#so if you're confused then we're on the same page buddy

[icejello]

It was a quiet evening after yet again another busy day for the Light of Kshahrewar and the Acting Grand Sage. A light huff caught Al Haitham's attention from the book he was reading and he stopped to glance at his roommate. Kaveh's face is scrunched up in a frown as he erases something in the book that Al Haitham has seen so many times now. "You're being too noisy and it's distracting my reading," he comments before going back to reading. Kaveh doesn't even bother to look up as he replied in an annoyed tone with how it wasn't his fault that the drawing he's trying to make just won't be right. Al Haitham wanted to say that it is Kaveh's fault since he's the one drawing it but decided to not when he sees just how frustrated Kaveh looks. He's been erasing for a while now and surely a small mistake wouldn't take that long to get erased? He watches Kaveh as his actions slowly becomes even more aggressive that Al Haitham was sure Kaveh would end up ripping the paper.

He decided it wasn't any of his business and should just continue his reading. He can just turn on his headphones and tune out the sounds but then he felt the table shaking with how aggressive Kaveh is being. "Kaveh- Kaveh stop that- Kaveh stop!" It was too late and his head immediately snaps up to look at Kaveh as he hears the sound of paper ripping. "Kaveh if you're going to be-" whatever it was he wanted to say died on his tongue when he saw the tears in Kaveh's eyes as he stares at the torn paper.

"What? You're going to cry over the paper that you torn now?" Al Haitham looks at Kaveh in confusion and annoyance. More tears runs down his cheeks at Al Haitham's comments and Kaveh didn't bother to wipe them as he sniffs and grips the pencil he'd been holding even harder. Deep down inside him, worry starts to gnaw at Al Haitham as he watches his usually talkative roommate doesn't say a thing while tears run down his cheeks. Kaveh who would always argue with him that it became part of his daily life that he looks forward to, Kaveh who always has a smug or irritated look on his face, Kaveh that almost always a smile on his face. It doesn't matter if it's a genuine smile, a teasing smile or a mocking one, Kaveh's pretty smile is almost always on his face.

But now, Kaveh is crying silently in front of him. The Kaveh he knows doesn't usually break down like this even when he's stressed from work. Even back then when he offered Kaveh to live with him, Kaveh had not been crying this way. Kaveh who is sensitive, doesn't even cry like this when he's feeling pity for the orphans in Sumeru or the stray animals. This isn't the Kaveh he knows, his Kaveh is strong even when he's crying but right now he looks so so so vulnerable and weak. The death grip he has on the pencil, the way his body is trembling as he takes a deep breath, all of it made Al Haitham worried. Is he sick? Is he hurt? Did something bad happen that Al Haitham doesn't know about? Is it a new project of his? What is going on? Why isn't Kaveh saying anything? Why is his usually talkative roommate so so quiet right now? He has so many questions but he held them back as he realizes that Kaveh won't be answering them if he asks now.

"Kaveh? Is this about new project of yours? Or are you having trouble with-" "Shut up Al Haitham, I don't want to deal with you right now." Slamming the pencil on the table, Kaveh got up and went straight for the door. Before Al Haitham could even call out to him, Kaveh was already out of the door going who knows where. Al Haitham stared outside the window to the darkening sky as night soon approaches.

He sat there for a while as he wonders if he should go after Kaveh or just wait for him to come home. Maybe he just has a lot of pent up stress that he needs to let go off? Perhaps he just went for a drink again at the tavern. Yeah, that must be it Al Haitham tells himself as he goes back to his book. The only problem is that he has this gnawing feeling that something is very very wrong. He ponders over it before his gaze lingers to the book Kaveh had left. It was his sketch book and Al Haitham knows he shouldn't pry on Kaveh's privacy like that but he reassures himself that he just wants to know what got Kaveh so worked up that he ripped the paper. He got up from his seat to approach the book and immediately froze when he saw the almost fully erased sketch. He stood there for a few minutes to stare at the sketching and flips to the other pages. Kaveh is an architect who admires the beauty and aesthetic of things, of course he would have a beautiful drawing style, how could he never have paid attention before? He snapped out of it and immediately took his keys and ran out of the door to look for Kaveh.

On the table, next to the book that Al Haitham had been reading, is a sketch book full of Kaveh's sketches of Al Haitham. The book is left open on a ripped page of a reading Al Haitham.

[cydanite]

The Scientific Method

Ao3 link:

Pix's fellow emperors weren't sure what to make of their friend flinging himself back into his work after the tea party. They were happy, of course, that the consequences of his strange death hadn't deterred him from his work. Pix loved what he did, it was clear to see. Uncovering mysteries big and small, learning of what had once been lost. None of the standard doom and gloom associated with ghosts had accompanied Pix's change. He was still the same old archaeologist, joyously engrossing himself in his empire's ruins.

But, that was strange too, right? Most people, upon dying and coming back a specter, would not immediately be so content. They would need time to process what had happened, to grieve what they have lost, to right themselves and prepare for the future. And Pix should be no different. He never struck them as a particularly resilient man. He was wise, certainly. But not so emotionally hardened as to let undeath roll right off his back. Right?

Yet as Oli flew over the capital's tallest hill, Pix was hard at work below him, taking careful measurements of stone foundations. He banked to land, circling in tight motions to slow his descent.

"My boy! My sweet history boy!"

Pix looked up, a smile breaking through the confusion on his face, and chuckled.

"Oli! Ahoy there!" he waved as Oli landed, skidded a few meters, kicking up dirt before coming to a complete halt. Safely grounded, he turned back to Pix with a grin. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh Pix, always a charmer." Oli waved him off in mock embarrassment. "Can't a guy check in on his buddy? His cool history friend? We're pals, we hang out! Y'know." He bounced with each sentence, shuffling his feet and waving his arms. "Not to distract you from your work, of course. Just for company!"

"Well," Pix turned back to the expanse of stone laid out before him. The groundwork for the castle he was carefully reconstructing. "I'm taking some measurements to confirm what I have here is accurate. I wouldn't want to start building only to realize I'd mistaken where a wall should be. You're welcome to keep me company if that isn't too dull."

"No, no, I love history! Big history guy!" Oli peered over Pix's work area. A journal was open next to him, flipped open to a top-down sketch of the castle grounds. Every coordinate, horizontal measure, and corner angle was annotated. The lines were thin and precise, tiny penmanship making the most of the space and crowding the paper in a sea of numbers. Over them, though, a scattered few corrections stood out like a sore thumb. Large, messy scrawl with uneven pressure and several blotches where the pen had slipped from his hands. The pen sat disregarded, half-submerged in the inkwell.

Oli shuffled on his feet. "Do you need any help, king? I could take notes for you if you'd like?"

Pix followed his gaze and smiled. "Not a king anymore but- thanks, Oli. That would make my work a lot easier. I, uh, still haven't got the fine motor skills figured out." He flexed a transparent hand before him, wiggling his digits. Oli picked the pen out of the inkwell and wiped the excess ink off of its stem, before sitting on the ground and placing the journal on his lap. Pix turned back around and resumed his measurements.

"You can flip to a new page and just write the measurements in a list. I'll transfer them to the plans later."

"Can do." The bard watched intently as the archaeologist fell back into his work, taking careful measurements of the lines of stone on the ground. The conversation lulled into the occasional back and forth of information.

“West gate western wall. Four meters.”

Oli turned away from softly tuning his lute and scribbled the numbers down. “Gotcha… hey, Pix?”

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say: You’ve been pretty gung-ho with your work recently! Really got that ‘go get-em’ attitude, despite-uh, the… complications?”

Pix is too far away for Oli to make out his expression, but there’s a few seconds pause before he responds.

“There’s been some growing pains, sure. But I enjoy what I do.” He peers over his tape again. “West gate western wall inset. Eighty-seven point five centimeters.”

“Eighty-seven… point five. Okay.” He holds the page up to the breeze to dry the ink. “...About those growing pains, I’m just curious-”

“Oli, you can just say you’re concerned about me, you know.”

“I’m trying to be tactful, Pixlriffs! You know I don’t have tact! All I have are my looks and the speech pattern of a poor Victorian orphan boy!” He stopped flailing the journal in his hands and set it down beside him for the sake of not flinging it down the hill. “You crumbled into dust! Dust, Pix! And now we can see through you, for Christ’s sake!”

“No need to remind me.” He gets up from his kneeled position on the ground, wiping the dirt from his hands and turning to face his friend. “I appreciate your concern, I really do. You’re a good friend. But I’m handling the situation.”

Oli crossed his arms. “Not by throwing yourself into your work, no?”

“No-” The usual warmth in his voice is gone for just a second. Pix pauses before steadying his voice again. “I’m not avoiding the problem, or coping poorly elsewise. I’m just… treating it as I would any other mystery I come across.”

“How so?”

Pix fiddles with the measuring tape in his hand, winding the cord around his fingers like a snake. “Well… first I set a question. What is the use of this artifact I found? How old are these carvings? What does it mean now that I’m a ghost?”

Pix wakes up in his bed back home, gasping for a breath he couldn’t take until now, adrenaline still welling inside of him. Once he realizes where he is and what just happened he doesn’t hesitate to throw on a spare elytra and zip through his nether portal. Though his hands fumble with his rockets, the flight back to Glimmer Grove gives him a few moments to calm down and think about what just happened. Had he just been caught? Was it a hidden assassin’s attempt to claim his crown? Maybe Glimmer Grove’s curse had suddenly exhibited a new and deadly effect?

And then he arrives, cautiously rounding the corner to speak with his fellow emperors, all huddled in a group on the stairs he’d just succumbed under. And when their eyes finally settle upon him, the horror they’re filled with makes his blood run cold.

Oli listens intently. “Alright, then what?”

“Then I hypothesize. Think about what direction I should take my research in.”

The tea party is decidedly over after this. Pix drifts away from the dispersing crowd, unease filling the empty space. It’s… he’s not gonna lie, it’s a lot. Sighing, he presses his palms to his temples, rubbing them. Something sharp makes him pull his hand away. Curiously, he feels around on his head and runs his hand over a few sharp points, and connecting those points is something shriveled and ashy. He traces the vines around his head, culminating at the sunflower he had placed in his hair. A petal falls into his hand, gray and withered. He goes back to the vines, feeling how they circle his scalp. The occasional larger thorn pointing upwards like a shark’s lower jaw. It’s almost as if… like it’s blocking him from… it would be impossible to wear the Crown like this, right?

The grave look he saw in Scott’s eyes replays in his mind.

Pix continues. “Next is research. Consulting my studies, my books.”

His floor is carpeted in scattered paper. Historical texts, maps, theses, investigative reports, legends, folktales. Anything that might mention the Crown in any capacity. A web of signs on the wall spout disjointed theories and leads. Several are dyed an approving green. Even more are dyed a discrediting red. He’s fairly certain that the Crown had killed him, though through what means he doesn’t know. An enchantment, perhaps? Or maybe a curse? Whatever it was, it did not want him putting it back on.

He hangs a sign on the wall. “Crown only allows those it deems worthy to wear it.” He steps back, thinks for a bit, and dyes the sign a cautious yellow.

Assuming the Crown had this effect before it was last sealed away in the Capital’s catacombs, what makes him different then its previous owners? After all, none of them wore it and withered away, as far as he knew. It would probably have to be something objective. Enchanting a crown meant to be transferred between owners with a subjective kill switch trigger would be incredibly dangerous. And if that was the intent, he’s surprised there isn’t any record of this curse in his books.

In that case, it would probably have to be that he isn’t royalty. He may be an emperor, i.e. the land he lives on gave him its blessing. And have the abilities that come with that, i.e. access to the magic of inventory, respawn, crafting. But being an emperor does not royalty make. He’s simply the caretaker of the Ancient Capital, one with no subjects to his name. Much like how Shelby acts as warden to The Evermoor, home to just her and a healthy population of frogs.

He places another sign on the wall. “Crown only allows royalty to wear it.” This one feels more solid. The crown was only meant to be worn by royalty, so a curse preventing non-royalty from wearing it doesn’t dissuade its purpose. It was extreme, yes, but so was the history of the Crown. A legacy of assassinations and betrayal. A well of dark emotions that stray magic could easily leech onto and, over a long enough period of time, solidify into a dangerous curse! It fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The Crown is cursed to kill non-royalty. This curse wasn’t enchanted by a person, but by a pattern of events, so it isn’t deliberate or necessarily useful. Pix dyed the sign green.

Then a wire crosses in Pix’s brain. The curse isn’t deliberate. It’s crude, simple. If A, then B. If not royalty, then execute. Pix is both non-royalty and an emperor. He has access to the magic of an emperor. He can respawn.

The deathrattle curse of the Crown. An unstoppable force. The undying blessing of an emperor. An immovable object.

Both dead and alive. His breath hitches in his chest like a brick.

And so the logical conclusion.

Should he ever lose the Ancient Capital’s approval…

Oli sits back down, pulling his lute back into his arms and fiddling with the strings.

“Alright, I see where this is going. I’ve taken a science class before. Next is testing, right?”

Pix looked past him, staring down at something intangible behind Oli. He then turned back to his foundations, unspooling his measuring tape again.

“I’m in the middle of that now. West gate pillar footprint. One point two five meters squared.”

[braveclementine]

Chapter 21

Warnings: 18+readers only, pet names, fluff, angst

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OCs: Elizabeth Silvertongue and Clementine Greenleaf. I also own Clementines' brother Donavan. The following OCs are owned by other Wattpad writers as this is a collaboration project. Their OCs are on the face claim page. I do not condone any copying of this.

Firstly, can I just say, 'Thanks a lot Heimdall?' He just had to come down from God knows where (actually apparently he is a God so that's just confusing) and had to declare that my life was in imminent danger. 

Naturally, this put Bucky and Steve into a mood. I could barely go to the bathroom now without one of them tailing me. I was dreading the moment when school started back up because I could only imagine the sort of security detail they were going to put on me there. 

I felt terrible too, because Steve and Bucky couldn't even spend Thanksgiving at their own house, since Heimdall had said I needed to move into the Avengers tower. They said they didn't mind, that my safety was more important than Thanksgiving traditions but still, it certainly wasn't something I felt good about. 

The others were trying to make me feel welcome, trying being the key word. Tony seemed very on edge with my presence, something Bruce was trying to get him to ease out of. My presence could raise questions about whether I knew of the Avengers secret identities or not, as well as raise more awareness as to where I was. So, I was not allowed out of the tower at all. 

Most of the others seemed nice. Sam and Loki were the ones I was probably on best terms with. Sam and Loki had even taught me self defense until Steve had walked in on Loki pinning me to the ground and nearly took his head off with a shield. Loki turned invisible for a few hours to let Steve blow the steam off on the punching bags instead. 

Although. . . I'm not sure it was the self defense Steve was furious about now that I think about it. 

But, most of the others regarded me as a kid. Especially the people like Pepper Potts and T'Challa Udaku who I had as actual teachers. 

I tried to keep in contact with Clementine, since I knew she had gone back home with Donavan, but Tony was quite against me having open communication since someone could hack my phone and track my location. 

Thanksgiving morning came and the entire tower smelled like Turkey and stuffing. I had asked if I could help with the preparations, but Tony had a personal catering team that would prepare the entire meal, so there was no need for me. Instead, I contented myself with making a homemade pumpkin roll to eat solely by myself later. 

That was what I was doing when I heard a sharp voice say, "Oh!" 

I turned to see a Caucasian woman with blond hair standing there. She looked very surprised to see me here, probably as surprised as I was to see her. This was Steve and Bucky's personal floor, so the fact that someone else was in here was surprising. 

"Who are you?" We asked at the same time. I noticed her hand slowly inching down her side. I was going to need to de-escalate the situation so I could avoid being shot at. 

"I'm a friend of Steve and Buckys'." I answered, not sure where she was on the spectrum of knowing things. If she was aware I was a student, I did not want her knowing of our courting relationship. 

"Just a friend?" She asked skeptically. 

"Yes." I replied evenly. 

"I've never seen you around before." She was still highly skeptical. 

"Well, I've never been here before." I admitted. "It's only for my safety right now." 

She frowned, "Oh. Oh I know who you are. You're the girl that Heimdall declared needed protecting, right?" 

"Um, yes." 

"Friends." She scoffed. "You can just say you're fuck buddies." 

"We're no-" 

"Look, a piece of advice." She smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "None of their past fuck buddies have lasted. And they've gone through quite a few. But in the end, the only ones they really love is each other. So, my advice? If you're looking for something long term, look somewhere else, cause you're not going to find it here and you'll waste your years." 

She shoved off the doorframe, turning and leaving. "Happy Thanksgiving!" She called over her shoulder, the apartment door closing behind her. 

I stared after her for a few seconds, feeling an uncomfortable pit twist in my stomach, staring at the closed door. 

I had known, of course, that this relationship we had going on would not last. Logically speaking, it was impossible for it to last, as it was illegal to marry more than one person. The relationship did not work. So knowing that it would not last, was not new knowledge to me. 

However, the very unpleasant way that she had put my situation was painful. I wondered if that was how the others viewed the relationship, and if that was why they didn't care to befriend me, the way I thought they might. 

"Elizabeth?" I blinked, finding Bucky standing in front of me. He was bent slightly at the waist, looking into my eyes, concern in his own eyes. "Hey, you okay doll?" 

"Uh, um, yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled. I forced myself to snap out of it and said far more cheerfully. "Sorry, must've been lost in thought." 

"You sure?" I jumped, not having picked up that Steve was behind me. He also looked rather concerned. 

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." I laughed, hoping they didn't realize how off it sounded. I needed to shake off the womans' words. They were nothing new and hell, they might've even been said out of jealousy. No reason to be upset or question them or anything. Besides, if the relationship wasn't going to last, I didn't want there to be any fights in our fleeting time together. 

"Sorry." I finally grinned. "I was just making a pumpkin roll. I got bored and Tony said he didn't need help with dinner cause he has professionals doing it for him. Which, honestly, I feel like family made is much better, but I suppose he could always surprise me. Tonight's dinner is good enough for a billionaire anyways." 

I was talking to much and to quickly. As supersoldiers, I knew they had picked up that something was wrong, especially from the looks they were giving each other. But as Bucky simply said, "Well it smells good" and as Steve agreed with him, I knew they were going to try and figure it out another way. 

"Seriously, guys, I'm fine. You just scared me, since I didn't notice you two at first, that's all." I sighed, touching Bucky's shoulder. "Really, I am super duper fine." 

"If you say so." Steve murmured, wrapping his arms around me. "Your heart is beating quickly." He admitted. "Sorry for scaring you Princess." 

"Yeah, sorry Doll." Bucky said quietly. 

"It's alright." I smiled. "Now then, how about I teach you boys how to play Monopoly?" 

ꨄ︎

I was halfway wishing that I had gone home for Thanksgiving. Nothing against Tony, the meal just wasn't what I was expecting at all. 

I guess I had been expecting it to be like how it was at home. A proper dining room table set with the fanciest dishes and silverware that we had. We would all sit around the table, hold hands, say grace, then eat calmly there and then. 

Avengers Thanksgiving was nothing like that. There were buffet tables, filled with food. Most people stood and ate in small circles and they wore dresses and suits like they were at a charity gala. I stood out like a sore thumb and I hated it. I wished someone had told me the dress code. 

There was also a bar, which was running drinks out left and right and I took a seat nearby, practically hiding in the corner. Steve and Bucky had said they would meet me down here. I had thought I would be glad for the time alone, but now I just wished I had someone by my side. 

Well, Gods seem to make wishes come true, as Loki approached me from my left side. "Elizabeth, I want to introduce you to-" 

I heard a squeal and looked up to see Ivy on Lokis' arm. Ivy pulled me into my arms, making me laugh. "Good to see you Ivy." I glanced teasingly at Loki as the black haired girl pulled away. "So, this is your student pet?" 

Loki let out the slightest of coughs. "Well, er, yes. Although I share her with Wade, admittedly." 

I had no idea who Wade was, but it seemed like Steve and Bucky weren't the only polyamorous relationship in the tower. 

Ivy looked gorgeous, wearing a silk, forest green dress, that was high on her hip. The two of them looked very. . . well sexy together. Both of them were rather tall, with long black hair, though Ivys' was definitely longer than Lokis'. 

"Well, you two look very nice together." I offered, wishing I had something to drink. I looked at Loki, "Um, do they give people sodas or something?" 

Loki rolled his eyes. "Honestly, the fact that those two left you alone. Bartender, a rootbeer." He flicked his fingers at the man behind the bar who nodded once. Loki turned back to me while Ivy looked on amused. "And. . . there." He flicked his fingers at me and I looked down to see that I was now enveloped in a light purple dress. 

"Nice." Ivy grinned, "You look beautiful." 

I turned, looking for the mirror, and saw that I was wearing a lilac purple dress, held up by my breasts which was a style I was not used to wearing. There was a stitching of purple roses across my chest and waist. He had done something fancy and curly with my hair, pining up parts, letting other strands fall around my face. Pairing everything with white stockings, black school girl shoes, and a strand of double pearls around my neck. 

"Oh. . . wow." I mumbled. It certainly wasn't something I would have picked, definitely not for a Thanksgiving meal either. But it was very beautiful, and I noticed it had a slight vintage style to it. "Thank you." 

"So where are your boyfriends?" Ivy asked casually, asking the bartender for some fancy sounding alcoholic drink. Loki leaned across the counter, swiping the bourbon flask, pouring his own shot, reminding me very vividly of Damon from Vampire Diaries. 

"I'm not sure." I responded as casually as I could. After we'd played four games of monopoly, they'd said they had to go and had left with the same warnings of staying safe and emergency contacts through F.R.I.D.A.Y. as they always did. "A meeting or something." 

"Oh! There's Wade!" Ivy said excitedly, pointing across the room towards a man in a red and black uniform that I recognized vaguely as Deadpool. 

"You might want to rein him in before he does something stupid." Loki drawled, swirling the whiskey around in his tumblr, watching as the somewhat superhero started to juggle knives. 

Ivy swept away and Loki looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "What happened?" 

"What?" I asked, flicking my eyes up to his, swallowing more soda than meaning to. 

Loki rolled his eyes. "Norms, I'm not as stupid as Midgardians. What happened to put you in this mood?" 

"Well I thought I was hiding it well." I mumbled, not answering his question as I finished the rootbeer. Loki signaled for another one. 

"Fine." Loki muttered and I was startled as he touched my shoulder. His eyes had turned green, before he dropped his hand, eyes returning to blue. He sipped his drink and then said, "Don't let Sharon bother you, she's a complete bitch." 

I blinked and then narrowed my eyes. "Hold on. . . did you like. . . read my mind?" 

"I swear. . ." Loki muttered darkly. "Yes, of course I read your mind." 

I glared at him. "That's highly invasive. I ought to sue you." 

"No one would believe you." He yawned. "Anyways, Sharon. She's a bitch and James hates her guts. I wouldn't worry about her. Especially about how long your relationship lasts. She barely stayed with them for four months before they dropped her." 

"Well she did say they dropped their er- 'fuck buddies' rather quickly." I mumbled. 

"She was just trying to get to you. She's jealous, I think that's obvious." Loki huffed. "Besides, you're not their 'fuck buddy' as she so modestly put it. If that's all the soldiers wanted out of a girl, they wouldn't have chosen you." 

I felt startled as I looked into his blue eyes. I hadn't even thought of that. 

Loki tossed the rest of the drink back. "Now I'm going to go be with my girl. And if those soldiers aren't here in another five minutes, you come get me. I'll go find them and kill them for not being by your side." 

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Thanks Lokes." 

"No, that nickname is not sticking." Loki gave me a warning glance before walking confidently through the crowd to where Ivy and 'Wade' were. 

I didn't have to wait five minutes, as Steve and Bucky showed up only one minute later. Steve was wearing a brown and beige suit and tie, which looked good on him. His fluffy blond hair was gelled back just slightly, giving it a darker look. He looked very pink in the cheeks as he looked down at me. 

Bucky on the other hand, was wearing a red suit, with a black bowtie. He was not wearing gloves like he usually was, his black metal hand pairing with the suit nicely. He'd attempted to pull his long hair back like Steve, but had somewhat failed, making his hair look like it was bunched in a ponytail. 

"You look beautiful, where did you get this?" Bucky grinned as he kissed my cheek. 

"Loki illusioned it on me. . . I think." I said hesitantly. "It might disappear at midnight." 

"I don't think he knows that fairy tale." Steve grinned, although Bucky shot the God of Mischief a glare from across the room. 

"Ah yes, my glorious protector." I teased Bucky, reaching up and shaking his hair out so that he was back to normal. "Don't worry about Loki, he seems very smitten with Ivy." 

"I love the dress." Steve said, softly. "It sort've looks like something from our time." 

"I thought it looked vintage." I exclaimed, blushing a little. 

"It's very beautiful. You're beautiful." Bucky said sincerely, though he still wrapped a possessive arm around my waist. 

"So beautiful Princess." Steve said softly, gently pressing his lips against mine. "Come on, Buck and I have something we want to show you." 

I let the two men lead me through the party room, before going out onto a balcony. Bucky wrapped a jacket around my shoulders, the two of them leading me over to a small garden area. There was a small fire going, though nothing huge and Steve put his own jacket down on the stone bench, before lifting me up and placing me down on it. 

"We got s'mores." Bucky grinned, showing me the packages. 

I couldn't help but smile too. "Really?" 

"And hot chocolate and popcorn." Steve said lightly. "Thought you'd enjoy it. Especially when ten o'clock hits." 

