#so like last night I did some Uh research about what would happen if I took too much of my prescriptions

[hwaslayer]

wildfire (cs) | eleven.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 6.1k

—chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language/sexually implied content, san x oc talk a bit, talking also leads to other things 🤭, a quickie in san’s office, riding him on the chair hehehe, covering his mouth cause he gets a lil loud, flashback scene is just ppl talkin about this whole thing and switching up 😭, san x iseul x yunho moment, the start of namjoon’s stress chronicles pt. 2, some overthinking and pondering decisions

san: goodmorning my love. i hope you slept well. i'm sorry to upset you last night, and i'm sorry i put you in that position. i wasn't thinking and acted impulsively. let me know if i can get a few mins with you at some point - i still wanna talk to you. i miss you, baby. have a good day today, okay?

You wake up a little later than expected, and it has you rushing out the door before you can even respond to San's text. You do feel bad for not responding right away but truthfully, you just needed to get your mind together and be in your own space to try and figure out what the hell was going on.

You were starting to get scared and you weren't sure where this would lead you and San. You knew what you were getting into, but the last thing you wanted was for San to get in trouble— especially him, not you.

"Hey ma." You answer the call on your way to class, tugging your bag strap up on your shoulder.

"Hi lovey." She says cheerfully even though she's coming off of a shift.

"Did you just get off of work?" She sighs as she slams her car door and hops in, the call being picked up on the bluetooth.

"Yeah, we're a bit short-staffed so I picked up another shift. I came in around 7pm last night." You nod.

"Well, try to take it easy."

"I will. Are you on your way to class? How's it all going?"

"Um." You pause. "It's alright. But, yeah. I'm on my way over."

"Uh oh." She teases. "Wanna come home this weekend so you can tell me all about it while we get our nails done?"

"Actually, yeah. That sounds nice."

"Okay, babe." She chuckles. "You sure you're okay?" You nod even though you feel your heart drop, tears threatening to spill this early in the morning.

"Yeah, I am. I just have lots of stuff to update you on."

"Okay. Can't wait. Have a good day, hun. Make sure you take your breaks properly, eat and hydrate well."

"I will, mom. I love you."

"Love you too!" The call ends and you suddenly feel alone although the campus has moving parts, bodies floating around to move from point A to point B. You tuck your phone into your bag, fully deciding you'll get to San in between classes today. You do plan to stop by the lab to wean your mice really quickly at some point; maybe you'll deal with San then.

Which is crazy to think about cause that's exactly how things unfold.

Your first class of the day drags on, the lecture today being packed with a ton of overwhelming information. You've already got a few assignments for this class alone, causing you to huff out a heavy sigh when you write it all down in your planner and try to organize your to-do list. When class finally wraps up, you take your time packing up before heading to lab to work on the mice. You grab a parfait to go, quietly eating away as you make your way to the basement. The very back door to the west wing basement is the closest to the café you grabbed the parfait from, so you easily make your way over and toss your empty cup into the trash just as you tackle the steps and head downstairs to the door. When you pull out your badge and get ready to tap it against the reader, the door swings open and causes you to jump aside to prevent yourself from getting hit.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" San stops in his steps. "Y/N?"

"San." You breathe out, clutching your bag tighter. You weren't expecting to run into him now, but you suppose the universe had other plans for you.

"Hey." He fully steps outside and lets the door shut close. You can't help but automatically glance at him from head to toe; he's wearing denim on denim, and you realize he's the only person who could truly pull off the look. He's got on a denim button-up and jeans, chucks. Sleeves are rolled up halfway. He digs his hands into his pockets, soft black hair framing his face. You can smell his cologne from where you stand.

You're not standing very far from him when you should be creating more distance.

"Hi."

"Going into lab?"

"For a second, yeah. I gotta wean my mice before my PI gets mad at me." You look up at him and he chuckles a bit, biting onto his lip.

"For the record, I could never be mad at you." You slightly scoff and playfully roll your eyes. 

"Sure, Professor Choi." You pause. "I'm sorry I haven't responded to your text. I was meaning to come see you later, but I guess now is a good time, too?" 

