#now just small maths and politics tests on friday

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

i would like to thank any gods out there that the physics exam was in fact manageable and most questions worked like the ones i did manage to look over. no idea if i got to the correct conclusion but i'm pretty sure my formulas are all in order. i'm careful not to hope too much but i definitely didn't completely screw it up.

i would also like to thank the snow that i got to go home earlier.

i would also like to fight my french teacher and stop french classes immediately i don't understand a damn thing and there's too much grammar and i can't focus and i'm too demotivated to spend the time on it i should and i wanna cry

[tryingmybestpls]

Home Is Wherever I’m With You

Pairing: Maxwell Lord x Reader

Summary: The reader cares a lot about Alistair, which Maxwell loves.

Rating: T

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: bad writing, disgustingly sweet

Y/N could see the almost immediate look of disappointment on Alistair's face as his mother helped him out of the car. It's a face she's seen dozens of times before, each and every time he was promised that his father was going to be the one to pick him up. No matter how big her smile was, no matter what she had planned for the two of them to do until Max got home, Y/N could never get that look off of Alistair's face.

She couldn't blame him. She would probably be disappointed too if she was in his shoes.

"Hey Alistair!" Y/N greets him happily, a huge smile stretched across her face as his mother guides him towards her. Alistair gives her a small smile, his thumbs hooked around his backpack straps. Y/N's hand immediately moves to pat his back, like she's trying to apologize for his father's absence with the action.

Y/N takes his suitcase from his mother as Alistair moves to stand beside her, teetering back and forth on his feet. Small talk between Y/N and Max's ex-wife is kept to a minimum, both of them being polite and cordial. She gives Alistair a kiss goodbye before she all but rushes back to her car and the man waiting inside.

"I'm sorry your dad couldn't meet us. He couldn't get away from work." Y/N breaks the silence as the car peels away, leaving behind a cloud of dust. She didn’t like talking to Alistair like he was a child. Y/N always thought it was demeaning when she was his age, so she doesn’t do it now. She leads him towards the house that she shares with Max, continuing to speak, "However he is going to meet us for dinner."

"He is?" Alistair perks up, looking up at her as the two of them walk into the house. Y/N smiles down at him, nodding. His smile stretches from ear to ear as he follows her towards his bedroom. Her heels echo loudly in the halls as both of them go deeper into the house. Y/N knows that he can find his way to the room by himself, but she enjoys their time together, only wanting to make him feel comfortable.

"Yup. He even pinky promised." She tells him as she turn the light on in the room, setting down the suitcase. Y/N decides to leave out the fact that she had practically threatened Max in order to make sure he would actually meet the two of them at the restaurant.

Max is a wonderful dad-which is something that he needs to be constantly reminded of. Y/N doesn't think she has ever seen such a caring paternal figure-she certainly didn't have one. Maxwell was trying to build an empire for his son and because of it he was sometimes more focused on business than on said son. To her boyfriend, his absence was justifiable since he was doing it all for Alistair. Of course, it was hard for Alistair to understand the whole situation. The kid just wanted to see his dad and didn't understand why his father was always so busy.

Enter Y/N.

Ever since Maxwell introduced her to Alistair, she's made sure to try to fill in that gap that her boyfriend creates when he is gone. She isn't trying to be his parent, no nothing like that. Y/N just keeps him company and keeps him busy so he isn't think about his dad not being there. Being the CEO of her family's company, its not like it is particularly hard for Y/N to get time off. Everyone in the company knows that every other weekend she takes a half-day on Friday in order to meet Max's ex-wife back at the house she shares with Max. Since Y/N spends her free time during the week planning what her and Alistair would do, the weekends were never boring. While the time with Y/N didn't completely make up for the fact that his father wasn't there, at least Alistair was happy.

"Hey how'd your math test go this week?" Y/N questions, walking a little further into Alistair's bedroom. He had full range to decorate the room, so it was fairly clear that the room belonged to a little boy. Star Wars bedding donned the bed, toys were practically pouring out the wooden toy box, and children's books filled a few shelves. Alistair almost immediately shrugged off his backpack, zipping it open so quickly that Y/N thought he was going to rip the zipper off its tracks. He dug around his backpack for a moment before pulling out a piece of paper, holding it out to her. Y/N smiles as she takes it, seeing the large red numbers on the front of the test.

A perfect one hundred percent.

"Alistair, this is amazing! You want to put it on the fridge or should we bring it to dinner and show your father?" She asks, watching as Alistair thinks it out. Maxwell is going to be so proud-well he is always proud of Alistair, but this-this was something to celebrate.

"Can we bring it with us?" He replies, to which she grins and nods. Handing him back the paper, Y/N unzips his suitcase in order to help him unpack a little faster.

"Of course, kid. I think this definitely deserves some ice cream."

-

As soon as he entered the restaurant, Maxwell felt his shoulders relax a bit. Leaving his coat with the coat check clerk, he made his way through the crowded restaurant, moving towards a separate, more private area of the restaurant. One great thing about his girlfriend belonging to a well established wealthy family is that they never had to make a reservation for any restaurant, although it didn't stop Y/N from making one every single time.

He can hear Alistair's laugh ring out as he gets nearer and nearer to the table. By the way Y/N's hands were moving, she was in the middle of telling a story-a hilarious one with how much his son is laughing in response to it. Max grins, overjoyed to see the two of them getting along so well. He had been afraid when he had first introduced his son to her, worried that they wouldn't get along. Now he was wondering what he was so afraid of.

"Dad!" Alistair cheerfully exclaims, cutting Y/N off mid-sentence as he caught sight of his father, quickly getting out of his chair in order to run over to his father. Y/N twisted in her seat in order to see, immediately standing when her eyes landed on her boyfriend. And while part of Max wanted to lightly scold Alistair for reacting like this in the middle of restaurant, he couldn't help put hug his son tightly, pressing a kiss against his temple.

"My son! I've missed you so much." Max replies happily as he pulls away, studying his child as if he hadn’t seen him two weeks ago. Alistair looks up at his father as the man continues, "I swear you're getting taller and taller every time I see you!"

"I told him he's growing like a beanstalk." Y/N says with a grin as she walks over to them. Maxwell smiles right back at her, his smile only growing when her hand rests on Alistair's back, which causes his son to look up at her with a big smile on her face. Y/N playfully ruffles his hair before looking back at Max, "Why don't we sit down, yeah?"

"Yeah." Max responds, leaning over and pressing his lips against her cheek as soon as Alistair's back was turned. Y/N had a strict rule about PDA around Alistair. She never wanted him to feel uncomfortable or that his father wasn't focused only on him. It was all the little things see did to make sure Alistair felt comfortable and loved that made Max love her a million times more. His hand resting on the small of her back, guiding her back towards the table. Max pulls her chair out for her before moving to sit down himself.

"So did you guys have a great day today?" Maxwell asks as he reaches for his glass of ice water. Y/N glances at Alistair, smiling sweetly.

"I got my math test back today." Alistair announces, looking at his father. Maxwell's eyes flicker between his son and watching his girlfriend open her black Hermès Kelly bag. Not so slyly, Y/N hands Alistair his test under the table. Alistair takes the test, looking at his father with a fairly serious face before holding the paper out to him. Maxwell looks at both of them, his blonde eyebrows knitting together as he takes the test from his child.

Y/N and Alistair watch Max's face as his eyes scam the test. It takes him a few minutes to realize that his son had gotten a perfect score. As soon as he does, a huge smile stretches across his face as he looks at his son and girlfriend. They were grinning from ear to ear.

"Good job, Alistair! I knew you were going to ace it!" Max says cheerfully, how proud he is of his son as clear as day. Y/N reaches her hand towards Max, resting it on the table.

"I told him that this definitely deserves some ice cream." Y/N informs him, her hand pulling away to pick up her glass of wine. Maxwell snapped his fingers, pointing at her as she sips her drink.

"It does! That's an amazing idea, Y/N. What do you say, Alistair? Would you like to get some ice cream after dinner?" Max asks, his hand reaching out towards his girlfriend. She smiles and puts her hand on top of his, her fingers intertwining with his. The two of them look at Alistair, watching as he nods enthusiastically.

-

"You're too good to us." Maxwell murmurs to her later that night, kissing her forehead sweetly. In the dim lighting of their bedroom, he watches as a small smile blooms on her face.

"I like taking care of you two." Y/N replies, her hand moving to cup his cheek. Her thumb sliding against his cheekbone as she continues, “Gives me something to look forward to, something to come home to.”

Maxwell leans into her hand, studying her face in the moonlight that’s streaming in through the cracks of the curtains. He smiles at her, the skin around his eyes wrinkling. Max felt warm all over, felt at ease. Felt at home.

Y/N had taken them both into her home and gave them a place to call their own-something Max has never truly had. Max doesn’t think he’s ever been so loved or if he’s ever been this in love with someone. She never made Max feel bad over the fact that she paid for most things, she just told him not to worry about it because had cash to spare. Y/N didn’t even care that Maxwell himself was living a lie by only playing the part of a successful business man. She made his son feel comfortable, had gone out of her way to make sure Alistair never awkward or unhappy around her.

Y/N didn’t care for his son in order for Max to like her more. No, Y/N actually cared for Alistair. If Alistair told her something that he liked, she made sure to commit it to memory. If he told her that he had a play or an assembly, Y/N made sure both her and Max were in the audience. At times, Max thought that Y/N knew his son better than he did.

“He likes you, you know. You always worry about him liking you and he does.” Maxwell tucks a stand of hair behind his girlfriend’s ear. Y/N’s smile grows as his arm wraps around her, pulling her closer, “You’re good at this. Being a mom.”

“You’re being awfully kind. I’m just trying my best.” She responds, feeling her cheeks grow hot. Maxwell’s hand moves to lift her chin gently so that he can kiss her. The kiss is soft and as sweet as syrup, silencing her thoughts.

“And your best is better than most. And I’m grateful. I’m really grateful for you.” Max says as soon as they pull away, his hand sliding up and down her side. Her smile grows in the moonlight as she moves to rest her forehead against his chest. Y/N doesn’t respond because Max knows how she feels. She’s told him time and time again how she’s felt, told him how much both him and Alistair have changed her life for the better. Told him how much happier she is with them in there life.

And even when Alistair climbs into their bed at two in the morning, announcing that he had a nightmare and asking if he can sleep with them, Y/N gives him a sleepy smile, patting the space she made in between her and Max. Her boyfriend-who is half asleep-opens his eyes enough to see his son curled up closer to Y/N, her arm wrapped around Alistair almost protectively.

[rowanwhitethornisbae]

Faking It Chapter 4

A/N: This Chapter takes place in like an hour which was not my intention when I started but here it is anyway. I really like this one and I think it leads perfectly into the rest of the story. Enjoy! CW: Swearing

Faking It Masterlist

“Get up right now!” Aelin yelled at her cousin, her body hovering above his sleeping form. “Aedion I have a math test first period that I'm going to miss.” 

She grabbed the pillow out from under his head and smacked him with it. Her moron of a cousin just groaned and rolled over, muttering something indecipherable under her breath. 

“Pleaseee Aedion.” Aelin whined, fully aware of how desperate she sounded. Aelin wasn't exactly a natural at math, and really needed to do well on this test if she was even going to pass. 

“Fuck off.” He grumbled, and turned back over in bed. He had spare first period, and didn't need to be at school for another hour and a half. Still, he’d promised her over dinner last night that he’d take her in. Aelin had woken up about ten minutes ago and got ready quickly, fully prepared to be driven by her cousin. 

She called Lysandra’s phone, only for it to go straight to voicemail. Without wasting anymore time, Aelin chugged the remaining half cup of coffee, needing the energy boost, and left the house. She knew Aedion would feel guilty later, but it was too late now for his future apologies to matter. 

Aelin had gotten all of half a block, when she realized that she was still wearing Doc Martens. There was no fucking way she was going to be able to walk the five miles to school in these platforms without dropping dead. Just then, as Aelin fully prepared herself to collapse on the ground and fake an illness, a car pulled up. Aelin recognized the beat black vehicle, and the small dent in the front from days prior. 

Rowan Whitethorn rolled down his window slowly, as if he was still deciding whether or not to drive away. “Want a drive?” 

She looked him up and down, than glanced down the road at the miles stretching out before her. Was getting mocked and condescended to really worth a math grade? Aelin continued to walk down the street in answer. 

Rowan groaned and rolled the car forward, keeping pace with her easily. “Just get in the car.” 

Aelin had heard those words from him before, in an ironically similar situation. Against her own wishes, a memory surfaced. She tried in vain to push it out, but it was no use. 

18 Months prior, Aelin Galathynius had been walking down this same street, a bottle of vodka in hand and her cheeks stained with tears. It had been a month since the car crash that claimed both her parents lives. In all honestly, Aelin was less of a wreck than she would've expected. She knew who she owed that fact too, but Rowan Whitethorn was currently across town at a football game with his friends. He didn't care. No one cared. 

So here she was, drunk and sobbing as she walked unsteadily down this empty suburban road. Every once in a while she’d trip and her momentum would spin her around, sending her back in the same direction she’d come. 

Aelin didn't know how long she'd been walking back and forth for, but it must have been a while. The sunset that had torn the sky into strips of different colours was gone, replaced by the blackness of night and a tiny sliver of a crescent moon. 

The alcohol must've numbed her body because when she looked down, Aelin was shocked to find that her feet were bleeding. She wasn't wearing shoes, and pieces of rock and dirt had scratched away at her skin. Aelin found it so funny that she’s forgotten shoes, that she leaned over and started laughing. Deep, wrenching sounds that had her leaning over her knees for support. When she was done laughing at nothing, Aelin continued her stroll down the road, still ignoring the raw and bloody skin of her feet. If she could handle losing both her parents, she could handle some blisters. 

Thats how Rowan found her. Silent tears rolling down her face, an empty bottle of vodka in her hand, bloody feet, and a terrifyingly empty smirk etched onto her pale face. 

She didn't notice him pull up this time, too consumed by her own grief. She did however, hear his voice. Like an anchor in the sea, she felt the tug deep in her soul. 

“Aelin.” He had said, pain lingering behind his every word. She had found it funny at the time that he was in pain. Both his parents were alive. What he could possible have to be upset about. She only realized it days later, after the breakup that had destroyed what was left of her. 

He had been in pain because he loved her. 

She hadn't answered the man in the car. Just kept on walking blindly down the street, bloody footprints on the stone behind her. 

“Let me help you Aelin.” He paused. “Just get in the car.” 

When she hadn't, he’d pulled up right there in the middle of the road and gotten out. He’d pried the alcohol out of her hands and held her against his chest until she had no tears left to cry. Then, so gently that it snapped something in her chest, he’d picked her up and taken her to his car. She was nearly passed out when they arrived at the hospital. The doctors had patched up her feet, removed a small piece of glass that had gotten in her heel. Rowan had stayed overnight with her, and when she awoke in that hospital bed, hungover and in pain, the sight of him sleeping in a tiny chair beside her bed had begun to heal her. 

“Come on Aelin. You’re going to be late for math class.” He insisted, and she snapped out of the unwelcome memory. His voice conveyed that this was her last chance to accept his offer. 

Finally, she stopped. Although a late slip was better than being ridiculed, another failed math mark was not. She sighed and walked around to the other side of his car. Something like surprise flashed on Rowan’s face, but it was gone in an instant. 

“Thanks.” She said as swung the passenger door shut. 

Rowan simply nodded and pushed down on the gas. They sat in silence for a brief moment and Aelin crossed one leg over the other. 

“So,” Rowan began, clearly trying to break the tension. She supposed it was a good idea if they were going to do this whole fake dating thing. “Are you ready for the test.” 

Math was their only class together, luckily, and the only thing they really had in common. It wasn't a shock to her that Rowan would use that for small talk. 

“Um I studied a lot but I don't really understand any of it.” Aelin shrugged, suddenly wishing she was better at math. “I guess I'll just try my best again.” 

“What’d you get last time you tried your best?” He asked.

Aelin winced. “58 percent” 

Rowan gave her a look without turning his head from the road. “What’s your current average.” 

“I’d rather not.” She started fiddling with her hands. She really, really, did not want to give Rowan another reason to make fun of her. 

“Come on.” He pried further. 

Aelin was fully prepared to lie, so it surprised even her when the truth escaped her lips. “47,″ she paused, “point five.”

Rowan shot her an incredulous look, finally turning his head fully. “How is that even possible, your marks were high eighties in sophomore year.” 

“You tutored me.” She admitted without really thinking. “It made sense when you explained it.” 

She knew it was the wrong thing to say when he stiffened, his fingers tightening on the wheel. A few seconds later, they pulled into the parking lot. 

“We’re here.” He told her, opening the door. 

Aelin waited until Rowan was halfway to the school to say, “I can see that.” 

Groaning, she started making her way to class. Luckily, Aelin didn't see anyone she knew. She used the few extra minutes that Rowan’s drive had saved her to run over formulas in her head. She knew that she’d completely forget how to apply them as soon as she picked up the test, but it didn't hurt to know. 

The classroom was full when she got there, and Aelin took her normal seat at the back. In all the commotion with Rowan, Aelin had completely forgotten that she also had this class with Chaol. Her first with him since the breakup. 

She tried not to look in his direction, a feat that was made impossible when he stood up and walked over to her desk. 

“Hey Aelin.” He said, his hands braced on her desk. She didn't like how short this arrangement made her feel. 

“Chaol.” She said, nodding her head. 

“How are you doing?” He asked. 