"Why? What happens at ten?" I asked, perking up in interest. 

"Well telling you would spoil the surprise." Bucky smirked, picking up a roasting stick, unceremoniously shoving two marshmallows onto the metal pipe. 

I pouted, "Bucky, you're abusing your marshmallows." 

"Doll, they're marshmallows. Sweet little marshmallows that I'm going to roast over a fire, before I smush them between two graham crackers and chocolate." He said, his voice becoming dark and menacing in a joking way. "Before being devoured by yours truly. I think effectively ending their lives by impaling them is being nice." 

Steve rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he neatly put his marshmallow on the end of the metal stick, putting it over the fire. "Wow Buck, you should've taught writing classes." 

"I know right?" Bucky said in a 'I'm one hundred percent right' voice. "But the dumb bird got in the way." 

"Do you hate him?" I asked curiously. 

"No." Steve answered. "They get along well enough at least." 

"But you don't like Loki?" I asked again. 

"Look, Loki is better now, but I don't completely trust him. He did try to destroy New York once upon a time." Steve shrugged. "Leeway for being brainwashed by a Titan. But he is a God of mischief. Trust can only go so far with him." 

I contemplated that. "Fair." 

I pulled my marshmallow out of the fire, squeezing it between the graham crackers and chocolate. 

"You didn't leave it in there for nearly long enough." Bucky shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "You're supposed to burn it so it turns black." 

I stuck my tongue out, pretending to gag. "I'll pass, thanks. I prefer not eating carbon." 

Bucky gasped dramatically. "Stevie, did you hear that? She called my perfectly roasted marshmallow carbon!" 

"Now, now kids." Steve said sternly. 

I giggled, snuggling up against Bucky, who wrapped his other arm around me. We ate s'mores until I felt sick, while they pulled out hot chocolate to sip, topped with marshmallows. It soothed my stomach a little and I appreciated it. 

As ten o'clock rolled around, Bucky and Steve shifted over so that each of them were sitting on either side of me. Steve wrapped his warm around around my shoulder, while Bucky simply looped his metal, jacket covered arm through mine. 

The outside patio lit up, nearly blinding me, with thousands of brilliant white lights. Looking upon them closer after I got used to it, I saw that they were all shaped like small snowflakes. Somewhere in the background, 'It's beginning to look like Christmas' started to play softly. I smiled at that, looking over at Steve. 

"We uh, put it together ourselves." Steve murmured softly. "You said one of your favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it's the official transition into Christmas, which is your official favorite holiday. So we um, decide to officially make Christmas official for you." 

"That's a lot of officials." I teased softly, before pressing my lips to his. "Thank you for this-" I turned to Bucky, kissing him too. "-both of you." 

"C'mon, I want to wake up tomorrow with both of you in my bed." Bucky said, getting up from the bench. 

"It is nearing Steve's bedtime." I teased again, standing up as well. 

"Alright you two." Steve rolled his eyes, standing up, taking my other hand. I walked between the two Super Soldiers, hand in hand until we reached their bedroom. Steve shouldered open the apartment door open and all three of us stopped dead, taking in the sight before us. 

The same blond lady- Loki had called her Sharon? - from before was in here. Her blond hair had been curled and styled, but what really threw me off was her outfit. She was wearing very vintage lingerie, probably something from Steve and Buckys time, in the colour of a nice pale blue. 

I could smell apple pie, which was probably because that's what she was holding in her hands as she turned to face the door as it opened. I felt slightly disturbed, knowing that she had been in the apartment for some time to cook that pie. And also, knowing that she had probably been one of their exes that hadn't worked out. 

That definitely explained her cruel and unnecessary words from earlier. She was jealous that they had moved on with me. 

"Buck." Steve sighed, sounding mostly disappointed. 

Bucky didn't say a word, his hand gripping mine harder. I was startled as he pulled me along, through another door, slamming it behind him as we entered the room, going through the other side door to where the kitchen was. 

Bucky was furious as he pulled out glasses and I quickly took them from his hands since he looked like he was on the verge of shattering them. 

"Bucky?" I asked softly, putting a hand against his arm gently. "Bucky what. . . who. . . what is. . . I don't really understand what's happening." 

"That's Sharon Carter, niece of Peggy Carter." Bucky muttered, opening the refrigerator door so hard I was surprised it didn't come flying off the hinges like in the cartoon. "Steve's ex." 

Ah, which implied that she had never actually had a relationship with Buck. Hence, Bucky's anger. 

"You weren't with her too?" 

Bucky huffed. "Hell no. Never liked the Carter girls, either of them. Peggy didn't approve of our relationship, tried breaking Steve away from me in favor of her. And Sharon is just the personified definition of 'bitch'. Sharon was someone Steve was dating before I was out of HYDRA. He probably would've married her if I hadn't recovered and we found our way together again. Steve tried to see if Sharon would want this sort've relationship, but she basically said 'hell no'. She still wants Steve though, this little show she's putting on isn't her first." 

"Why can't she just be happy for him?" I asked, taking the eggnog from him since that was also in a glass bottle, carefully putting it in the three glasses. 

"Because Carter girls always get what they want." Bucky muttered, more to himself than to me. 

"Peggy. . . she successfully broke Steve away from you?" I asked softly. 

Bucky was silent for a moment. "Not really. Steve talked it over with me. Explained that Peggy  had explained that Captain America was a symbol and that he needed a woman by his side. He said that he didn't want to lose what we had, but that maybe publicly, Peggy was the key. She never broke him away from me in the sense that Steve left me, but she certainly broke him in a way that he's always believed he needs a woman too." 

I sipped my eggnog awkwardly, knowing I was going to regret this next question. "You don't need a woman for this relationship to work?" 

"No of course we don't." Bucky scoffed immediately. "It was just the two of us before and that was always enough. I love him and he loves me and that's all that there needs to be." 

The kitchen was silent for a full five seconds before Bucky muttered. "Shit." 

I bit my bottom lip, before blowing air out of my mouth. 

"Doll-" 

"Bucky, it's fine." I said nonchalantly, glancing over at him. He was looking at me with a hesitant expression. "I'm going to go uh, take a walk. Thanks for being honest with me." 

"Wait-" Bucky said desperately as I hurried from the room. 

Steve was just closing the apartment door behind Sharon, looking extremely annoyed when I entered. 

"Hey Princ-" 

"You need to talk to Bucky." I interrupted him, not in the mood for pet names. "Please? I'm going to go take a walk." 

Steve looked startled as I yanked open the door. I heard Bucky calling for me again, but the door had already closed behind me, with a soft click. And I strode off down the hall without looking back.

[jackiexmiller]

“ you can talk to me about anything. you know that, right? “ ( Abel )

Jackie had a lot of 'friends'. Though she wouldn't say she had a lot of 'close friends'. Every time shit would start to feel a little more real, a little more deep or intense, she would take one, two, three steps back. Or fuck off to an entirely different state until they eventually wrote her off as someone who would never be on the same page. -- Only Billie remained. Only Billie knew her, understood her, and even she was not so easily let into the darker parts of her mind. But Billie was not a friend. She was family.

And Abel, he was no family. He was a secret crush, turned friend, turned fuck buddy, turned back to friend and it felt like if he, even for a moment, was let into her mind -- well, he wouldn't understand. Just like Lucas. Just like countless people before him who couldn't accept that she wasn't who they wanted, no, who they expected her to be. And Jack has had just about enough rejection to last her a lifetime.

So she looks over at Abel, both of them eerily sober having had nothing but half a joint split between them. And she wonders if there was a part of him that was too ugly to look at as well. Too difficult to understand. And she can't quite picture it. So she'll look away, and ahead to the view they shared silently atop the flat roof of an old city diner. It was a shitty spot, and an even shittier view, but it worked just fine for them.

Jackie can feel his eyes on her now, and she pulls the sleeves of her hoodie over her palms in some subconscious attempt to shrivel up and hide.

"You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?"

Her brows furrow in momentary confusion, and then a smile enters her cheeks as she realises he'd actually meant it. Part of her wanted to, really wanted to do just that. To talk, to tell him about anything and everything. To let him in, let him share in her loneliness, her strange and wicked thoughts. Thats, well that's what friends were for, right? -- But the other part of her was an ocean of anxiety, of reminders that nothing about opening up was ever a good idea. And she could not lose another good thing.

"Ah, tempting." as always, avoidance was her first line of defence. "But that's not really...it's not really our thing, is it? We're good, you're..." she'll look over at him again, then back ahead. "-- you're good. We don't have to do this." she's visibly nervous now, brushing her palms against her knees as she took in a deep breath. "Let's just sit here and....and not talk about anything. Is that -- I mean that's cool with you, right?"

[kkat-astrophic]

THIS WHOLE CHAIN OF REBLOGS WARMS MY HEART, WE'RE ON THE EXACT SAME PAGE HERE OMG!

Seeing as he and Sayaka were the beta designs in Distrust and Danganronpa the devs got sick of them real quick, too bad they gave them both such nice designs...

What Danganronpa needed to do better was spend more time with Leon, Sayaka gets plenty of screen-time and her death was certainly a shock factor, but Leon really didn't get enough screen-time for people to care that he had died.

I counted on the Wiki and he had 132 (around that amount) voice lines, and almost 90 of those were in the trial, meaning that he really didn't get any time to develop as a character until the trial. Also, he didn't get ANY official art while he was alive. Sayaka got one where she was on the floor after bumping into Makoto, and that counts as official art because she was given dialogue throughout the scene, as was Makoto. Same with when she was scared and crying. But Leon got the picture with Mondo and Chihiro in chapter three, but they were all dead so... no dialogue needed there!

Naegi needed to NOT CUT LEON OFF RAHHHH! Like, understandably he's upset because of his childhood friend, but he pretty much knew about Leons crush on Sayaka, so if he had just LISTENED to his motive instead of just assuming shit, that would've been resolved.

THIS IS WHY I PREFER HAJIME!!! RAHHH!

Like, Makoto is optimistic, and he feels sympathetic for the victims, but only the victims he was close with, or liked. Not the blackeneds. He feels bad for Sayaka, but not Leon. Chihiro, but not exactly Mondo. He feels bad for Hifumi, as he's talked about in the trial the most, but barely mentions Taka because in his experiences with Ishimaru he was uptight and rude. And with his experiences with Taka and Mondo they were both getting along fine. I'm so pissed at Naegi for chapter 3. He didn't feel sympathy for Celeste either. And he felt bad for Sakura but that was probably for Aois sake too. It's not to say that Naegi is a bad protagonist, but he's like a representation of the fandom itself. "THEY KILLED SO THEY'RE AUTOMATICALLY A TERRIBLE CHARACTER!" <- Average Leon hater interaction/Makoto Naegi not hearing our mate out.

Whereas in SDR2 Hajime didn't care about the rest of the cast until they started dying, before the trial thinking about Twogamis untalked bout past, after it, LISTENING to Teruterus story. In chapter two he was upset about Mahiru, and sympathised with the rest of the cast during the "PEKO! Don't go... I need you!" Scene. And in Chapter 3 he was confused at why Mikan was being insane, but this man heard HER OUT!!! Like, there are so many good examples of what Hajime did right, and Naegi did wrong.

At least Spike improved character development and didn't chuck Fuyuhiko away like they did Ishimaru.

SPEAKING OF ISHIMARU, OH MY GOD THE INJUSTICE THIS MAN GOT!!!

He didn't get enough screentime, he got a dog ass "development" of Kiyondo, we can't spend free time with him in chapter three, and instead of helping his mate, Naegi goes "maybe I should leave him alone..." okay buddy... HELP YOUR CATATONIC FRIEND PLEASEEEEE :,)

Then they fuss over Hinas stomach ache? Which SHE WAS FAKING ANYWAY?! Like, at least Hinata was worried equally abput Fuyuhiko, Nagito, and ibuki when they were sick in chapter 3...

Mondo hate mainly came from "brother killer" "he killed because he had a panic attack" "he killed soft uwu sweet charismatic adorable bunny uwu boi chihiro" and also from his attitude being so reckless and whatever. I made a post recently reblogging a post saying "if the only thing you have to say about Mondo is his trauma, please stfu" and I totally agree with that! More information on that on my other post if you're specifically interested in Mondo.

Celeste rubs me the wrong way, she's like dry oatmeal. That's literally the only way I can describe her😭

Even in the manga her motive was bad, but it gave us a look into what she truly wanted and how irritating Hifumi was to her. She should've just killed hifumi tbf. I'm glad she didn't survive, and fanworks are 10x better because omg they portray celeste so much better than just "Goth lolita princess who would setop on and use dead bodies to get her way, even if they were her friends and family. I'd think her and Mukuro would get along if Mukuro was in the game as herself, it could've been possible they met when Ikusaba went to fenrir or something. That's a personal headcanon but yeah... Celeste would've been better as a victim because she's the most likely one to kill for money. Imagine if Yasuhiro killed her because of the debt he had to pay off from the Yakuza. That would make me love chapter three so much more.

At least Taka is popular, and not overrated popular like Miu or Kyoko, and not popular but underrated like Sayaka or Kaede. Love Taka. Love the manga. Love my moots.

If anybody else has read all of these back and forth reblogs feel free to add to the discussion if ya want :)

Danganronpa Manga Rant- Leon and Sayaka:

@yukiteruakari told me about a Danganronpa Manga edition, and OH MY GOD!!! Thankyou so much for this bro omg.

I'm only up to "Junkos" impaling, but it's so much better than the one I have.

I'll put some screenshots below, and the link too because so far it's translated to English.

Why the Manga is better, what it could do for the fandom:

It gives Sayaka and Leon so much more development as characters and seeing as Mondos case is next we might get to see what they talked about in the sauna. (<- there are so many fan theories for that one, and I'm excited to finally get more lore.)

It's hard to be a Danganronpa fan in 2024 because it all happened 14, 12, and 7 years ago. So like... Spike aren't going to just start explaining more lore on twitter randomly because they feel like it, Danganronpa is done, but this manga helps us understand the killers motive.

If ALL of the fandom read it I'd probably assume the "Mondo Brother Killer >:(" cliche that some of the fandom define him as would be gone, because it has his POV instead of a Monokuma flashback and a shitty animated clip of him doing it "for no reason" other than being "strong-strong-strong-strong-strong" (from the canon game and animation 2014.)

LeoXSaya Rant, Manga>>>Animation:

And yes, Sayaka was revealed to be a bit more of a "snake" (she isn't btw) but her motives were humane and we only thought she wasn't because Makoto is the protagonist and wouldn't think bad about any of his friends.

It also gives Leon haters a reason to stfu and enjoy his character design and small role while it lasts, and it's better than playing his FTEs because he's just gloating about picking up chicks and being better than everybody at Baseball despite hating in from what I've seen.

Also, the art is just BETTER.

The dialogue is just BETTER!

They gave Sayaka a reason to invite Leon over. Because in the anime and game yes it's "wow Sayaka is so hot" on Leons part, but wouldn't that mean Leon would've been the person to invite her to HIS room instead?

But in the Manga they explain her thought process, anybody who hasn't read it will probably just go "Sayaka's dumb for inviting a STAR ATHLETE to try and kill!" but she's smart because if she had killed him she already had an alibi. "We were friends! We bonded over music and drank tea together!" or something... saying that, Sayaka couldn't WIN because Makoto knew about the room swapping ofc. And she'd leave evidence and whatnot.

*Sighs* The Animation Butchered Our Boys...:

(BOYS BECAUSE THE ANIMATION BUTCHERED SO MANY CHARACTERS AND GAVE THEM PISSY MOTIVES AND SHIT-)

I hate the anime alot, but the thing that PISSED ME OFF THE MOST (about 1-1 of the animation) WAS LEON'S REACTION. He was having a mental breakdown, which was fine and accurate... probably good as well instead of him screaming "stupid" then losing it halfway through the word and realising his fate quietly.

They give him a moment of remorse.

"I didn't want to... I mean she... she was tring to... kill me... right? I just... didn't know what else to do... okay...?" (quote end)

but then he gets mad.

I don't know about you, but on first watch this ruined it for me. "He's just screaming now..." like... it makes me mad for almost no reason.

He was about to have a very humane moment of "I didn't have a choice..." he's looking down at the pedestal thingy in the court, he's defeated, he's sad, he's been caught. He's in despair.

Then he yells at the others "you would've done the same thing in my shoes!"

And you know what the writers did instead of making him cry after that? Anything... would've been better, but this is the dam animation we're talking about...

"I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE OKAY! THE CRAZY SKANK WAS GOING TO KILL ME, WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

He did have a choice...

The manga gave him a choice, he tried to save Sayaka. Then he ended up killing her, ON ACCIDENT. That line alone contradicts the fact of any of that happening, he and Sayaka had just bonded hours earlier.

Like, this is my opinion and I've never heard anybody talk about this before, BUT THE WRITERS NEEDED TO WRITE LEON BETTER!!! The game wrote Leon fine, but the animation was a second chance at giving him development!

I liked him trying to escape the court room though. That was a nice touch that I don't think was in the game.

BUT BROOOOO HE CALLED SAYAKA A SKANK HOURS AFTER ADMITTING HE WAS CRUSHING ON HER, DANGANRONPA ANIMATION WHERE'S THE LOGIC!

Like, the scene made me so mad on re-watch and I can't pinpoint why!

Like instead of this: https://youtu.be/CbQ6McYz7U0?t=59

(Good animation though imo, the closeup expressed his emotions nicely-)

HAVE THIS THOUGH, THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER!

IT JUST HITS WAY BETTER-

Anyway, that's my rant of the day because why not.

The game itself had issues, but compared to the animation it was just so much better, and makes me want to give it a 7/10 instead of a 6...

[randomshyperson]

Palm Springs - Leigh Shaw

All Works Masterlist

Summary: In Palm Springs, Leigh meets you. The season one finale re-imagined.

Warnings: (+18), smut, cursing, dom!reader, bottom!leigh, explicit language, explicit consent, brief mentions of harassment, fluff, brief rivalry dynamics, hopeful ending.

Words: 5.378K

Notes: My love, @abimess, this is my apologies for you. I kept mistaken "Wanda" instead of "Leigh" at some points in the writing, but it all worked out in the end. I hope you all enjoy the read, this is my first time writing for this character.

//-//

You threw the signed divorce papers against the passenger seat, ignoring the thick tears that welled up in your eyes.

Raising your hand, you turned up the radio and kept driving. Your cell phone started ringing the next moment, but you ignored it. It was probably Bucky or Steve calling to find out where you were after your little outburst at the company fundraiser.

Honestly, it wasn't your fault. You were handling it all very well, but Carol decided it would be a good idea to give you the divorce papers while you were surrounded by your closest friends, and that was the trigger. But now you were driving to Palm Springs, finally taking the damn vacation your ex-wife had put you through so much hell to get, but now, the seat next to you was empty.

It took a few hours to get there, since the complex is in New York, but you didn't care, having spent most of the way trying to understand how you managed to lose a woman like Carol Danvers.

No bags, you ignored the curious look one of the hotel staff gave you as soon as you pulled into the parking lot, smiling slightly as you took off your sunglasses and asked for directions to the front desk.

You frowned slightly as you were almost run over.

"Watch where you're going!" You shouted angrily at the driver, and the woman returned you the same angry look. Great, you've barely arrived and you almost died. This weekend was promising.

Stepping back, you waited for the woman to drive, not failing to give her a wry smile as she passed you. After this, you walked to the reception desk, and the area was quite full, which was normal for a weekend.

"Reservation in the name Danvers." You said to the receptionist after the greetings. He smiled as he checked the information.

"Valentine's suite, I see." He commented cheerfully. "Shall I prepare a second key for your partner?"

"It's just going to be me, buddy." You grumble, ignoring the uneasy feeling in your stomach. The man smiles awkwardly, but doesn't apologize.

After checking in, you go up to the third floor.

The room makes you sigh with disgust, the flowers and chocolates give you a headache. It takes ten minutes to find a chambermaid and ask her to remove all the decorations.

While your room is being cleaned, you decide to buy something to wear, since you didn't bring anything to spend the weekend at the hotel.

"Good morning." You mumble the greeting as you enter the gift store, your gaze wandering around.

"How can I help you, dear?" The saleswoman asks politely, smiling at you.

"I need something to wear for the two days I'm staying. It was a last-minute trip." You tell her, and the saleswoman looks surprised, but doesn't comment.

The woman eventually showed you the summer shirt section, and you sighed softly as you looked through the options. She walked away to attend to another customer, and you left your attention to the clothes.

A moment later, you picked out a few pieces and turned to talk to the saleswoman, only to run into the woman who had almost run you over earlier looking at the book section.

"You again." You let it slip not so low, attracting the woman's attention. She frowns for a second, and then she recognizes you. But before she can say anything, the saleswoman is speaking.

"Oh, you two know each other already?" She asks excitedly. "It's amazing how we can find friends here in Palm Springs isn't it?"

"We're not friends." You both inform at the same moment, and you squeeze your eyes shut slightly. The woman straightens her posture, pressing the book lightly against her chest as you switch the shirts on your arm. The saleswoman's curious expression prompts you to speak.

"Actually, she almost killed me." You say. "It was going to be quite a headline for this hotel. I'd be careful about the people you guys host around here."

The saleswoman looks at you with confusion, while the other woman lets out a dry laugh.

"You're the one who walked across in the middle of the street!" she defends herself. "It's not my fault if you weren't taught how to cross the street in school."

"Oh, so it's the victim's fault now?" You retort and the woman looks at you incredulously. A third customer enters the store and stares curiously at the argument, but the saleswoman is quick to gesture between you, smiling wryly.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding" The saleswoman remarks and you sustain the annoyed look the other woman is casting at you. "There's no need for an argument."

"Of course not." The woman says forcing a smile, but her posture remains aggressive. "We are both civilized adults."

You bite your tongue to avoid another provocation, looking away from the green irises in front of you.

"Of course you are." The saleswoman says smiling, and then her gaze catches the shirts hanging from your forearm and she lets out a light exclamation. "Come on, I can finalize your purchase if that's all, dear."

You turn toward the cashier next, and it is only after you have paid for the clothes and are leaving that you see the other woman again on your way back, but she does not look away from the books to you. You couldn't care less.

//-//

In your room, you can't resist the urge to look at your phone.

Bucky has called five times. And Steve even sent you an email. You sigh weakly, feeling guilty as you catch a glimpse of Tony and Natasha's message notifications.

Your friends didn't care that you started crying in the middle of the meeting you were at because your ex-wife decided to bring a sensitive topic like the end of your five-year marriage to the table, but you were hating yourself for it.

At this point, you didn't even know what you had been crying about anymore. You and Carol had always had a difficult relationship, and since you got married, you began to wonder why you had done it in the first place.

You loved her so much when you first met her, and then everything gradually broke down. The lack of compatibility, the jealousy and possessiveness, and the lack of time. Carol was a soldier in the army, and you were a Shield special agent, and your jobs took up a lot of your schedules. But you knew that this was just another empty excuse. After all, your best friend, Natasha, was also an agent, as was her wife, and they made everything work properly.

Maybe things were meant to happen that way. That didn't mean it didn't hurt.

After taking a shower, you grumble lightly as you realize that you forgot to buy a bathing suit. And well, everything special about Palm Springs was the magnificent pools.

You figured the shorts and top you had would have to fit.

The pools were considerably more crowded than the rest of the hotel, and this was probably due to the current temperature.

You decided to buy a drink before sunbathing, realizing that most of the chairs were occupied.

The bartender was a pretty girl and smiled mischievously at you when her gaze fell on your collarbone exposed by the cut of your shirt, but you just gave her a half-hearted smile. Being newly divorced wasn't exactly the best scenario for flirting.

"What can I get you?" The woman asked as she rested her hands on the counter in front of her. You bit your lip thoughtfully, running your eyes down one of the menus left on the wood.

"Honestly, I don't know anything here." You say. "But I would like something sweet."

It takes a few minutes for her to prepare a drink for you, and you thank her as you accept.

As you sip a drink that tastes like strawberries and condensed milk, you look around the surroundings.

You frown slightly as you recognize the woman from the store, watching her sit in one of the chairs that has just been emptied in front of the bar. She doesn't notice you, but you notice her exposed legs, mentally scolding yourself for doing so.

As you take another sip of your drink, your tongue getting used to the sugary sweetness, a man approaches the stranger in front of you. From this proximity, you can hear the conversation, or rather the small harassment that he was doing.

Rolling your eyes at the stranger's clearly offensive attempt to approach the other woman, you force yourself to get up and walk over to them.

Well, Nat always said that you were a person with a natural talent for theater and you wish she were here now to see the little scene you caused.

Pretending to trip over the sunshade support, you made a sudden movement and knocked your entire drink against the man's collarbone, who let out an exclamation of anger and surprise as he stood up.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" You asked in a falsely guilty tone, forcing an expression of shock. Before he could say anything, you were already grabbing one of the towels left on the little tables beside the chairs and throwing it harder than necessary against the man's face. "Here, honey, clean yourself up."

The man blinked in surprise, and glared angrily at you for a second before muttering "whatever" and turning to leave. When he was already a safe distance away, you turned your face to look at the seated woman.

"Sorry about your book." You speak as you notice that the spilled drink has dripped a little on the pages. "But if you ask me, the ending sucks."

"Thanks, I guess." The woman mumbles not keeping her gaze on you. "I didn't need you to help me, by the way." She adds and you roll your eyes, realizing that the chair next to her got empty after your little commotion. When you sit down, she raises her gaze to you in disbelief.

