#next we have a quiet place prequel even though a big part of the praise that movie got was for skipping that exact story.

[marklikely]

how many gd horror origin prequels do we need im half expecting a new movie about freddy kreugers childhood or something to come out in a month

[persephonesfill]

choke on me—chapter four

breathe me in (prequel fic)

chapter three

chapter five

a/n: this is a pretty chill chapter, and chapter five is going to be the exact opposite so have fun with this one while you can ;)  also for my bilingual readers, if i have any, please excuse my shitty Italian in this chapter, i'm literally just working off of google translate

rating: pretty gen...this time

warning(s): n/a

—————

Carmen couldn't have picked a better day for a carnival; It's not too hot out for it to be August nonetheless. A slight breeze ruffles Tony's ungelled hair, sending his bangs into his eyes. He smooths the hair back with a huff. So much for keeping it casual today. His brief irritation dissipates when he looks, truly looks, at his surroundings. 

The scent of cotton candy and funnel cake and something smoky, no doubt barbecue, carries on the wind. There are two long lines of booths, rides, and rest places alike stretching for a good yard. The other volunteers are zooming about, dressed in bright red tees like the Avengers, finishing up last-minute preparations. 

"She doesn't half-ass anything, huh?" Clint says. He sounds impressed and…a little excited. Tony can't lie...he's excited too.

"I'll say," Steve says, and there's no hiding the awe in his voice. "I can't believe some of these rides even exist." 

Out the corner of his eye, Tony sees Thor lean down to whisper something in Bruce's ear, blue eyes dancing. Whatever he said makes Bruce laugh, a real one, not the sharp little chuckle that's usually full of self-loathing or sarcasm or both. 

They're off to a good start. Even Natasha looks pleased, or as pleased as she can be, with her arms crossed in front of her. She's taking in their surroundings too, but Tony knows that a part of her isn't doing it for fun. She's looking for enemies, escape routes, any possible threats to her and the others. 

"You can take an agent out of the field," he thinks. He hopes that maybe she'll loosen up by the end of the day, preferably without anyone getting hurt. 

"Where's Solomita?" she asks. "I want to know what we’re doing.”

"I know where she is," Tony says and leads the way, picking out Carmen's chirpy voice, throwing out orders and praise with a megaphone, Jesus Christ. 

"Make sure you're at your booths in ten minutes! The kids are going to be arriving soon!" 

She's crossing things off on her clipboard when Tony and the Avengers following behind him pull up in front of her. 

She hasn't changed a bit since Tony's last seen her. She's still tan, still short, shorter than Tony. Her dark wavy hair is pulled back into what she used to call her "business braid" for when she had "shit that needs to be done." 

Tony clears his throat, and Carmen looks up, her big brown eyes going wide before a grin breaks across her face and—

Carmen pounces on him, full-on throwing her arms around Tony's neck. Tony catches her no problem and—Carmen's mood is so infectious—gives her a little twirl before setting her down.

"Jesus Christ," Clint says under his breath. "She almost took him out." 

"Did not," Carmen says, and Clint has the good sense to look bashful. "This is normal for us. Especially when someone hasn't reached out in two. Years," she says, slapping Tony on the arm twice for emphasis. 

"Ouch," he says, rubbing his arm. "I've been busy."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save the world a few times, and suddenly you have no time for your friends," she says, grinning, so Tony knows she's joking. She turns to the Avengers, who've all been standing there awkwardly like they're the new kids in school. 

"All jokes aside, I'm thankful for you guys, all of you," she says. "Who knows where we'd be without the Avengers." She sticks out her hand for them to shake and for a split second, nobody moves. Maybe it was the genuine gratitude in Carmen's voice, or the others were still trying to process Carmen's everything, but the smile on her face starts to waver at their hesitation.

Steve is the first to act, taking Carmen's hand in his own. "Thank you, ma'am," he says. "I know I speak for everyone when I say that we're glad the team exists, and we'll help out any way we can." 

"Thank you," Tony mouths to him, and Steve gives him a slight nod, letting go of Carmen's hand.

Thor steps up next and, in true princely fashion, bows, bringing Carmen's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her palm. "A pleasure to be here, my lady," Thor says.

Carmen's face is red when Thor straightens back up, releasing her hand. After that, it's like the others shift into gear. Clint apologizes for his comment. Bruce offers her a kind hello until it's just Natasha who steps up until she's right in front of Carmen. Even though they're the same height, Carmen stiffens up, looking at Natasha like she's about to get chastised. 

Natasha simply...sticks out her hand. "It’s nice to meet you,” she begins.

Carmen takes Natasha’s hand slowly like she’s expecting some trick. 

“I’m actually a fan,” Natasha says. “I saw your work this February while undercover. Very nice.” 

"Thank you," Carmen says. If she blushes anymore, Tony’s going to start worrying about her health. "I was actually inspired by your suit. The leather and the bodycon silhouette paired well with Fall and Winter." 

"Oh, really?" Natasha says, raising her brows. Natasha looks her up and down, and Carmen, much to her credit, holds her gaze. "I have ideas for your spring collection if you'd like to hear them." 

And just like that, the Avengers have won Carmen over forever. And Tony didn't even have to make any threats. Maybe today won't be a disaster after all.