Aelin groaned internally and dared a glance over at Rowan. He sat two seats to her left, and was watching her and Chaol with a blank face. Swallowing, Aelin smiled up at her ex-boyfriend. “Fine.” She purposely didn't reciprocate the question. 

“Cool cool.” Chaol chewed on his cheek in a way that had never bothered her before, but she now found infuriating. “I was just wondering if you’re planning on going to Dorian’s party this Friday.” 

Ahhh. So that’s what this torturously awkward conversation was about. She gave him a shallow nod. “I think so. Why?” She added the last word as an afterthought. 

“No reason.” Then he took a long sigh. “I just think it might be awkward if I end up hooking up with someone and you’re there.” 

Aelin’s mouth fell open. That could not have been something he actually just said. She nearly laughed at the absurdity of his comment. “Don’t worry about me.” She said sarcastically. “Hook up with all the girls you want, I know I will.” 

He went slightly pale, but still spoke in a teasing voice. “You’re going to hook up with girls?” 

Aelin couldn't help but laugh and Chaol smiled with relief at her response. Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Rowan’s eyes darken. Chaol was just about to turn away, when she stopped him. 

“Chaol,” He stiffened slightly, as if expecting her to yell at him. “I have a question about the politics of the football team.” 

He looked confused, but relieved all the same. Chaol leaned on her desk again, bringing their faces uncomfortably close. 

“Would an assistant captain be able to pick someone to try out for the team.” Her voice was quiet enough that she knew Rowan couldn't hear.

“Yeah,” Chaol answered, “If an assistant captain finds someone that they think would be a good fit then they are allowed to set up a tryout without needing permission from the captain.” 

“Thanks.” She said, pulling her pencil case out of her bag in a sign of dismissal. 

Chaol gave her a curt nod, and deciding not to ask further about her questions, went back to his chair. 

Minutes later, the teacher handed out the tests, set the timer and told them to begin. 

-------------------------

Rowan could tell Aelin was struggling. It was obvious from the frustrated look in her eyes and the slumped posture of her shoulders. She was chewing on her lip and looked quite honestly on the verge of tears. Rowan knew she wouldn't cry in class, she’d always preferred to wait and suffer alone. But the odds were that Lysandra would find her in the bathroom during lunch, locked inside a stall. 

The thought of her in pain had never really bothered him before. He’d been too consumed in his hatred of Aelin Galathynius to really mind. But now, after she’d thawed through a little bit of the ice he regarded her with, the thought was nearly unbearable. 

Rowan Whitethorn had never cheated on a test in his entire life. There was really no need to when he possessed a natural knack for academics. Shit just made sense to him, it had always been like that. So now, as he ever so slowly reached for his phone from his jacket pocket, his heart was positively racing. 

The teacher was at the front of the class with his head down, grading papers. Still, Rowan felt like the man had to be able to hear the sound of Rowan’s heart beating against his chest. Once he had a solid grip around his phone, he slipped it silently out of his pocket. 

His hands were sweaty, and Rowan silently begged the gods not to let him drop it. He carefully grabbed his test and propped it up as a shield, making it look like he was just reviewing it. Sitting in the back row meant there was no one behind to him to snitch, and he trusted the four people that sat to his right enough. With his phone on silent, Rowan quickly took three pictures of the test pages and sent them to Aelin. 

He lingered for a moment on the chat, their last texts being from 18 months ago.  

Aelin: Im really fucking sorry Rowan. Can we still be friends?

He’d left her on read and five minutes later, she’d text again. 

Aelin: I need you in my life still. 

There were typos in his next message, his eyes too blurry with tears to see straight. 

Rowan: You should've thouht of that first. Don't call me. Don't text me. I fucking hate you Aelin. I nver ever want to speak to you again.

She’d never responded, but true to his word, they hadn't spoken since then. Until three days ago. 

Pushing that from his mind, Rowan hit send on the pictures. Already done with his test, he used this time to watch Aelin. 

Her hair was down, and she kept tucking it behind her ears every few moments. Browa furrowed, she bit on her lower lip in a way that had his hand tightening around his pencil. With his eyes on her, Rowan saw the exact moment that her phone vibrated in her pocket. She looked left and right, and he turned away before she could make eye contact with him, and then turned back to her test. 

She did almost the exact same thing he had, using her test as a shield and pulling out her phone. She clicked a few things and then her mouth fell open. There were too many emotions on he face for him to pick out. Relief, shock, joy, surprise. 

Her head jerked in his direction and this time he was too late to turn away. Their eyes met and the way she looked at him had the rest of the class fading away. His heart rate sped up yet again, and there was nothing between them but wasteful space. He couldn't look away from her if he tried. 

Luckily, she looked away first, making him feel quite foolish. She began to copy his answers down, clearly making sure to get a few wrong as to not get caught. Although it seemed an eternity, it took Aelin all of two minutes to change 90% of her answers and pocket the phone once again. 

Rowan released a long breath and felt himself relax again. They’d actually done it. He felt a strange sense of pride, uncomfortably similar to the way he’d felt when him and Aelin were dating. When they broke into an abandoned beach house to jump off the balcony and into the ocean. 

The bell dismissed them and Rowan jumped up from his desk, eager to get out of class before Aelin tried to talk to him. Still, he should've known that evading Aelin Galathynius was utterly useless. 

He had barely gotten to his locker when she caught up to him. He was pulling books out and didn't look her way.

She leaned on the locker beside his - Lorcan’s - and stared at him. “Why’d you do that?” 

He just kept picking out books. “I don't know what you’re talking about.” 

She snorted and Rowan felt a blush rise on his cheeks. “Don't play dumb with me. Why’d you help me cheat.” 

Rowan was quickly running out of books in his locker. “No thank you?” 

She gave him a soft smile. “Thank you.” 

He just nodded and finally turned to face her, slamming his locker shut with more force than was necessary. 

He was fully prepared to leave when she spoke again. “Shall we go to lunch?” 

For the second time in who knows how long, Aelin Galathynius snapped the last bit of his sanity. He flipped them around, so her back was pressed up against the lockers and he was hovering above her. He braced both arms on each side of her head and brought his face close to hers. He could feel her rapid breathing on his cheek and see the way that gold ring in her eyes swelled with fear. He watched as her nostrils flared as she took in his heaving chest. He considered himself lucky that she didn't turn her head to peek at his shaking hands. 

“Aelin.” He said, his voice laced with venom. It was then that he realized this was the first time he’d spoken her name in nearly a year and a half. For a second, he lost the ability to speak. But then she made the smallest movement as if to escape his hold, and he regained it. 

“I don't want to walk to lunch with you. I don't want to trade answers with you. I don't want to speak to you. I don't even want to look at you. I am doing this for me and only me. We talk when it is completely necessary. Other than that please, just leave me the fuck alone. You are nothing to me and I do not care.” 

She didn't even flinch as he spoke. Almost like she knew exactly what he was going to say. There was no sign of hurt in her eyes, just ice cold emptiness. 

“Why?” She asked. The word was so quiet that he nearly missed it. 

“You cheated on me Aelin.” 

There it was. The truth that neither of them had been willing to discuss. He had loved her so much that he was completely consumed by it. But she’d slept with Chaol anyway. He never understood why and she never bothered to explain. 

She opened her mouth to say something when someone cleared their voice beside them. 

“What's going on?” Lorcan asked, Fenrys beside him with his eyes wide. 

Rowan stepped back from Aelin as if he’d been burned. She didn't move though. She stayed there against the lockers looking up at him with a crestfallen expression on her face. 

“Nothing.” Rowan said harshly, looking right at Aelin. “Nothing’s going on at all.” 

She nodded her head, murmured an apology, and disappeared down the hall. 

He watched her go for a moment and then slammed his head against the locker, trying to drown out the mindless sounds of a high school hallway and fight the growing urge to cry. 

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if you changed your username please let me know so that I can change your tag!! send an ask to be added

[hermannsthumb]

Idk if you doing requests or not rn buut, feriowind has been posting a bunch of vampire!Hermann and I needs some modern vampire Hermann and professor Newt...

uwu ily

SO I feel like I should open by saying a WIP fic with this concept by @coloredpencilroses exists and I Love it, so read High Stakes for something much better than this lol (and leave a nice comment). HAPPY OCTOBER!!!! warning for very mildly implied sexy stuff. EDIT: and of COURSE I forgot to tag @theloccent for my extremely belated fill for the “Vampire” square on my bingo card :/

-----------------------

Newt has always been an extremely persistent type. He considers it, naturally, one his greatest strengths—no theory goes untested, no question goes unanswered, no experiment goes…well, unexperimented. You don’t get more PhDs than you can count on one hand if you’re not persistent. You don’t get a date with the hot new engineering professor down the hall if you’re not persistent, either, but Newt is finding this venture is taking a little more effort than usual. That’s fine, though. He likes challenges.

Dr. Gottlieb was hired by the university at the start of the semester, after the head of the engineering department—who’s nearing her seventies—finally decided she’d had enough and announced her retirement somewhat last minute. He is, frankly, unlike anyone Newt’s ever seen before, a weird combination of cheekbones, wide lips, and a turn-of-the-century old-fashioned air that carries over into everything from his wardrobe to the stiff way he carries himself. He wouldn’t look out of place in a black and white photograph, Newt thinks. Or maybe even the illustrations of a Dickens novel. That’s not why Newt’s into him, though—well, not the only reason why.

In the entire month and a half Gottlieb’s been here, he hasn’t spoken a single word to anyone his contract doesn’t require him to; when he is forced into conversation, he scowls and snaps and mumbles his way through before making a polite excuse as to why he needs to leave the room right now, immediately. No one knows anything about him other than the bare minimum—that his name is Dr. Gottlieb, he lectures in engineering, and he exists. Shit, Newt doesn’t even know his first name. The little plaque outside his office just says Gottlieb.

The mystery just makes Gottlieb all the more alluring to Newt.

Anyway, his continued failures in winning Gottlieb over aren’t a result of a lack of trying. On Gottlieb’s first day, Newt stopped by his office to introduce himself. He didn’t bother knocking. Maybe that was his first mistake. “I’m Newt,” he said. “My office is a few doors down from you. You’re the new department head?”

Gottlieb looked stricken, but he nodded. “Yes,” he said. He didn’t say anything else.

“Cool,” Newt said. “Anyway, I’m technically in the bio department, but I teach a few interdisciplinary courses with engineering, so I requested they stick me over here to get a bigger office.” He cracked a grin. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“Hm,” Gottlieb said.

Newt tried again the next day.

“Your office is so dark,” he said, conversationally, because it was—lights all off, books stacked up everywhere, maroon drapes drawn tightly in front of the single small window. Dark and stuffy. “Feel free to stop by my office whenever you want a break from it. I have a corner one, so I have two windows.”

“I requested this office,” Gottlieb said, not looking up the article he was marking up.

Newt became desperate by his third attempt and did something that’s left him burning with shame even now, weeks later, and that would probably warrant the immediate transfers of sleep-deprived engineering majors out of all his courses if word ever got out it was him: he deliberately broke the department coffee machine. “Man, I can’t believe that thing is busted again,” he declared to Gottlieb. “Good thing I have a Keurig in my office.” Newt had gone out and purchased a Keurig immediately before destroying the coffee pot. “Seriously, come by whenever you need caffeine.”

Gottlieb blinked at him, long and slow, and Newt had the strangest sense that he knew exactly what happened to the coffee pot. “I never drink… coffee,” Gottlieb finally said.

For all Newt’s troubles, the list of things he knows about Gottlieb has expanded by two pitiful points: that his accent is English and posh, and his voice is low and sexy. Helpful.

It’s a chilly day in late October when Newt finally decides to enlist the aid of his interdisciplinary undergrads. Some of them—he learned after poking around their registration records—have a seminar with Gottlieb, and they seem his best bet at learning anything. A spouse—a first name—Newt would take Gottlieb’s favorite color, even. “So,” he starts class, unwinding his scarf off his neck, “that Dr. Gottlieb sure is weird, huh?”

In Newt’s firsthand experience, undergrads love to gossip about their professors, and his certainly don’t disappoint. Gottlieb’s classes are all held in the basement of the engineering building. All run well into the evening, after the sun’s set—most not finished until nine—and Gottlieb hustles out of the lecture hall the moment he can. He walks with a cane and a slight limp. He always dresses like that. He’s never mentioned any sort of family, and wears no wedding ring. He’s scary good at math. No one knows his first name.

“You’ve been an invaluable help,” Newt tells them all seriously.

He mulls the new information over in his office later as he grades some tests. So Gottlieb is a bit of shy, reclusive, genius. No surprise there. Well, his apparent hatred of sunlight is kind of weird (if unsurprising, given how pale he is) but maybe he just has sensitive eyes or something. Who is Newt to judge? At least he knows how to improve his next plan of attack—he just has to ask the guy to come over and sit in a dark room in silence with him. That’s probably Gottlieb’s dream date, actually.

There’s a knock on Newt’s office door. Newt looks up and drops his pen: it’s Gottlieb.

“Uh. Hey, dude!” he squeaks, unsure of how to proceed in this entirely unfamiliar territory. Gottlieb, willingly interacting with him? Willingly leaving his office? “Is there…can I help you with something? Did you want that coffee after all?”

“Most definitely not,” Gottlieb says coolly. He’s standing far enough back from the door that not a single sliver of lamp light from Newt’s office hits him, instead shrouded by the shadows of the dark engineering department. Newt didn’t realize how late it had gotten. “My students informed me that you were interrogating them about me.”

It’s not a question. Newt is struck by a wave of nervousness that he doesn’t quite understand—maybe it’s the sour expression Gottlieb is giving him, something in those dark brown eyes that are piercing through Newt. He feels, foolishly and briefly, like cowering under his desk. He swallows. “Yes,” he says, and adds, stammering, “I mean—I wasn’t interrogating them. I was just asking a few questions.”

“Why?” Gottlieb says.

“Uh,” Newt says. “I guess I was…curious, about you?”

He works up the guts to look Gottlieb in the eyes; he sees Gottlieb’s eyebrows jump the tiniest fraction of an inch. “You’re attracted to me,” Gottlieb says, another non-question, though Newt hears a flicker of surprise.

“Yeah,” Newt admits.

“I see,” Gottlieb says. Then, to Newt’s surprise, he suddenly smiles. “I’d like if you invited me over for dinner, Dr. Geiszler.”

“Dinner,” Newt says. He feels strangely dizzy; but, shaking himself, he quickly gets over it. “I mean, dinner! Yes! Shit! When?”

“Tonight, I should think,” Hermann says.

Tonight is Friday, which means they don’t have work tomorrow. By the time they make it off campus it’ll be almost ten—way later than people eat dinner—and besides, Newt already had a sandwich at around seven. Is dinner a euphemism? Is Gottlieb propositioning him? God, why didn’t he wash his sheets with the laundry this week? “Tonight,” Newt says. He stands up abruptly and grabs his leather jacket with trembling fingers. Why is he trembling? Nerves, he guesses. He’s about to hook up with total hottie Dr. Gottlieb, he’s allowed to be nervous. “Fuck yes. Let’s go now.”

Gottlieb is not impressed with the messy state of Newt’s apartment, and even less impressed with the state of Newt’s refrigerator and freezer. “Dinosaur chicken nuggets and canned Lime-A-Ritas,” he says with a sniff. “Hm. You ought to be getting more vitamins, Dr. Geiszler. I’m certain you’re deficient in something.”

“You sound like my dad,” Newt snorts. He throws his car keys on the counter and shrugs off his jacket. “There’s some leftover Chinese on the second shelf if you want it—just some lo mein. Or I could put a frozen pizza in the oven. Or I guess we could order something too?”

Gottlieb shuts the fridge door delicately. “How kind of you to offer,” he says. He doesn’t sound like he means it. Newt is suddenly struck by how bizarre a sight he is in the midst of Newt’s chaotic kitchen: buttoned up to the throat with his stupid shirt and blazer, prodding at the fraying lime lizard-shaped rug by the sink with the end of his ornately-handled cane. Out of time and out of place. 

“It’s Newt,” Newt says. “Please don’t call me Dr. Geiszler, it makes me feel ancient.”

“Hm,” Gottlieb says.

“And what,” Newt says, deciding to test his luck a little, “uh—what should I call you?”

Gottlieb considers him. “Hermann,” he says.

The name rings a bell in the back of Newt’s head. He swears he’s heard it somewhere before—an article, maybe. A book. Has he stumbled across Dr. Gottlieb’s research before without even realizing it? He’s on the verge of asking what publications Gottlieb’s been featured in when Gottlieb suddenly snags hold of his hand; then, raising it to his mouth, he kisses it. His lips are as cold as his skin. “Would you like to show me to your quarters, Newton?” he murmurs.

Newt shivers; he nods.

“Hermann Gottlieb,” Newt says aloud later, while Hermann redresses himself. “Now I know where I’ve heard that name before.”

“Yes?” Hermann says. He’s lacing up one of his Oxfords.

“I worked with his research in one of my dissertations,” Newt says. “Another Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, I mean. He was a brilliant mathematician from—God, 1830-something. German. His work was groundbreaking for the time, or shit, for our time, too.” He remembers seeing a portrait of that Hermann Gottlieb in one of his sources; the whole of the similarities between him and Newt’s Hermann Gottlieb (the dark eyes, the mouth, the cheekbones) are a little too much to be entirely coincidental. “You must be related to him, right? Like, he’s your great-great-great—”

“Yes,” Hermann cuts him off quickly. He turns to Newt and smiles. “A distant ancestor, certainly. I believe you are the first in some time to have made that connection.”

