#me realizing that if I don’t hit the local grocery store IMMEDIATELY

[sarasa-cat]

Good grief. I live inside a city in order to have the benefits of living INSIDE a city. Honestly, it was a real step down for me moving from a major world class city to a … uh … extremely isolated regional city.

And over the years Gaslight City did indeed grow and become more “city like”

But this whole pandemic situation coupled with the end result of inflation and higher interest rates too has ended up regressing the whole region into sleepy, suburban-esque, and everything shuts down way too early. Nothing is open on ‘Murican holidays because everything is all very very American pie and wonderbread.

Look. Maybe I am being really cranky and snotty here but ffs, this downgrade to my life is now downgrading even further.

I gotta get out of this place.

[aimless-imagines-for-fun]

Thin Walls

Pairing :: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Warnings :: 18+ Content, NSFW/Smut, Masturbation(M&F), Oral(M Reciving)

Word Count :: 2,707

Summary :: The walls in your apartment are thinner than you thought

A/N ::

The first time Bucky heard your light pants and stifled moans through the thin walls of your shared apartment complex, he couldn’t believe his ears. Whenever he saw you, you acted charming and innocent. You were always kind to him when you saw each other in the hallway or on the rare occasions you saw each other outside of your apartments. You had a sweet smile, and a soft voice when you spoke to him, almost shy.

When he heard the soft pants through the wall, he couldn’t help but press his ear against the wall, unsure of what was going on. He thought you were having a nightmare until he heard how you quietly moaned and your breathing picked up. 

Bucky knew listening to you was wrong, but then images of you touching yourself began flashing in his mind. He pictured you laying back on your bed in nothing, your legs spread as your hand-worked effortlessly to please yourself. You had two fingers disappearing in your wet cunt repeatedly as you fingered yourself, curling them to press against a sensitive spot. With the hand that wasn’t in you, you were massaging your breast, pinching and rolling the nipple between your fingers.

“Ngh! Ah!” Your panting grew before finally slowing down.

‘Did she make herself cum?’ Bucky wondered, his dick twitching at the thought.

-

About a week later, Bucky heard the same lewd noises through the wall. Again, he couldn’t help himself and listened to you.

This time, the images that ran through his head were far more invasive. His dick grew hard as he imagined you rubbing your clit slowly, looking at him with pleading eyes. 

“Bucky, please.”

He pulled his ear away but didn’t leave. He leaned his head back against the wall, hand wandered down to his sweats, pulling out his hardening shaft. Slowly, his hand ran up and down his length, your sweet muffled voice coming through the wall and encouraging him to keep going.

From the sounds of you desperately trying not to moan aloud as you masturbated, he could tell you were far needier than last time. ‘Still trying to act innocent?’ 

“Ah!” From your breathing picking up, Bucky was sure you had just made yourself cum. 

His grip around his cock tightened, wondering how your wet cunt would tighten around him when you came.

Your breathing picked up again and you hummed in delight.

“Fuck, you’re a desperate girl aren’t you? Trying to cum twice,” He muttered to himself.

His breathing hitched and cock twitched, swearing that he heard the soft sucking sound of wet messy pussy as you continued to pump quickly.

Once precum started to trickle out, Bucky used his thumb to smear it across the head before stroking back down to his tightening ballsack. His hard dick was growing swollen, eager to cum all due to you. No longer able to contain your pleasure, he finally heard your moans and he could tell you were going to cum again soon.

He started thrusting his hips with each downward stroke, an image of you kneeling before him popping in his mind. Your mouth was open, moans escaping you as you rubbed circles into your clit waiting for him to release on you. 

With the moisture at the tip increasing, he used it to lubricate the rest of his swelling cock so his hand could glide up and down with ease. With his free hand, he lifted his shirt up and bit the fabric in his mouth to leave his abdomen exposed.

“Mmm! Ah!” Bucky heard you take in a deep breath, freezing almost as you came again.

He was now pumping his cock rapidly, hips thrusting as hard as if he was fucking. Finally, his muscles tensed up and his body stiffened, his loud groan only slightly muffled.

His balls contracted and cock twitched with each hot spurt of cum that shot out. Thick cum flew out of his tip, some of it landing on his stomach. Still, he continued to pump, muscles tensing up each time another hot load came out. He continued to pump until thick wet strands covered his hand and cock.

-

About once a week, Bucky heard the soft noises you made while masturbating. If you were having a bad day, he’d hear you more than once a week. If you were especially needy, you’d take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour rather than the usual five to ten minutes just to relieve yourself.

He grew hard each time he heard you playing with yourself, but he only found himself jerking off on the nights you were needy. When he could hear you playing with your wet cunt after you had already cum.

When Bucky saw you outside of your apartment, he managed to act normal. He still saw you as sweet, even if he knew how dirty you were. He had somehow managed to grow closer to you, starting and engaging in conversations with you when you two saw each other.

“So long story short, that’s why I don’t go near large bodies of water,” You told Bucky as you each approached your apartment complex.

You two had run into each other at the local grocery store, each doing some evening grocery shopping, and were each carrying a good number of bags.

Bucky raised a brow, glancing at you. “Don’t you think that’s a bit… much?”

“Nope.”

Bucky pressed the elevator button, a light appearing and signaling the metal box it was on its way down.

As you two waited, another one of the building’s residents walked up with a large group of friends. They were talking loudly, silencing you and Bucky as you all waited.

Ding. The elevator doors opened, and much to Bucky’s dismay, you all entered creating a cramped space. You and Bucky had been pushed to the back corner since you entered first. Bucky’s back was against the wall, and yours was inches away from his chest.

“What floor?” One of the friends asked after hitting the fifth-floor button for their group.

“Sixth,” Bucky replied.

The button was hit and soon after the doors closed. The ride was silent until some of the friends started to mess around by pushing one another against themselves and the walls.

Accidentally, one of the friends bumped into you, pushing you against Bucky.

They apologized halfheartedly before continuing.

Out of fear of being shoved again, you stayed firm against Bucky, only moving against him when one of the strangers got too close while messing around.

Feeling you wiggle against him, Bucky’s jaw clenched and his grip on his grocery bags tightened, his metal arm almost breaking a jar he had inside. He managed to block out the noise from the rowdy group, his mind playing the sweet noises you made instead.

“Fuck,” He muttered quietly.

You managed to hear him and believing he was upset you were against him, you turned your head up to look at him. “S-sorry,” You said with a slightly flushed face.

Bucky’s eyes widened, cock twitching when he heard your meek voice. Without a word, he turned his head, looking up at the elevator lights instead.

Your moaning continued to fill his head, followed by the images of you he had created. Unable to control himself with your ass rubbing against him, his shaft slowly started to stiffen, creating a tightness in his jeans. Without thinking, he pressed his hips against you, the tightness growing.

Since Bucky was looking away, he couldn’t see your face. You were looking down, biting your lip as you continued to move against him. You felt embarrassed at the fact you were growing wet right now. ‘God, if only these jerks weren’t in here this wouldn’t be happening!’ You cried in your head.

Then, you felt a stiff member press against you. You squeezed your eyes shut, gulping. ‘There was no way he was getting turned on now, right? This is just happening because of the situation we’re in. Yeah, that has to be it. He can’t help it.’

Finally, the elevator doors dinged before opening and the group of friends walked out. Immediately, you walked away from Bucky, straight to the door and waiting for your floor. Bucky let out a deep breath, relaxing once you stepped away.

Neither of you said a word, each walking out in silence when the elevator got to your floor.

“Have a nice night Bucky,” You quietly told him before escaping into your apartment.

“You too…” Bucky mumbled before entering his own.

An hour later, Bucky heard you quietly moaning through the walls. Instantly, his dick grew hard, remembering the feeling of you pressed against him. He pulled his length out, starting to stroke himself to your sweet voice.

“Mm, Bucky!” You moaned.

The man stopped, heart freezing when he heard you. He had never heard you moaned anyone’s name before. This was the first time ever, and it was his name.

You were getting off to him. You were touching yourself, imagining it was him.

“Fuck.”

Bucky shoved his still hard shaft in his pants, leaving the room. All reasoning left him as he walked out of his apartment and went to go knock on your front door.

It took a few moments before the door unlocked and the doorknob turned, revealing you wearing a baggy black shirt and short blue pajama shorts. Your face was slightly flushed, chest rising.

‘She was getting close.’

“Hi Bucky, what’s-”

Before you could finish, Bucky stepped in pressing his lips firmly against yours. Your eyes widened with shock, frozen in your spot. He pulled away, shutting and locking your front door.

He leaned down to kiss you again, but you pressed your hand against his chest, stopping him.

“B-Bucky wait! You can’t just come into my home and start kissing me suddenly!” You tried to reason.

“Why? You don’t want it?”

“Wh-what? No- I mean- I-I do, but,” You were stumbling over your words, mind thrown into chaos as to what was going on.

Then you glanced down at his sweats, clearly seeing the large erection he had. You stopped talking, legs squeezing tight.

Bucky grabbed your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. “You know, doll, these walls are pretty thin. Doesn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination.”

Your face started burning up at the realization from his words. “Y-you mean… You can hear m-me each time I…?”

He leaned down to your face, pressing a kiss against your cheek. He moved his face further to your ear whispering, “Yes.”

He wrapped his arms around you, pulling your body close to his so you could feel his hard clothed dick press against you. “And each time I listen to you, I get hard imagining what you look like, what you’re doing to yourself to cum.”

You let out a shaky breath, pulling Bucky’s face into a kiss without a second thought.

Instead of being terribly ashamed at the thought of Bucky hearing you, you were extremely aroused.

With ease, he slipped his tongue into your mouth, the two wet muscles rubbing against one another in a rough kiss.

You wrapped your arms around his neck to keep him close. With ease, he grabbed your ass and lifted you up, your legs automatically wrapping around him. 

Impatient, he started moving you against his erection, moaning like he wanted to when you two were in the elevator. You pulled away from the kiss and whimpered into the crook of his neck, the thin fabric of your shorts becoming wet and messy since you didn’t have any underwear on.

“Bucky,” You breathed out, moving your hips along.

“I know Doll, I know how fucking needy you are,” He growled.

Bucky barely managed to put you back on your feet so you could show him to your room. While you were both speedily walking through your apartment, you both shed your clothes, throwing them off onto the floor.

You crawled onto your bed first, looking at him with half-lidded eyes as you laid on your back and spread your legs. Bucky walked up to the edge of your bed, brows raised.

“Do you want me to get ready for you Bucky?” You asked him gently while starting to play with each of your breasts.

‘Fuck, is she going to show me how she gets off?’ Bucky’s hand went down to his aching cock, beginning to stroke it slowly. “I’ve seen it a hundred times in my head, so show me,” He encouraged.

One of your hands went down to the wetness between your legs. Two fingers gently rubbed up and down your wet folds before one pressed into your pussy. You moved it around, slowly, curling it to hit your g-spot only a few times before you entered a second finger. 

Now, your fingers started to pump, picking up the pace, and Bucky’s hand on his cock did the same. You pumped a few times before stopping and curling your fingers to hit and rub your g-spot. Your other hand then moved down, rubbing your clit roughly.

Finally, Bucky heard the dirty noises that left you clearly, instead of muffled through a wall. His tip grew wet with precum and he smeared across his cock so he could stroke faster with ease.

You repeated pumping with your fingers rapidly, then stopping to curl your fingers a few times before pumping again. 

Bucky’s gaze moved from your wet cunt up to your chest, watching your breast move up and down as your breathing picked up. 

You let out a moan, breath hitching as your hands started to lose the fast pace they had.

Bucky was growing close himself, hips thrusting into his tightened grip.

“Bucky!” You moaned out, legs twitching as you came around your fingers.

Watching your juices pour out, he lost it, his tight ballsack finally releasing his hot load. He closed his eyes, head tilting back while he pumped each spurt of cum out.

Each of your breathings had relaxed. Bucky heard you move on your mattress, opening his eyes to glance down and see you now at the edge in front of him. 

You wrapped a hand around his half-limp cock, stroking it while you started to clean off the cum with your tongue.

Again, Bucky found himself hard all thanks to you. He placed his metal hand on the back of your head. Carefully, he gripped a handful of your hair and pushed your mouth further while moving his hips. 

He thrusted his hips into your mouth only a few times before pulling away, a thin strand of saliva falling down your chin. He pulls you up for a kiss, pushing you each down on the bed.

“Tell me how badly you want it (Y/N),” He mumbled into the kiss.

His length slides and down your wet slit, the head teasing your pussy. 

You moan, biting his lip lightly. “I want it so much. Please Bucky, I need your cock filling me up,” You begged.

More than happy with your reply, Bucky begins to press his throbbing length in you, your wetness stretching around him. He pushes all the way in before nearly pulling out and pushing in again, keeping a steady pace.

He starts thrusting harder, his balls now hitting you with each thrust. Your cunt tightens around him, again you wrap your legs around him to bring him closer.

Bucky thrusts into you full speed, each of your breaths hot and heavy once again. You dig your nails into his back, moaning loudly when he lowers his flesh hand to start rubbing your clit. 

“Ngh! Bucky!”

You cum around him and Bucky’s thrust grows harder, his metal hand holding your hip with a tight grip.

When he lets out a deep moan, you feel his cock throb inside of you, feeling his hot release fill you up. Bucky continues thrusting into you, slowly now while you each ride out your climax. 

Pulling out, he lightly slaps his messy dick on your cunt. “You know you’re not going to be getting a lot of rest tonight.”

Your hand went down to stroke his cum covered member again. “I wasn’t hoping not.”

[soleilsuhh]

— the four times you almost said ‘i love you’ [and the one time he did].

pairing. jaehyun x gender neutral! reader.

genre. angst. fluff. best-friends-to-lovers. mutual pining. high-school/college au.

word count. 1.5k words.

i. the first time you almost said it — you were both fifteen, and you were at your friend’s birthday party.

the music was so loud that it made your skin tingle and you could feel your heart beat in accordance to the thump of the bass. you liked this song. you liked it because it wasn’t just any song — “our song,” he had called it the past few months when you first discovered it together at a small, local record store. and right now, he looked back at you with that knowing grin and before long, he was leading you towards the dance floor despite your unsure protests.

when you reached there, a distant, faded chatter could be heard as he pulled you closer. he dropped his head slightly, his voice raised to a slight yell over the music, “i asked the dj to play it!” 

you feigned an offended look, “i thought it was our song!” 

your best-friend flashed you that half-grin you hated and loved so much, “it still is,” 

the music got louder, drawing you in. and soon, you were dancing with him. at one point, you asked him to spin you around and he did: he spun you round and round in circles until you almost stumbled against him and you would have fell over if it weren’t for his quick reflexes and hands that held you up. 

the joyous sound of laughter rang in your ears — yours and his. what a beautiful sound, you thought, you liked it even more than the music. then as he helped you straighten up, both of you still lost in the moment, the words almost came out of your mouth: “i love —” you stopped yourself but he caught on. 

“yeah?” he yelled over the music. 

you gave him a smile, “i was gonna say i love this!” 

a lie. the truth was you were going to say you loved him. you loved him; how could you not when he was smiling at you like that?

ii. the second time you almost said it — it was during the summer holidays; you were both sixteen. together with his mom and dad, he was over at your parent’s house for dinner. you were sitting across from each other at the dining table. your mom and his mom had been very close friends since high-school and it was an unspoken tradition they made up to have dinner at one another’s house every other weekend.

you were honestly losing interest as the adults continued their conversation. and so of course, your eyes found their way to him, with his plain black t-shirt and his hair neat except for that particular strand that fell across his eyebrows. 

from across the table, he caught your eyes and as he smiled, your eyes drifted to the pair of dimples that appeared on his cheeks; seeing them, it made you smile, which in turn, made him smile even more. and soon you both sat there, forgetting about your surroundings and the food that was getting cold as you grinned at each other, trying to stifle the giggles that were threatening to tumble out of your mouths. 

“okay, you two, stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and eat your food,” you heard your mom say beside you. 

you were abruptly pulled back to reality and you averted your gaze, feeling the warmth spread on your cheeks. “mom, seriously,” you managed to mutter. 

“the food is delicious as always, mrs. [y/l/n],” jaehyun said. 

that made your mom smile affectionately at him like he was her own son, which again, made you smile as your heart filled with warmth. and just like that, you almost said it to him, but you swallowed the words by quickly gulping down a glass of water. it scared you how natural it felt to almost say it even in front of your family and his. 

iii. the third time you almost said it — it happened a few weeks after your seventeenth birthday. 

you were pressed against the couch, his hands on either side of your head. it started as a harmless play-fighting after bickering about which movie to watch but one thing led to another and now you were here. 

heat rose from your stomach to your chest and then to your face. his lips were getting closer and your heart raced, the scent of him suddenly hyptonic. “erm — your lips are getting very close to mine,” you said, voice breathless and barely above whisper. 

“i know,” he said quietly, pausing. “should i stop?” 

you almost shook your head ‘no.’ don’t stop, you wanted to say. but you pushed him away slightly which was enough indication for him; he looked at you for a moment, his eyes held a look that resembled too much like hurt for a second but almost immediately, he gave you that half-smile again. he pulled away and instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. you also slowly sat up and both of you looked at anywhere else but each other. 

you thought that maybe this was the time to tell him; if not now then when? 

just as you were about to say those three words, he spoke cooly, “it’s alright, we don’t need to talk about it,” he had decided to revert his attention back to the movie catalogue on netflix, like nothing happened. “i guess we can watch the one that you wanted to...” he mumbled, casually. 

your heart ached but you simply said, “yeah, sounds good,” 

iv. the fourth time you almost said it — it was the year you were both moving away for college — yours was not that far from home but him...he was going abroad. 

in the gloom of the moonless night, your fingers almost touch as you walked side-by-side. you knew this was a good-bye; he was leaving in the morning and although you had barely succeeded trying not to think about it while spending the whole day with him, everything felt too real right now and you couldn’t ignore the dull ache in your heart. heavy, the air seemed as the sight of your house got bigger with each step you took. you wanted to prolong this moment with him and yet you wanted it to be over soon. 

as you reached in front of your house, you finally looked at him with a mask of contentment. you wished him well with a voice that sounded like you and yet it didn’t.

“you’re acting like we won’t ever see each other again,” he almost scoffed but you could see the sadness welling in his eyes behind that smile. 

just say it, a voice inside your head told you. but instead, you just gave him a soft smile, “see you tomorrow at the airport,” 

you couldn’t help but think about how this would be the last ‘see you tomorrow’ for a long time. 

“okay,” he said. 

you turned around to go but before you could take two steps, he grabbed your hand. you stared at each other for a long second.

“i, erm —” he paused then said, “don’t be late tomorrow,” 

“i won’t be,” 

another long second of just wordlessly looking at each other until he finally let go of your hand and you walked away. 

v. the one time he did — it had been a little over a year since you last saw each other. 

you were both back at your hometown for the summer holidays and for two months, you had been inseparable. your days blended together seamlessly and something between you felt more than just simple friendship. you were going on dates without calling them dates, you were sleeping over at each other’s places, making breakfast together, even something as little as grocery shopping, you did it together. you spent time with his family and he spent time with yours.

and right now, you were in his old bedroom, flipping through the photo albums with him, pointing out each embarrassing pose, expression, and making fun of each other. you loved how you were also there in the photographs and amidst the laughter, your eyes almost stung with a realization as you looked at him, sitting in front of you on the bed; this was the boy you had known for more than half your lives, the boy you you fell in love with since you were fifteen, the boy who was the cause of your many happy moments, the boy who was the reason for the sleepless nights —

you were in such a daze and so lost in your own thoughts that you weren’t sure if you dreamed this moment to life, but there was raw emotions in the way he looked at you and in the ways his fingers curled around yours as his face inched closer. 

“erm, jae, your lips are getting a little too close...” 

a rush of deja-vu hits you. 

“Mm,” he said, “do you want me to stop?” 

you looked at him for a long second, and this time around, you met his lips half-way. with a single kiss, you could feel the aches and the pains of all those years gradually lifting. you parted for a moment and you felt that all-too familiar feeling again, bubbling up inside you. 

“i love you,” 

the words hadn’t come out of your mouth but his. you tensed and stared at him before you felt your whole being soften from the look in his eyes. you could feel yourself letting go and for once, you didn’t stop yourself. 

“i love you too,” you whispered, and you said it again louder, “i love you,” 

he smiled. there it was again; the smile of his that made you smile. 

he squeezed your hand, “i know, y/n,” he said, his voice was low and tender, “i know,” 

[yanderes-stuff]

Sorry for the delay, but I think Habit would make a pretty wacky yandere, possibly a manipulative and sadistic yandere.

Just to be clear, I do not condone yandere behavior, and the stories I write should not be interpreted as romance novels.I think of my writing as dreadful nightmare stories about fictional characters becoming so lovesick to the point where it's incredibly fucked up. 

Characters: Habit, Vinny, and lastly, Michael 

TW: Drugging, mentions of self harm and injuries regarding knives

Words:1.5k

You met Michael in a New Jersey mental ward when you decided to visit a mentally ill relative as some much needed company for them and it just so happened that you decided to sit at Michael's table at lunchtime when he was sitting all alone. At first, you thought it was a bad sign, but seeing him so calm yet miserable by looks alone made your heart sink so you gave him a sympathetic look.

