#mr. does not respect anyone's personal space y'know how it is

[mewkwota]

So I drew this shortly after the older post above but didn't feel like including it until now (only because I chose to leave it unfinished, see there's no background anymore wahah). I still love the poses for this.

I wonder if on some nights Richter barges into Dracula's quarters in his other attire, and if so does Drac take notice of it? Of course he would, like what happened to the headband that's very noticeable.

[topherfoxtrot]

Resilience

Here's the third part of my thunderbolts au. Emil Blonsky scaped his long imprisonment but he didn't went after the Hulk. Where did he go? The answer is bellow the cut. There's an original character here too. I'm not kin of OCs but I didn't find any character who would fit the role I wanted. Said oc will only be a part of this episode so consider it a special guest appearance. I've realized I've been writing more and more with each installment. Sorry about that, I'm getting more comfortable with the whole precess and I like to challenge myself. Continuing the trend, this chapter has a widely different vibe from the previous ones. As usual if you enjoyed please like, share or comment something.

Episode one

Episode two

Emil woke up from a nightmare. It was a fight. From as long as he could remember all Emil did was fight. Now even when he's not awake he's still fighting. He sat on the bed breathing heavily. Wait, where am I? He thought.

"You must be confused." A female voice was heard nearby.

Emil looked around looking for it. The cabin was small. The bedroom, the living room and the kitchen were all occupying the same space. There were two doors, one of them was probably for the bathroom. The woman was sitting at the kitchen table. She dressed a knitted sweater and rabbit slippers.

"My name is Charlie Reznik." She pointed at the soup, "Are you hungry?"

"Where am I?"

"Alaska. Three hours driving from Barrow."

Emil sat on the bed. He was naked. He covered himself with the blankets not for modesty but because they were warm.

"You weren't using any clothes when I found you and you don't seem like the kind of person who would wear my clothes. I hope the blankets kept you warm."

"Found me?"

"Yeah. You were screaming a lot. And throwing trees around." Charlie chuckled, "Eventually you got tired and just fell asleep right where you were. I was thinking about calling the police or something but when you started to shrink I decided to bring you here."

Suddenly Emil looked at himself realizing he did indeed shrink. He didn't look like that anymore. Still, the bones in his hands and abdomen were more prominent than they should be. He took his hands to his back to feel his spine was also prominent. That made him think of the super soldier serum, of the Hulk and of the prison he just scaped.

"I need to contact someone." Emil got up only to fall on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Charlie approached him with caution.

"I think I'll have the soap first actually." Emil muttered realizing how weak his body was.

***

The soup made with vegetables reminded Emil of his childhood in Russia. He had almost no recollection of those few years before he moved to England. He mostly remembered the cold and his mother's soap.

"I need to ask you but.. it's gonna sound weird." Emil was at the table tangled with the blankets, "What year is this?"

Charlie looked him in the eyes to decide if he was being serious or not. Emil didn't flinch so nor did Charlie, "It's 2023."

Emil pressed his lips and started to breath heavily. He was sleeping this whole time. They kept him asleep without ever giving him a chance to explain himself. No consent and no agency.

"No one has heard anything about you since 2008 Mr Blonsky and now you show up in the middle of the forest not knowing the year?" Charlie seemed genuinely curious.

"You know me?"

"I didn't recognize you at first. There isn't much footage from big you. But the sketch from witnesses matched pretty well. They call you the Abomination."

"Abomination?" Emil suddenly smashed the wooden table with enough strength to crack it. Charlie quickly moved her left hard to somewhere under the table. They locked eyes. For the first time Charlie didn't seem warm and inviting but rather fierce and absolutely ready to react. Emil closed his eyes a bit before recomposing himself.

"I'm sorry."

"I also think the name is impolite." Charlie brought her hand back, "But no one knew anything about you except you were military assigned to find Bruce Banner. I had to make some phone calls and turns out my guess was right! You are indeed in the accords database. Quite high level threat.

"What accords?"

"Alright." Charlie put her hair behind her ears, "I need you to be honest with me Mr Blonsky. What's the last thing you remember?"

So he said. He fought the hulk on Harlem, fell unconscious and woke up in Alaska. Charlie brought a computer from a big bag under the bed and put it on the table in a way that both of them could see it.

"The world changed a lot since 2008 Mr Blonsky. Put on your seatbelts."