“Always thought he was cool,” Newt yawns. “Man, I’m tired.” The romp with Hermann had been fun, if not unexpectedly exhausting, and a little…out of the ordinary. The dude apparently has some sort of weird biting kink that left Newt’s neck stinging a little bit, but it’s cool, Newt doesn’t mind. It was like boning a vampire or something. Kinda hot. “Do you need me to show you to the door, or can I just stay here? I’m serious about spending the night though. I really don’t mind.”

Hermann fiddles with the laces of his other shoe, then, slowly, draws the whole thing back off. “If it’s not an imposition,” he says, and smiles again, shyly. “Though, I warn you—I’m a bit of a late sleeper.”

“Good, so I am,” Newt says. “Could you toss me the sweatshirt hanging on that chair? You can grab one for yourself too, if you’re cold, I’ve got another hanging in the closet. No, not--yeah, that door.”

They dip under the covers and get cozy, Newt taking on the task of big spoon, because Hermann is a cold sonofabitch and could use a little insulation. The last thought on his mind before he drifts off to a comfortable sleep is how strange it is he can’t feel Hermann’s heartbeat—though, he realizes, it’s probably just muffled by their clothing.

[moonstruckholland]

so i'm a sagittarius right, and some fanfic trope came up: coffee shop au. where this time, tom is the barista. and reader is a regular customer. how do you think it would entail? (thank youuuuu, darling💞)

A/N: Ahh! I’ve always wanted to do a coffeeshop au! I’m not super sure if it did this right, I hope you like it, honey! 💕 I kinda went a bit overboard 😅

Despite contrary belief, not every college student liked coffee

Well, at least you didn’t

Maybe you were a total weirdo but something about it just didn’t float your boat, preferring the taste of literally every other drink

Yet, somehow, you found yourself waiting in line at the Starbucks on your campus

Your favorite spot in the library was taken and seemingly so was just about every hang out place around

So, remembering how your friend had raved over a vanilla bean frappuccino, you figured it’d be a good day to try something new

You spent the few minutes waiting going over the weird names for the drink sizes, wondering who the hell decided to refer to a small drink as “tall”

You felt prepared when it was finally time for to order, until you saw the barista taking your order, all coherent thoughts leaving your brain

He had to be the prettiest guy you’d ever seen, brown curls just gently falling over his face, his chocolate colored eyes seemed to shine and gosh, his smile literally lit up the room

“What can I get for you, darling?”

Darling. One sentence and you practically in love with him already

“Um,” you blinked, trying to clear your head, “Could I get a small-I mean, tall? That’s the right one, right? I’m sorry, this is my first time coming here.”

The blood was rushing to your face as you stammered, sure you were making a fool out of yourself

“It’s alright, love, take your time,” he gave you a reassuring smile that brought butterflies to your stomach

“Okay, uh, can I get a tall vanilla bean frappuccino?”

“No problem, darling, and your name?”

“Oh, um, it’s y/n.”

He wrote your name down on the little plastic cup while you paid, handing you the receipt with another heart stopping smile.

When you got your drink about 10 minutes later (it was really crowded on this particular day) you weren’t sure if you liked which you liked more, the liquid vanilla ice cream or the cute boy who made it for you, but you did know you’d be back.

A few weeks later and Starbucks had become a huge part of your routine

What started off as once or twice a week became an almost daily occurrence

You’d get your vanilla bean and if you were lucky, see the pretty barista, who’s name you learned to be Tom, with the voice that made your knees weak

You couldn’t tell if he was just being polite, but as you showed up more and more, the more he talked to you

He would ask you about your day, make little jokes about you ordering the same thing everyday, if he was wiping down the tables around you he would ask about whatever assignment you were doing

You would happily respond and ask him questions back

That’s how you found out he was a theatre major with a soft spot for reading, despite never actually doing it and he had a deep hatred for math, specifically stats and anything related to it

Your conversations with him never went beyond the coffeeshop, you never asked for his social and he never asked for yours, but you didn’t mind, talking to him had become your favorite part of your day

If he ever wasn’t there, you’d be disappointed and in a slightly less cheery mood, though you’d always chalk it up to nothing, pretending Tom didn’t have as much as an effect on he actually did

Today happened to be one of those days

You were already upset after learning you failed the stats test you spent forever studying your ass off for, and all you wanted was to see his soft brown eyes and warm smile

When you didn’t see him there you almost left, considering leaving campus all together and just doing your studying at home

You decided against it and got your usual, hoping the sweet drink could lift your spirits

It did, just barely, a sigh escaping your lips as you sat at your usual table

You pushed away the thought of homework and pulled out the current book you were reading, figuring you deserved to treat yourself today

You were only a couple of pages in when you saw someone approach your table and heard a familiar voice shortly after

“Fancy seeing you here, darling.”

You’d be lying if you said your heart didn’t skip a beat

You looked up from your book, seeing Tom in front of you, his usual Starbucks apron replaced with a white t-shirt and a loose blue flannel on top, a one of the coffeeshop’s sandwich bags in his hand and his bookbag on his shoulder

“Oh, yeah, it’s not like I’m here everyday,” you smiled, feeling giddy.

“Everyday, huh? I don’t recall seeing you yesterday.”

You had to keep yourself from smiling at the fact he noticed you hadn’t come by

“I spent the day at the library with my head stuck in my stats book.”

“I have to admit, I was a little upset, I look forward to your visits.”

The breath was literally knocked out of you for a moment, your blood rushing to your face

“Well, um, you could join me right now if you’d like,” you stammered, motioning towards the chair in front of yours.

Tom smiled, taking a seat, “I’d love to.”

You were worried with it being the first time you could talk for more than 5 minutes, it would be awkward, but you found it easy talking to Tom

You ranted to him about your horrible test and listened to him describe his theatre classes, taking note of the way his eyes seemed to shine as he talked about the topic with such passion

You found out how funny he was, making you laugh probably more than anyone had before

Before you knew it, a little over an hour had passed and Tom checked his phone for the time with a frown

“I have to go, love, got class in 10 minutes.”

You wished more than anything he could stay, loving the extra time with him

You tried not to look sad as you smiled at him, telling him you hoped he had a good class

He stood up, picking up his bag with him, “I was thinking, maybe we could do this again sometime? Maybe on Friday night, around 7?”

If Tom wasn’t standing in front of you, you would’ve pinched yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming

Tom, the cutest guy in the world, was asking you out

You reached into your bag, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil, quickly writing your number on it

You handed it to him with a bright smile, practically glowing with excitement, “It’s a date.”

[fourdaysofrain]

Working Imperfectly

Summary: Peter struggles with his workload. 

(This is a (late) Valentine’s Day exchange fic for the incredible and talented @ephemeralstark! I hope you enjoy!)

Read on AO3

Tick, tick, tick, tick. 

Peter doesn’t know how it started. 

Tock, tock, tock, tock. 

He’s been staring at his ceiling for hours. 

Tick, tick, tick, tick. 

He doesn’t even want to look at the clock, knowing he’d hate what he saw. 

Tock, tock, tock, tock. 

---

Peter’s eyes burned as soon as he opened them to see the sunlight cutting in through his window. He groaned as he flung a hand to his nightstand to turn off his phone alarm. The silence that followed was music to his ears. He closed his eyes again and breathed in deeply, savoring the warmness of his bed. 

“You’re going to be late!” May’s voice cut through the final strings of sleep tying him to his bed. 

He groaned out a response and threw himself out of bed. Everything was sore. He was sore in places he didn’t even know he could feel. He had been up late fighting some… electric guy. He hadn’t stopped to get his name, but he still felt like lightning was zapping between his toes.  

Thankfully he still had some fresh laundry. He threw on some clean clothes and went to the kitchen to eat something before he left for school. May watched him from over her phone as he came in.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked. 

Peter rubbed a hand on the back of his head. “Fine! You know, I slept great.”

“Really?” She turned her phone around so he could see the screen.

Peter took her phone and read through the short article. It was a quick description of the fight from last night. Okay, so the guy’s name was Electro. That’s good to know. 

“That was from the weekend,” he stammered, handing the phone back to May and turning around to shove some bread in the toaster. “They must have been waiting to publish it on a school day.”

“Peter,” she said slowly, standing up and turning him around so she could put her hands on his shoulders. “You can’t do this to yourself. I worry about you.”

Peter shrugged her hands off and turned back to the toaster. “I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“And would you say that if you weren’t?” May sighed at his silence. “I love you so much, babes. It’s my job to worry about you.”

“May, I promise.” He took his phone out of his pocket and started to send a text to Ned. “I’ve got it. Spider-Man’s got it. We all got it.”

May sat back down at the table and hummed as she picked up her coffee mug. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” he said. 

May turned off her phone and put it back in her pocket. She cleared her throat. “Tony’s coming over for dinner tonight, by the way.”

Peter looked up from his phone cautiously. “What happened to hating him?”

“Well, it’s funny. He has a way of winning people over.” She paused to look at Peter’s raised eyebrows and smirked. “But Pepper’s who finally turned me around.”

Peter laughed and looked back at his phone. Ned finally replied. 

I’m here lol, the text said. did u do the study guide for warren?

He was going to do that last night, but then Electro showed up. Shit.

He flinched right before the toast popped out of the toaster.

---

Peter went through school mechanically. Sit next to Ned in classes, ignore Flash’s quips, zone out while looking at MJ, the usual. He even had time for Ned to info-dump to him about what was on the study guide before he went into Mrs. Warren’s class. 

“And then you have to remember to change the variables, but you already know that,” Ned finished just as they walked through the classroom door. 

Peter sighed as he threw his backpack by a stool. “Thank you so much, man. I owe you one.”

“That’s okay,” Ned said as he claimed the stool across from him. “You probably owe me like, five hundred by now. I’ve learned to not keep track.”

Peter groaned and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting a little long. “I’ll get you one of Mr. Stark’s ashtrays next time I visit. You can sell it on E-bay or something.”

“That’s good, ‘cause I’m totally in it for the money.”

Peter and Ned shared a quick, small laugh as the bell rang and Mrs. Warren started to hand out the tests. 

Peter tried to ignore the clock as he finished his test. Each time the second hand moved sounded like a gong. 

---

“It’s not my blood, don’t worry!” Peter called through the apartment as he climbed through the living room window. His bedroom window was blocked by a few tough-looking birds and he didn’t want to disrupt their meeting. 

He was stopping a mugger on the way back from Decathalon, but the mugger somehow ended up swiping the knife across his stomach while trying to do some knife trick to intimidate him. The person he was mugging ran away, and Peter ended up having to call an ambulance and apply pressure to the wound for a while. What a weird day. He ended up with a few small bloodstains, but thankfully everyone would be okay, mugger included. 

He slowly lowered himself from the ceiling and cringed at the faint bloody handprint that stained the white paint. He’d be hearing about that later, surely. He tugged his mask off and turned around to walk to his bedroom before freezing suddenly. 

“Hey, kid,” Tony greeted nonchalantly from the couch. 

Tony and Pepper were sitting on their couch. Right, May had said they were coming over for dinner. Tony’s eyes were crinkled with mirth behind his tinted glasses. Thankfully Pepper remained cordial. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Peter. Tony’s told me a lot about you,” she said, standing up and offering her hand. 

Peter vigorously wiped his hand on his thigh to get the blood off of it before shaking her hand. He didn’t feel too much stickiness when they separated, which was a good sign. He tried to give her a smile that didn’t look deranged. 

“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Potts.” He leaned around Pepper to look at Tony, who was still sitting on the couch. “You talk about me?”

Tony shrugged and removed his tinted glasses. “When you’re not covered in blood.”

“When am I covered in blood?” Peter looked down at his suit and then at the professional chic outfits Tony and Pepper were wearing. “I’m just going to go change real quick.”

He got a few feet past the couch before almost running into May, who bringing Pepper and Tony snacks from the kitchen. She jumped, almost spilling the crackers. 

“Peter,” she sighed, “I love you so, so much, but you’re all over the place today. I set out some nice clothes on your bed, go get changed.”

Peter nodded and left to change out of his suit, but not before grabbing a few crackers and cheese slices from May’s plate. 

---

The clinking of silverware seemed to fill the room. Tony and Pepper were perfectly polite, the food was great, but it was weird to mix his Spider-Man life with his personal life. It would be like if that weird lizard dude from last month started teaching his science class. 

“May, the chicken carbonara is lovely,” Pepper said, breaking the silence. 

May smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, it’s one of the few things I can make. It’s my mom’s recipe.”

Pepper and May’s chatting slowly faded into the background of Peter’s mind. He focused on the pasta he was twirling on his fork. 

His mind went to school. He had a project for Spanish due on Friday, some math homework slowly piling up in his notebook, and a history assignment he had to get done. He knew that by the time he finished everything, he’d have a whole new set of homework assignments to stress out about. 

He hoped everyone in Queens could just take it easy on the crime for the next few days so he could get caught up on everything. 

May nudged his ankle with her foot from under the table and he looked up from his plate to see Tony and Pepper looking at him. 

“Uh… what?” 

Tony chuckled and asked, probably for the second time, “How’s the suit holding up? Dubious blood stains aside.”

“Oh, it’s great, Mr. Stark. Really nice. It stretches in the right places and… everything.” He shoved some pasta in his mouth so he didn’t keep rambling. 

“Good to hear,” Tony said with a laugh at the edge of his voice. He makes eye contact with Pepper before looking back at Peter. “Pep and I wanted to invite you to come to the lab upstate and work on a new suit. It’d be good for you to get some input on the new design.”

Peter stopped chewing and looked at May incredulously. 

She smiled and said, “It’s fine with me.”

He swallowed his half-chewed pasta. “Yeah, that’d be-- that’d be really cool, Mr. Stark. That’d be great.”

“Great,” Tony said with a smile. “Happy can pick you up after school on Friday.”

“Wow, thank you, Mr. Stark,” he said, trying to ignore his ever-growing to-do list that had to be done by then. “That’d be awesome.”

May nudged his shoulder with hers. “As long as you get all your homework done. Spider-Man can’t be failing any classes.”

“Easy-peasy,” he said, squinting at her. “Piece of cake. Homework’s easy.”

He joined in with the slow wave of laughter that spread across the table. 

---

Before he knew it, it was already Thursday night. He was sitting at his desk, staring down his Spanish project as his clock kept moving forward and forward. 

Cuando tenía ocho años, me gustaba ver las películas Star Wars con mi tío. Íbamos al cine juntos. 

The imperfect tense would never make sense to him. Neither would the formulas he was learning in calculus. Or the war he was learning about in history. He sighed and put his head in his hands. 

If he turned his head just right, he could see the corner of his Spider-Man suit peeking out of his backpack. He started to smile and shut his laptop.

---

This is what made it all worth it. Swinging through the fresh night air and feeling his gut lurch with adrenaline at every downswing. He felt like nothing could touch him when he was like this.

A tone rang in his ears and he looked to the corner of his UI where Tony’s face was currently flashing as he ran along a rooftop. 

Almost nothing could touch him while he was like this. 

“Can you accept the call, Karen?” he asked, flipping backward over the edge of the building and falling into a swing. 

He only had a moment of the wind rushing past him before Tony started talking. “Got a sec, Pete?”

“Yeah, I’ve got plenty of secs.” He screwed up his face as he swung up and planted himself on a rooftop. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

He heard a small sigh over the line. “I’m going to do us both a favor and ignore that. What’re you doing up so late?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, swinging his feet off the side of the building. “Just swinging around. Stopping crime. All that stuff.”

“I seem to remember May giving you a curfew of 11pm, is that still in place?”

Peter checked the time at the side of his UI. It was past midnight. “Uh, no. She decided to take a more… flexible stance on that.”

“Let’s pretend you told the truth just then. Why are you out past curfew?”

“Who says I’m out past curfew?” He stood up and started pacing. “Why are you up so late, anyway?”

Peter blinked when Tony suddenly hung up the call. He only had a moment to react before he heard the Iron Man suit land on the other side of the rooftop. The suit parted to let Tony step out, dressed in a faded band shirt and oil-stained jeans. 

“I was field-testing some ideas for tomorrow when I got a little blip saying you were still out,” he said, clapping his hands together. “So what’s the deal, kid? Are you nervous to check out my lab? Totally understandable, but you shouldn’t worry too much. I let DUM-E roll around, and he’s more of a mess than you.”

“It’s not that at all, it’s just--” Peter tugged his mask off, feeling strands of hair fall at the base of his neck. He rubbed them between his fingers. “Do you think I need a haircut? I feel like my hair’s been getting really long and I know I need to get one, but it’s just that there’s a million different places to do it and I don’t even--”

Tony walked towards him with his hands up, as if approaching a wild animal. “Hey, woah, kid. Your hair’s fine. I’ve got a barber I can send to your apartment if you need.”

“It’s not even that. It’s--” Peter ran a hand through his hair. “It’s just stupid, is what it is. I’m Spider-Man, right? I should be able to handle this--” He slumped against the concrete barrier around the edge of the roof and cradled his head. “This! High school, classes, friends, all of it. It’s not hard! I can just-- can see everyone else doing it. Betty does everything I do and she does the announcements and has a job to save up for college.”

“Betty isn’t also moonlighting as Spider-Man.”

Peter made a noise that sounded almost like a growl. “That’s not the-- She could! If she was Spider-Man, she would be able to, is the thing! I just don’t know what everyone else has that I don’t! That’s it!”