"Uh, yeah. I gotta meet Jongho and Namjoon to plan out this proposal for the space in the new building." You nod. "But, it's not for a bit. Was just gonna grab some food before heading over."

"Goodluck."

"Thanks, love." He clears his throat. "Wanna give me a quick run down of what happened yesterday? With Yunho and Iseul?"

"Don't let me get in the way of you getting food."

"You're not. I can always grab some after."

"Are you sure?" He nods.

"You're more important." He lets out a breath. "So, what happened?"

"Yunho said he thought he saw me at the conference, that's all. I know he was gonna try to get it out of me, but students started walking into class."

"I didn't even know he was there."

"Well, I clearly didn't either. He said he stopped by last minute cause he was in the area." San sighs. "Iseul knew about it, too. I saw the way she looked at me when I walked out." You look up at him with innocent eyes, and it makes him weak. "San, we need to be more careful and this isn't helping."

"Well, that's why I wanted you to come over so we could talk about this in private. Why haven't you texted me back, angel? I know there's a reason. Are you still angry with me?" He asks so gently and so sweetly it makes your knees buckle. But at this very moment, Iseul is passing by the stairway, on her way back to the office after a meeting in the west wing of the Harvey Center. She doesn't typically pass this way but today, the conference room was closer to the back end, and she wanted to stop by the nearby café to grab another cup of coffee— excited to try the seasonal flavors on the menu that just arrived.

As she passes the stairway that leads towards the very back west wing basement door, she hears muffled talking echoing from below and can't necessarily help herself.

"I just.. don't know right now, San. It feels like everything is crumbling and I don't know how to feel. Jiung knows, and he thinks you forced me into this for the lab—"

"What? You told him that wasn't true, right?" His tone rises slightly, but it's enough for you to remind him to keep it down. It's also enough for Iseul to just slightly peek over the edge to confirm who is speaking near the back end basement doors;

And of course it's you and San.

No one ever passes through this way, and of course San would be taking that opportunity.

"Obviously." You sigh. "I'm just saying, people are onto us. The happy hour thing was probably the cherry on top."

"I got angry and I acted on impulse, I'm sorry." He reaches for your hand and as much as you wanna hold onto it tightly, you can't. You just let him take it in his, his lips lightly grazing the surface of your hand. "Can we take this to my office?"

"I thought you were on your way out."

"And I told you I've got a few minutes to spare. Please?" He pleads and you simply nod, removing your hand from his hold just as he badges in and leads the way to his office. Iseul lets out a breath as she continues on her way, texting her husband the exact scene that just unfolded in front of her.

iseul: i just saw san and y/n talking by the basement doors. he was holding her hand and kissing it.

yunho: so what now?

iseul: i told you i'm gonna try to catch san later. if he doesn't wanna admit to it then i'm going to namjoon.

yunho: iseul.

iseul: yunho, no. i can see the look you're giving me already. they're being way too obvious on campus now, and he better be grateful that i'm just trying to look out for him.

yunho: okay.

That's all Yunho replies with because what else can he say? He knows Iseul is stubborn, and he knows she won't change her mind. He agrees that it's wrong but he's not sure if they're overstepping.

Maybe Iseul really was looking out for him. He'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt because she's right.

This is wrong.

He's convinced this is all wrong because of her.

When you get to the basement, it's as empty as can be and you couldn't even be more relieved while trailing behind San. He looks down at his watch again, fiddling with the door lock and handle before he swings it open.

"Are you sure you even have enough time to spare?" You ask as he locks the door and makes his way over to you.

"Swear."

"We should make this quick before people come back to the basement."

"You know people are always in and out of here."

"Still."

"Why are you upset, love? Talk to me."

"I just don't know what to do. Your ex seems to be onto us the most, and they probably saw the whole thing go down yesterday. You were like.. angry-angry, San, and it was obvious—" You don't even realize you're going on and on about the same thing until San cups your cheeks, softly shushing you; trying to keep the peace by easing you.

"Baby." He says softly, his eyes looking into yours. "Baby, don't worry about this right now. I'm sure it will all blow over—"

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then, I'll face it when the time comes but—"

"San."