Charlie then gave him a contemporary history class the best way she could while showing videos and pictures whenever she felt necessary. She talked about the avengers assembling in 2012 to stop an alien invasion caused by a norse god. She talked about the genocidal robot destroying a whole country in 2015. She talked about Wanda Maximoff killing those people back in 2016. She talked about the Sokovia accords and how that made the avengers disassemble. She talked about Wakanda opening up to the rest of the world. She talked about the avengers coming together again to fight yet another alien invasion. She talked about the snap and the chaotic years that followed. She talked about the blip and the even more chaotic year that followed it. Emil listened to everything in silence. It was a lot but he was smart.

"They put me to sleep for fifteen years." He whispered.

"I'm so sorry about that. It's unfair."

Emil had finished his soup but he stayed exactly where he was. Thinking about everything.

"I became strong. I became as strong as I could and still... they defeated me with bed time."

"You're being unfair."

"How come?"

"I don't think strength is really what you think it is."

"How would you know?"

Emil looked at Charlie's small stature with unconscious disdain. She picked on that and wore her fierce eyes again.

"With all due the respect Mr Blonsky..." It was possibly to hear the rage under her words, "You have no idea how strong I am. Thanos snapped my whole family! I wasn't even at home when it happened. Do you have any idea how much strength I needed to gather to simply get up every morning? I may not have big muscles like you -in fact no one does Mr Blonsky - but guess what? You could not have went through what I did. I'm sure of it!"

Emil got up aggressively and so did Charlie.

"You're really pulling the trauma card?"

"Wanna compete?"

"I think I do." He showed his teeth.

Charlie walked across the cabin stepping heavely. She sat on the bed. "Enlighten me."

The challenge got Emil off guard. He hesitated.

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"Of course you don't. If you tell me how traumatized you are, I'll tell you how traumatized I am. Then you will have to admit that none of it gives you permission to do the shitty things you did!"

The cabin merged in silence. Outside there was nothing but the cold wind running through the trees.

"I know your type." Charlie continued, a little calmer now, "Though childhood huh? No perspective of a future so you joined the military. Felt good to explode some heads didn't it? It felt powerful."

Emil remained in silence. He still looked mad, but remained in silence. Charlie went to the kitchen and grabbed a photograph from one of the drawers. She gave it to Emil.

"You're military." Emil studied the photo of Charlie and other soldiers smiling inside a tent.

"Used to be. Came back in 2019. The welcoming party wasn't exactly a party as you can imagine. My house was empty. As I said both my parents and my little brother got snapped. That's when I found this cabin."

"It's not yours?"

"Nah. I don't know who it belongs to actually. It was a cold night and I was just driving aimless. I don't know why exactly. Everything just seemed so meaningless back then. I felt weak."

Emil put the photograph on the table and they both locked eyes again. Not with anger this time though.

"It's cold but it's isolated enough. I could cry and scream as much as I wanted without anyone knowing. And did I need to scream! Scream at Thanos, scream at my parents, scream at myself. A part of me wish it could've been me, y'know? Trust me I would give my life for theirs in the blink of an eye! Yet, here I was."

Charlie sat at the table again. The temperature of the cabin went from 20°C to 40°C and then to 20°C again. Emil felt sorry about the table but most importantly he felt sorry for making Charlie mad.

"There's no much to say." He started, "Though childhood. No perspective. Joined the military. After everything I've seen, being strong is honestly the only option. It's survival."

"I get it. I really do. But strength is not on your muscles."

"Don't come with this heartfelt bullshit."

"It's not." Charlie chuckled, "Trust me I won't fall for that bullshit either. It's something else."

She got up and grabbed an old book from the shelf near the bed.

"All those things were already here when I got here for the first time. There was water, gas, energy, the bed, the blankets. It's like whoever lived here had just left. I've known this place for couple more than three years now. No one is ever here except me, yet the feeling never goes away."

The old book was covered with leather.

"Self help book?" Emil asked.

"In a way." Charlie tilted her head, "This book is about the universe. But not like a scientific encyclopedia. This book is about the whole universe, about the energy that comes from different parts of the multiverse and how to harvest and manipulate them. Essencially, magic!"

"Alright it's a self help book. Magic is not real."

"I was honestly hoping you would say that." Charlie smiled, "Check this out!"

Charlie put her hands in front of her and took a deep breath in order to focus. She moved her hands vertically and a orange string appeared from thin air. Charlie's hands drew a circle in the air and the string curved itself in a circumference. Charlie closed her hands as if grabbing something and with another gesture polygonal forms started to draw themselves in the magic circle. Charlie snapped her fingers with both hands and the whole thing started to spin like a magical ferris wheel.

"You discovered magic!" Emil whispered.

"Of course I didn't! People have been studying that for a long time. I just happened to find a weird book." The magical strings disappeared as Charlie stopped focusing so much on them, "You know when you are depressed so you set a simple goal just to give yourself a little achievement?"

