakugou picked Kaida up, and carried her out the room. She snuggled her head near the crook of his neck. “Now, you’re gonna drink water with you food, but if you finish your dinner…I’ll give you ice cream.” 

Kaida’s eyes lit up. “Ice cweam?!”

Bakugou kissed her forehead as a tiny smirk curled on his lips. “Yes, but we won’t tell mommy. It will be our little secret. Got it, squirt?”

Kaida adorably cupped her mouth and giggled, making a quiet ‘shush’ noise to keep her promise to her father.

To this day, you never found out about their ‘little secret.’

~~~

I figured I write a fluffy piece after my last short story *nervous laughter* 

But thank you all for your incredible response on The Point of No Return. I am leaning towards writing a sequel for that story. Usually I don’t write sequels, but considering I did Toshinori dirty...I’ll see. 

:)

[woozisnoots]

modest jeon wonwoo

° pairing: wonwoo x reader ° genre: university!au, host club!au, fluff ° word count: ~1.7k ° warnings: none! ° a/n: this had no business being this long and idek if i like it lol but I want to specifically dedicate this piece to @wonwoosimp​​ bc she’s literally the sweetest, best bean in the world [insert uwu meme here] thank you for gifting me my very first photocard, I literally cried opening it! I love you so much, I hope you enjoy!

welcome to the svt host club!

masterlist!

you entered university with a certain goal, a purpose. eventually, you were going to be the pediatric surgeon that the 13 year old you ushered you to be.

…let's just hope the knowledge of your brain was enough to get you through the first four years of pre-med. with your 3.7 high school GPA, you were lucky to get into your first choice college, let alone your current major

from the start of the semester, you dedicated yourself to studying the anatomy and physiology of the body until you knew every nook and cranny there was to know. and the library was the perfect sanctuary to get your shit together

as much as you loved your roommates, their constant fights over closet space and boy toys gave you no peace of mind what-so-ever

bless the library for being opened 24/7. If your roommates found you sleeping on their only working desk, you would find yourself waking up to the sound of tripping freshmen trying to get to their first 8am class right in the middle of the hallway

but the lone table in the corner of the library just on the third floor did you good at staying focused. even provided some good naps in between every now and then

the day before your first anatomy test, you LOCKED yourself in the library. no one was going in OR OUT of the premise just to sit across from you on YOUR table until you fully memorized the different layers of epithelial tissue >:(

gosh, you even scattered all your notes across the table just so people got the memo that this seat was: [OFF LIMITS]

yes, off limits to everyone except a certain jeon wonwoo.

the way you met was abrupt to say the least

besides your table, you had a pretty good view of the entire campus — from the main health science building all the way to the student parking lot

and just below you, an astonishing sight of a mob of screaming girls chasing after a mouse guy in glasses. not to be inconsiderate and heartless, but unless you heard someone scream bloody murder, diving back into your flashcard you go

tissue after tissue, you start to get delusional because at this point, everything is starting to look the same

slumping down into your chair, you take a second to mentally recharge, drinking the water you’ve neglected for the past three hours

you time yourself for a five minute break, going through the notifications on your phone

before you could read your roommate’s ongoing ramble on the latest update of the “crazy good looking, god-like, elite host club that the university has to offer”

a ‘club’ that you didn’t even know anything about nor cared for

you hear a loud ‘thud’ coming from the bookcase in front of you

from the side the tall, lean guy with glasses that you saw earlier emerged with his hands gripping his tricep

you try not to draw too much attention to him. half the reason being you didn’t want to embarrass him by laughing at the fact he ran into a 10 feet tall bookcase

and you did not need this man distracting you. it’s your eight week streak being this productive, a new record for anything you’ve done in your entire life and your pride wouldn’t let you have it if you lost it just because you saw an attractive man on sight

you scribble down a decent guess to the tissue identification question that you’ve been stuck on for the past few minutes, not bothering to look up

“that’s actually dense connective tissue, not smooth”

jolting up from your seat, you look up realizing the guy 5 feet away is now right in front of your face looking down at all your papers

“you can tell because they’re striated”

you stare at him in disbelief wondering how he could have gotten so fast with just looking at it for a few seconds. eyeing him up and down, he definitely looked around the same age as you but he wasn’t someone you’ve seen around the science buildings. and you would know since you took the liberty of familiarizing almost everyone within the department

“do you mind if i sit here?” his hands already on the edge of the chair ready to pull it out from underneath him

“...yeah sure”

“oh i’m wonwoo by the way,” he says as you both exchange awkward stares and knowledgeable nods

okay well since he’s proven that he might be of help to you, you might as let him stay. from what you’ve gathered, he didn’t have any stuff on him aside from his phone that you watch him get out of his front pocket, getting ready to play pacman

forget how attractive he is, this guy has some brains.

for the rest of the day, as you guys sat across from each other, wonwoo would occasionally bounce back and forth between giving you study tips and playing whatever game he decides to play at that moment in time

he was surprisingly really good at this? he knew more things about the subject than your professors did, and that’s saying a lot. like you’ve been looking at cells for WEEKS and you were lucky to get at least half of them. which begs the question:

“how do you magically know all this?”

the blank expression on his face tells you he wasn’t expecting that question but he quickly shrugs it off. “i just know a few things from my parents that’s all”

you would have questioned him further but the time on your phone read “22:57” and you already broke your number rule about sleeping early before a big test

as you pack up all your stuff, wonwoo pushes his chair in, bidding you farewell

“good luck on your test tomorrow!”

you appreciate the gesture, mentally thanking him for his help and proceed to go back to your dorms, preparing yourself to tell your roommate all about the exciting? day you had

“YOU MORON. JEON WONWOO?”

laying flat on your back on your bed, you cover the bottom half of your face, quivering under your sheets as you stare at your roommate’s outrageous outburst

you explain what happened and who you met today at the library. when your roommate asked to describe him in more detail, all you said was that he was pretty smart for someone who wasn’t particularly in your major

your roommate lets out a loud scream into their pillow, gripping the bed sheets before giving you the earful of the century

“he’s just being modest. he’s a korean lit major but he’s one of the uni’s top students since both his parents are the head of the science department.

…AND he’s one of the most requested host club members. so you caught yourself one big fish today bud.”

top student? science department? HOST CLUB? none of that was processing in your brain. the one club that you wanted nothing to do with and you just happened to meet their top money maker

grand.

the thought didn’t keep you up at night only because you thought that today’s encounter was just coincidence and you probably would never have to see him again.

(sad though, your roommate was right. he is rather good looking.)

the time that it took for you to take your test the next day flew by so fast that you questioned if it even happened. the first step you took out the classroom, you start to second guess all your answers, regretting that you didn’t check a third or even fourth time before submitting

your train of thought halts when you see jeon wonwoo standing in the empty hallway

“i’m sure you aced it”

and just like in a netflix original romance movie, he reveals a bouquet of pink begonias from behind his back while shyly adjusting his glasses

“these are for you. to congratulate you”

weird way to phrase it but you were still gonna take the flowers. “host club tendencies?”

“so you found out?”

from a distance, you can hear the rushing footsteps from downstairs followed by a sense of purpose. “i think i was bound to” :/

you didn’t know how you felt about the current situation. you had no idea what host club was until you got here and you still don’t know what they even do. for all you knew, this could just be a gesture to get them more clients

but if his actions were genuine… you wouldn’t mind seeing him again

“i have to start learning muscles for our next exam. heard it was one of the hardest ones. i’m not sure if you have more studying tricks up your sleeve?”

“i might.” a cocking little grin now appearing on his face

“good. same place at the library tomorrow then. and this time? try not to bring your dedicated fans wherever you go”

so these study sessions continued. you guys occasionally had to change spots - from cafe to an empty bio lab - if the mob ever saw a single hair follicle that might be his

but each time, wonwoo brought something more just himself. one day it would be coffee, others days it would be food. things to keep you motivated.

for a korean lit major, he was taking a lot of time out of his day to help you, being attentive to all the strategies that help you study and such

possibly making your assumption from months back, true.

by the time finals rolled around, aside from the spursts of review here and there, study sessions became more casual. you didn’t feel the need to overwork our brain since you already knew all the information (something you actually learned from wonwoo himself)

possibly the last meeting you’d have with him was similar to your first: just you two together but him playing on his phone. and yet before the night ended

“i have a proposal.”

“i’m not giving you money for your dumb club.” bold of him to assume you would-

“no but i really appreciate the thought :)

why don’t we turn these study sessions into… study dates instead?”

:0

your assumption after 6 months later: finally confirmed

“but that’s only IF you ace your finals.”

well let’s just say at the very end, you had a successful first semester and are now one step closer towards being the surgeon of your dreams.

plus, you even landed yourself a pretty cool boyfriend in the process

let’s hope his parents put in a good word for you when you apply to med school!

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 9

As promised, two chapters in one day! HBD to this trash rabbit. I just get thirstier with age.

Rating: Explicit.

‼️TW: Reader is EIGHTEEN! Recreational drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption, deeply internalised self-loathing, very questionable moral standards. Daddy kink taken half-seriously. BDSM themes in later chapters - explicit content will come with it's own TWs. FIRST PERSON POV. DRUG USE IN THIS CHAPTER. Just generally an uncomfortable vibe, thread carefully.

Summary: You're Peter's classmate, a child of rich and famous but uncaring parents. Getting paired up for a lengthy project with the boy was an interesting turn of events and you don't know whether to feel blessed or cursed when you develop, seemingly, a perfectly normal, harmless crush on Tony Stark. Fueled by feelings of inadequacy and boredom, your life spirals out of control - and you're lucky your newfound friends are there to pick up the pieces even if you cannot find it in yourself to believe these amazing human (and not so human) beings voluntarily give you more than a fleeting glance and an offhanded thought. And they brought cake!

A/N: Ooh, boy. This is a whole mess. Angst. [insert drugs owl meme]. Steve doesn't pass the vibe check yet again, stupid old man. Bruce + Tony be like: I CAN'T GET NO SLEEP CUZ OF Y'ALL.

My beta, whomst I love more than cake - @miscmarvelwritings . She's so beautiful though. And so smart. Wow.

The strobe lights pulsated to the rhythm of the music, bodies swaying, gyrating to the tune. The club was banging this time of night, people were living it up like there was no tomorrow. For me, in the VIP zone it was quieter, calmer, but no less exciting. The atmosphere here was distinctly different from the one on the main floor.

It was hard to wallow in misery even if it only took me an hour to stop resisting the gratuitous amounts of white powder on the silver platters. "It's better when you're there to watch them, they'll do it anyway but at least you can know that they're getting the good stuff!" My idiot father proudly announced, looking at me snorting a line through a rolled up hundred dollar bill.

Whiskey and vodka wasn't doing it for me. It made me feel low and Dad, being Dad, of course noticed it and immediately called a guy who knew a guy and suddenly all of his friends and their baby-faced companions had white under their noses. Cash flew like autumn leaves.

As I went out to the main dance floor to get a closer look at Billie Eilish in all of her edgy, beautiful self, the drug hit me like an avalanche. No trace of the grogginess or the mortification that had hitched a ride on me from Stark tower. I danced and sang and saw dad smiling at me in approval, his equally high and important friends all wearing identically predatory smirks. They were good at spotting the obvious - beauty, talent, money. I had no qualms about the fact that dad was off bragging about my close relationship with Tony. If my father was feeling particularly bold, he'd be telling them he knew and encouraged it all along, his buddies pretending to believe the white lie in turn.

I had exchanged my pants and sneakers in favour of a skirt and fishnets with high heels combo, a decidedly inappropriate attire for a daughter having a family night with her father but he insisted I dress trendy. I loved my dad, I really did, and I knew he meant well - I'd definitely be out of place amongst these TVscreen worthy people in my jeans and sneakers but...Tony was one of those people, and he had never ever said anything bad about the way I dress. Even when I obviously and purposely put on obscene clothing just to get a rise out of someone.Tony just smiled and played along.

Tony Stark was the heartless asshole here? Really, press? Really, haters?

"Standing there, killing time, can't commit to anything but a crime..." I sang along quietly as I hurried back to the VIP area. My dad was standing up and so were a couple of his buddies. "Where's ya goin'?" I asked, taking a seat.

"Be right back baby girl, if you find better company then go on without us," Dad winked, throwing a totally nasty glance at one of the girls. She was not much older than me but her body was stick thin and bolt-ons and Botox were her two best friends. She gave me a dirty look and I returned it, extending a waiting hand towards my dad. He chuckled, depositing a neatly rolled stack of hundreds into my palm.

"Dad, I want a new purse," I whined, just a tad. Just to see the girl's eyes go wide with acrid envy. Dutifully, another couple of stacks landed in my palm without any objections and the company retreated towards the back door.

I sighed.

Fiddled with the straw of my drink a bit, contemplating my options. I could always ditch this party and go somewhere more active, somewhere with better music and kinder people.

"Ay, baby girl, you wanna party with us?" A tall, handsome man from dad's previous company approached me. "We'll have some fun." He maintained a respectful distance but the intentions were clear.

"Nope," I popped the sound, not even sparing him a glance. A few lines of cocaine stared at me from the table beckoning with a better high, a stronger sense of euphoria, confidence and energy to dance, to sing, to be happy. I picked up one of the discarded banknotes, quickly rolling it by a sheer force of habit and cleaning up the tray. One line.

"Holy shit, is that..."

Two lines.

"The fuck?!" I recognised that voice. I have been hearing it every day in the labs, I've been hearing it in my dreams.

Tony was gaping at me, in front of me.

"Hey, Tony. Fancy seeing you here." Any other time, I'd be cringing at my lame greeting but I was feeling way too good to care about trivial things like being clever or being appropriate.

"I was looking...for you," He slowly said, putting a single finger on the tray with the last line of coke and pulling it out of my reach.

"That's funny," I snorted, hastily wiping at my nose to cover the tracks of my very bad, very immoral, very illegal activities.

"It's not, Princess, it's not funny at all," He frowned. "C'mon, we're leaving." And extended his hand. I decided to follow along - there was nothing for me to do at this club anyway, the music was lame and the people were stuck-up.

"I look like a prostitute, Tony, I'll take the back door," I attempted to pull him towards the aforementioned but he didn't budge, just stared straight ahead and towed me along like he was wearing one of his iron suits under the stylish jeans and tee get-up.