"Who said I was helping you?" You retort. "I love throwing expensive drinks at strangers."

Your joke elicits a nasal chuckle from the woman, who softens her posture.

"If you want to lose money, I suggest donating rather than wasting it." She teases back and you bite back a smile, shaking your head slightly. When she opens the book again and leans her back against the chair, clearly deciding to ignore your presence, you copy the position, but stand with your arms folded across your chest and close your eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun against your skin.

You are tired from the trip, and eventually fall asleep. When you open your eyes again, the woman is no longer there.

//-//

Since you have napped until the afternoon, there is no chance you will sleep early. You try to distract yourself with television, but most of the programs are pay-per-view and you have probably already exceeded all the limits that a Shield salary can afford, so you decide to spend some time on the activities included in your weekend bundle.

After putting on a shirt to join the lobby, you take the elevator down and step out into the outdoor area, not surprised to find the place as busy as before. The difference is perhaps the lack of children because of the time of day.

You walk toward the bar and roll your eyes slightly when you notice the same man as before being loud and boisterous along with a small group partying near the place. But you ignore them as you sit down on the first stool you find.

"Well, if it isn't my knight in white armor." A female voice comments wryly beside you, surprising you mildly. You look at the woman with a raised eyebrow, but she is looking straight ahead.

"So you expect me to call you a princess? We don't even know each other." You retort in the same tone, and watch the woman bite back a smile, rolling her eyes slightly.

You stand in silence while you order a drink, this time smiling in the same way that the bartender smiles at you. While you wait, you can' t help but look over to the side.

"You know, I think I might need to get your name." You begin in a tone of false seriousness, not knowing why you want to pull conversation with the stranger, but doing it anyway. "Since I need to know who to sue for attempted hit-and-run."

The woman laughs lightly, and as she sets her drinking glass back down on the counter, she turns her body toward you, without getting up.

"The smart thing then wouldn't be to say my name, don't you think?" She retorts with amusement in her voice. "That way I avoid a lawsuit."

You smile in a corner, shaking your head slightly. You lean your arm on the counter, and it takes a moment for her to speak again.

"I'm Leigh."

"No last name so I can't find your ID, right?" You tease and she smiles, licking her lips for a moment. "Well, I won't tell you mine either then." You comment before telling her only your first name, and she laughs lightly. "May I at least know your profession? Or, I don't know, where you're from? I need that information to track you down."

You joke, and Leigh makes a thoughtful expression for a moment.

"I'm from everywhere actually." She says mysteriously. "Because I'm an international jewel thief."

You smile at the mixed tone of seriousness and playfulness in her speech, respecting her right not to want to tell you the truth, and acknowledging the identity she chooses to assume.

"Oh, really?" You ask joining in the joke. "And let me guess, your disguise happens to be as a fashion stylist, right? And you have a red motorcycle and deadly poison hidden in your lipstick?"

Leigh holds back her laughter, nodding.

"I can't confirm any of that information, actually." She says. "After all, a little incident happened and I wasn't able to finish the story."

You laugh at the teasing, taking a sip of your drink. Before the moment of silence lasts any longer, you ask if you can approach. When Leigh consents, you take the seat next to her.

"And what do you do?" she asks as soon as you sit down. You clear your throat lightly.

"I'm a secret agent, actually." You tell her and from the woman's expression, she still believes you are joking. You do not correct yourself however. "Lasers and villains, the whole story."

Leigh smiles, murmuring in understanding.

"And what is a secret agent doing in Palm Springs?" She asks next and you assume a dramatically thoughtful expression.

"I got a hint actually." You reply. "A jewel thief, fugitive from the government. I'm trying to gather information to effect her arrest."

Leigh fakes an expression of horror making you laugh.

"If I see anything suspicious, I'll give you a heads up." She jokes and you smile, enjoying the whole thing. Before you can add anything else, the small group next to the bar let out loud laughter and they attract your and Leigh's attention.

You frown slightly when you witness the guy from earlier whistling at one of the hotel staff, the people with him finding his little scene of harassment funny.

"I guess a drink in the face isn't enough for some idiots." You comment and Leigh sighs mildly. She looks at you at the same moment you look at her.

"Maybe more drinks will be enough."

That's how you end up doing a little mischief that involves distracting the stranger with comments about his muscles while Leigh approaches and manages to get the man's card. When you walk away, after she hands the bartender the hotel ID after ordering a round for everyone at the bar on the stranger's behalf, you were laughing.

"I'm beginning to believe your thief story." You amused comment as soon as you and Leigh reach the trail out of the bar area. She just smiles at your words. You clear your throat next. "I guess I need to show off my secret agent skills then."

Leigh looks at you curiously, but you just smile as you nod in the direction of the gardens.

You walk for a few minutes in silence, and you remember everything you have observed since you arrived at the hotel, and are able to find the small opening in the fence that you saw some staff members pass through in the afternoon.

"Please, milady." You joke as you make room for Leigh to cross the path first, and she rolls her eyes with amusement before doing so.

You end up in some kind of unfinished private garden, but one that is still very pretty.

Perhaps it is an area under construction for some kind of party, as it has a stage set up in the center and some folded chairs scattered about.

Your attention falls immediately to the piano that has also been set up high on the dark stage.

"How did you find this place?" Leigh asks as she looks around, and you walk past her to get on the stage, eliciting a giggle.

"Field study, of course." You reply with false seriousness. " A secret agent never goes anywhere without studying the whole place first."

Leigh murmurs in agreement, deciding to follow you to the stage. You take a seat on the piano bench while she remains standing in front of the organ.

"Do you have any requests?" You ask looking down at your fingers as she studies your face.

"Old Mac Donald had a Farm." She replies and you choke on a laugh.

"And I thought your taste in music was as good as your fashion sense." You tease causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Is that your way of complimenting what I'm wearing?" She retorts but you just bite back a smile, moving your fingers across the keys.

You decide to play a melody that she may not recognize, but is exactly what you feel you should play.

When the first notes of " Spring - Ludovico Einaudi" echo in the room, Leigh looks at you in surprise, but you just smile.

It takes a moment for her to surround the piano, and to sit down next to you. You continue to play, enjoying the sound and concentrating not to misplay the notes.

When you make a particularly fast movement on the piano, Leigh looks at you impressed, but you just push your shoulder lightly against hers, smiling. Neither of you regains the distance from before, and you continue to play.

When you finish, you are silent for a moment.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She asks in her low, impressed tone as you both look down at your hands on the keys. You sigh slightly, moving your fingers away and placing your hands in your lap.

"I used to play when I was a kid." You reply. "Before I was a secret agent, of course."

Leigh smiles, biting her lips lightly. You look away from the movement, to her hands quickly.

"Let me show you." You whisper as you reach out your hand to hers. When she accepts, you position her fingers on the keys, and then fit your hand on top of hers. "You start like this."

The sound is far from perfect, and Leigh laughs every time she misses a note, so you don't really care.

You stay like this for a few minutes, until you can get her to complete five notes without making a mistake.

"See? You' re almost a pianist already." You comment with a smile, looking at her face. She mimics your movement, and you feel your heart skip a beat from the closeness.

You feel the tension build in the room, but before you can think of doing anything, a male voice is breaking the spell.

"Sorry, but this area is for employees only." Informs the young man from the hotel, seeming slightly embarrassed to interrupt. You and Leigh quickly walk away, standing up and muttering an apology in unison to the guy, who waits until you leave by the trail he guides.

When you reach the entrance to the social area again, the employee closes the gate, waving slightly. You and Leigh exchange amused smiles.

"So... what do you want to do now?" You ask the next moment, wanting to prolong the evening.

"I want to swim." She declares and you frown slightly, then shrug. You nod in the direction of the pools and you exchange a glance before starting to walk.

//-//

At the edge of the pool, you sigh slightly.

You exchange a look with Leigh, standing next to you, and then you laugh softly as you both begin to undress.

You can't resist the urge to look at her, especially since she jumps in first and you catch a glimpse of her body covered only by a bikini. Ignoring your uncompensated heartbeat, you jump into the water next.

It's a good thing the water was cold, because you are feeling your face and body heat up at the way Leigh looks at you.

Trying to lighten the mood, you swim around her, casually meeting her gaze again as she mimics the movement.

You laugh lightly when you realize that you are swimming in circles around each other, and decide to stop. Leigh swims in front of you a moment later.

"Hello, superspy." She greets you almost in a whisper waving her arms to continue on the surface in front of you.

"Hello, international thief." You speak back in the same tone, your gazes locked on each other.

You wonder if she would like you to break the distance, as her gaze has lowered to your lips for a few seconds. But before you can surrender to this urge, she takes a step back.

"I'm cold."

And then she swims away, and you wonder if you have taken the whole thing the wrong way.

Following her a little way back, you look for towels.

//-//

"Which floor are you on?" You ask as you reach the elevators, each with a towel around your body. You watch Leigh tighten her arms against herself slightly.

"Second." She replies half-heartedly, and you nod.

"Let's go together then."

She gets into the elevator first, and after she presses the button, you stand next to her, your back against the wall.

The tension is back the moment the doors close, but after the pool, you find it best not to take any action, not wishing to make Leigh uncomfortable.

You reach her floor a moment later, and when she doesn't leave, you hold your breath.

You risk a corner-of-your-eye glance at her, but she continues to stare straight ahead, sighing slightly.

Trying not to look like a complete mess, you wait for your floor to arrive.

//-//

The way down the hallway is silent, and despite your nervousness, you don't fumble to open your room.

Leigh enters first, and strides into the room as you close the door.

She stops in the center, her gaze scanning around for a moment before returning to you. You hold your breath, and then she lets the set of clothes in her hands fall to the floor.

You bite back a smile, mimicking the movement. Taking a deep breath, you do the same with your towel, and ignore the heat in your cheeks as Leigh's gaze descends to your body covered only by your underwear.

She removes the towel at your waist next, and you stare at her exposed legs for a moment before moving slowly toward her.

You smile shyly as you stop in front of her, and it takes a second for you to slowly lift your fingers to touch her, tracing the outline of her arm and watching her skin shiver.

"Everything okay?" You ask softly raising your gaze from where your fingers were touching to her eyes. Leigh sighs, shaking her head in agreement. You give her a short smile, placing your hand on her cheek, and watching her lean into the touch slightly. "Use your words." You ask in a whisper, your other hand repeating the motion of your fingers from before, even more slowly.

"Y-yes." She confirms half breathlessly. "And you?"

"Yes." You say, your hand reaching for the strap of her bikini. "I'm going to kiss you now, Leigh."

She nods in understanding, sighing heavily. You didn't correctly calculate how attracted you were to her, because the moment your lips touched, you felt your head spin and it was hard not to push her against the bed immediately.

You both sigh against the kiss, and you slide your tongue into her mouth next, your hand on her face running down to her neck, deepening the kiss even more.

Leigh seems hesitant to touch you for the first second, but then she gasps against your tongue, and brings her hands to your shoulders, bringing one of them up to the back of your neck and scratching the skin, making you sigh.

With the hand that was on the bikini strap, you use your fingers to pull the strap down, and with the other hand you repeat the movement on the other side. When the bikini falls to the floor, your hands go down to her waist, and you pull her toward you.

Leigh gasps at the contact of your breasts bumping together, breaking the kiss with a wet sigh, and you take the opportunity to move your mouth down her collarbone, enjoying the sounds you manage to get out of her whenever you bite her sensitive skin softly.

You lean against her to lower your kisses to her breasts, and when your mouth finds the hardened nipple, she arches her back, closing her eyes as her fingers force your head forward against her breast.

"Oh." She moans as she feels you suck on her nipple, your other hand moving up to give her other breast due attention, your fingers playing with the tip. " Oh, fuck, that feels good."

You smile against her skin, feeling your core tighten with the sounds you are tearing out of her.

When your hand on her waist moves down to her ass, squeezing the flesh and pressing Leigh's hips against yours as your mouth continues on her breast, she moans loudly as she throws her head back, shuddering against you.

It's enough to make you lose control. You need to know how she tastes.

Gasping, you move your kisses down again, and Leigh holds her breath as you get down on your knees.

You kiss her thighs first, while your hands pull down the fabric of her panties.

When the fabric falls away completely, you swallow dry, your gaze glazed on the exposed intimacy of the woman in front of you, your mouth salivating to taste her.

"I-I'm gonna fall." She comments shyly, and you notice how her knees are already shaky. You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to stand up.

You take Leigh by the hand to your bed, and she stands there, making you smile. You move forward against her mouth again, and she sighs, almost losing her balance from the intensity.

"Lie down." You ask between one kiss and another, making her moan softly. "Spread your legs for me."

Leigh gasps against your lips as you slip your fingers through her folds for a moment, before pulling away until she obeys. You bite your lips as you watch her lie down.

Before you join her, you remove the rest of your clothes. Leigh's cheeks redden, but you give her no time to register this, climbing onto the bed with your knee between her legs and kissing her again.

As she begins to squirm beneath you for more friction, you move your kisses down her body.

She closes her eyes when your mouth is at the level of her belly, breathing hard.

When your tongue touches her pussy, you both moan loudly. You are amazed at how wet and hot she feels, the taste filling all your senses. And Leigh bites her lips to stop herself from moaning out in pleasure when your tongue begins to move against her clit, sucking and licking her devotedly and making her whimper.

"F-fuck." She moans breathlessly, her hips thrusting into your mouth. "Yeah...right there... don't stop..."

You lift your hands to her thighs, holding her open. Your own intimacy pulsing from the way Leigh is surrendered to you and the sounds she gives you.

Keeping the strokes of your tongue as deep as you can and being sure to press your clitoris in return, you feel her pussy tighten and Leigh's body begins to quiver in spasms.

"I-I'm... close... fuck..." she begins to whimper disconnected words, long moans escaping her throat. It takes only two more strokes for her to come on your tongue, her moan loud enough to be heard in the next room, but neither of you care.

You drink all of her cum, enjoying the taste and feeling on edge, without even having been touched yet.

Moving up your kisses again, you deposit slow kisses against Leigh's skin, waiting for her to recover from her own orgasm.

When you reach her mouth, she kisses you back with the same intensity.

You just know you're not going to sleep early tonight.

//-//

When you wake up, your bed is empty. You are surprised by this, really.

The night was very good. Much better than any one-night stand you have ever had.

After getting dressed by finding your articles of clothing, you walk to the front desk.

It takes a few minutes to find Leigh, and you frown when you realize from the bag in her hands, the documents, and the car key that she is leaving.

"Wow, you weren't even going to leave a note." You tease as you catch up with her. She is startled by your sudden presence, but forces a smile.

"Look, I'm sorry..." she starts but you shake your head.

"No need." You interrupt by putting your hands in your pockets and shrugging. "It was just one night after all."

"Yes." She reaffirms what you say, staring at you. You hold her gaze, and a long minute later she sighs. "No, it wasn't."

You swallow dryly, watching her. She seems conflicted about something, her expression going from worried to guilty in a few seconds, and then she takes a deep breath and shakes her head before looking at you again.

"I can't." She says, and you sigh lightly. "I just... can't."

"It's okay." You decide to say, ignoring the way your stomach is flipping with nervousness or your heart is racing. "We are civilized adults, aren't we?"

Leigh smiles, and you watch her eyes water for a moment before she quickly hides her emotion. You feel the same way.

" This is a goodbye." Leigh says next, and you look away to the floor, nodding in understanding.

"Goodbye, Leigh. It was nice meeting you." You say as you look at her again, forcing a smile even though your eyes are watering.

She smiles, approaching to kiss your cheek close enough to your lips to make you shiver. She doesn't pull away immediately, raising her mouth to the height of your ear, she whispers "I left a note." and before you can understand what has been said to you, she is gone.

It is only at the end of the day, many hours after she has left, and you are already inside your car that you rummage in your pants pocket looking for the car key that you find the note.

It is a piece torn from the page of the book "Unmoored in milan", the paper stained with drink. In the corner, in cursive letters it is written. "to my favorite secret agent. Leigh Shaw, Los Angeles."

You smiled at the words, and as you were driving back to New York, you wondered how long it would take Natasha to find out Leigh's phone number.

//-//

Tag list> @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia

@mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @HELLOALYCIA // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @drpepperobsessed // @sighsam // @olsensnpm

// @sxfwap // @table57

[loousir]

[Gorgon] Some Secrets Should be Said

Gorgon Male x Unaware/Oblivious Male Reader

Eros

Warnings: Tiniest ammout of homophobia/racisim, smoochin in a supply closet, YOU MAY BE IN HIGHSCHOOL BUT YOU ARE 18

Masterlist

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

It was an early Monday morning. The usual early birds were arriving at school, you being one of them. Rumor was going around of a new student getting enrolled. There were only three high schools in this small town; One for monsters, one for humans, and one for both. You were enrolled in the one that shared with monsters. The overall relations in the school were good, other than the typical high school antics.

You had just been dropped off by your sibling and we're walking into the building. A few people smiled your way and you smiled back, heading to your first hour. The teacher was a Satyr and she was a bubbly as ever, happy to see you in the morning. "Good morning (Y/n), we have a new student coming today." Your ears perked up and you looked over to her.

"Ah, we do? So the rumor was true after all?" She laughed and said, "Yes! He's gonna make a bit of history here." You became confused at her statement as you walked over to your seat. "What do you mean by that?" You asked setting your bag on the table. "I might get in a bit of trouble for telling but..." She walked over, her hooves clacking on the floor as she did. She leaned in on the table, "He will be the first Gorgon to be enrolled into the school!"

She seemed overly excited about the new student but you smiled at her enthusiasm. "You seem awfully happy about that. Is he in our class?" You asked, sitting down in your chair. Her smiled seemed to get wider as she nodded. You paused for a moment and leaned back. "Does that mean he's gonna sit by me?" She nods again. "Yep! You are the only one without a table partner. I'm sure you'll be fine. He's a nice kid." She ruffeled your hair and you swatted her hands away. "Auntie, you know I'm taken right?" She isn't your biological aunt but she's very close with your mom so you call her it for fun.

She laughed and walked away saying, "He's a cute one." You sighed and rolled your eyes as you pulled out your phone. You opened Snapchat and sent a message to your boyfriend.

You took a cute selfie, looking down at the phone while your forehead rested on the table.

Aunties super excited about our new student.

Ngl, I kinda am too. She said he was a Gorgon and I think she's onto my facination with cute snakes xx

You sent the snap and put your phone face down on the table before resting your face on your bag. A minute or so passed before you got a message back.

It was a black screen but he usually sent one. Admittedly, you have never seen him but you respected that since you fell in love with his personality, which was charming as ever.

Don't go cheating on me now ;)

I might just have to show you I'm cuter xx

You smiled and took another selfie.

So that means I get to see you then??? Game on babe xx

You smiled as you sent it. Yeah, it was cheesy flirting but it made you happy none the less. A few seconds later he messaged back with another black screen.

Hmm, I just might lol

You sent that you love him too and put your phone in your pocket. Smiling slightly as you looked up to see that some other students were starting to show up. Soon enough, the first bell for class to start rings and students filter in, taking their seats. Five minutes later, you still haven't seen a certain Gorgon as the final bell rings, saying anyone who wasn't there was late.

Gotta get to class, message you when I can

Love you xx

Mrs. Hucksburry stood at the front of the class, writing some last minute things on the board. "Alright class," Most of the students quiet down at her words. "As you may have heard, we have a new student today! I want you to treat him with respect as he is one of us," She said referring to her fellow monsters. "He is the first of his kind to be enrolled into our schools system." Right as she finished speaking, the door opened to show a rather handsome face and a the obvious 'hair' that came in the shape of several small, darkly colored snakes that seemed to form some sort of style.

He wore rather nice and stylish clothes, very 90's -esk. Mrs. Hucksburry smiled more and looked over to him. "Good morning Mr. Lamollot, glad to see you made your way here." He smiles a cute and almost shy smile, making a pair of girls in class giggle. You watched and tuned out what they were saying before seeing he was looking at you.

You waved to him as he walked over to your table. "I'm guessing you're (Y/n)?" You smiled and nodded, "That'd be me." You put your bag on the floor next to the table and he quietly sat down next to you. "I'm Eros by the way." He was quiet when he spoke as class had officially started. You pulled out a notebook with a pen/pencil and made a message page.

You have the same name as my boyfriend!

You tore the paper out and slid it over to him while he was getting his own notebook and pen. Notes were handwritten on the board since the projector broke and hadn't been replaced yet but no one seemed to mind. The paper was slid back over to you.

Really? What are the chances of that?

His hand writing was nice for a boy and you looked out of the corner of your eye to see him smiling. You smiled too and wrote back.

Who knows but I think it's cool

You slid the paper back and he took a minute to slide it back but you patiently waited since you would have done the same. He didn't write anything on it.

You seem pretty chill Eros, wanna hang out at lunch? Also can I see your schedule? • 3 •

The paper was passed back for the fifth time during class and all it said was his schedule along with a "Sure!" underneath. You told him that the two of you share the same schedule. WhAt A cOiNcIdEnCe.

You looked over to him to see him looking at the paper. He looked up to you and you smiled. Eros smiled back and took the paper to ask.

Do you have early release too?

You read it as he wrote and he looked up to you. You nodded and he wrote again.

Wanna go chill at the park?

You shrugged and nodded again when he looked up to you. He smiled and nodded as the two of you went back to working on class work. You hadn't noticed it before but, his snakes seemed to be interested in you, which you thought was cute.

--- Skip to Break ---

An hour and a half had passed and the two of you had talked a bit throughout the time. The bell for break just rang and you got up with Eros. The two of you walked out to the hallway. "Let me make a stop by my locker real quick then we can go to next hour and chill there for break." He nodded and leaned against the locker next to you when two girls walked up to him. They were the same pair from first hour.

"Hey Eros, wanna hang with us at lunch?" The "leader" asked, standing in front of him. "Yeah that'd be like, totally cool if you did." Her buddy said, standing next to him. "Oh, sorry, me and (Y/n) al-" She cut him off with a scoff. "Oh you mean halfie? That kids got an imaginary boyfriend. How about you just ditch him and come eat with us." Eros looked over to you to see you had tensed and slowed your movements.

The girls focus turned on you, making you bite your lip. "Do you think you could not ruin this guy? He's like, super hot and doesn't need to be tainted by you." You looked away and felt a vibration come from your phone. You took the chance and opened it to see a message from your boyfriend. She smirked, "Did your 'boyfriend' text you? What'd he say?" She asked in a taunting tone.

You ignored her and opened the message. It was a new picture of the "super hot" guy standing next to you looking down to his phone.

Wanna dip babe?

These bitches are annoying the fuck outta me lol

The three of you looked up to him surprised as you closed your locker. He awkwardly smiled and said, "Guess I had to ruin that surprise cause some bimbos wanna fuck a gay guy." He laughed and walked over to you, grabbing your hand. You were speechless.

How did I not connect the dots earlier? Am I really that dense?

"It's a shame too. I was considering being friends, until you insulted my boyfriend, that is." He locked your fingers and looked back at the two. "Go suck a dildo, whore." Eros flipped them off and walked off with you around the corner, looking for a private spot. "Anywhere there won't be eavesdroppers?" He asked quietly. You nodded and lead him to a back room.

You opened the door with the key you had and let you go in first. The room was pretty nice considering it was useless. You turned on the light at set your bag down, Eros doing the same. "Are you really my boyfriend?" You asked stepping closer to him. He blushed and nodded, "I... I think so... I kind of ruined the supr-mm!" His eyes widened as you connected your lips to his. You pulled away and were about to speak when he connected them again, pressing his body into yours slightly.

He pulled away and you smiled, a blush was covering your face. "I've wanted to do that for so long." You said looking up to him slightly. "Me too." He said, hugging you close. "Why did you lie to me about being human?" You asked, resting your face on his chest. "I was... Scared of how you'd react if I told you the truth." You pulled away and looked up to him. "Are you kidding? Look what I was missing out on!" You said, making gestures to him.

Eros smiled and laughed. "I have a question for you though," You tilted your head slightly. "Why did they call you halfie?" You looked away and brushed back the hair around your ears. The tips of them were pointed much like an elf's but not as long. "My dads an elf. They like to use it as an insult since they're full and I'm not..."

Eros smiled again and nuzzled his nose to the crook of your neck. His snakes were gently booping their noses against your cheek as if giving you small kisses. You giggled at the sensation and he hummed to ask what was so funny. "Your snakes are cute." You said gently intertwining your fingers with them. He gently kissed your neck and rubbed your sides. "Well, they love you just as much as I love you." He said closing his eyes and hugging you.

You smiled and removed your hand to cup his cheek and make him look at you. His golden eyes were half lidded as he did. "Well," You said almost mocking him in away. "I love you and your snakes too." His eyes closed as he leaned in and yours did the same, both of your lips connecting again.

Eros pressed himself into you as both of you kissed. You pulled away first for air and he kissed your cheek and jaw lightly. You checked your phone when he pulled away he asked. "I'm curious how you got a key to a janitors closet." You leaned up to him and kissed his cheek. "My biological uncles the principal and he gave me the room to chill if I need to. It's usually where I would hang out for lunch but I dont really need to anymore since early release and all."

He "ooh'd" and nodded. "Makes sense. Wish I had a place like this at my old school." He looked back at you and his eyes went to your hair while you were checking something on your phone. Eros almost hesitantly brushed his fingers through your (h/c) hair. You jumped slightly at the sudden touch but enjoyed it none the less. "We have 4 minutes by the way." You said closing your eyes and leaning into his hand.