"Yes, please," Carmen says, her voice coming out high and reedy. "I mean since you're offering—" 

“Carmen,” Tony interrupts before she starts melting under the full force of Natasha’s undivided attention, “what’s the game plan for today?” 

"Game plan. Right. We're here to work." Carmen clears her throat, a flush still staining her cheeks, and flips through some of the pages on her clipboard. "Okay, Tony, you're easy. You're running the basketball booth." 

Basketball. He can do basketball. 

"Mr. Rogers," Carmen says. Natasha starts humming "Won't You Be My Neighbor" until Steve shoots her an exasperated look. 

"Sorry," Natasha says, not sounding sorry at all. 

"Please, call me Steve," Steve says. "She already has that song set as my ringtone."

"Steve," Carmen says. "I know you're an artist. Think you could do caricatures slash portraits?" 

Steve nods. "Easy enough." 

The rest of the assignments go quickly. Natasha gets the sharpshooting booth, Clint's over Ring Toss, and Thor and Bruce will oversee the sack race. Now that introductions and assignments are over, there's a thrum of excitement to the air. Or anxiety. Tony's not sure yet. 

"Nervous?" Carmen says to him. She's tucked her pen behind her ear. 

"Maybe," he says. "Maybe not. It could just be indigestion."

"Gross," she laughs, wrinkling her nose. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I meant what I said, you know. I'm glad you guys showed up. You know how much A Helping Hand means to me." 

Of course, he does. Carmen's like him...in more ways than one. She had been orphaned at nineteen when her parents' plane had gone down over the Atlantic. 

And at twenty-one, she had also found herself the sole heir to a family fortune and no family to share it with. She got the idea for A Helping Hand after Tony's own parents had died. 

Tony repeats what she had told him all those years ago. "Us orphans gotta stick together."

"Damn right," she says. "Siamo famiglia."

"Siamo famiglia," Tony echoes. 

"Congrats on your new additions, by the way," Carmen says. 

Tony's brows furrow. "What new additions?" he asks.

Carmen tilts her head at him like she used to whenever she thought he had said something stupid. "You're telling me that those five supermodels you call teammates just came here for shits and giggles?" 

"They needed a day off," Tony explains. "I offered. Nothing else to it."

"They came because you asked them, dumbass. They're your friends." 

Tony's not going to argue with her, mostly since the others have stopped talking amongst themselves and are looking right at them. 

"Anyway," he says pointedly, "can you point me in the direction of my booth?" 

*********

For the next three hours, Tony shoves Carmen's words from his mind and throws himself into teaching anyone who steps up to the basketball booth about physics. It wasn't cheating per se; Tony simply calculated the angle the kids would have to throw the ball along with the perfect amount of force. The looks of shock followed by unabashed glee after they made a basket more than made up for any guilt he was feeling.  

His break comes faster than he wants it to, but he has to take one eventually and decides the best way to do that is to take a walk. His fellow volunteer, a young man named Jake, says he'll be able to hold down the fort while Tony's gone. Maybe Tony will check on the others, see how they're faring. 

“It’s a great day to fly,” he thinks. The sky is a soft pale blue that soothes his heart. Cirrus clouds, like pulled apart cotton candy, lazily make their way across the horizon. Maybe after the carnival is over, he’ll take the suit out for a ride and cruise through the skies. 

He wanders without direction, letting his feet carry him wherever they fancy. Seldom does Tony get quiet moments to himself like this. There was always a fire to put out, a project to work on, kittens to rescue from trees, that sort of thing. Not that he ever doubted her, but maybe Pepper was right. Maybe he did work too hard. 

The sound of children squealing pulls him from his thoughts and brings a smile to his face. Carmen had spared no expense, not that he expected any less, as he takes in the Tilt-a-Whirl lifting its arms higher and higher. The riders throw their arms up in the air, their laughter carrying on the wind. For today, they would get to fly too. 

Tony continues on, the shouts and whoops and laughs fading into the background; he's made it to a quieter part of the carnival where they tucked off all of the arts and crafts booths. 

There's the finger painting table where plenty of toddlers and adults alike are flinging paint onto sheets of canvas. One kid rises from the face painting table with Cap's shield emblazoned upon his cheek and a booth over...there's Steve, drawing caricatures for the kids. There's a curve to his lips. Steve's biting back a smile at the little boy trying (and failing) to sit still in his chair as he draws him. Tony's heart jumps at the sight. He's tempted to slide into the line for Steve's booth himself, but something holds him back. It could be the look of contentment on Steve's face or the kid's near infectious excitement—Tony feels like he's intruding on something private. Someone else's life. Someone else's dream. 

His heart pangs in his chest as the little boy jumps as soon as his drawing is finished and throws himself into Steve's arms. Steve startles but recovers quickly, giving the kid a polite hug back. 

For some reason, Tony thinks of the kid he met not even a year ago when everyone thought he was dead: Harley. Tony didn't hug Harley. He didn't have it in him to hug Harley. The kid deserved it, though, for dealing with Tony's shit. Tony liked kids well enough, but having one of his own? He would never admit it out loud, but it scared him. And Steve...Steve deserved more than a coward. 

There's less energy in his steps as he turns around and walks right back to the basketball booth. 

He knows he still has time left on his break, but for some reason, he can't bring himself to care. 

He finishes his shift with little fanfare, the carnival-goers opting for the rides and fair food after loading up on prizes for the day. 