He stopped in front of the exit, giving me a critical once over. Wiped my face, again, brushed my hair back. Gave me his shades - I dutifully put them on, figuring the manic look in my eyes was anything but attractive right now. "Jesus Christ, Princess," He sounded desperate. "You're beautiful, don't you fucking worry."

And we made our exit, arm in arm, me trying not to stumble in my high heels, Tony being my rock, my solid foundation. In other words, I was hanging onto him for dear life trying not to fall over and give a reason for a sneaking paparazzi to make a scandalous headline.

"You're doing great, Princess," Tony helped me into his Tesla, slamming the door behind me and hurrying towards the driver's door. I managed to unclasp and kick off my shoes, curling up comfortably into the passenger's seat.

I watched the man as he started the engine and watched him wrestle with whatever personal demons that tormented him as he peeled off and raced into the Friday night city.

"What in the everlasting fuck..." He started, stopping abruptly mid-sentence. "How did you even get in there?"

"I came with dad. He literally ditched me to fuck some whore, like, twenty minutes before you showed up." I shrugged, eyeing the modified panel of the car. It was very obviously Tony's own design. I wondered if he could introduce me to Elon Musk someday.

"What the fuck? And correct me if I didn't hear you clearly," Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your father took it upon himself to drag you to a club, get you drunk, gave you cocaine and fucked off with some groupies?"

"Yah, that's about it. My dad is all about cocaine and whores, the more the better," I replied, leaning in to take a closer look at the car's panel. "Hey, could, like, introduce me to Elon Musk someday? That would be fuckin' awesome."

Tony went eerily quiet, I saw his knuckles on the steering wheel go white. Vague expletives were muttered under his breath. "I'm guessing you're good on sleep?" He finally asked through gritted teeth.

"Sleep? Don't know her," I laughed. "I wanna dance, Tony."

"Of course you do, Princess." His smile was tired and forced and full of pity. "You know, I don't think I'll be able to sleep now, either," He admitted, taking a sharp left. "How about we get some McDonald's and camp out in my lab?"

"Sure, whatever," Not like I had much choice in the matter. What I really craved was a good, long, hard fuck (by Tony himself preferably) but if science calls... I have no choice but to comply. "Get me two Big Macs," I demanded least he try to joke and get me a Happy Meal or some shit.

He did get me the food without any usual grumbling. I didn't like this Tony. Tired Tony, sad Tony, angry Tony. Wrong Tony.

"Huh?" He said and I realized I'd said the last part out loud.

"I don't like a sad Tony,” I said. "It's the wrong kind. Sassy, snarky and perpetually caffeinated Tony is the best Tony. The only proper kind, in fact." I stated with seriousness, shoes dangling from one hand and my McDonald's in the other. Man, I have been seeing more and more of this god-damned elevator recently.

"You're high as a kite, darling," He chuckled then, a real laugh.

"Who's high?" Bruce's voice came from the kitchen.

In a state of blind panic, I jumped behind Tony. "Not me."

Tony palmed his face.

Steve came over from the fridge, leaving the rummaging to Bucky. He took one look at me and suddenly I felt small, insignificant like an ant. I didn't like it much. "Holy hell, the fuck happened? Tony, explain." The Captain demanded, giving me the world's biggest stink eye.

"It's her piece of shit of a father, dragged her off to some night club and left her hanging with his buddies, fucking off god knows where. It's not her fault so lay the fuck off, Rogers, with your self-righteousness," Tony exploded all over Steve, the pent up frustration rearing it's ugly head.

I mustered enough courage to tiptoe around the dick measuring contest to sit at the counter. My appetite was gone and my burgers were turning colder and soggier with every passing second. Just like my life.

"Hey, Princess," Bruce's gentle voice halted my train of thought. He approached me carefully, ignoring the men behind me in favour of simply wrapping me up in a quiet, comfortable hug. "You feel alright? Want some water?"

"Nu-uh," I mumbled, unwilling to part ways with the warmth of this embrace.

"... Steve, I found her snorting miles of coke all by herself while an some jackass was waiting for her to be even more out of it. It's rare that I say this but I had literally zero words." Tony punctuated his words by tapping his fist against the wall multiple times.

Bruce tightened his hold on me, a sudden influx of strength accompanied by a quiet, low growl in his throat.

I felt the sudden need to clarify the situation. "Tony, chill. It takes me a lot more to be out of it, I'm fucking coherent and I'm talking sensibly. It's not my first rodeo."

Apparently I'd gone and said the wrong thing because all the men in the room were suddenly growling. I even totally forgot about Bucky who had the uncanny ability to exist in a room without making absolutely any sort of noise.

"The fuck do you even mean by that, Princess?" Tony screeched, probably already knowing that answer.

"From one rich kid to another, you should damn well fuckin' know," I spat, unwilling to admit my misery.

He sighed, audibly deflating behind me. I refused to listen to him, refused to be humiliated and exposed like that for my perfectly human desire to be happy. To not be a disappointment, to not be disappointed in everything and everyone. Bruce was nice and kind and warm and selfless but even he couldn't love me the way I wanted to be loved. Cherished, taken care of. All that mushy stuff. I was selfish, so I snuggled in closer to him, muting the world around me, replacing it with the smell and feel of him.

Cocaine made it a whole lot easier to imagine. Maybe that's why it was so addictive.

"Guys, calm down, you're stressing everyone out," Bruce rumbled quietly. I loved the way his deep voice seemed to reverb throughout his chest.

"Get me a cup of coffee, would you, Buckaroo?" Tony sighed again. I heard the sound of him slurping at his coffee. I heard Bucky's metal arm clunk against something equally metallic before the supersoldiers bid everyone good night and walked off.

Only then I removed my face from Bruce enough to take a good look at Tony. He was eyeing me, too.

"We have a caffeinated Tony," I said, softly. "Now we just need some science to have a happy Tony."

He smiled but it came out watery. He wanted to say something but choked on his words. "C'mere," He finally said, turning in his chair and opening his arms.

I unashamedly made grabby hands, the universal gesture for ‘I want, gimme’, and Bruce delightfully deposited me into Tony's waiting arms. It was like my birthday and Christmas came out all at once. Tony's embrace was warm, like Bruce's, but tinted with an unexpected familiarity. He smelled like motor oil and fancy cologne. It was heavenly.

"You keeping tabs on me, huh? Coffee, science and sass? That's your recipe for happiness?" The engineer asked me, a seriousness that didn't match the joking tone of the conversation at all.

"I think I got you figured out. Peter, too, is important for happiness. But in controlled amounts," I said, giving it a careful thought.

Tony chuckled, sounding a little bit shocked. "What about you?" He said after a brief moment of silence passed, interrupted only by Bruce's tea kettle coming to a slow boil.

"I don't think you need me for happiness," I said, meaning it. "But let's be honest, I'm a nice addition."

He stilled under me, briefly. Bruce cleared his throat.

"Brucie needs me, I think. He's lonely," I told Tony with a sudden influx of desire to be completely honest and 100% transparent. "And it makes me happy, because I need Bruce too. He's the best," I finished.

"Is that so?" Tony sounded vaguely tearful so I attempted to pull back to take a good look at his face. He didn't let me though, gently but firmly pressing my face back into his chest. "And me?"

"I do need you, Tones," I admitted without spilling any unnecessary details.

There was a child within me, small and scared and lonely, like Bruce. I hated her, hated being so soft and needy when everybody else obviously (and understandably) was busy with figuring out their own lives. I wished, desperately so, to just boom-boom-whoosh her away like Doctor Strange magicked away unwanted visitors.

Tony said nothing but his hands betrayed him. They shook and they held onto the skimpy see-through fabric of my top like he was a drowning man and I was his only floatie. For the moment, I closed my eyes and let myself believe he needed me, too.

"I'll catch a wink or two, wake me up if you need something," Bruce broke the silence, having finished off his tea. I didn't notice the time pass so quickly, too lost somewhere between here and there and Tony. In short, I was being lovesick all over the billionaire.

"Bwucie," I leaned backwards, pushing until Tony caved and let me rest my back against the counter, elbows on top of it, legs dangling freely on the sides of his legs. It put a lot of me on display. Tony had called me beautiful earlier so none of my usual habits of being appropriate around the man concerned me. He thought I was pretty!

"Princess," Banner came over to wrap me in a hug that was quite awkward, considering the fact I was sitting on Tony. It took some maneuvering to get it right.

"Night night," I said the usual and got a brief kiss on the cheek before Bruce shuffled off, yawning.

Tony was watching us with an unreadable expression. As soon as I turned my head to look at his face instead, something in him changed. His eyes grew big and round, the crease between his eyebrows disappeared. The corners of his mouth tilted up.

On a sudden impulse, I reached over to run my palm gently over the neatly trimmed line of his beard, following from his chin to his jawline, to his soft tousled hair. His eyelashes shook, fluttered, as the engineer leaned into my touch with the grace of a cat. "Kiss him, kiss him" my brain chanted. I knew I was a coward, I wouldn't do that. "Pretty," I said instead, the word coming out in a whisper.

He gulped, audibly. "Princess, you have no idea..." Shaking his head, as if he was surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes, Tony briefly looked away. "You have no idea what you're doing."

"Nope," I agreed solemnly. "But at least it feels good. It feels right."

"God," He frowned, one of his hands coming to nervously card through his hair. "Nothing about this is right."

My face fell. Just like I thought, Tony wanted exactly nothing to do with a clueless little teenager. It stung and tears pooled in the corners of my eyes where I stubbornly refused to let them escape and make me into a crybaby. "Whatever you say, Tony." I was ready to agree with anything he said, really, if he would just keet holding me like that.

"Don't," He raised a palm. "Don't close yourself off like that."

Now I was genuinely confused. What exactly did he expect from me? I shrugged.

"You're clever, brilliant and beautiful, you can and should do so much better than all of this," He vaguely gestured towards me, towards himself, towards us and the whole damn city.

I contemplated my answer, briefly. "A lot of people tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. Don't I get a say?" The bitterness had fought its way out and won. "I just want to be happy for a bit. All the usual bullshit."

He looked taken aback, really. Like he hadn't even considered the option. Typical.

Meanwhile, I continued my word vomit. "I want someone to give a damn about what I want and what makes me happier. Until then, I have no other choice but to take care of myself the best way I know how. Like everybody else does," The weight of his arm landed on my waist, pulling me close to his chest yet again. I didn't resist. No fight left in me. The tiredness seeped deep in my bones, chilly.

The sudden change of altitude startled me. The engineer had picked me up and started walking off towards the elevator, directing it to the lab. His personal lab. The tiles felt cold under my feet where he put me down to make his own beeline for the bar. I would've joined if not the drug in my system - the last thing I wanted was to land in a hospital yet again.

I took the moment to browse my social media, untag myself from all the unflattering pictures, post my usual shitpost. A tiny skirt, equally tiny top and fishnets - I felt out of place in his lab although I've worn more outrageous things previously. I was raw, torn open, bleeding my misery all over the room. That was not in my plan, but then again, when did ever life go as you planned it?

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit @littlegasps @pilloclock @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @as-i-layhereinyourbed @sleep-i-ness @gigglyfox01

please check your blog settings before tag request or, alternatively, follow the "party favours" tag itself if Tumblr doesn't let me tag you - it does that for some reason. love you all 3000.

[tasloveskk]

Some folklore thoughts 💭🌲✨🏳️‍🌈 

Part 1

 I’m going to take it song by song while also tracking key themes in red! Please also feel free to add in your thoughts in the comments, I’m curious to see what else people think folklore is about...

folklore

‘folklore’ is defined as “a body of popular myths or beliefs relating to a particular place, activity, or group of people.” or, by Steve from Taylor’s IC,”the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.” Taylor herself in her introduction/prologue says  “A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around. Sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible. Speculation, over time, becomes fact. Myths, ghost stories, and fables. Fairytales and parables. Gossip and legend. Someone’s secrets written in the sky for all to behold.”

the 1

- firstly, it’s the best opening track she’s ever had! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

- “I’m doing good, I’m on some new shit” = sounds to me like a conversation you have with an ex, like someone is saying “yeah I’m doing great, I’m dating/doing ‘x’” the first time they run into their ex in a while.

-“I thought I saw you at the bus stop” has BIG “this city screams your name” energy but is also very clever by Taylor because Miss Karlie Kloss is ALWAYS on advertisements on bus stops/literal buses around the globe 🚌

- “I hit the Sunday matinee” to me seems like an inside thing, because obviously as the world biggest pop star, if taylor is going to go to the theatre or cinema, she’ll pick the least busy and most filled with older people which would be the Sunday matinee.

- “you know the greatest films of all time were never made” —> the greatest love stories never get told? happen behind the scenes? There’s something deeper here but I’m still forming the cohesive idea!

- “if you wanted me you really should’ve showed” = showed up or showed for the world, either way Taylor wanted KK to chose her not Josh so they could work but that didn’t happen so now she’s left to wonder.

- “roaring twenties” evokes two clear images for me! 1. They were both in their 20s for the entiretyof their relationship, the best years were spent together and 2. The Roaring 20s were a time of independence, pushing boundaries and breaking the rules of prohibition - which is basically what Taylor and Karlie were doing behind the scenes.

- “if my wishes came true, it would’ve been you” = let’s say, ONLY FOR ARGUMENTS SAKE, that Taylor really IS with Toe, that still means that this song is her yearning for someone else who she always loves more AND had to lose at some point. Looking at her past beards “relationships”, there are only two plausible options - Joe (which seems unlikely seeing as they’re still “together”) or CH who she supposedly wrote “you would’ve been the one if you were a better man” about. Either way doesn’t seem like it fits. However, if you look at it as Karlie is the 1, it becomes clear - it would’ve been fun being best friends and lovers for ever baking cookies and dancing around the kitchen, it would’ve been forever if Karlie hadn’t “married” jerk, it would’ve been her and it still is. 💗

- “in my defense I have none, for never leaving well enough alone” & “I know that I went psycho on the phone, I never leave well enough alone” are about the same moment with the same person = she didn’t leave well enough alone because she kept writing about Karlie and re-engaging us Kaylors as well as I’m sure, she kept up with seeing Karlie or keeping tabs on her to the point where it forced someone to reach out to the other.... she can’t apologise or defend her actions because you can’t explain the things you do for true love.