"Your hair is really nice. It's so soft." He smiled when you did and he gently kissed your nose while removing his hand from your hair. You tried your best to make it look like how it did before. "Sorry." He said gently with a small laugh. "Don't be, let's head to next hour so we can get this day done with and hang out." He nodded at your words and you grabbed his hand as the two of you grabbed your bags and quietly made it to the class you're meant to be in.

--- Skip to End of Day ---

The last two hours of school they had went by pretty quickly. The bell for lunch and early release seniors rang, making most people rush to leave or go to lunch. You and Eros lagged behind, waiting for the halls to clear a bit. He gently grabbed your hand as you finished putting your bag on. "Do you wanna go to the park or my house? I have a car so it doesn't matter too much on which you pick." He said with a small laugh.

You blushed and shrugged, "I would probably like your house since it's kinda cold out right now..." The two of you walked out of the class, hand in hand. The pair of girls from earlier watched with hatred/jealousy as the two of them walked out together. They were all going the same way so they got to see Eros walk you to his 1969 Blue Camaro.

Eros unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for you to get in to which you gladly accepted. You set your bag down by your feet and buckled as he set his bag in the back and got in. "I hope my dad isn't home." He said closing his door and starting the car. "Why do you say that?" You asked as he buckled his seat belt.

He sighed and leaned back on his seat. "He doesn't actually know we're... Y'know, dating. Or if he does he has no clue you're a guy..." You nodded and looked to him while he backed out from the parking lot. "We can still go to the park. I'll survive I'm sure." You said softly. "Plus I kinda wanna wear your jacket..." You mumbled the last part while looking away but he heard and smiled, acting as if he didn't hear.

"There's one close to my house we can go to. It's pretty cool if you wanna go there." Eros said while stopping at a light. "That sounds good." He smiled again and looked over to you before looking back at the light. Seeing it change to green, he stepped on the gas again and headed to the destination.

---

The ride was comfortably quiet other than the occasional comment about something in the passing scenery. "Ok, we're here." Eros said, parking his car in the relatively empty parking lot. "I've never seen this place before. It's really pretty." You said as the two of you stepped out.

"Yeah. It's pretty quiet here. I usually hang out here after school. I have never been home "on time" since I got a car 3-ish years ago." You smiled and held his hand as he locked the car and put the keys away. "I'll take you to my favorite spot. There's all kinds of secret areas thanks to the trees." He said with a slight child like glee. You giggled like the school boy that you are as he dragged you along through a beautiful walkway that was shaded by the trees. "Gods it's so pretty here." You said under your breath.

You walked for what felt like forever before he shifted to stand behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist. He removed his hand to show one of the few non blank pictures he sent. "Oh wow." The winter sun was shining over the neighboring town, giving a good idea of just how small it was. "We have a cliff?" You asked suddenly, making Eros laugh and hug you close to his body.

Eros smiled as he took a turn off the path and up a small hill. He stopped and gently let go of your hand, covering your eyes. You reached up to remove his hand but he stopped you. "W-what are you doing Eros?" He giggled and started walking, making you grab onto him afraid of running into something. "Eros?!"

"Don't worry babe. I promise it's nothing bad. I know you'll like it."

"Kinda crazy right?" He said before resting his chin on your shoulder. You nodded as his snakes gently booped you're temple and cheek again, making you smile. You reached up and gently placed a hand on Eros' cheek, rubbing your thumb against his jawline. "Wanna sit down? I have two and a half hours before I have to be home." You nodded again and he pulled away, leading you over to a fairly large tree.

He took off his jacket and tossed it up onto a branch before jumping into the tree himself. You were surprised before he reached down to help you up. "C'mon, it'll give us some privacy just incase anyone comes over here." You somewhat hesitantly took his hand and he helped pull you up onto the thick tree branch. He leaned back against the trees core, letting his legs hang down and inviting you to do the same against him.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence again while he hugged you close, resting his head against your shoulder. "I love you. A lot." He mumbled softly into your ear. You smiled and held onto the top of his hand that was holding onto your stomach. "I love you a lot too." You mumbled back. "Oh and, do you wanna wear my jacket now? I noticed you were shivering ever since we started walking."

You blushed and looked down to the tree branch and ground below it. "I didn't think you heard me say that..." He giggled and leaned forward a bit, grabbing the jacket off the branch it was hooked on to. You moved forward and he helped you put the slightly bigger jacket on. You snuggled into the lingering warmth, taking in his soft cologne.

"Your jacket smells good babe." Eros chuckles and pulls you against his chest again. "Well, it's got my favorite cologne on it so if course it smells good." You smile and let your head fall back against his shoulder and he kissed your temple.

"So. Do you wanna explain yourself a bit?"

-----

3261

Minimal spell/grammar checking, also set up for a part 2?

[hexpea]

Ch. 10 - Affinity

⚠NSFW BELOW⚠

"What weird thing?!" You asked in a whiny voice. "We're fuck buddies, friends with benefits...though I hesitate to even call you a friend! It's not that hard! You're my boyfriend when we're in public together, just....roommates when we're alone!"

Gojo crumpled his face. He desperately wanted to say what he wanted to, but that would just cause everything to become all that more chaotic.  He had wanted to say...yell even...that it was weird and confusing to have to go from a friend to a boyfriend, from someone who just fucked you for fun to someone who did fuck you like he loved you.

"Whatever," he gave up, muttering under his breath.

"That's not like you," you noted, coming back to sit down as he walked down the hall. "You're not one to give up like that."

"My head hurts," he continued muttering.

"What? Did you actually drink?" You tormented him further.

"No," he replied angrily, turning back to look at you again. His voice was slightly whiny. "Just leave me alone." He shut his bedroom door loudly and you suddenly had the overwhelming urge to cry.

You sat in silence for a few moments, folded up on the couch with the television playing. Gojo was definitely not teasing, he seemed genuinely upset - something you hadn't really seen before. It was strange seeing someone who was so happy-go-lucky be so angry and sad. And for what?

"Gojo?" You had crept to the bedroom door, a soft knock to alert him of your presence.  You stood for a few prolonged seconds with no response, so you knocked one more time. "Hey..."

He finally opened the door, just a crack to where you could see his baby blues. His brow was low and a tight frown from what you could see from just half of his face.

"Yeah?" He asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Are you okay?" You asked, dropping the playful act that you had going on earlier that was clearly misread which turned into that short argument. "Can I come in? Shouldn't we talk?"

He sighed and allowed the door to open all the way, his demeanor softening. He stepped away from the door and allowed you to enter. You looked toward him with a worried expression.

"Y/N..." he muttered, eyes darting around your facial features.

"I want to know if we're good," you shrugged, "I didn't mean to be so...mean. We're still on the same page on everything, right? You still okay with keeping this up?"

Instead of answering, Gojo simply stared at you. You were about to speak up again when you felt a sudden change in the air around you. Your already strong beating heart moved to your throat. Gojo wordlessly and rapidly closed the space between you, shoving your body against the door that shut as your body pressed against it with a loud thud.  Your eyes were wide from the sudden, startling contact - Gojo's hands somehow expertly grabbing your wrists and holding them above your head. His lips meshed with yours, flesh smashing against flesh - his tongue quickly splaying past your teeth.  You feverishly melted into the kiss, eyes sliding shut and your hands finding his shirt - gripping tight. All that could be heard in the room was both of your sharp, rapid breaths.

Gojo let go of your wrists as soon as you melted into the kiss, his hands exploring your body as if he had never touched it before. Eventually, those hands came together at the collar of the old t-shirt you wore. Out of pure adrenaline and lust, he tore the shirt as if it were paper - the sounds of the torn fibers ringing through your ears and a cold draft coming across your chest. With your chest now free, letting the tatters of your shirt fall from your shoulders, Gojo's hungry hands cupped each breast, squeezing, as he used his pelvis to keep you against the wall. Your own hands had come up and into his hair, fingers curling around the white strands until they were completely disheveled.

"Haa~" you breathed out as soon as he gave you a moment, "Satoru...what are you doing?" You asked as he looked at you with the most lustful expression you swore you had ever seen. You released his face and he released your breasts, his hips still pressed against yours.

"I don't know," he responded huskily, staring directly at your lips instead of your eyes, "I just want you." He hungrily leaned back in, his hands nearly engulfing the sides of your face.

You whimpered into his kiss, your hands falling to the elastic waistband of his pants. Considering you were both practically in sleepwear, you could feel the outline of one another. That desperately hard cock throbbed against your thigh, just begging for you to release it.

Gojo grew impatient with your playing and quickly hiked you onto his body, wrapping your legs around his waist. Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around his neck for stability - accepting of the move as his body slowly backed up.  He backed up far enough to have fallen back on his mattress, your hands cupping his face once again as your hips grinded down on him the moment he fell.

"Hang on..." Gojo lightly pushed you away for a moment. You were confused but realized he was just disrobing, pulling his shirt over his head as you sat on his lap. "Let's get these off..." his voice was quiet though he playfully slapping the elastic of your own sweatpants.

The two of you separated for just a brief moment, knowing exactly what was about to happen as you removed the rest of your clothing.  You carefully crawled back on top of him, ass in the air as you leaned down to kiss him. His hand had an easy time finding it, coming around and squeezing the soft, cute flesh. After a nice, little squeeze his hand left and unexpectedly came down. You gave a small yelp as the smack rang through the room. He chuckled lowly as your body quickly came down on him.  With you securely against his shaft, he considered that mission accomplished and he began guiding your hips to slowly gyrate against his length - your slick coating him.

He softly moaned as your lips parted from his, the feeling of your body against his was completely intoxicating even though he just got some from someone else less than an hour ago. As you continued moving, his head cleared long enough to remember something. He awkwardly leaned, straining to reach, the end table drawer where he stumbled to grab a condom. You giggled at his attempt while still working your hips. He smiled back at you in return with a single laugh.

"Stop..." he whispered, ripping the foil with his teeth. You gave him a moment, sitting back on your calves, as he slipped the rubber on. He then motioned with all four fingers to come forward, his other hand holding himself up.

Eager, you listened and carefully descended on him. That filling feeling exactly what you were missing from the rando you brought home that left in disappointment. You closed your eyes to meditate on the feeling, Gojo's hands finding your thighs as you found your own pace - bobbing up and down as your body adjusted to his girth.  His hands began to move from your thighs, gliding along your soft, supple skin until they started moving up your back. He applied light pressure to bring you down to his level which made things a little hard for you, but he made up for it by gently thrusting upward to meet you. The slapping sounds of your bodies intensified when he joined pace. When you were right where he wanted you, face to face, his hands found your thighs again and his pace was able to accelerate a bit to where you stopped bobbing entirely. As a constant with him, you felt his tip reach that one spot within that created a small twinge - quickly sending a message through your nervous system for the heat to begin to build at your lower abdomen.

You were nose to nose and it was happening again. This weird feeling of intimacy as your eyes stared into one another's. His thrusts were deep and slow, filling you completely to the brim.  His neck craned upward to meet your lips with a light, voice-cracking moan. He sounded desperate and weak for you. That sent chills up your spine and you couldn't help but smile to yourself through the kiss.

His moans turned to whimpers as his thrusts slowed to a stop. You didn't think anything of it, the feeling of his lips was somehow enough. He then came up and wrapped his arms around the small of your back, pulling you tighter against his torso as you remained on his lap.

"Y/N..." he whispered between breaths as you cradled the back of his head in your palms. "Y/N..." he repeated smoothly, a whispery cry for more of you despite his own lack of movements and tight grip that prevented you from moving. But you didn't need to move...that's not what this was about...

"Satoru..." you pulled away from him sympathetically. "Are you okay?" You asked, holding his face and staring into his bright blue pools.

He gave a gentle smile, face completely flush with color as he looked into your own pools of color. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, taking a moment to caress your face with his hand. "Let's just...get back to it..."

In another swift movement, you found yourself on your back. Satoru's body moving with a quickness as he entered you once more, thrusting until your body's heat built quicker than it had ever before. It was as if your brief intermission was nonexistent.  His suddenly aggressive pace had you crying out and grasping at the sheets. A sheen of sweat formed on his angelic face, hair moving back and forth - bangs nearly covering the seriously focused look he had on his face.

The heat continued to rise in you both, an acceleration of nerves sending intense messages to your brain as he ravaged you. He felt it, too, his arms growing weak as he held himself up. You could immediately tell by the way that he trembled above you, lips slightly agape and breathy moans escaping like some kind of melody. His thrusts had also become sloppy and lost their pace. To make up for the lack of speed, he dug a little deeper - making sure to press against your cervix. Each muscle in your body tensed as he did this, your body mere seconds away from spillover.

"S-Satoru!" You cried out, gripping his forearms as your body began to contract around him, millions of little butterflies flying over each nerve in your body.

Your nails dug deeply into his skin, causing him to wince. He let out a loud gasp when he finally lost enough oxygen from holding it in because of the pain. His own body also began contracting as he reached his own orgasm, cock heavily pulsating inside of your own clamping flesh.

Breathlessly, the two of you made eye contact again. A bright blush covered both of your faces.

"That was unexpected," you commented with your legs still spread around his waist. His cock still buried in you.

"Sorry," he ran a hand through his hair, some sticking up from the sweat. "I...couldn't help it."

"No...it was great," you smiled as he finally pulled from you. The two of you standing to begin the cleaning process. "Just unexpected. And you never answered my question. Are we good? Can we keep this up?"

Gojo turned to look at you, towel in hand as he paused his cleaning process. "Yeah," he said nonchalantly, suddenly completely okay as if he had just been pent up despite being laid prior to you. "Yeah, we're good."

"Cool, thanks," you smiled, now dressed again.

You then departed from his bedroom in search of your phone that you had left in the living area, along with your now cold tea. You noticed the phone was ringing, but didn't pick it up in time. As you got a chance to look at your notifications, you noticed quite the surplus of texts and phone calls - all from your grandfather.

"Old man's gone crazy," you sighed to Gojo as he strolled out all cleaned up. "Fifty missed calls. Fifty. And over seventy attempted text messages." You shook your head as the phone began to vibrate in your hands.

"Wonder what he wants," Gojo smiled crookedly while grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, feeling excited for you to pick up the phone. "Couldn't possibly be to complain about little, ole' me, could it?" You rolled your eyes and answered.

Gojo watched you while sipping from his glass, watching your expression change from just neutral annoyance having been called to complete and utter terror and shock - your eyes immediately going red and filling with tears. He nearly spilled the water trying to put the glass on the counter to come to your side as the phone dropped from your hand and shattered on the hard wood floor.

"What's wrong?" He asked urgently as you began to feel woozy. "What's going on?" He glanced down at the shattered phone and then back at your distressed face as he held you upright.

"My dad," you whimpered pathetically, putting a hand to your forehead, "is dead."

[aggimaginary]

The Bad Guys (my version) - The Bad Guys Going Good (chapter 4)

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A video camera from the Channel 6 Action News team was seen recording the outside of the Museum of Fine Arts, where the police were escorting the now handcuffed Bad guys towards the police van, with the team feeling completely heartbroken that they got busted after so many heists and crimes that they had gotten away with.

Tiffany was on the scene, announcing into her microphone, "The Bad Guys go bust! The nefarious sixsome has finally been captured, and I, Tiffany Fluffit, am first on the scene!"

As the chief was escorting the handcuffed Wolf towards the van, she seemed to be in shock that she had finally caught them, still grasping the emotions behind how she was feeling about this long awaiting moment, and commented, "Wow. You know, I-I just realized that I have devoted my entire adult life to putting you in jail. You are my purpose. Without you, who am I?"

When Wolf thought that the chief of police was gonna get so emotionally sappy, he thought wrong, as the Chief smacked him on the back, "Ah, I'm just kidding! This is the best moment of my life! It's the end of the Bad Guys!"

Wolf, however, was panicking, especially when he witnessed his friends getting dragged into the police van, despite the urge, and attempt, to resist.

Shark was the first to be pushed into the van, and cried, "No," but to no avail as he was pushed inside by the officers that brought him out.

Piranha was more resistant, struggling and squirming in the officers' arms as he shouted angrily, "Get your hands off of me," He hoped he could break free from their grip, but was hopelessly tossed inside.

Tarantula was stuck in a square glass container, since she was too small to be handcuffed, but it didn't contain her sass and anger as she declared, "Ooh, you're begging for a biting right now!"

Hornet was kept in a jar, since he was also too small to be handcuffed. He was fluttering in panic around the jar, trying to break free, as he has claustrophobia. This wasn't the first time he was captured and kept in a jar, "No, no, I don't wanna go back to jail again! I don't do jars too!"

While an officer dragged the handcuffed Snake inside, he turned his head and shouted towards his best buddy, "Wolf!" He hoped Wolf would be able to find some way to get them out.

Wolf couldn't help but feel saddened that this was it; they were all gonna be heading off to jail. Curse his tail for wagging when it did at possibly the worst moment that it could've happened. Why, just why did it have to wag?! Why was it that…Marmalade's words just…got to him?

Speaking of Professor Marmalade, Wolf turned his head and looked back at where a group of reporters were talking to the guinea pig, who was holding his Golden Dolphin Trophy, and Governor Foxington, who was trying to gain order from the reporters that were showering them with questions.

Suddenly, an idea formed into Wolf's head, as he smiled, thinking that he just might've found a way out of this.

Suddenly, he slipped right under the chief's hand and walked towards Diane and Marmalade, much to the shock of the gasping crowd, "Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to congratulate the governor here. I got to say, you really got us pegged. We're just a deep well of anger and self-loathing-,"

Diane wasn't feeling amused, and commented, "Denial."

Wolf answered, trying to go all Clooney-like, "Sure. That, too."

"Narcissism," added the governor.

"Yeah, Yeah," answered Wolf.

"Emotional emptiness," added Diane.

"So we're on the same page," replied Wolf, with a George Clooney smile.

In the police van, Shark, Snake, Tarantula, Hornet, and Piranha, who was hung to the van's ceiling in handcuffs, were watching what Wolf was doing in utter confusion.

Shark was the first one to have the courage to ask, "What is he doing?"

While inside the jar, Hornet suddenly shrunk. He was hoping Wolf wasn't doing something he might expect.

Meanwhile, Wolf continued with, while pretending to look sad, "Sadly, we were never given a chance to be anything more than second-rate criminals."

Diane didn't seem to be buying this "sob story monologue" Wolf was displaying, but what happened next changed everything.

Wolf then started, "If only there was someone who could help the flower of goodness inside us blossom. Some icon of love and forgiveness, like, uh, I don't know, Mother Teresa."

The sound of "Mother Teresa" got Marmalade surprised, as he suddenly felt something… click. Perhaps maybe…

While the guinea pig was in thought, Wolf continued to ramble on, "Best thing is to just throw us in jail for the rest of our hopeless lives."

The police chief was more than happy to act on the last part of Wolf's speech, "Yeah, that's the plan," She picked up Wolf and was set to toss him into the van.

Wolf tried to fight back, using his feet to push himself up from the doorway, before the chief got a better hold on Wolf, and was just about to toss him into the police van.

Suddenly, Marmalade shouted, "Wait!"

That got the chief to stop, and Wolf, who flashed a smug smile of victory, feeling lucky, while he remained being grabbed/hung up by the police chief.

Chief Luggins was very confused, "Uh, beg… beg pardon?"

Marmalade then walked down the steps while holding his trophy, "Mr. Wolf may be a savage beast, basically walking garbage," He then halted his speech and said to Wolf, "Sorry, I'm making a point."

Wolf didn't feel offended one bit, "Do what you need to do, pal."

Marmalade smiled and then continued while putting down his trophy, "But how can we say they're hopeless if they've never been given a chance?" The guinea pig then turned around and faced Diane, "What if… what if we tried a little experiment, Diane?"

Diane listened closely as Marmalade explained, "As you know, my Gala for Goodness, the 'hashtag charity event of the year,' is coming up. If I can prove to everyone at that gala that the Bad Guys have changed, will you set them free and give them a clean start?"

The crowd was very surprised to hear this idea while the police chief was horrified to hear this. Our of shock, she dropped Wolf and commented, "What? Professor Marmalade! No, no, no, no, no, don't you see what he's doing?! He's playing you!"

Wolf got back up onto his feet while Marmalade then mentioned, "But it was my idea."

Wolf smiled and stated, to the police chief's face, "It was his idea."

Chief Luggins, however, was still deadset on arresting the Bad Guys as she brought up frantically, "But only because you made him have it! Madam Governor, you can't just let them go."

Diane knew that the chief made a good point, then turned to Marmalade, "Professor, I'm not about to put the safety of the city on the line for an experiment."

Wolf then saw the perfect opportunity to dish some "wise words" at the governor, "Excuse me, Madam Governor. I seem to remember that a wise person once said, 'Even trash can be recycled into something beautiful.'"

Diane, as much as she wants to be stunned that Wolf used HER OWN WORDS, to make a solid point, couldn't help but chuckle softly, knowing that Wolf was right, in a way.

So, she straightened up and then answered, "Okay. I'm game. But only because it's you, Professor."

Marmalade smiled giddily, excited to try the "experiment" out, Wolf was happy/relieved that he and his team wasn't going to be going to jail, and the chief of police was shocked out of disappointment that she wasn't gonna get to send the Bad Guys, whom she's been after her whole life, to jail, "No!"

Diane then picked up the Golden Dolphin, "We'll hold on to the Dolphin until the gala, just to remove any unnecessary temptation."

Marmalade was more than willing to let Diane take it, "Of course. Good thinking. That's why you're governor."

Marmalade then announced, "Now that everyone's happy…"

The chief of police crossed her arms and grumbled, "Not happy."

Marmalade continued, "…I, Rupert Marmalade the Fourth, will turn the Bad Guys into…the Good Guys!

The crowd all gasped in shock at what they heard, as the cameras flashed to record this moment.

Wolf turned his head at the fourth wall and winked, while the rest of the Bad Guys, in the police van, were completely stunned about what they just heard.

Wolf was able to pick the handcuffs off his hands and twirled them in his finger, "I think these belong to you," he gave them to the chief of police.

Chief Luggins, startled that Wolf EASILY got out of her handcuffs, "Hey!" She exclaimed in frustration as she watched Wolf enter the police van and took his seat.

However, just before the door closed, Diane, holding the Golden Dolphin, commented to Wolf, "Not everyone gets a second chance. Make the most of it, 'Mr. Poodleton.'"

Wolf nodded and did a "hat tip" salute to Diane, before closing the doors behind him. The police engine roared as it soon started to drive away, with the police cars following it while the sirens flashed and wailed.

In the police van, Wolf was chuckling, knowing his plan was going smoothly.

The rest of the Bad Guys, however, were still confused about what was going on.

Snake asked, "Wolf? What are you doing?"

Wolf, pretending to be confused, asked, "What?"

The rest of the team added, "Yeah!"

Wolf smiled and answered, "Oh, that. I-I-I'm sorry. I thought it was, uh, obvious. We're gonna go good!"

Only Snake, Shark, Piranha and Tarantula just became even more confused while Hornet was completely shocked and scared with his eyes widened in fear by what Wolf had just said.

Tarantula commented, "Uh, you totally lost me."

Hornet felt suffocating, not because of the close spaces of the jar, but he tried to calm down and pretended to be fine, "Um… yeah, I don't get it this time."

Piranha, thinking that Wolf had gone crazy, declared, "I told him to stop drinking out of the toilet!"

Shark, thinking Wolf had got a head injury and wasn't thinking straight, asked in concern, "Hey, did you get hit on the head?"

Wolf started to answer, "What? No, I didn't get hit on the head-,"

Shark then started to tell the team a story while spinning his right hand in a circle, "My cousin got hit on the head with an anchor, and after that, he only swam in a circle."

Wolf then started to clarify things, "No, no, g-guys, guys, you're not following me. We're gonna pretend to go good. Just a few days with Marmalade, and then we roll into the gala as Good Guys, and roll out scot-free with…"

The rest of the team realized what Wolf's plan was, replying together in unison, "The Golden Dolphin!"

Wolf smiled, "You got it. Since when do we not finish a job? The Bad Guys become the Good Guys so we can stay the Bad Guys. You know what I'm saying?"

The 5 Bad Guys started to cackle and laugh, realizing how genius the plan sounded. But Hornet just went along with it, but he wasn't so serious. He started to feel nervous about this plan. What if they will become good for real? What if it will happen again like the last time Hornet experienced all this good and stuff? No one even dared to notice how worried the little hornet was.

Snake happily commented while placing his fake arm on Wolf's shoulder, "Bad Guys acting good? It's the ultimate Bad Guy thing; It's fantastic!" He brought Wolf's head to his head while commenting to his best friend, "Wolf, you're a genius!"

The Bad guys continued to cackle and laugh, excited about putting this brilliant plan into action, and Hornet just made a small smile, hoping Wolf was sticking to his plan of pretending to be good, because Hornet doesn't want to go through that again.

Wolf then mentioned, "It's gonna be, like, the most relaxing con ever, like a vacation."

Piranha then got an idea, "Oh, oh! A con-cation!"

The Bad guys all laughed from the genius of how awesome this was gonna be, and how funny the pun was.

"Ooh! My parents met on a con-cation!" Shark said

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

Well, I hope you like this chapter so far.  Special thanks to MasterClass60 for helping me with this chapter. I don't own anything except my OC, Mr. Hornet.