When Michael looked at you, surprised by your actions, when you decided to make small talk about various subjects with him, which was a pleasant experience for Michael to finally have a casual conversation with someone who wasn't a doctor or nurse, when unexpectedly you slid him a small ripped paper with your Number engraved with a black pen, which he kept in his possession afterward when he was let out,

He decided to contact you, and as time passed and he began texting you more frequently, the two of you began to get closer, much to Michael's delight, but things were getting tense when Michael struck a deal with Patrick to manipulate you into moving in with him in exchange for him avoiding harming himself on propose, which worked out well, especially when you admitted you had romantic feelings for him.

But Evan also befriended you through Michael, and you hit it off almost immediately, having sleepovers at Evan's house while you brought Michael, which made for some of the most memorable times in your life; not a weekend was spent apart from each other, but over time you began to notice Evan staring at you with delusional eyes that were unlike his occasional glance in your direction that you didn't mingle with.

He looked at you not as a friend, but as a desired object; it was becoming uncomfortable, and after some thought, reflection, and fighting over yourself, thinking it was a petty thing to do, but when the staring got you to your wits end, you decided to confess to Michael for comfort about the uneasy staring, you saw his face contort into a grimace, and now he, too, was acting unlike himself.

"If you catch him staring at you again you tell him to stop and if he doesn't...promise me you'll come and tell me." Michael stated, his tone sounding odd and his face now stern as his hands clasped on your shoulders.

"I promise," you replied, trying to explain why Michael was so serious about something as insignificant as being bothered by Evans' gaze, but chalking it up to him being overprotective.

After that, you started to notice that Micheal was hovering around you more often when Evan was present and Evans' staring ceased when he was around, but even then, you felt a burning sensation in the back of your head when you believed you were alone, but you just dismissed it as paranoia 

That's where Vinny came in after you told Michael about your paranoia; you met through a group chat after you met Evan, and what set him apart from Michael was that he listened to your uneasy ranting without being overbearing, and Michael trusted Vinny. However, your lover began to act differently around Evan, and you decided to give them space and leave them alone for a while.

And at that time, Vinny contacted you to see if you were okay, and you confirmed your well-being to him, and your text quickly snowballed into a friendship. You two were constantly texting each other for comfort, but on one cold winter day, he asked to meet up with you at your house at the same time Michael was visiting the local grocery store, so you thought why not and accepted his request.

You noticed how stiff and uneasy he seemed upon his arrival, but you just shrugged it off as him being nervous at your house for the first time. After some awkward silence and getting comfortable, you made some friendly conversation when he parted his lips to make a request "Sooooooo would you like anything to drink, maybe some water, soda, or tea?"

"Oh yeah, sure thing man, I would love some water right now. it's in the bottom of the fridge in the cabinet along with the other drinks feel free to help yourself," Vinny said in a soft, trusting tone, his legs crossed adoring a crimson and black flannel along with baby blue aged jeans adjacent to you at the time you were parched from lack of water.

You said, smiling warmly at the man. His raven hair seemed messy as he stood up and strolled into your kitchen.

You were focused on the TV as he came back and handed you a water bottle. His hands were still clammy for reasons unknown to you, as you sipped from the foggy icy-cold plastic bottle, you failed to notice that your vision was slipping over a long span of time. 

The last words you heard before slipping completely are "I'm so sorry... habit made me do it. Please forgive me!"

You awoke on the frigid floor of what appeared to be a shed, thin rays of moonlight beamed from the window. Realizing you were in danger, you thrashed as much as you could, but the bindings on your legs and arms wouldn't loosen. They appeared to be zip ties, which caused your thrashing to cut into your skin, leaving uncomfortable marks in their place.

It was then you heard a deep rough voice aimed in your direction, 

"Are you awake yet" His question was straight to the point and you instantly recognized it as Evan, but for some reason, his voice sounded way different than his normal voice?. 

"E-Evan what's going on?" You inquired, and thoughts raced through your mind about how Michael must be worried to death because he couldn't find you or Vinny, and you haven't responded to any texts from him, which he was bound to do if he couldn't find you.

"Hate to break it to you but Evans is not here anymore. I'm Habit and you're here because Michael doesn't deserve to have you and trust me that idiot does not know what's best for you like I do." He stated, sounding amused by your question. Then he paused as if determining what to say next "you see the problem with him is that he doesn't bother to protect you." He chuckled ominously

"Protect me fro-" just then he cut you off rather impolitely "from anybody you don't understand how fragile you are and I don't know what it is about you but I want to keep you for myself and away from HIM." He paused again you noticed that he was getting visibly excited

"I tried to convince Michael to let me take you for myself, but he wouldn't budge and that son of a bitch Patrick refused my request too." He said his tone seeping venom

"but don't worry you don't have to worry about him, coming for you he's too much of a coward if you didn't already know." You flinched when he said that last part and felt rage flow through your veins

"Untie me RIGHT FUCKING NOW YOU PSYCHO!" You exclaimed you wanted nothing more than to be back at home spending time with your boyfriend but he glared at you before speaking

"Looks like Michael didn't teach you manners looks like it's up to me now to teach you some respect, and I'll teach you how to cherish me as much as I do you while I'm at it" He was giving that God awful stare of dark obsession again as he emphasized on that last part

You didn't say anything. You were too shocked and didn't know how to react to his words, but you didn't even have time to react when you heard footsteps coming your way as you felt the cold of a metal knife gently slice at your flesh 

Gentle slices turned into harsh strikes up and down your body as you screamed in pain, and Habit took pleasure in each one. You just hoped to God Michael or the cops would come to your rescue so you could see the light of day again.

But you knew deep down that was unlikely.

[probablyintensemuses]

Telephone

Summary: you met Bucky at a grocery store when you were struggling to reach the top shelf— enamored by him you two exchange phone numbers and begin a friendship. But what happens when suddenly your text messages aren’t going through and your phone calls drop? Did Bucky Barnes block you?

Bucky Barnes x reader (tfatws era)

Warnings: fluff, a bit or angst, platonic friendship.

You let out an exasperated groan, almost at the top of your lungs. This was the third day you had called and text Bucky with no avail—hell every time you did your messages never went through. And you didn’t want to be that clingy person, because things were hard post blip and you knew that. You had just gotten your mom and sister back after five long year’s without them, so you knew adjusting would take time and space. But this much space was ridiculous and it was beginning to bother you—a lot. So you grabbed your keys and stormed down your apartments stairs. Heading towards Bucky’s favorite place—the local Japanese restaurant that you introduced him to, where he found solace in you,Yori and Leah.

After practically breaking the door off it’s hinges you storm into the restaurant. Immediately directing your attention to the bar where Bucky sat talking to Yori and going for a swig of his beer. With your keys jiggling in your hands you approach the two men; your arms crossed tightly over your chest as you watch Bucky laugh at a joke Leah told.

Slowly, Yori turned around and shoots you a wrinkled smile before announcing your presence. “Oh, good day Y/n—won’t you join us for some sushi—it’s tuna!” Yuri beamed, pointing to the half eaten plate of sushi in front of him.

When Yori spoke up you watched Bucky still, his entire body frozen. Bucky groaned to himself, taking a last sip of his beer before pushing himself up from his seat, all while ignoring your presence.

You smiled back at Yori, delighted by his offer. “I’d love to, but I’m vegetarian, Bucky would know that, wouldn’t you Bucky?” You said sarcastically.

“Yori, lovely as always—but I’m going to go. Next ones on me!” Bucky said, stumbling out of his chair throwing down a five dollar bill for a tip and brushing past you.

You scoffed, blowing Yori a kiss before rushing after him. You raced after Bucky as he strode down the sidewalk. You had to jog as he was already a mile ahead of you—and his apartment wasn’t too far.

“Bucky, Bucky!” You called, but before you could get his name out for a third time he had already entered the battered building that was his apartment.

“Shit.” You grunted, holding your waist and taking a few deep breaths, because let’s face it you were no super solider.

Composing yourself, you push open the lobby doors sneaking past the landlord who was snoring loudly as a bug landed right on his forehead. Your nose scrunched in disgust—you told Bucky how much you despised this building and if he ever needed another place you had a two bedroom, but he always suggested otherwise. Stepping out of the creaking elevator you made your way down the gloomy hallway, placing yourself onto his welcome mat and banging on the door like a maniac.

“Bucky! Bucky! I know you’re in there! It’s Y/n let me in we need to talk!” You shouted, as you continuously slapped your hand against his door.

You took a deep breath before banging even louder. “James Bucky Barnes let me—.”

“Hey!” A voice called, startling you a bit.

Slowly, you turn your head to where the voice had come from, only to be face to face with a not so happy tenet.

“Some people have to work a twelve hour shift in two hours, so if you don’t mind visiting your booty call later that would be appreciated.” The man snarled

You scoffed, taking a step back. “Okay, whatever.”

“Thanks.” He said rudely, before slamming his door shut.

“Bucky please, I just want to talk to you. I miss you—and I was going to show you Uno.” You knock softly, whispering against his door not sure if he was going to hear it or not.

But Bucky heard every word. Actually he had heard everything because he’d been leaning against his door for the past three minutes. He felt horrible, and it was his own stupid fault that you two were right here. You were like the sibling he never asked for. You were kind and funny—always teaching him about the vast 21st century. You took him shopping and even helped furnish his once barren apartment, and when you two had a sleep over you didn’t judge him for wanting to sleep on the floor instead of in your guest room. Instead you made it the best sleeping arrangement you could—Bucky adored you, he did. But what if the darkness came back and dimmed your light, or what if you got hurt. He couldn’t live with himself. He was already suffering from ptsd, depression, and the massive guilt of killing Yori’s son—he couldn’t live a day if you got hurt on his behalf. So he cut you out, blocking your phone number and avoiding you at the places you two had loved to go together—except it didn’t work this time, as you were right outside his door.

You slide to the floor, pulling a sticky note and pen from your bag. You were a cartoonist and your favorite way to cheer someone up was to make them into one of your “2 minute cartoon skits.” On the sticky note you drew you and Bucky playing uno at his table laughing with glee and chugging beers. At the bottom you wrote ‘this could be us,’ before sliding it underneath his door. You knew he’d see it, there was no way he wouldn’t.

And surely enough he did, Bucky picked up the note between his fingers a small smile creeping on his face as he picked himself off the floor. He figured if he didn’t let you in now you’d stay out there all day—all week if it was physically possible. Bucky took a deep sigh and unlocked his door revealing you, standing there with pursed lips and scolding eyes. You pushed past him and walked inside his apartment plopping onto his sofa.

“Are you serious.” You spat.

“Y/n.” Bucky groaned, pinching his nose with his vibranium arm.

“Bucky you told me that your therapist said you needed to form and keep relationships. This isn’t helping.”

Bucky sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he held his head low. “You don’t think i know that. I’m trying I really am, I’m just—.”’

“You’re just what?” You stand walking towards him.

“I’m scared.” He whispered.

“Of me?”

“Of me.” He said softly.

“Why?” You gasped. “I don’t understand Bucky.” You said, taking his hand and pulling you both onto his sofa.

“Y/n—I’m better off alone.”

You rolled your eyes taking a deep breath, this had to be the fifth time Bucky had said this to you—and every time you proved him different.

“No you’re not! If you didn’t have me who would show you how to work your phone or play just dance.” You spoke.

Bucky chuckled lowly, shaking his head. “I still don’t understand why we can’t just dance to the music.”

“Because I like to watch the characters dance—and it’s a competition, it's supposed to be fun! But that’s not the point, the point is that you don’t need to be alone and you definitely don’t deserve that.” You said. “Bucky I know we've only known each other for a few months, but I care about you and it hurts when you push me away." You cried.

"Y/n." Bucky whispered gently. "I care about you too, but I'm difficult, my life is difficult.”

You squeezed Bucky’s hand, rubbing the top of his palm. “Then let me help you make it easier.”

Bucky nodded. Realization hitting him, he cared for you and he knew you were right. The road from leaving his title as ‘the winter soldier’ and reclaiming his old life as ‘James Barnes’ started here. It started with forming and keeping friendships and he intended on starting with you.

“Okay.” Bucky said firmly.

“Okay.” You affirmed. “So a round of uno?”

Bucky laughed, throwing his head back. “Only if you teach me the real rules and not the y/n rules.”

“Oh you love my rules Bucky.” You snickered.

“I do.” He grinned, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

“I know.”

A/N: This was a cute idea I had for a whileeeeeee, ever since I saw the trailer for tfatws and now I can really do it with more depth and added characters! This is my first character x reader! I do writing for marvel and Harry Potter so if that interest you this is the place to be! Thank you for the support🍄❤️🌈

[alitaimagines]

“imagine me and you? I do. I think about you day and night, it’s only right, to think about girl you love and hold her tight, so happy together.” 

jealous! shigaraki tomura - MY HERO ACADEMIA 

note: still looking for more characters to write for! leave me some suggestions! look at my post underneath this please! 

you were sitting at the bar with Toga and Dabi. being that the two of you were seemingly the youngest in the league, the three of you strayed towards each other for company. 

“are any of you going out of the hideout tonight?” Dabi asked before taking a sip of his drink, “I might! I wanted to go to the mall and the grocery store to pick up a few things for the next few days. you know Kurogiri has been bitching about us leaving so often that we might get caught so I don’t wan to leave for the next for days just to shut him up,” you responded. 

Dabi hummed in response as Toga pondered on coming with you, “are you going alone?” she asked. you thought for a moment, “I think so. I know Shiggy wanted to come along but he hasn’t mentioned it to me again so I don’t know if he actually is or not.” 

“well let me know! I don’t want to ruin your date with Shiggy,” Toga exclaimed as you gave her a look, “who the hell said it was a date?” you asked as the two of them started laughing. 

“it’s obvious the two of you are like in love!” 

“stabby here is right. he’s like in love with you.” 

you rolled your eyes at what they were saying but remained silent, “shut up, I’m leaving now. I’m going to see if Shiggy wants to come along or not and I want to get back before it turns dark,” you told them before chugging the rest of your drink before slamming the glass and leaving. 

“they totally like each other!” Toga told Dabi as he nodded, “it doesn’t take an idiot to see that,” he replied. 

you made your way back to the hideout to find your blue headed best friend engrossed in a video game. you went to hug him from the back and embraced him, “hey,” you whispered into his ear, “I’m heading to the mall, you coming?” you asked. 

Shiggy sighed putting his controller down before looking at you. it might not have been obvious to you but Shiggy was actually head over heels for you. 

he knew of your past and how popular you were at school before you dropped out. you were cute, way out of his league, and if he was honest, he pictured you with someone more like Dabi. 

“sure,” he mumbled as you gave him an excited smile before grabbing your Converse and putting them on. Shigaraki couldn’t help but watch you bend down to tie the shoe and bite his lip at the show, “lets go, Tomura!” 

you grabbed your bag as he followed behind. even though it was the dead of summer, he still had to remain unidentified and by that, he was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie. 

you on the other hand were wearing something a lot less covered up. being that you and Toga were the only girls in the league, you two kind of matched in uniforms. the only difference was that your clothes was just a different color. 

“Shiggy?” you said with a sing-songy tone of voice, “can you give me a piggy back ride? my shoes are hurting!” you asked as you watched him slump down before bending his knees a bit for you to get on. 

you smiled before jumping on his back and holding on tight. the walk to the mall wasn’t far but he didn’t want it to end. he enjoyed you holding him so tightly and before he knew it, you were playing with his hair underneath his hood. 

“did I ever tell you how soft your hair is?” you told Shiggy as he shook his head no, “it’s really soft! I should use your hair regiment,” you joked as you gave him a kiss on the top of the head. 

he stopped dead in his tracks at the sudden affection making you hit him on accident, “jesus Shiggy! watch it!” you exclaimed as he muttered a sorry before continuing to walk, “how far are we?” he asked as you looked to your phone, “like ten minutes away. why, are you tired?” you asked as you tried to shimmy off of him. 

“no, stay,” he replied as he held you tighter, “aww, thank you Tomura,” you said giving him another kiss on the head. 

he didn’t say anything until the mall came into view. you finally got off of him before holding his hand. Shiggy made sure that whenever he was with you, he wore gloves in case you wanted to hold his hand. 

you ran your thumb over the top of his hand before dragging him to the entrance. your first stop was at the candle store. you tended to buy a lot candles for your room and even a few for the living room so it didn’t smell so awful all the time. 

just as you entered the store, Shiggy told you he would wait in the front while you shopped. he claimed that smelling all the scents would trigger his allergies. you nodded as you made your way inside of the store and grabbed a decently big bag. 

you smelled all the candles that caught your attention before dumping them into the black reusable bag. Shiggy could notice the few guys that were inside of the store watching you. even if they had their partners with them, they would stare at you whenever you bent down to smell one of the candles and if he was being honest, he wanted nothing more than to take his gloves off and turn all those men into dust. 

once he had enough, Shiggy walked inside of the store and walked towards you, “hey Tomura! I thought you didn’t like coming in here,” he didn’t say anything before grabbing your bag and holding it, “I’ll hold it, it looks heavy.”

you gave him a smile before giving him a peck on the cheek before continuing your candle hunt. that was the reaction he was hoping for as he glared down the very same men that were giving you looks before. 

“okay, I think I’m done,” you replied grabbing the bag and hauling it over to the cash register, “just because we’re villains doesn’t mean we won’t support local businesses!” you whispered to him making him chuckle. 

the cashier rung your candles as you gave her cash. after you left the store, you knew that you at least had to bring Shiggy to the game store after enduring your candle endeavor for what felt like two hours. 

“just for your troubles, you can buy one game,” you told him as Shiggy instantly lit up, “seriously?” he asked as you nodded. 

Shiggy immediately dragged you to the nearest Game Stop and ran over to the PS4 games. you weren’t much of gamer yourself but whenever Shiggy asked you to play or noticed that the game he was playing looked like it would be more fun with a second player, you offered to be his player two. 

now that you were thinking about it, maybe Toga and Dabi were right. the two of you did look like a real couple and there were a few instances where you did you things that made it seem like you were together. 

“I’ll wait for you when you’re done!” you told Shiggy as you found the nearest bench and started to smell the candles you just bought again. 

you knew that Shiggy took forever to find a game but you didn’t mind. being the leader of the League of Villains did drain him and you liked seeing him happy, even if it was for a few minutes. 

you heard the music from outside of the store playing and you couldn’t help but dance in your seat. the one thing you did know was that you were probably one of the most attractive people inside of the store so you dancing did turn a few heads. 

“hey, what’s a pretty girl like you doing in this store?” one of the guys asked as you felt yourself rolling your eyes, “waiting for the person I came with to finish their shopping,” you replied with absolutely no sense of emotion. 

the man laughed as he bent down to your height and even went as far to touch your knee, “get your hand off of my knee,” you whispered, “the person I came with won’t take to kindly to your action,” you added on. 

“sweetheart, you can just admit that you’re by yourself, I can buy you whatever it is you want,” he said completely dismissing your entire point, “please take your hand off me. I really don’t want to cause any harm to you but if I won’t, I won’t hesitate to kill you right here. this is your final warning,” you said again as you grabbed your knife from your back skirt pocket. 

you didn’t even get the chance to do anything when you noticed Shigaraki do the very same thing he did to Midoriya when they first encountered each other. his four fingers were wrapped around the mans throat as his fifth stroked it slightly. 

“leave her alone or I will kill you and it won’t be quick. I will torture you until you realize that even thinking of touching her was okay. plus, for your benefit, you really don’t want the entire League of Villains after you.”

you gave the man an ‘I told you’ look as you finally looked to Shiggy, “don’t, it’s not worth it. let’s buy your game and head out. I still need to stop at the grocery store,” you told Shiggy as he nodded and shoved the game into his back pocket. 

just because you liked to purchase things the legal way didn’t mean he did.  

“you guys are weirdos!” the man screamed as he jumped off the floor and ran to the exit. you couldn’t help but laugh as you and Shiggy made it out of the store, “you didn’t buy the game, did you?” you asked feeling the game in his back pocket. 

Shiggy the entire way to the grocery store remained silent. you grabbed his hand in a way to comfort him but his grip on your hand was tighter than usual. 

his mind couldn’t stop thinking of your interaction with that bastard at the game store. the last thing Shiggy wanted to do was place the blame on you but now that he was looking at you, he couldn’t help but look at your clothes. 

your skirt was undeniably short. the top covered what it had to but regardless, he thought your bottom was the issue. Shiggy wasn’t going to make you change it but maybe if you made it even a tad bit longer he’d be fine. 

by the time you were paying for all your items, Shiggy was pissed. he knew it wasn’t exactly like him to do what he was planning doing as soon as you both made it an alleyway but if he didn’t do it before he got back to the hideout, he wouldn’t do it at all. 

you were carrying the food for the week in the bag as you turned the corner to an empty alleyway. you immediately felt Shiggy shoving you against a wall as his hands roamed your thighs. 