His head's all foggy like he just got up from a nap. He's so out of it, he doesn't even realize that the others are walking up to his booth. Tony blinks slowly, trying to ignore the pressure building in his forehead, a sure sign of a headache. 

"Hey," Steve says when they make it to his booth. "You about ready?"

Tony winces, prompting the others to look him up and down. 

"You okay? What's bothering you?" Clint asks. 

"Just got a headache," Tony says, stepping out from his booth, giving Jake a wave. Jake waves back, trying his best not to look starstruck at the sight of the other Avengers.

"Did you eat at all?" Natasha asks, and as soon as she says something, his stomach growls. 

"Guess not," Bruce says. 

"You must eat," Thor says gently. "A warrior such as yourself must maintain your strength."

He knows they're right, but being confronted by all of them at once has his hackles rising. Carmen's words are getting all tangled up with Pepper's, and he can't. Stop. Thinking. 

"I will," he says, aware that they're watching him more closely now. He hopes that he doesn't look as unsound as he feels. "But why leave just yet? Don't you guys want to check out some of the booths or rides before we leave?" 

Steve starts to object, but Natasha is one second faster. "I did want to beat Clint at Shoot 'em Up," she says with a smirk. 

Steve looks ready to protest, but Clint cuts him off. "Oh, you're on," he says. "Loser has to do the other's paperwork for two weeks." 

"Prepare to drown in files, Barton," Natasha says, catching Tony's eye. 

Tony nods at her. A Thank you. 

She flips her hair over her shoulder. You're welcome. He doesn't know when they learned to read each other so well. 

Clint and Natasha make their way to the sharpshooting booth, Thor and Bruce walking along behind them. 

"You sure you're okay?" Steve asks, scanning Tony from head to toe. Steve can see through him so easily, his skin might as well be made of glass.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tony says. "Come on. Let's catch up before they kill each other."

*********

Natasha and Clint tie in Shoot 'em Up. Since Tony is on a team that consists entirely of children, they extend their competition to every booth in the carnival. Steve warms up as the day goes on, even joining in on their little competition along with Thor. Tony and Bruce are just content to watch. 

Thor ropes Steve into the strongman game, which attracts a crowd, but who would turn down the sight of two handsome, well-built men lifting heavy things and showing off their muscles? Tony certainly couldn't, and given the way Bruce eyes the bulge of Thor's biceps, neither could he. 

Steve rings the bell easily and wins, of all things, a Captain Ameribear for his trouble.  

"Aw," Tony says. "It has wings on its helmet too." 

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that it came with a shield pillow?" Clint asks. 

Steve blushes, but it's all in good fun. Thor, of course, breaks the game, the bell flying clean off the top of the tower. The game runner in awe (and a little bit of fear) gives Thor a prize regardless. Tony promises to compensate the man as soon as possible. Despite all of that, his headache has receded slightly. He needs to eat now, and that barbecue is starting to smell better and better. 

Tony's so caught up in drooling over a rack of ribs or some trashed wings he barely notices the others walking off to the next booth, Steve lingering behind to wait on him. 

"Sorry," Tony says. "Guess I'm out of it. You...you don't have to wait on me, you know." 

Steve shrugs. "No one's forcing me. Spending time with you isn't a chore. This actually works out." 

Tony smiles despite himself. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Steve says. "I just wanted you to have this." Steve hands the bear over to Tony, and Tony...Tony melts because Steve is so fucking cute and sweet, and how did the hell did he end up in Tony's life? 

Tony takes the bear, and maybe it's the lack of food in his system, but the urge to cry at Steve's kindness strikes him. The bear is cute with Steve's signature red, white, and blue suit and the shield to go along with it. "Thank you," Tony says. "You sure you want me to hold onto this?" 

Steve looks at him from underneath his lashes. "Tony," he begins, "it's a gift. I want you to have it." 

"Okay," Tony whispers, feeling like the air is closing in on him. It's hard to breathe when Steve looks at him like that, like Tony means something to him. 

"Besides," Steve says, leaning in close to him. "I'm gonna clean the booths out. I'm trying to beat the super spies. Can you keep him safe for me?" 

Steve's breath, cool and minty, washes over his face. Tony has to blink a few times, processing what just happened before he can even think about speaking. 

"Are you guys coming, or are you just going to gaze into each other's eyes?" Clint shouts from the next booth over. 

Tony jumps and hurries to rejoin the others, Steve right behind him, staring into his back.

True to his word, Steve cleans out every booth they touch,  until he's practically drowning in stuffed animals. They attract a crowd as they make their way to the food court. Tony's feet are aching, and his stomach is outright roaring for sustenance. He and Thor get the biggest plate of ribs they've got to offer. The meat's so tender it's falling off the bone and smoked to perfection. The sauce they used is homemade, all tang and smoky sweetness. He eats until his stomach is about ready to burst. 

Thor's singing the cooks' praises and their delicious Midgardian cuisine and rises to go get seconds, Bruce trailing after him.

Clint runs off to the bathroom, and something catches Steve's eye. Tony follows his gaze to the herd of children trying (and failing) to watch them eat without freaking out. Steve rises from the table, taking his prizes with him, leaving just Tony and Natasha behind.

"Sometimes, I can't believe he's real," Natasha says, breaking the silence. There's no need to wonder who's the "he" she's talking about. Tony thinks it himself sometimes. 