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[worldismyne]

Finn Analysis

I've been wanting to do this for a while sooo, here we go. Strap in folks, this'll be a dusey.

When it comes to interpreting WU characters; I try to take the formspring, doodles, asks, AND the official comic into consideration. Particularly when it comes to authorial intent.

I'm also well aware this is a comedic comic. There's only so serious you're supposed to take these characters. I mean, you look at any character that's supposed to be the butt of the joke (ex: Barney HIMYM) their flaws are over the top so there's catharsis in them having bad things happen to them. We're supposed to be laughing at their antics, not empathizing with them.

That said...

I'm calling death of the author on one of Finn's 'defining' characteristics that's brought up in asks and such. Which is that Finn is unempathetic.

Empathy is the ability to understand other people's feelings. And, yeah he's selfish and unsympathetic about a lot of things. But that's not the same thing. (You can be a dark empath: empathy isn't inherently good :/)

I say this mostly because Finn does good things all the time without taking credit for it. And it's usually a call to action inspired by the emotions of others.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Character Arc so far (Guilty until proven Innocent)

Finn, by design, was just a fancy lad. He was just full of so much hope...

Through a series of one-off gags we find out that he's so freaking happy to have someone listen to him. He's the son of the town's evil witch, having survived attacks from magical creatures and is used to people leaving him.

Harv's a huge jerk in these early issues (sorry buddy) but Finn hangs around him anyway. Because as mean and standoffish as Harv is, this is the closest thing he's had to a friend. Ever.

I mean the guys in his class bully the heck out of him in early issues. But, it's better than being at home alone for the rest of his life so...

Yeah, as soon as he figures out warrior school isn't going to be the answer to all his problems, Finn starts getting jaded and his nastier personality traits start bubbling to the surface. This is a kid who's used to fending for himself, and everyone here has made it clear that they don't like him, they tolerate him.

We get to Harv the Second.

Finn finally gets sick of getting pushed away and goes looking for someone else to wants to hang out with him and...

He does.

Hevvin, as far as we know, is the first person other than Finn's mother that's volunteered to hang out with him. He takes the bait instantly and doesn't question for a second why this person was so willing to follow him around all day. But even that pales in comparison for him to this...

Harv came looking for him.

The kid he's been going to class with and trying to be friends with, actually has shown an interest in what Finn's up to. And Finn, Finn has no idea to handle this. He doubles down on what got Harv following him (making him jealous) and is super confused why doing the same thing twice got two different responses. (tbh I think Finn still hasn't figured out that making people jealous doesn't give him what he wants from them.)

Harv follow's Finn's lead in the confrontation with Hevvin and finally agrees to hang out with Finn outside of class. And after this Finn starts viewing Harv as an actual friend. Heck, the page immediately after this issue, Finn calls Harv a hero.

And Finn gets fixated on this idea of finally having a mutual friendship. He goes from not being able to say what he knows about Harv to literally watching his day-to-day through a crystal ball. It's an over correction to say the least.

Then we come to "There's a Damsel in this Dress" where we see just how profoundly his mother's reputation has affected his ability to make friends in the past. Everytime he's gone anywhere with his mom, it's ended with her making enemies. He's normalized it so much, he just goes through the motions until Harv's the target.

Well crap, we can't have something happen to Harv, then Finn's going to have no one again. And his mom doesn't seem to care about that.

Literally this whole issue, Finn's trying to help Harv break the illusion spell and stay alive without further angering his mom. He succeeds in getting Leenan to let Harv go and nurses him back to health (off screen).

But their relationship is very transactional still. This is about getting through school alive and with good grades. They're allies, but Finn's really happy to at least have that.

And we start to understand why he values this when we're introduced to Darren and Shiel. No one in the palace is on his side. Finn wants these nobles to like him, so badly, but nothing he does works and it devolves into them fighting. Granted Finn thinks it's like, a competitive kind of fighting, not...

Not Darren trying to kill him.

The Tournament is the second time Finn's let his guard down around someone he's trusted and they've turned around and tried to stab him. The deadly kind of stabbing. Even though all Finn's done at this point is just been kind of mouthy and annoying. It's hugely disproportionate to what Finn's done and he's painfully aware of this. But there's nothing he can do about the whole 'sins of the father' issue that's followed him around everywhere he goes.

And to put icing on the cake, Monster Hunt happens and the entire town tries to burn him at the stake. No one tries to stop this. Harv is still trying to make excuses for Hevvin, so Finn sends him off to find the 'truth'. Even Emet and Rhodri, kids he thought he was on good terms with don't make a public show of trying to help him, they just watch as Hevvin goes to light the fire.

It's freaking traumatizing. Caliburry's going to watch him burn, even though he's never met half of these people.

But Harv comes back. Harv puts his life on the line, not just facing off against Hevvin, but facing off against the town. This could get Harv killed. It could ruin his future of becoming a warrior, but he does it anyway.

And for the first time, Finn takes responsibility for putting Harv in danger. There's no excuses, or blame shifting; just a sobering realization that Finn almost got his only friend killed by his own selfishness.

And I think this is key, because after Monster Hunt we see another dramatic shift in Finn's characterization.

Gift giving. Lots of it. With 0 expectation of something in return.

He's tried several time to buy clothes for Harv, but this is the first time he's picked out something because he thought Harv would like it.

Doing things Harv would want to do even though it's BORING.

Giving him huge bills worth of food he can't afford.

Now where have I heard that before...

I'm not saying this from a shipping perspective, I'm saying this from a personality type perspective. We're at the point that Finn feels comfortable enough with another person to try to be genuinely kind to them and show them he cares about him.

This guy, is giving things.

Unfortunately, his epiphany happens alongside Harv's own internal issues. And Harv's reaction is to put up a WALL. He's honestly starting to act like how they did when they first met. Y'know, when Harv tried to leave at the soonest opportunity? Even though Finn is trying his hardest not to be selfish.

And that... that seems to be poking at a well established (and at this point valid) fear that trusting someone is going to lead to bad things happening to Finn.

Which let's just circle back around "The Sleepover" which happens smack dab in the middle of all this, because it's contributing to what's brewing. This issue happens after Darren threatened to kill him and his near burning at the stake, which Darren was there for.

And he still tried to be nice to this guy that's holding him hostage. He tries his level best to smooth this over past grievences and give Darren the benefit of the doubt that if he's just nice enough; maybe, just maybe, it will be enough for Darren to see him as something other than the role Caliburry keeps trying to force him into. He doesn't want to be 'the bad guy'.

It isn't until Darren breaks his favorite harp that Finn snaps and scares the shit out of Darren. And this, dear readers, is why I say Finn 100% doesn't lack empathy.

He knows exactly what Darren's feelings are, he empathizes with Darren's feeling of injustice and knows his worst fears. And for all their fighting in the past, Finn has deliberately avoided anything that had to do with magic or his mother in front of Darren. He's tried to approach Darren as a fellow noble, not 'the witches son'. It's in this momentary lapse of self-control that Finn turns around and uses this knowledge to hurt someone deliberately. Only to feel like crap afterwards.

Say what you want about Finn being an asshat, he's not trying to hurt people on purpose most of the time. He thinks he's helping people when he points out their flaws or engaging in expected noble behavior.

Fatal Flaws

This is kind of a domino effect. So we're starting at the source.

Under socialized...

Finn's been homeschooled his whole life, and boy does it show. Like, I want y'all to remember, the Warrior 101 class is the first time Finn's tried interacting with kids his own age without his mom in the room. He's just, constantly putting his foot in his mouth, and is really bad at reading people's non-verbal ques.

Literally anytime he does something and gets a negative response from it, it's just full on

He knows no fear.

And when you're left alone a lot, you get into these odd habits that you don't realize are weird until other people call you out on it. Which, Finn's never had anyone in his life allowed to criticize him before. Y'know because his mom would kill them.

And even from a noble's standpoint he's breaking all the rules of 'polite society' by treating tailors and farmers and the like as equal to him. Like, yeah, he thinks he's better than them; but not that they're beneath him or not worth his time. He's still trying to impress a bunch of peasants because their opinions matter to him.

It's just very clear he's basing life expectations off of sonnets and sagas and not life experience. And it constantly bites him in the butt.

Trust Issues...

Throughout the series, Finn starts to realize that the only reason the nobles and townspeople have tolerated his presence is because they're scared of his mom.

At first, he treats everyone he meets as a protentional friend, and half of them tried to kill him once they were alone.

So when someone does finally stick around longer than a few days, he immediately jumps to limit testing. People eventually get sick of him and his mom anyway, so just how far can he push them until they finally give up too?

And like, there's tons of these jokey doodle about just how insecure Finn is in his friendship with Harv. There's just this constant question hovering above him not of 'if' but 'when' someone will leave him again.

Rage TM

I mentioned earlier that Finn tries not to be the bad guy. He is, unfortunately, acutely aware that everyone expects him to be a witch when he grows up. Even his own mother.

And he's desperately tried to prove everyone wrong the whole series, but it puts him in this unique conundrum.

If he lashes out, it will just be proof that he's exactly as bad as they say he is.

So puts up with so much verbal and psychological abuse from people, just to avoid being seen as 'evil' or 'hostile'. Sometimes he retaliates with passive-agression, but that's about it. But it's not working. Nothing's changed, and no matter how hard he works, people still hate him and there's no where he can channel this anger without seeming like a threat.

Except with Hevvin.

See, Hevvin is a mortal threat to him, but he's also not human. For most of the series, no one in town knows who he is, and Finn latches on the chance to full dehumanize this sentient creature and just

freaking

vent all this pent up frustration at a 'deserving' target. A safe target. And it seems like these outburst directly correlate with violations of trust. He's the most adamant about killing Hevvin during Harv the Second and Monster Hunt. Which involves the two-fold punch of

-someone trying to kill Finn for no reason

-someone tricking Finn or otherwise not listening to his side.

Strengths

Mediation...

Finn's constantly trying to salvage bridges his mother burns. Like, it's almost a full-time job. His go-to solution to a problem usually isn't violence, it's negotiation.

He's extremely successful if he's able to bargain something. (Saving Rhodri, The Headmaster's Book, even The Sleepover)

It's the talking part that trips him up, because usually Finn gets ahead of himself or is too honest and- just goofs the whole thing up.

Manipulation...

I mentioned a couple of times that empathy, inherently, isn't good. It's what you do with it that matters. Unfortunately, Finn has the potential to get people to do what he wants through manipulation, he's just usually held back by wanting people to like him.

But when it comes to Darren or Hevvin, it's straight up psychological warfare at points. Finn plays Hevvin like a fiddle quite a bit, because he couldn't give a hoot what Hevvin thinks of him.

Emotional Resilience...

Finn's ego may be fragile, but man does this kid just take an emotional beating and then tries to look at the glass half full. Like, I haven't seen a character get rejected so many times, keep going, and not be completely delusional about it.

He's aware everything's unfair, and that his life is constantly in peril, and he keeps dragging his ass to school anyway. Honestly, I think half of his lack of sympathy toward people is (well last Tuesday someone tried to kill me and I still brush my hair, why can't you?). His frame of reference for what daily-stress is, is so far off from other characters. It's no wonder he's so fiercely defensive of where he draws a line in the sand. There's just only so much you can put up with in one day.

What that results in...

ngl a lot of this is a villain backstory in the making, if Finn isn't able to get himself a friend other than Harv. Oooofff, it'd be either a resentful co-dependent relationship or full on anti-social melt down. Likely involving magic.

Thank goodness there's other bards around the corner.

Finn's interest in music outside of preforming is likely what'll help him be able to connect with other people in a way he feels safe.

[nightshade-minho]

-Blue Book- (8)

Warnings: hoo boi.

Word Count: 2k 

"Y/n?" Chan gently shook your shoulder. "Come on baby, you've got to wake up."

You peeled your eyes open, cheeks flushing as you noticed how close Chan's face was to yours.

"Good, you're awake. Listen...I've got to go to the airport and pick up my parents, and your mom was blowing up your phone just a few minutes ago." The corner of his lips twitched in amusement as your phone started vibrating. "Well, there she goes again. Sounds important, you should answer." He straightened up, handing you your phone and heading to the kitchen. "I’ll be making breakfast."

You smiled as he left, expression dropping as you answered your phone.

"Yes, mom...?"

"Oh! My baby! Thank god you answered, finally...I'm so sorry about last night, darling..."

"It's oka-"

"No it wasn't! I'm a terrible mother. I'm sorry, it's just, he was so hot, and I was super intoxicated. We're going to go on a second date! Whose place did you stay at, by the way? A boy answered the phone earlier." She asked, her tone dripping with suggestiveness. You could almost see her wiggling her eyebrows.

"Ew, gross, mom! He's just a friend." You said as Chan came back into the room with a plate of waffles, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, darling, whatever you say. Although I'm certainly not opposed to you getting laid, it was long overdue anyw-"

"Haha okay, bye mom!" You cut the call, shuddering as Chan giggled, passing you the plate.

"Just a friend? Do friends kiss each other the way we did last night?"

"Shut up." You smiled, digging into your waffles.

***

You watched Chan's car leave as he left for the airport, standing there until he became a speck in the distance before turning around to enter your house.

You found your mom sitting on the couch...but this time, she wasn't passed out with drool running down her chin and clutching a bottle of beer- she was sitting with an odd sense of poise, wearing a pretty summer dress and a huge smile.

"Y/n! You're home! How was your night?" She grinned, winking. You narrowed your eyes, her cheerfulness catching you off guard. Your gaze drifted to the table, on which rested some plates and two empty wine glasses.

"Nowhere near as good as yours." You said pointedly, tearing your gaze away from the table as you moved to go upstairs.

Flopping on your bed, you scrolled through your text messages. Nothing new from Chan. You sighed, reminding yourself that there was probably no Wi-Fi at the airport.

Suddenly your phone dinged with a new text message. Oh. A response to your tutor ad. You'd put it up a long while ago and had honestly forgotten all about it. Well, you definitely needed the extra money. You replied affirmatively to the text and tossed your phone next to you on the mattress.

***

It had been a while since Chan had had dinner with the boys. The conversation was light, and he had missed his friends..however he found himself missing you more, despite having seen you that morning.

"Minho, I don't know how you get away with making out with her in the hallway. I can barely hold hands with my girlfriend without some teacher giving us detention-"

Chan looked up as Felix shoved Changbin's arm, making him stop mid-sentence. Changbin raised an eyebrow, realization dawning on him.

"Ah sorry, Chan. I didn't mean to rub it in."

"Seriously, though." Jisung rolled his eyes. "It's been weeks, and you aren't any closer to getting that book. I hate to say it bro, but I don't think Miyoung would want to be with you even if Minho breaks up with her."

Hyunjin nodded, glancing up from his phone. "I've noticed her and Y/n are really buddying it up. It's girl code not to date your friend's ex."

"Of course, you're the expert on girl code, Hyunjin."

A small squabble broke out and Chan wanted to slither onto the floor and just...stay there. He glared at his plate, deciding he’d had enough.

"Stop it!”

Jisung and Hyunjin stopped talking, staring at Chan in surprise.

"I will get that book soon. I love Miyoung, and I'll make sure she's mine, through any means possible. I don’t care about your opinions, so you guys can just shut the fuck up." He hated lying through his teeth, but there was no way he was going to tell these judgmental burdens he called his friends that he loved you- at least not yet.

Chan relished the silence as he continued eating, trying his best to ignore Minho's burning, inquisitive gaze directed right at him.

***

You sat in bed, clutching your blue book as you tapped your pencil, your head filled with thoughts of Chan. In all your 17 years of life, you'd never known what love felt like...but now you did. And as a result, you were completely consumed with the burning need to tell Chan exactly how you felt.

When you'd moved to this town, you really hadn't expected for it to one day feel like home. But it did, and you were sure it was all because of Chan. His presence somehow made you feel safe, and protected, and you hadn't felt this secure since your dad left you.

You wanted- no, you needed to know if Chan felt the same way about you. You pushed the self-doubt deep inside as you imagined telling him.

You turned red just thinking about it. Fuck it, you were too shy. You'd be a blubbering mess two words in.

Sighing, you looked back down at your book...when an idea struck in your head.

Uncapping your pen with your teeth, you placed the nib on the paper and inhaled, letting all your feelings flow out onto the page. It felt kind of cliché, writing a love letter like this, but you always did have a tendency to over-romanticize everything.

Besides; it was more of a love poem. Gah, was that worse? You hoped to god he wouldn't find it cheesy, especially since you'd bared your heart to him with these words. As you finished, your eyes ran over the last sentence. 

"If you feel the same, please meet me behind the tree near the lake, where we had our first conversation, and where I started falling for you."

You shut the book and placed it on your bedside table, flicking the lamp off and rolling over. You nuzzled your pillow, your mind drifting to last night, the memory of Chan's lips and body pressed against yours still fresh.

***

It was a bit early to be having an ice cream date, but neither of you could honestly care less. As soon as you'd woken up in the morning, Chan had texted you to meet him at the ice cream parlour near his house.

"I can't believe you like salted caramel. Its such an old person flavor." He laughed, staring at you fondly.

"Like mint chocolate is any better." You rolled your eyes.

"Fine fine, let's just accept we have different tastes in ice cream."

You smiled. "That I can get on board with."

There was a comfortable silence as the two of you ate. You glanced up from time to time, your heart pounding as you psyched yourself up. Come on, this was the moment. You can do it, Y/n.

"Hey, Chan...?"

"Mm?" He asked, pausing with the spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Uh...are you free tonight?"

"Tonight? Oh, I'm playing soccer with the guys. You could come watch, though."

"Oh no, I have a tutoring appointment in the evening." You muttered.

Chan quirked his eyebrow. "Why'd you ask in the first place, then?"

"Uh, I just wanted to know. I mean-" You groaned, letting out an exasperated sigh. Bending down, you grabbed your bag from the floor and put it on your lap.

Confused, Chan watched as you pulled out your book, the book, swallowing. Slowly, you slid it over to him.

"I...what's this?" Chan asked as nonchalantly as he could, running a hand through his hair.

"It's...kind of my diary. I just-" you inhaled. "Look, I've bookmarked a page. When you go home- and please don't open it before then- read what I've written." You gulped, as Chan didn't make any move to take the book.

"Look, Y/n, I-"

"Please, just take it. Don't ask any questions." You looked down, trying to hide your flushed cheeks, trying to calm the beating of your heart.

Chan sighed, fingers reaching out and slowly curling over the book as he took it into his hands, tucking it into his pocket as you let yourself smile.

"Thank you."

***

Huh. This was definitely not what you'd been expecting. The house was a lot smaller than you'd imagined it to be, especially knowing how much you were charging.

You breathed in and came forward, knocking on the door and waiting. A few minutes later, a young girl opened it.

"Hi! Are you Dea?"

"How do you know that?" She asks, scrunching her nose, her hand gripping the handle tightly. "Mom says not to talk to strangers."

You shook your head quickly before she could close the door. "Sweetheart, I'm your tutor."

"Prove it."

You sighed, straightening and looking past her. "Is your mom here?"

The girl paused for a second before shaking her head, moving to slam the door closed, when a woman showed up from behind the corner.

"Oh good, it's the tutor!" The woman placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, smiling at you. "Come in, Y/n. I've actually got someplace to be, but I'll be back in two hours. I assume you'll be done by then?"

"Yeah, most probably." You smiled and let her take you in, leading you to Dea's bedroom. The girl herself followed cautiously, and you found yourself a little amused.

"Right, this is her desk." The mom ran a hand through her hair, gesturing to the table. She glanced at her watch and swore, shooting you an apologetic glance.

"In sorry Y/n, I've got to get going soon- please focus on her maths, it's really bad. We'll discuss your fees and other logistics when I get back, okay?" She smiled at you, waving at her daughter before hurrying out the door.

You watched her leave, frowning slowly as she walked away. Something was niggling away at the back of your mind. Why did she look so familiar?

Turning back to the girl, you sighed inwardly at her knitted eyebrows and scowl. She was avoiding your stare, fiddling with her pencil and muttering under her breath.

This was going to be tough.

***

Minho sighed, watching Miyoung wave from the bleachers. Fuck, it was like she was physically incapable of giving him some fucking space.

He glanced over to Chan, clad in his uniform as he chugged water from the bottle Felix handed to him. When was this asshole going to get that fucking book? He couldn't stand having to date Miyoung any longer.

As the girl blew him an exaggerated kiss, Minho decided he had had enough. Needing to be alone, he turned around and went to the locker room. Just a moment to breathe, that was all he was asking for.

As Minho entered the cool, air-conditioned locker room, he let out a sigh of relief. He went over to sit one of the benches, planning to rest in solitude for just a few minutes... until he noticed Chan's clothing lying on one.

His shirt and jeans were carelessly strewn on the seat, and Minho narrowed his eyes as a flash of blue caught his eye, almost immediately.

Peeking out from the pocket was a very familiar looking little blue book.

He came closer, slowly pulling the book out and inspecting it. Could it be? The bastard had your book all along? Opening it, he flipped through the pages with a smirk slowly growing on his face. Yup, it was yours.

It was like the gods were smiling down on him, finally.

[roselen-mylady]

In Another Life

Bucky Barnes x reader ° part ten

Summary: Waiting 88 years to find your soulmate? It was cruel. But it was a cruel fate Bucky would have to face whether he accepted it or not. Bucky was a tortured man all his life and he wasn't even granted the solace of having his soulmate at his side. All he had was the promise of one in another life. They were separated by two different times.

But the pain in their lives were connected.

Y/n had been alone ever since she could remember. All she could depend on was the soulmate that was destined to be at her side. Yet when the snap occurred she lost him.

And Bucky never got to meet her.

Though Steve showed no signs of leaving or the anger Y/n had feared, she still felt the anxiety that came from revealing her true past. He was supportive, as he always was and so was everyone else once they were told. Tony only had a mere, 'I knew it' to add to the subject and while Y/n was touched, she couldn't help the array of things she felt. 

Foolish was one of them. Hiding her past from them before was stupid but Steve insisted that her going underground was probably best since HYDRA would've searched for her. While that brought her some solace she was still uncomfortable with the idea of becoming more involved. Something always went wrong and Nat was proof. 

She missed her friend badly and Y/n couldn't help but feel it was her own cursed luck that had taken Nat. It was ridiculous to think that she could ever be happy. Stupid to think she could help her friends bring back everyone. Stupid to think she might actually meet her soulmate.  

"Hey, kid. We're going to put the stones together." Tony cut into Y/n's racing thoughts. Her gaze lifted from the drawing Steve had given her, settling on Tony as he leaned in through the doorway. 

She didn't know why she was still looking at the picture or why she had even accepted it. She wanted to believe she was still furious, still resentful. Wanted to force all the pain and guilt she felt into him once more. But in all reality she was just so lost. For years she pretended to be someone else and now that she was free to be the girl she once was, she didn't even remember who that was. 

A genius? A hero? A terrified little orphan? She had no idea but she didn't want to be any. She wanted to be Y/n, a friend and a psychiatrist. She now understood why Steve wanted her around. He needed someone to remind him of who he was, who he truly was. 

Was James that person once? 

Was that why she found herself gazing at the sketch, hoping for a split second that maybe she could go back to the moment that was drawn? Praying to go back to a time where James Barnes was fighting for his past and his own will. A time where he might comfort her like he did Steve over the death of Nat. A time where his thoughts were his own and so we're his actions. 

Y/m almost hated herself for despising him. Though she knew there was still much to his story she was too scared to ask, she knew he was nothing more than a tortured soul with a gun. She couldn't figure out how the man in the drawing was the same man who'd nearly killed her. 

It wasn't.  

Noticing her broken expression, Tony hesitantly stepped into the room coming to sit with her. Her fingers gently held the page and he looked down at it, recognizing the face instantly. It sent a chill through his spine, seeing the same face almost ripped the arc reactor straight from his chest. 

It had taken him years to forgive Steve but he still struggled to do the same with the man who murdered his parents in cold blood. All the hatred toward his parents' assassin had gone unresolved since Steve and Bucky left him at that frozen HYDRA base. And once forgiving Steve, Tony had no other outlet and he found it difficult to sit there with the picture.

So he tried to focus on something else.  

"So, you and Ms. Romanoff were close?" He mumbled trying poorly to begin consoling her. She nodded numbly, folding the paper and setting it aside. 

The emotions she felt were mixed and intense making it hard for her to filter through her feelings but one surfaced more than others. Guilt. 

"Ever since the snap." She replied, her shoulders slack. Tony and Nat had their own relationship, one much older than her own but they'd been apart for so long. Ever since Nat went off the grid with Steve and even after the snap when he distanced himself from all of them, they hardly interacted. But they were friends. The type of friends that wouldn't be parted even by death. 

"Do you think things would be different if I hadn't showed up?" Y/n asked him suddenly. He looked over at her studying her guilt ridden eyes that she kept trained on the floor. It was a familiar look, one he wore often. But not one he wanted her to. 

"Natasha wasn't the type of person to let anyone dictate her choices. I think she was ready to give her life for a cause and none of us could've stopped her." Tony sighed, the weight of her death finally reaching its max. "Not even a couple of geniuses." 

•••

"Let's hope this doesn't blow up." Tony mumbled next to her. The small group consisting of them with the addition of Bruce and Rocket stood in the lab, waiting in anticipation as Tony carefully placed the stones in the gauntlet. With his shaking hands it was difficult to be precise while he manipulated the machine but he managed to place all six stones in their respective places. They held their breath unsure if the stones would react or blow up the lab as Tony feared.  