“Tomura, what are you doing?” you whispered as he chuckled, “that little stunt at the video game store really pissed me off,” he mentioned as his face was shoved inside of your neck, “I know it wasn’t your wrong doing but it still pissed me off,” he murmured before biting down on your neck. 

you let out a mixture of a moan and a gasp as he sunk his teeth to your neck, “maybe this mark will show everyone to back the fuck off,” he said looking at you through the strands of his baby blue hair. 

you ran your fingers through his hair as he continued attacking your neck, “Shiggy, all you have to do is ask me out and I’ll be yours forever,” you responded as he laughed, “it’s more than that now. someone thought it was okay to touch you so the only way I know how to fix that is to make a mark,” he said as his tongue grazed the bite mark. 

you let him continue his little game until you realized that it was getting a lot more steamier and you really didn’t want to fuck Shiggy in a public alleyway. 

“if we sneak back into the hideout through your room, you can put any marks you want to leave on me,” you said seductively into his ear before nibbling on it, “just carry me back home.” 

Shigaraki did just that and pulled you on his back before booking it back home. during that time, you were leaving small hickey’s on his neck as he tried to run as fast as possible. 

maybe Toga and Dabi were right. maybe it took one action of a man to release the monster that Shiggy had inside of him. whether his intentions were romantic, completely sexual, or both, he was glad you were on board. 

Shiggy wouldn’t know what to do if he had to continue watch you walk around the hideout with that short skirt of yours and not be able to do anything about it. 

ALITA 

[thefallennightmare]

Dorogaya-Prologue

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader. 

Warnings: swearing, fluff, angst. 

Summary: It has been sometime since Y/N and Bucky went into hiding but now their past is returning. Can this new relationship survive the Civil War that’s about to happen?

A/N: Here is the prologue for the Soldat Sequel called Dorogaya(darling in Russian). Not a whole lot happens in this but I wanted to give an update on how Bucky and Y/N were doing while in hiding! The first chapter will be out soon and let me know if you want to be tagged in future chapters! I’m not sure how long this one will be and it will take place during Civil War. 

Letting out deep breaths, I continued up the stairs to the sixth floor of the apartment complex I had called home. It was after midnight but that didn’t stop the neighbors from blaring their music or have yet another argument. My nose scrunched up in disgust as the familiar smell of garbage and body odor filled the air and after finally making it to my floor, I knew I had one more obstacle to cross before making it inside safely. 

The next door neighbor that every single night for the past week had tried asking me out. My Romanian was a bit rusty but I knew when a guy was hitting on me. 

“Hey beautiful.” 

Groaning at the gruff voice, I turned on my heels and gave him a curt nod. “Hi.”

I went to unlock the door but could feel his presence creep closer towards me. My fingers slipped into my pocket and slowly pulled out my knife. 

“Fundul tău arată bine în blugi acei.” He placed his arm against the door frame to my apartment, trapping me between him.

I scoffed. “I may not know much Romanian but I don’t need to be fluent to know that when someone is talking about how good my ass looks in my jeans.”

His mouth opened to speak but the door opened behind me. I didn’t have to look who opened the door, I could tell from the heat radiating off the body. And the feelings that weren’t my own of jealousy and rage filled my veins. 

“Totul in regula?” Everything alright?

I looked over towards Bucky and nodded. “I’m fine, Bucky.” 

The creep took in one quick glance of Bucky before retreating back into his apartment, clearly not knowing I was living with a man twice his size. 

Bucky remained blocking the doorway and when I looked into his eyes, I found myself sucking in a breath. In the week we’d been in hiding, he had let his beard grow a bit more and it was now that I realized how blue his eyes were; a deep ocean. Licking my lips, I stood taller after realizing how close we were standing and nodded behind him. 

“Are you going to let me in?” I joked. 

After giving me a small smile, he stepped to the side allowing me to walk past him inside. He did a quick glance around the landing and staircase before shutting the door behind us. The sound of locks clicking together sounded behind me as I looked around our new home. 

It wasn’t the best apartment by any means. I did have money saved up, enough to get us by for a while, but I had to do what I could to save it. Bucky had no money so it was up to me to provide for us. I didn’t mind at all but we had to make some sacrifices and a nice apartment was at the top of the list. 

Newspapers lined all of the windows, not allowing anyone from the outside to look in, even though we were on the sixth floor. There was the bathroom to my left and the only thing good about it was the bright blue towel we had hanging on the almost broken towel bar. The paint was peeling all over the apartment but it didn’t bother us. We only had one bed, well mattress, and it laid on the floor of the apartment. We each had one pillow and there was only one blanket. We were also able to find a couch for pretty cheap at the local market in town and that’s where Bucky slept every night. 

He still didn't feel comfortable with sharing the bed with me and not wanting to push him, I agreed that he could have the couch. I did have to admit, it was adorable seeing how small he made the couch look while laying on it. 

The kitchen would become cramped when both Bucky and I tried cooking something at the same time; which wasn’t often since we had opted for getting food delivered. 

For the first few days of living here we tried our best to stay inside, opting to go out into public if we absolutely needed to. And when we did, we wore anything to help conceal our identity. I went out more than Bucky would, him being afraid someone from his past would recognize him. 

It was then that I noticed he had made a make-shift shelf with a few two by fours and cement blocks. 

“You love to read so I thought I could make you something that you could put your books on,” he spoke when he noticed me staring at it. “It may be a bit shaky.” 

Immediately I waved him off. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” 

We both stood in our respective places, staring at each other, and the feeling of desire warmed my insides. Bucky must have noticed because he shook his head, letting out a quiet scoff. 

“Stop that.” Was all he said. 

“It’s not my fault!” I defended myself. “I can’t help it that I can not only feel your pain but your feelings too!” 

“I’ve been thinking,” He started, immediately changing the subject.

“What about?” I questioned while putting away the groceries. 

Bucky’s hands grazed over mine as he took the box of spaghetti from me and placed it in the top cabinet; the one I couldn’t reach. His back was to me so I could see the way his shoulders tensed and I felt fear cloud my mind. 

“Bucky,” I spoke softly while placing a hand over his flesh arm. “What’s wrong?”

He remained silent but gave a quick look over his shoulder to the door, eyes trained hard against it. His eyebrows scrunched together and he tilted his head to the side, almost mimicking an animal that heard something off in the distance. 

Oh. 

“Do you hear something?” I asked. 

Every footstep or every voice put Bucky on high alert, especially with the super soldier hearing. He found himself staying up way after I had gone to bed, sitting on the couch with his eyes and ears on the door. He wouldn’t admit it to me but I knew he was terrified of Hydra finding him again, turning him back into Soldat. 

“It’s nothing,” he reassured me before busying himself with unloading the rest of the stuff I had picked up from the store. “I still don’t understand why you have to go late at night.” 

I shrugged. “Less people and less chance of someone recognizing me.” 

“More creeps,” Bucky reminded me. 

“I am more than capable of taking care of myself,” I stated back with a smile. “You’re not the only one that’s good with a knife.” 

And if that wasn’t enough to reassure him that I could handle my own, I snapped my fingers together causing a small flame to spark between them. Bucky held his hands up, knowing when he lost the argument and we continued to put everything away in silence. 

“Bucky, I’m home!” I called entering the small apartment. 

Soft music came flooding into the room from the outside and I followed it to the balcony. A smile spread to my lips as I took in the sight in front of me. Bucky was sitting in one of the fold up chairs with the leather bound journal in his lap. It could see that there were sentences upon sentences written. The soft tune of a song from the 1940’s played on his phone but what warmed my heart the most was ewing Bucky finally using the journal I had bought him. 

I bought it shortly after we settled because I thought it would be a good idea for him to write down anything he would remember; a memory or even him remembering that he loved plums. This was the first time in six months that I had seen him open it. 

“Keep staring at me and your eyes are going to be glued stuck.” Bucky joked while closing the journal. 

Oh, I don’t think I would mind one bit. 

“I really hate your super hearing. I bet you could hear me the second I stepped foot into the building,” I smiled while sitting on the chair opposite of him. 

“How was work?” He questioned. 

He went to turn off the music but I stopped him, saying that I didn’t mind it. 

“It was okay. The really bad bar creeps seem to come out in the day rather than night,” I shrugged. 

I had been bar tending at the pub across the street for a few months now and while it was true that the daylight seemed to bring out the worst of the creeps of Bucharest, the money was really good so I tried not to complain too much. 

Bucky’s heart rate sped so I placed a hand on his knee, letting him know that I was fine. “No one bothers me, Bucky.”

I kept my hand on his knee when I realized that it wasn’t making him uncomfortable. Even though we had been with each other every day for the last six months, we still had yet to make a move on taking whatever relationship we had to the next level. I promised him one night that I wouldn’t push him, let him find himself first, then we can talk about our relationship. We were friends living together. 

“I’ll let you get back to writing,” I motioned towards his journal while standing up. 

“You’re not going to ask what I’m writing?” He wondered, confusion on his face. 

I mirrored my own confusion to him. “Why would I? Those are your private thoughts, Bucky. I won’t read them unless you want me too.”

Turning my back to him to enter back into the apartment, I felt cold fingers lace with my own and tugging me back towards him. “Hm?” 

He remained silent, only bringing my hand to his lips and I felt warmth spread through me when he laid a soft kiss on my knuckles. 

“Thank you, Y/N” he breathed against my knuckles. 

“Anything for you, Bucky.” 

I tossed and turned on the mattress, a quiet groan slipped through my lips. My fingertips padded on the mattress next to me for my phone and when I saw what time it was, another groan slipped out. It was after two a.m and I had been trying to fall asleep for the last 3 hours. Bucky and I had spent the last few days finally getting our apartment settled after I had worked three doubles in a row. Needless to say I was exhausted. 

Forcing my eyes shut, I placed a pillow over my face, hoping that would help. However, I sat up with a start as I heard whimpering coming from the body next to me. Bucky was fast asleep on the couch; or so I thought. 

His large body twitched and in the dim light, I could see the lines of his mouth pulled together in a hard line. The feeling I had surging through me told me one thing; he was having a nightmare. 

In the year of living with him and sleeping next to him, I had yet to notice him have a nightmare. I knelt on the mattress and gently placed my hand on his metal arm while giving him a quick shake. 

“Buck? Are you alright?” I whispered. 

Bucky’s eyes snapped open and the fingers of his metal arm wrapped around my throat cutting off my airway with a gasp. My body fell onto the mattress while Bucky straddled my hips. His eyes were gone, almost black, as he stared into me. I could feel his heartbeat quicken as the grip on my throat tightened. 

“Bucky,” I tried to cough out. 

My hands scratched and smacked his arm but failed. I didn’t want to have to use my powers to stop him, refusing to use it against him, but I knew if I didn’t, he would kill me. The air within slowly started to leave my body and I felt the darkness looming so with a quick snap of my fingers I felt the warmth spread through my hand. 

Wrapping my hand around Bucky’s flesh bicep, his metal one released my throat as a loud hiss escaped his throat. The air returned and I coughed loudly a few times, trying to swallow as much air as I could. Curling my hand into a fist, the fire evaporated and I felt Bucky’s body still on mine. 

“Y/N?” He asked, voice trembling. “What did I do?” 

He could tell in the dim light that marks were starting to form around my throat, guilt pulling at his heart. 

“I’m okay,” I reassured him. “You were having a nightmare and I made the mistake of trying to wake you.” 

“No,” Bucky shook his head while climbing off of me. “I could have killed you.” 

“But you didn’t.” 

I knelt in front of him and reached for his hand however he snatched them away from me. “Y/N, I’m sorry. I should go-.” 

“Bucky, stop! I’m okay!” I gripped his hand to keep him in place. “Call us even, okay?” 

I motioned to the red mark on his bicep when he looked at me confused. “I’m sorry for waking you. They’ve never been this real before.” 

“You’ve had nightmares before?” I questioned. 

We slept next to each other for the past year and I hadn’t even noticed that he was struggling with this. 

“The screams. It’s the screaming of them that haunt me.” He stuttered. 

I felt the sadness drowning me so I placed my hands on the sides of Bucky’s face and made him look at me. “It wasn’t you. What you did, that wasn’t you.” 

“But I did it.” His shoulders raised and slumped down with regret. 

Ignoring the voice of doubt that resided in the back of my mind, I knelt up closer to Bucky and laid a gentle kiss on his forehead. His hands immediately grasped my hips and squeezed. 

“C’mon, lets get some sleep.” I motioned for him to lay on the mattress next to me. 

Bucky refused, afraid that if another nightmare took over what he would do. But I wouldn’t take no for an answer and pulled him down next to me. 

“Is this alright?” I asked as I laid my head on his chest. 

His heart pounded against the cage of his chest and I placed my hand on top of it, almost trying to calm him. Bucky’s breathing slowed and his metal arm wrapped around my back pulling me closer to him, letting me know that he was in fact fine with it. 

That night was the last time we slept separate and the last time Bucky would have a nightmare for a long time. 

“My God,” I gasped while my eyes scanned the article I was reading on my laptop. 

Avengers cause destruction in Sokovia. 

The article was a handful of months old, me just now getting my hands on a laptop. Bucky and I had spent the entire time here in Romania trying to stay away from the media, not wanting to know what was going on in the world and not wanting to be in the spotlight

Scrolling farther into the article, I read that Tony Stark and Bruce Banner had created Ultron who now  was on a mission to destroy everyone on earth; only wanting metal to live here. The Avengers, along with these enhanced twins, were trying to stop him. 

I couldn’t help but feel sadness and jealousy when I continued to read how the Avengers fought together against this Ultron. I could have been fighting alongside them, saving the world. But I knew that my place was here with Bucky. 

The mouse ghosted over a video on the article and after looking around the apartment to make sure Bucky wasn’t around, I clicked it open while holding my breath. 

Everyone from my former team was fighting these robot soldiers for the first half of the clip but when it cut to a different video, I sucked in my breath. Steve’s face popped up as was shown saving so many people, leading them to an old SHIELD helicarrier.. My heart ached wanting to be with him, fighting with him, and wanting to feel his body against my own once more. 

For the first few months, Steve’s face would cloud my dreams and I found myself missing him terribly every night. I told him to not look for us but a part of me knew that he wouldn’t abide by my wishes. I knew him and Sam were doing everything they could to find us. 

But now, over two years later, I found myself regretting my decision to leave; only slightly. 

“What are you watching?” 

Jumping at the voice, I went to close my laptop but a metal hand stopped me. Bucky’s eyes scanned over the article before he watched the video I had just finished watching. His face was unreadable but what scared me the most was that I could feel what he was feeling. 

Maybe I was having an off day. 

“Stark? Why do I know that name?” He wondered, mostly to himself. 

“He’s one of the richest men in New York. He also helped find The Avengers.” I said while placing my laptop on the kitchen table. 

“The Avengers?” Bucky asked. 

“I know, it’s not that great of a name. But what we did made up for it.” I defended myself. 

Bucky placed his journal on the counter and shook off his jacket, placing it on the chair in front of him. He then sat on the couch next to me. 

“We?” 

Biting my lip, I gave him a small nod. In the last two years, we were so focused on getting him better and figuring out his past, that I hadn’t given him any details about mine. Since the night of his nightmare, we became incredibly close. We still haven't made ourselves official but we shared the bed each night, tangled in each other's arms, and soft kisses on forehead and hands were as far as it got. 

I never complained once. 

“Um, I used to be a part of the team. That’s how I met Steve actually. We first came together to help defeat the Chitauri; some alien species.” I started. 

“I remember reading about that a few months ago,” Bucky admitted. 

A few months ago he spent an entire weekend reading old news stories that he had missed out on. 

“Ever since that day, I had decided to stay on Steve’s team. Now, it seems like they’re still working together.” I said with a hint of jealousy. 

“Doing what?” Bucky asked, passing me a plum. 

Taking it with gratitude, I tried the best way to bring it up without triggering him. “Uh, I guess the last few months they’ve been taking down Hydra bases to find this special scepter and they nearly leveled Sokovia trying to stop this Ultron guy. 

Bucky was silent, body rigid when I had mentioned Hydra. “I thought Hydra fell?” 

“Apparently not,” I sighed. 

We sat in a tense silence and noticing that his shoulders were straight with rage with the thought of Hydra still being a functioning terrorist group. 

“Hey,” I spoke softly. “They won’t find you. It’s been almost two and a half years. We’re going to be fine.”

Bucky hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I, uh, added more to my journal.” 

“You did?” I smiled. 

“Those stories about the war in the 40’s helped me remember some stuff, not a lot though.” 

The disappointment in his voice broke my heart so I placed my head on his flesh shoulder, not daring to place it on the other. Every night when we would lay in bed together, I had refused to touch the scars on that shoulder. Bucky was still reserved and uncomfortable with it. 

“So,” I started, immediately wanting to change the subject. “Anything you want to do tomorrow?”

Bucky nodded and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. “Can we go to the fruit market? We’re out of plums.” 

“You and your plums,” I giggled while wrapping my arm around his midsection. “But anything for you, Buck.” 

“Thank you, dorogaya.” He breathed against my forehead. 

We both enjoyed this new normal for us, settling into this routine fairly early on while we were in hiding. But nothing would prepare us for what was about to happen tomorrow and how it would affect the rest of our lives.

[openforjean]

her dad’s birthday

Bucky Barnes x Mexican!fem!reader

Warnings: mentions of death, a lil sad

A/n: this story is mostly for me but I hope u can enjoy it too

for the love of god pls reblog with ur thoughts

Bucky’s pov 

Y/n. 

I’ve been seeing her for a four months now. We’ve been on ten dates to dinner and eight movie dates. And I don’t plan on letting her go. 

Today is her father’s birthday, and I know this because Y/n has mentioned it a hundred times now. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I forgot her dad’s birthday? 

“What do you think I should wear?” I ask. she whips her head to me and she sizes me. “He won’t care, I promise, so don’t worry,” she says. I look down at my shirt and flatten it. Yes, I’m nervous. I’ve never met her father nor her mother, she doesn’t have much a connection with her mom but it’s different with her dad. She loves her dad, she talks about him a lot, she visits him often too. She buys him candy and balloons. It’s sweet really, she’s a great girl. 

I really scored with Y/n. I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone better than her. She’s it for me.

“You look good, okay? Don’t be nervous, he won’t test you. Just be yourself,” she says, pulling my waist to her. She kisses my cheek and smiles. “I’ll try, I just don’t wanna mess up with him. I just- I really like you and I’d hate to ruin it,” I admit. Her face falls but her hand goes to my cheek, “there is no way you’d mess anything up. You’re a gift Bucky, you are a gift to my life. The past month has been the best month of my life in...a long time, you won’t. He’ll have to like you cause I lo- I like you. I like you a lot, now let’s get going. I need to buy him some stuff,” she says. She rubs my cheek, I take that hand and I kiss her knuckles. I love her too. And it might be too early to say but that’s what I feel for her. 

We walk down the street hand in hand, it feels right. Her skin is soft and warm, she glances at me sometimes to see if I’m still staring. Which, I am mostly likely am. She’s too beautiful and captivating to look away from, and if people got to know her personally, there’d be a fight for her hand. 

We walk into the local grocery store and she immediately went straight to the flower section. I follow her and she begins to browse. “Maybe roses?” I suggest, she simply responds “nah”. 

“I got him roses last time, I’m thinking sunflowers and daises. What do you think?” She asks, picking up both bouquets. “I think you should get both?” I suggest. She gives an approving hum and takes them in her hands. 

“You can pick out a balloon as I go get a cart, okay?” She says. “Yeah. that’s okay. I’ll be at the balloon section,” I answer. Y/n walks off and I head to the balloons. 

I scan the balloons, deciding which one to get. But my eyes catch something even better, a SQUARE balloon. That’s awesome, this is my first time seeing one. Kinda freaky...anyways, I’ll get that one for him. 

“Excuse me, can I get the green squared happy birthday one filled up?” I ask, the man nods and takes the balloon from the drawer and begins to fill the balloon up. I hope her dad likes it. 

“That’s a cool balloon, Buck,” she says, pulling up next to me with the cart. “You think he’d like it?” I ask. “He’ll love it, it’s whimsical,” she responds. The employee hands me the balloon and I take it. I turn to Y/n to place it in the cart, since it has a weight at the bottom. But...I get distracted. A big smile and bright eyes take over her face, I could just feel her happiness and excitement. I place the balloon in the cart and the flowers are in there too. 

We check out and we head to the next stop. Guadalupe’s Produce, a small Mexican store that is farther down the street. I’ve been there before, they have great vegetables and wonderful fruit selection. Y/n also knows the owner.

I’m holding the balloon and the flowers as Y/n watches the cars go by. She does that, she admires people. It’s interesting. 

We get closer down the street and she sees a taco truck parked right across from the store. “Bucky, we should get tacos. Real tacos, not that Taco Bell shit,” she suggests. Of course I’m going to agree, her taste is way better than mine. 

We arrive at the store and the owner greets us. Y/n starts a conversation with her and I wander around as they speak. I take a basket and place the flowers in there, holding the balloon in my right hand. I walk down the first aisle, it’s filled with books, magazines and comics. All in Spanish. I know Spanish, fluently too. I only whip it out in certain places though. The second aisle is full of chips and candies. Sabritones, Chicharrones, Gansitos, and Paleta Payaso’s. I take three of the clown and a bag of Chicharrones. I couldn’t help but grab a box of Duvalin’s and de la Rosa’s too now. How could I not? 