It's hard not to when kids start lining up single file for their turn to receive a stuffed animal from Steve. 

"Me neither," Tony says. "Howard...he'd tell me all these stories of Steve and the 'good old days'...Steve single-handedly storming a HYDRA facility. Throwing himself on a grenade to give others the chance to live. I always thought he was embellishing a little. Making war stories more digestible for a kid, you know? But seeing him, knowing him? You can't help but wonder how someone can be so good."

"He's not like you," Natasha says. He doesn't even have it in himself to be offended. She's right. Steve isn't like Tony and will never be like Tony. A little rough around the edges. "He's not like me, either," she admits, catching Tony by surprise. 

"He's the best of us," Tony says. He glances at her. Natasha sits forward, resting her head upon her palm. Her face is smooth, her cheeks still tinged pink from their rowdy tramping through the fairgrounds. She looks...raw. That's the only word to describe her. Raw and real and human. Not the robot switching personalities and names and appearances like most people change clothes. 

"You make him that way," she says, shocking him again. His stomach drops, and whatever peace between them quickly disintegrates. What does she mean by that? What could she possibly know about him and Steve and all the complexities of their relationship? 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Tony says, his voice coming out thin. 

Something in Natasha’s face softens, and she tilts her head at Tony. “I’m not going to pretend I know all of the details, but…you’re good for him. And I think he’s good for you. You’re both...softer. You look happy.” 

It’s like someone’s dumped cold water down Tony’s back; he’s so in shock he can barely register what Natasha is saying. He swallows. Natasha knows. Of course, she knows, and if it weren’t her job to gather intel and pick up on context clues, he’d be a lot more worried that the others knew. But she wasn’t blackmailing him or threatening him to stay away from Steve? She...approved of them? He remembers that debriefing after they had defeated Loki, what felt like a lifetime ago, and her casual dismissal of Tony and his relationship with Steve. He wants to bring it up, to confront her, but what’s there to confront? 

He brings it up anyway. “Still think he wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole?” 

Natasha tilts her head at him again, and he hates how sweaty his palms have gotten, and the hummingbird beating of his heart, like his relationship with Steve hinges on her opinion. 

“No,” she says slowly as if to weigh her words. “He wants you too much. I don’t think he could give you up even if he wanted to.” 

As if summoned, Steve comes bounding back to their table looking boyish and vibrant in the evening sun before Tony can process her words. 

"What I miss?" he says with a breathless grin, holding onto one last stuffed animal. 

"Nothing much," Tony says before Natasha can say anything incriminating. His eyes dart down to the last stuffed animal in Steve's arms. It's an Iron Man bear, of course, all done up in the telltale red and gold of Tony's suit. "What's the deal, no one wanted him?" he says, nodding to the bear. 

Steve looks down at the Iron Bear, and what he says next might actually make Tony melt into a puddle. "Nah. Couldn't bear to give him up."

Tony ignores Natasha's pointed look and hopes that his face isn't as red as he thinks it is. 

���Clint, you’re riding with me on the Ferris wheel,” Natasha declares when everyone makes it back to their table, and Steve has successfully made Tony as red as his suit. 

“A Ferris wheel?” Thor asks, arching his brow. 

“It’s a carnival classic,” Clint says. “It’s a giant wheel that lifts you into the air. Perfect way to end the day.”

“It’s older than Cap,” Natasha throws in helpfully, smirking at Steve when he shoots her an exasperated look. 

“Your Midgardian traditions are so strange,” Thor says. “Interesting, but strange.” 

“I’m not hearing a no,” Clint says. 

“Hm.” Thor turns to look at Bruce, who looked surprisingly (and thankfully) content with himself. “Would you like to ride with me, Doctor Banner?”

Bruce reddens, and Tony doesn't feel so alone because it looks like Bruce has his own beefy blond problem he needs to deal with. "Sure, since you asked," Bruce responds, leaving just...Steve. 

Steve shares a look with Natasha, and Tony gets the sneaking suspicion that they planned this. Who knew that the fall of SHIELD would lead to one of the most dangerous alliances Tony had ever seen? 

"Tony," Steve begins, sounding like he's about to propose, he's so serious. "Want to ride with me?" 

His heartbeat quickens, and he's not sure why. It's not like it's a public declaration of love to ride with someone on a Ferris wheel. 

It'd look weird if he takes too long to answer, so Tony says, "Yeah. Sounds like a plan." 

They toss their trash and pick up their respective prizes they won throughout the day, Natasha with her light-up sword, Clint with his stuffed dog. Thor's lion hat from the strongman game sits proudly atop his head. Tony wants to make a joke about Hercules, but he also doesn't want to deal with the guaranteed headache he'll get when Thor replies with some mind-bending statement like he and Hercules are gym bros or other. Tony and Steve walk side by side, far behind the rest of their little group, bears in one hand, their free hands brushing with each step. 

Part of him knows that if he just reached over...if he took that extra step for Steve's hand...Steve would let him. It'd be so easy…

The line to the Ferris wheel isn't too long, and by the time Tony works up the courage to take Steve's hand, the volunteers are strapping them in. 

One of the volunteers lowers the bar over their heads, making sure that they're secure, and that's it. Tony's trapped. He's stuck on this Ferris wheel for the next ten minutes, and Steve is so goddamn close he can feel how hot his skin is from being out in the sun and—

"I'm not gonna bite, you know," Steve mutters when they start to ascend. He won't meet Tony's eyes. "I...I know you're afraid of me."