"Boom!" Rocket yelled suddenly making all of them flinch. He began to laugh loudly and they all turned to him with annoyed looks. Y/n slapped the back of his head, cutting his laughing short as she walked off trying to ignore the trembling in her legs. Tony muttered something under his breath moving to bring the gauntlet to a more accessible area for the wearer. 

"You're an asshole." Y/n groaned. Tony walked past them, putting the gauntlet on a display table that made it hover a couple inches above. 

"Come on, it was funny!" Rocket argued, earning an unamused stare from both Tony and Y/n. 

It took a few minutes for Bruce to collect everyone but eventually everyone was gathered around the gauntlet. Most had expressions Y/n familiarized with PTSD and once following their gazes she realized their experience with the gauntlet Thanos wore was resurfacing. 

Hopefully, with the new one they'd be able to reverse what he'd done. But the trauma would stay. That she knew. 

"All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their fucking fingers?" Rocket questioned, looking up at the group. Their options were limited since most people in the room were only human, even Steve. 

"I'll do it." Thor volunteered without hesitation. He drunkenly stepped forward making everyone turn to him with confused and reluctant looks. Their choices were limited but they weren't desperate enough to put such a powerful object on a drunk god.  

"Excuse me?" Scott asked, glancing around at the others for one of them to tell Thor what a bad idea it was. 

"It's okay." Thor insisted, marching forward with a purpose. Steve moved to stop him with the help of Tony making the poor large man pause. 

"No, no, no, whoa. Stop. Stop. Wait a sec. Hey, hey–" Everyone was a mess of refusal and Thor's face turned hurt as he tried to continue. 

"Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." Steve explained. Thor shifted on his feet, clearly upset with their rejection.  

"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" He asked,

annoyed. Scott looked to Y/n hoping she might use some of her 'therapist powers' he called them after realizing she really couldn't read minds. 

"We should at least discuss it." Y/n tried to reason. Thor shook his head stubbornly, swaying unsteadily on his feet. 

"No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." He told them, gesturing to the gauntlet then himself. 

"It's not about that–" Tony told him gently, coming to stand in front of him as he started to move Thor back. Thor resisted but was unsuccessful as he started to grow emotional. "Hey buddy-" Tony tried again only to be cut short by Thor frantically shushing him and everyone else. 

"Stop it! Just let me! Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right." Thor begged, tears filling his eyes. He was desperate to prove he was worthy, to prove he could still be the hero he once was. 

"Look– It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition." Tony fought. There was no way they were going to let him hold the fate of the world in his hand while he was drunk. Even the Thor he was years ago shouldn't have held that kind of power, it was too risky. 

"What do you– What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor asked, his eyes studying Tony's for any kind of hope that might tell him they would let him make the sacrifice. 

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey scoffed, earning a glare from Y/n. Thor looked over at Rhodey pointing a shaky finger at him as he tried not to cry in frustration. He held onto Tony, grasping at his shoulders and prying Tony's attention away from Rhodey's comment. 

"Lightning." Thor corrected, looking back to Tony with pleading eyes. Tony nodded but he knew he couldn't allow Thor to wear the gauntlet. "Lightning." Thor repeated, distraught but Tony's reaction. 

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce announced suddenly. Thor shook his head letting go of Tony. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive." Bruce explained. 

"How do we know you will?" Steve questioned as Bruce paced over to the gauntlet. 

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this." Bruce mumbled. He gazed intensely at the stones, silently calculating his odds. If the Hulk couldn't handle this, was this really how he was going to die? And if so would it even work? 

They looked at each other knowing it was their best chance at bringing them back. They had to take it. 

Tony stepped forward, grabbing the gauntlet and handing it to Bruce as they headed to a more secure part of the lab. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Y/n asked Bruce quietly. She knew how Nat's death had affected him and she refused to make the same mistake with him. 

"Yes. We have to finish this." He declared. Y/n watched as he paced forward to catch up with Tony as she lagged behind to Steve. 

"Do you think this will work?" Steve questioned. Y/n chewed her lip anxiously, focusing her stare at the gauntlet as Steve came to stand beside her. 

"Bruce's gamma radiation is stronger and most equipped to handle the energy but it's still dangerous. The stones are too powerful together, I didn't think they were ever really meant to be used together." She sighed, hating the sacrifices that came with saving the world. If they lost someone else just for this to not work was it really even worth trying? 

"Bruce is strong." Steve tried to ease her worry but it wasn't enough. 

"I know. I just-I can't keep losing people, Steve. It's like a curse. Every time I try to do something good…-" 

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not gonna lose anyone else. Not on my watch." Steve promised but both of them knew it was practically empty. There was no guarantee. "Let's just bring everyone back." 

Y/n tried to smile but like his promise it was hollow. "Yeah, okay." 

"Good to go, yeah?" Tony questioned as Bruce carefully held the piece in his large hands. He seemed anxious but who wouldn't be in that situation. 

"Let's do it." He confirmed as Y/n and Steve returned to the group. She walked around him, stopping beside Tony and sharing a steady nod. 

"You remember–everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, you're just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Tony told him seriously.

"Got it." Bruce assured. Then suddenly the room grew quiet and a tenseness settled in the air that Y/n was too amazed to catch onto. For the first time she realized she was living the dream of millions of people. Everyone had readied themselves and Y/n watched as they stood there in their superhero uniforms, the power and determination they all had washing over her. 

Tony pressed his chest allowing his suit to expand and morph to his body, a shield lighting up before him. His stare then drifted to Y/n who still stood there in her casual clothes, watching them all confused and out of place. Why were they getting ready now? They were doing this here? 

"Hey, kiddo. Come on." Tony urged, motioning to her earpiece. She gave a soft 'oh' mimicking him as she pressed the button making her own suit appear. A shield of her own design came to her forearm and Tony eyed it curiously. 

"Did you mess with the suit?" He asked, the seriousness in his tone startling her a bit. She shrugged, looking at him defensively. 

"Yeah, you said it was just a prototype so I fixed it a bit." She explained. He looked away, grateful she couldn't see the entertained smirk on his lips as he turned back to Bruce. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?" Tony called. Y/n had gotten used to the suit during the time she could spare to examine it and she put 70% power into the armor, figuring if something did go wrong it probably wouldn't hurt to be a little more protected. 

"Yes, boss." F.R.I.D.A.Y replied. Metal doors began to close off the lab as the compound went into lockdown and if the seriousness of the situation hadn't set in yet it definitely did then as Y/n widened her stance to try and brace herself. 

"Everybody comes home." Bruce reminded himself, cautiously reaching his hand into the gauntlet. The gauntlet expanded to fit his hand thanks to Tony's nanotech but as soon as it was fully on the power of the stones surged through him. He grunted in pain collapsing to his knees as the energy began to burn into his arm. 

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor cried, waving his hands as Bruce shakily held the gauntlet. Steve stepped forward, keeping anyone from acting. 

"No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?" Steve questioned. He knew more than anyone that just because something was painful didn't mean they couldn't do it. 

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony called, becoming more concerned with each unresponsive moment. Y/n started moving to help but froze as Bruce looked up at them.  

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He insisted. They eased up a little and everyone watched carefully as he tried to regain control of the stones. Thor gave a double thumbs up, watching the scene before him with an astounded expression. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y what are his vitals?" Y/n questioned anxiously. Charts bloomed around Bruce and she quickly read them realizing his heart rate was dangerously high. In fact everything was high, his blood pressure, his respiration rate, even his body temperature had increased. Bruce screamed again, fighting the instinct to remove the gauntlet from the overwhelming pain it caused him as he lined up his fingers. 

The world seemed to stop at the echoing of the snap, the fated sound she'd only heard about for five years finally filling her head the same way it had for the others. 

He fainted and the gauntlet fell off his arm, clattering on the floor before Clint quickly kicked it away from him. 

"Bruce!" Steve called, kneeling beside him as the others rushed forward to check on him. Y/n tugged the remains of his sleeve back gently as Tony kneeled beside her, holding up his hand. 

"Don't move him." Tony demanded, applying a coolant spray from his fingertips over Bruce's arm. Bruce groaned, reaching out and grabbing Steve's arm urgently. 

"Did it work?" He questioned breathlessly, keeping his large hand tight around Steve's arm. Thor gave him a reassuring smile while Y/n looked over the damage of his arm. 

"We're not sure. It's okay." Thor soothed, his voice hopeful as he turned his gaze toward the door where the lab was starting to open up again. Scott walked off to the now open area and some of the others spread out to see what had happened but Y/n stayed at Bruce's side. 

"You did great, Bruce." She told him, giving him a smile to which he returned, though it was a bit more pained. A muted vibrating came from the table on the other side of the room and Y/n turned to see Clint walking over to it almost numb. 

Did it work? 

"Honey? Honey." Clint spoke, his voice quivering in joy as Y/n looked at Tony. They shared a wide eyed glance, both rattled by the idea that they might have actually won. 

Y/n wished to look at her wrist, praying that the countdown she had before the snap returned. She couldn't even remember how many days it had read back then but it didn't matter anymore. She just wanted to meet her soulmate. Would he be looking for her?  

Were his eyes really blue? 

But their victory couldn't last long and Y/n knew that as she followed Bruce's gaze to the skylight above them. There flying menacingly above the compound was the biggest spacecraft she had ever seen and dread instantly set in upon seeing the missile coming their way. 

"Look out!" Y/n screamed, trying to warn the others but it was too late. Her helmet quickly came forward along with her shield which she tried desperately to put over Bruce's head, protecting her and him from falling debris. But the roof wasn't the only thing falling apart. 

The floor split and some of the group fell into the large hole while Y/n struggled to regain her balance. She quickly looked around her, catching sight of Steve sliding across the floor toward the hole. Using the thrusters, she launched forward, grabbing hold of one of the straps to his uniform and dragging him back toward Tony. 

The building was falling down around them and any means of escape were closing off faster than she could find them. Steve managed to climb to his feet again but before either of them could come up with a plan a large piece of the roof fell, striking Y/n down. She cried out falling through the floor to the room below, getting pinned on her stomach under the roofing. 

"Y/n!" Steve yelled, peering down into the hole. Y/n gasped, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Tony looked down too, the two men struggling to keep themselves up as they waited anxiously for her to speak. 

"Minimal damage to prototype armor." F.R.I.D.A.Y announced making Y/n groan. She slowly lifted herself up using her back to push off the rumble before leaning back on her knees, panting slightly. 

"You call that minimal?" She questioned, annoyed. Tony chuckled through the headset, her reply giving him a little relief knowing she was alright.  

"The suits can handle more than we can, kid." He explained. Y/n grumbled, climbing to her feet. She didn't care how durable the suit was, she was still very much human inside the metal and every hit the suit felt, she did too. 

"Are you okay?" Steve called, leaning closer to the edge of the hole. Tony put a hand on his chest, keeping him from falling in while Y/n slowly climbed to her feet. 

"Yeah. I'm fine, Steve." She waved her hand pretending to be nonchalant before coughing from how forcefully her lungs had been emptied. They were about to attempt to go down to her when the floor they were on shifted and Steve fell over, sliding off to another part in the lab. 

"Cap!" Tony called, trying to reach out and catch him. Steve called back that he would be alright giving Tony a little assurance as he turned his gaze back to Y/n. "This building is falling apart!" He called down to her. 

"What do you want me to do?" She asked, looking around at the floor around her. She had landed in the living room area, one of her favorite places but like the rest of the facility it was falling to ruin. 

"Find the stones. We can't risk losing them." Tony instructed. Y/n let out a short sigh, the weight of the task making her stomach turn. 

"Is it too late to go home?" She joked. Tony smiled softly unbeknownst to Y/n. The building shook again with another hit and he knew he wouldn't have long to talk to her. 

"No." He answered truthfully. If she could find a way out, there would be nothing stopping her. She could easily fly away and forget about this. "But you know what they say. It only takes one fight to make a hero." Tony explained. 

Y/n pierced her lips, knowing that she never really intended on leaving. She was all in from the moment Scott had been yelling into the camera and though she'd been doubtful before, she knew this was where she was meant to be. 

"Go be Iron Star." Tony chuckled, making her scoff and shake her head. Of course, he had to ruin the moment. 

"We really gotta talk about that name!" She called, turning away and running off toward the window to her left. Using the thrusters in the metallic boots she flew forward and smashed through the glass, unsteadily keeping herself in the air outside. 

"Just find the stones." 

•••

When Bucky had woken up he was right where he'd been in Wakanda. T'Challa ran to him trying very hastily to explain what had happened. They had been gone for five years according to the wizard man they called 'Strange' and now they needed to come fight Thanos again. 

While Bucky was usually quick to understand and move on to the next fight, he couldn't help but stop at this news. He'd promised himself that the fight with Thanos was the last time so that he could find his soulmate but he was still fighting. When would it stop?

For a split second he feared maybe his chance at meeting his soulmate had come and gone and he frantically ripped back his right sleeve to look at his wrist. 

"3 days?" Sam asked, peeking down at Bucky's arm as T'Challa organized his army. Bucky numbly nodded, his heart racing as he watched the seconds tick away. He was three days away from her. 

He had to make it through this time. 

No matter what. 

•••

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, can you scan the compound for the stones' energy signature?" Y/n questioned, looking over the wreckage of what was once the Avengers compound. It didn't even look the same, all blown to the foundation with rubble spread around like a battlefield. 

"I detect energy levels matching the stones underneath the building in the sewer systems. You should have access through what's left of the first floor." The A.I. answered. Y/n flew over to the nearest opening of the building, using micro lasers to burn a hole into the floor leading down into the sewers. 

She jumped down into it, landing as quietly as possible before looking around. It was hard to see much, the only light being the blaring red light of the alarm system but the tunnel appeared empty other than the obvious debris and flooding. She cautiously walked forward watching as her display outlined the surrounding area. 

It was eerily silent, the soft trickling of water putting her on edge as she continued down the tunnel, following the power signature of the stones. 

"I detect hostiles approaching." F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke suddenly. Y/n watched carefully as her display changed, showing a clearer picture using an x-ray of the surroundings. The stones rapidly approached as did the hostiles and she quickly held up her hands, powering up the repulsors as Clint ran into her vision.  

"Shoot 'em!" Clint screamed, narrowly dodging one of the creatures that lined the tunnel. Y/n did what he said, firing at the closest creature before moving onto the next, trying to hold them off long enough for Clint to run past her. 

"What the hell are these things?!" She yelled, following after him as they both broke off into a sprint through the water. 

"I don't know but I'm tired of this alien shit!" Clint shouted over his shoulder as Y/n glanced back at the creatures, firing again at one that got too close. Clint pulled out one of his arrows, throwing it into one of the pipes next to them before running faster. 

Catching onto what he was doing, she picked up speed as well, jumping with him as the arrow exploded taking out most of the creatures. Y/n looked up from the ground, noticing that some of them had started to crawl through the flames making her climb to her feet, grabbing Clint under his arms. 

She activated the thrusters and they launched up, faltering a bit since Y/n had barely learned to fly by herself let alone while carrying someone. Clint unsheathed his sword, yelling as he cut through some of the creatures that had climbed up beside them. 

Once reaching the top Y/n dropped him to the side before falling herself, tumbling a few feet away. Clint climbed to his knees, holding out his sword as he let out a threatening shout. Thankfully, no other creatures appeared over the edge and he collapsed onto his back next to Y/n. 

"Hey." Clint chuckled, nudging Y/n tiredly. "You're an Avenger now." He told her drawing a half-hearted laugh from her. She groaned the pain in her ribs increasing at the action and she put a hand over her side. 

"Being an Avenger hurts." 

•••

Once going through the portal the wizard had made, Bucky was met with a wasteland. Thanos and Steve watched as others arrived through the portals and while Steve's expression was much more relieved than Thanos', it was clear they were only evening the playing field as Bucky looked toward Thanos' forces. 

The Wakandan armies chanted as hundreds of other heroes came through the portals, each ready for the final battle. He walked forward, coming to stand a few feet away from Steve as he studied the enemy across the way. He was determined to finish what they had started five years ago. He wanted to find his soulmate and he wanted this fight to truly be the last. 

"Avengers!" Steve called. Bucky held his breath, hoping with everything he had that for all his misfortune over the years, today would end better. 

He'd suffered for a lifetime. 

Please let this be the last fight. 

"Assemble." 

Everyone yelled, running forward at Thanos' forces. The fight broke out and Bucky managed to find himself alongside the raccoon he'd encountered last time. They shared brief eye contact and Rocket's eyes flashed with recognition while Bucky tried to ignore him. 

"How about now?!" Rocket yelled, motioning to his arm. Bucky glanced over at him, growing annoyed with the talking animal's persistence. What the hell would a raccoon do with his arm? 

"No!" Bucky yelled back. He turned, noticing one of the creatures had been sneaking up on Steve while he had his back turned and Bucky quickly shot at it, knocking it down. Steve turned, giving Bucky a grateful and joyous smile. Bucky smiled back making sure to keep aware of the creatures around him. 

"What the hell did you get me into, Steve?" Bucky yelled teasingly. His friend gave a short chuckle, using the large hammer to slam back another one of Thanos's creatures. 

"Nothing two old men can't handle." 

Taglist:

Part eleven

@cancanmarvel

@jessyballet

@eldahae

@mc225g

@kissesofdeadforme

@wantingtobekorra

@sxphiiwrld

@lunaticbarnes

@indecisivedolly

@saiyanprincesswanie

@lextheflexsthings

@silver-winter-wolf

@whatifwedo

@arguedquill1226

@lunashaw57

@loushkspr

@3aileypage

@mela-noche

[roseyserpents]

I'm In Love With You

Summary: neither you or Sweet Pea thought the other would return your not so secret feelings so your friends take action for you

Warnings: none!

Word count: 2,221

Posted: January 3rd, 2020 2:46 A.M. CT

A/N: I've been in a serious mood for fluff all day so I wrote y'all some! This is based on Please Notice by Christian Leave , Hope you enjoy!

And baby when you sleep do you dream of me?

And when you're awake do you think of me?

I need to know, how do you feel?

'Cause baby when I sleep I dream of you

And when I'm awake that's all I do

Think about every detail you have

Sweet Pea tossed over and over in his bed, groaning as he checks his clock, the numbers 3:47 illuminated red as if daring him to stay up longer and mess up his sleep schedule even more than it already was. He'd given up trying to fall asleep at three, the images of Y/n flashing in front of his eyes the moment he closed them in attempts. You'd smiled at him earlier in school, the small gesture everything but to him. The way your eyes sparkled and your cheeks dimpled at the expression made his heart bump bump bump in his chest, in every class after that leaving him staring into space with dreamy eyes. He wondered if you were up thinking about him like he was you. Probably not. He wondered if sometimes he was in your dreams sitting with you under a twinkling night sky like you were sometimes in his. Probably not. You were so pure, so innocent, you probably didn't even pay more attention to him than a glance; why would someone like you, a picture perfect Northsider want to be involved in anyway with a Serpent?

He closed his eyes and traced over everyone of your delicate and soft features, the small crinkle in the corner of your eyes when someone tells a joke, the way your hair falls on your back when you throw it over your shoulder, how your tongue ever so slightly peaks out of your mouth when you're concentrating, or how your hand looked like it would perfectly fit into his own. Everything about you to him was beautiful, but he could never find the confidence to tell you that.

You were the first girl to ever get Sweet Pea nervous and stumbling over his words. No one had ever seen him anything but collected and laid backed, perhaps a bit cocky around girls and never expected him to be a stuttering blushing mess; especially not with a Northsider. But here he was, now at 4:58 still having dreamy thoughts about the girl who sat across from him in the art class Fangs made him take and who sat next to him in History.

"Jeez Pea, you look like you got hit by a bus." Fangs says upon finding his best friend leaning against his locker, heavy bags under his eyes.

"Thanks," He says sarcastically, "I didn't sleep."

"Y/n?"

Sweet Pea simply nods.

"If you're that head over heals for her, ask her out!" Fangs exclaims, clearly exhausted at the situation you two were in. Kevin had been telling him how you'd swoon over the seemingly intimidating Serpent whenever he passed or when he glanced your way, everyone knew you were in love with each other except for you two.

"She wouldn't want to go out with me, Fangs." Pea replies, "She's too... Innocent. We're gang members."

"So what? You've never been scared to ask a girl out. Is the real Sweet Pea in there?" Fangs asks, waving a hand in front of his face for extra affect.

"What if this is the one girl I'm scared of being rejected by?" With that Sweet Pea closes his locker, carrying his books under his arm to his hoomroom passing you and Betty while you had a similar conversation.

Do you notice when I get mad I clench my jaw?

Do you notice when I get sad I tend to fall?

Over my words I say to you

"Hi Sweet Pea." You waved sweetly as he passed causing him to stop and return it with a smile only to run into a Bulldog, clenching his jaw and sending the boy a glare before returning on his path out of sight.

"He always does that when he gets mad." You say to no one in particular.

"Does what?" Betty asks, watching as you stare dreamily in the direction he'd gone.

"His face gets all tense and he clenches his jaw." You answer, "that's the only time he really looks scary."

"Right." She says, pressing her lips into a line and raising her brow, "Well lucky you, you have your next class with him."

Her words seem to snap you out of your daze and you quite literally jump, shaking your head and regathering your books in your arms. "Right! Bye B!" With that you scamper in the same way Sweet Pea walked, a small strawberry blush coating your cheeks.

You slide into your seat next to Sweet Pea just as the bell rings signalling the start of homeroom. You glanced at the boy next to you a few times out of the corner of your eye before finally turning in your desk to face him with a nervous smile.

"Hi." You say quietly causing him to look up from carving something into the side of his desk.

"Oh, uh hi, Y/n." He stumbles over his words. You see a sad look in his eye, concern growing for the Serpent in front of you.

"Are you okay?" You ask softly, gently placing a hand on his arm much to your own surprise. He looks down in slight wonder seeming to get pulled into his own mind for a second before meeting your worried gaze again.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just uh didn't get a-a lot of sleep." He excuses though you were the source of the lingering feeling of sadness that sat in the back of his head. He was sad that the two of you would probably never be more than warm smiles and small talk, that the two of you would never be just that, the two of you.

Your hand lingers a few moments on his bicep before you pull it away, nervously clearing your throat as you face the front of the classroom where the teacher had just walked in.

"Okay class, open your textbooks to page seventy nine."

'Cause I notice when you get mad you close your eyes

And I notice when you are sad you let out sighs

I need to know are those sighs ever over me?

The week after when Sweet Pea was walking down the hall he noticed a Bulldog jacket facing him where you'd usually wave to him. Confused, he stopped and examined your locker, his jaw clenching at the sight. You were pinned against the blue metal by a Bulldog with his arms on either side of your head. You were obviously not into him and were desperately looking for an escape but found none as the boy persisted you let him take you out on a date. He saw how angry you looked, noticing you close your eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

"I'm pretty sure she said no." Sweet Pea intervenes, pulling the Bulldog around by his shoulder to face him instead of you. They looked each other up and down, Sweet Pea standing an inch or two taller.

"What's it to you?" He scoffs before examining the look on Sweet Peas face and smirking. "Oh, I see, you like her. Might as well forget it buddy, someone like Y/n would never go for some Southsider, especially not a Serpent."

Rage flickers in Sweet Peas eyes as he slams the Bulldog against the lockers, the other boy wincing in pain. "Leave. Her. Alone." He growls through gritted teeth before giving him one last push and letting him go. He straightens his jacket before walking off leaving you, Sweet Pea, and a dispersing crowd behind.

"Are you okay?" He asks turning to face you after making sure the Bulldog rounded the corner instead of trying to come back for round two.

"Now I am. Thank you." You smile, your gaze lingering on his face a little too long before you turn and walk away trying to hide the growing blush on your face. Sweet Pea watches in disappointment as you hurry away from him. Did he scare you? Was he too rough? Did he further prove that someone like him couldn't be with someone like you?

Do you know how in love with you I am?

Do you see how in love with you I am?

Every thing that you do, it makes my heart stop

Oh, it stops

"Y/n you're coming to the party." Veronica says. "No ifs ands or buts about it."

"But I have to-"

"No buts!"

You give an exasperated sigh, plopping down onto her bed. "There's no reason for me to go, V. I won't know anyone there and I'll just feel stupid."

"Nonsense!" Veronica exclaims, standing up and pulling you with her. "I'm going to dress you up and you're going. Okay?"

"No, not okay!" You reject as she pulls you to her closet much against your will.

"Great let's get started!"

By the time Veronica was done working her magic, you were almost unrecognizable. Your hair was curled and a beautiful sparkly dress hugged your body that stopped slightly above your knees. You had makeup that matched the colour scheme of the rest of your outfit, the person you look at in the mirror ending up looking like an entirely different person.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Y/n/n." Ronnie smiles looking over your shoulder as you return the grin. "Now let's go!"

-

You pull up to the spot next to a calm section of Sweetwater River, fairy lights strung from the trees while blankets littered the ground with a bottle of what you hoped was sparkling juice in a basket on the ground. There was a bowl of popcorn on a table behind the scene along with a projector. A sheet hung on the opposite end, it's use obviously a screen.

"V, this doesn't seem like a party." You say as confusion laces your words and draws lines on your face.

"Go ahead I'll be there in a minute I need to grab my purse from the back." She says, ignoring your comment. You give her an even more confused look but she just raises her brow at you with a smile and nudges you towards the door. With a sigh you unwillingly get out walking to the admittedly beautiful scene. As soon as you make it to the blankets and twinkling lights Veronica drives away leaving you gaping at her. Did she just ditch you alone on the side of a river?