"No, actually. But that's seems like solid advice."

"It is!" Charlie chuckled, "Anyways I read this whole book in like two days and I didn't understand shit. But I was super interested and started to dig the internet and beyond for anything related to all the weird concepts I found. I read the book more two of three times after that. Each time I learned something different and gained a new perspective over myself and the universe around me."

"So it is a self help book!" Emil laughed.

"As I said, it is but in a weird way. I mean look around. There's aliens and gods and the multiverse. When you think of all of it don't your problems seem way smaller?"

"I'm not sure."

"Here's how it's gonna be. I go to Barrow buy you some clothes and you think about everything I just said." She grabbed a jacket and wore boots, "But you have to pay me back alright? Otherwise I'm gonna hunt you and I'll find you. Remember: I know magic!"

"Okay, that's fair!"

Charlie grabbed a ring with slot for two fingers in a kitchen drawer. "That was one of the things I found here. Magic becomes weirdly intuitive once you learn some basics."

She made that focused face again and started to draw circles in the air with her right hand. The air in the middle of the cabin heated up and started to sparkle. An orange circle (much like the one she conjured with the hand gestures) appeared but in the middle of it was possible to see an alley.

"What is this?" Emil was shocked.

"Fast travel!" Charlie winked before passing through. The portal was gone as soon as she was gone and Emil found himself alone in the cabin.

***

There was a small mirror in the bathroom. Alone, he could check his own body for the first time. His face looked pretty much the same, he hadn't aged one day in the past fifteen years. Besides his hands and shoulders and spine, his elbows were also abnormally prominent. Was he the Abomination after all?

The power felt good, he remembered. Felt god-like. But the cost was too high. Emil became too dangerous and lost control over his own life for more than a decade. He wanted to blame Ross and Banner but would it be even fair? Emil was the one who accepted to take the serum in the first place. He actually pointed a gun at that scientist. He begged to become as strong as the Hulk is.

Emil left the house still covered in blankets. The cold snow made his feet burn but no enough to bother him. He was strong after all. Or maybe he enjoyed the pain in a sick way of reinforcing his own superiority belief. An orange portal opened nearby after a while.

"Aren't you feeling cold?" Charlie asked coming with a bag of clothes.

"A little."

"Come. See if any of those fit you. They're from the local thrift shop by the way."

"I've wore worse."

Charlie bought a simple jeans, two shirts, a flannel and boots. Really simple stuff just to protect Emil from the cold. It fit well.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're in debt, Mr Blonsky. Don't you forget that."

"You know magic." He chuckled, "I can't allow myself to have you as an enemy Ms Reznik."

They both laughed. Charlie sat at the table and started to type something on the computer.

"The feds are all over town." Charlie commented, "They're looking for you."

"Listen," he said, "I need to ask you a favor but first can I go for a walk?

***

Emil took a deep breath before jumping as high as he could. He could not see above the tall trees so he jumped again but grabbed one of the trees this time. Even with his bare hards, the wood bowed to his will. He kept climbing until he got to the highest part of the tree. From up there he could see the whole forest, including the trees he threw around the day before.

He jumped to the ground again. The snow splattered around him. His hands and knees started to bleed but he didn't care because he would break soon enough. He felt powerful and smiled without realizing it. Not a happy smile, bur rather a challenging one. Hey jumped a little before running in the direction of the destruction he caused. He started slow (more like jogging actually) but quickly escalated to marathon running and super human running. The cold wind cut his face like knifes but he didn't care. He just kept going faster.

When he finally reached the glade he jumped again. Even higher this time. When he landed his feet felt bigger. Breathing heavily he looked at his own hands and realized they were indeed getting bigger and muscled. Without wasting any breath he took off all his clothes and started running again. The cold started to bother him less and less as his body grew in size.

He started to scream so he could liberate his anger. He jumped high and landed with his fists causing the ground to crack bellow him. Emil grabbed a fallen tree and threw it to the air. He picked big boulders and threw them around at will. In the middle of the chaos he also started laughing. He was strong. He could destroy anything he wanted. He was as strong as he could be.

When Emil finally felt satisfied with his own display of power, he grabbed the trees and rearranged them back into the ground as best as he could. He picked the boulders and put them back where they were. So when the glade resembled the glade it once was, Emil sat on the ground next to his new clothes.

He started to think about everything Charlie said. Yes, he was big and could destroy everything is his way. But there were gods and aliens and robots and uncontable planets and entities across the universe. He was big and strong but he was also small and weak.