He heaved out a sigh. When he spoke again, it was much softer. 

“I just feel like I’m drowning.” He looks up to Tony from where he’s sitting. His eyes are glazed with a thin veil of tears. ”And every time I get close to breaking the surface and getting a chance to breathe, the water level just rises again. I never get a chance to stop moving.”

Tony carefully sits next to him. After a second, he places a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “We can work with this. You’re feeling overwhelmed. That’s… That’s a normal teen thing.”

Peter choked out a laugh and rubbed his eyes. “I guess. It sucks.”

“Yeah, I remember it sucking quite a bit,” Tony said. He motioned between the two of them. “But this is good. Communication. Asking for help. That’s good. That’s all you.”

Peter shrugged and hummed in response. 

“You know what’s not good, though?” Peter looked up at Tony. “Using your suit as a way to escape your issues.”

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled, looking down at his lap. 

Tony sucked air through his teeth sharply. “No, you-- You don’t have to apologize, kid. This is normal, what you’re doing. I’m warning you about the suits as a preventative measure.” He looked up at the stars and exhaled softly. “It can be hard to have such an easy escape route. Who needs to worry about the lowly issues of the people when you can just fly away from it all, right?”

Peter joined Tony in watching the stars. Even though the smog of the city covered a lot of their view, they could still see the lights twinkling in the distance. 

“But you’re too young to worry about all that yet,” Tony said, giving Peter’s one last squeeze before removing his hand. “So hit me, stripling. What’s got you down?”

“Um… homework?” he offered after a moment.

Tony scratched his jawline. “Let’s narrow it down a bit, eh? Anything due tomorrow?”

“Well,” Peter sighed, “I’m supposed to write a paragraph in the imperfect tense for Spanish, but I never know when to use it, even though Mr. DiPaolo has explained it a million times.”

“Okay.” Tony paused. ”Well, that’s doable.” He stood up and walked over to his suit. “Italian’s got a similar quirk to the past tense. I might not be as good as your teacher at explaining, but I know the ropes. Sit tight.”

“Wait, what?” Peter pushed himself up and followed Tony. “Are you teaching me Spanish?”

Tony detached the helmet from the suit and moved to stand in the center of the roof. “Got nothing better to do at midnight on a Thursday. As long as you promise to keep this to yourself. Your aunt is a force to be reckoned with.” He paused to think. “On second thought, you can tell her how good of a mentor I was by teaching you Spanish, just leave off the fact that it happened past curfew.” 

Tony placed the helmet down on the surface of the roof and minutely adjusted the angle it was facing. After a moment, he stood up and moved in front of it, wiping his hands on his jeans. 

“Sit,” Tony said, pointing at the ground a few feet from his helmet. 

Peter sat. “Mr. Stark, you don’t have to do this. I can look up a Quizlet or something.”

Tony waved him off. “Nonsense, kid. You’ll be back home and practically fluent in less than an hour. You can even hitch a ride back on the suit if you promise not to use your taser webs.” He checked his watch and frowned. “Not that this is going to be a thing between us. This is a one-time offer. Don’t form a habit of staying up this late.”

“Yeah, of course. Of course.” Peter scooted himself closer and looked up at Tony. “This is so cool,” he said, almost to himself.

“Don’t let it get to your head,” Tony said with a ghost of a smirk. He clapped his hands at the helmet. “Hit it, FRI!”

A holographic screen coming from the helmet flicked on to the side of Tony. He used his finger to write el imperfecto on one side and el pretérito on the other. 

Peter still had a lot of homework to do. He knew he would still have trouble managing his life with Spider-Man. But sitting on the top of a building past midnight, being taught how to use the Spanish past tense by Iron Man, he realized he would always have people to help him if he needed it.

Tag List: @ironfamjam @addi-is-amazing @mysterio-is-a-little-bitch @wellplacedbanana @night0seven @unfathomable-universe​ @bibbidi-bobbity-booyah @spideynamu 

[chilling-seavey]

Anything But Mine (d.s.) - Chapter Seven

A/N oh no...don’t tell the Dolan Twins fandom that I’m using their tags again...they might riot :o

A/N2 Can I dedicate chapters? Because I dedicate this one to @randomlimelightxxx​ and @seaveyserenitysurvey​ because they always give me so much love 🥰

Friday, September 20th, 2019

The week passed on slowly. Like usual, Grayson was caught up with work so seeing him during week nights was unlikely. He was still working on finding a position for Florence as he had promised. Daniel was as distant as ever. He did return her call but was dry the entire time they spoke. Even Florence’s stories about Clementine didn’t get as much of a response as usual. She missed him terribly but knew what ever he was hung up on would pass and they would go back to normal eventually.

Clementine enjoyed having Grayson around; she always seemed to take a liking to him since the first day at the Mommy group. He was good with her; patient and sweet. When he held her on his hip, the sight made Florence melt; his broad body contrasted by the tiny baby curled up against him.

Fridays were their nights now, spending the night at either of their places. The apartment was easier because Clementine was able to stay, she didn’t have anything at Grayson’s. It made Florence think of Daniel, how he went out of his way to buy things for the baby to allow her to be comfortable in his house.

Grayson had helped get Clementine into bed one night, offering to read her a story and tuck her in. Florence could feel herself falling for him more and more as time went by. He was the perfect combination of sweet and polite and youthful.

Florence waited on the couch, a movie queued up on the TV, for when Grayson returned. He soon came tiptoeing out of the nursery and climbed on the couch next to her, kissing her softly.

“She went down okay?” Florence mumbled against his lips.

“Mhm. What are we watching?” Grayson asked, pulling her against him by her waist as she grabbed the TV remote.

“The Backup Plan.” Florence said, draping her legs across his lap.

“Sounds boring.” he teased, lips attaching to her neck.

“It’s not.” Florence giggled, curling in at the sensation. “I can relate to it.”

“Can’t we all relate to Rom Coms with Jennifer Lopez as the lead star?” Grayson raised an eyebrow.

“Stop making fun of me!” Florence scolded, gently slapping the back of her hand to his chest. The first scene had barely started when there was a heavy knock at the door.

“You expecting someone?” Grayson asked.

“No.” Florence said. “And people normally have to buzz up.”

She got to her feet, setting the remote back on the table. Grayson let his hand fall to her ass, making her glare at him.

“I’ll be right back.” she leaned down to kiss him before making her way down the hallway.

Another knock sounded as she reached the foyer and she threw open the door to be met with eyes she never thought she’d see again. The piercing stare was intense and Florence felt her stomach turn.

“Hi.” he spoke slowly.

Florence tried to form words but nothing came out. Matt stood in front of her like nothing was wrong, hands in his pockets and hair side-swept like usual.

“Thought I’d come by to say hello.”

“You need to leave.” Florence spoke quietly.

“Don’t be like that.” Matt chuckled, leaning one arm against the door frame. The alcohol on his breath was apparent and it sent shivers down Florence’s spine.

“You said you wouldn’t come back.” Florence spoke, her voice trembling.

“Well I missed you.” Matt hiccupped, ruffling his hair. “I missed Clementine.”

“I don’t care.” Florence said through her teeth. “I don’t care if you want to convince yourself that that’s the truth.”

“Aw, baby, listen.” Matt set his hands on her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I said some fucked up things that I didn’t mean but I took time to think it all through and I’m back now. For good.”

“Matt-“

“Where’s my little girl?” he went to walk into the apartment but Florence stepped in front of him.

“You need to go. Now.”

“I want to see my daughter.”

“It’s 9pm, Matt. She’s in bed already.”

“I don’t care. I just want to see her.” Matt tried to get past her again but Florence held her ground, a hand on either side of the doorframe.

“Why are you being such a bitch?” Matt frowned.

Florence simply glared at him.

“What’s going on?”

She had never been more relieved to hear Grayson’s voice. He set a hand on her shoulder and eyed Matt.

“Oh nice.” Matt scoffed. “You got all up on me about fucking Hannah but here you are whore-ing around the city.”

Florence let out a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a scoff.

“Hey, man. Watch it.” Grayson warned.

“Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? This is my family.” Matt jabbed.

“You should go.” Grayson said, his eyes dark with protection.

“No! This has happened before, okay? You don’t understand how things work around here.” Matt raised a finger to silence him. “I leave to get my head in the right place and then I come back and all is well again. Right, babe?”

His stare that fell on Florence made her shift uncomfortably.

“Right?” he pressed a hand to her cheek.

Grayson pushed his arm back, “Don’t touch her.”

“Fuck you, man.” Matt shook his head. “This is my girlfriend. Your dick has done its job so you can go now.”

“Excuse me?” Grayson laughed humourlessly.

“How much do we owe you?”

Grayson simply gaped at him in disbelief.

“You’re looking at me like I’m crazy. There’s no way this prude got a real guy within a week and a half.”

“Matt.” Florence tried to scold him, her voice coming out in barely a whisper.

“Yeah. She did. So turn around and go on back to your lame high school party and drink till you puke.” Grayson snapped.

The darkness in his voice made Florence stay silent. She had never seen him like this. Matt pushed his way into the foyer, taking advantage of Florence’s weak stance. He didn’t get far before Grayson grabbed his bicep.

“Don’t push me.” he said.

“You don’t scare me.” Matt scoffed.

“I will if you don’t get the fuck out right now.”

Matt looked like a twig next to Grayson. They were almost the same height but Grayson had the muscle mass to put Matt’s scrawny bones to shame. Florence watched the scene unfold, her heart in her throat. Her cheek tingled where Matt had touched her; the simple action washing back so many memories like tidal waves. How he held her close under the bed sheets in his childhood bedroom. How he spoke gentle words to her through the phone during their late night calls. How he could kiss her to have her forget the pain. But he was the pain. He was the source and the solution to her pain and it was a vicious, never ending cycle.

Florence had her back against the wall of the foyer, across from the door where the backlit shadows of two men stood. Everything felt so far away, their voices muddled as she stayed frozen in place. She had been doing so well, moving on and forgetting all about Matt; and then he came back with empty promises that she knew all too well.

Florence’s heart ached as she remembered the hallway torments to her brother, the terrible words shouted across the classroom, the look in Callum’s eyes when he found out about them. How could she have done that to her brother? Her small sob went unnoticed by the bickering men in front of her. Their voices were drowned out by the voice of her father, his scolding words and the sharp snap of the leather belt. How she wished he was there to treat her exactly how she felt. Disposable and empty.

The slam of the front door broke her thoughts. Grayson was alone with her now, at her side in seconds. Florence couldn’t hear what he was saying, her heartbeat loud and thumping in her ears and her shallow breaths overtaking her clear vision. She slid to the floor against the wall and cried numbly into her knees. Grayson got down with her, helplessly stroking her hair and whispering mumbled sentences.

“D-Daniel.” Florence finally stumbled out. “I want Daniel.”

Grayson moved fast, grabbing her cell phone from the living room. Florence felt the room spinning, her whole world falling around her in broken memories. She hated herself for it, for everything. For spending too much time with the boy who ruined Callum’s life, making her fail that math test. Therefore being the reason her family left Canada. For driving her brother away from her; how he rarely answers his phone.

Time moved slowly but oh-so-quickly. Grayson’s movements as if he was turned into slow motion but fast as Daniel was through that door in an instant. Grayson stood to the side as Daniel fell to his knees in front of Florence, taking her face in his hands.

“Hey, sweetheart. I’m here, okay? It’s alright.” his voice was muffled, as if he was at the end of a long tunnel. She watched him with stone cold eyes.

Daniel turned to Grayson, “Can you grab her a glass of water and a cool damp cloth please?”

Grayson flashed out of the picture, Florence scrunching her eyes closed as the morphed reality made her head pound. She could feel Daniel moving to sit next to her, pulling her into him, draping her legs over his lap and resting her head on his chest. His left hand gently rubbed up and down her back.

“Breathe with me.” Daniel whispered. “In...and out...”

Florence tried to follow his instruction, her body weak and frozen. She felt limp against Daniel’s form and he could feel it. Grayson bent down in front of them, the exchange between him and Daniel going unnoticed by the girl. The cool cloth on her flushed face made her flinch.

Daniel hummed quietly into her hair. He gently patted her face with the cloth, the action enough starting to bring her back down.

“Breathe in.” he whispered. Florence’s trembling inhale was sharp and jagged but he didn’t take notice. “And out.”

After a few of those, her breathing was starting to become more steady.

“Focus on me.” Daniel encouraged, handing the cloth back to Grayson. She looked up at him, staring into his ocean blue eyes. Daniel smiled, “There you are.”

She watched his smile without a word, each curve of his lips and the little gap between his teeth. He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her head. Florence let her eyes close. The rim of the glass touching her lips took her by surprise and the water that followed made her shiver with cold.

“Little sip please.” Daniel breathed.

Florence complied, taking a small sip before turning away.

“Is she okay?”

Grayson’s voice made her startle, forgetting he was there.

“Yeah. Just had a panic attack. She hadn’t had one in a while.” Daniel mumbled.

“This has happened before?” Grayson asked.

“Once since I’ve known her. Before the baby was born.” Daniel answered, offering her another drink of water.

“You really know what to do.” Grayson stated, admirably.

“I don’t know how.” Daniel chuckled. “She woke up one night like this and I just snapped into this protector mode and it just worked.”

“She talks so highly of you.” Grayson whispered.

Daniel smiled shyly, looking down at the girl in his arms. “I would hope so. She’s my best friend in the whole world.”

The three fell into silence.

“I’m sorry I’ve been claiming so much of her time.” Grayson said.

“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry. I was being a selfish jerk.” Daniel waved him off. “You make her so happy and she does not shut up about you.”

The two guys chuckled between themselves. Florence wrapped her arm over Daniel’s chest, holding the material of his green t-shirt in her hand.

“Let’s get you into bed.” Daniel whispered to her.

“I can carry her.” Grayson offered as he got to his feet. Daniel watched as she was picked up from his grasp and Grayson carried her with ease to the master bedroom. Florence’s weak body curled into Grayson’s strong grasp. Daniel watched them from the floor until they disappeared into the next room. He looked down to his lap, threading his orange belt through his fingers lazily, the black long sleeve under his t-shirt falling over his hands. Daniel worked hard to suppress his anger towards Matt.

How dare he show up drunk and call her the things he did.

Daniel only wanted what was best for Florence; and it seemed Grayson was the answer to his prayers.

[xiubaek-13]

Whiskey

Prompt: Baekhyun + “What? Does that feel good?” + “It’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed.”

Setting/AU: Bartender

Warnings: some swearing, alcohol.

Word Count: 2,077 

“Do you plan on moping at my bar all evening?” He teased as he poured you another whiskey.

You cocked your eyebrow. “And if I am?”

He chuckled, sliding your glass towards you. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m always happy to see you but you’re mood is keeping the customers away. You can stay but… maybe for the future success of my business could you move down that end?”

You looked to where he’d inclined his head, your eyes widening. “To the dark end of the bar? Real nice Baek. I’m not drunk enough to not be offended that you’re sequestering me to the area you usually reserve for curmudgeons.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Can I convince you with free whiskey for the rest of the night?”

“And you wonder why you aren’t making big enough profits, giving away free top shelf booze…” You slid off your stool in the center of the bar and moved closer towards the dark end of the bar but you refused to place yourself at the very end, lest you admit to yourself that tonight you were in a sour mood and that you could give two shits about the other patrons. You just wanted to come and unload your troubles on your friendly neighbourhood bartender.

“I might not be a business mastermind but I’m not half bad with math and from where I’m standing the group of eight women who have been staring at my cocktail menu for the last 20 minutes while side-eyeing you are probably going to spend more money than if I charge you for the next five or six whiskeys you’ve got left in you before you need to be carried to a taxi.”

***

You enjoyed watching Baekhyun work. No matter how bad your mood was, and today it was particularly bad, he calmed you. He had a light hearted nature and the ability to talk to anyone as well as really listen to them, which is what made him an excellent bartender. He knew the bar like the back of his hand so watching him fluidly move around to pour drinks and make cocktails with flair was enthralling.

He hadn’t been wrong. The group of girls were three things – loud, annoying and in need of an endless supply of cocktails. The latter was great for Baekhyun but it was really infringing on your night because their endless cocktail orders were keeping him so busy that he barely had time to chat to you. He’d come down your end of the bar to refill your drink and check up on you but he had to keep excusing himself from any attempt at conversation every time a loud screechy voice called out Baekkieeeee! or bartenderrrrrr! and you were getting pretty close to snapping at them. You’d had a shitty week and you’d come to this particular bar to see the one person capable of lifting your spirits only for this pack of drunk wretches to steal him from you.

To top things off somehow, even at the dark end of the bar, sleazy guys still somehow found you and insisted on hitting on you. You weren’t exactly sure which part of woman sitting alone at the dark end of the bar drinking whiskey and scowling read Hi, I’d really love to engage in small talk and fake compliments, maybe a drink or two, then definitely I’ll have sex with you but no matter how many you sent off muttering about how much of a bitch you were more kept appearing.

“Ok now I need to know what you’re saying to all of the men who keep trudging up to the bar to order a failure beer.” Baekhyun’s amused voice sounded in front of you.

You looked up from your glass confused. “Failure beer?”

He grinned as be stood up straight and put of his salesperson voice. “A failure beer is something a person orders after they have tried to pick up and haven’t been successful. They present at the bar with a defeated look on their face while muttering bitterly about whoever just told them ‘thanks but no thanks’ in varying degrees of politeness. Now normally this results in more drinking and then either more failure beers or, in some cases, a success beer.”