"We'll figure it out." He reassures again, even though truthfully and honestly, he's not sure what that means. He's not sure what he'll do if it actually unfolds out of hand, he's not sure what he'll tell you if things do go wrong. He's not sure how he'll be able to salvage everything even if he wants to more than anything in this world 

He just doesn't work on empty promises like that.

"I'll never let anything happen to you. I'll take care of this." He adds.

"I don't want anything to happen to you, though." He sighs and shakes his head.

"Nothing will. Just— just trust me like you've already been doing, okay?"

"Okay." You respond softly, hands resting on his wrists as he continues to cup your cheeks— thumb caressing the surface while his eyes roam over your features.

"I'm sorry for yesterday and I'm sorry you've been upset."

"It's alright."

"I missed you."

"I'm sorry, Sannie. I just needed a moment."

"You don't have to apologize, sweetheart." He kisses the tip of your nose before chuckling. "Although, I'll still beat his ass for trying to put his hands on you the way he did."

"He was such a dumbass." You roll your eyes. "I am grateful for you being there in time, though."

"Yeah, well. Couldn't really do much, but I'm glad you ended up okay." He's still looking at you, his thumb now lightly tracing your bottom lip. He looks deep into your eyes and he can't help but feel like mush; knees getting weak, heart melting at the way he looks at you. He prays to God nothing happens with all this going on because he's afraid to lose you.

He's afraid he can't lose you.

When he looks at you, he feels a sense of calmness. He sees the affection and adoration swirling in those orbs of yours. Your entire being radiating warmth and love. He'd hate for Iseul and Yunho to take away the one thing that has finally kept him grounded. But, he wouldn't put it past them and that's what scares him the most.

They hadn't stopped to think about their actions before. And for someone like San, who loves so hard and trusts wholeheartedly, he just didn't think the love of his life and his bestfriend would ever do that to him.

This is how everything has unfolded and he'd hate for them to be the reason behind all of this, too.

"Baby." He calls for you, and you don't respond verbally. The way he's looking at you, the way he's holding you, caressing you and keeping you close, is enough for you to dip forward and meet him in a sweet kiss. You hear him exhale as he cups your cheeks and takes the kiss, deepening it as you stand in the middle of his office. Your hands grip at his sides as your tongue fights for dominance with his, the kiss easily turning into a sloppy, wet mess. "Fuck, baby." He sighs. "Need you."

"Here?" He nods. He rushes over to his chair, bringing you onto his lap. His eyes are full of desire, lust— pleading for you to give him all of you. "Sannie."

"We'll make it quick." He smirks, hands coming up your thighs to hike up your maxi skirt just enough; thumb immediately finding your clothed core. "No one's around. Just us." You shut your eyes in pleasure, already aching, craving, for him bad. "You do know how to keep quiet, right?" He teases, watching as you continue to react to the way he's touching you.

"Mm— shouldn't I be asking you?" You tease back, fiddling with his belt and undoing his jeans to release his heavy, hard cock. 

"Brat." He chuckles. "Ride me." 

"So demanding." You playfully roll your eyes the moment you position his cock at your entrance, shutting them close when you ease down his length. He lets out a soft, breathless groan, head cocked back against the chair as he tries to adjust to the feeling. "Fuck, San."

"Yeah, baby. It's all yours." He whispers, looking at you through hooded lids. You pick up your pace, working your hips back and forth; dragging your walls against his member. You let out a quiet moan against his lips, San whispering a string of cuss words as you roll your hips—

Driving him to insanity.

"Missed you so much. My perfect girl." He mutters. He can't even help himself when he feels you tighten around him, letting out a moan that might be a little too loud for your liking. 

"Sannie." You whine a bit, covering his mouth with your hand as you continue to push and push towards the edge, clit rubbing against him so deliciously you feel like you'll come undone sooner than later. You watch as San's face contorts in pleasure— pretty brows knitting together, tightly as his eyes shut close. He's murmuring small moans against the palm of your hand, whining and begging for you to cum first because you always come first.

And it doesn't take long before you do.

Your movements become sloppy while San continues to grip your ass in an attempt to help guide you; his cock filling you up perfectly as you bounce up and down before resorting back to rolling your hips against him. It takes two, three, four turns before you press your forehead against San's and unravel in his hold. 