His strength though wasn't on his muscles but on his ability to survive. He survived his childhood, he survived the military and he survived the Hulk. Just like Charlie survived the snap and the aftermath. Like Charlie found new meaning in magic so could Emil find new paths to follow.

"I'm big and I'm small. I'm strong and I'm weak. I'm still here." Emil whispered to himself.

His body started to shrink calmly. Once he achieved regular size he wore his clothes and walked towards the cabin. Charlie smiled when he entered.

"Had fun?" She heard the screams obviously.

"Yeah actually. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. Remember, you're still in debt! So what favor do you need?"

"I need a portal but I also need an address. I believe you can find the person I'm looking for in the Sokovia accords database."

"Hm alright. What's the name?"

"Ava Starr."

[knives-out20]

Inglourious Boyfriends - Part 6

Fandom: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Pairing: Joshua Margolis (OC) x Lt. Aldo Raine

Word Count: 2293

Warnings: Spoilers For Inglourious Basterds,

Note: And We’re Back With Part 6! Quite A Long One, But We Have Longer Ones Ahead. I REALLY Hope You Guys Are Giving This Series The Time Of Day, I Really Love It And Joshua And Aldo Mean So Much To Me Right Now. Part 7 Of 3.0 Out Tomorrow!

Joshua shifted his weight from one foot to the other, holding onto Aldo's arm as he looked around nervously.

"What's wrong?" Aldo automatically asked, turning his attention down to Joshua."Yer actin' all skittish" he knew Josh's tells when he's nervous, and doing that foot thing while darting his pretty blue eyes around was one of them.

Joshua looked up at Aldo helplessly, both his arms around Aldo's; the one he was previously just holding onto.

Aldo used his free hand to momentarily cup Joshua's cheek."Don't worry- we've been plannin' and goin' through with missions since before we could foxtrot, Joshy. We'll be fine".

Joshua nodded along, going to turn away, but Aldo stopped him from looking the other way.

"By the way," he sighed slowly, "you look unbelievably beautiful tonight, honey. Yer practically..." Aldo paused, looking for a word quickly."Glowin’. Maybe it's the light?" He asked, winking.

Joshua broke out into his first smile all night, fully positioning himself to face Aldo."You look so fuckin' good, though" he softly purred, trailing his hands down Aldo's chest, admiring him in the white tuxedo he wore.

"Not as good as you, baby, look at ya" Aldo smiled lovingly, cupping both of Joshua's cheeks and stroking them with his thumbs. He had his eyes on Joshua's, so whether he meant Joshua wearing a suit looked good, or if Joshua in general looked good, was beyond both of them. All Aldo knows is that he's been love-struck for Joshua ever since Josh was 15.

"If I didn't know any better 'bout your skills, I'd oughta send you into the film industry. A face like yer's��would make it big, Joshy, I swear. That Clark Gable feller y'love so much wouldn't know what fuckin' hit him".

Joshua looked down, a shy smile on his face. He looked around quickly, careful to make sure no one was looking at them. Fast as light, Joshua wrapped his arms around Aldo's neck, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips."I love you, Aldo".

"Shucks-" Aldo grinned lazily, hands dragging down to Joshua's sides."I love you too, Josh".

"So, you two..." Bridget cut in, as Omar and Donny stood at attention (the Basterds were more than used to Aldo and Joshua taking their free time to practically worship each other).

Aldo groaned, arching a brow as he turned his head to Bridget."Yes?" He asked, Joshua rolling his eyes.

"You two are pretty open about each other" Bridget awkwardly commented.

"What, y'got a problem with it?" Aldo asked, the look he gave her reminding her how he could easily foil this plan as quickly as they started it. He kept an arm on Joshua, who pulled both of his own arms away, crossed in front of him.

"No, not at all, I'm just surprised. How long have you...?" She cleared her throat, glancing at Joshua, who looked at her with his tongue poking the inside of his cheek."If I'm allowed to ask, how old are you two, anyways?".

"Ugh, y-you are" Joshua replied. He pointed to himself with his right thumb, "ripely in my late twenties m’lady".

Aldo put his free hand on his hip."I m'self, I'm thirty. Bein’ best friends since childhood, despite Joshy's richer upbringin’, our love has aged finer than any wine out there" he explained.

Bridget nodded, turning to Joshua."And when exactly did you...y'know, know that females weren't for you?".

Joshua hummed, Aldo stealing a quick kiss when he puckered his lips in thought. He giggled, "uh, I- I think when I was around, say, my teen years. But I've always been this way, I only found out at around the right time".