“Well apparently the dark end of the bar is no longer curmudgeon central, it’s evidently the new place to try and pick up chicks. Even when they show zero interest in you.” You waved a hand disinterestedly in the direction of the small dance floor. “I simply told them no.”

Baekhyun rested his elbows on the bar as he watched you, a knowing smile on his face. “It had to be more than just no with the way they’ve been muttering.”

You smirked. “Each one gets a new version of no and when they try to ignore the first no it doesn’t end well for them.”  

“What? Does that feel good?” He chuckled. Right as you went to answer one of eight screeching harpies called out and he sighed. “Making money off them is nice but holy fuck are they annoying. I’ll be back as soon as I can be, you still have two free whiskeys before you’re at your usual limit.” He smiled and made his way back down the bar towards the increasingly drunk and flirty harpies.

You continued to watch as he brushed off their advances with ease, somehow not pissing them off and sure as hell not deterring them. Sure, you’d had a handful of guys try and hit on you over the course of the night but after you got rid of them they never came back whereas Baekhyun was entering into the third hour of resisting these women.

You couldn’t blame them for trying. He was incredibly attractive. He fell somewhere between boy next door handsome and bad boy you know you shouldn’t get involved with and that was alluring. The silver hair and eyeliner didn’t hurt either. There was no harm in ogling the bartender. You had no plans to make any advances on him and you were sure he had no interest in you like that.

***

“Since when do you have a second bartender?” you asked.

“He only started recently but he’s been doing really well on the slower nights so I figured I’d give him a Friday night to really test him out.” Baekhyun was leaning against the bar watching Jongin work. “He’ll be able to fend off the women and somehow still make a massive tip at the end of the night.”

You chuckled, words slurring slightly. “And how about you mister? Going home with one of those persistent women from earlier?”

“Fuck no. I was going to finally hear the end of your story but it seems, little miss drunky, that I’ll be putting you into a taxi instead.” He furrowed his brow. “I could have sworn I only gave you six drinks.”

“Oh you did. You’re forgetting the guys that hit on me. They arrive with drinks.” You grinned lopsidedly as you started to feel the alcohol really hit you. Mixing drinks was a stupid idea and you knew it but at the time you really hadn’t cared.

He ran his hands through his hair. “Of course. You idiot, mixing drinks. What was it? Vodka and whiskey?”

You nodded. “Yup!”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Alright you, let’s get you a taxi so I can send you home safely.”

You pouted. “But you haven’t heard the end of the story yet.”

A loud male voice projected over the noise of the bar. “There’s a massive storm about to hit, if you haven’t called a taxi yet you aren’t getting one until it passes.”  

You looked up at Baekhyun as he cursed under his breath. He disappeared to talk to Jongin and a security guard before coming back to you. “What was that about?” You asked.

“I had to organise for Jongin to keep the bar open with not let anyone in. Security will have discretion for if they let anyone in once the storm hits. You aren’t going to get a taxi in time so you have two choices.” You cocked your head to the side as he spoke. “Option one, you stay here and drink water for the rest of the night until the storm passes and you can get a taxi or, option two, you come upstairs – I live above the bar by the way – and hang out with me. You can still drink water but you’ll also be able to finish your story and you won’t have to scare any more of my patrons.”

For your drunk brain it was an incredibly simple choice, you wanted to finish telling the cute bartender about your shitty week. It didn’t even register with you that he was inviting you up to his place until you were being led up to his door. You ungracefully turned and, would have fallen if not for Baekhyun catching you in his arms, looked up at him and slurred. “No funny business ok?”

He laughed and turned you back around so that he could keep walking you to his door so he could unlock it. “Don’t worry about it. You are too drunk for me to be interested.”

So while the insane thunderstorm and flash flooding hit the city you sat comfortably on Baekhyun’s sofa semi-coherently telling him about your week. Lucky for you he was pretty fluent in drunk person speak so he managed to follow most of the conversation. He’d made sure to keep refilling your glass of water and gave you pain killers when you started to sober up.

At some point his gracious hospitality dawned on you and you had to break the comfortable silence that had settled between the two of you. “Thank you by the way. You could have just left me down in the bar but for some reason you took the surly drunk upstairs to listen to her problems. Clearly there’s something wrong with you but nevertheless, thank you.”

He smiled gently as you spoke. “You’re more than welcome. I’d like to think my ability to read people is still intact, the only reason I invited you up here was because you’re a semi-regular and I’m pretty sure you aren’t a serial killer or anything terrifying like that. You’re interesting. Most people who sit at the bar to drink their problems away have either relationship issues or money issues but you’re a different breed. It’s refreshing.” He tried to stifle a yawn as he spoke but it managed to escape. “Shit, sorry. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay up and it doesn’t sound like the storm is heading anywhere anytime soon.”

Taking the hint you stood up slowly and started to collect your things. “Don’t stay up on my behalf. I’ll just head back down to the bar and wait out the storm. Thanks again for talki-”

  He grabbed your arm, silencing you, then let it go. “Don’t read into this but, you are welcome to stay if you want. I only have one bed but I promise to keep my hands to myself if you do.”

“I can sleep on the sofa, it’s no trouble really.” Truth be told you weren’t sure if you could trust your mostly sober self to keep your hands to yourself if you were sharing a bed with him. If you found him attractive when he was working you sure as hell hadn’t been prepared for how much more appealing he was up close sprawled on his sofa.

“It’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed.” He shrugged. “Plus, rainy nights are perfect for snuggling.” He grinned as he saw your resolve crumble. How could you resist when he kept making the idea of sharing a bed so enticing?

“Fine, but if I get frisky you only have yourself to blame, plying me with free alcohol.” You giggled.

He smirked at you. “You said no funny business, don’t go tempting a man if you aren’t prepared to follow through."

You started to walk towards the hallway that would inevitably lead to his bedroom and looked over your shoulder. “Who says I can’t do both?”

[lady-snavely]

Sands of Time: Part Three

Blossomed Feelings

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsuro x Fem!OC

Warnings: mentions of death, swearing, mutual pining, all the fluff

A/N: as always, reblogs are super appreciated!

Like every other day when they came in, she was on her break. Today, she was perched in a window in the children's area with her legs drawn up loosely. There was a book in her hand, presumably the same one from a couple of days ago. Hidden safely beneath the tent of her knees was a steaming mug.

Jade's ears perked, her attention momentarily divided when she heard Bokuto, obnoxious as ever, greet her coworkers across the building. She was sure he included an exaggerated wave as well. Her advanced hearing, one of the few bonuses of being Fae, even allowed her to hear Daichi silence Bokuto with a low warning.

"There's a big enough table over there that's free." He was telling the group. She knew exactly which table he was referring to as she'd made sure it was clear before she went on break twenty minutes ago.

With a sigh, she closed her book and stood gingerly so as not to disturb her drink. The study group was her queue that her break was over soon. Still, finishing the chapter sounded real nice.

Nonetheless Jade found herself smiling as she glided through the aisles that were as familiar to her now as her own apartment. Her thoughts were with the oddball company of heroes and heroines from her book. Even preoccupied she nodded politely at the group of boys taking their places at the table.

"Fancy seeing you here again."

"Good afternoon to you too, Kuroo," she replied without stopping. "You all know where to find me if you need help with anything."

Yaku snickered and jabbed his elbow into Kuroo's ribs. "She didn't even bother to look at you."

"Her break's about over," Akaashi defended. "Iwaizumi messaged me a few moments ago, he and Oikawa won't be joining us tonight."

"Good, they can keep that stomach bug away from us then," Daichi grumbled.

"Please, they're probably having their own fun." Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Akaashi murmured. He turned to Bokuto and gave him a warning glare. "Make sure you actually work on your Maths today. You nearly failed your last test."

For well over an hour Kuroo was able to focus on his studying despite his loudmouth of a friend sitting across from him. Bokuto came along more for the social aspect than anything else. Not that any of them really cared the way Akaashi did, study group was the only chance they had during the week to get together anyway.

With a small groan Kuroo stood. He needed a break to stretch his legs. He wandered the shelves aimlessly, stopping on occasion to read a synopsis or two before continuing on. He really didn't have much free time at the moment, what with midterms starting to ramp up. Still, Kuroo made a mental note of books to read once the workload began to die down.

"-depends on what you're interested in, honestly." He overheard Jade saying. "Let's start off with something simple to help narrow it down. Are you looking for a stand alone story or a series?"

Kuroo, for reasons unknown even to himself, hid two aisles over and listened in on the exchange. Since starting at the nearby university last year he'd learned quickly that Jade was good at her job. Great even. Any time he'd needed help with research or simply pointed in the right direction, she'd been prompt with answers. Sometimes she even went above the call to suggest further material that always seemed to have more information than he'd ever need.

Still it amazed him that in a matter of a few questions Jade was excitedly showing the younger guest a section that would entertain her. "I'm a little older than the intended audience but this series here in incredible. But if you're interested in something a little more magickal - and I don't mean witches and wizards - then I suggest this series just here."

With a faint smile Kuroo turned from the duo to head back to his studying. "Fuck," he hissed when he ran into and nearly knocked over Yaku. "Creepy little shit. What are you doing?"

Yaku glared up at his taller friend with a wicked grin. "If I'm creepy what do you call what you were just doing?" He countered. A quick peek around Kuroo gave Yaku the answer he needed. "Admiring the view?"

Kuroo looked over his shoulder and saw the girl from before already devouring the suggested book. Jade was nowhere to be seen. "She's a bit young for me, don't you think?"

Yaku rolled his eyes. Sometimes he really wondered if Kuroo was, in fact, a total moron. Kuroo's infatuation with the Human girl had become more and more evident over the last year. There were some not so obvious clues, like how he just happened to run into her when he was wandering around, or how he had started zoning out in classes. Then there was the blindingly obvious: watching her like creep from the other aisle while she helped other guests, for example. "Come back to the table," he finally sighed. "I need help with the Biology assignment."

"My time to shine," Kuroo smirked.

"Don't go getting an ego."

"I would never."

Both girls were seemingly non the wiser to what had transpired only two aisles away.

Daichi, Akaashi and Yaku continued to study dutifully while Bokuto successfully managed to distract Kuroo. Jade had only one other guest after the younger girl had left with two new books in hand.

Even with that one person closing time seemed to come a little too soon for Jade. They always did on days the study group came in. She enjoyed listening to their friendly banter and teasing, they were good company and often pulled her into their conversations on slower nights.

Tonight was no different than any other night the group came in. It was closing time and they were still there, sitting at the same table they'd procured from the moment they walked in hours before. However, studying had been thrown out the window some time ago she recalled as she made her way over. Currently they were chatting, all but Bokuto and Yaku, who had fallen asleep.

Propping a hand on the back of Akaashi's chair she sighed, forcing disappointment into her words. "Time for me to lock up guys."

"Is it that time already?" Daichi glanced at his phone before sighing himself and rubbing at his eyes. "Sorry to be a bother again, Jade."

"I tell you every time: you aren't a bother, Daichi," Jade shrugged. "Libraries have always been around for a reason. Apparently a good location for a power nap is one of them." She roused Yaku gently, giving him a warm smile when he blinked up at her. "Closing time sleepy head."

"We'll get out of your hair as soon as we wake Bokuto," Akaashi assured her.

"Take your time, I've got some cleaning to finish up anyway."

Jade turned away but not before catching the mischievous grin on Kuroo's face. Just as she expected, the indistinguishable thud of a dropped stack of books met her ears. "Wake up!"

"Bro!" Bokuto whined. Jade's nose wrinkled at the shout. No matter how much she heard it she would never get used to that term.

"Time to go, Bokuto," Kuroo said without a hint of apology in his voice.

Kuroo waited by the checkout counter for Jade to come out of the back office. Over the past year it had become a sort of habit for him to wait for her while she clocked out and locked the building up for the night. In more than one hundred attempts she had yet to agree to, at the very least, allowing him to walk her to the bus stop. Maybe tonight would be different? There was only one way to know for sure.

"Ready to go, Kuroo?"

"Only if you are!" He replied. A triumphant smile adorned his face when a soft chuckle met his ears. Kuroo clasped his hands, fingers knit together tightly before asking, "Would you like some company on your way home tonight?"

It came as no surprise to Kuroo that she didn't reply right away. She emerged from the back office with the satisfied smile that came from finally being off the clock. "Thank you, but I'll be okay on my own tonight."

Kuroo cocked his head to the side for a moment before nodding. "One of these days you'll say yes."

"You're so sure of yourself, Kuroo." She snickered and ducked her head to hunt for her keys in her bag. "I appreciate the offer as always."

They left the building in comfortable silence. Jade tugged at the building doors, testing the locks before heaving a content sigh. "I saw you looking at some books early," she mentioned casually when they reached the sidewalk. "I can put them on hold for you. If you want, that is."

"Not with midterms in a couple weeks." Kuroo shook his head but smiled down at Jade. "That's very kind of you though."

Jade smirked. "I try my best."

Kuroo fought the urge to wrap his arm around her shoulders. He didn't know it, but she caught the twitch in his fingers. "Get home safe, okay Jade?"

"Don't worry, you'll see me all safe and in one piece on Friday, Kuroo." Jade's smile, highlighted by nearby street lights, brought an unwelcomed heat crawling up his neck.

"Right, well, good night, Jade." He retreated into the shadows quickly before she could see the blush spreading up across his cheeks.

"May sleep find you easily tonight, Kuroo." Jade dipped her head slightly before she herself hurried off in the direction of her bus stop.

Kuroo stared after her until she was out of sight before he sighed and began his journey home. When he stepped into his dorm room he wasn't surprised to see Kenma poking feverishly at the buttons of his video game. They had intrigued him from the moment he'd laid eyes on them.

Kenma's elf ears were poking through his hair, the only sign that he was no longer holding his Humanoid form. Kuroo received a murmured greeting from his long time friend as he removed his shoes.

"You missed out," he told Kenma.

"Unlikely."

Kuroo chuckled at that as he made his way into their shared room to change. As he did, he shifted with a sigh of satisfaction. It was only in their shared dorm room or when they were home visiting their folks that he and Kenma could safely shift back to their Fae forms.

"The Solstice Festival is coming up," Kuroo reminded his friend.

"Oh." Came the reply. Kenma's attention was barely pulled from his video game. Kuroo said no more on the subject, knowing full well that when the time came Kenma would leave the Human entertainment behind and return home for the Festival.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jade's heart was racing and not only because she was running. Had it been a trick of the light or had he been blushing just before she left? She supposed either were possible, even with the street lights the lighting wasn't favorable, and she was nearly a foot shorter than him so the angle was weird too. She tried not to dwell on it too much.

She didn't want to get too close to him this time around. She brushed off his advances, his attempts at getting closer, as best as she could but her job didn't allow for blatant ignoring of guests, so it was difficult. But she didn't want her heart broken. Not again.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she stood beneath the light of the bus stop. She dried them before they could fall; before they could be seen. In all her years on Earth, why was it a Human that had to come along and capture her heart?

When the bus arrived it only had a handful of occupants. Given the time of night this was to be expected and allowed Jade her pick of the crop as far as where to sit for her journey home. She hugged her knees tight to her chest when she sat, her temple leaning against the cool glass of the window at her side. Normally she would read, but she knew if she opened her book the pages would remain unturned, for try as she might, her mind raced with memories of the past. Of the wild laugh that sent the butterflies in her stomach soaring. That almost there smile that had found her time and time again over the centuries.

As much as she wanted to, Jade suppressed the desire to shift back into her Fae form as soon as her door was locked behind her. Showers were much easier without the wings getting in the way. So it wasn't until she stepped from her bathroom half an hour later that she released the invisible thread of thought that kept her Humanoid form in place.

M.List | Next

[spooky-titties]

Open Hearts

Open Arms

Peter let out a soft sigh as he sat inside Tony's office, silently working, the events of last night still replaying in his head. After overcoming his hangover that morning he and Natasha went out for coffee before work and he told her everything. Granted she was still annoyed that Peter never made a move.

“He likes you! You just need to go for it!' She stated as she took a sip of her latte. “I mean he literally told you he wanted to see you naked.” She hummed as he shook his head. He had told her what happened, leaving out that he was an exotic dancer.

“No, he told me that he wanted to see me in revealing cloths.” He corrected making her roll her eyes.

“Whatever, Petey.”

He let out a groan as he shook his head, before standing up stretching a bit. “I need more caffeine.” He muttered to himself before walking out of Tony's office, nearly running into Tony's chest.

“Morning, Petey.” He smiled as Peter stepped out of his way. “You're here early.” He hummed, as he sat his things down on his desk. Tony always came in a couple hours late on Friday, and typically Peter did the same thing.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I was going over some of my notes.” He stated as he nodded towards the hall. “I'll be right back.” He said before quickly leaving the office, leaving Tony there with a confused gaze, staring at where Peter stood.

Had he done something wrong? He could have sworn he and Peter were flirting that night. Maybe he over stepped his boundary.

Natasha raised a brow as she watched Peter silently speed down the hall before glancing into Tony's office. 'I'm so over this.' She thought to herself.  She let out a sigh turning back to look at Peter disappearing down the hall before glancing back at Tony.”Everything okay, Tony?” She questioned, moving to stand in the door way of his office.

“Huh?” Tony hummed, looking her direction before sighing, offering a soft smile to the nurse. “Hey, Nat.” He said, raking his hand through his hair.

“So what's going on between you and Peter?” She asked, wasting not time to get down to business.