- “I have this dream you’re doing cool shit” aka starting a podcast, expanding businesses, making headway as an entrepreneur and being a highly-paid and respected international model? Seems straight forward 👀

- “you meet some woman on the Internet and take her home” = 1. Karlie is specifically interested in tech and the internet, it is literally her entire business and 2. if Karlie and Tay did break up, then because Karlie is actually NOT married to Josh, she hooked up with someone she met through the internet somehow (probs social media not an app) and Taylor found out this is probably a snarky comment about that from a jealous ex. Could possibly also be about the dream mentioned above. 💔🔐

- “another day waking up alone” = lost her lover, sleeps alone? Bold claim on opening tack.

- “persist and resist” = very famous feminist saying, civil rights/political echo?

- “the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different, would everything be different today” = this what if mentality continues through the album but personally, I think this is about Kissgate.

- “Rosé flowing with your chosen family” = repeats later, your chosen family could refer to Karlie’s group of friends like Derek and Jourdan etc.

- “would’ve been sweet if it could’ve been me” = flipped perspective, wishes Karlie chose her.

- “dragging up the grave another time” = firstly, THAT pin on her EW jacket now makes more sense. second, Taylor has written about Karlie for 4 straight albums now, she hasn’t let their love story die even if they did.

-

cardigan

- “brand new phone” = this is not some story, this is current reality. Taylor hides behind era-specific language and imagery in some other songs but this one is clearly about here and now, and her.

- “sensual politics” to me stands out because only really here and in TLGAD is politics explicitly mentioned and sensual politics to me screams sleeping with someone for political gain or with political connections which certainly sounds like someone...

- “when you’re young, they assume you know nothing” = sounds to me like a lot like a) love story and b) “you don’t know you’re gay, it’s just a PHASE! you’ll grow out of it!” 🏳️‍🌈

- “chase 2 girls, lose the one” = supposedly, when KK and TS met, Taylor was still in love/entangled with Dianna so perhaps she’s reflecting on making the wrong choice?

- CIWYW links: my baby’s high above the whole scene—> heartbeat on the high line, tidbit:as is clear in both Lover & 1989 New York is a sacred place for TS and KK’s love story, the high line is a) a beautiful NYC icon and b) right in between the girls’ two places...

- as mentioned, miss Karlie ELIZABETH Kloss was the brand model for Levi’s and definitely has worn some sequins and black lipstick on cobblestones sooooo.... 🤷🏼‍♀️

- “you drew stars around my scars” = see Drake’s birthday party and the infamous third Polaroid mystery 👀

- “stepping on the last train” could mean one of two things to me; 1. The last resort for KK was marrying J*sh or 2. the last train could represent some goodbye the girls had where KK chose something/someone else over Taylor.

- “peter losing Wendy” is such an interesting metaphor on so many levels but specifically, Wendy loses Peter because she wakes up (from nearly dying but nvm) and grows up and stops believing in Neverland and magic, basically Wendy loses an attachment to Peter because her reality shifts and that’s what gets remembered especially in the Disney version of the story. HOWEVER, the opposite is also true meaning Peter Pan loses Wendy because he can never co-exist with her again, he can never grow up or bring her back to Neverland without either killing her or ruining her. So this idea that someone wanted to change the ending from peter losing Wendy because he had to do what was best for her because he loved her echoes as Karlie didn’t want to marry Jerk or hurt Taylor but had to in order to protect her. Right? 😅

- “leaving like a father, running like water” = Taylor’s parents got divorced and there’s SOME thoughts Scott left the house and Taylor lives with her Mom in Nashville in her teen years.

- “I knew everything when I was young” - Taylor has always know she was LGBT+ 🌈 and also, baby VSFS vibes because as we all know, “we were both young when I first saw you...” send tweet.

- “I knew you’d come back to me” hopefully, HOPEFULLY foreshadows the girls being together/coming out soon !!!!!!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

- music video wise, I’ll do a break down soon.

TLGAD

- ‘Rebekkah’ refers to the previous owner of Taylor’s Watch Hill, RI house, Rebekah Harkness. She was a divorcee until marrying Standard Oil heir William (aka Bill) Hale Harkness, a new-money dynasty was formed in this time from their profit. There are MANY wild, whimsical stories about ‘Betty’ (which is obviously an extended metaphor of folklore)  that this song tries to re-create/recapture.  

- Taylor is also known as ‘Becky’ due to the popular meme so this is quite literally a play on her own character as well as the previous inhabitants of the house.

- St Louis is not only Rebekkah’s hometown, but also Karlie Elizabeth Kloss’. 

- “the wedding was charming, if a little gouche” seems like a direct shot fired at Karlie’s woodsy photoshoot of 2018 😂😂(ironically, folklore’s key aesthetic is the woods!!)

- “it must’ve been her fault his heart gave out” refers explicitly to William dying of a heart attack in the house, but subtly I feel like this is a dig at the media who constantly blame women for things they cannot control, as they have done with Taylor too many times to even count. 

- “who knows if she never showed up, what could’ve been” seems like Taylor is stuck thinking about what may have happened for her and Karlie if things had been different, see the 1. 

- “she/I had a marvellous time ruining everything” is such an incredibly provoking lyric on two fronts, 1. obviously taylor buying her RI house had a massive impact on an otherwise sleepy holiday town that is now more famous for Taylor’s july 4 parties than anything else and 2. seems introspective or personal, as if the things that ruined everything for Karlie and Taylor were the best and most marvellous parts of their relationship (big sur, kissgate etc.) 

- “flew in all her bitch pack friends from the city” is not only about the friends and celebs Rebekkah was notorious for hosting but also Taylor’s ‘bitches and model’ girl gang circa 2015 which includes one Karlie Kloss. 

- “blew through the money on the boys and the ballet” refers to Rebekkah’s love of wasting her fortune on things, including a ballet company that went under not long after she created it BUT also refers to Taylor paying so many boys to be her beards and PR stunts whilst also spending her money on a certain ex-Ballerina. Also remember her AMA’s performance of Lover/ bts of Shake It Off? 😉😉😉

- “50 years is a long time” - 50 seems deliberate, a bit of a reach but note it WAS the 50th anniversary of Stonewall last year. 🏳️‍🌈

-  “free of women with madness, their men and bad habits and THEN IT WAS BOUGHT BY ME.” - this clearly shows that ALL the songs are being narrated by Taylor, some of the lyrics are about her, some are about these fictional or fantastical characters she’s created but there is her truth behind all of them too. 

- “the loudest woman this town has ever seen” = Taylor is undoubtedly the most famous woman in the town who regualrly causes uproar there (see the Sea Wall debacle and the Taylor Swift Tax)

- in all, the two famed women owner’s of Holiday House have many overlaps and are forever intertwined. 

exile

- “i can see you standing honey with his arms around your body” as the opening line is LOUD. to me, feels like this is about ALL those staged photos of Josh and Karlie uncomfortable/fake as hell on social media. 

- “laughing but the joke’s not funny at all” is something we’ve all thought about Karlie’s marriage before and is about that moment where if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry at the situation. 

- “it took you 5 whole minutes to pack up ... holding all this love out here in the hall” to me is about someone moving out of a shared home, like Karlie from Taylor’s NYC apartment, after a break up or fight. We know it is MORE than likely that the girls’ broke up, for a while or for good, in 2017/18. 

- “I think I’ve seen this film before, and didn’t like the ending” is a lot like “Cause cruelty wins in the movies, I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you” / “All of my heroes die all alone.” which makes me truly believe that delicate > the archer > exile are all the progression of the same love story.  ❤️

- “now I’m in exile seeing you out” = both of them have lost their home, exiled from the relationship.

- “I can see you staring honey, like he’s just your understudy” has a lot to unpack. Firstly, see this photo. Second, as a beard, Joe is quite literally Karlie’s understudy - stepping in only to fill a public void or play her part when she can’t. 

- “like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me” is basically this tweet

- “second, third and hundredth chances” - hopefully this means the girls WILL be together again soon!!! 

- “those eyes add insult to injury” - Taylor has often made explcit reference to her lover’s eyes, but this could also mean the eyes of the public on her every move and relationship not allowing her to properly grapple with break ups. 👁️

-  “i’m not your problem anymore, so who am i offending?” - homophobes love to say wlw or mlm relationships “offend” them or their beliefs, so who could taylor be offending if she’s publicly in a straight relationship? 

- “you were my crown”, Taylor was/is Karlie’s princess, if Karlie is gone, Taylor doesn’t feel like she’s a princess anymore. Likewise, Karlie is Taylor’s sunshine which makes the moody, misty, dark aesthetics all the more relevant to this album. 

- “so I’m leaving out the side door’ - this side door? the other side of the door?

- “all of this time, we always walked a very thin line” between outing themselves and being happy? 

- “I gave so many signs” - Taylor has queercoded EVERY album since her self-titled, she has been dropping hints and signs for years that she is LGBT+ so it must be exhausting to have to keep hiding who she loves. This is repeated so many times - it means a lot. 

- written with William Bowery who nobody can quite identify, but Karlie and Taylor have been to the Bowery many times together and William is mentioned earlier in TLGAD

- this whole song is a duet, a two-sided conversation between lovers - her and karlie both without each other. 

my tears ricochet

- Track 5 is, as per usual, deeply confessional, personal, emotive and moving. 😿😿

- there are lots of theories and layers to this masterpiece of a song, including that it’s in reference to big machine. I personally think every single song of Taylor’s is made up of layers that reflect multiple things in her life and experience so plausibly it can be about multiple things all at once including Sco** and Scumbag as well as Karlie, who was under Scumbag’s management for the majority of the decade. Another theory which with every new listen I think is more and more possible is that this is alternating between Taylor and Karlie’s perspectives. 

- ‘if i’m on fire, you’ll be made of ashes too” whoever is associated with Taylor will ALWAYS be dragged down with her. If she’s being attacked, they will be too. Big 2016 energy. 

- “even on my worst day, did I deserve babe, all the hell you gave me?” could be directed at a lover, or at Big Machine, or even the public for all the shit they’ve said about Taylor over the years. 

- “I swear I loved you ‘till my dying day” seems a lot like the 1, as well as could be about the music and the label she helped build. 

- “I didn’t have it within myself to go with grace.” Taylor was LOUD about her split from Big Machine, she called them out (rightly) and made noise which is not a ‘graceful’ split. 

- “you’re the hero flying around saving face” very easily is about S+S jackasses but deeper than that, while Taylor was under immense attack and criticism, everyone who actually like her music pretended suddenly to hate it and her to stay ‘cool’ 

- “cause if I’m dead to you why are you at the wake?” this lyric becomes especially important in the final verse but essentially those who publicly distanced themself from Taylor still showed up when she was thriving again and/or because they actually truly loved her *uhmm karlie uhmm* 

- “cursing my name, wishing I stayed” either at Big Machine or with Karlie/Taylor. 

- “some to make a diamond ring” > firstly we still have never understood the ring image from the LWYMMD and ME! videos, it is entirely possible this is a continuation of that same symbol/image. Second, I think this hints to Karlie getting ‘engaged’ while still being with Taylor, the rock for the ring in the song was found by the two people gathering stones after all. 

- “you know i didn't want to have to haunt you” both Taylor and Karlie have big reputations all over the world that follow them everywhere. For either one, they will always be haunted by reminders of each other. 

- “you wear the same jewels that I gave you as you bury me” - on the Big Machine side, Taylor made the label professional and big, she is literally the sole reason it succeeded in the music industry so she handed Sco** his fortune and reputation which he still had when he sold her music to Scumbag and got into a very dirty bed with him. From the Karlie side, many people have noted that not only does she wear her black cartier necklace, which is assumed to be from Taylor, but to her ‘wedding’ wore a necklace she’d worn before with Taylor. 

- “when I’d fight you’d tell me I was brave” could refer to Sco** encouraging her in 2016 to defend herself. Could refer to Karlie supporting her behind the scenes. 

- ‘and I can go anywhere I want, just not home” seems like a continuation from exile, as in she’s lost the place she called home because her lover is no longer there but could also mean she can’t go back to her other albums and the house (see the lover music video) that they created as her musical home.

- “you will still miss me in your bones” could be about Sco** losing his money and label without her there to physically support and carry it or about the fact that the love Taylor and Karlie had is so ingrained it’s in their bones forever. 

- “and i still talk to you when I’m screaming at the sky” this lyric has a lot of possible interpretations (i’ve seen one about cursing out God?) but i think it’s similar to “asking the traffic lights if i’ll be alright” as in, it’s Taylor asking the universe to help her make sense of things. 

- “when you can’t sleep at night, you hear my stolen lullabies” suggests a) sco** + scumbag is still haunted by the music they stole from Taylor because it was literally the backbone of the business which is now practically worthless and b) that Karlie is kept awake by the songs Taylor has written for and about her over the years which again were stolen away by the jackasses at Big Machine.  

- “you had to kill me, but it killed you just the same” again, same idea - big machine will never be profitable without her/while they hold her masters hostage. BUT Karlie wise, breaking up with Taylor broke her too? 

- this is where the song changes. it shifts from Taylor’s story to someone else’s, personally I think Karlie. 

- “you turned into your worst fears” as in she settled for the money and sold her values off by marrying Josh. Also, Karlie was under Scumbag’s management for years (part of Taylor’s hatred of him was him keeping the girls’ from doing as they pleased) so by being completely controlled by him, she turned into this completely fake person. Contrast 2014/15 Karlie with 2017/18 Karlie and it so much more all about PR and money. 

- “you’re tossing out blame, drunk on this pain, crossing out the good years” - sco** and scumbag have made so many false excuses for their behaviour and completely erased the good relationship between the Swifts and sco**. Not sure yet what the Karlie side is here but it’s here somewhere. 

- in conclusion, this is about Big Machine and Karlie. As the first song Taylor wrote for the album, I think it’s clear just how incredibly multi-faceted this album is. ☕☕☕

mirrorball

- first off, we can never forget about this and this look from both girls. ✨✨

- “I’ll to show you every version of yourself tonight”, the public and the private sides to them both. this is big glass closet energy in my opinion 

- “and when I break it’s in a million pieces” is so personal and heartbreaking. 2016 and Kaylor breakup vibes. I cannot elaborate at this time. 

- “when no one is around my dear” = the secrecy, forbidden love motif returns and again, if she’s in a hetero relationship, what’s to hide? 