"Y/n?"

You freeze before turning around, finding Sweet Pea standing on the opposite side of the set up also dressed up for a party in a tux. His hair was slicked back but a stubborn lock fell on his forehead, his overall look stunning you silent. Sweet Pea took your dress and hair and just overall how beautiful you looked in that moment and he swore he felt his heart stop.

"Did they um, ditch you here too?" You ask after a painstakingly long silence.

"Uh yeah they left the second I got out of the car." He answers, scratching the back of his neck - he's nervous.

"Is this supposed to be a... Date?" You ask as if he'd set it up, walking around and examining the appealing setup until you stand in front of him.

"It might be." He answers with a quiet gulp. You both look everywhere but at each other, blushes creeping on to your cheeks in a mix between strawberry pink and cherry red. "Now or never." You hear Sweet Pea whisper to himself before he finally looks at you.

"Y/n, I... For a long time I've noticed you." He starts nervously playing with his hands. You reach out and take one to prevent it, both of your breaths hitching in your throats at the sudden touch. "I've noticed how kind you are to people even when they don't deserve it, how you try to help everyone, how you always give me little smiles that make me feel better even when I'm having a horrible day. You're beautiful and smart and kind and I just - I fell in love with you."

"Sweet Pea I-" you begin with a ghost of a smile dancing across your face before he cuts you off.

"And I understand if you don't like me, I mean who would, it's just I've been waiting so long to tell you-"

"Sweets!" You talk over him, efficienctly shutting him up by holding his face gently with your hands. His own instinctively move to your waist to keep you in place in front of him. The orangey yellow glow of the fairy lights not far overhead reflect in his beautiful brown eyes adding even more to the already present twinkle. Slowly, you pull him down closer to you standing on your toes until your lips hover over his. He takes the final move to press his lips to yours in a gentle experimental kiss that lights off silent fireworks around you and sparks inside of you. After you pull apart, your foreheads rest against each other's with silent smiles of amazement decorating your faces.

"I'm in love with you too, Sweet Pea."

[zi-i-think]

9 | The Miraculous Bastards

Pairing: Zuko x Ama (OC)

Word Count: 6100+

.☽☼☾.

~ Ama ☾ ~

          Around the dinner table, we all chatted happily. After all it's been years since we were together like this. And this time we had some new friends. I sat with my cheek resting on my palm while I watched Aang and Katara tell the story of their engagement again.

         "Honestly, I don't know what came over him. I was so focused on the sun setting that I didn't even hear him ask the first time." Katara laughed, taking another sip from her wine.

         "I thought her being quiet was a no at first." Aang was finishing. "She practically had to threaten me to repeat the question. And when I did she instantly said yes." He and Katara shared a loving look.

         "Threaten you with what? No kisses?" Toph taunted them. Everyone laughed as Aang blushed.

         "N-no." Aang claimed.

         "Then what?" Toph pushed. Based on the deep red blush on Aang and Katara's cheeks. It must be something a little... different than kissed.

         "Anyways." Katara avoided the question, bringing the red wine to her lips again. "Before we all retire to bed. I think Ama had something to announce."

         Everyone's eyes immediately turned to me. Gosh, I already regret telling my sister that I wanted to come out to everyone at once. "One moment." I held up my pointer finger as I chugged the rest of my wine while the others chuckled at me. The light burning in my throat made me clear my throat, as I set my glass down.

         "Here goes nothing." I mumbled to myself and started picking at my nails. "Okay, well as everyone knows, there were a good two years where I-"

         "Disappeared?"

         "Went dark?"

         "Didn't visit?"

         Some of the others finished. My jaw dropped in an offended way as the table erupted in more laughter. "You know what, yes." I admitted. "And in those two years, I sort of fell in love."

         "That's wonderful."

         "What's his name?"

         "Where is he?"

         "How great."

         The table erupted in chatter again. "Okay, you all aren't really helping me with my nerves right now." There was a slight shake in my voice as I spoke and they all stopped talking immediately.

         "I think I get it." Ty Lee said, mainly to herself. I wondered if she actually knew what I was saying and gave the peppy girl a curious look. "You're pregnant!"

         "Ama, really!?"

         "Congratulations!"

         "I'm going to be an aunt!?"

         "No!" I shouted, rapidly shaking my head and my arms out in front of me. "It's been a year since I've last seen them. Besides, it was never even a possibility. Cause- well." I looked around the table. They all either had confused or curious expressions.

         My eyes landed on Zuko, he was leaning back into his chair. Arms crossed over his chest as he waited to hear me speak. His soft golden eyes bore into mine. Immediately, I felt calmer and just blurted it out. "The whole point of me saying all of this is because I'm bisexual and Mulan was a woman who I was very much in love with!"

         "Oh, that's old news!" Toph immediately exclaimed before anyone could say anything.

         "Old news? I just told Katara and Sokka this morning. They were the only ones who knew!" I pointed out, motioning to my siblings.

         "Oh." Toph realized. "Then I guess it's just old news to me. You're heartbeat always sped up whenever you saw an attractive woman." My face reddened and I buried my face in my hands.

         "Moving on. I think that's great, Ama." Suki said, looking at me from beside Sokka, who sat between the two of us.

         "Yeah. We're all very happy for your new found understanding of yourself." Ty Lee grinned at me. "Or would it be an old understanding of yourself? Either way, your aura is very purple and bright!"

         "So, none of you think differently of me?" I wondered, peeking through my fingers.

         "Of course not. You're still the same Ama." Zuko spoke up, giving me a comforting smile. He didn't speak all that much the entire night.

         "So what happened?" Ty Lee's curious voice wondered.

         I shrugged, a somber expression on my face. "She got really sick one day and died." Some voices expressed words of condolences quietly. "It's been hard, but everything happens for a reason, I guess." I began to feel extremely uncomfortable in the dismal atmosphere. The quiet was eating me up.

         "Well," Katara spoke up, standing from her seat. I am so thankful for her ability to see when I'm uncomfortable. "it's been a long day and I'm exhausted." Aang stood up also, ready to go to bed as well.

         "So am I." Ty Lee jumped from her seat. "Who knew traveling could suck all the energy out of a person." Slowly everyone left the table.

         "Don't forget ladies, tomorrow is the bridal shower." Katara announced quickly before entering her room.

         "Good job, sis." Sokka pulled me into him for a side hug. "The execution was a little rocky, but I'm proud of you for finally overcoming your fear."

         "Sokka, your breath reeks of wine." I laughed, shoving him off me. "Get to bed."

         "Mhh. Bed sounds good." Sokka mumbled happily then gave a sly look at Suki. "What do you think, Suki? Bed? Good?"

         The girl smirked back at him seductively. "I think bed sounds great."

         "Eww." I said in disgust. "You're going to make me throw up."

         "Aww, you're just jealous you don't have someone in your bed tonight." Sokka teased.

         "Yeah, it's totally because of that and not because your bedroom is right next to me." I raised my eyebrows and entered my bedroom. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. Finally. I can rest easy, I hope. The walls here are thick, right?

.☽☼☾.

         I woke up early with a list of things to do. But of course, everyone needs  their breakfast. Sitting at the dining table with a bread bun in my hands and a book in another.

         "Watcha reading?" A familiar but still strange voice asked. Turning my head, I saw the one and only Zuko. I gave him a smile as he sat down, taking a bread bun from one of the bowls in the center.

         "A romance novel." I replied, keeping my eyes on my book. "A princess falls in love with the stable boy. But he gets drafted into the war. The princess then disguises herself as a man in order to protect him."

         "Sounds interesting." He responded. "I'll need to borrow it when you're done."

         Memorising the page I was on, I set down the book. "So, how've you been?" I asked.

         "I've been good. Bored, mainly." He shrugged. "You know. When I became Fire Lord, I was never told how much of my time would be spent with paperwork in front of me."

         "That's rough, buddy." I quoted something he'd said a long time ago, cracking a smile from him. "How's Kiyi and your mom?"

         "Good. Kiyi turned 12 a few weeks ago. And mom still asks about you." He responded with a warm smile.

         "Did they get the bracelets I sent? I know it wasn't anything fancy, but-"

         "They loved it." Zuko interrupted me. "Kiyi wears it almost everyday, actually."

         "That's good to hear." I said, taking another sip from my tea. I grimaced at how cold it got from being neglected. I looked over at Zuko with an innocent look. "Hey do you mind-?"

         Already one step ahead of me, Zuko took my tea cup, heating it up with his hands. Giving him a questioning look, Zuko just chuckled. "You're a very predictable person, you know."

         "Well, thank you." I said, taking the cup back from him and sipping it. "So, did you boys plan anything for today?"

         "Aang wants to go to the market." He answered. "Hey, what are some foods you recommend?"

         "Depends." I started, pointing at nothing in particular. "Auntie Ashuna has a booth selling seal jerky. I find that to be pretty filling. There's also a booth selling different sea foods, but fried. Honestly, it's one of my new favorite snacks."

         "Anything sweet?" He asked more specifically.

         "Oh. Auntie Nalle has an entire bakery. She sells cakes, tarts, and all sorts of things." I listed, my mouth already watering at the thought. "She's going to be at the bridal shower, though, so Uncle Perlu will be running everything. Word of advice, don't stare at him. He'll write your name on a piece of paper and burn it."

         He chuckled and looked a bit confused. "Should I ask?"

         "It's kinda my fault." I recalled how I told my uncle that burning the name of a person was a great way of both detaching from them and wishing ill-will on them. "Anyways, I gotta get going. Bridesmaid duties." I stated, standing up from my seat.

         "Have fun." He said as I was picking up my book, placing it under my arm to pick up my dirty dishes.

         "You know me." I smirked. "I'll always have fun."

         "Can you do me a favor?" He asked, just before I left. I nodded, for him to continue. "Keep an eye on Suh for me? I know she's a very extroverted person, but she can feel out of place easily."

         "You can count on me mister Fire Lord." I assured him. He gave me a thankful smile as I actually felt the dining room this time.

         My smile fell as I left. The mention of Suh made me feel... uneasy. I wanted to like her, I really did. But there was something about her that made me wary. I don't know what it is. But I will.

.☽☼☾.

         "What a beautiful knife set." Katara opened the last gift. "Thank you, Mai." The Fire Nation woman nodded a 'you're welcome' while she grabbed a biscuit. Katara turned to look at me, as she set the gift to the side. "I didn't think I could get so many plate sets."

         "You'll never need to worry about not having one." We chuckled together.

         "It was a great idea to host the bridal shower here in the green house." Katara looked around at the place. Vines hung from pots, trees grew strongly, and flowers of all colors filled the clear paneled house. "It sets the perfect atmosphere and it's gorgeous."

         "I know." I agreed. "Plus I think the two of us needed a break of the snow."

         "Oh, please. You were in here like everyday up until two weeks ago." She mocked me, starting to fold up the gift bags.

         "Yeah, some of the bridesmaid duties I were procrastinating on had finally caught up to me." I recalled, looking across the long table I noticed Suh chatting Mai's ear off. The poor girl looked so bored and annoyed.

         Remembering my promise to Zuko earlier, I stood up and went over. "Hey, Mai. Katara could use some help organizing the gifts."

         "Finally. Something to do." She said dryly and left her seat.

         I took Mai's seat and smiled at Suh. "So, how are you liking the South Pole?" I started conversation.

         "Oh, it's beautiful." She awed. "I always believed that the Southern Water Tribe was underdeveloped and unstable, but I was obviously wrong."

         I tried not to feel offended by her little comment. After all, it wasn't like the Fire Nation was taught a whole lot about the other nations. "You should go to the market one day, you can get a taste of some more Water Tribe culture and food!" I suggested. "Zuko told me that he and the boys were going to be there today?"

         "Oh. I didn't know that you and Zu-bear talked today?" It took everything in me not to burst out laughing at the nickname. Zu-bear? Zuko can't possibly like that. "But, anyways. I guess I'll try to go to the market."

         "So, how did you and Zuko meet?" I inquired.

         "Oh, it was nothing special." She swatted the air with one hand and grabbed her tea with the other. "The Fire Nation Council introduced Zuko to lots of women. We went on a couple dates, and just clicked. With all the competition I really didn't think Zuko would want to be with me, but well. Here we are."

         "What does the Council have to do with Zuko's love life?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

         "Zuko, isn't exactly getting younger. The Fire Nation is going to need an heir." She spoke like it was common knowledge. "The Council just made sure that all the women eligible to him are fit to be Fire Queen."

         It made sense. After all, the royal life is a lot more pristine than I know. The year I spent living in the palace had me following proper etiquette. And that was just scratching the surface. Still, having a group of people limiting who you'd spend the rest of your life with sounded terrible.

         "And what did you do before you met Zuko. Were you a diplomat of some sort, academic...?"

         "My father was a general in the war. I never really did anything." She answered. The answer was way too simple for my liking. Especially since she likes to talk. "I hope I don't sound rude, but I'd rather hear more about you." She grinned. "Zuko never really talked about you guys."

         I was taken aback by that. He never talked about us? Why? Is he ashamed? No. Why would he? "Um, well. What would you like to know?"

         "Everything!" She exclaimed excitedly. Her hands intertwined and a hopeful look glimmered in her eye. And I'm starting to see why Mai said she was unbearable.

.☽☼☾.

         I rubbed by my temples slowly, stepping inside the palace with Katara behind me. "Remind me to keep Auntie Vik away from the alcohol at your wedding." I grumbled.

         "I'll remember." Katara grumbled back. "It's been a long day. Oh, you know what would be nice? A relaxing time at the hot springs."

         "That sounds like heaven." I moaned at the thought. "You think the others would want to join us? The sun hasn't even set yet, we have time."

         "That's a good idea, actually." Katara grinned. "I'll go get everyone."

         "And I'll go get the wine!" I exclaimed, sharply turning to the wine cellar.

         And just like that, the second evening with my friends started. With wine in our hands and the hot, soothing water up to our chest.

         "...I was so close to using my trusty boomerang on the guy. I mean, who does he think he is?" Sokka complained about some shop owned from the market.

         "For not lowering the price by a couple copper pieces?" Haru chuckled.

         "I'd already spent most of my money on food. And that dress was perfect for Suki." He grumbled. Suki shook her head, but still smiled at her goofy boyfriend, leaning into him.

         "How was the bridal shower?" Aang turned the attention to the girls.

         "It went well. And now we have a lot of plates to use." Katara grinned, making me chuckle.

         "Props to Ama, though. The girl was hella busy both before and after the event." Toph brought the attention on to me.

         "Oh, please it was nothing." I smirked and swatted my hand. "But the chef was so rude. He told me that the dishes I requested were 'too complicated.' I met with him last week to go over everything and he didn't say a word about it."

         "I saw the way he talked to you." Suki spoke up. "He was way too bold."

         "Seriously though, Katara. You better put as much effort as I am right now when I get married cause I've been busting my ass." I grumbled at my sister.

         "Yeah well I won't procrastinate like you did." Katara crossed her arms over her chest and had a fun-loving smile.

         "That's assuming that Ama will even get married." Sokka quipped, earning some snickers while my jaw dropped. "Hey, I just realized. Katara is getting married before Ama. Even though Ama is older and still single. Ha! Good luck sis."

         "Sokka!" Katara scolded while I actually bent the hot water and splashed his face.

         "Ow! Ow! Ama!" He hissed and with his eyes closed, he reached out of the water, using his hand to try and find his towel.

         "Don't worry, Ama. You'll find someone." Ty Lee assure me.

         "What is with you all?" I chuckled, running my fingers through my hair. "I am perfectly content with my life right now. I got my friends, my family. What more do I need? Besides, I'm not worried about that. After all, I was able to pull in the FIre Lord."

         Zuko just shrugged with a cocky smirk and sipped his wine. "Hey, you got good taste I'll tell you that." Suh looked a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Zuko's relationship with me and pressed closer onto him.

         "Minus Jet." Aang huffed a laugh.

         "And we never got to meet Mulan. So we don't even know what she's like." Suki added.

         "You know it would have been nice to meet her, Sis." Sokka said with his chin up in an offended way.

         "It wasn't that I didn't want to," I threw my hands up and some water splashed from my hand. "You know, the world isn't exactly all that accepting of same-sex couples."

         "I was actually really surprised when I found that out." Aang commented. "The Air Nomads embraced everyone's differences, no matter who they loved."

         "Fire Lord Sozin decreed that same-sex relationships be made criminal when he came into power." Zuko said. "I'm still in the process of legalizing it. There's been quite a bit of pushback by the Fire Sages."

         "Why?" I furrowed my eyebrows as I started to feel frustrated. "It makes so sense. The Water Tribe prefers for you to keep it to themselves, the Fire Nation will throw you in prison, and the Earth Kingdom families will kick you out."

         "Is that what happened to Mulan?" Katara wondered softly.

         "Was she kicked out? Yeah." I said somberly. "She was 13."

         "I had a neighbor that was gay." Haru spoke. "He had to leave town because his farm hept getting robbed and received death threats."

         "So now you can all see why I didn't tell you guys anything?" I raised my eyebrows at them all.

         "Yeah, snowcone." Toph punched my shoulder. "But don't do that ever again."

         "Yeah, yeah. You can't read, I get it." I chuckled as I rubbed the spot she just punched.

         "Ama, I promise you that I will reverse what my great grandfather has done." Zuko assured me. "No one deserves to be punished for who they love."

         I broke into a huge grin. "You're all the best I'm going to cry." My hand went up to my eyes, my thumb wiping the tears that started to drip.

         "We're just glad you could confide in us." Katara swam over, embracing me in a hug.

         "Yeah! You can always trust us." Ty Lee also swam over to embrace me.

         "Okay, new conversation before I start bawling my eyes out." I laughed, the two girls left the hug.

         "Ama, so emotional." Sokka shook his head in fake disappointment.

         "Says the guy who cried when Auntie Ashuna ran out of seal jerky." I retorted. Sokka grumbled to himself as he sank further into the water.

         "You know, I'm kind of curious to know about Toph and Kanto." Katara smirked at Toph.

         The earthbender smirked smugly, taping a sip from her wine. "All you guys need to know is that we're together and he'll be at the wedding."

.☽☼☾.

         Another day had passed and we were one day closer to the wedding. Today was chock full of wedding planning, or at least the finishing touches. Katara and Aang needed to confirm the centerpieces and the decorators were going over how to decorate the venue.

         We spent hours there. And it wasn't the stressful atmosphere or the pre pre-wedding jitters Katara was having that made me feel uncomfortable. It was Suh. As best man, Zuko came along to help Aang out. And Suh never even left his side.

         She kept talking out of turn, suggesting things that no one asked for, and was way too loud. "What about roses as the centerpiece instead of the panda lilies? They're so much prettier." and "Wouldn't blue be a more 'Water Tribe-y' than yellow?"

         I had to constantly remind her that it was both Aang and Katara's wedding and that they wanted to incorporate both of their cultures into it. But it never sank into her head. She'd apologize and do it all over again.

         "I can't stand that woman." I complained to the girls. We all, minus Suh, sat in Katara's room as Ty Lee tried different wedding hair styles on her. "Honestly, I don't know what Zuko sees in her."

         "I told you." Mai said dryly. Yeah, I need to learn to listen to Mai more.

         "Oh, she wasn't that bad." Katara argued with her sweet tone. "Sure she had a lot to say, but you can't hold that against her."

         "Of course I can. She was being incredibly inconsiderate of our culture and us." I justified. I didn't know how Katara was being okay with this. I would have thought she'd be on the same page as me since it was her wedding.

         "Ama, do you think you're maybe over exaggerating?" Suki suggested.

         "Why would I exaggerate?" I huffed.

         "Maybe 'cause you still have feelings for Zuko. And she's kinda engaged to him." Toph said without missing a beat.

         "Will you all stop with that." I grumbled in annoyance. "I told you. I see Zuko as nothing more than a friend. My problem is with Suh."

         "You're problem is with Suh because you like Zuko." Toph was blunt and spoke without holding back. She took pleasure in teasing others, but there was always truth in what she said. Still. She's human and can be wrong.

         "You guys simply haven't spent enough time with Suh." Mai came to my defence. "I've had to put up with her for months. The woman has no filter."

         Suki giggled from beside me and shook her head. "How convenient that Zuko's two exes are the only ones who don't like Suh." Mai just rolled her eyes and I scoffed. There was no way I'd be able to convince them anything. Not if they thought I still had feelings for my ex.

         "I think Suh is nice." Ty Lee spoke up, tying the last band into Katara's hair. "How's this one?" She asked the bride. Katara was the focus of everyone's attention now.

         She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her dark hair was put into a loose braid and then swirled into a low bun to look like a flower. The strands by her face were tied with blue string all the way to the end and pinned to the back of her head.

         "It's beautiful, Ty Lee." Katara complimented after giving it some thought. "It just feels too... posh. And all of the pins are poking at my scalp." She grimaced at the pain

         "Hmm." Ty Lee placed a finger on her chin, thinking about how she could restyle it. "I guess we could try a half-up, half-down style." The girl started to unpin Katara's hair.

         "Katara, shouldn't your hair be a bit more on the 'posh' side?" I asked her, stepping up beside to her to assist Ty Lee in removing the pins. "I mean, this is the biggest wedding of the year. Maybe of the generation."

         "Oh please." Katara snickered, laced with nerves. "Just because I'm marrying the Avatar doesn't mean everything has to be so elegant. There's only 300 people."

         Ty Lee and I shared an amused look. 'Only 300 people.' The vast majority of it were our family and friends, a few others from the tribe. But each nation was also sending reporters to cover the Avatar's big wedding.

         Katara didn't want it to be as big of a deal as it was. But one thing led to another while planning, and it became a big deal. She wasn't complaining, though. Because at the end of the day there was only one thing that mattered to her. That she was marrying Aang.

         Taking out the last pin from her hair, I looked at my sister. She was zoned out, stared at herself in the mirror with a soft smile. The kind that only a person in love would have. No doubt she was thinking about her loverboy.

         "Okay, so what if I tied beads on the top and..." Ty Lee began explaining another style to try, using her hands to run through Katara's hair. I sat back down on the floor next to my sister, seeing how her smile grew at Ty Lee's description.

.☽☼☾.

         The sun had barely touched the horizon. The sky was painted in hues of orange and yellow. The blue sea looked dark except to the line where the sun's light touched it.

         I took in the sight. My back rested against a large oak tree on a cliff. My left leg was out in front of my while my right leg was close to my chest as I rested my arm on it.

         So far, my journey was filled with knowledge and laughter. It was odd, though. I always had my siblings with me. They were my source of joy. Then it was Zuko. And for the past three years, it was myself.

         I still saw my friends. In fact, just a week prior, I visited Toph at her metalbending academy. I rarely saw Zuko. Maybe just twice since our breakup. Once when I passed through the Fire Nation and once at Yu Dao. Apparently, he and Aang were planning on creating a whole new nation. The United Republic of Nations.

         It was an interesting plan. Using the land that was previously Fire Nation colonies to create an entire independent state. One where benders and nonbenders of all nations could live together.

         That was a few months ago. And since then, the United Republic has made advances. Last I heard, there was a vast majority of the population for it. I had no doubt that my friends would be successful in their project.

         I sort of felt like a leaf, I guess. Drifting from place to place. Not that I was complaining. It was nice, learning new things and meeting new people. There was just something missing from my life. And I didn't know what.

         I didn't let myself dwell on that. I knew I'd find this missing thing eventually. But at this moment, I just let myself be content. An apple in my hand and some stupid song stuck in my head.

         Spirits, it was on repeat. It was a song I heard that afternoon from an old man in the town. "When I think of that painter, that beautiful painter. My heart almost bursts and I spin on the spot." It was a beautiful song with a gorgeous melody. But it wouldn't leave my head.

         "Hello there, beautiful." A raspy voice interrupted my tranquil evening. "What's a girl like you doing out here all alone."

         I craned my neck to see who it was. No one I knew. Just some man, perhaps a few years older than me, leaning smugly against the tree. His black hair slicked back with some sort of gel. His layered style was made up of dark clothing. But the most important part of his whole getup was the willow leaf saber in his hand.

         Or in simpler terms. The man literally came up to me with a whole weapon out. I was an unarmed girl just enjoying the sunset. He was a thug.

         During the war, it was the Fire Nation soldiers that caused problems in each city. That spot was now filled by criminals and gangs. They bullied citizens for money or food or anything they could get their hands on. I was lucky enough not to come across any of them. Until now.

         I remained emotionless and just took a bite from my apple. "You know it's dangerous 'round these parts. You never know who might try to rob you. Especially a pretty girl like yourself." I almost laughed at how this man was trying to sound intimidating.

         "Thank you, for letting me know." I replied, covering my mouth with the back of my hand while I chewed. I looked back at the sunset, trying to ignore his staring.

         He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Nice bag." He pointed at my colorful satchel with his sword. "What's in it?"

         "Alot, actually. Some copper pieces, some gold, some silver. Passport, hair ties, good stuff like that." I egged him on and looked up at him. He had a mischievous smirk, thinking this would be an easy steal. "You can look through it if you'd like. But you won't find your dignity."

         His smirk disappeared and he sneered at me. "You taunting me?" He pointed his sword at my chest.

         I sighed with annoyance and got off the floor with my hands on my hips, his sword still pointed at me. "Look man, I was just trying to enjoy the sunset until you got here."

         "Funny, I just started to enjoy my evening when I saw you here." He chuckled.