Tony swallows, his stomach twisting into knots at the thought of Steve thinking he feared him. 

"I'm not...Steve, I'm not afraid of you," Tony says. Steve's still looking down. He doesn't know where he gets the courage, but he cups Steve's face and makes him look at him. "You hear me? I'm not afraid of you." 

Steve's eyes have always been a weakness of Tony's, and right now, when they're so big and blue and so fucking sad, it doesn't do him any favors. They're almost at the top of the wheel. A stray breeze rustles a lock of Steve's hair, and Tony feels like he's on a cliff's edge. 

"Then why—" Steve begins, only to be cut off by Tony's lips. Tony closes his eyes and answers Steve the only way he knows how.

It's cliche, but Tony swears he can see fireworks going off behind his eyelids. Steve's lips are warm and soft and pliant against his. Tony deepens the kiss and slides one of his hands into Steve's hair, the other remaining on his face. He can taste the remnants of cotton candy on Steve's mouth. 

They break apart because, unfortunately, air is necessary to live. Tony has half a mind to invent a way for humans to survive without air if it meant he could spend the rest of his life kissing Steve. 

This high up, with the sun setting behind them, Tony wishes he had at least brought a jacket. 

Steve lifts his arm, "Here," he says. "Lean into me." Tony does just that and tucks his body into Steve's side, his arm is a reassuring weight around him.

The others are too far back to see Tony and Steve. It's easy up here, easy to forget that Steve's Captain America and Tony's a barely functioning former alcoholic with a slew of mental issues. 

He looks at Steve out the corner of his eye, takes in his features shamelessly and selfishly, the allure of being above everyone reeling him in. He loves Steve's face, the cut of his jaw, and his long, pretty lashes and those eyes. It's painful looking at him. Sometimes it feels like his heart's gonna swell up and pop right out of his chest when he looks at Steve. 

In that moment, he's glad they went to the carnival if only to forget the world for a little while.

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EXCLUSIVE: 'Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk on Losing Jimmy's 'Humanity' & Why He's Nothing Like Walter White!

Better Call Saul is back and better than ever!

AMC's hit Breaking Bad prequel has officially returned for its third season, and series star Bob Odenkirk promises some "very funny escapades" in the upcoming season, despite the fact that good-hearted Jimmy McGill is slowly but surely transitioning into his inevitable alias of crooked Saul Goodman.

"As far as the journey to Saul goes, sadly it seems that the journey is one where all that great humanity in Jimmy McGill is getting shoveled down and hidden away," the 54-year-old actor recently dished to ET ahead of Monday night's premiere. "He starts to just kind of shut down emotionally and that's a sad thing. His conscience is getting more blurred."

Odenkirk confessed that watching the earnest light drain out of Jimmy has been a bittersweet experience for him as both an actor and a fan of the show. "It's really sad and I feel bad, but it's the journey that we have to go on."

WATCH: These 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Bloopers Will Brighten Your Day

"It's a sad thing to feel a person closing off parts of their heart and closing themselves off to the world and just sort of hiding way because they just feel like they're not going to connect with anyone or it's not going to work," he furthered. "Even though in season three, Kim and Jimmy have a better relationship than almost anything I've seen on TV -- they're pretty great and supportive of each other in a really cool and unique way -- but even with that in his life, he is shutting down."

Odenkirk added that a major contributing factor to the downfall of Jimmy is the "devolving" brotherly dynamic between him and Chuck in season three. "Jimmy is going to get pounded. He punches back once or twice, but in the end, he's just going to get crushed. It's one of the things that makes him into the diamond that is Saul Goodman," he said.

AMC

And of course, fans know that Saul Goodman will eventually enter yet another metamorphosis and emerge as Gene, the lowly Cinnabon manager with "that mustache of sorrow and existential dread," as Odenkirk likes to call it.

"I take the mustache and I wrap it around my body and my mind and I close off all human feeling and hide and crouch very tightly behind that mustache of pain. That’s what it's like," the actor said when asked about getting into character as Gene in those black-and-white flash-forwards.

"He's a sad fellow, man. He's the worst and he's in the worst position. He's a sad guy and closed off and he's hiding from the world," Odenkirk said. "It would be painful to be that character in real life, and I also think that I don’t think a person could do that for very long without developing some massive ulcers or some kind of alcoholism."

MORE: Aaron Paul Suggests 'Maybe I Already Shot' 'Breaking Bad' Reunion on 'Better Call Saul'

But for now, as Jimmy McGill enters his third season on our screens, Odenkirk continues to credit and praise Breaking Bad for its revolutionary storytelling and the subsequent spawning of Better Call Saul. "Listen, we're the show we are and we have the audience we have because of Breaking Bad," he said.

"Breaking Bad, obviously, set the stage for us to be viewed and tried out and checked out by millions of people, but also Breaking Bad dialed everyone in to a kind of storytelling that we then get to mine and use," Odenkirk continued. "Our show is so unique and idiosyncratic and quiet and interior. I don’t know that it could've survived without Breaking Bad cuing everyone in to the kind of storytelling that Vince Gillian does."

While it's true that both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul depict the character evolutions of two men -- Walter White into Heisnberg and Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, respectively, -- Odenkirk stressed that each have very different motives for their transitional identities.