Tony's eyes widen, being taken back for a moment before clearing his throat, “Uh, nothing, just business.” He said, awkwardly adjusting his tie.

Natasha rolled her eyes before stepping into his office closing the door behind her. “Cut the shit, Stark, its obvious that you have feelings for Peter.” She stated, bluntly, laughing softly as Tony blankly stared at her. “Do something about it, okay? Ask him out. Trust me.” She said, reassuringly before turning on her heels and leaving his office. Technically she never broke her promise to Peter.

Peter let out a sigh as he stood in line in the cafeteria, a couple energy drinks in hand before paying for them. Sooner or later he was gonna have to face Tony. He liked Tony, he did, and he knew that Tony liked him too but he was so terrified that something would go wrong and it would ruin Peter's opportunity. He loved working with Tony and there was no one he'd rather be working under, by the same token there was no one he'd rather be under in general than him.  

He sighed to himself before walking back towards Tony's office, raising a brow as Natasha walked out, “You'll thank me later.” She hummed, ignoring his confused gaze.

He opened the door to the office, looking to Tony before nodding back towards Natasha, “What was Nat-”

“Go on a date with me.” Tony spoke in a rushed voice, making Peter stare at him with wide eyes.

“What?” He questioned, surely he heard him wrong.

“Go on a date with me.” Tony repeated, taking in a few breaths, attempting to calm himself. “We can go see a movie, go to a five star restaurant and drink red wine, we could go hiking, or uh-”

“Tony.” This time Peter cut him off, smiling at him, “How about coffee and a walk?” He suggested instead.

Tony felt himself relax at Peter's suggestion, “Coffee and a walk it is.” He smiled, and he swore he's never smiled that big before.

Later that day Peter found himself sitting in front of Natasha and Bucky, and evident grin on both of their lips as they sipped their coffee. “So you finally have a date with Tony?” Bucky hummed raising a brow at him,

“Yeah, I do. We're gonna get coffee and go walking tomorrow.” He stated a small laugh leaving his lips, “I think we all may have a caffeine addiction.” He stated, earning a shrug from the pair before he looked at Natasha, “So what did you even tell him?” He asked as she grinned.

“I called him out on liking you and told him that he should ask you out, so I didn't break the promise.” She stated as he nodded a bit smiling at her.

“Thank you, both of you. I'm not gonna lie, I was fully prepared to come on the team and not really make any friends or to have everyone ignore me, but instead I made some great friends.” He smiled, the pair grinning at his words.

“Of course, Pete. You came here and were just so optimistic and ready to help people. You truly have a passion for what you do and genuinely love everyone.” Bucky said, a wide grin growing on Peter's lips at his words. “Not to mention you just so damn sweet and polite.”

“Also just a bit awkward, but it works for you.” Natasha added making Bucky nod his head in agreement while Peter playfully rolled his eyes,

“How the hell you were a pole dancer is beyond me.” Bucky stated, a laugh escaping his lips as he watched Natasha's eyes widen.

“You were a pole dancer?!” She nearly screamed, causing Peter and Bucky to shush her while other cafe patrons looked on with raised eyebrows.

Peter's cheeks darkened as he nodded his head a bit, “Exotic dancer,” He once again corrected, making Bucky roll his eyes. “And I only did it to make quick money during med school.” He stated as she raised a brow.

“How long did you do it for exactly?” Natasha questioned, raising a brow as Bucky looked at Peter expectantly. None of them had thought to ask him that last night.

Peter didn't think his cheeks could get any darker, “Uh, four maybe five years?” He said, it coming out more as a question than a real answer.

Loud laughs were soon falling from Bucky's lips as he shook his head before looking to Natasha who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Come on, Nat, cut the kid some slack. We all know I tested sex toys while I was in college to make money. We worked weird jobs.” He said as Natasha looked at him before laughing a bit.

“Oh I know we all worked weird jobs, I just wasn't expecting, captain shy, anxious and awkward to ever be a stripper of all things.” She stated as Peter let out a groan.

“Exotic dancer.” He corrected once more, which only made the pair laugh and soon he was laughing along with them. He wasn't sure why Tony had agreed to mentor him but he was really glad he did because he would have never meet these people that he was actually calling some of his best friends. Despite the fact they teased him he knew that they also truly cared about him. They welcomed him with open arms and treated him like he's always been apart of the team, no questions asked.

Peter found himself groaning as his phone started ringing. He rolled over in his bed, muttering a sofrt apology to his cat, Sagwa as he rolled on his tail. He grabbed his phone, squinting at the time. Seven in the morning. He raised a brow as he saw Tony calling him, quickly swiping to answer. “Hello?” He muttered in a gruff voice.

“Good morning, Petey. Sorry I didn't mean to wake you” Tony said, as Peter shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself as Tony couldn't see him.

“You're fine, Tony, everything okay?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the sounds coming from Tony's side. Was that a car door shutting?

“Uh, yeah, um quick question though.” Tony began as Peter sat up, stretching. “Can you let me in?” He asked.

Peter was frozen. Tony was here. Now. Outside his door. “Uh what?”

“Look, I know we had plans for coffee and a walk later today but I had the bright idea of listening to Steve and now here I am outside your apartment with coffee, breakfast and a bouquet of lilacs because I remember you telling Nat that it was your favorite flower.” He spoke and Peter swore his face was on fire. He remembered your favorite flowers.

“Uh, yeah, just let me put pants on.” He said and he could almost make out a small groan coming from Tony.

“Take your time.” Tony spoke, his own breath getting caught in his throat. He has to put clothes on sweet Jesus.

Peter ended the call and stood up, grabbing his a pair of plaid sleep pant from his dresser. He tugged them on before snagging a random shirt from his closet, carrying it with him towards his front door. He opened it, offering Tony a tired smile, as he came in.

“Thank you.” Tony said, walking in, his eyes quickly raking over the young physicians bare chest before setting down the various thing in his hands.

“Of course.” Peter hummed, pulling on his shirt that had a corny math pun about finding x on it. He let out another yawn as he walked into his kitchen. He wasted no time pushing himself up on to his kitchen counter before looking at Tony, a smile growing on his lips. “So Steve told you to do this?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Not exactly. He suggested a bunch of first date options, breakfast was really the one I liked most.” He said, his hand still gently gripping the lilacs in his hand before he held them out towards Peter, “Here.” He said, offering his own giddy smile.

Peter's cheeks were in a permanent state of red as he took the flowers. “Thank you.” He grinned, sliding off the counter, grabbing an empty vase from the cabinet. He filled it with water as placed the delicate flowers in it. “You remembered my favorite flowers.” He grinned, and now it was Tony's turn to blush.

“I remember you and Nat talking about the flowers Bruce sent her, and how you had never gotten flowers before.” He said as he moved anxiously, soon his hands working to pull the food from the bag in front of him.

“Your favorite flowers are Jasmine because they remind you of you mom's perfume.” Peter stated and Tony paused, a small smile on his lips as he glanced at Peter. “You also prefer iced coffee over hot coffee because you're impatient and always burn your lips.” He stated making Tony let out a laugh, “That's how I know that this coffee is mine.” He stated, grabbing the cup of hot coffee.

“You're something else, Peter.” Tony stated, as he handed Peter his plate of breakfast and a plastic fork before lifting himself onto the counter.

“You say that like it's a bad thing.” Peter stated, taking in a mouthful of eggs.

“Actually I mean the exact opposite. You came into the hospital with this beaming personality, love for for people, want to help, and a academic reputation that is beyond excellent. I've worked with many doctors, and despite being new to the medical scene your want to help exceeds any of theirs.” Tony said, smiling over at Peter, taking in his blushed face.

“Not to mention, I'm cute.” Peter added and Tony could only nod.

“Very cute.” He stated as Peter grinned. “Why do you like me Peter?” He asked after a few moments of silence.

Peter stayed quiet for a moment himself before looking over towards Tony. “As I've said I've always admired the things you did for the medical field. You truly care, not to mention I always thought you were hot. Upon meeting you and seeing how much you really love your job, and what your doing just made me like you more. You also don't belittle me like other doctors have. Just because I'm still learning doesn't mean I'm stupid and you know that. You've treated me with nothing but respect, not to mention you're just an all out great guy. Again, you're also hot so that adds on too.” He said, before taking a bit of the waffle on his plate.

Tony was grinning widely at Peter, and he really didn't think it was possible to like someone more than he liked Peter, “You're really hot too.” He added, a laugh falling from Peter's lips as he rolled his eyes though he couldn't ignore the butterflies in his stomach.Soon Sagwa trotted into the living room letting out a soft chirp before laying down on his couch, a soft awe coming form both Peter and Tony. Peter would be perfectly okay if everything stayed like this, pure undiluted bliss.

-------

Okay, so once again i strayed away form the hospital scene. Honestly this chapter is hella fluffy and i’m not even sorry. I’ve had a very very stressful week with a bunch of family things going on and i really just needed some cute Starker fluff to make me feel better. It’s also not nearly as long as i’d like it to be. But alas enjoy the fluff now cause i’ve got a fe e angsty ideas up my sleeve. The addition to Open hearts will be out soon! Much love!

[eru-san]

Strangers

I met this guy in high school: he was the kind of person who always knew the answers to the teachers' questions, scored the highest in tests and of course didn't talk much. At first I thought he considered himself better than all of us, who didn't understand math, and that he just ejoyed being in his own company. But with time, we all discovered that he wasn't as aggressive as he seemed. The majority of the times he wouldn't make the first step to interact to us, but he would answer politely and kind of friendly if we were ever to talk with him. Not that any of us had much in common to talk about with him. When graduation came, we all went different ways and, for what I knew, nobody had been in contact with him since he left for college. Oh, and he was going to some important place for smart kids like him, as expected, and I was sure he was doing great, being finally among people who would match what I thought to be his level of intelligence. So after about two years, I had the idea of texting him and asking how life was. He replied it was alright and asked about mine and I told him about my college and what I was doing. The conversation ended shortly after and I didn't plan to meet with him or talk any time soon. However, the next friday evening I was walking towards a friend's house when I spotted him just sitting on a bench, smoking alone. I went sitting next to him. "What a coincidece" I said. "Yeah, we were chatting just the other day" he replied. He offered me a cigarette and took a deep breathe from his. I accepted and he helped me with the lighter. Once again we were making small talks and soon enough we run out of arguments, so I decided to leave, my friend was waiting for me anyway. We waved at each other goodbye and I didn't hear from or about him till two months later, when I recieved a message from the groupchat of our old high school class, stating he had died, hit by a truck. I admit, I was kinda shocked and even sad, despite not knowing him that well. I decided to attend his funeral and bring my condolence to his family. Now, I don't wanna sound like an asshole, but what I didn't expected was to see how many friends of his there were. I didn’t know he had so many, or that he had any at all, to be honest. The photo they put on his grave caprured him in a smiling moment while playing his guitar and again, I didn't know he could play the guitar or that he could even smile like that. I know I probably shouldn't have done that, but I overheard many weird conversation in that occasion: some people were talking about him as a funny person with a bright and kind personality, others would depict him as a shy and quiet guy, some people were saying that he wasn't doing well with grades, others that he was living his best life, but the strangest thing was the discussion his family was having about the circumstances of his death. Apparently it was very possible that he had committed suicide. Despite there wasn't any note left to his parents and friends, a small diary was found in the bag he was carrying when the accident occurred, containing, I quote, "clear signs of something going wrong in his head". Now, I have to say I don't know which version of the story I believe to, or which version of his personality is real since everybody seemed to have known a different person, and I can't say I will miss him, but this whole situation got me thinking. How much do we know about the people around us? We made so many assumptios about him back in high school, were they all wrong? Did they hurt him? If we had tried harder to be friends, would he still be here? Or would he just give us one side of himself and keep the rest a secret like he did with all the others? My life isn't going to change too much: I'm still attending college and going out with friends and doing all the things that a common person in his 20s does, but this story is forever going to bug me. Maybe I'll pay a little more of attention from now on. What do we really know about each other? I'll try finding out...

[an-ace-phoenix]

Whumptober Day 12

12. "Don't move."

 "Hey Peter!" Tony greeted with a smile as Peter walked into the compound.

 Peter waved with a small smile on his face, but other than that he didn't show any change. Tony was standing on the other side of the room after all, no one else could hear him, if Peter showed that he could then people would get suspicious.

 "Welcome midtown high!" An overenthusiastic girl of about 25 greeted them. "My name is Charlie and I will be guiding you around Stark industries, or how it is more commonly referred to - the Avengers compound." Charlie had a certain bounce in her step which could only be gained from loving your job.

 She flicked her bright red hair over shoulder as she led everyone towards the lifts. "In just a moment, I will give you all a pass, you must keep it on you at all times, or else you will be stuck. You will need your pass for all lifts and all doors, it's just a security measure." Everyone nodded along while Charlie spoke, hanging onto her every word. "There are 5 levels. You will have level 1, guest. It will get you around all the guest floors but you won't be able to get anywhere else." With that, Charlie grabbed a bundle of passes labelled with the word 'midtown' from behind the entrance desk and started handing them out.

 It was only once everyone had a pass, that Flash felt the need to speak up. "Excuse me, why doesn't Peter have a pass?" Peter tried to not roll his eyes at Flash's fake polite tone. He could tell he was just trying to get Peter kicked out or something. Nothing would say 'doesn't have an internship' like being kicked off the trip.

 "Peter already has one." Charlie explained as Peter pulled his pass from where he had put it in his bag. He didn't know Charlie very well, their paths rarely crossed, but they did from time to time and Peter thought they got on white well, even if they had only talked a couple of times.

 "Why is Peter's pass black?" Sarah asked from the back of their huddle. Sarah was one of the few people in Peter's class who fully believed that he had an internship, without being a close friend. He had asked her why once, her answer had been that he was clever enough. It had been kind of odd but Sarah seemed nice enough so he had just moved on.

 "Black stands for level 5. He has full clearance. The only clearance higher than level 5 is for the people who live here, they don't even need a pass, FRIDAY just lets them in." Charlie says, clearly enjoying blowing the minds of all these high schoolers. Peter bushed under all the shocked stares which suddenly turned on him.

 "Level 5!"

 "The highest level!"

 "Wow!"

 Before anyone could say anything more, Charlie spoke above all their shocked whispers, "right, we better get on with the tour. If we don't get started now we won't have time for meeting the Starks!"

 Everyone instantly shut up and fell into line and Peter marvelled at the power of meeting the Starks. He saw them so often they were practically his parents and he had also seen them at 3 am while sleep deprived - raising a kid was tiring don't judge. To be fair they were just as cool then as people always thought they were - just in a different way.

 Peter had to say, the next few hours really were fun. He had been terrified that it would go badly - that Flash would spend the entire time bullying him or Tony would try and embarrass him, but it actually went really well. Flash mainly stayed away and so did Tony, they only saw him once and that was just in passing. Tony had been too busy talking to Pepper to do much more than a vague wave. The tour was mainly about the roles of interns - Peter already knew about this, he had been given an internship and had lots of fun working with the other interns - and also about the main science and maths roles in Stark industries. Peter actually learnt quite a lot - he had been kind of thrown into this world, he hadn't have time to learn about all the different roles. So overall, it started out interesting and fun. Peter had even seen Kevin - one of the interns Peter often worked with - and when his class went to talk to Kevin, he had shown off a robot. A robot Peter had helped design. Not that they told Peter's class this, but it was always fun to hear your class marvelling over something you helped make.

 Unfortunately, things couldn't stay that perfect.

 "And this is the Chemistry labs. Any chemical reaction you can think of, has probably been done here." Charlie said as they walked into the lab. Peter knew about these labs well, he didn't normally work here but sometimes when he worked on his web formula without Tony, he would find himself here. "Hey Benny, Jo." Charlie waved at the two interns who appeared to be in the middle of a formula. Benny was dripping what looked like some kind of acid into a test tube while Jo seemed to be taking notes.

 "Hey." Jo waved back, just as the test tube started smoking and making popping noises. Jo quickly started scribbling on her piece of paper their results.

 Suddenly a shrill notice filled the lab and the three stark industry workers - and Peter - all froze. 

 "Is that the fire alarm?"

 "What's that noise?"

 "What's going on?"

 Peter's class mates were full of confusion, but Peter was just full of fear. It was not the fire alarm. It was the intruder alert. It only went off when there was some type of super intruder and the Avengers needed to stop what they were doing and stop them. Or- even more threatening - when there was a gunner in the building. Peter had no idea which it would be.

 The alarm kept on blaring and no one seemed to know what to do. As soon as FRIDAY's voice came through the speakers, telling the Avengers to get to floor 6, everyone burst into activity. All of Peter's classmates seemed to be trying to find a way out but all the doors were locked so they were just getting louder and louder, starting to panic.

 "Don't move." Charlie barked above the noise, her happy easy-going demeanour dropping as she took control. "Jo, Benny, make sure all the chemical cupboards are locked. Everyone else, move in an orderly file towards the back of the room."

 Peter did as he was told, following the rest of his class. The Avengers probably had this covered, they didn't need Spiderman.

 He was all ready to just sit there and wait it out, but then FRIDAY's voice spoke up over the alarm. "Charlie, your group is the closest to room 346, Morgan is alone in that room and needs someone to get her."

 Peter could feel his veins turning to ice. Room 346 was just down the corridor from here, but Morgan was alone, and there was someone in the compound. Someone who could hurt her. Without even thinking, Peter stood up and walked to the doors.