- “you’ll find me on my tallest tiptoes”, Just an fyi, Karlie, a giraffe, is 6′2″, Taylor is 5′10″ -- thats a big difference. 🦒🦒🦒

-  “i know they said the end is near” = end of the relationship or the end of hiding it, either way, it’s a romantic last private moment together, swaying as the room burns down. 

- “i can change everything about me to fit in” = Taylor when she was starting out was forced to create this all innocent, american-girl image of herself. She has had to hide herself to succeed, as she said in Miss Americana, she was muzzled. 

- “you are not like the regulars, the masquerade revelers” = Karlie is different to everyone else, or any other ex, ‘masquerade’ implies masked or hidden figures at a party, very Love Story 

- “and the called off the circus, burned the disco down” = the ‘circus’ could be the media/public, or all the illusions Taylor has cast in order to appear straight. The ‘disco’, and Taylor is the ‘mirror ball’ to her lover means that this isolated existence of just the two of them. 

- “I’m still on that tightrope, I’m still trying everything” for now, she’s still closeted, she’s still trying to have the best of everything. 

- “I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why” believer in everything working out perhaps, or perhaps believing it’s better if she’s in the closet and it’s only the two of them. 

- “never been a natural” = she has completely created herself through years off trying to be what people want, not who she naturally is. 

seven

- “picture me” implies this is retrospective of Taylor, she’s reflecting on her childhood/youth. 

- “I hit my peak at Seven” could either refer to the age 7 or album 7, ‘Lover’ which many critics argued was her best work. 

- “Over the creek I was too scared to jump in” = fear of jumping is something Taylor has discussed in many songs but this is different, the creek represents something she fears will drown her.

- “High in the sky with Pennsylvania under me” = obviously, Taylor was born and raised in rural PA, so this truly is a childhood memory unearthed and explored. It’s personal to Taylor, it’s her story. 👏🏼

- “Are there still beautiful things?”  Recognizing the world isn’t all daisies and rainbows 

- “cross your heart, don’t tell no other” = again, secret keeping and hiding something is a big queer image, ‘cross your heart’ is a quite childish phrase but it’s adult equivalent in Taylor’s world is an NDA, ie swearing people to secrecy is something she's always known... 🔐

- “Although i can’t recall your face, I still got love for you” = this childhood love has faded with time to memories, this girl simultaneously forgotten and remembered. 

- “Your braids like a pattern” = definitely about a girl (1996 rural Pennsylvania was not the kind of place where boys had braids), specific use of YOUR pronoun not ‘my’ or ‘our’ suggesting again it’s about a girl. Very obviously about a first girl crush. 🌈 

- “passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long” = firstly, reference to Neruda’s poem Taylor used in the red prologue. second, folksongs change slightly from generation to generation but the heart/melody remains the same meaning that in Taylor’s mind, the story of her first girl love has changed but it’s still the same song/story all the years later. also, clearly a reminder of the setting of the song and the album as a whole being folklore. 💛

- “your dad is always mad and that must be why” feels a lot like Love Story and forbidden love, also again rural Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s was not the most liberal place so I can imagine a lot of homophobic ideas that perforated Taylor’s childhood.

- “I think you should come live with me” is such an innocent image of someone in love and wanting to just fix things by bringing them home, it also is like a baby gay version of uhauling 

- “we could be pirates” = pirates are not just a childhood image/motif but also one historically seen as gay, gangs of pirates often had ‘mateolage’ agreements that basically were like widow’s benefits. See John Swann. ☠️

- “you won’t have to cry, or hide in the closet.” = I think this one is explicitly clear but just to be sure, Taylor could’ve said “hide when he lost it, hide if you wanted, hide in the woods too” etc. Read this for a full understanding of why it such a LOUD image to use.  It is VERY DELIBERATE PEOPLE. 🌈🌈🌈

- “just like a folk song, our love will be passed on” = different from the first bridge but deliberate again. Their story, aka Taylor liking girls from a young age will always be talked about, AND their love lives in this song she wrote.

- “picture me in the weeds before I learned civility” = again, given the homophobic attitude, ‘civility’ and straightness should be read as the same so Taylor is saying when she was a child, free in the grass and herself, she wants to always be. 

- “I used to scream ferociously any time I wanted” = she wasn’t muzzled as a child, she could say and be who she wanted, screaming it aloud for everyone to hear but that changed as she grew up. 

- “pack your dolls and a sweater, we’ll move to India forever” = ‘dolls’ again would imply it’s two girls running away together and India is this exocitc far off place to a child, a place where they can be together without anyone knowing them or controlling them. 

August

- Karlie Kloss is born in August. Karlie Kloss posted yesterday about being a Leo (an August born). August belongs to Karlie Kloss. 🦁♌

- “rust on your door” = image of something well-worn, perhaps someone who’s been here too a few times before?

- “whispers of are you sure?” = obviously there is the sexual connotation, but beyond that, what if it’s about Taylor and Karlie going public etc. 

- “never have I ever before” = see above but also the game ‘never have I ever’ evokes youthfulness and sounds almost like a reminder of a fun night with friends. 

- “I can see us lost in the memory” = implies they’re still together, losing themself in the memory together

- “I can see us twisted in bedsheets” = again, sexual imagery but also the intimacy of sharing a bed with the person you love after sex 

- “Like a bottle of wine” = matures the song a bit, the youthfulness of earlier is now more adult. 21 is America’s drinking age, 20s were mentioned early etc. 🍷

- “Cause you were never mine” = the whole of Taylor and Karlie’s relationship, Karlie has publically been dating Josh so she was never solely Taylor’s. 

- “Will you call when you’re back at school?” = Karlie attended NYU in 2015, the height of Kaylor. 

- “back when we were still changing for the better” = instead of changing to adapt/survive or keep up appearances. 

- “wanting was enough” = wanting Karlie without labels was enough, rather than having to go public etc. Many have said for a long time that Karlie and Taylor fought about coming out or not. 

- “cancel plans in case you would call” = sounds like a very love-sick Taylor Swift thing to do. Also waiting on a lover’s call when they constantly are travelling like both Karlie and Taylor do makes sense. ☎️

- “so much for summer love” = cruel summer echo? Summer 2015 was again, peak Kaylor so this could be a specific reference to that period

- “Do you remember? Remember when I pulled up and said ‘get in the car’” another specific reference, comes up again later in Betty, clearly is something personal. 

- “Back when I was still living for the hope of it all” = back as in the past when everything was happening, hope of it all being the hope they’d still end up together. 

TO SUM UP PART 1:

BENEATH ALL FICTION OR MYTH IS FACT & FEELING. Taylor is no longer hiding. Yes, some of these songs are about stories and people not her but there is so much of herself and her own story layered in too. PAY ATTENTION!!! Obviously, these are just my opinions, I’m not Taylor so I cannot know exactly what these songs are about but I think, after years of analyzing her music, these images/themes and deliberate word choice are well-versed in this part of the fandom. It is entirely possible this is the beginning of Taylor’s full, public coming out journey. 

I’ll be back with Part 2 tomorrow.  Stay Tuned!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

summertime sadness .8.

deja vu

Sequel to kiss me in the d-a-r-k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (masterlist under construction)

Warnings: non con 

This is dark!(dad)Steve and dark(professor!)Bucky and dark!Loki and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: The reader tries to avoid disaster.

Note: Not much to say for this one. Just enjoy. Thank you!💋

<3 Let me know what you think in a reblog, reply, or like. I’m loving the feedback from y'all and the enthusiasm! Also as always, memes accepted.

💋💋💋

Friday night. You were on the train before six. Loki let you go fairly quickly. He had cum fairly quickly. The remnants were on your blouse, barely concealed by your cardigan. The shadows of the underground flickered through the windows and the noise of the crowd drowned out that in your head.

You walked the half-block to your building. An unexpected figure sat waiting on the step. It was too late to hide. Bucky stood, the pizza box balanced against his chest. He smiled weakly.

"Figured since you've been dodging me, I'd come to you," He said evenly. "And I brought some food to appease you."

"I'm not very hungry." You muttered as you dug around for your keys. "I'm tired."

"Must be. You're home late. Train doesn't take that long." He remarked. "If you don't want a slice, you can keep the leftovers for tomorrow. Or is it me you don't want?"

You sighed as you brushed past him and he followed you into the lobby.

"I just...have a lot on my plate." You said as you unlocked the door. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep this up while I'm..." 

"Fucking your boss?" He ventured. "You think I couldn't guess?"

"Working." You insisted as you stopped in the door. "And what do you care?"

"I don't, really. I'm only curious. It's all so sudden. You know, it wouldn't bother me if--"

"Nothing bothers you," You snapped. 

"So what do you think? You cut off your old ties and chase him into the sunset? You really think he's gonna help you once he's had his fun?"

You flinched. You lowered your eyes and turned away. He kicked his foot in the door before you could close it.

"No, but it will do neither of us any good to carry on like this." You retorted.

He frowned. He looked at the pizza box and picked at the edges with his nails. He nodded. "He knows."

"Yeah," You confirmed meekly. "He knows."

"And so he told you to ditch me? He blackmailing you?"

"I made that decision. To protect both of us."

"Protect us? This could fuck up your whole career."

"Yeah, and if our little affair got out, what do think then? You think they'd keep you on tenure?" You spat.

"I'd find something else. You don't have to play martyr." He argued.

"Sure, maybe you'd survive the fall but what about me? I don't think I'd be able to climb back up."

"Sure you could." 

"I'm on scholarship. And if they didn't kick my ass out of the university, they'd surely pull my funding. And the internship? Loki could have me blacklisted all the way to England." You shook your head. "I don't get to fuck up. Not like you."

"And what about Steve?" He asked.

"What about him?” You sneered. “I think I'll stop while I'm ahead." 

"You can't just cut him off like that." He said.

"I can take care of myself. About time I start." You hissed.

"A little help never hurt anyone." He said.

"Just... I can't right now." You uttered. "I can barely think. I don't sleep. I... please just leave me alone."

Bucky scowled. "You gonna tell him?" 

"When I find the words," You said. "Please don't."

"Yeah, no, you take care of yourself," He shoved the pizza toward you. "And eat something. Just one slice."

"No, I can't."

"Just do me this last favour." He pushed it against you until you took it. "I don't even like feta."

"Thanks." You took the box entirely. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, I'm sorry." He shrugged. "It's as much my fault as yours but... hey, if the fall gets too high, let me know. I'll still be there to catch you if I can."

You gulped and nodded, unable to speak through your tightened throat. You sniffed and finally found your voice.

"Bye." You squeaked.

"See ya," He gave half a wave. "You got my number."

He turned and you watched him go. You backed up slowly until the door shut. The pizza was still warm but the smell turned your stomach. Or maybe it was yourself that made you so sick.

💋

Another week passed. Another agonizing week. The office that was once your naive fantasy had become an all too real nightmare. Loki hovered over you, even when he wasn’t there. He loomed menacingly on your shoulder. His voice in the back of your head.

And Steve. The messages never stopped. You woke to them and fell asleep reading them. Still, you couldn’t think of what to say. He’d give up eventually. You were just some girl he fucked. That’s it. So you left him on read and distracted yourself with your daily torment.

Loki was out of his office that day but it didn’t preclude you from his schedule. As you packed up, your phone vibrated. He was waiting for you outside. You knew exactly why. The same reason he kept you every day. He wanted to try a new toy. Wanted to play with his toy. You responded quickly and dropped your phone in your bag.

The elevator was too fast so you took the stairs. Your steps echoed around the flights and when you reached the bottom, you were out of breath. You stepped out into the lobby and lingered there. Loki’s streetcar was by the curb just outside the doors. His driver kept the window up when you were around.

You took a breath and your heels clicked across the polished floor. You pushed through the door as the rear window of the car slowly declined. Your name tripped you up as it came from your left. You turned to the familiar voice as its owner stepped away from the side of the building.

“Steve?” You gasped. “What are you--”

“Ah, so you remember me?” He asked as he crossed his arms. 

“Steve…”

“I just want an answer. Anything?” He stepped closer. “Just tell me why?”

“I… can’t,” You sucked in your lip nervously. “I gotta go.”

“No, no, you can’t just run away,” He caught your arm before you could flee. “Bucky told me you iced him out too. And I can tell he’s not telling me everything either.”

“Look it’s… complicated.” You sputtered. “Can we-- can we meet later? I’ll tell you then but I really need to go.”

A car door opened and closed. You cringed as the figure in your peripheral neared and the arm snaked around your waist to draw you away from Steve.

“Problem?” Loki asked with a smirk.

Steve scowled and looked between you. “Not yours, buddy.”

“I’d say it was. You’re keeping my date…” His hand dropped and he squeezed your ass. You flinched and looked to the sidewalk. “And we have plans I am most eager for.”

“We’re talking,” Steve said. “Give us a minute.”

“You can keep talking,” Loki taunted as his hand trailed along your spine.

You felt Steve’s eyes on you but couldn’t bring yourself to look up. “Without you.” Steve warned.

“Whatever you have to say to her you can say to me,” Loki argued. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Seems she has a certain taste.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think she was into assholes,” Steve scoffed. 

Loki chuckled. “Look, gramps, can we get this over with?”

“Oh, we can end this,” Steve stepped up to Loki. “You just gotta walk away.”

Loki rescinded his arm and met Steve in kind. “Doesn’t look like she wants to talk.”

“I didn’t ask you.” 

“Well, let’s talk then.” Loki taunted. “You see, me and your midlife crisis have been having quite the time and we’re running behind.”

“Don’t,” Steve bristled.

“And I hear… rather I know,” Loki lowered his voice, “She loves it from behind.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Steve growled.

“You must know? Or maybe you’re the old missionary hero, yeah? How long does that little blue pill keep you going?”

“Stop.” Steve’s tone drew your eyes up at last.

“It’s all me. No enhancement.” Loki continued. “And oh, does she love it. You should hear her, begging for it as I--”

Loki stumbled back suddenly as Steve’s fist flew up. You exclaimed and backed away as Loki barely stayed on his feet. Steve reeled back again and you caught his arm before he could grab your boss by his scruff. 

“Steve,” You pleaded. “Leave him alone.”

He looked at you then to Loki cradling his bloody nose. “You’re coming with me. Now.”