         I didn't know how long he wanted to keep bickering like this. And I just wanted to get back to the sunset. So I snapped open my waterskin and bent the water in it to spash it against his sword and then froze it against the tree.

         The man's eyes widened and tried to pull the sword out, despite it not budging. "Okay, buddy. It's been wonderful being threatened by you, but as you can see I will be winning any sort of fight against you. So, if you just agree to leave me alone, I'll unfreeze you little toy." I tried to strike a deal.

         But my self-assured ass didn't see the man behind me. Pulling on my hair, he drew me close to him and placed a dagger against my throat. "Nuh uh, sweetie." His gross, hot breath was on my ear. "You see, we never travel alone."

         Three other thugs came out of hiding. Each of them with disgusting smiles. One of them grabbed my bag and looked through it. "Ha!" She exclaimed, pulling out my bag of coins.

         "Jackpot!" One of the others jumped happily.

         "Now if you'll just unfreeze my friend's sword, we'll be on our way. And you'll be unharmed." The man who held me growled.

         "Gladly." I responded and bent the frozen water off and struck the man holding me in the face. Effectively getting him to remove his grip on me.

         The others sprung into action. Mister 'hello there, beautiful' ran over to me, swinging his sword. I dodged it by side stepping to my right, and used my water to, this time, push him onto the ground and froze his hand on the ground.

         The woman stomped her foot on the ground, and the earth beneath me rumbled. I jumped back, avoiding the sharp earth that sprung from the ground. I took my water and used the waterwhip to slap her harshly, throwing her onto a tree.

         But while I did that, I didn't notice that the other guy bent the earth, holding my feet to the ground tightly. It felt like the earth was cutting off the blood circulation to my feet. In shock I looked down. But when I looked back up the man was sprinting, sword in hand and ready to strike me through.

         I called my water to me, but just before I could do anything, a new person entered the fight. A woman. All I saw was a blur of red hair as she tackled the man to the ground. Rolling back up, she lunged again. Punching the man's throat. His hand went up to where she injured him, like he couldn't breath.

         The earth around my feet disappeared back into the ground. I was free, but I was right when I speculated that the rock was cutting of my circulation. It was like tiny needles were continuously poking at my feet, and I fell back into a seated position.

         The man that held me before was back up and held his dagger tightly in his hand. Swinging it across his body to attack the woman. The mysterious redhead jumped back, grabbing his arm to hold him in place as she then kicking his knee in. The man, with a backwards leg cried out in excruciating pain.

         One of the other, that hadn't done anything yet, dropped the bag of money on the ground. He unsheathed his sword and walked over to the woman. She in turn, unsheathed her own sword, a katana to be exact, and the two pieces of metal collided.

         Using his own strength against him, she moved to the side and he fell forward slightly. And while he was hunched over, the woman slammed the butt of her katana against the back of his head, making him fall over in extreme pain.

         The woman I fought earlier was also back up, bending two pieces of rock beside her, she threw it at the redhead. She dodged both as she ran towards her before sliding beside the woman. And when she jumped back up she kicked the back of her knee, getting the attacker to fall on her knees.

         The redhead pointed her katana at the woman's head. And everyone paused. Well, all of them were maimed pretty badly. "You thugs need to watch it." The redhead's voice spewed venom when she spoke to them. "If you ever try to cause pain to another innocent person, I won't be as merciful."

         The ones that were capable nodded in understanding. Satisfied, the mystery woman sheathed her katana walked over to me. With some feeling of my feet I stood up to greet and thank her. But I guess there wasn't as much feeling as I thought and my body started to lean forward. Luckily, the woman was right in front of me and caught me before I could fall any further.

         "Woah there." She laughed lightly, helping me stand by wrapping her arm around my waist and allowing for me to lean on her. "Are you okay."

         "Perfect." I chuckled at myself. "Thank you, so much." I then looked back over to the group of criminals. "That was incredible. The way you moved and everything."

         The woman shrugged. "It was nothing. I do this over four times a week." I looked at her curiously. "I'm part of this group. The Miraculous Bastards."

         "The Miraculous Bastards?" I laughed and was finally able to hold myself up. She chuckled with me. Spirits, her smile is gorgeous. In fact, now that I look at her, her entire self was beautiful. She had dark red hair that hung loose and ended at her shoulders. Sparkling forest green eyes. And she was taller than me by two or three inches.

         "I didn't choose the name." She shook her head.

         "I'm Ama." I introduced myself.

         "Ama?" She repeated like she recognised it. "Wait, weren't you one of the waterbenders that traveled with the Avatar?" I nodded and smiled at her excited reaction. "You literally saved the world! Meeting you is an honor."

         "Thank you." This kind of attention always left me feeling a little awkward.

         "So, what exactly are you doing here?"

         I shrugged. "Just traveling around. That is, until something else comes around and my life takes another turn."

         The woman tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Um, I hate to ask, but would you by any chance want to meet my friends? It doesn't have to be for long and our camp isn't far." She pointed with her thumb towards a direction away from the cliff.

         "The rest of the Miraculous Bastards, you mean?" I inquired with a smirk.

         "Yeah." She chuckled.

         "I'd love to." I agreed. "Just let me grab my stuff." I crouched down, grabbing my satchel and the bag of coins. Ignoring the groans for help from the criminals.

         "I'm Mulan, by the way." The woman said quickly as we left the scene. I smiled at her. I didn't know what it was. But just speaking to her had me feeling something I haven't felt in a long time. Butterflies.

.☽☼☾.

I didn't want Ama's sexuality to be such a big deal. In an ideal world, no one would have to make a big deal or be scared of coming out. Heterosexual is not the default. But after watching Legend of Korra and reading the first comic, I realized that this would be something that Ama would have to confront.

Hang loose, amigos 🤙🏼

[dyker-farmer]

Ok this was supposed to be a quick draw and a description to go with, that blew into a full chapter and now it's also on Ao3 SO happy reading ig idk

I never see Shane works that don't go all in for romance nor explore the more realistic ugly parts of recovery, and I kind of crave That TM. So let me have at it too with the self-insert whump mumbo jumbo; no romo version.

Set post-8 hearts event, Farmer Uidelsib is two years or so in, full house built and married to Emily. They/them pronouns, same as me.

Diverges from then on, Shane-centric from an outside POV for the most part.

[[MORE]]

Take that can away if you can.

Gulp it down. Chapter 1/2/3/4

There's a few to-know to survive life in society, in the valley; there's no good way to comment on the age nor weight of both resident housewives, you can't say no to Evelyn's homemade cookies- and why would you, you fool-, you do not fight at the Saloon or you'll get no cheese anymore on your pizza and only sparkling water for drinks, and-

And you don't mess with Shane's alcohol related ritual.

Except I did, that night, because you do that, when your two-years long friendship with the guy taught you better than letting his impulses overcome yours, when your buddy is trying to recover from teenage long-lasting into early adulthood, trauma-enhanced heavy addiction, and you know, you know tomorrow he'll feel like absolute shit and question his right to therapy the moment he'll stop his pounding skull from splitting. Wonders what a three-dosage paracetamol can do. 

At least he doesn't drink it out anymore.

So yeah, when you're in my shoes, you get that Joja store-bought crap out of Shane's hand, and you brace yourself for the incoming lash out.

The first fractions of seconds are always those to look closely into most. It's only a glimpse, but before the scowl slips on like a well-worn boxing glove ready to strike, there is always this open page I learned I needed to decipher as quick as I could.

Tonight, it's heartbreaking. When I peck his forehead- doting big sibling habits die hard, even when you're actually the youngest of the pair- the eyes I catch looking at me are so confused and bare of any emotion, except for the sorrow that goes beer-soaked tears, it pangs. I get used to the breakdowns, working in the fields I do when I'm off the farm's, but it's not the same when it's a friend.

When I straighten back, offensive beverage in hand, it's already gone in a flinch, away from the empty space behind the chair and onto the table, as he snarls.

"Wha- giv'me back- 's mine!" I don't know how much he drunk before he met up with me, but from the slurring, it's a Lot. A season and a half into sobriety. That's harsh.

I ignore him and walk behind him, pondering where to put the beer for now.

"Y-you can't just do that! It's my booze I got with m'money, not some- who d'you think you are?-" He sputters indignantly, angry tears fewer than the sad ones but still there. He tries to turn around and grab behind his back, but the wild movement is way off and only gets the chair to nearly topples down. I rush in time to stabilize it, and profit off the moment to set a strong hand on his shoulder.

"I can just do that, 'cus it's my house I got with my money, and I think I'm your pal who knows when you've had enough. Dude, I trust you to be an adult, but minutes before, you were already so torched I had to keep your neck upright so you didn't faceplant into the table, and you nearly just kissed my floor good evening. Not to mention you clung to my arms the whole way from the little entry stairs to the kitchen because, quoting, 'If I don't I'll fall in the hole and won't get up'."

I turn to the fridge again, going to open it, before I think better of it. Likely enough, we'll both forget it was there in the first place, it'll stink up my fridge- it's Joja's- and it'll be money out of Shane's pocket for nothing. I set it on the counter, with the rest of the pack. He'll put it to cool down when he's back to Marnie's. Or he won't, probably. 

That's not a worry for now.

When I caught up with him, it was a few feet below my doorstep; he'd probably slipped up trying to climb the three steps up to it, and settled for it. He was nursing that same can, muttering to himself, head down, curled up on himself. Except for that leg sticked out, he probably hurt it when he fell, I'll have to look at that and work on it if it's too swollen. Hopefully that'll spare us from a visit to Harvey's.

Bad memories. Not mine, and it's warm and not raining outside, but. Déjà-vu.

Anyways, he looked the picture of "help I've fallen and I can't get up- and even if I can I won't because Fuck You", and it's been a hassle to have him cooperate. But when I asked if he wanted to leave, he shook his head with a fervor no somnolent drunk should have. That resulted in a lovely streak of vomit down the wall right next to the door. That's also for later. If Eryza doesn't lap it up. Ew. This cat's never predictable.

Now, he's staring at his hands, sitting at my table, contemplating something too far down for me to see- or maybe just zoning out with a sleeping brain. Then he mumbles. "Sorry."

I get back to the table and sit at arm's length across of him. "Nah, 's okay. I don't mind being a helping hand or touchy-feely, must be the frog-eater in me. Not for the helping part." I'd chuckle but my quip falls on deaf ears.

I go to put my hand over his. When he doesn't blink at it, I try and shake a reply out of him, gently. He startles and hawkeyes our joined fingers. When he's finally looking at me, I raise a single eyebrow. He doesn't say anything, but when he pulls back his arm, I let him. We both straighten up, and it's hard to keep up the eye contact.

"So…" There's a heavy air on us. Suddenly, like the last year didn't happen, we're sitting a stride away of each other, and yet it feels like he's all the way back to the forest, looking down at waves.

"Do you want me to do something?" I bend myself a little closer to him, not moving otherwise.

He puts his head in his hands, shivering. Can't tell if it's the AC or his system kicking the alcohol out, or itself, in stress. I think I hear something, but it might as just be his shuddering breath.

"Shane" I insist, voice level, not pressing. "I need words. I want to help, I truly don't mind, but I need words to know what to do." He's never shown signs of going nonverbal before. If he does, I'll improvise. Until then… I need words.

Time ticks slowly as we wait. Then, with great effort and deep fatigue, he drags his palms up from under his nose to his temple, spreading some snot and wet tears across his face from his scrunched shut eyes. Lips trembling but finally showing, that attempt to let out a sound that's not too garbled. He coughs, sniffles a bit, breathe in again, sounding like a sick dog, and blows through gritted teeth before his jaws go slack. Eyes still closed, he whispers, and I have to lower myself some more toward his crouched form to catch it.

"Can I get something to drink…?" His voice is hoarse.

The demand could be comical, if we were into sour humor. And we usually are. But right now, we're not finding the joke in the lines. I stand silently, and as I walk to the fridge again, I let my hand brush his shoulder- same spot as before.

I take a minute to choose, look into the pantry. When I'm back at the table with my items of choice, he's still sitting there, his cheek is cushioned on his arms, face hidden from view. His shoulder, except for the occasional tremor, rise and fall in rythm with his snores. Breaks my heart to interrupt that, but not really. Hangovers are mean bitches with the sharpest nail art on the blackest of boards.

"Psst, dude. C'mon." I rustle his hair backward. He hates when I do that, says it tickles, and it makes him sneeze. So I obligatory do it once a day if I can. Let's say today's my late quota for the last four days I haven't seen him.

He gruffly tells me to kindly refrain from such pleasantries, and raise bleary eyes back up at the table. I can also guess he tried to bat a hand at me, but his coordination is off and he slaps himself lightly on the ear. Then he glares bewildered at his hand for a few seconds, obviously insulted. I profit of this moment to grab a small basin from under the sink, on second thought.

When he brings his attention back to me, I'm sitting again. Between us, a jug of fresh milk from this morning, a small sack of peppers, and a juice carafe sit aside a green glass bottle. There's also some bread, mostly for me to munch on. Because, hmmm dough. He squints at it all, especially at the bottle. Probably trying to read the label.

"Yeah no, didn't get you one of my best wine, not sorry."

"Hot pepper… juice?" He looks at the actual peppers next to it. "With actual peppers?" And then I get the squint too.

"Hmph, I know you like your elongated hell tomatoes, man, what can i say."

At that, a feeble snort.

I decide that it is the highlight victory of my soirée.

"Welp, have at it." I gesture to the half-liter liquor glass right by his left.

He fumbles with the drinks and some splashes around, but I lay back on my chair, arms crossed, letting him do his thing. While I don't hold back from growing downright doting on him when I got to- or even when I don't- I don't see how more devotion right now would be not smothering. He can break my fancy glass cups if he wants and spill my milk, so long he doesn't cut himself or cry over it.

Now, you could be thinking that plain water would have done the trick just fine, if not better, in rehydrating him. Here's the thing, though; going from booze to tasteless liquid, for Shane, that's a sure way to puking his heart out. And I'd rather not have us deal with an acid bile throat burn on top of near alcohol poisoning. Sorry to not spare you the squeamish details, but his oesophagus is pretty sensitive ever since that stomach pumping back at the clinic. Hot fiery hell fruits he can do just fine, with relative moderation and hydratation- hence the milk and juice- but liquor bursting its way back from his guts? Nuh uh. 

It had taken lots of coaxing, but he'd explained the plain tastes, or lackthereof, were very hard for him to deal with, especially when contrasting with strong ones like beers and whiskeys. I'd shackle it to gustative hypostimulation, but I don't know enough about him that way to say. He'd said sparkling water was a good compromise.

But I don't have sparkling water, because I do not like suffering.

I might buy a pack for when he visits though.

And I do know a handful about him already. Shackle that to perceptiveness and a stubborn streak on top of a year and so long camaraderie.

And having a certain uncontrollable fear of failing to act quick the next time coped with by accumulating information and patterns compulsively.

I shake my head to focus on the present again. He's switched from juices to soaking bread in milk to eat it small portion after small portion. He pauses in mid-bite when he catches me staring. He's still hunched on himself and red-faced and a tad bloated. His cheeks are drying and he's blown his nose. I smile calmly. Worst of the storm passed, unless I screw up and blow it.

"Ywou wan' chom'?" He offers a dripping piece of bread. In moments like this, when he's sobering but not quite, the resemblance with Jas are unmistakable. The glint in his reddened eyes that open wide, and his blank-but-not-quite wondering expression, it's all here to paint a scrutinizing but vulnerable picture of tired but bright minds.

"Nah thanks. You done with that milk?"

"...Sure." He eyes it, wary. He knows where this is going, and he doesn't like it. I take the drink off the table, and his gaze follows my movement until I bring it to my lips.

He frowns. A silent warning. 

And as I lock onto him with a dead stare, not blinking a millisecond, I down the rest of the 2 liters jug in three, five gulps. I even take the time to lick my new mustache away, and close my mouth with a click of my tongue.

His expression is the macabre marriage of beffudled horror and pure affliction, disgust if you will. The face of someone who doesn't hate milk, but has grown out of it enough to not be able to live off the stuff like the brave souls I'm apart of. And probably with reason, as I actually can't, like most 20+ years old, digest the liquid in large amount. But I smile like a smug cat, perfectly content.

Cats really can't digest milk once adults, it's all social mythos.

We silently judge and fuck with each other like that for a while more, as more time passes, until the room's elephant gets it all humid with its prancing around. Enough that tears and nervous sweats start again, for no apparent reasons but the residual anxiety from the whole chain of events that led to this.

"I think we should talk about this."

--- to be continued.

[kikoqueenofrats]

@toastraccoon New sticks, new sticks, new sticks, new sticks, new sti-

The week following Cels treatment was quite rough for the duo; Mari was still stubbornly refusing to sleep and Cel was too scared of losing their only friend to push it any further. Though the worry was definitely still there, Cel not being able to sleep properly because of it.

When Cel had fully recovered, the duo decided it was time to leave the hotel and continue on their journey to find Cels game/home.

Mari placed the key to their room onto the desk where they had received it in the first place, pushing it forward before looking at the stick running the desk.

"Thank you for the hospitality, we'll be leaving now" Mari nodded before turning on their heels and heading towards the exit.

Cel waved the receptionist off politely before quietly following Mari out, a hesitant look on his face.

Traveling through the hotel's exit portal the duo quickly arrived at a seemingly abandoned desktop.

Mari looked around just to be sure the coast was clear before clapping their hands together and turning towards Cel, who had just finished locking the door behind them.

"Alright! Show me your best fighting stance!" Mari ordered, their face looking firmer than usual.

Cel stared at Mari in surprised confusion, not expecting them to kick the training off so soon. He quickly shook it away however and did as he was told.

Mari proceeded to look Cel over, squinting at him dramatically.

Cel swallowed nervously, following Maris' movement with his eyes.

After fully circling Cel once Mari stopped, staring Cel down for a few moments.

"This is a good start..." Mari muttered, still eyeing Cel. Cel blushed slightly, both at the complement and at the prolonged eye contact.

"...let's see how it holds up against this" Mari threw a punch at Cel which he instinctively tried to dodge.

"Ouf!" Cel gasped as Maris fist caught his side. The momentum of the fist threw Cels balance so he quickly fell to the floor.

"That wasn't what I was expecting you to do" Mari chuckled looking kind of stunned. Cel looked back up at Mari sheepishly.

"But that was a decent dodge" Mari smiled, reaching out their hand, Cel smiled back and took it, allowing Mari to pull him onto his feet.

"Alright let's try this again, I'm trying to find out how well you can take a punch head on" Mari explained and Cels hesitant look turned into one of fear.

"I'm gonna go easy on you though don't worry" Mari smiled "I'll give you one of my weakest ones" Cel nodded slowly at that, going back into his original stance.

Mari pulled back, looking like they were about to punch when it looked like they had remembered something.

"Oh and feel free to block the punch with your arms, I'd rather not hit that face of yours" Mari smiled slightly for a few seconds before their face went back to its neutral expression.

Cel spluttered slightly, his face going red as his mind completely misinterpreted what Mari had meant.

Cel was about to shake the thought off when Maris fist made direct contact with Cels face.

Mari stared at Cel in shock as he fell onto the floor again with a loud thud.

"Ah, sorry about that" Mari gasped, reaching out their hand to help Cel onto his feet once again.

Cel groaned, rubbing his face as pain began spreading across his nose. "If that was Maris' weakest punch then I'm worried for the person they use their strongest punch on..." Cel thought to himself as he allowed Mari to pull him onto his feet.

"Nah, don't be...I was the on-"

"H...Hello?"

They both froze at that, slowly turning towards the voice to spot a small pink stick looking at them in fear.

"Hi?" Cel smiled waving at the small stick, a nervous look on his face.

The pink stick tensed up even more at that, before quickly turning on their heels and running into a nearby folder.

Cel backed away slightly at that, beginning to eye the computer wearily, as if he was expecting something to jump out at them. "Maybe we should leave," he muttered, looking up at Mari.

"They might be in trouble though!" Mari retorted, glancing at Cel for a few moments before their eyes went back to the folder.

A dark green stick poked their head out of the folder before Cel could reply and yelled at the duo.

"HEY! What do you thi-" Their eyes widened in recognition as their eyes landed on Cel.

Cel returned their look, his face pailing as time went on.

"S...Sean?" Cel muttered tears beginning to fill his eyes.

Sean continued to stare, slowly making his way out of the folder and towards Cel; as they were doing so another Green stick made their way out of the folder as well.

Their face changed from a look of confusion to one of shock and recognition as their eyes also landed on Cel.

Cel let out a sob of relief as his eyes met the other green stick and he only just managed to choke out their name before slowly making his way over.

"Vill..."

Mari slowly followed Cel over, very confused but also very concerned. Cel looked very close to breaking down completely after all.

As the two groups met in the middle Cel suddenly collapsed onto his knees. Mari quickly knelt down next to him, rubbing his back as Cel sobbed out apology after apology over and over again.

Vill and Sean looked down at Cel in concern, they knew why Cel was reacting like this, but they weren't expecting it to be this bad.

Their concerned faces deepened even more at Cels next few words.

"I...I thought...I thought I got you both killed..."

Both of the Green sticks were down on the floor and trying to pull the still sobbing Cel into their arms within the next few seconds.

"Flowershop" Sean gasped softly, wrapping his arms around both Vill and Cel and pulling them both into a protective hug.

"No, no, you had no choice flowershop!" Vill exclaimed tightly wrapping his arms around Cel.

Mari staired on in shock, having just had their friend pulled away from them. Though they didn't say anything, leaving the two sticks to help Cel calm down.

Cel seemed to know them anyway so they should be fine...

"No...no, you don't understand, you...you guys were my friends...I...I should've sided with you!" Cel sobbed trying to wriggle out of the hug as much as he could. Though he didn't get far as the duo held onto him tightly.

"Yeah, you should've" Sean stated, causing Vill to give him a sharp look of disapproval.

"But you're here now, you also seem to regret what you did, so we're good, okay?" Sean continued giving Vill a look of his own.

Vill huffed, looking away rather crest fallen for a few moments before looking back at Cel.

"Yeah...we're good" Vill muttered softly, gently headbutting Cel. Cel chuckled shakely, returning the headbutt. He nodded slowly, still smiling as the last of his tears rolled down his cheeks.

They remained like that for a while and probably would've stayed for longer if it hadn't been for the small pink stick that was slowly making their way out of the folder.

"Uhm...Papa...Dad? Do you know these sticks?" Pink quietly asked, causing everyone to look in her direction.

"Uh...yeah sweetie, this is an old friend of ours, Flo" "actually, I go by a different name now...flowershop has always been a..sort of title to me..." Cel muttered nervously, not looking the two sticks in the eye.

"You remember...I...didn't really think I deserved a name...but...I guess that changed after...I met them" Cel quickly glanced at Mari before looking back up at the two green sticks, not noticing the blush slowly making its way across his cheeks.

Vill and Sean nodded, Vill looking extremely excited and Sean smiling gratefully at Mari.

"Wait you have a name! What is it?" Vill beamed, Cel chuckled in response to Vills enthusiasm before answering his question.

"It's Cerulean...Cel for short" Cel smiled; Vill began flapping his arms in excitement as the others looked on in amusement.

"Well, Rose" Sean turned to look at the small pink stick now hiding behind Vill.

"This is an old friend of mine, Cel '' Sean gestured towards the blue stick still kneeling in front of him.

Rose peeked out from behind Vill, gave Cel a small wave, before slowly lowering themselves back into their hiding place.

"She's a little shy around unfamiliar sticks, but once she gets to know you and your..." Sean eyed Mari for a few moments "friend?" He looked back at Cel. Cel nodded, suddenly looking rather sheepish "She'll warm right up to you" Sean finished, not looking entirely convinced but also not wanting to pry.

Realising he was yet to introduce Vill and Sean to Mari, Cel gave Mari a somewhat apologetic look.

"Mhm, uhm, yeah this is my friend Maroon, Mari for short" Cel gestured towards Mari and they waved, the trio waved back before Sean shuffled forward and stuck out his hand.

"Thanks for looking after our buddy Mari" he smiled as Mari took his hand and shook it.

"No pro-" Mari gasped as Sean pulled Mari into a hug.

"Really, Cels mental state probably wasn't the best when he first came out of his game, it seems like you've helped him a lot...though if I find out you've messed with him in any way then I'll kill you...got it?" Sean's voice suddenly went very harsh and Mari couldn't help but tense up at it.

"This guy really must care about his friend to threaten someone he doesn't entirely know..." Mari thought, relaxing a bit.

"Yeah, I got it" Mari replied coolly, pulling out of the hug.

"Glad we're on the same page" Sean smiled, giving Mari a hefty pat on the shoulder before shuffling back to Vills side.

The atmosphere surrounding the group of sticks became tense as Vill gave Sean a slightly annoyed look, as if he could tell what Sean had just done; Whilst Cel began looking between Sean and Mari nervously, wondering what would happen next.

"Hey, do you want to see my shiny rock collection?" Rose piped up completely decimating the tense atmosphere as a result.

Mari and Cel looked at the small Pink stick in shock and Rose began to shrink back a bit. Cel quickly shook the feeling off and smiled "I'd love to!"

Rose perked right back up at that, quickly jumping to her feet, she walked over to Cel and grabbed his hand.

Cel chuckled slightly at the shy girl's sudden enthusiasm and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and roughly led towards the folder.

The other sticks quickly followed, trying to initiate small talk in an attempt to chase away the remaining tense feeling in the air.