"I think Walter White was a more cunning guy right from the start and I think Walter is just plain lying to himself and he had such anger and selfishness inside of him that was dying to come out. Whereas Jimmy, I feel like, it's against his will that he's losing his humanity," he revealed. "I think that's the big difference between the two characters there. You know in the end, Walter says, 'I did it for me and I liked it.' And I think Jimmy would say, 'I did it against all my best instincts and I regret it.'"

RELATED: 'Breaking Bad' Star Giancarlo Esposito is Coming to 'Better Call Saul' -- See What He Said!

AMC

Looking ahead, Odenkirk teased that Breaking Bad fans are in for a delicious treat in next week's hour when Giancarlo Esposito re-debuts his iconic character Gus Fring in episode two.

"It was like watching your memories come to life!" Odenkirk said of stepping onto Los Pollos Hermanos set that was recreated for the prequel series. "I mean, I was never on that set originally because my character never interacted with Gus before, but it was really amazing and fun. And of course, Giancarlo is one of the greatest actors of all time."

ET had the pleasure of being on the Better Call Saul set in for the season two return to another iconic Breaking Bad restaurant, The Dog House, so we were dying to know which food tastes better: Los Pollos Hermanos' chicken or The Dog House's chili dogs?

"Oh, the chili dogs were way better, actually," Odenkirk quickly answered. "Well, The Dog House is a real place [in Albuquerque], and Los Pollos Hermanos is not actually a real restaurant, so the food in Los Pollos Hermanos is just stuff that's been brought in by the props department."

Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: 'Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk on Losing Jimmy's 'Humanity' & Why He's Nothing Like Walter White!

Better Call Saul is back and better than ever!

AMC's hit Breaking Bad prequel has officially returned for its third season, and series star Bob Odenkirk promises some "very funny escapades" in the upcoming season, despite the fact that good-hearted Jimmy McGill is slowly but surely transitioning into his inevitable alias of crooked Saul Goodman.

"As far as the journey to Saul goes, sadly it seems that the journey is one where all that great humanity in Jimmy McGill is getting shoveled down and hidden away," the 54-year-old actor recently dished to ET ahead of Monday night's premiere. "He starts to just kind of shut down emotionally and that's a sad thing. His conscience is getting more blurred."

Odenkirk confessed that watching the earnest light drain out of Jimmy has been a bittersweet experience for him as both an actor and a fan of the show. "It's really sad and I feel bad, but it's the journey that we have to go on."

WATCH: These 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Bloopers Will Brighten Your Day

"It's a sad thing to feel a person closing off parts of their heart and closing themselves off to the world and just sort of hiding way because they just feel like they're not going to connect with anyone or it's not going to work," he furthered. "Even though in season three, Kim and Jimmy have a better relationship than almost anything I've seen on TV -- they're pretty great and supportive of each other in a really cool and unique way -- but even with that in his life, he is shutting down."

Odenkirk added that a major contributing factor to the downfall of Jimmy is the "devolving" brotherly dynamic between him and Chuck in season three. "Jimmy is going to get pounded. He punches back once or twice, but in the end, he's just going to get crushed. It's one of the things that makes him into the diamond that is Saul Goodman," he said.

AMC

And of course, fans know that Saul Goodman will eventually enter yet another metamorphosis and emerge as Gene, the lowly Cinnabon manager with "that mustache of sorrow and existential dread," as Odenkirk likes to call it.

"I take the mustache and I wrap it around my body and my mind and I close off all human feeling and hide and crouch very tightly behind that mustache of pain. That’s what it's like," the actor said when asked about getting into character as Gene in those black-and-white flash-forwards.

"He's a sad fellow, man. He's the worst and he's in the worst position. He's a sad guy and closed off and he's hiding from the world," Odenkirk said. "It would be painful to be that character in real life, and I also think that I don’t think a person could do that for very long without developing some massive ulcers or some kind of alcoholism."

MORE: Aaron Paul Suggests 'Maybe I Already Shot' 'Breaking Bad' Reunion on 'Better Call Saul'

But for now, as Jimmy McGill enters his third season on our screens, Odenkirk continues to credit and praise Breaking Bad for its revolutionary storytelling and the subsequent spawning of Better Call Saul. "Listen, we're the show we are and we have the audience we have because of Breaking Bad," he said.

"Breaking Bad, obviously, set the stage for us to be viewed and tried out and checked out by millions of people, but also Breaking Bad dialed everyone in to a kind of storytelling that we then get to mine and use," Odenkirk continued. "Our show is so unique and idiosyncratic and quiet and interior. I don’t know that it could've survived without Breaking Bad cuing everyone in to the kind of storytelling that Vince Gillian does."

While it's true that both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul depict the character evolutions of two men -- Walter White into Heisnberg and Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, respectively, -- Odenkirk stressed that each have very different motives for their transitional identities.

"I think Walter White was a more cunning guy right from the start and I think Walter is just plain lying to himself and he had such anger and selfishness inside of him that was dying to come out. Whereas Jimmy, I feel like, it's against his will that he's losing his humanity," he revealed. "I think that's the big difference between the two characters there. You know in the end, Walter says, 'I did it for me and I liked it.' And I think Jimmy would say, 'I did it against all my best instincts and I regret it.'"

RELATED: 'Breaking Bad' Star Giancarlo Esposito is Coming to 'Better Call Saul' -- See What He Said!