“No, I don’t think she is,” Loki said as he sniffed back the blood. 

“Oh ho, well you can stop me from taking her,” Steve flexed his fingers. 

“Steve!” You snapped. “Enough. Both of you.”

Loki narrowed his eyes as he pushed his knuckle to his nose to stem the bleeding. He nodded and glared at the other man. “Fine. Get him out of here before I’m inclined to return the favour.” He barked. “But I expect you at eight. Sharp.”

“Alright, okay,” You appeased as you clung to Steve’s arm; he was still tense and ready to pounce again. “Just go.”

He pinched his nose and grimaced. He turned and strutted over to his town car. He sent one last snarl your way as he opened the door. As his door snapped shut and the car drew away, you let out a shaky breath. You looked up at Steve and his eyes met yours.

“We need to talk,” He said.

“Yeah,” You sighed. “I think we do.”

💋

Your apartment was quiet. A thick silence that settled in your chest. You closed the freezer and grabbed a cloth from your drawer. You wrapped up the ice pack as you neared Steve and sat beside him on the end of the bed. You took his large hand and pressed the cool bundle to it. He hissed, his knuckles swollen and red.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” You said.

“I couldn’t help myself,” He let you cradle his hand. “I can’t believe you’re fucking that guy.”

“Yeah? Or you can’t believe I’m not fucking you?” You challenged.

He frowned and looked away. “Maybe both.” He admitted. “But why him?”

You let out a long breath. You looked to your feet and shifted on the bed. “Because… he could take everything from me.”

“He…” His brow creased. “He’s blackmailing you?”

“Just like you.” You shook your head. “Same tricks, only better.”

“I--” He began. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You still got that video?” You asked.

He hung his head guiltily. He didn’t need to say so.

“It’s all gotten out of control and the only thing I can do is let the mess drown me,” You grumbled. “All I have to do is get through the summer.”

He drew his hand away and leaned away from you as he dug in his pocket with his uninjured hand. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He opened his gallery and scrolled through until he found the video. He handed it over.

“Delete it.” He said. “I shouldn’t have ever taken it. I shouldn’t have…” 

You took the phone as his voice died. You watched yourself undressing by the hot tub. It felt so long ago. You hit the trash can icon and hovered your finger over ‘yes’. You sniffed and pressed down. The video disappeared.

“So, does that make everything right?” You scoffed.

“Not even close,” He said. “I don’t think anything will. I realise that now.”

“Yeah, no going back,” You muttered.

“I’m sorry. I know it probably means nothing, but I am.”

“Loki… isn’t your fault.”

“No, he isn’t but… I still hurt you. I used you and I knew what I was doing but I did it anyway.” He stretched his bruised fingers and hissed. “I wish I could punch myself.”

“I know what you mean,” You leaned against him. 

“You can punch me.” He said.

“No, I meant me,” You shook your head and placed his phone beside him. “Thank you for apologizing.”

“Least I could do.” 

He let you take his hand again and exhaled as you put the ice to it. You stared at his phone as you thought. You raised your head and looked him in the eye. 

“Thank you!” You chimed.

“For what?” He blinked. 

“I think I figured it out.” You breathed. 

“Figured it out?” He wondered.

“First,” You grinned as the pieces fell together in your mind. “I gotta meet Loki at eight.”

[openheart12]

Hi, yes, hello beautiful! Can you write a fic where MC accidentally sends Ethan her entire fanfic folder by mistake 😂🤣

How To Get Away With Fanfiction

I’m reliving my embarrassment 😭 but it is done and idk wtf happened with this lmao. This is also to make up for earlier kmjhygfd

Only tagging @ao719 @oofchoices @loveellamae @burnsoslow because no one else should have to read this unless they click on the read more and if they do... god bless. And thank you to Maroe for helping me come up with some of these ideas!

It had been a long day at work when Dr. Gertrude-Sue Claws made her way home to do the one thing that relaxed her; writing fanfiction.

She had thought of the perfect idea for Spirit and Rainbow Dash and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

There was something about the multi colors in his mane and tail that drew him to her. He lived by the phrase, “hump ‘em and dump ‘em,” which he planned on doing with Rainbow Dash, but not without consent because horse jail wasn’t fun. He had heard the horror stories from his human friends, Kurns and Bryce.

“Rainbow Dash,” he neighed.

“Spirit…” She neighed back in response, she knew all about his...extracurricular activities. He was the biggest fuck horse out of the herd. Ever since Rain had died from drowning, god bless, he hadn’t been the same. It was also why he paid more attention to Rainbow Dash because she had Rain in the first part of her name.

“Let’s do this,” he smirked with his horse mouth.

“Fine…” She turned her back to him as he reared on his hind legs and mounted her, letting out a series of neighs.

She laughed silently to herself before moving on her Owen Hunt fic and she knew how much she was going to enjoy this one especially.

Owen was walking through the halls when he saw five women stalking towards him like cats, one even had whiskers drawn on her face. “Anitah with the h, get him!” He heard one of them command and watched as she came up to him, kicking him in no man's land. He felt them drag him into an empty exam room.

“MAROE! You got the chainsaw?”

“Nah bruh, Bears and Rams were in charge of that,” she explained.

Anything but Krista, cocked her half shaved eyebrow at Burns and Ella. “Y’all got the chainsaw?”

“No, but I have the cream for the burn I’m about to inflict,” Burns snickered to herself at her own joke, the others joining in before getting back to business.

“Burns, Ella, go scope out the cafeteria for some good food because I can’t kill in good faith on an empty stomach and as me and Ella say, we always get food first,” Anything but Krista said, turning her attention to the two people left, throwing them both a knife. Then proceeded to stab Owen numerous times, but making sure not to hit any major organs yet.

“We need a blender,” Anitah with the h announced.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Anything but Krista and MAROE said at the same time, looking at each other and bursting into laughter at the jinx.

“If that was making a human smoothie, then yes. We’ll show him that no one messes with Derek Christopher Shepherd,” Anitah with the h said smugly, pulling a blender out from behind her back and plugging it into the wall.

“You...you pulled that out of your jacket?” MAROE asked in a surprising tone.

“Y’all don’t keep blenders in yours?” Anitah with the h asked as if that wasn’t common, but it was good to know that she was always prepared.

Suddenly, the walkie talkie came to life, “Team Bears/Rams to Team CA, what y’all want from here? Over and out.”

“Team CA to Team Bears/Rams, we want CookOut. Over and out.” Anything but Krista responded. “It’s about time y’all tried a little piece of heaven,” she looked at Anitah with the h and MAROE.

“That’s a negative ghost rider, the closest CookOut is on the other side of the country. Over and out.”

“Well you better get on your way because you two also need to try a little piece of heaven, we’ll save the good stuff for when you get back. Over and out.” The trio resumed their slice and dice game, taking a short break to play Choices because the latest chapter of The Nanny Affair had just been released and even Owen wasn’t going to keep them away from Sam Dalton.

A couple hours later, Burns and Ella arrived with the food, handing out their respective trays to their respective orderers, they were able to keep the milkshakes from melting by their cold hearts.

“Ahhh gimme my milkshake,” Anything but Krista snatched it from Burns’ hand, earning a slap on her hand from her adoptive mother and a threat of taking away her pony...again.

“Yooo this shake hits different,” Ella exclaimed.

“You could even say that it slaps,” MAROE added making her squeak.

“It’s the one good thing North Carolina has to offer for me,” Anything but Krista chimed in, fist bumping Anitah with the h because the struggle was real. The cows really did outnumber the people, they just hoped that there wouldn’t be a cow revolution because that would be awful except the yeehaw folk would probably survive since they did have a song called “A Country Boy Can Survive.” 

“Burns, we left you the honor of picking the perfect weather for us to dispose of the body which is more like liquid at this point. We need rain, thunder, and lightning to erase all of the evidence. Watching “Forensic Files” has finally come in handy. And Ella, we need you to pretend to be a nurse or something to help us get out of here. I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought that far ahead…” Anything but Krista admitted, but they expected that from her so they already had a plan in place.

“If anyone happens to see Derek Shepherd, I ask that you tell me,” MAROE added.

“Not if I find him first,” Anything but Krista said.

“He’s like fifty four years old…” Burns said being ever the good adoptive mother.

“Then I call Spencer Reid!” Anything but Krista exclaimed.

“I have Lucifer then,” MAROE challenged knowing that would get under her skin. 

“Children, calm yourselves.” Burns shook her head.

“Hey, I’ll be eighteen in like a number amount of months,” Anything but Krista said.

“I’ll be eighteen before you,” MAROE said, sticking out her tongue.

“I’Ll Be EiGhTeEn BeFoRe YoU,” she repeated, placing her hands on her hips and doing that Spongebob meme. After thinking of a better comeback, she grabbed her knife she used on Owen earlier and plunged it into MAROE’s back.

“Et tu, Brute?” MAROE said with shock in her voice before her body crumpled on the ground.

“Yes, bye bitch.”

The other three just stared as the blood drained from her body before turning their attention to Anything but Krista. They were the epitome of 👁👄👁.

“What? She wanted to “due” anyway. And at her funeral we can play “To Be So Lonely” because well she will be lol.”

“Anywaysss, we gonna get food or what?” Ella asked as she covered Owen’s body with a sheet.

“Wings?” Burns suggested and they all agreed. After arriving at the restaurant, they were very shocked to see MAROE sitting at a table waiting for them.

“It’s the trying to kill me for me,” she said upon taking their seats, glaring at Anything But Krista specifically.

“It’s the stealing my fictional husbands for me,” she retaliated.

“It’s the acting like children for me,” Burns' authoritative voice came.

“Sorry,” they both murmured as they looked over the menus to order their food. The rest of their lunch going smoothly, their victims already forgotten about. Don’t mess with hangry chicks who hate Owent Cunt.

“So who’s next?” Anitah with the h asked.

“Ahh you’ve gotten the first taste of blood and now you’re addicted,” Burns observed. She would make for a good profiler for the FBI at Quantico. She would have a cool nickname; Cunt Punter.

“Why not just kill everyone we hate?” Ella questioned.

“That’s a great idea! I say we kill Guy and Vanessa,” Anything but Krista suggested.

“And Landrat!” MAROE added, the whole group agreeing, finishing their lunch before getting to their killing spree.

Gertrude-Sue was laughing at her made up characters and story when she received an email from Ethonk Remy to send him a folder that she had. Goggle Drive was acting stupid so she didn’t realize that she had shared her fanfiction folder with her boss before it was too late. She saw a little giraffe pop up in the right hand corner telling her that he was already viewing what was inside the folder.

“Holy donkey claws,” she cried out loud, smacking her hands against her face.

Meanwhile, Ethonk was going through her folder when he came across a document and his eyes went wide. “What are they doing with the dog?” He said to himself.

Wonder pets, wonder pets

We're on our way

To help a friend and save the day

We're not too big

And we're not too tough

But when we work together, we've got the right stuff

Gooo wonder pets yaaaaay!

The phone

The phone is ringing

The phone

We'll be right there

The phone

The phone is ringing

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble somewhere

“What the hell are Wonder Pets?” He continued inspecting the different documents ranging from murder of one Owen Cunt, horses having sexual intercourse, Wonder Pets stuff, four kids and a dog where they did questionable things with each other, a sponge and a starfish were high on marijuana, a game where Gertrude-Sue had made him and her a family that looked way too realistic for his liking, two bunnies who kept hopping around with one of their little brothers, and multiple documents about Matthew Gray Gubler, Tom Holland, Tom Ellis, Patrick Dempsey, and Harry Styles which were all quite disturbing.

He took out his phone to call her. “Hey uh, Gert, what is this?”

“Oh well you see, the funny thing is that I accidentally sent you the wrong folder so if you could just pretend like this never happened, that would be fantastic. Okay thanks bye. I’m sending you the right one this time.” And she hung up, ready to throw herself off a cliff at her stupidity.

One thing was for sure, she would never make this mistake again.

[generaldisdainn]

Four of a Kind

AO3 link

Rating: MA

Pairing: Kristanna

Summary: After accepting a job as the head of marketing for a local animal shelter, Anna finds herself in a new city in need of a place to live. Luckily, 3 guys know just the place.

Previous chapter

Chapter 9 (we’re back to our regularly scheduled fluff and shenanigans hehe)

“Alright. It’s official.” Anna came out into the kitchen and enunciated her entrance by throwing a drawer handle onto the island where Kristoff, Ryder, and Sven were all sitting. “I need a new dresser. Who wants to go with me to Target to get one?”

Sven pushed his stool back dramatically. “I call shotgun!”

“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes,” Anna chuckled.

“I’ll go too!” Ryder said with a smile.

“Kristoff?” Anna turned to him, wondering if he would join them. 

“Sure, what the hell. I could use a couple of things from there.”

“Alright!” Anna clapped her hands together, suddenly excited to have the whole group with her. She figured it would turn a boring shopping trip into an actual event. “Let’s go!”

After a moment spent gathering up their things (Sven had to change into a different outfit before they left and Ryder insisted on bringing a snack "just in case"), they made their way down to the parking lot. Kristoff decided to drive since his car would be spacious enough to accommodate the four of them and a dresser. Sven got shotgun while Ryder and Anna sat in the back. Ryder handed Anna his phone every once in a while to show her a meme at which Anna would laugh earnestly.

“Oh my god, dude, pick a song!” Kristoff huffed. They’d only been driving for a minute, but Sven had already skipped through about 15 songs. 

“I’m trying to find one to fit the mood!” Sven retorted as he flew past another five songs. 

“Oh, play that Tik Tok song! Say So!” Ryder eagerly suggested.

“Ryder, you know nobody else in this car uses that app,” Sven replied.

“Alright, well you guys are missing out. When we get home I want everyone to see the dance I learned last night and you guys will change your mind,” Ryder asserted.

“Oh my god,” Sven groaned.

Anna smiled at the thought of Ryder learning Tik Tok dances in his room. She’d be lying if she said she had never wanted to try one herself. “I want to see your dance, Ryder! Maybe we could learn one together sometime!” 

Ryder looked at her with a wide grin. “Yes!”

“Anna, don’t tell me you use that godforsaken app too,” Sven said with a resigned sigh.