"Ohhhh—fuck—gonna cum—" You gasp just as San fucks upward into you once, twice— releasing his load into you and filling you up with every last bit. He lets out choked moans against your hand, panting and heavily breathing when you feel like it's safe to finally remove it.

"Good god, sweetheart." He breathes. "I'll never get tired of this." You giggle, kissing him sweetly on the lips before slowly removing yourself from his length. You both let out small breaths, San keeping you near so he can wipe you down with a napkin before tending to himself. 

"Hopefully no one's in the basement still." You fix your skirt and get yourself together.

"Uh, not like you had anything to worry about. You seemed to have that under control the entire time." You laugh.

"Taking precautionary measures since we need to."

"That was kinda fun, though." San smirks. "Maybe we should do that more often." He stands to adjust his jeans and fixes his belt.

"Did our little fight just go over your head?" You joke and he sighs.

"Fine." He playfully rolls his eyes. "We'll just keep it to the bedroom."

"You're so annoying." You smile. "You should get to your meeting before you end up being late."

"I will, boss lady." He puckers his lips. "Just one more." You shake your head and meet him for another kiss.

"Bye Professor Choi." 

"Bye baby." He smiles, subtly biting onto his bottom lip as he watches you sway your hips and walk out. As soon as the door shuts, he feels empty. He misses you already and he can't wait to spend time with you again.

"Oh shit—Sunwoo!" You almost shriek just as you come out of San's office. You're afraid he might've heard something, or that he might even sense it, see it on you, with the way he cocks a brow up and tilts his head to the side. "You scared me." He laughs, though it's obvious he's kinda confused as to why you're so startled by his presence.

"You okay?" 

"Mhm." You hum.

"Meeting with Professor Choi?" He gives you a look again and you feel like your ass is on fire. Sunwoo has probably gotten wind of the whole thing and now he's trying to read you.

"Just a quick last minute check-in."

"Oh, that's nice he let you pop in. Everything all good with your progress and stuff? Think you'll stay so you can continue being my right hand?" You laugh and shrug. 

"Maybe. We'll see. But yeah, all is well!" You look at your phone. "Anyway, gonna run off to wean the mice before class." He nods, watching as you hurriedly drop your things off at your desk and scurry along without looking back.

—FLASHBACK

"So, did you hear about Professor Choi getting hella angry over some postdoc at the happy hour event? I guess he was getting handsy with Y/N and was being a total dick."

"Okay? So, he deserved it."

"Yeah, but people there said it was weird."

"How is sticking up for someone weird?"

"No like, guys. He was angry. Like the type to get angry over your girlfriend, angry."

"What are you insinuating?" Belle cocks a brow up.

"I'm so surprised you guys haven't heard about it. It's like the talk on campus right now. People think Professor Choi and Y/N are a thing. Professor Lee and Professor Jeong are also apparently fueling hella shit behind it."

"That's ridiculous, Y/N would never. That'd never happen." Belle tries to laugh it off until she sees Sunwoo sitting quietly in his chair. "Right?" Sunwoo looks at her and shrugs. "Sunwoo."

"Dude, I don't know. I've just seen Y/N go into his office a few times and I thought they were meeting about projects. But, now that I think about it.."

"Are you serious?" Belle furrows her brows. She's slightly annoyed that you'd actually take it this far, and she's not sure how she feels about it if it were true. "Is she trying to secure her spot in lab that bad? She wanted him to like her so bad she had to sleep with him?" Sunwoo knits his forehead at her.

"Yo, hold on. You don't even know if it's true. Even if it is, I'm sure there's a story behind it and not just that. Y/N wouldn't do that."

"We didn't expect her to be wrapped up in rumors like this, too." Belle scoffs. "Wow. If their so-called relationship ends up being true, bet it was because Y/N threw herself on him."

"That's fucked up. She's your friend, Belle."

"Not really, we just knew each other because of school and now we work together."

"Belle."

"What? You really can't tell me you don't think that? You're lying."