I walk back near Y/n, it seems she’s almost done talking to the owner. I could hear the owner say, “come to the register” in Spanish. Y/n looks my way, her eyes fall to the basket in my hand. Y/n walks up to me with parted lips. She peeks inside the basket and spots the snacks, she looks back up at me. She takes my face in her hands and brings my lips down to hers. The kiss is like fire, passion and her lips taste like cherry cola. I could live in this moment forever.

She pulls away from my lips and she reaches for my metal hand. She holds it to her heart, “you got his favorite, Bucky”. Her eyes water but she pushes them back. She leads me to the register with her hand in mine. I place the basket on the counter and the owner, Angela, rang them up. But before she could finish, Y/n took a little bottle from next to her and places it on the counter too. I don’t recognize the candy. I hand Angela my card before Y/n could pull hers out her phonecase. Angela takes it and prints the receipt, Y/n pinches my butt.

“Do that again, Y/n,” I joke. Angela bags our snacks and flowers.

She quickly does it again as I take the bag. Y/n smirks as she dropped a ten in the tip jar.

We exit the store biting our tongues, waking across the street to the taco truck.

Once we cross, the entire mood shifts. The music got louder and voices too. People stood around conversing, children playing and families eating on benches. We get closer to the truck and the food hit my nose, it smells so good. The spices and the tacos. The sun barely hits the truck, it’s shady and windy. It’s a perfect spot.

We walk up to the truck and Y/n leans on the counter, squinting to read the menu.

“What kind of tacos do you want, Bucky?” She asks, turning back at me. “Surprise me,” I answer. Y/n smirk and turns back around. That smirk could diet her lead to a good surprise or a prank. I sit in a bench next to a family.

“¡Hola Marco! ¿Come estas? - ¡que bien! - yo qiuero dos platos de tacos con dos Jarritos, por favor,” Y/n says. I can understand what she’s saying, and she knows. So she’s not going to sabotage my tastebuds. Wait- what about her father? Is she getting him food too? Or are we eating here?

She pays the man and walks back to me, I smile. She sits next to me and I wrap my arm around her with the balloon in my hand still. I kiss her temple. “Thank you, Bucky. Thank you for coming with me to visit my dad, I appreciate it. You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” she says, looking down at her hands. I could hear her heart race as she spoke.

She looks at me and I peck her lips. I rest my forehead on hers and look into her eyes. “Y/n, you don’t need to thank me. I rather be with you than anything else, so really... thank you. I can’t wait to meet your father, I can’t wait to meet the man who raised such a great woman,” Bucky says.

Before Y/n could respond, her name is called. Y/n jumps up and takes the food in her hand. She tilts her head to come to her and I do. I take the bag and the balloon follows. She takes my free hand and she begins to lead me up the street.

“Where does your dad live, Y/n?” I ask.

“Not far, just a few minutes away from my apartment. It’s an easy walk but a long train ride, surprisingly,” she answers.

“You took the subway to your dads house?”

“ONCE! My legs were hurting so bad and I didn’t think it’d take half an hour to get there!” She exclaims, I laugh and she pulls her hand away from mine. “Y/n, I’m kidding. You’re so precious,” I say, pulling her shoulder to mine. “We’re almost there, sorry it’s taking a bit,” she says.

“It’s okay, I’m used to walking,” I answer.

I look ahead and on the left is a cemetery, on the right is a street full of houses. Her father’s place must be on the right. I pull her hand towards the right so we can cross. She stands still as I drift. She looks deep into my eyes and I look at the cemetery. Shame and fear take over her face, her head drops to the ground. I come back closer, realizing what’s going on. I pull her close and I hug her.

Her dad is in the cemetery.

Her father is dead.

We’re visiting his grave.

She’s been visiting him at the cemetery all along.

I hug her tight and I whisper “it’s okay” in her ear. I know she feels guilty, and she shouldn’t feel guilty on this day. She should feel happy, like she was before. She pulls away, wiping her tears and I push her hands down and I wipe them. “Let’s see him, Y/n,” I say.

Y/n nods and leads me to the cemetery. We pass the gate and we walk up the stairs, she leads me to the stone. She places the food down, gently. She immediately drops down to her knees and hugs the stone. Rubbing its back, I remain standing.

“Hey papa, happy birthday. I love you and I miss you. This is Bucky, he’s my boyfriend and we have something for you,” she says. She looks back at me and I hand her the snack bag. She removes the dead roses and pulls out the sunflowers and daises, and places them in the vase next to his stone. She arranges them neatly. “We also got some snacks to eat, we got your favorite...well, Bucky got your favorite,” she says. She looks up at me, her eyes are begging for me to sit on the ground with her.

I sit.

She take the balloon from my hand and ties it around vase. “He seems to know your favourites before he even met you. Crazy, he even got you this balloon. Isn’t it cool?”

Oh man. My heart. She’s talking to the grave as if he’s alive. I think I might cry.

“You can talk to him too, Bucky. He’s friendly,” Y/n says. I nod and I scoot closer to her. “Hi Mr. Y/l/n, happy birthday. I’m honored to meet you, you have an amazing daughter...she’s been a blessing to my life. I hope you like the balloon, it’s green and a square! It’s cool, but yeah, anyways...I’m glad to be here celebrating your birthday,” I say. Y/n’s hand lays on top of mine and she leaves it there.

“We’ve been dating for five months, he makes me very happy. He’s only been good to me and so much more, he’s the guy I’ve been telling you about for so long,” Y/n says. I didn’t know she talked to her father about me.

“We also have tacos! I got him some regular tacos though, nothing too spicy. I don’t want his tongue palette to die,” she says as she takes the drinks out. Now, I’ve had these before. Jarritos. A classic Mexican drink. My favorite flavor is the same as Y/n’s; mandarin.

She passes me my plate and sets my drink next to my foot. She does the same for herself. But before she opens her box, she does this thing and it’s a great thing. She recycles. She takes all the plastics and places it in one bag, so she can recycle it all. It’s admirable.

She hands me her drink because she knows I have a bottle opener on hand. I take it and I open it for her, and mines too. She opens her box and begins to eat.

I take a bite out of my taco. Holy cow, it’s so good. The smell is one thing but the taste, wow. Bucky is in love.

“Oh dad, I forgot to tell you. I paid off my credit card, I’m proud of that. I thought I’d die in debt, but no- I paid it!”

Y/n spoke to her father as I ate, I spoke too. I told him about how Y/n caught her first fish and her first tien going on the Cyclone. Now, she’s finishing her food.

“We need to eat the candy, Bucky,” Y/n says with her mouth full of food. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words all my life Y/n,” I ramble out. I dig into the snack bag and I take out la paleta. I hand one too Y/n, and we unwrap it. They definitely do not look like the packaging and neither of us have hope they ever will.

Y/n holds hers up and says “to you papa, happy birthday”. I hold mines up too and we bite into them.

She finishes her paleta and she takes a small green bottle out from the snack bag. She takes the plastic off and she pushes it into the plastic bag. She twists the bottle and little crystals fall out into her hand, she purposely lets it fall. She licks it off?

“Y/n, what’s that?” I ask, eating my paleta.

“Lucas,” she answers, pouring more onto her bare palm.

“Ummm, sure,” I place my hand out and she licks hers off first. She pours some in my hand and it looks like sugar, I quickly lick it off.

As soon as it hit my tongue, it was too late. The saltiness and sourness hit like a train, I was not expecting that. I wipe the remaining “candy” on my jeans. I take the soda and chug it down to get rid of the taste as Y/n laughs her ass off.

The soda runs out and I put the bottle down and I wipe my mouth. “You’re lucky I love you, Jesus what was that?” I say.

Y/n’s laughing stops. I get concerned and it hit me what I just slipped out.

“James Buchanan Barnes, I’ve been waiting to hear those words all my life”.

Sorry this isn’t so good, been really down lately. Hopefully it’s decent💗 pls leave some feedback💗

[jalapeno-princess]

Car Troubles

Mechanic Jaebum X Reader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 6K

Summary: Your car has been acting up lately, but you’re too stubborn to do anything about it. However, your best friend BamBam suggests you take your car to a mechanic and gives you the contact of his friend JB. When you take your car in to JB’s shop, you find yourself immediately attracted to him. You thought that he was just going to fix your car and that would be the first and last time you’d end up seeing him, but oh were you wrong.

A/n: Hey guys! So this was requested a while back and if I’m being honest, I’m kind of iffy with how this turned out I can never do JB justice :( I hope you enjoy! (This was actually written based on my first experience with a flat tire. Luckily I live in Hawaii, a lot of the locals are some of the sweetest people and they won’t hesitate to help you if needed plus we have a bunch of auto repair shops almost anywhere you go so before I could freak out about having to do all this unnecessary shit, I literally drove less then two minutes down the road and BOOM I was good PLS CHECK YOUR TIRES)

“Damnit! This is the third time this week my car overheated. I don’t get it. I put coolant inside every single time, so what’s going on?” You and your best friend BamBam were currently on the way to the grocery store to buy some snacks for the movie night you both had planned from the beginning of that week. Unfortunately, as you were about to turn in to the shopping mall, your car gave you a warning that it was overheating. 

BamBam couldn’t help but let out a chuckle; he’s been telling you for months to save up some money and to sell the piece of junk that you call a car in order to buy another one but you always gave him the excuse that it gets you to and from your location just fine so there’s no point in spending thousands of dollars to get a new one. 

“You already know what I’m going to say so I don’t see a reason to waste my breath.” You rolled your eyes and scoffed as you pulled in to a parking stall. BamBam was right and you didn’t understand why you were so adamant on keeping your car, especially when the cost of maintaining it was more expensive than getting a new one. It’s just that you didn’t want to have to deal with another car payment and everything else that came with it on top of your college tuition and rent. 

“Have you ever actually taken it in to an auto repair shop to see if there might be something wrong with it? I’m sure there’s more you need to do to it rather than constantly putting in coolant. Who knows, you might even be making things worse by doing so. Hey, why don’t you let my friend JB take a look at it? He’s a mechanic and he owns his own shop. What? What is that look for?” You sent him a knowing glare as the two of you got out of your car and made your way towards the store. 

“The last time you introduced me to a friend of yours I almost broke my ankle.” BamBam giggled at the memory of his friend Yugyeom teaching you how to dance and you tripping over his extremely long legs. 

“Hey, it’s your fault you have two left feet. Yugyeom is an amazing dance teacher, you’re the one who can’t dance. Ow—okay I deserved that. But I’m serious about JB. He knows his stuff. He’s been fixing cars since we were in high school and I’m sure he’ll give you a discount since you’re friends with me. Just say the word and I’ll give him a call. You can even search him up and read his reviews if you don’t believe me.” 

You contemplated his offer for a few moments before releasing a frustrated sigh and nodding in agreement. There wasn’t any harm in having him take a look at what might be the problem with your car. You just didn’t want BamBam to continue bothering you about it like he did with Yugyeom’s dance lessons. 

Once the two of you finished your grocery shopping and headed back to your apartment, you decided to look up JB’s auto shop to look at the reviews before having BamBam reach out to him for you. You were surprised to say the least when you saw all the comments from customers raving about how good he was at his job. 

As you continued to read the reviews and saw the photos of people’s cars, you could tell that JB was very passionate about being a mechanic and he put a lot of time and detail in to his work. BamBam was quick to reach for his phone in order to call his older friend once you gave him the okay and you took this time to start mixing the brownie batter. 

“Hey man, it’s Bam. Yeah, I’m gonna need a favor. What do you mean I still owe you for—okay I know, but didn’t I get you that—I didn’t? Okay well that’s not the point here. The favor isn’t even for me it’s for my friend. Her car keeps overheating and I was wondering if you could take a look at it? Really? You’d do that? Thanks bro! That means a lot to me I owe you one—I get it—fine I owe you nine whatever. She’ll bring it in tomorrow. See you then.” The older boy placed his phone down on the coffee table and folded his arms behind his head cockily. “Am I the best or what? You’re welcome.” You scoffed before setting a timer on the oven and making your way in to your living room. 

“You didn’t do anything, you know that right? All you did was call to make an appointment with a mechanic. I could’ve done that by myself.”

“Fine, you can go by yourself tomorrow too if you’re going to act like that.” You gave him an adorable pout before wrapping your arms around his waist and placing your chin on his shoulder. 

“I’m kidding Bam. I’m very grateful for you. You’re my best friend.” He gave you a knowing look before dipping his finger in the brownie batter and licking it clean.

“Who are you kidding? I’m your only friend. But I’m the only one that you need anyway. By the way, I actually have to go with Yugyeom tomorrow to his doctor’s appointment; he promised me lunch so you’re on your own but you have nothing to worry about. JB‘s a really cool guy. He’s even nicer to girls. All you have to do is bring your car in and sit in his office while waiting. It’ll be a breeze. Let me know how it goes, if he needs to keep your car overnight, just give me a call and I’ll come pick you up. If you’re nice to me, I’ll talk Yugyeom in to buying you lunch too.” 

The next morning, you woke up earlier than usual and began to get ready to head over and drop your car off to JB’s shop. You couldn’t understand why you felt so nervous. Something about mechanics were so intimidating, probably because you were afraid of being reprimanded for neglecting your car. BamBam went in to detail about their friendship the night before and explained to you that JB was very dedicated to his job. He knew anything and everything that had to deal with cars. All you had to do was hand your car over to him and let him do his thing while you occupied yourself with your phone. 

After eating some breakfast and preparing your insurance forms, you made your way to his auto repair shop which was conveniently located less than ten minutes away from your apartment. The drive took longer than expected; it seemed that almost everyone was out on the road today and you couldn’t help the frustrated sigh that fell from your lips at the realization. Once you finally arrived to “Nora’s Auto Repair” you pulled up right in front of the garage and parked before looking around for who BamBam described to be JB. 

“He’ll probably be working on a car by the time you get there so there’s no use in wasting your time looking for him in his office. He’s a few inches taller than me with dark, brown hair up to his shoulders, brooding eyes and a sharp jaw. Try not to make him angry, that jaw has a mind of it’s own. But don’t be intimidated by his appearance, he’s a big softie.” 

You walked straight up to the garage and saw a pair of feet underneath a car. At first, you were afraid of interrupting him, with the music blasting in the background on top of the sounds of what you assumed to be a screwdriver, you knew he was very focused on the car he was currently working on; but at the same time, you didn’t want someone walking in on you standing there, doing nothing like a weirdo. 

“Um—excuse me?” It came off almost like a squeak of a mouse, you were sure he probably didn’t hear you, so you repeated yourself again. When he still had yet to acknowledge your presence, you decided to get his attention another way and gently tapped his ankle with the tip of your sandal. Unfortunately, he ended up getting startled and immediately sat up, hitting his head up against the radiator and released a frustrated grunt before getting up from underneath the car. You were about to open your mouth to release countless apologies for scaring him but that was before you got to take a good look at him. 

He was in more or less words extremely gorgeous. His long hair was slicked back, he was wearing overalls and a blank tank top that showed off his broad shoulders and toned biceps. BamBam was right about his brooding and piercing eyes, and you were quick to notice the two adorable moles right above his eyebrow. He also had some dirt and grease on his cheeks, but for some reason it made him look even more attractive than he already was. You didn’t think someone could look so good, as if he came right out of a magazine while working on a car. You’ve been friends with BamBam for years now, why did he have the audacity to keep this beautiful man standing in front of you a secret? 

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you I just—BamBam told me to look for you and—“ When you first heard him groan in pain after hitting his head, you were sure you’d get an earful about interrupting someone while they were working on a car. However, your cheeks warmed up at the way he was looking at you with the most adorable smile you’ve ever seen on a grown man. 

“Don’t sweat it, it happens all the time. My employees constantly nag me about turning down my music so I can hear people approaching. You must be y/n. Nice to meet you. You’re friends with BamBam? You poor thing. It must be tiring being his right hand man—I mean woman. So, what seems to be the problem with your car?” He asked for you to lead him to your car and had you pop open the hood so that he could take a better look at what the problem might be. 

“It’s been overheating a lot these days. I’ve put in coolant three times this week and it’s still not cooling down. I have a fear that one day the battery will die if I don’t do something about it so that’s why I’m here.” He nodded in understanding before taking a look inside and making sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Your eyes began to wander all along his body and you felt weird for checking someone out just a couple of minutes after meeting him but who could blame you? He was practically a Greek God and honestly, even if the two of you just met, you would do anything he’d ask of you. 

JB took a few minutes going over multiple parts of your car, the exhaust system, suspension, brakes, air filter, spark plugs; anything he felt could be adding on to the failure of your car. While he continued examining the hood of your car, you decided to look away to prevent yourself from staring at him any longer. You texted BamBam to let him know that you made it over to JB’s place and you were about to admit that you were having a hard time paying attention to anything other than him. For someone who was drenched in sweat and car exhaust, he looked like he came straight out of a magazine. You were so deep in your thoughts that you failed to notice JB trying to get your attention. 

“I think the coolant you must’ve put in there kinda screwed it up but it’s nothing I won’t be able to fix. I also recommend you get an oil change since you’re here. It won’t take too long, you can go sit in my office and I’ll come let you know when I’m done.” You politely thanked him and he gave you a soft smile and you were sure your heart was about to jump out of your chest the longer you were around him. As you began heading towards his office, you heard him call out for you. 

“By the way y/n, call me Jaebum.” With the way warmth immediately rose on your cheeks, you had a feeling you were a blushing mess from hearing his words and you were quick to pick up on the cheeky intonation of his voice. You refused to turn around to face him and nodded softly to yourself, there was no way you’d give him the benefit of the doubt by making it aware that he was having an effect on you. You had just met the guy less than ten minutes ago and you’ve seen your fair share of good looking men before, so why were you going so crazy over JB? 

Once you took a seat in his office, you gave yourself a few seconds to breathe and get your thoughts straight. However, your mind wouldn’t stop going back to how attractive he looked with his hair all out of place while oil and dirt was stained on his overalls. The smile he sent was now glued in your mind. He was easy on the eyes, hardworking, and extremely personable. You secretly cursed BamBam for not introducing the two of you sooner under different circumstances but you had no idea why you were acting like this. It’s not like the two of you actually conversed with each other, nor were you anything more than just a clumsy customer who had no clue about anything car related. 

For almost two hours, you played a couple of games on your phone and even watched a few Netflix shows to make time go by faster, and to keep your mind off of the way Jaebum’s muscles flexed while working on your car as you checked up on him every now and then through the window. Luckily, multiple episodes of Parks and Recreations took up all your attention for almost the entirety of waiting. You were so deep in to an episode that you failed to notice Jaebum enter his office until you heard the door shut. 

“Hey, I’m done with your car. Sorry it took so long, I wanted to make sure everything is good before sending you off. I changed the oil, tightened a few pipes and fixed the overheating problem. You should be all good to go.” You smiled softly at him and thanked him profusely before taking out your wallet. 

“How much do I owe you?” He took a seat at his desk and began writing down a few numbers, estimating how much the work on your came out to on your car. 

“$100 flat.” You looked at him in shock, dumbfounded with his answer. Sure, you weren’t one to know much about cars, but you knew with the amount of work he did to your car that it was worth more than just one hundred dollars. It felt as if you were gypping him and taking advantage of his kindness. 

“Jaebum, you can’t be serious right? I’m sure it’s more than $100. I’m fine with paying full price! You did so much—“ he playfully shook his head before handing you your keys. 

“It’s totally fine y/n. If I’m being honest with you, I think you should actually put your money in to getting a new car. I took it for a drive around the block and it still runs just fine, but you don’t want to risk something bad happening to it again soon.” You nodded in understanding before writing out a check. An idea popped in your head and you could only hope that he’d want to go along with it and not think negative of you for asking. 

“How about I treat you to some lunch? You must be hungry after hours of work. Plus I want to pay you back for all that you did for my car. It means a lot, thanks again Jaebum.” The wide grin that he was now sporting made your heart flutter. You were soon regretting your decision of taking him to lunch because you knew you wouldn’t be able to sit in front of him without practically drooling over him. 

“That sounds cool. Let me just get cleaned up a bit and we can go.” After you paid him, he left his office to and in his words “look more presentable” leaving you all alone with your thoughts. Why were you so worried? He seemed like an extremely cool guy and he practically fixed your car for less than half of what is normally expected. If BamBam could trust him, you could too. It just didn’t help that he was extremely attractive. 

“Ready to go?” If you thought he looked good earlier, seeing him freshened up was a sight to behold. His face was free of dirt and oil, he changed in to a pair of jeans and a flannel and he threw his hair back in to a man bun. You were internally cursing yourself for putting yourself in such a situation. All you wanted to do was treat him to lunch, but now you had to suffer knowing that you were quickly developing a little crush on him. 

“Yeah. Shall we?” He hummed in agreement and like the gentleman he was, he held the door for you and led you to his car. When he walked up to his pick up truck, you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. 

“Something wrong?” You shook your head in disagreement. 

“Your car matches you.” With the way he adorably tilted his head in confusion, you knew he didn’t understand what you meant. “Trucks can be intimidating and quite rugged. Like you.” 

“Ah. I get what you mean. Well, since we’re on the topic of it, your car doesn’t match you at all.” You were about to open your mouth but he was quick to continue. “You’re driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla. Quite a safe car, which is understandable—if you were an elderly woman. However, you seem quite stable unlike your car—ow! I fixed your car for cheap and I get a slap in return. I’ll make sure to rack up the bill at lunch to get back at you.” He winked at you, causing your heart rate to increase before opening your door and helping you inside. 