AMC

Looking ahead, Odenkirk teased that Breaking Bad fans are in for a delicious treat in next week's hour when Giancarlo Esposito re-debuts his iconic character Gus Fring in episode two.

"It was like watching your memories come to life!" Odenkirk said of stepping onto Los Pollos Hermanos set that was recreated for the prequel series. "I mean, I was never on that set originally because my character never interacted with Gus before, but it was really amazing and fun. And of course, Giancarlo is one of the greatest actors of all time."

ET had the pleasure of being on the Better Call Saul set in for the season two return to another iconic Breaking Bad restaurant, The Dog House, so we were dying to know which food tastes better: Los Pollos Hermanos' chicken or The Dog House's chili dogs?

"Oh, the chili dogs were way better, actually," Odenkirk quickly answered. "Well, The Dog House is a real place [in Albuquerque], and Los Pollos Hermanos is not actually a real restaurant, so the food in Los Pollos Hermanos is just stuff that's been brought in by the props department."

Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: 'Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk on Losing Jimmy's 'Humanity' & Why He's Nothing Like Walter White!

Better Call Saul is back and better than ever!

AMC's hit Breaking Bad prequel has officially returned for its third season, and series star Bob Odenkirk promises some "very funny escapades" in the upcoming season, despite the fact that good-hearted Jimmy McGill is slowly but surely transitioning into his inevitable alias of crooked Saul Goodman.

"As far as the journey to Saul goes, sadly it seems that the journey is one where all that great humanity in Jimmy McGill is getting shoveled down and hidden away," the 54-year-old actor recently dished to ET ahead of Monday night's premiere. "He starts to just kind of shut down emotionally and that's a sad thing. His conscience is getting more blurred."

Odenkirk confessed that watching the earnest light drain out of Jimmy has been a bittersweet experience for him as both an actor and a fan of the show. "It's really sad and I feel bad, but it's the journey that we have to go on."

WATCH: These 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Bloopers Will Brighten Your Day

"It's a sad thing to feel a person closing off parts of their heart and closing themselves off to the world and just sort of hiding way because they just feel like they're not going to connect with anyone or it's not going to work," he furthered. "Even though in season three, Kim and Jimmy have a better relationship than almost anything I've seen on TV -- they're pretty great and supportive of each other in a really cool and unique way -- but even with that in his life, he is shutting down."

Odenkirk added that a major contributing factor to the downfall of Jimmy is the "devolving" brotherly dynamic between him and Chuck in season three. "Jimmy is going to get pounded. He punches back once or twice, but in the end, he's just going to get crushed. It's one of the things that makes him into the diamond that is Saul Goodman," he said.

AMC

And of course, fans know that Saul Goodman will eventually enter yet another metamorphosis and emerge as Gene, the lowly Cinnabon manager with "that mustache of sorrow and existential dread," as Odenkirk likes to call it.

"I take the mustache and I wrap it around my body and my mind and I close off all human feeling and hide and crouch very tightly behind that mustache of pain. That’s what it's like," the actor said when asked about getting into character as Gene in those black-and-white flash-forwards.

"He's a sad fellow, man. He's the worst and he's in the worst position. He's a sad guy and closed off and he's hiding from the world," Odenkirk said. "It would be painful to be that character in real life, and I also think that I don’t think a person could do that for very long without developing some massive ulcers or some kind of alcoholism."

MORE: Aaron Paul Suggests 'Maybe I Already Shot' 'Breaking Bad' Reunion on 'Better Call Saul'

But for now, as Jimmy McGill enters his third season on our screens, Odenkirk continues to credit and praise Breaking Bad for its revolutionary storytelling and the subsequent spawning of Better Call Saul. "Listen, we're the show we are and we have the audience we have because of Breaking Bad," he said.

"Breaking Bad, obviously, set the stage for us to be viewed and tried out and checked out by millions of people, but also Breaking Bad dialed everyone in to a kind of storytelling that we then get to mine and use," Odenkirk continued. "Our show is so unique and idiosyncratic and quiet and interior. I don’t know that it could've survived without Breaking Bad cuing everyone in to the kind of storytelling that Vince Gillian does."

While it's true that both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul depict the character evolutions of two men -- Walter White into Heisnberg and Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, respectively, -- Odenkirk stressed that each have very different motives for their transitional identities.

"I think Walter White was a more cunning guy right from the start and I think Walter is just plain lying to himself and he had such anger and selfishness inside of him that was dying to come out. Whereas Jimmy, I feel like, it's against his will that he's losing his humanity," he revealed. "I think that's the big difference between the two characters there. You know in the end, Walter says, 'I did it for me and I liked it.' And I think Jimmy would say, 'I did it against all my best instincts and I regret it.'"

RELATED: 'Breaking Bad' Star Giancarlo Esposito is Coming to 'Better Call Saul' -- See What He Said!

AMC

Looking ahead, Odenkirk teased that Breaking Bad fans are in for a delicious treat in next week's hour when Giancarlo Esposito re-debuts his iconic character Gus Fring in episode two.

"It was like watching your memories come to life!" Odenkirk said of stepping onto Los Pollos Hermanos set that was recreated for the prequel series. "I mean, I was never on that set originally because my character never interacted with Gus before, but it was really amazing and fun. And of course, Giancarlo is one of the greatest actors of all time."