"Since childhood?" Bridget asked for verification, the two nodding."No wonder you two are extremely close".

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Joshy's rock just as much as he is mine" Aldo smiled."Growin' up with Margolis, ya learn a thang or two about guns 'n' things that blow up. Whether it be makin' 'em, usin' em', aimin' 'em, or detonatin' 'em. Especially about bombs, explosives, or Mk-two grenades. That's why we call him Pineapple Bomb; he knows how to use 'em, and looks sweet while doin' it" he addressed, Donny and Omar nodding in agreement.

"If you are together, why does Margolis insist on calling you 'sir' or 'Lieutenant'? You are both the same rank" Von Hammersmark squinted.

"I, uh, I- I feel the need t'show Aldo as much respect as the other Basterds do" Joshua answered.

"Yea, and if he addresses me as such, around strangers, it makes him seem like just a loyal, fellow Lieutenant that goes to bite at people who insult me- which he does, every time. I can hold him back by doin' so much as saying his name".

"Ugh, n-not true" Joshua huffed, crossing his arms.

"You were very insistent on fightin' that Werner guy, in case you don't remember. And when we first got our hands on Von Hammersmark here, you almost stomped down those rickety stairs when Wilhelm just called me an 'idiot'" Aldo teased, nudging Joshua."Y'see, if any of the Basterds were to try stoppin' him, he won't let 'em, only I can. He's always been protective like that".

"I remember there being tabloids about you a while back" Bridget recollected, pointing at Joshua."Forgive me for being curious, but did that all really happen to you?".

Joshua stepped closer to Aldo, nodding."No matter what a-anyone said, yes, it did. The person who did that to me has been taken care of now, which- which is good, but the memory happens to stick around. Luckily for me, my lady, what happened to me- which did happen- does not define me in any way, shape or form".

Bridget nodded, turning around when she heard a man call "Fräulein Von Hammersmark".

The group turned their attention to a man in a Nazi uniform, with slick, thinning hair and whom looked to be much older than Aldo. 

Joshua took a step closer to Aldo, almost standing behind him.

Bridget plastered a smile onto her face, opening her arms in a welcoming way. She spoke to him in German, most likely welcoming him before doing that greeting-kiss that most sophisticated people do, the one Joshua encountered- and had to do- a lot, in his life.

The man turned his attention down to Bridget's leg in the cast, most likely questioning it.

"What're they sayin'?" Aldo whispered, leaning back, into Joshua.

"He, uh, he- he's askin' her about her leg" Joshua mumbled, clenching his jaw. He jumped softly when the man exploded in laughter, turning away."You mentioned mountain climbin', yea?" He mumbled, leaning towards Bridget.

"What do you think he's laughing at, then?" She returned rhetorically, glancing at him.

Joshua, Donny, and Aldo exchanged uncomfortable glances with one another, Aldo shrugging slightly with his hands on his hips.

Omar just stared at the man in plain, and utter disgust.

Once the man calmed down, he walked back over. He reclaimed their conversation in German, Bridget nodding along until he turned to look at Omar, Donny, Aldo and Joshua.

Bridget sighed before answering, shaking her head, but then pointing at Joshua, who pointed at himself."German?".

Joshua raised his eyebrows when he caught on, nodding. He held up a hand, scrunching his face up as he left a small amount of space between his pointer finger and his thumb, to give off the image that he only knew a little German.

"This handsome gentleman is Cecilio D'Alfonso" Bridget introduced in German, putting her hands on Joshua's arm."That is the wonderful and equally-good-looking Italian stuntsman, Enzo Gorlami" she pointed over at Aldo, "Cecilio is Mr. Gorlami's assistant".

Aldo nodded at the man, giving Joshua a quick smile as Bridget went on to introduce Donny and Omar with their aliases; Antonio Margheriti the cameraman and Dominick Decocco, Antonio's camera assistant. 

Bridget switched to Italian, introducing the man as Colonel Hans Landa of the SS.

"Bawnjourno" Aldo greeted, nervously holding his ticket.

Hans began speaking quickly in Italian, Joshua barely getting any of it.

"Gratzi" Aldo blankly returned.

"You said you know the most Italian and all yer capable of knowin' is 'hello' and 'thank you'?" Joshua thought, looking at Aldo with slight disgust, who looked like he was nailing it, as far as passing as an Italian went.

Hans pointed at Joshua, suspiciously repeating "Cecilio D’Alfonso?", as if he was asking if he was pronouncing it correctly.

Joshua nodded.

Hans nodded back, promptly turning to Aldo.”Gorlomi?”.

"Si- uh, correcto" Aldo nodded.