The car ride was filled with laughter and terrible singing, mainly from Jaebum, but you enjoyed every second of it. It’s been a while since your last relationship and you were only really close with BamBam, so you weren’t used to being around any other guy. You could get used to being around Jaebum. He had the heart of a child; he was so charismatic and optimistic. You also learned that he owned five cats, loved to read books in his free time and he was the biggest mama’s boy. So this is what BamBam meant when he said JB is a big softie. 

Your time together at lunch was much like it was in the car. You found yourself laughing almost the entire time over the countless stories he told you about his childhood, his friendship with BamBam and the rest of their group of friends and the horror stories that came with being a mechanic. Seeing his eyes light up as he described to you how in love he was with his job made butterflies erupt in your tummy. Too bad this was only a one time thing and you had a feeling you’d only ever get to see him if you needed your car fixed. When the two of you were finished with your meals, before you could reach for the check, he handed his card to the waiter in which you were quick to object multiple times, but he reached over and placed his finger on top of your mouth to prevent you from complaining any further. This man was going to be the death of you. 

“Jaebum, I was supposed to pay—“ he shook his head as he signed the receipt and motioned for you to get up. 

“You can get the check next time okay?” You gave him a pout, but on the inside you were over the moon. Next time? Did this mean he had plans on becoming friends with you? Or something beyond friendship? Whatever it was, the idea of having Jaebum in your life made you extremely happy. You could use such a positive and carefree person like him in your life to motivate you to become a better person. 

To your dismay, your day with Jaebum came to an end and before you knew it, he pulled up in front of your parking structure. “Thank you again Jaebum. For my car, for lunch, for everything. I had a really nice time tonight. Let me know when you’re free, you ass. I really wanted to treat you.” He flashed you his award winning smile before pinching your cheek. 

“Don’t worry y/n, I’m already planning on which expensive steakhouse I want you to bring me to. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need help with your car. Have a nice night!” When Jaebum told you to call him whenever something was wrong with your car, he didn’t expect you to call him every other week. The two of you texted each other back and forth every so often, but it was never more than a simple “how was your day?” Or “how is your car?” You had a feeling he wasn’t interested in you the way you wish he would be, but you decided to let it go. 

Unfortunately, only two weeks after he worked on your car the first time, your air conditioning broke which he was quick to offer in fixing. Then another two weeks later, your battery died. You were on your way to the grocery store when your car completely gave out and Jaebum did not hesitate to drive over to you and bring you another one. He even installed it on the side of the road where your car was. It was if you couldn’t catch a break, but you weren’t going to lie; you enjoyed having excuses to see Jaebum again. His presence was like a breath of fresh air and every time you had to leave him, you felt like your life was colorless and dull. 

He was always very kind and patient with you, he even tried his best to console you the minute your battery died because he could tell in your voice that you were freaking out. Even when he arrived to your location, he pulled you in to his embrace and cautiously rubbed your back in attempts to get you to calm down. His arms were so comforting and you missed the feeling of them practically swallowing your body entirely. With each and every time you needed his assistance, he would always give you a knowing smirk and remind you that maybe it was time to get yourself a new car. 

You didn’t fail to notice the way that Jaebum would steal glances from you every so often, and how he was quite gentle with you than he was with other clients. Even when he hugged you that day, there was something with the way he placed his chin on top of your head while running his fingers through your hair that made you feel as if he didn’t act this way towards just anybody. When you told your assumptions to your best friend, the older boy laughed in your face. 

“Jaebum? Like you? Hahahaha! Don’t make me laugh y/n—oh. You were being serious. Don’t take it the wrong way, you’re beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend. It’s just—Jaebum doesn’t date. Or at least I’ve never seen him in a relationship before. That guy is married to his job—hell he’s married to the cars he fixes. Maybe he’s just being friendly since you’re my best friend. It’s been a month since I first sent you his way. Don’t you think he would’ve made a move on you by now?” 

Although his words sent a jab to your heart, he was right. If Jaebum reciprocated your feelings for him, he would’ve done something about it a long time ago. You knew BamBam didn’t mean any harm, but hearing him say things like that was a slap in the face by reality that you were nothing to Jaebum but a nuisance. Someone who was too stubborn to pay for a new car and had to keep wasting Jaebum’s time when he could be doing something more important. 

You did whatever you could to make sure you no longer needed his help, but life never seemed to be on your side. You were sitting in line at a drive through when the cutest little elderly man came up to you and pointed out to you that your back tire was looking pretty low. Once you got your food, you pulled to the side and contemplated your next move. As much as you didn’t want to bother Jaebum, you didn’t know what to do. 

“What’s up y/n, everything okay?” You released a frustrated sigh at the thought of why you were calling him in the first place. 

“Hey. Sorry to bother you again but car has a flat tire and I have no idea what to do.” You heard him giggle softly through the phone and the sound alone made you calm down. Something about Jaebum’s laugh made you want to laugh yourself. He had one of those contagious laughs that could even get a mime to crack a smile. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, you were sure of it. 

“That’s why you have me. Where are you? Are you in a safe location? Can you send me a picture of your tire? Are you okay? You’re not hurt are you?” Your heart warmed at all of his questions. The fact that he seemed genuinely worried about you made you blush like a schoolgirl. “I’m fine. I was at Jack in the box when someone told me my tire was flat. I’m currently in their parking lot just eating my soggy curly fries and cursing myself for not listening to either you or BamBam about finally getting a new car.”

“Hey, as much as I want to tell you I told you so, now is definitely not the time. I’ll be there in fifteen. Save some of those soggy fries for me.” After you hung up the phone, you decided to kill time by playing some games. You even ran inside and bought him something to eat as your way of thanking him for having to leave work again to come help you. When he arrived less than ten minutes later, you were quick to pick up on the car he was driving. It wasn’t his truck, was he maybe taking someone else’s car for a test run? 

“Hey, I’m glad to see that you’re all in one piece, I was worried. It’s a shame your cars not.” Every time he had to come help you out, he always made a joke about how shitty your car was and if it were anyone else, you’d probably fight them. But because it was Jaebum, you allowed him to constantly make fun of you and the fact that your car was a piece of junk. You handed him over the bag of food to which he thanked you and playfully wiggled his brows at you. 

“You know this doesn’t count right? I’m still expecting dinner at Kobe steakhouse.” You playfully rolled your eyes and it’s as if he knew your next move so he immediately moved away. The two of you were extremely playful with one another and you would always end up hitting him whenever he made a joke about you but it was all in good fun. He began snacking on a few French fries before taking a look at your tire. 

“Oh shit. Oh yeah that’s bad. You know something y/n?”

“What?”

“At first, I was sure your car was cursed. Sure, it’s 17 years old, so it’s expected to be a little run down. But I’ve had customers bring in cars from the 90’s and they drive perfectly fine. So I couldn’t help but think that maybe you purposely mess around with your car so that you have an excuse to come and see me.”

Although you loved every chance you got to see the handsome boy, you weren’t crazy enough to go to the lengths of practically killing your car. Did he really think you would waste hundreds of dollars by purposely breaking down your own car just so you could see him? He must’ve lost his mind. As you were about to open your mouth and fight back against what he said, he connected your lips with his. 

His lips were hot and rough against yours and his hands were quick to cup both your jaw and neck. He swiped his tongue along your bottom lip before bringing it in between his teeth, nonverbally asking for entrance. Once you felt his tongue against yours, you were quick to release a soft moan and gently tugged on his soft locks. To your dismay, he pulled away in order to catch his breath and took a good look at you before hiding his face in the juncture of your neck. 

“I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t flutter every time I saw your name pop up on my phone although, I hated the thought of you in an unfortunate situation and I would always get worried because you’re usually alone whenever something goes wrong with your car. I’ve liked you from the day we went to lunch the first time and you practically snorted on your soda at something I said. You’re extremely beautiful you know that? I have a hard time trying to keep myself from looking at you. And you’re so fun to be around. Albeit a little clumsy, stubborn and irresponsible, but it makes you unique and honestly I really like those things about you.” He picked one of your hands up and began leaving a few kisses on the back of it. 

“Wait, you kissed me before confessing or even trying to see how I felt. Were you planning on seeing how things would go? Or did you just so happen to catch me practically drooling over you every now and then?” He let out a snicker and shook his head. 

“A little birdie called me last night and told me that you were talking to him about me and whether or not I had feelings for you.”

“That asshole. He told me he had no clue and that you were only being friendly with me. I didn’t think you liked me back, you never really talk to me unless something’s wrong with my car.”

Jaebum couldn’t help the laugh that fell from his lips as he saw your brows furrow in frustration. “Nobody knows how I feel about you. Look how quick BamBam was to admit that you liked me! If I were to tell him anything for that matter, it would probably be on the news less than an hour later. He’s one of the biggest blabber mouths there is babe. And I’m actually shit when it comes to these things. Trust me, every time you would text me, it took a lot of willpower not to go deeper in to the conversation. I love talking to you. There were so many days where I had the urge to call you and just talk about nothing. You make me really happy y/n. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Whenever you came in, I couldn’t help the stupid grin that would stay on my face for the entirety of the day. My employees wouldn’t stop looking at me funny. Is it wrong that I would sometimes hope something were to happen to your car just so you would come in?” 

You scoffed before stealing a kiss from the corner of his mouth. “And you call me crazy. You’re just as head over heels for me as I am for you punk ass.” He took a bite out of the sandwich you bought him and motioned for you to follow him. You noticed how he took out the keys from the car he drove in and handed them to you. It’s as if he knew you were about to ask him a question and beat you to it. 

“This is your new car. It’s not much, but it’s a lot better than the one you have now. Someone brought it in the other day because they had no use for it and so I decided to fix it up and planned on giving it to you. Take good care of it okay? As much as I love seeing you come in to my shop, I don’t want you having any more problems with your car.” 

Your jaw dropped in awe and a few tears fell from your cheeks. You couldn’t believe that he was giving you a new, well, used car but in way better condition than the one you had now. He could’ve sold it or donated it but yet he fixed it up with the intention of giving it to you. What did you do in your past life do deserve him? He wasn’t quite ready when you practically jumped on him, but his reflexes were quick as he wrapped your legs around his waist and held you by your thighs. You began leaving wet kisses all around his face before finally bringing your lips to his. When you felt him smile in to the kiss, you returned the same ministration. 

“Thank you so much Jaebum. Ugh you’re so amazing you know that? I really don’t know how I can pay you back for all that you’ve done to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He smiled against your neck and placed you back on the ground before intertwining your fingers together and leading you over to your old car to get your things. 

“You can repay me by going out with me on a date. Tonight, if you’re free.” You nodded in agreement while hiding his face in your chest. However, before you could get comfortable, you felt something wet against your cheek. 

“Ew babe did you just get finished working on the car? You’re sweaty!” He scoffed before playfully slapping your butt earning himself a surprised moan. 

“You want to give me another reason to get sweaty baby? Ow—there are other ways you can show me how thankful you are without having to hit me y/n. Unless you’re in to stuff like that I’m all for getting rough—hey—where are you going silly girl? Babe! Get back here y/n! And don’t eat my fries you bought those for me!”

[madamwinchester67]

A Life With You Part 2

Hi Everyone. I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry it took me so long to update this story. I was busy taking care of my sick mother who just passed away September 1st 😭. I hope that i can continue to update this story more frequently, but if i’m being honest, i’m winging it as I go. But feedback will deff motivate me to figure out where this story is going 🥰 Thank u to those who like it so far and without further ado, here’s Part 2. 😘 (ha! that rhymed! 😉) *sorry for any mistakes*

Growing up, you were never the one guys went after. You were never flirted with, you were never asked out on dates and you were never one to be looked at twice. You were basically invisible... until you met Dean Winchester. Maybe it was because he doesn’t judge or because he felt bad for you, either way, Dean Winchester seemed to understand you and made you feel “seen”. He listened when you spoke, gave advice when he could and made you feel wanted.

Maybe that’s why you let yourself think that Dean had feelings for you. No one had ever made an effort to care about you or make you smile like he did. No one had ever gone out of their way to make sure you felt comfortable. No one had ever made you feel loved before. Sure, Sam, Cas & Jack all care about you, but none of them treated you like Dean has so you knew they loved you like family but Dean? That was a different kind of love, or so you convinced yourself....and boy, were you wrong.

So now, here you are, in a grocery store, with a cart full of junk you just threw in there, tears in your eyes, sadness in your heart and questions on your mind.

“How do I go back to how things were? How do I act like Dean didn’t just rip my heart out of my chest? How am I going to react when I see him flirt with random women now that my feelings for him are out in the open? Even worse, how will I react when he goes off to fuck some bar skank?”

That last thought brought a fresh new batch of tears rolling down your cheeks.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

You shake your head, wipe the tears and continue with your shopping, in zombie-mode, while you try to figure out how to fix the mess you created.

Back at the Bunker, Dean goes back into the library and he’s antsy. He can’t stop thinking about you and the look on your face when he told you he doesn’t feel the same way. He can’t stop thinking about you crying inside Baby. He needs to get out... He needs to clear his head.... He needs to hunt!

He immediately opens his laptop and begins looking for a case. It doesn’t matter what kind or how dangerous it is, he needs to kill something... he needs to get rid of the guilt that’s suffocating him. You’re his best friend, the person he can confide in, the best person he knows, and now he hurt you. He was always the one defending you and protecting you from those that hurt you, he never in a million years thought he would be the one you need protecting from. It took a couple of hours but he was able to find a Salt and Burn in nearby Junction City. He bolts to his room and packs the necessary weapons he needs and once he’s done, he paces, waiting for you to return with Baby.

An hour has passed and you finally return. Your eyes are puffy and your nose is stuffy from all the crying. You know you told Dean that you were cool but now that you’ve had a few hours to think about it, you don’t have the slightest clue as to how you’re going to act around him. I mean, before you opened your mouth and said anything about your feelings, you suffered in silence everytime he went off with some bimbo for the night. You never said anything and never showed how you felt because you had no right. He had no idea how you felt but hopefully, fingers crossed, he’ll be more discreet so he doesn’t hurt you any further. The more you think about everything, the more your head hurts. You still havent recovered from your slight hangover and now the added stress of “the situation” is giving you a migraine. You need a nap.

You put the groceries and first aid items away and you go to your room, which happens to be 2 doors down from Dean’s. The moment the door closes behind you, you throw yourself face first into your bed and try to fall asleep, which, surprisingly, happens within 2 minutes.

The moment Dean hears her door close, he waits 5 minutes before sneaking out of his room. He hops into Baby and speeds out of the garage to, hopefully, relieve the immense guilt he feels.

By the time he arrives in Junction City, the salt and burn was already taken care of, much to Dean’s dismay. Since he drove all the way there for no case, he figured a stop in the local bar was called for.

He walks into the bar and almost immediately someone calls out his name. “Dean!”

Dean looks to his left and spots Garth in the corner, waving a beer in the air.

“Dean! Over here!”

Dean walks over and greets him. “Hey, Garth. What brings you around?”

“Oh, you know, a salt and burn. You?”

“That was you?! Damn, I really needed that hunt.”

A waitress comes over and takes Dean’s order of a beer and 2 shots of whiskey, neat.

“What’s wrong?” asks Garth.

Dean sighs heavily and tells him what happened between the two of you.

“Huh.”

“What?” asks Dean.

“Nothing, just, I always thought you two would get together at some point.”

Dean chokes on his beer. “Wh-what? What do you mean? We’re just friends.”

“Well, yeah, but I mean, you two are practically attached at the hip. You know each other inside and out and you argue like a married couple, so I just assumed it was a matter of time before you two made it official.”

“We’re just friends” repeats Dean, in an almost rehearsed way.

“Well, if she confessed her feelings for you, I’m pretty sure she did it because she thought you felt the same way. If you’re just friends, then what gave her the impression you had feelings for her when you don’t?” asked Garth.

“I...”

“That’s a good question” thought Dean.

Garth gets up to use the bathroom while Dean sits at the table, thinking.... until it finally hit him! Everything he does for you, the coffees, the forehead kisses, the lingering touches, carrying you to bed when you fall asleep in Baby, everything he does for you has been giving you false hope. He’s been leading you on without even realizing it and he can’t believe he had to break your heart to realize the damage he’s been doing to you. He’s sick to his stomach. How could he have been so blind?! Of course you would think he has feelings for you when he was treating you like a girlfriend.

If he thought the guilt was bad before, its nothing compared to now. At least now, he understands the guilt. He walks up to the bar and order more shots of whiskey and tells the bartender to “keep ‘em coming”.

About 4 shots in, a beautiful, busty brunette makes her way over to Dean.

“If its a distraction you need, sugar, all you have to do is ask” she says as she downs one of his shots.

Dean takes one look at her, downs his last shot and leaves the bar with her. He knows going home with the brunette isn’t going to solve anything, but he’s clearly not thinking straight and decides to just “go with the flow”.

The next morning, or rather, early afternoon, you wake up with puffy eyes and a headache. You rub your eyes and take a nice deep inhale and exhale. You’ve had the night to sleep on it and you have come to a conclusion. You decided that your friendship with Dean was way too important to you and something you refuse to lose. So, starting today, you’re going to put your feelings for him aside and be his friend. You now know that his nice gestures were simply that.... nice gestures. They didn’t mean what you thought they meant and maybe if you act like everything is fine, then it will be. You got up and used the bathroom. You made sure to wash your face and tried to get rid those puffy eyes. When you thought you looked semi-presentable, you went out to the kitchen, where you found Sam.

“Morning, Sammy. How was the hunt? How are Jody and the girls doing?”

“Morning, Munchkin.” says Sam as he gets up and gives her a bear hug.

“The hunt was good. Easy vamp nest. Jody and the girls are good, they say “hi” and that they miss you”

“Aww. I miss them too! I’m going to have to go visit them soon.”

As you make your way over to the coffee pot, Sam is looking at you. Even though you’re trying to act as if your heart wasn’t broken, Sam could tell something happened while he was gone because when he got home, the impala wasn’t in the garage and it looks like you have been crying. Sam adores you and sees you as a little sister so if someone hurt you, he’d do anything to protect you.

“Where’s Dean?”

You look at him confused. “Dean’s not here?”

“No. The impala’s not in the garage.” says Sam as he gauges your reaction.

As soon as Sam said that Baby wasn’t in the garage, you immediately felt sick to your stomach.

All you can think is, “I drove him away. Literally. My confession made him so uncomfortable he couldn’t stand to be under the same roof as me. I ruined it. I ruined our friendship. I ruined everything!”

As you’re thinking, your eyes begin to water. You don’t realize it until Sam calls your name.

“Munchkin, are you ok?”

You realize you were staring off into space, so you look at him and will your tears not to fall down your face.

“Y-yeah, I-“

Suddenly, the Bunker door loudly opens and Dean’s footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs. You immediately stiffen and freeze, something Sam doesn’t miss.

Dean walks into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water but stops as soon as he sees you and Sam.

Acting as if nothing’s wrong he says, “Hey Sammy”. He looks at you, swallows hard and says, “Hey, Y/N”.

Those tears you were so desperately trying to keep at bay begin to fall down your face like a waterfall. Dean, almost forgetting what happened the day before, tries to comfort you but you just walk right past him and go straight to your room.

“What happened, Dean?”

Dean is at a loss. He simply shrugs his shoulders and walks past Sam and goes to his room as well.

Once in his room, he takes off his jacket and flannel and goes over to his sink and splashes water over his face. When he looks in the mirror his heart nearly stops, because right there, on the left side of his neck, clear as day, is the hickey the brunette from the night before left on him. He has to take a step back he’s so shocked!

No wonder you left the kitchen with tears cascading down your face. Not only did he reject your feelings and sneak out without you hearing or noticing, but you probably think he purposefully went looking to sleep with anyone that wasn’t you just so he could get your confession out of his head.

If your heart was broken before, it’s shattered into sand now and its all his fault. Tears well up in his eyes and they slowly start to fall down his face as he asks himself, “What have I done?”

@hobby27

@sacrosankta

@22sarah08

@alurits

@multi-fan-lover

[jenovahh]

The Honey Pot - Ch. 29 - A Love Just as Sweet

“You’re sure you don’t need me to come help? No furniture you need to move?”

“I think you’re just looking for an excuse to ditch work, Ardbert.”

“You’re half right. I’m also looking for an excuse to come see my godchild as well.”

“Your godchild is at home with the babysitter, waiting for me to return from the grocery store.” You can’t help but giggle into the phone at Ardbert’s dramatic groan as you pick up a few rolanberries to put in your shopping cart. “You know you’re more than free to visit, Ardbert.” you grin, even if he cannot see it.

“I know, I know. But it’s hard work now being in charge of an entire luxury chauffeur service now that Varis is gone! I may be the boss, but I have employees to manage. Paychecks to write. Won’t you have pity on your poor friend? Won’t you pay for my ticket to Eorzea?” Ardbert bemoans, and already you can envision his melodramatic flare, unable to stop yourself from snorting at his antics.

“Maybe in a few years I’ll be ready to come back to Kugane.” you murmur softly, rolling an apple around in your hand.