Anna shrugged. “I do sometimes. I think it’s fun.”

“Doesn’t it steal your data and send it to China or something?” Kristoff chimed in.

“Yeah like every app doesn’t already collect all of your data,” Ryder scoffed, rolling his eyes for effect. He turned up to the front, pointing a finger towards Sven and Kristoff. “You guys are just mad because you’re boomers now. You’re old and you’re boomers and you refuse to accept that the world is moving on without you.”

Anna laughed and slapped a high five with Ryder, smiling at their newfound solidarity in using Tik Tok of all things.

“If being a boomer means that I don’t waste my time watching horny people thrust their hips to music then I will gladly claim that title," Sven said with a confident nod. "Right, Kristoff?” 

“I accepted my fate as a boomer a long time ago,” Kristoff agreed. 

Sven turned around to face the back, his mouth quirked upwards in a mischievous smile. “When we were in college, Kristoff would go around and bang on people’s doors to get them to shut up late at night.”

“What? I needed my sleep. And I know other people were thankful that I did that,” Kristoff said defensively. Anna laughed at the image of a grumpy, sleep-deprived Kristoff roused out of bed and making his way to a room where kids were up late partying. Sometimes he really did give off the energy of an old man. She couldn’t help but find it endearing.

The car came to a halt in the parking lot. “Alright, boomers and zoomers,” Kristoff began, sending a look back to Ryder and Anna on the word ‘zoomers’. “Everyone out. We’re here.”

***

Anna made her way down the furniture aisle, appraising the various dressers and armoires. Nothing piqued her interest like she hoped it would. 

“You okay?” Kristoff asked from behind her. The concerned tone in his voice tugged at her heart. She knew the face she made when she was concentrated oftentimes made her look worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just looking.”

“Do you like any of them?”

Anna hummed thoughtfully for a moment as she looked over her limited options. “Not really. I think I might have to go somewhere else. I would’ve loved to go to Ikea, but I think the closest one is like an hour away.”

“I’m not doing anything today if you wanted to go to Ikea. I could drive you. Not if you don’t want that of course, but it might be nice. There's no pressure or anything though-”

“Kristoff,” Anna interrupted his rambling, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “I’d love that.” They shared an easy smile for a moment. 

They were both brought out of their shared comfort as Ryder careened past them in a shopping cart and crashed into the stand next to them. Sven stood at the end of the aisle, a hand over his stomach as he doubled over in laughter. 

“I can’t take you guys anywhere,” Kristoff said with a sigh, his mouth forming a slightly amused smirk nonetheless. 

***

“Can we go to Lowes? I want to get some of those wall-hangy things for my new plant,” Ryder asked as the four of them headed back to the car after their Target run.

Anna was about to nod in agreement, but Sven jumped in before she could say anything.

“Oh, I’m actually not allowed in Lowes.” He said it so nonchalantly. The rest of the group faltered and stopped in their tracks while Sven kept going towards the car, completely unphased.

“Why aren’t you allowed in Lowes?” Anna hesitantly asked. There was a tiny part of her that thought that he was joking, but he had said it so sincerely, as if being banned from a large chain store was a common occurrence.

“Oh, I think I barricaded one of the aisles with plywood? I don’t really remember to be honest. I was high off my ass.”

“Sven, when the fuck was this?” Kristoff asked incredulously.

“It was like the beginning of freshman year of college. We weren’t super close then, so you didn’t go out with me.”

“Jesus Christ,” Kristoff groaned.

“I used to be pretty dumb. But it’s a fun story to tell.”

“Used to be?” Kristoff asked.

Sven rolled his eyes and nudged his friend playfully.

They drove back to the house together. Sven was finally able to settle on a song and danced along in the front seat while Ryder and Anna laughed at Tik Toks in the back. 

Kristoff dropped Ryder and Sven off and waved them goodbye as Anna climbed into the passenger seat and plopped down next to him. 

“I’ll find a dance for us to learn before you get back!” Ryder promised. Anna nodded enthusiastically and gave him a thumbs up while Sven rolled his eyes.

“Thanks again for driving me, Kristoff,” Anna said with an earnest smile as Kristoff pulled out into the street.

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” he replied, gazing at the road ahead, hoping she wouldn't see the subtle blush playing out across his cheeks. “I’m happy to do it.”

***

Kristoff looked over at Anna for a moment, allowing himself to admire the way she gazed out the window with wistful wonder at the passing trees. They had been driving for a good fifteen minutes or so at that point, conversation and comfortable silence passing between them easily. They had almost immediately settled back into friendly coexistence after their fight and subsequent reconciliation. They began watching shows together on the couch at night, and last weekend the four of them had all gone out together. Even on the rare day when they didn’t see each other, they were still a part of each other’s lives in small ways. Kristoff had gotten into the habit of leaving a piece of bread in the toaster for when Anna woke up, and Anna made a point of preheating the oven so it was hot for his dinner when he got home from work. They were thoughtful habits that they had both gotten into. Things were back to normal for them, even surpassing what their normalcy once was. The easy car ride so far had been a reflection of that.

A song came on the radio, and Anna suddenly bolted upright. “Oh my god, this song.”

“What about it?”

“This was one of my breakup songs with Hans.”

“Your breakup song?”

“Yeah, you know, like a song that helps you get through your breakup. You had to have had one.”

“I didn’t!”

“Are you serious? There wasn’t a single song that really spoke to you after your breakup?”

“No, I didn’t even know that was a thing until just now,” Kristoff said with a chuckle, amused by the sudden shock in Anna’s voice.

“Oh my god, I have an entire playlist on my Spotify called ‘Hans Sucks.’”

“Get outta here.”

“No, I’m dead serious- look!” Anna flashed her phone at Kristoff for a brief moment- just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of the playlist’s title: ‘Hans Sucks’.

“Okay, I actually have to hear this.”

Anna laughed and plugged in her phone. The first song that came on was “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

“Wow, very creative,” Kristoff teased.

Anna swatted at him. “Shush, this song’s amazing.” Anna sang along, bopping her head and singing the lyrics like she was the only one in the car. Kristoff smiled. If he hadn’t been driving he probably would have stared at her the whole time, captivated by the fiery tendrils of her hair that bounced as she sang and the way the light caught in her eyes. He didn’t know the song very well (he wouldn’t call himself a Taylor Swift fan), but her energy was infectious. He found himself bouncing his head and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. 

There were some more unfamiliar breakup songs that came on, some of which Kristoff found to be surprisingly empowering. 

“You know, I’m starting to get this whole breakup song thing.”

“Right? They make you feel powerful! Like- fuck you, Samantha!”

Kristoff laughed.

They went back and forth on music for a bit, sharing stories about their favorite songs and lyrics.

“I had my first kiss to this song.”

Anna nearly choked. “Apple Bottom Jeans?”

Kristoff chuckled to himself. “It’s called ‘Low’, but yes, unfortunately.” He supposed it did sound a little ridiculous when you said it out loud. “It was at my 8th-grade dance. This song was on when I kissed my date under the bleachers.”

“That’s hilarious. I think my first kiss was after a date in high school? It was gross. He used way too much tongue.”

“Oh yeah, I used to be a terrible kisser. I’d like to think I’m okay now though.”

Anna hummed to herself for a moment. “I’d say you’re more than okay.” 

Kristoff blushed, her words sending a shiver down his spine. He remembered what it felt like to kiss her- the soft way she bit at his bottom lip, the feeling of her hand in his hair. He was suddenly thankful he had the driving to focus on. 

“Sorry, was that too much?” Anna asked. The sudden nervousness in her tone made him rush to reassure her. 

“No, no, you’re fine." He could still sense her doubt. He tore his eyes from the road for a moment to offer her what he hoped would be a reassuring smile.  "I promise. I was just caught off guard. Here- play this song next.”

The two continued to exchange songs and stories. Kristoff kept his mind on the driving. If we wasn’t careful, he swore he would crash the car getting lost in the way she moved.

***

Anna felt her arm brush against Kristoff’s as they walked down one of the hallways in Ikea. She had the sudden urge to grab his hand or maybe even cling to his arm as they walked. “He asked for time. He needs space,” Anna reminded herself. Kristoff looked down at her with a smile and those warm, brown eyes. She felt her stomach dip as she let herself get lost in them for a moment. Nope. She couldn’t. She turned to her right and made her way over to a couch, pretending to be enthralled with one of the intricate pillows. 

“That’s pretty,” Kristoff said, motioning to the pillow in her hands.

“Yeah, it’s really cute.”

“Do you want to get it?”

Anna looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

“For the couch," he clarified.

“I mean, I do, but I don’t know if I have decorating rights in the apartment,” she said with a slight chuckle. She placed the pillow back down, only for Kristoff to pick it back up and hold it close to his chest.

“Sven decorated most of the place. He can stand to have one pillow that we picked out on the couch.”

Anna’s heart swelled. A pillow that they picked out. Together. 

***

“I used to come here all the time when I was little.” Anna’s elbows were perched on the fake counter of one of the many Ikea kitchen displays. She peered at Kristoff from one side of the fake window, his head rested on his hands much like Anna’s was. Kristoff smiled as she spoke, looking at her in a way that radiated warmth. They were on either side of the window, staring at each other through the gap where glass would have been if it was a real kitchen. “There was one near our house, and our mom would take us sometimes on the weekends. My sister and I would run around in the kitchens and play house until our mom finally told us it was time to go. She always got us food on the way out too.”

Kristoff nodded. “That sounds really nice.”

“It was.” 

“Do you miss them?” 

Anna had almost forgotten that she told him that her parents had practically disowned them. “Sometimes, but it’s easy to remind myself that I’m better off without them. And I have Elsa, so I’m okay.”

“I would love to meet her sometime.”

Anna’s heart fluttered at the implication that maybe one day Elsa and Kristoff would meet. Of course she assumed that Elsa would meet her roommates at some point, but the way Kristoff said it made it seem formal- like he would be meeting her in a kind of traditional “boyfriend meets the family” kind of way. Anna quickly shook off the thought before she could let her mind get too carried away. “What about your family? I don’t think I know anything about them.”

“I was adopted when I was 4 by my mom and dad. They’re great,” he started as they resumed their walk through the kitchen section of the Ikea. “My mom is the strongest person I know. And my dad is seriously hilarious. He has all these ridiculous stories from growing up on a farm.”

“They sound incredible,” Anna said with a wistful smile. 

“They are. They would really like you.”

That same feeling bubbled up in her chest- the promise of some sort of future with him and the vision of time spent together as more than just friends. She watched as he walked over to a bed and laid on it, letting out a sigh of contentment. 

“Kristoff,” she hissed. “We’re not supposed to lay on those.”

“No one’s looking,” he countered, patting the spot on the bed next to him. “Come on! It’s really comfy.”

Anna looked at him for a moment, biting her lip and mulling it over in her head. She had always been a stickler for the rules, and the thought of breaking one now, even a small one, made her feel a bit anxious. But the soft twinkle in his eyes and the way he held an arm open in such an inviting way overrode any sort of worry she felt. She climbed up next to him and sunk down into the pillows, careful to leave enough space between the two of them. She turned her head to the side and saw him, all rosy cheeks, brown eyes, and warm smile. She counted the freckles that ran across his nose, ones that she hadn’t noticed before. She could feel his breath tickling her face. They were far enough so that they weren’t touching, but close enough that under any other circumstances, she would’ve expected him to lean in for a kiss, to capture her lips in his and pull her into his chest.

He suddenly bolted upright as if he had been struck by something, his eyes alight with mischief. He grabbed her hand and tugged her off the bed. Anna giggled at the unexpected motion, but followed him along regardless, down the hall and around the corner. She was starting to think that perhaps she would follow him to the edge of the world.

They stopped and Kristoff laughed, taking a moment to catch his breath. “There was one of those Ikea cop people.”

“One of what?” Anna joined him in his laughter.

“You know,” he started, motioning with his hands as if that would help him find the right words. “Those people that work here and walk around to make sure you don’t steal anything or sleep on the beds. I didn’t want to get us in trouble.”

“Oh.” Anna covered her mouth as she giggled. “Well, thanks for saving us then,” she concluded.

Kristoff offered her another smile. It seemed as though he had been smiling a lot more frequently lately. “No problem.”

***

“This is the one,” Anna announced, pointing to a beautiful white dresser with ornate handles on each drawer. 

“I like it,” Kristoff concurred. 

“I think I’m going to paint it and really make it my own, you know? It’ll be a fun project.” 

Kristoff nodded. “I really like that idea.”

“I’m glad.” Anna looked at the large box before her and let out a sigh. “Now for the not so fun part- checking out and getting this thing in the car.”

Kristoff took a step forward and grabbed the box containing the disassembled dresser. He lifted it without hesitation from its slightly elevated position and placed it on the ground by his feet. “Here, can you grab that cart over there?”

Anna didn’t say anything. She always forgot how strong he was. It caught her off guard whenever he reminded her, whether it was by lifting something at home or lifting this Ikea box. Anna was always struck by the defined muscles of his arms and the sturdy width of his shoulders in those moments. She tore her eyes away and ran to go get a cart. 

Kristoff again easily lifted the box onto the wheeled platform and took the lead in guiding it over to the checkout area. 

“So once we finish building this thing are you going to start painting it right away?” Kristoff asked.

Anna’s heart surged. We. He wanted to build it with her. “I’ll probably work on it periodically. It’s nice to have ongoing projects like that. You and Ryder and Sven are welcome to paint stuff on it too if you’d like.”

“Oh god. Don’t tell Sven that. You’ll have a million dicks all over your desk before you know it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Anna replied with a laugh. 

Anna paid for her dresser. She would have paid for the decorative pillow too, but Kristoff had insisted on covering it. He loaded the dresser into his car with relative ease, and they hopped in together, exchanging cheerful glances before starting on their hour-long journey back home. This time the ride was more silent, quiet spaces filled with the soft lull of the radio and the feeling of the wheels against the pavement of the road beneath them. Anna thought about how natural it would feel to reach out and hold his hand. But she kept to herself. She was fine with that. She was just happy to have such a good friend.

***

Kristoff knew he liked Anna. It wasn’t hard to admit that much to himself. He knew he liked her almost too much- enough to want to wake up next to her every morning and make her breakfast in bed and kiss her whenever he got the chance- even sleep with her for God’s sake. He thought he wasn’t ready for a relationship, and yet, here he was. 