"Gorlam-lomi?" Hans looked unsure.

"Gorlami" Aldo called, holding up his hand as he repeated it.

Joshua kept his eyes on Aldo, madly uncomfortable.

Aldo sighed softly, glancing away in annoyance before leaning in and saying "Gorlami" softly. When Hans turned his attention to Donny, Aldo looked to Joshua."Did I do good?" He whispered.

"Oh, d-did you do goo- I oughta slap you in this here premiere" Joshua scolded, taking step toward Aldo and raising his hand in a threatening way.

Aldo grabbed his wrist."But you wouldn't actually though, would'ya?" He tilted his head, eyebrows raised in a knowing way.

Joshua closed his eyes, a shiver going up his body."Mmh- n-no".

Aldo nodded and let go, looking over at Donny.

Bridget piped up in German, once Omar smoothly introduced himself, Hans stopping her to ask to see their tickets. 

He got both of the ones Donny held in his hand, muttering in Italian. Hans bade Omar and Donny goodbye, Donny sparing Aldo, Bridget, then Joshua one last glance as he walked off.

Joshua offered him a reassuring smile, tossing in a wave as Aldo repeated "Arrivederci".

Bridget held Aldo's and Joshua's arms in her own, bidding Hans farewell and going to walk off.

Hans stepped in front of her, stopping all three of them by raising his hand. He called for a waiter, offering Bridget, Aldo, and Joshua glasses of champagne off of the waiter's silver plate.

Joshua understood "a glass of champagne, to toast 'Nation's Pride'", swiftly translating it to Aldo. He and Aldo looked over at each other once more, wincing gently before gluing their eyes back onto Hans. Numb, they held up their glasses, allowing Hans and Bridget to clink them all together. 

Hans gently held Bridget's arm, whispering to her in German as Aldo and Joshua looked around awkwardly, Joshua downing his champagne fiercely. He mumbled something to them after Bridget nodded, leading her away and into some room, closing the door behind them.

Joshua cringed in disgust."Ew, at a- at a premiere?".

"I'm sure that's not why they're in there. She called us handsome, remember? Lil' lady clearly has better taste than a Nazi like that" Aldo told.

Joshua trailed his hand up Aldo's chest, putting his empty glass on the plate of a waiter who passed by."I don't- I don't know what's more beautiful, this theater, or the great, good-lookin’ 'Enzo Gorlami' right in front of me" he teased, a smirk on his lips that showed that he knows what he wants.

Aldo chuckled, raising an eyebrow in obvious interest."Even though I caught m'self starin' at you from time to time durin' that whole ordeal...Weren't you jus' grimacin' at the idea of canoodlin' at a premiere, 'Cecilio D'Alfonso'?" He reminded, fingertips running through Joshua's perfectly-combed hair.

Joshua hummed lowly."Au contraire. Sometimes I can- I can look at the menu, I just can't order, Aldo. Sometimes." He challenged, knuckles brushing against Aldo's cheek."I love you, Aldo".

Aldo's shoulders dropped, letting his guard down as he snaked his arm around the small of Joshua's back."I love you too, Joshua. More than y'could ever imagine, with that Einstein brain of yours".

Joshua waved his hand dismissively, "ah, s-stop it, Aldo. We're in public".

"Like that'd ever stop anybody from tryin' t'make a move on ya" Aldo whispered, sparing Joshua a kiss on the cheek."I love you, Joshy. Seriously".

Joshua gazed into Aldo's blue eyes, a sweet smile on his lips."I love you too, Aldo. You know this, already".

Aldo and Joshua physically pulled away from one another, but weren't given another second to themselves when a group of sharply uniformed Nazis tackled them to the ground, shoving black bags over their heads. 

Joshua heard Aldo's champagne glass crash to the floor; pity, he was finally going to drink from that, too. He squirmed around, kicking and trying to free his hands as Aldo, like always, stayed the more verbal type.

"Fuckin' shithead faggot fuck- fuck you!" His swears were muffled by the bag, as Joshua felt rough rope tying his hands together."Bunch of shithead- fuck-" Aldo swore, feeling the bombs tied to his ankles being untied.

"Fuck, Aldo, th-the explosives" Joshua called, risking rope burn as he tried moving his hands around.

"Oh, I oughta- if any of you fucks lay a hand on him- I'll kill you, all of you faggots, y'hear me?" Aldo cursed."Fuck you, too, whoever had the balls to tackle him".

Joshua grunted, as the Nazis harshly pulled Aldo and him up, off the floor."Aldo, I-I'm scared" he whimpered.