“Always at your own pace, Honey.” Ardbert adds warmly, and it’s times like these you do miss your closest friend. “Even if you feel you can never return, I’ll never fault you for it. I’ll always do my best to come see you.”

You prepare to say something back when your phone beeps in your ear. Pulling it from your face, you see you have an incoming call. “Hey Ardbert, I’ll call back later. I’ve got an important call coming in.”

“No problem, talk to you later, Honey.”

Tapping on the screen, you transfer the call over, bringing your phone to your ear again as you continue to amble around the grocery store. “And what do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet a friend?” Cid scoffs, just as, if not more dramatic than Ardbert.

“It’s a way to greet this friend.” You laugh, nabbing some chips off the shelf. You were getting pretty low on snacks.

“I called to check in on you and also deliver some news. Are you busy?”

“I’m a full time mother, Cid. When am I not busy?” you joke, making your way to the meat department. “After all, my days are filled with diaper changes and games of peekaboo. Exciting stuff.”

“Boring, but peaceful.” Cid supplies, giving out his sage wisdom as usual. “But on a more serious note, is all well?”

Was all well?

It had been a year since your coming to Eorzea, landing yourself a fairly decent sized house in the Gridanian countryside. While off the grid, you were still afforded modern amenities, such as high speed internet and cable TV. Every so often you would have to work your way into the city to run a few errands, just like you are today. You would usually call up one of your trusted neighbors to come over and babysit to put some spare change in their pocket.

You had woken up in the hospital alone, feeling as if you had been hit by a truck while getting ran over by a train, and somehow managed to live. Merlwyb and Cid were the first to barge in your room at news you had woken from your sleep, having feared you would fall into a coma from the damage to your body, or even the damage to your mind.

There was hardly a day that either of them wasn’t at your side, working in shifts almost until Ardbert had even managed to convince them to squeeze in on the rotation. Ardbert’s presence helped break down the walls you had immediately put up upon waking, spending an entire night sobbing into his arms, finally allowing yourself to mourn everything you had lost.

With his help did you get yourself to therapy, Ardbert there with you every step of the way on the road to recovery.

When you reached a point where you felt stable enough to confront all that had happened, you had asked the three of them to tell you what had been going on since that day.

Cid and Merlwyb were quick to hold off the local news of misconstruing facts, Cid telling them to wait until he could get back to his home and compile all the evidence the public needed. The entire city was in an uproar, Varis’ most loyal followers spewing hate and lies to try and convince the public that everything was a ruse and that Cid was the one to cause the explosion at the research facility.

There seemed to be no hope in sight until an unsuspecting witness came to the front.

Gaius of all people had given his testimony, exposing every bit of collusion and dirty deals Varis had a hand in, debunking every lie that Varis had ever spewed, every promise he had intended to break. He had offered himself up for arrest for taking part in Varis’ crimes, even if he had been manipulated into thinking it was for the better of Kugane.

But with Varis gone, and his heir missing, what would happen to Galvus industries?

Cid would receive everything from the corporation, from shares to assets to the building itself. Cid, being the philanthropist he is, decided there was no use of him having so much extra wealth on top of what he already had, and decided to spend the rest of his days giving the money to charities and actually improving the city he now called home.

Said city of course let Lord Hien serve another term. Lord Hien, being an honest man, did not hide his taking part of your operation to stop Varis. With full transparency he informed the public of why he made the decisions he did, assuring them he had not taken out Varis for power, but had kept a tyrant from taking over their country.

When you ask what had become of Elidibus, everyone only stares at you in confusion. You try to describe him to the best of your ability, but all it seems to do is make people more concerned for your mental health by trying to make them remember someone who never existed. Hoping you had not gone off the deep end, it is only when you try to search for him on the internet do you realize his entire existence has been erased.

No notes of him being prime minister of Garlemald, no notes of him having a casual friendship with Vris. As if he had been a figment of your imagination.

Only when you reach for the back of your neck and feel the telltale pulse of your tattoo do you know it wasn’t all a dream.

Taking a deep breath, you finally answer Cid. “I...am well.”

“Good,” Cid breathes, and just hearing his voice makes you yearn for his company. You hope he’ll visit soon. “All good on funds? Need any extra change?”

“Cid, you already wire me nearly 500,000 gil a month; I couldn’t do anything else with more of it.” You grumble as you pick up some chicken breasts and place them in your basket.

“Hey, that money isn’t just for you. I know you want to keep baby Aldynn a secret, but he is still the rightful heir of the Galvus inheritance, and with me in charge of the funds I’ll ensure he gets it. The best time to start saving for college is now,”

“Cid.” you sigh, padding your way to prepare to checkout. Thankfully the lines aren’t too long this time of day. “Aldynn is barely a year old. I don’t have to start thinking about college for another decade and a half.”

“I know, I know…” Cid grumbles, and you can’t help but feel a little bad. Cid really did mean well, being every bit the overprotective uncle you knew he’d be. “I just worry. And I miss you.”

Smiling sadly, you begin to hand your items to the cashier to checkout. “I miss you too, Cid.”

“And better me to call you than Merlwyb, eh? You know we’re practically monitoring her bank account to make sure she hasn’t bought another round trip ticket to Eorzea.” Cid laughs, prompting you to snicker as you hand your payment to the cashier.

“I don’t know what she worries so much for...she really should work through her guilt…” you muse quietly, thanking the cashier as they help load your bags back into your basket.

“She will, in time. Granted, I'm sure the statue they are about to erect of Raubahn down at the police station will reopen some old wounds for a little bit.” Cid laments, both of you silent for a second. “You may be seeing her come over sooner than you’d like. Your statue,”

You stop in place as you glare angrily at the phone glued to the side of your face. “My statue?”

“Shit,” Cid curses under his breath. “Yeah, I fucked that one up. Sorry, Honey.” Cid apologizes, but you’re already fuming as you make your way out to the parking lot.

“I already said I didn’t want a statue! That Chief Raubahn was the only one who deserved it for his sacrifice!” You huff and puff, practically throwing your groceries into your trunk in frustration.

“I know, I know, but you know Merlwyb can be very convincing and very intimidating…” Cid winces as he tries to calm you down. “It’s just going to be a nice little statue in one of the parks, I promise. Merlwyb was prepared to give you an entire fountain--”

“Well thanks for making her show some restraint.” You drone sarcastically, slamming the trunk lid closed. You swear you were going to give that woman a piece of your mind. “Anyway, I appreciate the call Cid. I’m about to drive back home and cook dinner. Gotta send the babysitter on their way.”

“Of course, Honey. Take care.”

The call ends and you pull out of the parking lot, driving your humble car back out of the city. You took to Gridania almost immediately, the climate not too different from Kugane, though the entire country was packed with trees and native flora. You didn’t mind it though, having picked up gardening as a little side hobby as a result. You most likely wouldn’t try and go back into any line of work until baby Aldynn started going to school, which wouldn’t be for a few years yet.

Adjusting to an entirely new life hadn’t been easy, but you needed to just get away from everything. When you were fit to be released from the hospital after the whole ordeal, the outside of the hospital was packed with press, so much so that the only way out of there undetected was with Ardbert’s help since he wasn’t as prominent a figure as Cid or Merlwyb.

You were dodging letters and emails and phone calls every hour of every day it felt like, people badgering you about how you stayed undercover for so long, about how you had saved Merlwyb from being killed alongside Raubahn, about your supposed romance with the heir who had mysteriously gone missing--

It was Lyse and Y’Shtola’s idea that you leave Kugane.

You couldn’t have been any happier to finally reunite with them, the two of them crying their eyes out as they are finally allowed to see you, weeping about how they saw you on the news and how worried they were and for you to never leave their sight again.

You had thought to do just that, but even they could see your mental health continue to deteriorate. You couldn’t even leave your own apartment for fear of being recognized in public, unsure if people would question your “heroic deeds” or ask you things far too personal to answer. It was with their encouragement you got the idea to leave the country and start anew, and what better time to do so when you were halfway through your pregnancy? A pregnancy that against all odds, your unborn child had been just as strong as its parents.

Which, as hard as it was for you to admit, made you wonder if Aldynn would have some kind of freakish strength as he got older. No matter how many doctors checked you, after the sting operation, they said that both mother and baby were the perfect picture of health. While you were overjoyed that you would not have to deal with the trauma of a miscarriage, you can’t steer your mind from darker thoughts that your baby might have been the invincible weapon Varis had been hoping for.

Pulled from your thoughts as your phone rings, you activate the hands free calling, noticing it is your babysitter. “Hello, Zhloe. I know you’re probably eager to get home, I just left the grocery store a little while ago--”

“Oh don’t worry about it! Aldynn is safe with his father!”

Your heart stops.

“Excuse me?” you ask, voice tight but making sure to not lose your cool. While an adult, Zhloe was a very kindhearted, yet unfortunately naive individual. She lived with her younger sister down the road where they ran an animal sanctuary, the two of them orphaned when they were young but maintaining their good hearts regardless.

“Yes! I had left the house a little while ago, but a man knocked on the door. I asked who he was and he told me he was looking for you. I told him very nicely to go away at first because I thought he was a stranger, but when I got a good look at him through the window, I saw he looked just like Aldynn. I asked how he knew you, and he said he was Aldynn’s father.”

Your foot floors the gas before you can stop yourself. You had told her nothing of your past; for all you knew whatever stranger she let in your house could be out for revenge. “Zhloe, I hate to tell you this, but Aldynn’s father,”

“It’s okay, Ms. Honey, I won’t tell anybody! When I asked him questions about you, he answered all of them and that made me sure he wasn’t a stranger. I’ll admit, I had always wondered about Aldynn’s father, but it makes sense he was off in the military like he said. If you guys ever need a date night, just give me a call! He’s so handsome too...you really hit the jackpot!”

“Zhloe, wait--”

“I’m going to get dinner ready for me and Khloe. Have a good night!”

The phone call ends, and you decide not to try and call back to not worry the poor woman. She surely meant well, but you can’t stop your heart from leaping out of your chest as you turn onto the road that has you exit the city and leads to your countryside home.

It’s not possible, you keep telling yourself as you blaze down the street, passing cars like you’re in a street race. Could one of Varis’ old goons have found you, wanting revenge? Would they hold your baby hostage? It’s not possible, it’s not possible--

You’re practically drifting into the driveway of your home, kicking up dirt as you wrench the car to a stop, practically flailing as you kick the car door open. “Aldynn!” You cry. You can see the light on in his room upstairs. Your baby is in danger, he’s in danger--

Shoving the keys into the lock, you fling the door open, running down the entrance hallway and straight into the living room. Your living room is completely empty and you can see nobody in the kitchen or dining area. The house is quiet, not even the sound of your baby crying. Did they already get him? Is he gone--

“I would keep it down,” a voice calls from upstairs, “our son is sleeping.”

It’s not possible.

Halfway near tears, you numbly climb the stairs, afraid of what you might find.

You know that voice.

A single light fills the hallway from Aldynn’s room, and you hear not so much as a whimper from your babe. He knows he is safe, knows he is in no danger.

It’s not possible.

Reaching the doorway, Aldynn’s room is exactly as you left it, and so is your son. Not a hair out of place, his chubby face relaxed and asleep, entirely content in the muscular arms of the man who rocks him gently in his arms. With golden hair like your son’s adorning the man’s shoulders, there is no doubt of who is holding your child.

Blue eyes land upon you, twinkling with mirth. Pouty, pink lips pull into a taunting smile.

“Hello, my love.”

[snowdice]

Road Trips and Missing Persons (Part 5)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Patton & Virgil, Virgil & Deceit, Logan & Patton, Emile & Remy

Characters: Patton, Virgil, Deceit, Remus, Roman, Logan, Emile, Remy

Summary: Patton was just getting groceries. The next thing he knew, there was a knife at his throat and he was an unwilling uber driver. Virgil’s on the run after the murder of his dad, and it’s not just his paranoia that’s telling him he’s being chased down. He has to get somewhere safe, somewhere he can trust, and all he has is a couple of stories from his dad and a name: “Green Bellow Foods and Dispensary.”

Notes: Secret Agents AU, knives, carjacking, kidnapping, murder mentioned, guns mentioned, pepper spray, blood mentioned, drugs mentioned (more to be added)

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve affectionately named it the Goblin Brain Fic because it’s helping my brain actually get motivated for studying. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 My Master Post

Emile hummed a quick tune as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot near his apartment. He’d just finished his last session of the day with Kai and Remy had asked that he watch Virgil this evening after work and possibly this weekend, so Emile was picking up something to cook for dinner before heading over there. He was going to grab ingredients to make Virgil’s favorite dinner, spaghetti and meatballs (well his actual favorite dinner was pineapple pizza from the local pizza joint, but Emile wanted to serve the boy something at least somewhat healthy for once in his life.)

That in mind, he went straight to the pasta aisle. While contemplating which of the spaghetti noodles he should grab, he noticed a man with a cart also perusing the aisle. He glanced at the contents of the man’s cart. “That’s a lot of cheese there friendo,” he commented.

“I’m trying to make homemade macaroni and cheese,” the man divulged with a smile.

“That’s always fun,” Emile replied, smiling back himself.

“I’ve never done it before. Do you have any suggestions for noodles?”

“Hmm… how about shell ones?”

“Ooo, like the boxed Velveeta shell macaroni, but better!” He enthused. “Aw! They have mini ones!” He snatched the box excitedly. “They’re so cute!”

“They are,” Emile agreed as he finally selected the whole wheat store brand spaghetti and slid it into his cart.

“Thanks for the suggestion! Have a nice day,” the man said and turned to leave.

“Bye!” Emile called after him.

He then continued on his quest, grabbing pasta sauce and a lot of fresh vegetables to sneak into the canned sauce as well as to leave in his brother’s home with the hopes that either his brother or his nephew might actually eat something healthy for once if it was right there. (Doubtful, but Emile could hope.)

He then spent an inordinate amount of time, debating which popcorn to get. Emile was thinking tonight would be a good night for movies with Virgil, and Virgil’s favorite snack was popcorn. He really should get the less buttery one, but he knew that Virgil liked buttery popcorn more. Perhaps he should compromise and get plain popcorn, but that one healthier ranch flavored powder topping that he liked. Decided, he grabbed the popcorn and the topping and went to exit the snack food aisle. “Hey,” a man with a mustache drew his attention away from his task. “My friend lost his little brother in the store. Have you seen a younger teenager walking alone around here? We think he might have gone to the snack food aisle.

Emile frowned. “Nope I haven’t seen anyone. I hope you find him soon.”

 “Thanks,” the man said already distracted with looking around again.

“Maybe try the front desk,” Emile suggested. “They could call over the intercom.”

“My brother’s already there,” the man replied waiving the suggestion off. “But thanks.”

“Well good luck!” Emile said as the man walked away towards the back of the store.

Gee, it took him almost 40 minutes to get groceries, he realized when he glanced at his phone in the checkout aisle. He shouldn’t let himself get that distracted.

Once he’d paid for the groceries, he took everything to his car and shoved them in the backseat. Right as he was about to stick the key in the ignition, he got a text message from his secretary.

‘Kai forgot his phone in your couch again, but your office is locked. Are you able to swing by really quick to let him in?’

He texted back ‘Sure! I’ll be there in 5.’ He wasn’t going to keep Kai away from his phone for the night and it wasn’t like the groceries he’d grabbed were extremely time sensitive. So, he drove back to the office.

Kai seemed thankful for his willingness to drive all the way back even if his ‘thank you’ was rather distracted as he was already typing something on his phone the moment after Emile handed it back to him.

He said goodbye to Kai and to his secretary and hopped back into his car intending to drive to Remy’s house. He’d just started the car when his phone started to ring.

“Yello,” he said cheerfully.

“Emile,” the serious voice greeted on the other end of the line. “This is Logan Sanders.”

Emile sobered immediately. “Hi Logan. Is something wrong? Do you have a patient for me?”

“No, actually,” Logan said. “It’s… about your brother.”

Emile froze. “What about my brother?” he asked. “Remy is on light duty.”

“He was yes,” Logan said. “However, there was a complication.”

“What type of complication?” Emile said and a bit of anger came to his tone unbidden.

“He was specifically targeted,” Logan said, and despite the calm way he spoke, Emile could detect the distress in his tone. “I’m very sorry, but he’s dead.”

“Oh, god. What about Virgil?”

“That’s the other thing,” Logan continued. “As soon as I heard of Mr. Gates death, I dispatched an agent to his home for protection, but when he arrived, his son was not there. There were signs of a break-in, but the perpetrator’s car was still there, and my agent believes Virgil fled the scene and was followed on foot. My agent is currently searching for him…”

“There’s a ‘but,’” Emile concluded.

There was a slight pause, just enough to tell Emile he wasn’t nearly as unaffected as he was pretending to be. “I haven’t heard from that specific agent in over half an hour.”

“Okay,” Emile gulped, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. There were hundreds of explanations for that, but many of them were bad. “Okay. I’ll go look myself since I know him and where he might go. I’ll,” his voice cracked a bit. “Call you if I find anything.”

“Alright, and I’ll…” but whatever Logan was going to say was lost as a hand touched Emile’s shoulder.

Emile screamed and tossed his phone as he accidently slammed his elbow into the car horn making it blare.

“Calm down! It’s just me,” said a voice.

“Frickin Frozone shitake mushrooms terrible tigger fish paste and cabbages, Remington!”

“You could curse like a normal person, Emile.”

“And you could not break into my car like a normal person,” Emile shot back turning around in his seat to face his older brother. “I’ll presume you’re not dead then.”

“Aw, were you worried about me?” he asked.

Violence is never the answer. At least that’s what he told his patients. Emile punched his shoulder the best he could from this angle. It clearly didn’t hit too hard as Remy just laughed.

“Sorry, Em,” he said reaching forward to ruffle his hair. Emile slapped him away.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Mega Bitch Ex decided she wanted me shot in the head and I decided I didn’t want that.”

“What does that mean?” Emile asked.

“It means,” Remy answered. “I faked my own death and while she thought I was dead,” he dug something out of his pocket and dangled it in front of him. It was a flash drive. “I stole this.”

“What is it?”

“Super-secret spy business.”

“Remy.”

“All that matters is she really shouldn’t have it and Logan will be very happy I got it away from her.”

“Speaking of Logan…” Emile had dropped his phone when Remy had surprised him, and the call had ended. He picked up the phone. “I should call him back.”

The phone was slapped out of his hand the second his picked it up.

“What the kriffing kriff Remy?”

“Please just say fuck. I beg of you,” Remy groaned. The phone starting ringing again from its place on the floor. Doubtlessly it was Logan since the last thing he’d heard was Emile screaming like he was being murdered.

“I need to answer that, Remy,” Emile said with a frown.

“You can’t. It’s too risky.”

“You literally just said you stole it for Logan. Why can’t I just answer the phone, say Remy’s fine actually, and he has a super-secret spy flash drive to give to you?”

“Because you don’t say shit like that over the telephone,” Remy told him while starting to wiggle his way into the front seat. “We’re going to take this thing to Logan in person and no one can know I’m alive until then.”

“I know you’re alive,” Emile pointed out.

Remy grabbed Emile’s phone when it stopped ringing and hit the power button to turn it off. He stuck it into his pocket. “Family doesn’t count,” Remy said. “…Also, I needed a ride.”

“Are you really going to keep my phone hostage this whole time and also what happened to your car?”

“It… uh… blew up,” Remy said. Emile stared at him blankly. “Yeah… so, anyway.”

“What do you mean it blew up?” Emile asked.

“I said ‘anyway.’”

“Saying ‘anyway’ doesn’t mean I just magically forget what you just said.”

Remy waved that off. “Anyway,” he said again. “We’ll have to pick up Virgil and … do something with him. I’m not leaving him home alone during this.”

“Right. I assume since you’re not dead that Virgil isn’t actually missing,” Emile concluded.

But instead of agreeing and telling Emile where Virgil was to go pick him up, there was silence. “Virgil is what?”

Want to read more? Click below!

Part 6

[taterfics]

Numb

Me

Can you focus on me?

Baby, can you focus on me? Babe

Hands in the soap

Have the faucet's running and I keep looking at you

Stuck on your phone and you're stuck in your zone

You don't have a clue

But I don't wanna give up

The powerful vibration of her cell phone on the kitchen counter pulled Gina Perez out of her dazed state, dark eyes cutting to the screen, which was face up and shattered to shit, though she could tell what was there with very little difficulty. It was the face of her boyfriend, Erik Stevens. There was a picture of her and him at one of the many parties he managed to drag her to, his arm casually thrown across her shoulder with a gigantic smile on his face. He didn’t have his usual gold fangs in, the event being last minute and not giving him any time to prepare his outfit. She was dressed in her outfit of scrubs and a headwrap, as she herself had been at work. They looked so happy. She looked so happy.

Now, she was just numb.

The soft clink of the tiny metal chains attached to her dress filled her ears as she shifted from one cheek to the other, the hard surface of her kitchen floor sending a pins and needles sensation shooting up her right leg. Her brand new wig was tossed across the floor, sprawled over her red bottoms, bought by the owner of the very face that looked as if it hadn’t left the screen of her phone for the past hour. Back to back, he called, and not once did she answer.