It seemed like she was keen on knocking down every wall he had tried to put up, exposing him for a kindhearted, sensitive person. A while ago Kristoff would’ve said that that version of himself was dead, buried long ago with his last relationship. But with her, he was starting to see parts of himself emerge that he assumed were long gone. 

She was there for him even when he let his insecurities get the best of him and turn him into a total asshole. He felt unworthy of her, and yet every time he tried to distance himself, there she was, ready to remind him of what it felt like to show your truest self and let people in.

He glanced over at her sleeping form. She had warned him this would happen. She told him that she always got sleepy on car trips. She said that she might end up falling asleep and if she did for him to please wake her up. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when she looked so peaceful and so beautiful. Her cheek was smushed up against the glass and he thought he could even see a hint of drool in the corner of her mouth, but she was gorgeous and stunning and she made his heart feel light. 

For the first time, he felt like maybe he had made the wrong decision. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that he needed time to be on his own. Because when he looked at her, suddenly he felt like he didn’t need any time at all. He was ready. There was something about her. Something in the way she made him feel. Free to be himself? Confident? Appreciated? He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was there, gnawing at him, slowly wearing away at the part of himself that continued to tell him that he was too scared to try again, too scared to open back up when he could just get hurt again. Something told him that she was different, maybe even that she was the one. Maybe he wouldn’t act on it today or tomorrow or this week or the next, but Kristoff knew in his heart that they wouldn’t be just friends for long. 

[mrs-takami-keigo]

King of the clouds

Chapter 4

Main Pairing: Hawks/OC

Story Rating: Explicit

Genre: Romance/Action

Words: 3.8k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Heaving the last box on top of the small island in the kitchen, I pushed back the mess of curls that fell in my eyes. Looking around the open area of the apartment all someone could see were brown boxes and pieces of furniture spread around the room. But no matter the mess I was happy and proud, this was my space to do what I want with, a space that I was able to choose on my own. I decided to take a break seeing as how I spent most of the day moving boxes with Shouto and Natsuo and it was almost ten at night. Uncle would have helped but he was busy with hero work and it’s better that way, seeing as how him and Natsuo weren’t on the best of terms.

I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and decided to go to the roof for some fresh air. I hadn’t been to work in almost two weeks after the incident. Endeavor wouldn’t let me even if the doctor did clear me, he said something about it being too soon. With my time off I was able to read what the media was saying about me, most of them were incredibly positive and encouraging but there were some that made me feel like I was back home. Climbing up the stairs that lead to the roof I pushed the heavy metal door open. I could feel the cool night air hit my face; I took a deep inhale letting it fill my lungs before exhaling as my shoulders dropped.

The roof was something you would see on any high-rise apartment building in japan, a grey cold concrete floor with brick walls that came up to my waist. I walked to one of the walls and placed my beers on the floor I turned towards the view, god it was breath taking. Sure, there were a whole bunch of lights, but it was silent. Much more quitter than the busy streets back in New York. It was almost surreal, the way all those different colored lights shown beautifully against the night sky. But those lights weren’t so bright that you couldn’t see the stars. Turning around, I pressed my lower back against the cold walls placing my elbows on the ledge to focus on the night sky. My right hand reached for the skies making my cropped hoodie ride up on my stomach, the cold air ran across my skin making me shiver.  

“They sure are beautiful, aren’t they?” Soon a larger hand was next to my own, reaching for the same stars. I didn’t even flinch when he spoke, I knew he was close I could hear those red wings flapping anywhere. Looking over my right shoulder I could see Hawks next to me, his free hand holding up his head as his elbow was resting on the walls edge. His aloof smile plastered on his face as he looked at me. After I had woken up in the hospital, he made sure to visit at least once a day until I was discharged, and even then, he had gotten my number while I was still in the coma. Everyday he would text me either to just check up on me or to just send me stupid memes he found on the internet.

“Hello to you too Hawks.” Pushing myself off the bricks, I bent down to pick up a cold beer. Realizing I forgot a bottle opener I had to do the next best thing. Pressing the sharp edge of the cap against the edge of the wall, I raised my hand slamming it down on the bottle. The cap flew off falling to my feet, I picked it up putting it in the pocket of my jeans before taking a swig of the bubbling drink.

“Well, well aren’t you the resourceful one.” He swung his legs over the brick wall, keeping one leg bent to rest on the ledge while his other one dangled off. “You finished moving all your stuff?”

“Mmhmm, the rest of my stuff came from America the other day. Never realized how much shit I had until then.”  I could still see my cousins faces when the boxes showed up at the house, and how much I had to beg them to not back out of helping me.

“Wish I could have been a helping hand, but you know hero stuff.” Over the week I had learned to be more comfortable with Hawks, he was a great person to be around. But I also knew I wasn’t getting the real Hawks yet, I wasn’t getting Keigo. Which I could totally understand because he didn’t know the real Quinn either.

“It’s fine, plus I don’t think your little arms would be able to handle that much labor dove.” I faced him, my hand went to grip his bicep, “Must be pretty embarrassing to have the arms of a middle school student.” That was a lie, a huge lie. There has never really been that much physical contact between us besides the typical flirtatious signals from the younger one. This was the first time I touched him other than a shove to his chest when he got too close. Underneath the jean jacket he was wearing I could feel those lean muscles flex under my touch.  They weren’t like my uncle’s, but I knew he could do some damage in a fight if need be. ‘I wonder how they would feel around my waist as he picked me up pushing my back into the wall.’

“A middle schooler? Listen fire bird I’ll have you know that I do workout.” The sound of his voice brought me out of my thoughts. ‘What the fuck was that?!’  I pulled my hand from his arm as if it were on fire, shaking my head I looked back at him. It must be the alcohol, I’ve already drank this entire bottle, it must be. “Hey, where’d you go?”

Hawks was waving his hand in front of my face, “Huh? Oh sorry I’m just stressed from the move and some other things that came up.” That part wasn’t a lie, I was stressed. Even in a different country I could feel the pressure from back home, no matter how hard I tried not to think about it.

“Come with me I wanna show you something.” Hawks voice sounded different it was soft and caring. Something I wasn’t used to it was always playful and cheerful, never soft.

“Ugh I’m not in the mood to go change into my fire-resistant clothes bird boy and I’m not trying to burn my favorite hoodie.” I waved him off going back to look at the view again. I could hear the soft thud of his sneakers hitting the ground next to me. My body tensed when I felt his chest press against my back, his arms on either side of me, trapping me against the wall. I turned my head to the right, Hawks’ face was only an inch or less from my own. My body didn’t move to push him away from being so close, a small part of me wanted him to be close if not closer.’This is not good.’

“Who said anything about you using your wings princess.” I was so taken aback by the fact that his lips had grazed over my ear sending chills down my spine that I didn’t realize I was being swooped up into his arms. Wrapping my arms around his neck I yelped when he jumped on the edge of the building. “Hold on tight for me okay?” There it was again that soft voice of his that seemed to send my head reeling, tightening my arms around him I looked up. He wasn’t looking back at me but there was a satisfied smile across his face. I’ve seen his face plenty of times and each time I did it still shocked me at how sinfully handsome he was. His red wings stretched out showing off their length, twisting his body he jumped off the building falling backwards.

I screamed putting him in almost a full-on choke hold tucking my face into his neck. “Hawks you bastard!” The only response I got was a chuckle from him. He flipped us back around and we took off into the sky.

“C’mon don’t act like you’ve never done that before.”

“Of course, I have!” My face was still tucked away eyes shut, my grip never loosening. “I’ve just never flown without using my own wings. To be honest it’s a little terrifying.” I’ve never not been in control while in the skies, well besides on an airplane but that’s different.

I felt Hawks’ arms tighten their hold on me, one wrapped around my shoulders while the other one was underneath my knees. “Just trust me, I would never let you fall.” I looked up at him, my brown eyes met his golden ones. I could feel my heart start to quicken its pace, what was this man doing to me. “On purpose that is.”

“Fuck you bird boy!” Hawks let out a deep laugh, I could feel it rumble from his chest through my body. I’d have to admit I did feel safe with him.

We only flew for about ten minutes before Hawks finally put me down. “Welcome to my little nest. It may not be much but it’s something.” We had ended up on the beach on top of a light house. The only thing that could be heard was the waves crashing to the shores, but it was the sky that caught my attention. I could see each and every star in the sky, some brighter than others. The moon reflected beautifully in the calm waters, everything seemed so perfect. The wind picked up causing a breeze to go by allowing us to smell the muskiness of the salt in the air. “I don’t show people my little hide away, but it seemed like you needed it.”

“I’m sure you say that to all the girls you’ve whisked away to this place, prince charming.” I nudge my elbow into his side like I do every time he tells me a joke. But this time I didn’t get the typical Hawks jokester laugh.

“I’m serious. I’ve never brought another person here, hell I actually own this light house.” I watched his back as he walked to the edge of the roof. “It’s the only place that I can feel at total peace.” He sounded sad and hurt. Moving closer to him I put a hand on his shoulder, I could feel his shoulders tense before relaxing in my touch.

“I know how you feel. I’m sorry if I offended you, you know I didn’t mean it.” Hawks looked over at me with a small smile. Taking his hand, he put it over mine giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I know and you didn’t, it takes a lot more than that for anything to offend me fire bird.” Nodding my head, I dropped my hand from his shoulder, missing the sad look on his face when I did so. Squatting down I took a seat on the tilled roof, my jean cladded legs swinging over the edge my hands were behind me holding me up. I could feel my curls getting frizzier because of the damp sea air, but I didn’t care. This spot was perfect for me I could see why he would come here to de-stress.

“So you want to talk about it? Or am I going to have to guess what’s stressing you out.” Hawks plopped himself next to me. After this week of getting to know Hawks I knew I couldn’t hide things from him, he was way too keen on other people’s emotions. I sighed continuing to swing my feet my eyes never leaving the moving water. “Okay I guess were playing the guessing game. Let’s see is it the fact that you hadn’t seen my handsome face all day which caused your serotonin levels to drop?”

I chuckled at his statement, leave it to blondie to say something like that. “No dove, as much as you would love it to be, but no.” I laid back against the cold roof looking at the beautiful sky. “I just want things to be different here. I don’t want to be treated like I was back home.”

“I thought everyone back home loved you?” I could hear the confusion in his voice, turning to him I saw that he laid down as well and was on his side facing me, hand holding his head up. I copied his movements, but I was playing with the red tiles of the roof.

“They did but I was always not taken as seriously as I would have liked. Most of the media just called me the sexy fire ball or sex bomb. It was all sexist jokes, most of my other coworkers would just see me as this sex symbol and never see me for my strength and power.” The more I spoke the angrier I got. I could still feel those perverted looks the male heroes would give me. “Wanna know something funny, some of the women pro heroes started rumors that I slept my way to the top three, and the people I quote unquote slept with didn’t deny it.” As I said that I could feel the tears prickling the corners of my eyes. “My father, my fucking prick of a father he played on that. He was my agent so when he caught wind of the rumors, he didn’t protect his daughter, oh no he forced me to do a photoshoot for a sleezy magazine.” I took the back of my sleeve covered hand and wiped my tears. I couldn’t stop pouring my heart out, I had so much built up. It was like the damn finally broke.

“I’m so stupid. Why the fuck did I do that?!” I was boiling with anger as I remembered the words my father spoke to me. I could hear the sizzling of the condensation on the tile as my hand started to heat up.

“Hey hey hey,” Hawks put his hand on top of my hot one, “Look at me.” He took the hand that was in his own and placed it on his cheek. My eyes were puffing from crying and nose slightly runny. “You are so much more than your body. Way more, you must be one of if not the most powerful women here. What you did two weeks ago did more than prove that to those fucking losers back in America, you hear me?” Hawks eyes never left mine when he spoke. Those golden eyes held no lies behind them; he wasn’t the only one keen to people’s intensions.

“You saved more than just me and your uncle, you saved every single person in that area. You risked your life for a city you weren’t even in for more than forty-eight hours. You’re so beautiful not only cause of your looks, its that heart you have, and the people will love and respect you for that.” Hawks moved my hand gently from his face before placing a light kiss on my palm. That kiss made my entire body feel warm as if I were wrapped in a warm blanket. His words had an effect on me in a good and bad way, I really didn’t want to read much into it. The good feeling was I felt like I had a friend in my corner who would support me when things get rough, the bad feeling was he might have more than friends feelings for me.

Slowly I pulled my hand back from his, immediately I missed his reassuring touch but had to fight it. “Thanks Hawks, I really needed to get that off my chest.” Wiping my eyes one last time I sat up stretching my arms above my head. “Plus, that’s where my whole dating policy comes from.”

“Dating policy?” Hawks shot up from his position staring at me as if I just told him something shocking. “What dating policy?”

“I never date a fellow hero or sleep with them. I don’t want people to think I’ve slept my way to the top.”

“Oh yeah that makes total sense.” He had a smile on his face, but I caught the look in his eyes when he looked out towards the ocean. Was that disappointment?

 After that night it was rare if I got to see Hawks or even get a text from him. He said something about a mission that came from the commission. I understood that our work came first but I couldn’t help but to worry about him. I was back to my regular pro hero duties, the usual patrol and capturing of some petty criminals nothing crazy. I was in my office filling out papers when I got a call from U.A. asking if I could come in for a training session. I was not going to miss an opportunity to embarrass little Shouto so here I was in the teacher’s lounge waiting for class 1-A’s homeroom teacher.

“Ms. Phoenix?” I looked at the door to see a man with long black hair, a scarf wrapped around his neck and a face that looked like he hasn’t slept in days. Despite all of that he still looked kind of hot. “I’m Mr. Aizawa home room teacher for class 1-A.”

Standing up I bowed, “Good morning Mr. Aizawa. Thank you for inviting me.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Please follow me this way, I’ll take you to the beta training grounds the students are waiting.” His voice was very monotonous, now I know what Shouto had been talking about when he spoke of the teacher.

It didn’t take long to get to the training grounds. I could see all the students as they waited for their teacher all of them just chatting and laughing with their friends. “Class we have a special guest today, Pro hero Phoenix.” The eyes widen of almost every student as I waved at them. “She is well known for her actions a couple of weeks ago against the league of villains, Dabi. She’s well skilled in long range and close-range attacks. Say hello to pro hero Phoenix.”