"It's okay, Joshy, we'll be fine, it's okay, okay?" Aldo called, followed by an predatory growl."Goddamn Nazi farts, sons of bitches! Get yer hands off of us" Aldo continued to cuss the Nazis out, as they dragged Joshua and him out of the theaters.

"Let go of Aldo, you pieces of horseshit!" Joshua wriggled around.

"You fuckin' bratwurst-smelling'- goddamn, you! Get off, let go of him! Let go of Joshua!".

[theyearofthestar]

[ atonement ] rachel & puck

WHO: Rachel Berry @theyearofthestar​ & Naomi Puckerman @puckyeah​

WHERE: Puck’s police vehicle, Brooklyn to Manhattan

WHEN: Tuesday, September 18

WHAT: Forgiveness and moving forward.

rachel

Dinner on Sunday is another somber affair. Rachel isn't sure if the mood has to do with the upcoming holiday, or because Puck's not present. If it's the latter, Rachel knows she's the sole individual at fault. After weeks of stilted cordiality it's time to rectify the situation, so she sends a text. We need to talk. 

Under most other circumstances, those four words would be a loaded statement, one crafted with ominous undertones, but for Rachel they're nothing but fact. She and Puck do need to talk, or rather she needs to talk and Puck needs to listen. After a brief exchange they arrange for Puck to pick Rachel up in Brooklyn. And as thanks for the ride into the city and for listening, Rachel promises bagels and coffee.

puck

Puck's not a bad person, she doesn't think. Kind of a fuck up, maybe, and not the best at monogamy, but a good person. So when Rachel says they need to talk, she figures there's no reason why she shouldn't go and see what she has to say. After all, what Rachel said had been hurtful, sure, but it hadn't been a lie. Puck did basically keep joking about something Rachel had told her not to joke about. So, here they are. 

She drives to Brooklyn and waits in the car, texting Rachel so she'll meet her there. If she's going to drive back into the city with her anyway she's not going to go through the trouble of finding a parking space.

rachel

Rachel's watching from the window that faces the street, and considering Puck's service vehicle isn't hard to miss, she's already headed down the flight of stairs when her phone buzzes. Climbing into the car, Rachel wears a smile. It's actually genuine, because she's at peace (mostly) with what she's about to admit and she hopes Puck is willing to move forward from this awkwardness with her. 

Handing over one of the takeaway coffee cups and the paper bag with Puck's bagel, Rachel says, "I asked my mom your usual order, so if it's wrong, you can blame her." She believes mentioning Shelby right off the bat in the nature she does sets the tone for the rest of their talk.

puck

Puck greets her with a nod. It's not about the situation between them, she's just not very talkative in the morning. Or at any other time of the day, if she's being perfectly honest. But she's relaxed as she takes the offered cup, and even as she chooses not to say that if Shelby's picked it, it'll be perfect. Shelby knows what Puck likes to have for breakfast. 

"Thanks, it's good." She puts her cup in the holder and leaves the bagel nearby for later. She's supposed to give a good example, and eating a bagel while she drives is probably not the kind of example she's supposed to set. "So," she starts, putting the car in motion, "what's up?"

rachel

Rachel settles into her seat and waits until they've driven a couple blocks before starting. "Well, I assume you're aware of the impending importance of sundown this evening, and given the time year I'm here to ask for your forgiveness." She enjoys apologizing about as much as she enjoys admitting she's wrong, and Rachel takes a steadying breath before continuing. "My mother is such an important part of my world." Rachel refrains from mentioning how important Puck is in her mother's world, because even if she believes it to be true, she's learning it's not her place to pronounce such a declaration. "As such I've allowed my feelings about what I believe she deserves to cause tension in your relationship with her, in my relationship with her, and in our relationship. And--" Another deep breath-- "that's not right. 

"I don't think I'll ever understand your relationship." As Puck stated, it's five years old now. "But I don't have to, right? It's not my relationship. And since you're two, consenting adults, the least I can do is respect it, and I failed to do that. 

"And please don't misunderstand me, Naomi. When I say what I believe my mom deserves, I mean someone who loves her and takes care of her, and that is you. Do I wish it was on a more permanent basis? Perhaps, but I suppose," Rachel pauses to smile, "five years is fairly permanent. At the end of the day you're present, you love her, and you make her happy. And I'm very sorry I've infringed on that happiness for these past weeks and I do hope you'll be able to forgive me."

puck

Puck's a pretty good listener, so that's what she does as she drives in silence. She listens. And what Rachel says makes her feel... pretty good. She does love Shelby. She takes care of her. She's present. And she tries to make her happy. She kinda wishes she could give her and Rachel the whole Hallmark movie scene where she realizes her ways have been wrong and unfulfilling and she's ready to settle down and marry Shelby and maybe have a couple kids to send to Hebrew school so they won't fall for shit like her tattoo saying 'despacito' like Rachel does. Sure, she wishes that was an option. But it's not, and honestly, she's not going to apologize for doing her best. 