How could she? What would she say? The past three hours had been so painful, so bizarre that she couldn’t help but feel that she’d slipped into some alternate nightmare specially designed to torture her. Her throat hurt from screaming, her hands stung from crawling across a glass covered street, and she smelled like smoke. Her house was a mess, more from the deliberate destructive rage she’d gone in and destroyed every single thing in sight that wasn’t firmly in place or bolted to the wall than usual wear and tear. The only thing that looked as if it was still standing was a single painting on the wall, a painting of her and her younger cousin, Kaya. 

Kaya.

A lump formed in her throat as her cousin’s harsh words filled her ears

“You just mad because for once, I got what you wanted before you did!” 

Drunk and staggering, the woman that had stood before her looked nothing like the girl that had grown up with her, the girl that Gina and her mother had taken off the streets, cleaned up, and watched walk down a path of self-destruction, always ready to pick her up and brush her off before sending her back on her way. 

Sadly, three hours before, she’d made her last stop, just as she had seemed ready to turn around and run back to them. Gina remembered her cousin's pleading screams as she tried to break the car window with her fists, trapped in the blazing inferno that was Gina's ex-boyfriend's car.

She'd stepped so far out of her character that she found it hard to believe that it was her, when she saw the videos plastered over the news. Instead of saying it was a tragedy, a shame, the news painted them as ghetto hood rats fighting outside of a nightclub, pulling hair and throwing drinks. Sure, they actually had been doing that, but it took away from what had happened.

Her cousin was *dead*. Burnt to a crisp in that car that Gina had to be forcibly removed from on top of before anything worse happened. She’d watched her cousin being rolled away in a *body bag*, the sounds of her aunt’s screams in her ears causing them to ring before she promptly turned her back to the scene and vomited all over the pavement, all over the expensive leather shoes that Erik had bought her on their anniversary.

Honestly, she couldn’t even remember how she got home? Everything after that moment had been a blur, and no matter how many times she'd tried to unblock that part of her memory in the past twenty minutes, it just didn’t seem to be right. Instead, her mind wandered to the day Kaya became a more permanent fixture in her life. ….

When her daddy left her mother, Gina thought that would be the last time she’d ever see her mother cry. No matter what had ever happened, she never saw her La’Toyah shed a tear, not even when her grandmother died. She just seemed to sit there, motionless until everyone left her alone. Only then, in the dead of the night, when she thought no one heard her, did her mother let the tears fall. Gina never saw them, but there was only so much a pillow could muffle. But now, standing in front of her Auntie Patricia, her mother’s tears ran freely, eyes bloodshot and knuckles bruised.

Kaya and Auntie Patricia had come over for dinner because they hadn’t seen even an inkling of their presence in over a year and the two sisters ran into one another at the grocery store. When Gina saw Kaya, they hugged each other fiercely, and that was when she noticed it. 

The wince.

When she lifted her arms to hug her cousin, she’d flinched away from her, almost as if she thought that Gina was going to hurt her. When asked if she would be okay, Kaya simply laughed it off and made a joke about the pranks they used to play on one another. They both laughed, but Kaya’s didn’t seem to quite reach her eyes. Little incidents went on like that for a while until the two of them were at the local park, where they’d wandered off to goof off out of the eyes of their parents. 

Many things happened, and while they were on the swings, Kaya fell down and hurt her arms, and Gina had to literally fight with her to check and see if she was bleeding, and that’s when she saw it. 

Cigarette burns. 

Kaya had cigarette burns all up her arms, leading all the way up to her elbows! After a long silence, Gina simply stood up and bolted home, screaming for her mother the entire way there. Kaya was on her heels, shushing her, but Gina was too fast for her. Before she could find her mother, though, she ran right into her aunt. The words jumbled out of her mouth, her aunt’s cheerful expression taking on a much darker tone and before she knew it, her aunt looked downright furious. With no explanation, she immediately turned on Kaya, her cousin’s back smacking against the exterior of the house as Patricia screamed at her about “talking out of my house” and “making up stories”. Neither of them seemed to notice Gina running to get her mother, who was in the bathroom. 

When they returned, Kaya was holding her cheek and Patricia was getting ready to hit her again when Latoyah pounced on her. The two sisters fought in the yard until they were able to be yanked apart by to neighbors, Patricia going to grab Kaya but the younger girl shrinking away from her mother’s hang and both Gina and her mother using themselves as a physical barricade to stop her from advancing further. 

After that day, they didn’t see Patricia again for years, La’Toyah telling them both that she was sick and needed help. With time, Kaya reconnected with her mother, and many of the woman’s bad habits rubbed off on her daughter. She became increasingly worse until before they knew it, Kaya had become the same woman who they’d literally fought to get her away from.

... Erik

For the first time in his life, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens could say that he was utterly, terribly, afraid. He’d raised more hell in the past four hours than he had the entire time he’d been in Wakanda, but it had been for a reason.

His reason. Honestly, if anything happened to Régine, he would never get over it, and never forgive himself. Currently, he was pacing the length of one of T’Challa’s overly expensive ass private jets, and the Dora Milaje soldiers that had been assigned to watch his every move looked more nervous the more agitated he became. He’d already screamed at Shuri to hurry the fuck up and fly the plane, to which she responded with language that he was both taken aback by and responsible for. 

She wasn’t answering her phone and that was what worried him the first time. Usually, when she went out, she made sure to call him as soon as she got in her parking lot. She’d sit in the car and they’d talk until she realized she needed to be in the house. But tonight, it didn’t happen. Tonight, of all nights, when he watched viral videos and he saw his girlfriend plastered on the news, scrapping with some bitch in her “freakum dress” and the heels he bought her for their anniversary. She wasn’t even wearing her wig when she took on three bitches at a time and shots rang out in the night before there was nothing more. There were no reported injuries, and while that should’ve calmed his mind, it didn’t at all. 

It wasn’t like Régine not to answer her phone, and even though he’d been told multiple times that he was overreacting, by the third time he called her and she didn’t answer, he was packing his shit and getting ready to get the fuck out of Wakanda. He didn’t care how many elders he disrespected or how many foreign dignitaries he disappointed by not showing up, he needed to get to Oakland.

“I’m sure she will be alright, Erik.” In the time that he’d been spending in Wakanda, he’d gotten really close with Okoye of all people. She didn’t just take his shit when he was having a bad day or allow him to vent when he was acting a damn fool. She called him out on it, told him he sounded dumb, and sent him on his way. Just like Régine. Sadly, even Okoye’s reassurances weren’t enough to stop him from picking up his phone and calling her again. 

Fifty seven times. He’d called Régine fifty-seven times before he got an answer, and the one that greeted him wasn’t one he’d wanted to see. The sun peeking over the horizon seemed to be mocking him as he sent a pointed look at the last person he wanted to see.

….

Régine

“Heeeeey Erik.” Crowding at her grandmother’s house seemed to be on everyone’s mind the morning after everything that had happened. Many of her family members, both distant and not, shot her nasty looks when they thought she wasn’t looking. She wasn’t even sure she blamed them. If she had done more, if it hadn’t ended up in a fight, maybe Kadejah would be with them all. She’d gotten so much hate on the internet following everything that had happened that her cousin. Ericka, forcibly took her phone away from her to take her mind off of what had happened. 

“Ericka where Régine at?” Her cousin rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. 

“Well good morning to you too, Erik. I’m doing fine, thanks for asking.” She could practically hear him rolling his eyes, even though she could barely make out what was being said. Ericka seemed to be telling him everything that had happened, from the twerk contest to the fight in the parking lot, to Kadejah asking Régine for money to buy drugs and the fight that followed that. It was all a hot ass mess, then it got even worse. 

Mayno, Régine’s ex-boyfriend, decided that he would take an interest in Kadejah. Everyone from anywhere knew that he was no good, but he was 6’4, light skinned, with pretty teeth and a big dick, and that was all many women needed to hear, even Régine at a time. He was sloppy drunk, and likely hopped up on pills and he asked Kadejah if she wanted to come to his house and chill. Neither of them seemed to be in any shape to drive, so Régine grabbed her cousin and said that she would take her home, that she had no business in the car with a guy like Mayno anyway. Kadejah used that moment to laugh and brag in her cousin’s face, and they got into a screaming match that ended with Kadejah accusing Régine of wanting Mayno back. They left together and it took everything in Régine not to run behind the car and snatch her cousin out of the passenger’s seat. 

That was when the shots rang out. Somebody else had gotten into a fight whilst she and Kadejah were arguing and someone started shooting. Everything happened so fast after that. The gunfire died down, there was the screeching of tires, and the next thing she knew, Mayno’s car was T-Boned by a box Chevy on 26’s. By the time she’d run to the car, Mayno was already dead and Kadejah was clearly concussed. She could barely register Régine screaming for her to try and unlock the door, which was bent in anyway. 

Once she’d realized that Kadejah was in no state to think for herself, she attempted to break the glass by any means necessary. She tried using her shoe, her elbow, her clutch, anything that she could find. She wasn’t even able to put a crack in it. She didn’t even notice the crowd gathering around her until a pair of sturdy arms wrapped around her waist, attempting to hoist her away from the car. She was so hysterical, she began kicking and screaming, hitting them multiple times with her purse until she heard him call for backup and she was carried off of the scene by firefighters waiting for the police to come, which they didn’t for nearly twenty minutes later. By that time, it was too late and Kadejah was gone. 

“-m just saying. If it was my cousin, I wouldn’t be on the ground screaming, I would be trying to save her.”

There it was. It wasn’t that she hadn’t done anything. It was that she hadn’t done enough. Her family felt that she was being too emotional and not trying to help her cousin. They blamed her for this, she knew it.

“Come on, baby. Let’s go outside.” Her mother’s voice in her ear was everything it took not to leap at her cousin’s girlfriend and beat the hell out of her. It took a little bit of effort, but the woman was able to get her daughter out the back door and away from all the noise of the family.

….

Erik

When he finally got a glimpse of Régine, it felt like he was seeing the sun for the first time. Everything inside his body seemed to unfurl and all was right in the world. Except, it wasn’t.

In the years that he had been with Régine, he barely ever saw her cry, It was almost as if she had some personal vendetta against doing so. As if she felt that him seeing her cry would diminish her value somehow. He didn’t get it, but it didn’t matter. Now, he was at a loss. 

He could tell the tell tale signs of a breakdown coming. Pacing, hands shaking like she’s trying to air dry them, and the heavy breathing. Once the breathing started, it wouldn’t stop until she started crying. It was very hard to watch and before he knew it, he was stepping over a hedge and pulling her into his arms. 

The way she melted into him was almost seamless, and within seconds, she began to cry. It wasn’t like usual, a little tear here and there, trying to compose herself. Now she simply let loose, snotting and screaming into his shirt, her nails digging into his skin. All the while, he held on, squeezing her like a vice. Looking up, he saw her mother staring down at the two of them, a sad expression on her face. Leaning over and placing a light peck on his cheek, she gave him a couple pats on the shoulder, mouthing that he needed to take her home. 

Hoisting her up into his arms, he made his way over to where the Dora were all standing, looking over the scene with varying levels of sympathy and concern. With added research, they were able to find out what the issue was and they understood. Régine had always been close to her cousin, always talked about her to anyone that would listen, and now that she was gone, the next while would be very hard for her. He planned to be there every step of the way, though, just like she had been for him when his mother died. 

“It’s gone be okay, Ma.” She sniffed, offering nothing further as he placed a kiss on her cheek. 

It would be okay.

It had to be.

[paladin-lynx]

SquipJere Week 2020, Day 3: Dance Dance Revolution

@squipjerebmc’s SquipJere Week 2020 Day 3: Dance Dance Revolution

Ships Involved: The SQUIP x Jeremy Heere (Technical Difficulties/Squipemy/Squeremy/JereSquip/SquipJere), Jake Dillinger x Christine Canigula (UpStage/ChrisJake), Jeremy Heere x Brooke Lohst (Puppy Love)

Setting: Canonverse, set in the time interval between “Loser Geek Whatever” and “Halloween”.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Implied child abuse; non-graphic mentions of vomiting; kissing and mentions of kissing

Author’s Notes: I actually had no ideas for this one at first, and then it turned into my longest piece so far for the week! I love DDR and games like it, so this was really fun to write, even if a lot of it is set-up. Enjoy!

Jeremy could only put off hanging out with Rich for so long. For someone who was once so eager to grab Jeremy and stuff him into a locker that was much too small for him, now Rich was way too enthusiastic about meeting up with Jeremy outside of school.

Unfortunately, it was still too early in their ‘friendship’ – could they really call it that? Was it possible to be friends with the guy who had been bullying you constantly for the past two years? – for Jeremy to feel comfortable going over to Rich’s house. Besides, he didn’t want to have to deal with Rich’s dad, who seemed like a nightmare. Jeremy would rather not have a beer bottle thrown at his head or be accused of being Rich’s secret boyfriend. Despite all the torment Rich had put him through, Jeremy couldn’t help feeling a bit bad. He could tell through their connection that Rich definitely didn’t have an easy time at home. Jeremy’s dad was an embarrassment at worst, but Rich’s was dangerous at worst, and nobody deserved that.

So instead of hanging out after school, Jeremy suggested that they do something on a Saturday. Rich, from what Jeremy could glean, tended to spend his weekends out of the house, usually with Jake. And Jeremy wasn’t exactly familiar with the ‘cool places’ in town they could go to, so he left that decision up to Rich and just prayed it would be something he could handle. There were only a handful of places that he ventured out to when he ventured out at all: the park, the old dumpy arcade, the grocery store, and the mall. The rest of town, despite living here for sixteen years, was something of a mystery to him.

Rich would definitely pick a place that would help Jeremy be deemed as cool, because Rich was cool. And Jeremy bet that Rich’s SQUIP was helping him pick, if it was anywhere near as bossy as his own.

So it came as a surprise to Jeremy when Rich said they should hit up the local Dave & Buster’s. It was like the old dumpy arcade, except less old and dumpy.

Jeremy’s SQUIP didn’t have anything against it, so plans were made. But of course because Rich was going, Jake was going and bringing Christine along. And because Jake was going, Chloe was going. And because Chloe was going, Brooke was going. And because Brooke was going, Jenna was going.

So suddenly this casual hangout with Rich felt a lot more daunting. Because it was no longer just with Rich, who was more than enough on his own for Jeremy to handle.

Nonetheless, the SQUIP urged him not to bail out. “That won’t look good at all,” it warned. “And this is your chance to be in an environment where your…geekier interests and their popular tastes overlap. You can’t give up this opportunity.”

And so Saturday came. The SQUIP convinced Jeremy to eat something before he left despite Jeremy feeling like if he put anything into his stomach, it would immediately come right back up. But by some miracle – or a certain supercomputer’s influence – he managed to get down a half-decent meal, and then off he went. The SQUIP told Jeremy to take his father’s car, since it was highly unlikely the man would notice, and it was of course more convenient than waiting for a bus or having to pay for an Uber.

Jeremy had never actually been to this place before, although from what he could recall it was relatively new. Or maybe it wasn’t, and he just hadn’t cared to notice it because he and a certain hoodie-loving ex-friend of his preferred the local arcade, even if it was more run-down and much less crowded. Or maybe that was why they preferred it.

Because as Jeremy set foot into Dave & Buster’s, he was immediately overwhelmed by the blaring music, the bright neon lights of the countless games, and the crowd of people mulling about.

“Oh God…” he mumbled, feeling his stomach turn.

The SQUIP flickered into existence beside him, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’s a Saturday,” it reminded. “This was bound to be the busiest day.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that? I don’t…do big groups of people, you know that!”

“Maybe it’s time to change that. It may benefit you to have an audience.”

“An aud—”

“Heere!” Jeremy’s protest was cut off by a familiar voice and he turned to see Rich bounding up to him with the rest of the popular kids in tow. Great, he was the last to arrive, but maybe he could brush it off as being fashionably late, even though he was pretty sure he was actually a few minutes early. And it was then that Jeremy also realized that he had been speaking out loud to his SQUIP, and he received a small fizzle of static against his back as a reminder to think at the supercomputer while he was around his new group of apparent friends.

“Uh, hey, Rich,” Jeremy returned, fighting back the urge to smack himself for how lame of a greeting that was. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were all here already. Hope you weren’t waiting long.”

Rich shrugged. “Nah, it’s chill. We were just wandering around checking out all the games.” He grinned and elbowed Jake in the side. “Jakey D here tried to use his fake ID at the bar and got caught.”

Jake’s cheeks flushed and he lightly shoved at Rich. “Only because you look like you’re still in middle school!”

Brooke covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. “It was only because Christine apologized and promised it wouldn’t happen again that he didn’t get himself kicked out.”

Christine smiled shyly. “I wouldn’t want the day ruined before it even started…Besides, who drinks this early in the day anyway?”

The others laughed, to Jake’s chagrin, and Christine absolutely beamed as it sunk in that she’d said something they actually found funny. Well, Chloe wasn’t really laughing, but she was hyper-focused on her phone – with Jenna not-so-subtly trying to snoop over her shoulder – so she might not have even been paying attention. Jeremy realized this place probably wasn’t really her particular speed, but she had come along because, of course, she had to keep tabs on Jake. They weren’t back together, were they? Jake looked like he was still very much with Christine. Or at least ‘courting’ her, if they weren’t actively dating.

And speaking of courting, Brooke chose that moment to saunter over and peck Jeremy on the cheek, making his face warm. “We’re glad you made it, though,” she told him. “And that we didn’t get thrown out and end up leaving you here alone!”

“Ah…” Jeremy gave a nervous chuckle and a little bashful smile. “Y-yeah, I’m glad you didn’t get kicked out. So, uh, what should we do first?”

And off they went. There was a good mix of kids and adults enjoying their Saturday, so Christine made a polite request that they watch their language – which was reiterated after Jeremy beat Rich in air hockey and gave a loud “oh fuck you, tall-ass!”, although Jeremy was pretty sure that the insult was actually more teasing than anything else. It had been quite a match to watch, considering they obviously both had their SQUIPs assisting them. Jeremy tried not to focus on the fact that his SQUIP had laid its hand on top of his to alter his movements when necessary.

Some of the games were rather well-known titles while others were so obscure Jeremy couldn’t help wondering if Michael would know them. They made their way around the entire collection, and to his own surprise Jeremy found himself actually having fun. He was better at the more classic arcade-style games but he still gave the rest a fair shot. Christine, who didn’t seem like she dabbled in video games very much at all, found out she was rather good at Temple Run and some knockoff version of Whac-A-Mole. Rich and Jake of course went right for all the shoot-‘em-up games where they could pretend to blow the heads off of zombies. Jenna was actually pretty talented at the various trivia and timing games, although Jeremy supposed that came from years of sticking her nose into everything. He was pretty sure Chloe didn’t touch a single game in the time they were there, and at one point Brooke tried to drag Jeremy into one of the enclosed games – it was a haunted house or something – to make out, to which he turned bright red and, despite the SQUIP’s insistence in the back of his mind, told her that they shouldn’t abandon the others or they’d get upset.

Jeremy was pretty sure after a couple of hours that they’d gone through almost every game in the building and he was about to suggest that maybe they grab snacks or something, but then Christine suddenly perked up and pointed. “What’s that one?”

They all turned – Jeremy thought he even saw Chloe glance up from her phone – to see a tall game station with a metal platform in front of it, and on the platform were brightly colored arrows.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Is that DDR?”

Jeremy frowned and glanced around at the others before stepping forward to get a better look at the game. “No, I think it’s a knockoff,” he replied, looking up at the top of the cabinet. There was definitely a name there that wasn’t Dance Dance Revolution but it was in too many eye-straining fonts for him to actually make out what it said. His gaze swiveled back down to the arrows on the platform. “DDR has the arrows going left, right, up, and down, but these ones are on the corners.”

He realized a beat too late that implying he had played DDR before was probably not something he should divulge to the cool kids, but when he looked around for his SQUIP, he found it giving him a little smile and nodding in approval.

Before he could react, though, he felt a hard nudge at his back and turned around to see Rich snickering. “Well, go on, tall-ass! Dance for us!”

“What?” Jeremy immediately sputtered in a way he was positive was uncool and his face went bright red. “I-I’m not gonna dance!”

Chloe smirked at him, lowering her phone – why did she have to lower her phone now of all times? – and put a hand on her hip. “Come on, Jere. Since you seem to know about this kind of game.”

Brooke giggled. “It’ll be fun, Jer-bear.”

Christine clasped her hands together, grinning at him, her eyes almost shining. “I’d love to see how you dance, Jeremy.”

Jeremy’s gaze flicked around to each of them and he suddenly felt very cornered, sweat slipping down the back of his neck. However, a wave of calm swiftly fell over him and he released a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. He peeked to the side and saw the SQUIP standing there, giving him a confident smile.

It reached up to gently tap Jeremy’s nose, which felt more like a tiny spark of static. “Come on, dear,” it purred. “Let’s dance.”

He knew there was no getting out of it now, so he sighed, pushing his hair back and shaking his head. “It’s not as if these games actually look like dancing,” he muttered as he plodded up to the platform. “They look more like your legs are spazzing out.”

The rest of the group quickly crowded around, eagerly watching as Jeremy stepped onto the arrows to activate the game and pull up the song list. He could almost feel the confusion as they looked over the options.

“What are these?” Jenna huffed out.