“Thank you for having me, it’s a pleasure to train with you all.” My signature smile was plastered on my face. I looked over each student, for a group of fifteen-year old’s they looked strong.

“Wow it’s actually Phoenix! I’ve followed your career since you debuted, your first fight with the stone villain was incredible!” A boy with green and black hair kept going on about every major battle I had and even my costume evolution.

“You must be Deku, Shouto has told me all about you. Well he’s actually told me about all of you.” Soon all eyes fell on my little cousin who had a shy smile gracing his lips. I made my way towards him; I loved all my cousins dearly but Shouto was my favorite. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for this boy.

“I’m glad to see you cousin.” I ruffled his hair with my hand, causing him to laugh. I heard gasps come from most of the students, I’m assuming he never shows much emotion around them.

“So you’re his cousin?” A chipper voice to my right caught my attention, a girl with short brown hair and a costume that looked like an astronaut must be Uraraka.

“Yes I am, it’s not known to the public but my real name is Quinn Bailey-Todoroki.” My eyes wondered back to Shouto, he now wore a proud smile on his face. “But being a Todoroki does not mean I didn’t work hard to be where I am today. And I’m sure each and everyone of you wants to be the best hero you can be.” I could see the hope and ambition in each one of their eyes. “I can see it in each of your eyes, you are ready to do anything t help make this world a better place, and I’m ready to see what each one of you do in the future.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself Phoenix.” Mr. Aizawa drew the attention of the students back on him. “Phoenix is here to help us with combat training, but this time you’re going against someone with two quirks. It’s also going to be one on one, there will be times when you won’t have a partner or a colleague on site with you during a fight.”

“For those of you who are not familiar with my powers, I’m a fire type like my uncle the only difference is I can absorb the flames of another, and I can do this with my flames.” I took a step away from the group. With a deep even breath, I closed my eyes focusing my energy to my back. I could feel the heat rise in my body; this sensation was always calming to me. I heard the whooshing sound of my wings as the appeared on my back. The class of heroes in training were quiet as I opened my eyes, with a few flaps of my wings I hovered above the ground.

“I can manipulate my own flames to give me wings it’s something I found out I could do when I was your age.”  Deciding to give a small demonstration, I shot up into the sky showing of my speed. I flew up a good three thousand feet before I let my wings dissipate allowing me to fee fall back to the ground. I could hear gasps and shouts of the teens down below, it made me chuckle. Right before I hit the ground my wings came right back letting me softly land on the ground.

“So what, you can fly and play with fire that doesn’t sound powerful to me!” A poufy blonde haired angry looking boy pushed his way though the crowd to stand in front of me. “My explosions would blast you away!”

“Bakug-“ I help my hand up when Mr. Aizawa started to speak. I knew who this boy was, I was looking very forward to meeting him. Between watching him from the sports festival and from my cousins stories he peeked my interest.

“Katsuki Bakugou right?” There was a moment of confusion in his expression, but it was soon replaced with the same scowl he had before. “I would love it if you went first, if you don’t mind Mr. Aizawa?”

Mr. Aizawa nodded his head and I looked back at the teen, “Show me what you got kid.”

[diazevan]

We’ll Say Goodbye Today (And I'm Sorry How It Ends This Way)

Tony used to joke around, saying that Peter would be the death of him, and now, here they were. 

Read on AO3 (Warning: MCD)

Peter and Tony were having a productive day. 

Well, they were definitely trying their best. 

Peter did adore the times they joined forces and took on bad guys together, he was fairly sure that Tony did too. 

The Iron Man and Spider-Man duo were becoming quite notorious, in the public and criminal eye. The former meant they were the subject of countless Twitter memes, and the latter was genuinely terrifying at times, but Peter felt safer with Tony closeby.

Their day got off to a slow start. 

Enter, the self-proclaimed Green Goblin, a masked menace in a green suit, equipped with a hoverboard and explosives. Tony and Peter purposefully steered him away from the city, that way, he couldn’t harm innocent civilians. 

“Mr. Stark!” Peter watched on helplessly, hanging off a disused streetlight. 

The Green Goblin’s arm was locked around Tony’s front, in a merciless grip. They were too high up, hovering meters away from Peter, not even a web would reach them. 

Peter gripped onto the metal, with both hands and clumsily swung himself forward, trying to create enough momentum to jump into a standing position. He could do more to help with the use of his hands. 

He stopped moving when he heard the familiar whirring sound of the repulsors. 

He darted his eyes up, the blast hit the Green Goblin square in the chest and sent him flying.

Tony lost control of the suit and was flung away in the opposite direction. He spun, faster than Peter’s eyes could comprehend, “Mr. Stark!”

Tony didn’t answer. The suit was lifeless, there was not a single glimmer of light. Tony free-fell, through the glass ceiling of an abandoned clock tower, and he didn’t fly back up.

Peter swallowed the bile in his throat and attached a web to the streetlamp, he swung forward, going as fast as he could to get there, “Mr. Stark!” He screamed as he scampered across the broken foundations of the roof.

A sharp groan echoed below, “Hey, kid.” 

Peter peered down, trying to ignore the sound of cracking glass and bent metal beneath his feet, he drew a long breath, with a hand on his hip, “Tony.”

Tony pushed himself up into a sitting position, “Now you call me Tony.” He snorted a laugh and shook his head, “Typical.” He was surrounded by a thousand shards of glass, and his suit was retracted, so his only protection was an expensive sweatsuit. 

The arc reactor on his chest that powered the nano-suit was dead.

Tony carefully got onto his feet, he wasn’t on solid ground, the metallic gears that turned the clock were under his feet, and of course, the glass too. He winced, pressing a hand on his back.

“You okay?”

“A bruised vertebrae, maybe…” Tony lifted his shoulder, in a half shrug, “But what else is new. I did just fall twenty feet.” He bent his head back, to look in Peter’s direction, “I’ve got good news and bad news. Take your pick.”

“Um, good news?” Peter called down, “I guess.” 

Tony let out a solemn sigh, “You’re doing really well.” He praised, coming up with something on the spot, “Proud of you.”

Peter rolled his eyes, but the frustration was hidden behind his mask, “The bad?”

Tony tapped his hand against the arc reactor, to no prevail, “Either the fall or hoverboard guy somehow managed to scramble Friday.” He explained, “Probably the latter. My suits down.”

Peter nodded, “So, what now?”

The distant squeak of the hoverboard zoomed nearby, Peter flinched. 

“I don’t want you fighting this guy alone!” Tony bellowed, in his best ‘dad’ voice, “Let’s get out of here and come back better prepared.” He suggested, “Preferably with backup.”

“Okay.” Peter eased himself down through the wreckage, he clung to a surviving beam with one hand and used the other to attach a web to the wall, he landed a few steps away from Tony. He beckoned over to his mentor, “Alright, can you--”

Peter’s senses screamed, he jerked his attention up to the night sky and witnessed a small orange ball drop, it hit the floor, between the pair, “Peter!”

Peter charged for Tony, he nudged him to the side, away from the blast. 

The bomb went off, forcing the pair apart.  

Tony lost his footing and slipped off the edge, a daunting three-hundred-foot drop was ready to welcome him.

Not on Peter’s watch. 

Peter leapt forward, catching Tony’s forearm with practised ease, “I got you, Mr. Stark.” 

“Thanks, kid.” Tony dangled over the drop, but he wasn’t even shaking, he looked more confident than ever; he nodded and flashed his signature grin, his trust in Peter shined in his eyes. 

“Okay.” The whoosh of the hoverboard flew overhead, “Alright…” He webbed up Tony’s arm and quickly lowered him onto the set of gears below, “Stay there.”

Tony’s confidence wavered, “Wait.” He narrowed his eyes, “Kid, don’t you dare.”

Peter didn’t have any other choice, “Hey, Mr. Goblin Guy!” He turned his attention to the problem at hand, “Over here.” He jumped onto the wall, diverting the Green Goblin’s focus, who followed along with the plan, unknowingly. 

Peter scurried across the wall, fast on his feet, leaning on an angle.

“Karen, we need backup.” He summoned as he avoided the Green Goblin’s fruitless attacks.

“War Machine is on route.” She chirped back, “And Happy is driving over to meet you.” 

“ETA?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

Peter wasn’t sure if he could keep this guy preoccupied for that long, he would have to try, “Tell them to hurry.” He waved a hand, “Come on!” He taunted, “This way.”

The Green Goblin was growing tired of Peter’s antics. He bolted toward him, Peter moved out of the way, and the hoverboard collided with the brick wall. The Green Goblin shrieked, as he fell onto his backside.

The hoverboard hissed, that couldn’t be good. 

It dropped from the wall, barrelling through the gears below. The gears started to move, they scraped and churned against one another. Peter could tell they hadn’t been functional for years, but one clumsy hit from a supervillain's hoverboard and they were off again. 

It sliced right through the gears that Tony was trying to navigate his way across, Peter sent a web down and caught Tony’s hand, in the nick of time. 

“Thanks again, kid.” He groaned, there was no ledge or space for him to be lowered onto, “Let’s get out of here now.”

“Yeah.” Peter went to swing out, but a hand grabbed him from behind. He’d been too concerned about protecting his mentor and didn’t register the looming danger.

Tony yelped, “No!”

The Green Goblin smacked Peter’s head off the uneasy ‘ground’ and then wrapped a hand around his neck, “Get off me.” Peter scrambled; he attached the web, that was keeping Tony up, on the side of a gear. 

“Kid!” Tony screamed, he’d never sounded so scared, not in the entire time they’d known one another. 

Peter’s heart yearned for the confidence from minutes before. 

“Mr-” 

The gears squeaked and clicked over another notch. Screws came loose, and debris started falling around them. 

Peter’s world blurred.

He heard a definitive and familiar snap.

“Mr. Stark!” 

Debris crashed into the Green Goblin and sent him hurtling into a wall. 

Peter rolled off the edge. 

Tony was falling, arms splayed out to their sides. 

Peter held out his hand, he dodged the objects that were falling with him, pressed down on his web-shooter and sent a web in Tony’s direction. 

Everything was slow. 

Peter kept his hand steady. 

Tony’s eyes welled with tears, and he spoke, but the sound was lost among the chaos. 

Peter knew what he said.

Peter.

The web caught around Tony’s middle.

Peter held out a hand, catching himself on a pole, and he tried to maintain his hold.

There was an unnerving crack when Tony hit the ground and then there was only silence. 

Peter attached the webbing to the pole and leapt down, fast. 

He landed, a few paces away.

“Mr. Stark?” 

He ripped his mask off, over his head and tossed it to the ground. He stepped over, cautiously. 

He snapped the webbing, clean in two, with his bare hand. He was too distracted to realise that it should have been practically impossible to rip like that, especially with its duality. 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter collapsed onto his knees as Tony’s body listlessly fell, in a heap, “Hey....” He caught Tony’s wrist,  “I got you, Mr. Stark.” He looped an arm under his back and manoeuvred him until they were in a comfortable position.

Tony’s eyes were shut.

“Mr. Stark?” He moved his hand, nudging Tony’s cheek, “Karen?”

“I’m sorry, Peter--”

“No.”

“He’s gone.

“No.”

“It was--”

Peter howled a scream into the nothingness.

Karen stopped protesting.  

Peter rocked, with Tony sprawled lifelessly across his lap, “Mr. Stark, wake up.”

Nothing.

“Mr. Stark.” Peter whimpered, “Please, I don’t want you to go!” His chest rose and fell with rapid sharp breaths, “We’re safe now.” He breathed, into the silence, “It’s over.” 

He choked on a sob. 

He combed a trembling hand back through Tony’s hair, hoping it provided the same comfort it did when it was the other way around. 

“Happy’s gonna be here real soon. He’s gonna save our asses, right?” He teased humourlessly, “That’s what you always say. You gotta give him a pay rise.”

Peter pulled Tony up, closer to his chest. 

“Mr. Stark?” He cradled Tony’s head in his hand, “You’re gonna be okay.” He shuddered, “You’re always okay. You’re Tony Stark.” 

He wobbled, back and forth. 

Tony was making no movement of his own. 

With each strained breath, Peter’s desperation grew, “Cho- she’s gonna help us. She’s gonna--” 

He blinked away tears. 

“You just gotta wake up.”

He stifled a scream, at the sight of blood gushing out of Tony’s nose. 

“No.”

He could feel blood seeping through the suit onto his hand. 

“Please, Mr. Stark, I don’t want you to go!” He roared, “...Don’t want you to go.” He reclined his head and wailed, “Tony, please!” 

There was no reply. Not even a jerk of a limb. 

Peter muttered faintly, “I can’t do this without you.”

He lowered his chin to his chest, sobs tore through his body, paralysing him. 

He shuffled back, gently guiding Tony down onto his side. He ignored the unnatural angle his mentor’s body was in. 

Peter sought shelter under Tony’s arm, pining for comfort. He hugged his knees close and bent his forehead against Tony’s chest. 

There was no heartbeat but there was familiarity. 

“Please, Tony...” Peter scrunched his eyes shut, his breaths quickly became laboured and unrhythmic, “I need you.” He wept and laid his arm over Tony’s hip, “I tried...” He moved in closer, “I’m sorry.”

Peter caused this, he was too slow and didn’t catch him in time.

Tony used to joke around, saying that Peter would be the death of him, and now, here they were. 

“I’m so sorry.” Peter balled his hand around Tony’s jacket and tugged, “Dad.”

Peter must have passed out.

When he came to, he wasn’t on the ground, he was being held securely in someone’s arms. 

He cracked an eye open and peered up, Happy’s haunted face greeted him.  

Disorder reverberated around. 

People, agents probably, were shouting over one another, and there was also the unmistakable sound of a shell-shocked Rhodey comforting a hysterical Pepper.

Peter closed his eyes and rolled his head limply against Happy’s chest.

Happy moved until he had a firm grip around Peter’s legs. 

Happy sniffled, “I’ve got him, Tony.” He was unaware of Peter’s consciousness, “I promise, I'm gonna keep him safe.” 

Peter respected Happy’s words but he didn’t care. 

He didn’t care about anything. 

When Tony Stark hit that ground and breathed his last, Peter Parker died with him. 

Happy was cradling a corpse, he just didn’t know it yet.