 "FRIDAY, unlock the door." He said quickly and lowly, ignoring the odd looks people were sending his way. He knew he could get out, grab Morgan and get back in a couple of minutes, he could go on the ceiling if he had to. He was the best candidate for the job.

 "Peter?" It was Charlie, of course she wanted to know what he was doing.

 "I'll be right back, don't worry." He assured just as the door swished open and Peter slipped out. He heard the door lock behind him and knew he was alone. He could deal with that.

 He quickly scurried along the corridor. He couldn't see anyone hear anyone, so he had a feeling he was safe - for now anyway.

 As soon as he reached room 346, he let out a sigh of relief. Without him even asking, FRIDAY unlocked the door and suddenly Peter had an armful of baby Stark.

 "PETER!" She squealed, Morgan adored her older brother and Peter adored her.

 "Shhh, we have to be very quiet, ok?" Morgan looked confused but nodded in agreement and when Peter gestured to his back she complied without a word, hopping into a piggyback and holding on as tightly as she could.

 After making sure she was secure, Peter walked back out the door he had entered through and climbed onto the ceiling. Morgan giggled quietly, like she always did when they went wall climbing so Peter shushed her with a single finger against his mouth.

 They were both silent as they crept along, and everything was going well until suddenly, there was a shadow below them. There was a person below them. A person with a gun.

 They didn't seem interested in the chemical lab with all of Peter's class mates in it, they seemed to be looking for something, or someone.

 "Where is that pesky child. How hard could it be to track down one toddler."

 Peter froze. They were talking about Morgan. Morgan who was on his back right now, right above them.

 He carefully lifted his hand if the ceiling, pressing it against Morgan's mouth in the hopes they wouldn't hear her breathing. Despite only being tiny, Morgan seemed to understand something dangerous was happening as she stayed quiet, still and overall statue like.

 It felt like an eternity, but it was probably only a minute or two, before the person moved on, back the way Peter had come from. If he hadn't gone to grab Morgan, they would be seconds away from finding her.

 From there it was easy enough. Slip onto the floor. Walk back into the room. Re-join his class at the back of the room. The only difference than before was now he had Tony Stark's kid huddled against him.

 He was sure he could figure out an excuse later.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 "Thanks kid." Tony said 20 minutes later, taking a sleeping Morgan out of Peter's arms. The armed figure had been taken down by the avengers and everyone was safe. Everyone, even Morgan. "I hate to think about what could have happened if you didn't go to grab her." Tony said, shivering slightly at the thought, ignoring the group of teenagers staring at his back in wonder and shock.

 Peter agreed. He would have hated to see that unfold.

 "No problem." He replied, and he meant it. When it came to his family, it really wasn't a problem.

[green-eyeddragonfanfiction]

1940′s Magic

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Nurse!Reader Summary: Bucky takes a hit out in the field and reverts to his suave, lady-killing 1940′s self. As the RN for the team, it’s your job to run the preliminary scans to try and discover what happened. Warnings: None Word Count: ~2,459 A/N: One Shot! IW didn’t happen. We’re ignoring the canon. *plugs fingers in ears* lalalalalala everything is fine lalalalala In case it’s not horribly apparent, I don’t have a medical degree. This is 90% bullshit and 100% fluff. Don’t worry about the math there. I checked it myself.

Masterlist

“Incoming quinjet, Nurse (Y/L/N).”

You glanced up from your small mountain of paperwork, eyes fixed at a random point in the wall. “Wounded, FRI?” you asked the AI, fingers frozen in the middle of writing a sentence.

“That is correct, Nurse (Y/L/N). Your presence will be needed in the medical bay as soon as the plane lands,” FRIDAY informed you in her Irish brogue.

“Got it, FRI. Any details?” you asked, already a whirlwind of activity as you prepped for dealing with any wounded Avengers. They rarely received any injuries that needed more than a few stitches and, because FRIDAY was paging you first, it seemed this time would be no different.

“Captain Rogers received a wound to his arm and Sergeant Barnes has suffered head trauma.”

You frowned up at the ceiling and tried to calm your heart which had sped up at the mention of Bucky. “Head trauma? Shouldn’t we bring Cho in for that?” you asked, already walking briskly towards the med bay. The walk from your small office to the high-tech medical rooms in the Avengers base was thankfully a short one.

“According to Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff the trauma was not acute enough to warrant bringing in Doctor Cho.”

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t trust those two’s opinions on medical matters. They’re both too stubborn for their own good. I know Steve’s tried to hide a gunshot wound from me more than once and Natasha will try to hide her limp when she’s hurt. Buncha idiots, the lot of ‘em,” you bitched lovingly.

“Yeah, you should try workin’ with ‘em in the field.”

You turned around and smiled widely at Sam. “Hey there, handsome,” you said, winking playfully. “Mission go alright minus Bucky catching fists with his face and Steve doing stupid stuff that gets him hurt?”

Sam nodded, wide toothy smile showing off his adorable gap. “Yeah, we got it done. They’ll be in in a minute. Nat’s makin’ sure Steve can get Bucky here in one piece.”

You frowned, not liking the way he said that. “Why, what’s wrong? Is it the head wound? Should I get Helen?” you asked, trying to keep your calm professional(-ish) attitude even though the thought of Bucky being really hurt sent your mind into overdrive.

Sam threw his hands up helplessly. “Nah, I ain’t dealin’ with this one. I couldn’t explain it if I tried.” Without any further ado he walked past you and towards the elevators.

You had less than a minute to wonder at his words before Steve, Natasha, and Bucky trundled through the double doors, Bucky draped between the two blonds.

You rushed to open the door to the nearest exam room and Natasha gave you a distracted nod of appreciation before she and Steve hauled Bucky bodily into the room.

It was only once you were in the tiny confined space with him that you realized he was talking. A lot.

“That plane was crazy, Stevie! They finally gave us something that doesn’t feel like it’s made out of paper. We’ll blow Hydra’s sorry ass to dust.”

Steve looked even more lost and confused than usual, staring at Bucky helplessly. “Yeah... yeah, Buck...” he murmured quietly.

Bucky frowned and whacked the back of Steve’s chest with the back of his hand. “What’s got you so down in the dumps, punk? There’s a pretty dame in the room and she hasn’t run screamin’ from you yet,” he said playfully

Natasha threw up her hands in annoyed surrender. “I can’t deal with him like this. This is your problem, (Y/N). Rogers.”

And just like that she was sweeping out of the room, leaving you and Steve a gaping mess in her wake.

You turned your hard stare at the blond wall of a man. “Steve.”

He flinched and turned his guilty face on you, looking cowed for such a strong-willed man.

“What happened?” you grit out, staring hard at him. This behavior was so supremely un-Bucky-like that you would have thought it was a different person if it weren’t the fact that it was undoubtedly Bucky sitting in your exam room just then, vibranium arm and all.

Before he could say anything, though, Bucky’s slightly unfocused gaze shifted to you and he broke out into the largest grin you’d ever seen on the ex-Soviet assassin’s face.

“Hey there, Sugar. You rationed?” he asked, all tooth, swagger, and sparkling blue eyes.

You gaped at him for a moment, heart thunderous in your chest. You turned to glare at Steve. “Explain!” you demanded, pointing helpfully to Bucky’s still grinning form.

Steve winced and self-consciously shoved his bangs from his face. “Well, he kinda got hit with something when we were out in the field. It was an energy blast of some sort. No wounds or anything we could see, but he...”

“C’mon, Doll. Don’t be like that. Stevie’s stuck on some dame, but I’ll take you out dancin’ any night if you’d let me,” he said smoothly, voice as dark as sin. Steve just gestured to him with a single, defeated arm.

You felt heat flood your cheeks, embarrassed that even his outdated pickup lines were working on you. It was truly unfair how attractive this man was.

“Alright, fine, whatever Steve. I’ll run some tests on him and see if I can’t pinpoint what the issue is. If I can’t figure it out in the next hour, though, we’re calling Helen, Wanda or Shuri. No buts.”

Steve heaved out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. Thanks, (Y/N).”

You glared good-naturedly at him. “That’s Nurse (Y/N) to you, Captain Rogers. Now get out of my room so I can treat my patient.” You turned back to Bucky only to freeze at the flirty look on his face. “On second thought, Steve...” you murmured, suddenly feeling very much like a rabbit cornered by a fox (it shouldn’t have excited you as much as it did).

“Nah, Stevie can go. I’m nothin’ if not a gentleman,” he said, easily reading your discomfort. “I won’t do nothin’ you don’t ask me to do,” he said with a wink and smirk.

You could hear Steve sigh behind you. “You’ll be fine with him. Bucky may have gone out with half the girls in Brooklyn when we were younger, but he was always a gentleman ahead of his time.”

You both ignored Bucky’s offended correction of, “Half the girls in New York.”

You felt your shoulders droop a fraction. “If you say so...” you murmured, turning your attention back to Bucky as Steve made a hasty retreat out of the room.

You looked back to Bucky, trepidation lining your features as you studied the anomaly before you. It was Bucky, but it wasn’t. You were used to the cold, quiet assassin who never spoke more than a polite “hello” to you.

“You know, I really should be the one starin’.”

His voice snapped you out of your confused daze and you shook your head in an attempt to focus, frown wrinkling your brow. “Sorry?”

Bucky just smiled his thousand watt smile. “Y’know, cause you’re the prettiest thing I ever saw.”

You felt heat rush all the way up your neck to your ears. “Yes, well, I need to run some tests, Sergeant Barnes, so if-”

“Bucky,” he said, oozing that confidence you only ever saw from him on the battlefield.

“What?” you asked, once again thrown off balance by this new (old?) Bucky.

“Call me Bucky. What’s your name? I heard Steve call you (Y/N) earlier,” he said mischievously.

You nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s (Y/N)- I mean me- I mean-” you took a deep breath. “Yes, my name’s (Y/N),” you said quickly, embarrassment approaching critical mass.

“That’s such a pretty name,” Bucky said with such sincerity that your heart nearly melted.

You fiddled uselessly with your clipboards and scrounged up what was left of your dignity. “Yes, well, Ser- Bucky. If you’ll just follow me, and we can get these tests underway so you can get out of here as soon as possible.”

Bucky just smiled sweetly as he stood and focused his gaze on you. “Well, hopefully not too soon.”

You tsked loudly at the pile of readouts. Every test you could think to give Bucky and still, nothing. No sign as to what was wrong. His brain scans looked exactly like they always did.

“Somethin’ wrong, Doll?” the man himself asked, eyeing you coyly from on top of the exam bed.

You heaved out a huge sigh and hung your head in defeat. “I can’t figure it out, Bucky. I’ve tried everything I can with the equipment we have- and we have a lot of equipment- but I can’t find a reason for why you’re-” you gestured vaguely to his entire body, not quite knowing how to phrase what you were trying to say.

Bucky raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth quirked upward playfully. “Why I’m... so devilishly handsome?” he asked waggling his eyebrows at you.

You groaned and buried your face in your hands. “You are, but that’s not what I mean! God, we’re going to have to go to Doctor Cho’s office first, then see Wanda if Cho can’t help. I want to avoid having to go all the way to Wakanda if I can help it and-” You froze when a cold hand placed itself gently on your arm and quickly looked up, surprised to find Bucky standing directly in front of you, taking up most of your view.

“You think I’m handsome?” he murmured, eyes searching yours questioningly.

Your eyes widened when you realized what you said in the middle of your scatterbrained rambling and sputtered, eventually getting out something resembling a “yes” although it was nothing more than a tiny squeak of a noise.

Bucky smiled down at you, but it wasn’t the thousand watt smile you’d been looking at for the last hour. It was quieter, more subdued, more Bucky. He looked almost penitent a moment later, ducking his head and glancing up at you through his eyelashes. “I’m sorry. I shoulda dropped the act earlier. The effects of that blast wore off pretty soon after we touched down here, but...” he glanced away nervously and went to remove his hand from your arm, but you wrapped your fingers around the metal digits before he could get very far.

“But?” you prompted breathlessly, curiosity overtaking the sense of self preservation you usually had around Bucky. You liked him, of course. You liked him a lot.

But you learned early on that he didn’t like you, so you kept your distance and hoped your feelings would vanish.

They hadn’t.

Bucky looked like a trapped animal but he held his ground resolutely, blue eyes burning with determination. “But it was easy to talk to you when I was like that... and I didn’t want to stop,” he admitted quietly.

Well, whatever you’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. “So... you’ve been yourself for almost an hour now?” you asked, eyes narrowed and assessing.

His eyes flicked away guiltily for a split second before returning to you. The only answer you got was a stiff nod.

“And you were flirting with me that whole time?”

Another nod.

“Why?” you breathed, heart threatening to beat out of your chest.

Bucky shifted nervously, dragging his lip between his teeth and looking anywhere but you while he gathered his courage.

Finally, he set his jaw and looked at you and you felt your breath catch in your throat. “Because I like you. And I normally can’t work up the courage to talk to you, so I wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.” As soon as he was done speaking, his gaze dropped to the ground and didn’t lift back up again.

Your breath left you in an almighty whoosh that nearly had you seeing stars.

Bucky... liked you? He was... shy?

Oh god, you were a fool. A big, dumb idiot of the highest proportions.

“I like you too, Bucky,” you said, tentative smile creeping across your face.

Bucky’s gaze snapped up to yours, disbelief etched in every feature. “What?” he asked, fingers tightening imperceptibly against yours.

You smiled widely at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I like you, too. I have for a long time, but I thought you didn’t like me at all, so...” You shrugged helplessly.

Bucky’s hopeful smile sent butterflies aflutter in your stomach and you couldn’t help the giddy smile on your face. “Really?”

“Really, really,” you confirmed, nearly giggling at how unfairly adorable he was.

“Hey, Doll?” he whispered, closing the distance between the two of you until he was close enough that his breath fanned your face.

“Yeah, Bucky?” you breathed back, heart hammering in your chest.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, eyes darting to your lips. That sinful tongue of his had the audacity to sneak out across his lips and you nearly swooned at the sight.

“Thought you’d never ask, Buck.”

And just like that his lips were on yours. The entire world fell away until there was only Bucky and how he felt pressed up against you. You dropped his hand and immediately your arms went around his neck, your fingers buried in his long brown hair. His arms slipped around your waist, pulling you flush to his chest. The contrasting temperatures gave you pleasant chills all over. A slight tug to his hair made him gasp and you smiled against his lips.

Eventually, though, you had to break apart for air, both of you smiling like the couple of dopes you were and you stared happily at each other.

“Hey, Bucky?”

“Yeah, Doll?”

“Two things,” you said, giving him the hardest stare you could muster at the moment (it must not have been much because Bucky didn’t look the least bit nervous).

“And those are?” he asked, eyes roaming your face up and down seriously as though he was trying to memorize every single detail.

“I can’t be your nurse anymore. Conflicting interests and all that.”

Bucky looked a little sad, but nodded. It was a worthy sacrifice in his books. “And the other thing?”

You tried to glare at him but it failed by and large and you ended up looking a bit like a pouty child. “I’m so mad that you made me run all those tests on you! I was driving myself insane trying to figure it out!” you grumped, head falling heavily against his right shoulder.

He let out a low, rumbling chuckle that had you thinking very, very indecent thoughts. “I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

You peeked up at him, smile dancing on your lips. “I’ll hold you to that, Bucky.” 

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[icos-j]

Dear Diary

Today was... an experience, to say the least. I woke up feeling really tired again. Idk why. But then I watched a very specific video essay. It was interesting. And also a bit inspiring. Idfk how, I just know that this video inspired me somehow. I think it was something about the end of humanity, but it's like a slice of life following two girls trying to get to the top of their broken society's... mega... city... type thing... idk what to call it. But as they walk, they meet all these interesting people (humans and non humans) and they seem to help them in some way while they travel. Something about making your own future or fate or cheesy thing got me a little bit more optimistic than yesterday for some reason

Me and human mom have been listening to a specific podcast for more than a few weeks now. We usually listen to it while we drive to and from school. It's called My Favorite Murder it hurt me to write favourite that way btw and it's been a pretty pleasant experience for us. We now have something to do while we drive up and down between cities every day.

I got my PE assignment back today. The subject is not PE per se, but it's like it but with a lot more politics, sex ed and worklessness. I at least got an 80% on this one. I don't exactly know what I did wrong but it's at least better than the 60s that I usually get for my tests and exams.

Our teacher doesn't really explain stuff that we did wrong. Actually, almost non of them focus on what we specifically got wrong. We are all just roped into marking ourselves and finding our own mistakes as we go through the exams. I often struggle with finding what I did wrong, and when I do find a mistake, I don't know how to fix it entirely because everyone always wants to ho too fast for me. Sure, I could ask them to slow down, but I don't want to be a bother and I always feel somewhat bad when they have to slow down for me. Partially because I feel sorry for them, and sometimes they just give this aura of I'm better than you, how dare you ask me such a trivial question without them actually saying something like that. I dunno, maybe I'm just a wrek.

In other news, I'm totally screwed over with engineering. Some smartass thought it would be a good idea to ask the teacher for a cutoff date instead of individual dates for specific items. I'm so mad at them. At least it backfired on them as well, so I at least have that small satisfaction. It being due on friday, doesn't make me feel any better about anything. Just more stuff to worry about. Oh yeah, did I mention that we are also writing a class test for physics tomorrow? Yeah, the photoelectric effect is what we're writing about. And I still don't know how my calculations could have been wrong in the exercises that I did. I did all the maths correctly, with all the correct inputs, but I still got a particle moving a few times faster than the speed of light... I suck at everything.