“It looks like Japanese,” Jake commented, tilting his head as if that would help him read the foreign characters better. Or maybe Jake could understand Japanese; Jeremy wouldn’t be surprised, considering how much Jake threw himself into extra skills at school.

Jeremy decided it was better to hold his tongue than admit that he actually did recognize some of these as covers of Vocaloid and Touhou songs. He was pretty sure a few on the list were actually Korean and not Japanese, but he didn’t recognize them regardless. He tapped his foot against one of the arrows to scroll through and see if anything looked particularly interesting.

The SQUIP suddenly held up a hand and Jeremy found himself frozen in place, blinking at the screen. The song title was in Japanese, but upon hearing the rhythm and a few of the words in the preview snippet, he recognized it as a Touhou song, although not one he knew well enough to recall the name of. And it sounded like a remix, nonetheless.

“‘Four Seasons of Loneliness,’” the SQUIP translated, smirking sideways at him. “Pick this one.”

Why?

He got his answer from Brooke: “Sounds hard and fast.”

Ignoring the snicker from Rich at the obvious joke, Jeremy selected the song and was about to begin the game when the SQUIP once again stopped him. With yet another smirk, it upped the difficulty to the max and Jeremy had to keep his jaw from dropping.

“Damn, look at you, J-Man, all confident!” Jake whistled, and Jeremy felt his blood run cold.

I’m going to embarrass myself, he lamented as he confirmed his selection and the loading screen came on. Not only was the difficulty at its highest, but it was set so that he’d have to use every arrow, not those just designated for a single player on one side of the two-player platform.

“No, you won’t,” the SQUIP soothed, appearing in front of him and taking his hands. Jeremy couldn’t help blushing as those familiar cool fingers curled around his already sweaty hands. “Just let me do all the work.”

Jeremy had thought that the SQUIP wanted him to become more independent. Then again, it had also recited his lines for him during play rehearsal so he didn’t have to take the time to memorize them. Maybe this was along the same lines. But this wasn’t going to be like when the SQUIP had led him in a slow waltz – honestly, he wasn’t even sure it had been a waltz, he didn’t know shit about dancing – around the imaginary Hogwarts Great Hall. This was going to be quick-paced – the BPM had been 178 and while Jeremy wasn’t a music expert, he was pretty sure that was fast – and in front of an audience.

So that was what it had meant earlier.

You predicted this, didn’t you? he accused, heart jumping as the first beats of the song came on.

The SQUIP laughed. “Perhaps. Now let’s give your new friends a show.”

The song opened and Jeremy felt like he couldn’t move, frozen with fear like a prey animal, but then suddenly the SQUIP gave his hands a little squeeze and his entire body started moving on its own. It wasn’t the first time the SQUIP had stepped in to autopilot his body but it had never been to move around like this.

He had to make sure to restrain himself from looking too surprised, because as far as the others knew – except for maybe Rich – he was doing this all on his own. So he just swallowed the lump in his throat and let his feet fly across the platform, hitting every arrow in perfect time. When he was on one side of the platform and had to get to an arrow all the way on the other side in less than a millisecond, he was suddenly over there, which he didn’t think would be possible. Even if someone was controlling his body, he was still in no way built to be a dancer. Or at least, a cool and popular one.

He looked up at his SQUIP, who was still holding his hands and grinning widely at him. When Jeremy peeked down, he saw that the SQUIP’s feet were moving in time with his and, unlike when they’d slow-danced and the SQUIP had been dancing in front of him, now their feet blended together.

One of the others whistled and whooped from behind him. “Go, Heere!” Rich called, and Jeremy could feel his excitement buzz through their connection.

And despite his earlier nerves, Jeremy found himself breaking into a grin, adrenaline pumping through his veins. To the others it would seem like he was intently watching the screen, but he was truly just watching his SQUIP in absolute awe. He didn’t even need to know what arrows to press because by the time they popped up in the game, he was already there and moving on to the next arrow.

The SQUIP even let him show off a bit – although could it be considering ‘showing off’ if he wasn’t the one actually doing it? – and threw in a few spins and jumps for flare, earning him more cheers from his friends. He would think that this entire display would be considered rather dorky, but his body was moving so fast that even if the game was childish, his so-called dancing was too unreal for it not to be impressive.

All that existed in that moment was him and his SQUIP. Even the music, upbeat and catchy as it was, faded into the background. It wasn’t like he could understand the lyrics anyway. Jeremy had had moments before when he’d felt unusually close to the SQUIP – he knew, in reality, they were always close considering that the SQUIP was inside his brain – but there had only been a few moments these past few months where he’d really, truly felt in sync with his own personal supercomputer.

And he liked how it felt.

Before he knew it, the song was over and he found himself striking a pose. He realized he was soaked in sweat, but he barely felt winded, although he had a sneaking suspicion that that was the SQUIP’s doing. He looked up at the SQUIP once more, who smiled and stepped back, dipping down to press its lips to the back of Jeremy’s hand. Jeremy was absolutely dumbstruck at the small but notably warm fizzle of static against his skin, but then the SQUIP’s form blinked out of sight and Jeremy found himself staring at the screen with his mouth open in shock.

The last notes of the song faded and his score flashed onto the screen, a chipper female voice declaring, “Yeah, I knew you could do it!” There were quite a number of ‘Perfects’ but also a good mix of ‘Greats’ and ‘Goods,’ as if the SQUIP hadn’t wanted to make it seem like Jeremy had achieved the impossible on his first try at this obscure knockoff game.

He stumbled as Brooke suddenly crashed into him in an embrace. “Jeremy, that was amazing! I had no idea you could move like that!” She put her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a somewhat messy kiss, making his cheeks burn, but he didn’t get the same fuzzy feeling in his chest that he’d gotten before, when the SQUIP had had his hand.

“Ah…” He smiled shyly once they’d broken apart for air and his chest heaved, the exhaustion from his dancing suddenly setting in. “Th-thanks. I just kinda…went for it.”

Jake grinned, flashing him a thumbs-up. “Looks like all that DDR and dancing alone in your bedroom didn’t go to waste, huh?”

Jeremy tried to come up with a retort, but he quickly realized that more than just his small gathering of friends was watching. Quite a few of the other patrons were looking at him, muttering to each other about how remarkable that had been. He even heard one little girl squeal, “I wanna dance like him!” which earned an amused chuckle from her parents.

Jeremy gently pulled away from Brooke, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks, guys. Uh, you can stop staring now.”

It looked like the group wasn’t going to drop it any time soon, though, as they led him off to find a place to sit down. Jeremy couldn’t help peeking over his shoulder, expecting to see the SQUIP right by him as it usually was, but instead it had reappeared beside the dancing game, watching with a surprisingly fond smile as the little girl bounded over to the platform and started tapping away at the arrows.

Jeremy’s heart squeezed. Maybe he’d ask Rich if they could meet up here again at some point.

[the-awkward-outlaw]

A New Adventure - Pt. 6

You put the scared people in, you put the scared people out 

(Author’s note: I realize that I wrote a very similar piece to this a couple months ago, but this series is based on events of daily life and seeing as this happened to me in March and it’s a good segway for what I have planned, it works. Note that while I am using some current events, like Covid, I will NOT include the riots happening now. Not because I don’t care, but because I do NOT want to have politics involved in my art. If that upsets you, feel free to keep your opinions to yourself.) 

Masterlist

Read on AO3

You’ve been stuck home in quarantine for nearly a week now. The change is a partial relief because you’ve honestly been needing a break, to recharge yourself (along with the rest of the world, it seems). You have a few plans around the house that you can focus on now. 

Arthur seems happy to have you around full-time now. He admits it’s been lonely for him in this confusing world and it’ll be nice to have a companion he can actually have a conversation with. He doesn’t tell you that he’s ecstatic to have you around now and he’s curious to see what people do in this situation. 

This situation is a new learning experience for both you and him. Of course, one of the first things you learn is exactly how selfish people can be. The first time you went to the grocery store after quarantine began, it was hard to shop because so many shelves were cleaned out. Toilet paper, gone. Noodles of all varieties, gone. Cereals, gone. Coffee, gone. Bread, gone (except the gluten-free stuff, you noticed). 

Luckily, Arthur, who goes with you to nearly every shopping visit, has a few suggestions on alternatives. He learned enough about substitutions out in the wild, having to collect his own food on more than one occasion. 

You're quite bummed when you got to the noodle section to find all the spaghetti noodles gone. You’d really been wanting to make some for him, knowing he’d been quite curious about it in the game when Jack was rescued. 

Mostly though, you’re just glad you have enough toilet papers to last a few more weeks, when hopefully things have calmed down. 

Three days after your first shopping trip of quarantine, you’re sitting on the couch, eating breakfast and watching Youtube on your laptop. It’s still dark out, but it always is this early in the middle of March. 

Arthur’s still in bed, he usually doesn’t wake up until the sun rises. A result of living so much of his life with the movements of the sun. From what you understand, most people during his life period lived that way and, despite being an outlaw, he is no exception. 

Sage is lying down at your feet, having just finished her own breakfast. Her head suddenly comes up and she tips her head as if listening to something. She lets out her alarm bark. 

“What is it, Sage? Some dude walking down the street again?” 

Suddenly there’s a loud rumbling. It sounds like a semi going down the highway not too far from your house. But after a few seconds, it gets louder and louder, almost deafening. Then the shaking starts. 

In the darkened room, you feel the floor beneath you shake as the air is filled with a roar like thunder that goes on for far too long. Something crashes to the floor in your bedroom and you watch your bookshelf full of DVDs sway ominously back and forth, threatening to dump its contents. The kitchen light goes off, along with the rest of the power. 

Your heart in your throat, you look around and involuntarily let out a low scream. Arthur’s bedroom door flies open and he comes out, despite the swaying, yelling your name. 

As quickly as the shaking began, it stops. Your left in the darkness, visibly shaking and terrified. You look at Arthur, your mouth in an “o” shape. 

“What… what the hell was that?” he says, swallowing. 

“I think it was an earthquake,” you say, noting how weak and frightened you sound. 

You take your phone out and turn on the flashlight. You’ve never experienced an earthquake before, despite the threat you’ve heard of your whole life of what locals call “the big one”, an earthquake that’s supposedly overdue by about 10,000 years and is supposed to be so large it will almost immediately affect the topography of the state. Although this was not big enough to be “the big one”, it was frightening. 

Just as you make your shaky way over to Arthur, feeling nervous, the shaking starts again. You scream again and dash beneath the nearest doorframe, Arthur following in your wake. 

If the situation wasn’t so new and frightening, you’d be incredibly embarrassed at the closeness between you and Arthur, but all you can focus on is how long will this last? 

This period is much shorter than the last. The beam from your phone shakes along the floor, a result of your hand. 

Arthur sighs and looks down at you. “You okay? I never… never experienced nothin’ like that.” 

“Me neither. I don’t… I… ah!” You let out a scream again as your phone lets out a deafening buzz. You look at the screen.

It reads: 5.7 Earthquake reported at 7:09 am 4 kilometers from your house. That’s only 2 miles away! You’re practically in the epicenter. 

You tell Arthur this, but he clearly doesn’t really understand how that information was received so quickly. Your brain isn’t functioning well enough to explain geology to him right now.

“I… I think we need to check the house. Will you help me?” you ask. 

Arthur agrees and you tell him to take a flashlight you have and just check for cracks along the walls and ceilings. Luckily, despite your house being old, it’s built strong and durable. That shows today as there’s only a tiny little crack above your fridge where there’d been some water damage years previously. 

Arthur tells you he found nothing, but then your heart drops. “Arthur, we have to go down in the basement. Make sure the furnace and water pipes are okay.” 

He nods resolutely. Of course, he’s the bravest man you know, so you hope you can lean on him for courage. 

Just as you’re both about to go down, another ripple of shaking goes through the house. Arthur looks around and, despite your thoughts, he looks nervous. 

“Y/N, maybe we oughta wait a bit. This don’t seem safe.” 

You nod, not wanting to do this, but also knowing that if there’s a ruptured pipe or your furnace is broke, you’re in big trouble. But at the same time, it’s safer to remain here until the aftershocks begin to settle down. 

15 minutes go by of silence, although you hear a multitude of sirens and another alarm buzz goes off, warning residents in your neighborhoods to stay sheltered and off the roads for emergency vehicles. 

You feel confident enough to go into the basement and just make sure nothing’s ruined. Your basement isn’t that big, you tell Arthur, and it’ll only take a couple of minutes. 

He reluctantly agrees. A few minutes later, you both come up from the basement, feeling a bit better as there is no damage aside from a shallow crack along your foundation. 

A quick check outside proves your gas meter has held just fine, even though it’s moved away from your house after a couple of seconds. 

You check your phone again, looking once again for more updates. You’re not having much luck though as the internet and cell service is down. You wonder if the quake messed up the cell tower. 

After a while, you and Arthur settle down on the couches, waiting to hear anything. Another big aftershock sends you scurrying for the doorframe. As your house shakes and you hear that unpleasantly familiar boom like thunder, you feel on the verge of tears. 

When this round stops, Arthur suggests you all sit in a room where it’ll likely be safe, somewhere close to the door in case you need to make a quick escape. 

You decide on the kitchen, not knowing it’s reported to be the worst place in a house to shelter. It’s close to the backdoor and Sage is already in there, cowering and whimpering under the table. You go and sit on the cold tile floor next to the table where you can be close to her. Arthur sits by the stove. 

You don’t know how much time goes by, but it doesn’t take long for you to get cold. Without any power, the heater isn’t on, and it’s only mid-March. You’re lucky if it gets up to 65 degrees (F) outside. 

Arthur gets up, without a word. Figuring he just needs to pee, you don’t say anything. A minute later, though, he comes out with the big comforter from his bed. 

“Here,” he says. “Been watchin’ ya shiver for the last half hour.” 

He wraps the blanket around you. Sure, you have been shaking, but more from shock than the cold. He sits down a few inches away from you. If he’s shivering, you can’t see him, but he is fumbling with his hands a lot. 

Just as you’re beginning to relax and think the worst might be over, you hear that rumble again. You shoot up and scramble for the doorframe as the shaking begins once more. You feel your last nerve break, and so you put your hands over your ears, bend over a little bit and try to stifle the sob that’s threatening to erupt from your throat. 

Suddenly you feel something hot and firm pressing into you, enfolding you. What feels like a hand presses to the back of your head, holding your head against the structure. You feel the soft, scratchy fabric against your skin and clench your hand around it. A loud pounding beats in your ear, but it’s probably just your own heart. 

The shaking vanishes, leaving you frightened again with tears leaking from your cheeks. 

“I got ya, it’s okay,” Arthur’s soft, rough voice says. The structure you’re leaning against vibrates with his voice. It makes you open your eyes.

The first thing you see is Arthur’s dark gray union suit, which is what you’re clenching. It then hits you like a freight train that the thing you’re leaning against is him. 

“Oh, sorry, Arthur. I wasn’t aware I grabbed you,” you say, starting to lean back. 

“No, you didn’t, I grabbed ya. Can just tell you’re at the end of your tether. I am too, if I’m honest.” 

He gently pulls you back to him, clearly enjoying your warmth and the feeling of you against him as much as you’re enjoying his. He feels sturdy and strong, capable of supporting you while your legs feel like jelly. 

After a few minutes with no shaking, you both feel confident enough to go and sit back down in the kitchen with the trembling Sage. Arthur stays close to you now.

A few more small aftershocks rumble through and every time, Arthur is there to offer you his arms. At one point, there’s four aftershocks in the span of twenty minutes, resulting in you just sitting in between his legs, tucked into his chest. He grabbed the comforter a while back, folding it around the both of you to keep warm. 

A few hours have gone by and the power flicks back on. It’s been surprisingly quiet, with only a couple of tiny aftershocks. You’ve been keeping an eye on the US Geo Survey, and the biggest quake in the last 3 hours was a 2.7. 

By this time, you and Arthur feel safe enough to retreat to the living room and onto the couches. He stays on the same couch as you, staying close. Maybe he feels just as comforted by your presence as you do by his. 

By the time you’d normally be getting dinner started, you’re both exhausted from the constant dashing to doorframes and the never-ending worry. Neither of you are really hungry enough for a regular meal, so you and Arthur just fix up some sandwiches and cut up some fruit. 

Nightfall and you decide to go and try to sleep, even though you’re sure you won’t really get much. Just as Arthur opens up his door to his room, you stop him, feeling afraid of what might happen tonight. There’s still been plenty of aftershocks. 

“Arthur, will… will you stay with me tonight?” 

He sighs, as though relieved. 

“Of course.” 

You lay down on one side of your bed and he takes the other. Another large but very brief aftershock goes through your house, making you sit up. Arthur puts his hand on your shoulder and you take the invite to lay against him for comfort. 

You hear the steady thumping of his heart, which helps lull you to sleep. 

The last thing you think before drifting off is that, whatever happens after tonight, nothing between you and Arthur will ever be the same again. 

[kasstheyautja]

Guys I may or may not be crying rn

Two years ago when I went to Japan for my lil sibling’s Make-A-Wish (don’t worry, they’re cancer free now!) I bought and ate some of the most yummy instant ramen. We had gone to either Lawson’s, Family Mart, or 7-Eleven and everyone got noodles, ice cream, juice, snacks, random things to try out. I got my ✨fated destiny noodles✨. (Upon reviewing my album of pictures from that time I can confirm it was Family Mart!)

Now you might be thinking that I got some premium, top-tier instant noodles with like rainbows and caviar but no...I got a simple chicken donburi cup noodle. I call it my special ✨fated destiny noodles✨ because they seared into my memory the days when we would wake up, have noodles for breakfast, and watch a program on TV that was literally just cats at different locations doing cat things.

What a lovely way to start our days with cats and noodles. 💜 Who could ask for more? I sometimes ate 7-Eleven brand chocolate cornflakes for breakfast, alternating with my precious noodles of course. But the ramen was what locked all of my morning memories into place. So magical.

Now you may be thinking to yourself “Well if she loved it that much then she must have brought some home with her!” And I understand why you’d think that but alas, I drank too much melon-flavored Dumb Bitch Juice and completely forgot to buy more to bring home. Upon realizing my grave mistake I reasoned that hey- I live in NYC! There are dozens of shops at my disposal to peruse and seek out my ✨fated destiny noodles✨ so I shouldn’t worry!

I spent the next TWO YEARS searching for my noodles. From November 2018 to November 2020 I searched every Asian section of every grocery store, every Japanese grocery or confectionery store, all of the various Chinatowns in the NYC area. I even checked every possible place I could search when I went to Indiana, Texas, Chicago...I never found my noodles. I could picture them clearly in my mind, I knew what the packaging looked like, I was so diligent! But my efforts were futile, there was no chicken donburi cup noodles to be had.

Look at this tired fool. If she had just bought more cup noodles and brought them home with her, she wouldn’t have spent two years mourning the lack of her ✨fated destiny noodles✨. Cut to current day. November of 2020. Two years and one week since I started my search. I’m a shell of a person. The twinkle in my eye is gone. My Will of Fire is reduced to embers. I’ve shaved my hair. My health is in shambles. None of this was the fault of not finding my noodles, of course, but I digress.

I am weak. I have suffered. I have a moment of weakness. Amazon. Jeff Bezos. The enemy. I swore to myself I would stop using Amazon, shop local, not feed into the filthy monstrosity that is Amazon. But I was asked “Hey Kass, what do you want for Christmas?” My god, I was so weak. I opened the app. I knew what search terms to use. I knew it would be expensive, that the price I would pay would not only be dollars but my spirit, crushed by corporate greed.

“Add to Cart”, and I could have stopped there but no. Desperation had sunk its claws into my heart. I hit a button and just like that my order was doubled. 12 cups of noodles, I could ration them and make them last a whole year, I reasoned wildly to myself. Oh what a fool I was. With a few more clicks it was done; my order was placed and would arrive in mere days. Time slowed to a crawl as I anxiously fretted about my order. It cost almost $50usd but it was my Christmas present, I reasoned. Today it arrived.

Oh how my hands shook as I hastily opened the box. Two beautiful pink bags awaited me. I feared that perhaps it wasn’t the right item, maybe I ordered wrong? But no. I opened the bag and found my ✨fated destiny noodles✨ waiting for me. Oh happy day! Oh joyous of days! My heart soared.

When I realized that each cup noodle was maybe less than half the size of the OG that I got in Tokyo I was unbothered. It’s ok, everything is alright because they are here! FINALLY THEY ARE HERE! Of course I had to immediately boil some water and bust one of the bad bois open, as I lack any self-control whatsoever.

Waiting for the noodles to be ready to eat was nerve-wracking. What if they tasted different? What if they didn’t live up to the hype that I had built up? But the smell of the noodles and the dehydrated egg cooking washed away all of my fears. It was heavenly. What bliss that first bite was. Oh how it took me back! It was like I was back in Shinjuku, sitting on the floor and eating cup noodles on a foggy morning.

One might say that I have lost my mind. One may be correct. Is anything real anymore? Am I trapped in a dream, unable to wake from this blissful slumber? My body pains have recently lessened, my mental burdens recently have been able to be sorted out, and now I am eating my ✨fated destiny noodles✨ and living my best life. How wonderful, how absolutely splendid this day is! I am at peace 💜