"No?! Belle, what?" Sunwoo's tone grows. "I'm saying they're two grown ass adults who are capable of making their own decisions. I'm not dismissing it or saying it's right, but I'm saying there could be more to it than that. Why are you assuming that so quickly?"

"Whatever, Sunwoo. It's gross, regardless. Especially for her as his rotation student." She rolls her eyes. "God, can't wait for it to be over so I don't have to deal with her." Sunwoo starts packing his things and shaking his head.

"That's crazy." Sunwoo chuckles a bit. "She was your friend before anything, bro. I'd expect you to at least have her back." He scoffs a bit. "I gotta go, I got shit to tend to with Y/N. Cause you know, I don't just switch up on people without having my facts straight." He almost mocks Belle's attitude as he throws the peace sign up to his other friend and starts walking off.

—END

After you tend to the mice, San gathers himself and heads out of the basement to head to the bathroom and freshen up before grabbing a quick snack on his way to Namjoon's office. On his way out, he didn't see anyone in the basement; Sunwoo must have gone to hide in one of the rooms to do some work. He's able to whisk himself away without any issues, prancing into Namjoon's office in a better mood.

Jongho definitely picks up on it, but doesn't comment on it. So doesn't Namjoon, but he needed to make use of his time wisely since he's got a busy ass schedule today.

They have a good conversation and are able to draft out some very good points about letting Jongho and San take some real estate in the new building. Namjoon is always good with words and although he's taking quick notes on his laptop, he's making a mental note on how they should present this to the dean. He has a good feeling about it, and he thinks it's perfect timing because the dean has been wondering about other ways to foster good collaboration between schools and departments and how to make their programs a little more unique and prestigious compared to others.

San is coming out of his day way better than yesterday, way better than he expected this morning.

Too bad it's all about to go out the window again.

When San heads back to his office, he powers through his check-in meetings with a select few postdocs and grad students— discussing different avenues they could take with their projects and what their goals should be by the end of the quarter. Afterwards, he finishes the remaining items on his to-do list before sending out his last emails of the day and packing up.

you: can i come over tonight?

san: course you can, baby. you don't have to ask. lol

you: yes, i do. lol. okay, see you later? i have office hours then i'll wrap it up for the day.

san: sounds good, beautiful. i'll have dinner ready for us, k? just come over as soon as you can.

you: ☺️

He smiles to himself as he slings the bag strap over his shoulder, excited to tell you about how the meeting went today and how optimistic he's feeling about everything despite the chaos that has ensued.

Maybe things will be okay after all.

Right?

"San. Can we talk?" Iseul catches him as he steps out onto the first floor of the Harvey Center from the elevator. He furrows his brows at her, unsure what in the hell she could possibly wanna talk to him about right now.

Well, scratch that— he knows, but he's also not sure why she's the one doing the talking on this. It's kinda ironic coming from her. But, San isn't gonna be rude nor is he gonna be a dick to her, especially on campus grounds. 

So, he lets out a sigh and shrugs.

"Sure." He plainly says, leading the way to one of the empty conference rooms down the hall. He sets his bag down on a chair before crossing his arms to his chest, distancing himself from Iseul on the other end of the room. "What's up?"

"You're seeing her, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Is all he can defend himself with because he's truly appalled she's doing the talking on this when it shouldn't be any of her business—

"That's crazy. All this time and effort to keep her around and you couldn't even do that for me." San's brows knit together so tightly— he's not sure what the fuck he's hearing right now.

"We're bringing this up because why exactly? Even if we hadn't worked out, you still found your way with Yunho." She rolls her eyes.

"You're being so stupid, San. How are you so comfortable dating your student? You could lose everything if anyone found out."

"I don't see why this is any of your business."

"Because if you aren't gonna get your shit together, I have no choice but to go to Namjoon—"

"You can't actually be serious—"

"Ask yourself that! You're so hung up over her that you're willing to give up everything for your little relationship." She pauses. "She's young, she's got the doe-eyed look going on. Seems sweet, but she probably doesn't even actually care about you. Get real, San. Wake the hell up!"

"Iseul, you're treading on very thin ice." He warns. "You still haven't told me what any of this has to do with you." He steps forward.