I'm now feeling pretty... tired. For life and for school. I just wanna sleep, but I should probably work on that project so that I don't have to rush it tomorrow.

I hate this.

Yours dementedly,

J

[orbemnews]

Biden Is Pushing a Climate Agenda. Gina McCarthy Has to Make It Stick. WASHINGTON — Gina McCarthy worked six or seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day, to produce America’s first real effort to combat climate change, a suite of Obama-era regulations that would cut pollution from the nation’s tailpipes and smokestacks and wean the world’s largest economy from fossil fuels. Then the administration of Donald J. Trump shredded the work of President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency chief before any of it could take effect. Ms. McCarthy is back, as President Biden’s senior climate change adviser, and this time, she is determined to make it stick. The most powerful climate change official in the country other than Mr. Biden himself, her charge is not simply to reconstruct her Obama-era policies but to lead an entire government to tackle global warming, from the nation’s military to its diplomatic corps to its Treasury and Transportation Department. She will also lead negotiations with Congress for permanent new climate change laws that could withstand the next change of administration. “I’ve got a small stronghold office, but I am an orchestra leader for a very large band,” Ms. McCarthy, 66, said in a speech in February. Mr. Biden’s two-day global climate summit meeting, which begins Thursday, is his chance to proclaim America’s return to the international effort to stave off the most devastating impacts of a warming planet, but it is Ms. McCarthy’s re-emergence as well. Mr. Biden is expected to pledge that the United States will cut its planet-warming emissions by at least 50 percent below 2005 levels in the next decade. The world has seen such promises before, with the Kyoto accords in the 1990s, then the Paris Agreement in the Obama era, only to see them discarded by subsequent Republican administrations. It will fall to Ms. McCarthy to prove the skeptics wrong. Washington “has offered nothing on how it plans to make up for the lost four years,” said the spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, on Friday. The administration plans concurrent efforts to enact regulations to curb auto and power plant emissions, restrict fossil fuel development and conserve public lands while pressing Congress to pass the climate provisions in Mr. Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure bill, such as renewable power and electric vehicle programs. Ms. McCarthy hopes to push the infrastructure bill further, possibly by mandating that power companies produce a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar. That will be a tough sell to many Republicans — but if it passes Congress, it could stand as the Biden administration’s permanent climate legacy, even if other rules are swept away by future presidents. “What Gina succeeds in pulling together is essential to our ability to have credibility in the world,” John Kerry, a former secretary of state and now Mr. Biden’s international climate envoy, said in January. “And nobody knows the details better than she does, and nobody is going to be more effective in corralling everybody to move in the same direction.” Ms. McCarthy, who spent the Trump administration first as a visiting fellow at Harvard and then as the head of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group, said that, for the most part, she didn’t take the demolition of her work personally. “But I was offended,” she said in a recent interview. She said she poured enormous effort into creating Obama-era rules that could pass muster with the courts and ease into effect, only to watch them undone by Trump-era climate rollbacks that were slapped together, rife with spelling and math errors, and then promptly bogged down in court. “It was almost embarrassing,” she said. “It was naïve. It was so poorly written. It had political statements in it. It was just outrageous.” There was, however, some comfort in that. “I knew there was no way this would stand the test of time,” she said. “I knew that it could be rebuilt.” Ms. McCarthy’s friends say she is driven to build back a climate legacy that will outlast her second round in government. “She was angry, there’s no question about that,” said Mitchell Bernard, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “I heard many an expletive exit her mouth about what was going on in the government.” During the 2020 presidential campaign, Ms. McCarthy worked with liberal activists to push Mr. Biden to embrace a far more ambitious climate plan than he first proposed — and to make it the centerpiece of his governing agenda. It was Ms. McCarthy who was saying, “We absolutely can go bigger and should be asking for more,” said Evan Weber, the political director of Sunrise Movement, the progressive environmental group. “She wanted us to see the connections between environmental justice and racism and what was happening between Covid and the environmental crisis, and I thought, ‘Damn, that sounds like an activist.’” When Mr. Biden asked her to join his White House, Ms. McCarthy said she was initially reluctant. But when he embraced much of the rhetoric and policies of the party’s left, she was won over. “When President, then candidate, Biden, made the connection between climate and health and environmental and racial justice, and he framed it in terms of what needed to be done after the pandemic for job growth, it just — it owned me,” she said. “It got me out of the drudgery of climate always being a planetary burden and a horrible potential future and brought it into a framing that to me, energized it.” Republicans have taken notice, and they are not happy. “For almost two months now, unaccountable czar Gina McCarthy has been working both behind the scenes and in front of the press to lay the groundwork for the Biden administration’s agenda,” Senator Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment Committee, said last month. “She’s wielding her power publicly to make it clear who’s calling the shots and directing the troops.” Ms. McCarthy, who has worked as a state and federal environmental regulator for nearly 40 years, is used to attacks from Republicans, and from the heads of the polluting industries that she has spent a career trying to rein in. But over those decades, she has won the grudging respect of some chief executives who have met her across negotiating tables. “She was always willing to roll up her sleeves and dig into issues and take it seriously,” said Jeffrey Holmstead, a lawyer representing fossil fuel companies, who also served as a top E.P.A. official in the George W. Bush administration. “She doesn’t suffer fools lightly, but everybody always felt they had a fair hearing.” He added, “From the president’s perspective, she is the ideal person in this job.” Ms. McCarthy grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family, just outside of Boston. Her mother worked in a doughnut factory and her father, a teacher, was in a union — a background that she says has served her well in building strong relationships both with her current boss and with some of the Republicans and union groups whose support she hopes to win. She spent 25 years as a health and environmental-protection official for Massachusetts, working for five governors, including Mitt Romney, a Republican who assigned her to write a state climate-change plan. Now Senator Romney is among a handful of Republicans whom Mr. Biden sees as possible votes for his infrastructure bill. She is also drawing from her working-class background to woo union leaders as she prepares to reinstate tough new rules on emissions from cars and coal-fired power plants, the nation’s two largest sources of greenhouse pollution. Coal workers attacked Ms. McCarthy’s Obama-era climate rules as a “war on coal” and turned out in support of Mr. Trump, but this week, Cecil E. Roberts, the president of the United Mine Workers of America, said that his members would accept a transition away from fossil fuels in exchange for heavy government investment in new jobs in renewable energy, spending on technology to make coal cleaner and financial aid for miners who lose their jobs — similar to some of the provisions in Mr. Biden’s infrastructure package. But autoworkers are worried: The White House climate plan envisions a future in which most Americans drive zero-emission electric vehicles, but building an electric vehicle requires about a third fewer workers than building a traditional combustion-engine vehicle. “I’m really impressed with her knowledge of what working life is for an autoworker,” said Rory Gamble, president of the United Auto Workers, who has Ms. McCarthy’s cellphone number. “In sister McCarthy we find a well-educated ear who is in tune with what we are facing. I appreciate knowing that she has labor roots.” But, he said, she has yet to persuade him that new pollution rules won’t cost jobs. “The hurdle, and I’ve shared this with Gina, is if the government is going to get into this and invest money in this, there has to be assurances that this work stays in America, with good wages and good benefits, and the workers can organize. That’s a lot of what-ifs there.” Source link Orbem News #agenda #Biden #Climate #Gina #McCarthy #Pushing #Stick

[newstfionline]

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Budget office expects $2.3T deficit before Biden relief plan (AP) The Congressional Budget Office says the federal government is on track for a $2.3 trillion deficit this year. The deficit could soon be revised upward if President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package becomes law. The additional aid—coming after roughly $4 trillion was approved last year—would add more red ink once enacted, but isn’t included in Thursday’s CBO projections. Several decades of deficit spending has meant that the total federal debt held by the public is slightly larger than GDP. That figure is projected to rise to 107% of GDP by 2031 as spending on Medicare and Social Security increases.

Hard-hit restaurants feed COVID doctors, nurses to survive (AP) It was the week after Christmas and coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations were soaring in Portland, Oregon. At Oregon Health & Science University, the state’s largest hospital, morale was low. Doctors and nurses caring for the most critically ill were burning out just when they were needed the most. Then, the food started coming: hot and delicious individually wrapped meals from some of the city’s trendiest restaurants, a buffet of cuisines from Chinese to Italian to Lebanese to Southern comfort food. For staffers who only took off their N95 masks once to eat during a 12-hour shift, the meals were more than just food—they were emotional sustenance. “It’s almost like having a weight lifted. It’s like getting a surprise dozen roses or something,” nurse Alice Clark said. “We’re so grateful.” But the meals, paid for by a wellness grant from the Oregon-based insurance fund SAIF, also served another purpose: They kept struggling restaurants afloat. As fall and then winter set in, eateries were folding under the strain of a monthslong indoor dining ban. The hospital orders—sometimes 150 or 160 meals at a time—were a financial lifeline. “It’s kept the doors open and a small workforce employed. It’s been the most heartfelt catering we’ve ever done,” said Kiauna Floyd, third-generation owner of Amalfi’s, a Portland institution that’s been serving up Italian cuisine for 62 years.

Trump defense wraps up case in three hours (AP) The defense attorneys for Donald Trump have wrapped up their presentation in the former president’s impeachment trial. Lawyers argued for three hours Friday that Trump didn’t incite the Jan. 6 rally crowd to riot at the U.S. Capitol and that his words were merely figures of speech. They say the case against Trump was a political witch hunt by Democrats and was not valid because he is no longer in office. Their truncated defense barely used the full time allotted, 16 hours over two days. Many senators minds appear already made up.

Trump Was Sicker Than Acknowledged With Covid-19 (NYT) President Donald J. Trump was sicker with Covid-19 in October than publicly acknowledged at the time, with extremely depressed blood oxygen levels at one point and a lung problem associated with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to four people familiar with his condition. His prognosis became so worrisome before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that officials believed he would need to be put on a ventilator, two of the people familiar with his condition said. Mr. Trump’s blood oxygen level alone was cause for extreme concern, dipping into the 80s, according to the people familiar with his evaluation. The disease is considered severe when the blood oxygen level falls to the low 90s. The new revelations about Mr. Trump’s struggle with the virus underscore the limited and sometimes misleading nature of the information disclosed at the time about his condition.

Powering through appendicitis for perfect score on Chile’s national exam (Las Ultimas Noticias/Chile) The two-day, standardized exam that Chilean high school students must take to gain entry into university is grueling enough to make anyone a bit sick to their stomach. Antonia Schmohol, 18, was no exception, although in her case, the abdominal aches that began bothering her on the eve of the dreaded PTU, as the test is called, turned out to be more than just a case of nerves, the Chilean daily Las Ultimas Notícias reports. Despite her discomfort, the teenager—who hails from Chiguayante, a small city about 500 km south of Santiago—soldiered through the long, first day of the exam. That night, the pain only worsened, but still, Schmohol’s family kept insisting that she was probably just anxious. Having barely slept, the bleary-eyed young woman returned to the testing center the next day, Jan. 9, doubled over in pain at times, nonetheless completed the final portion of the test, the mathematics section. Relieved to finally have the PTU behind her, Schmohol knew at that point that something was seriously wrong in her stomach area, and soon after went to a nearby hospital, where she was diagnosed with appendicitis and operated on right away. The determined young Chilena has since made a full recovery. But this week—just over a month after her gut-wrenching ordeal—she received a call from the Education Ministry informing her that she was one of just 218 students nationwide to earn a perfect score on the PTU’s math section. Talk about grace under pressure.

Money moving out of London (Financial Times) In January, an average of €9.2 billion shares per day were traded in Amsterdam on the Euronext Amsterdam and CBOE Europe and Turquoise exchanges, up from just north of €2 billion worth of shares a day in December 2020. Also in January, trade volumes in London were €8.6 billion, an enormous €6.5 billion fall from December. Both Paris and Dublin also saw slight increases in their trade volumes, as seemingly overnight the financial capital of Europe crossed the English Channel on to the continent following the conclusion of the Brexit transition period.

The Pandemic Emptied Europe’s Cities. What Will Bring People Back? (NYT) When the coronavirus exploded across Europe in March, it realigned city life, shifting office workers to their homes, shuttering the hospitality sector and reshuffling life for millions. Unshackled from offices—many for the first time in their working lives—city dwellers throughout Europe began to leave, some to avoid the virus but others to escape cramped and pricey apartments and to connect more with the natural world. Now, nearly a year after the first lockdowns and with months more of restrictions looming, the easy assumption that most of the coronavirus exiles would naturally return once the virus was tamed is being questioned. In the reverse of the old song, the question now is not how you keep them down on the farm, but how you dissuade them from moving there for good. For city planners and urban design experts, that means beginning to grapple with problems that have long plagued many of these cities—housing affordability, safe transportation and access to green space—but that have grown more urgent because of the pandemic. More broadly, cities will have to address new desires about connecting with nature and “reconnecting with life,” said Philipp Rode, the executive director of LSE Cities, a research center at the London School of Economics.

Urban Arrivederci (Worldcrunch) An increasing number of young Italians are leaving cities and offices to rediscover a love for the countryside. The biggest farmer’s association in Italy reports a 14% rise in the number of young farmers over the last five year. The group said the rise was partly propelled by the coronavirus crisis. Many of these young farmers came from different professional backgrounds, looking to reconnect with nature and a more genuine lifestyle.

China and India pull back (Foreign Policy) China and India have begun pulling back troops along their disputed Himalayan border, months after a deadly clash between the two sides. On Thursday, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said troops would be removed in a “phased, coordinated and verified manner,” while China’s defense ministry said it had begun a “synchronized and organized” disengagement. Military officials from both countries have been in de-escalation talks for months following a June 15 skirmish that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, along with an unknown number of Chinese.

Myanmar coup leader: ‘Join hands’ with army for democracy (AP) Myanmar’s coup leader used the country’s Union Day holiday on Friday to call on people to work with the military if they want democracy, a request likely to be met with derision by protesters who are pushing for the release from detention of their country’s elected leaders. “I would seriously urge the entire nation to join hands with the Tatmadaw for the successful realization of democracy,” Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said using the local term for the military. “Historical lessons have taught us that only national unity can ensure the non-disintegration of the Union and the perpetuation of sovereignty,” he added. Min Aung Hlaing’s Feb. 1 coup ousted the civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and prevented recently elected lawmakers from opening a new session of Parliament. It reversed nearly a decade of progress toward democracy following 50 years of military rule and has led to widespread protests in cities around the country. The rallies against the coup—now daily occurrences in Myanmar’s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay—have drawn people from all walks of life, despite an official ban on gatherings of more than five people.

Australian city Melbourne begins 3rd lockdown due to cluster (AP) Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, will begin its third lockdown on Friday due to a rapidly spreading COVID-19 cluster centered on hotel quarantine. The five-day lockdown will be enforced across Victoria state to prevent the virus spreading from the state capital, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said. Only international flights that were already in the air when the lockdown was announced will be allowed to land at Melbourne Airport. Schools and many businesses will be closed. Residents are ordered to stay at home except to exercise and for essential purposes. A population of 6.5 million will be locked down from 11:59 p.m. until the same time on Wednesday because of a contagious British variant of the virus first detected at a Melbourne Airport hotel that has infected 13 people.

Is Biden ghosting Bibi? (Washington Post) Since President Biden took office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or Bibi as he is known here, has been waiting for the traditional courtesy call from the Oval Office. After all, both Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama reached the prime minister within days of taking their oaths of office. But three weeks into his term, as Biden has worked deep into his Rolodex of world leaders without dialing Netanyahu’s Balfour Street office, much of Israel’s political class is ready to declare it a full-blown diplomatic snub.

Despite Biden’s push, a difficult road to peace in Yemen (AP) Buthaina al-Raimi was five years old when a Saudi airstrike destroyed her home in the Yemeni capital and killed her parents and all five of her siblings in August 2017. Ever since, she still breaks into tears for seemingly no reason. When planes fly overhead, she shouts to her uncle, “They’re going to hit us!” For her uncle, Khalid Mohammed Saleh, the U.S. decision last month to stop backing the Saudi coalition and push for an end to the war can do nothing to end her suffering. “It’s a wise decision, but it’s too late,” he said. It’s also too early, he said—too early to say whether President Joe Biden’s move will bring peace to Yemen. Reaching peace will be a difficult path. The warring parties have not held substantive negotiations since 2019. Fighting on the ground and coalition airstrikes continue. The Houthis’ grip on the north of the country has only grown stronger, and they have captured new territory from pro-government forces over the past year. Peter Salisbury, Yemen expert at the International Crisis Group, said Biden’s policy shift was “really welcome news” but “won’t automatically mean an end to the war.”

The pandemic has left a huge cache of dinosaur bones stuck in the Sahara (Washington Post) In secret patches of the south-central Sahara, blankets of sand hide 20 tons of dinosaur bones. There are flying reptiles. A creature that resembles an armored dog. Eleven species yet to be identified—all with long necks. They roamed the desert when it was still green, scientists concluded. This is one of Africa’s biggest fossil caches, a prehistoric graveyard that sparked dreams of a world-class exhibition in Niger. The rare discovery is vulnerable to looters and collapsing dunes. But excavation must wait as the nation confronts a second wave of the coronavirus on top of escalating Islamist insurgencies. Niger, about twice the size of France and two-thirds desert, has long boasted dinosaur riches. Countless bones poke through the sand. Paleontologists face a sweltering trek through bandit territory to reach what researchers call the continent’s most diverse mix of extinct giants.