"Yeah, we're good. It's no big." As she said, the Hallmark movie scene is just not gonna happen. But she does figure she can maybe say a couple more words. "You know, I'm not permanent. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not here to sell the whole... commitment phobic lone wolf shtick until I find the right girl and I decide to go full monogamist and put an U-Haul on it, y'know?" Because she knows that's a popular approach, and while she doesn't give two shits what other people do with their time and their beds, that's just not her deal at all. "It's not gonna get more right than Shelby. I mean, she's it, I've peaked." Because that's the thing about 'commitment phobic until loved out of it' deal. It makes it seem like Puck's bidding her time until she finds someone better. And she knows there's no such thing as better than Shelby, so she wants to make that clear.

"Y'know, I'm kind of a fuck up. Not all the time, but... well, you know." Because they've known each other a while. Rachel's dating Quinn, the girl who taught Puck she just shouldn't ever pretend to be someone she's not because people get hurt. Rachel's seen her take like, three times as long as your average agent to get the detective promotion. Rachel knows her pretty damn well, so she doesn't need to explain. "If things stay like this, nobody gets hurt. I can save fucking up for my own time and be good for her. And she can find the permanent thing she deserves. Cause I know she does." She's not just saying that, either. Look at Evie, and Kitty, and all her other friends with benefits who found the right person. She means it when she says she wants them to find someone else. "So I just don't want you acting like I'm here using her or being a dick to her. Cause I think you know she's too smart to put up with that bullshit for five years."

rachel

Instead of sighing in frustration, Rachel takes a long drag of her coffee. She swallows down the drink and her need for rebuttal. Because while they both agree that Shelby deserves someone more permanent, there will no agreement on whom that individual is. "I don't think you're using her. I've never thought that, and not because you like to play Mr. Fix-It around the house." Rachel glances in Puck's direction and grins. The amount of squeaky hinges and dripping faucets fixed, burned out bulbs replaced and furniture building Puck has done is pretty priceless. There's not a room in the house that doesn't have some permanent touch of hers. "I'm certain someone that was using someone else wouldn't construct and build that person a custom-made shelf."

puck

The furniture she's built and stuff she's fixed around Shelby's house is one of those things they don't really talk about. Puck does it, and she knows what it means, and she thinks Shelby knows, too, but they don't really acknowledge it out loud. But Rachel does. And it's a little... she'd say it's a little like being caught mid-fuck, but frankly, that wouldn't have felt as invasive at this. This is feelings stuff. Private shit. In a way, she never thought anyone realized what was going on between her and Shelby, beyond an ongoing fwb thing. "She deserves good shelves." 

She deserves more than shelves, but shelves is the best Puck can give her, so it is what it is. She'll keep building shelves that mean things much bigger than anything you can buy at Home Depot. Because she knows she fucks things up. Ask her Ma. But the shelves and all the furniture she's ever built for Shelby... well, she can't fuck that up. It'll keep being nice and making Shelby's life a little better even without her. 

"I'd never hurt her," she kinda blurts it out after a few moments of silence. "If I ever thought I was gonna hurt her or make her unhappy, I'd get out of her life before it happened. You know that, right?" She thinks Rachel must, but just in case. She knows her leaving would hurt her too, in a way. But she saw her father finally fuck off out of her and her Ma's life and that hurt was miles better than the one he caused when he was around. So she thinks she knows what she's talking about. She'd leave before she put Shelby through any kind of pain. "I want her happy. That's pretty much it."

rachel

"I know, Naomi. She wouldn't keep you around if you did. Hurt her that is." Rachel knows that for a fact. And she knows that Shelby and Puck have been doing what works for them for five years because there's a certain level of trust and respect, and even if neither will say it aloud, love that keeps them together. "And you wanting her happy means we want the same thing, so..." Rachel shrugs. It's a common goal on which she can focus. 

Rachel knows she and Puck will be fine after this. The tension that's brewed between them over the past few weeks will slowly burn off and soon enough they'll return to usual banter. And Rachel knows that tonight she can also apologize to her mom for affecting and invading her relationship. She can care without infringing upon autonomy. 

Crossing over the bridge and into the city Rachel says something that truly means she and Puck are solid once more. "Thanks for the ride, Papa."