ET had the pleasure of being on the Better Call Saul set in for the season two return to another iconic Breaking Bad restaurant, The Dog House, so we were dying to know which food tastes better: Los Pollos Hermanos' chicken or The Dog House's chili dogs?

"Oh, the chili dogs were way better, actually," Odenkirk quickly answered. "Well, The Dog House is a real place [in Albuquerque], and Los Pollos Hermanos is not actually a real restaurant, so the food in Los Pollos Hermanos is just stuff that's been brought in by the props department."

Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: 'Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk on Losing Jimmy's 'Humanity' & Why He's Nothing Like Walter White!

Better Call Saul is back and better than ever!

AMC's hit Breaking Bad prequel has officially returned for its third season, and series star Bob Odenkirk promises some "very funny escapades" in the upcoming season, despite the fact that good-hearted Jimmy McGill is slowly but surely transitioning into his inevitable alias of crooked Saul Goodman.

"As far as the journey to Saul goes, sadly it seems that the journey is one where all that great humanity in Jimmy McGill is getting shoveled down and hidden away," the 54-year-old actor recently dished to ET ahead of Monday night's premiere. "He starts to just kind of shut down emotionally and that's a sad thing. His conscience is getting more blurred."

Odenkirk confessed that watching the earnest light drain out of Jimmy has been a bittersweet experience for him as both an actor and a fan of the show. "It's really sad and I feel bad, but it's the journey that we have to go on."

WATCH: These 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Bloopers Will Brighten Your Day

"It's a sad thing to feel a person closing off parts of their heart and closing themselves off to the world and just sort of hiding way because they just feel like they're not going to connect with anyone or it's not going to work," he furthered. "Even though in season three, Kim and Jimmy have a better relationship than almost anything I've seen on TV -- they're pretty great and supportive of each other in a really cool and unique way -- but even with that in his life, he is shutting down."

Odenkirk added that a major contributing factor to the downfall of Jimmy is the "devolving" brotherly dynamic between him and Chuck in season three. "Jimmy is going to get pounded. He punches back once or twice, but in the end, he's just going to get crushed. It's one of the things that makes him into the diamond that is Saul Goodman," he said.

AMC

And of course, fans know that Saul Goodman will eventually enter yet another metamorphosis and emerge as Gene, the lowly Cinnabon manager with "that mustache of sorrow and existential dread," as Odenkirk likes to call it.

"I take the mustache and I wrap it around my body and my mind and I close off all human feeling and hide and crouch very tightly behind that mustache of pain. That’s what it's like," the actor said when asked about getting into character as Gene in those black-and-white flash-forwards.

"He's a sad fellow, man. He's the worst and he's in the worst position. He's a sad guy and closed off and he's hiding from the world," Odenkirk said. "It would be painful to be that character in real life, and I also think that I don’t think a person could do that for very long without developing some massive ulcers or some kind of alcoholism."

MORE: Aaron Paul Suggests 'Maybe I Already Shot' 'Breaking Bad' Reunion on 'Better Call Saul'

But for now, as Jimmy McGill enters his third season on our screens, Odenkirk continues to credit and praise Breaking Bad for its revolutionary storytelling and the subsequent spawning of Better Call Saul. "Listen, we're the show we are and we have the audience we have because of Breaking Bad," he said.

"Breaking Bad, obviously, set the stage for us to be viewed and tried out and checked out by millions of people, but also Breaking Bad dialed everyone in to a kind of storytelling that we then get to mine and use," Odenkirk continued. "Our show is so unique and idiosyncratic and quiet and interior. I don’t know that it could've survived without Breaking Bad cuing everyone in to the kind of storytelling that Vince Gillian does."

While it's true that both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul depict the character evolutions of two men -- Walter White into Heisnberg and Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, respectively, -- Odenkirk stressed that each have very different motives for their transitional identities.

"I think Walter White was a more cunning guy right from the start and I think Walter is just plain lying to himself and he had such anger and selfishness inside of him that was dying to come out. Whereas Jimmy, I feel like, it's against his will that he's losing his humanity," he revealed. "I think that's the big difference between the two characters there. You know in the end, Walter says, 'I did it for me and I liked it.' And I think Jimmy would say, 'I did it against all my best instincts and I regret it.'"

RELATED: 'Breaking Bad' Star Giancarlo Esposito is Coming to 'Better Call Saul' -- See What He Said!

AMC

Looking ahead, Odenkirk teased that Breaking Bad fans are in for a delicious treat in next week's hour when Giancarlo Esposito re-debuts his iconic character Gus Fring in episode two.

"It was like watching your memories come to life!" Odenkirk said of stepping onto Los Pollos Hermanos set that was recreated for the prequel series. "I mean, I was never on that set originally because my character never interacted with Gus before, but it was really amazing and fun. And of course, Giancarlo is one of the greatest actors of all time."

ET had the pleasure of being on the Better Call Saul set in for the season two return to another iconic Breaking Bad restaurant, The Dog House, so we were dying to know which food tastes better: Los Pollos Hermanos' chicken or The Dog House's chili dogs?

"Oh, the chili dogs were way better, actually," Odenkirk quickly answered. "Well, The Dog House is a real place [in Albuquerque], and Los Pollos Hermanos is not actually a real restaurant, so the food in Los Pollos Hermanos is just stuff that's been brought in by the props department."

Better Call Saul airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.