"It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the fact that I'm trying to do the right thing. You know this is wrong." San scoffs and pathetically chuckles, hands dug deep into his pants.

"Does it make you happy, Iseul?" San almost corners her. "Does it make you that fucking happy to keep destroying everything for me?"

"No one destroyed anything for you, you continuously do that for yourself!"

"You're the only person who has ever painted me as a failure and disappointment. You don't get to do that now, you don't get to have a say in any of this!"

"She's a fucking student, San. What's wrong with—"

"And he was my bestfriend!" San finds himself seeing red as his tone grows. All of the happy, good luck shit he was feeling today went out the window in one swift motion. He should've known Iseul would've taken this road. He should've known she would've done this.

For some reason, Iseul continues to be the reason why he can't be happy.

"Hey." Yunho walks into the conference room. "You two are gonna need to keep it down." San can't help but roll his eyes because of course.

Of fucking course.

"Great to see you've been invited to this unnecessary discussion." San looks at the both of them.

"Unnecessary?!—" Iseul fires back.

"Iseul." Yunho calls for her sternly.

"Whatever, you know what? I tried. You do whatever you want, San. Risk all your shit for some student who won't give a damn once it's all been taken away. All she wants from you is your resources and to move up, but I guess that's what you wanted—"

"You know nothing about her!" San growls back. "You know absolutely nothing about her." He repeats.

"Iseul." Yunho calls for her again. This time, there's a lace of anger because this was not what he wanted out of this. He warned Iseul about getting into San's business and she wouldn't listen— now they were all here, arguing over shit when there's already so much bad blood and tension between the three of them. "Can you please just wait outside?" She huffs and clicks her teeth, grabbing her things before storming out.

"Yunho, honestly. Save it. We don't have to do this."

"San, she's right. You could get into a lot of trouble if people start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. People are already onto you after the happy hour event, and I can't exactly say you two have been the most discreet."

"What are you even talking about?" San asks, exasperated and completely over the conversation.

"You two by the basement doors?"

"Oh, so you guys are just spying on us?" San cocks a brow up. "Really makes it better."

"It could have been anyone."

"Could it have been? Exactly how long were you guys watching us?" Yunho sighs.

"I'm only looking out for you—"

"And what makes you think I want you looking out for me, Yunho?" San's tone grows. "Hm? Cause last time you ended up looking out for me, I found you tangled up with my wife." Yunho's jaw ticks, but he doesn't say anything else. Because what can he say?

"You know this will fuck up everything for you." Is all Yunho responds with. "Everything."

"So be it. Sorry, but I literally have no reason to listen to you. Or her." San pauses, his jaw clenching as he swallows thickly. Borderline aching from how hard he's been clenching. "I hope that one day the both of you will finally learn how to mind your own business. Stop coming into mine. We're not friends, we're not acquaintances, we're nothing. We haven't been anything for a very long time and I'd appreciate it if we kept it that way." San grabs his things and rushes out the door, the force almost causing the door to hit the wall on his way out.

"San?" Namjoon comes from around the corner as he watches San walk out of the conference room, loosening his tie as he tries to gather himself. To be honest, he had been standing there for a good minute trying to make sense of the arguing and loud talking going on within the conference room. It didn't take him long to realize who was inside and what exactly was being discussed— especially when Iseul storms out, mumbling a few cuss words and San slander to herself. Luckily, not too many people were around, and if they were, they didn't try to focus much of their attention on their whereabouts. Namjoon is lost because he doesn't have any actual concrete facts to have a say in this. Maybe the happy hour event. San’s little antics.

He does need to get to the bottom of it, though.

Before it all goes south and it comes raining down on San, on him.

"Not right now, Joon. I'm sorry. I gotta get home." Namjoon doesn't say anything else as he watches San hurry off, needing to take a break from this place and get some fresh air ASAP.

"The hell is going on?" Namjoon mumbles to himself before nodding to a few oncoming students when he slowly walks back to his office and pulls out his phone to send a few texts.

If not today, he sure as hell is getting to the bottom of all of this tomorrow.

San hasn't felt this angry in so, so long, and quite frankly, it scares him. He's afraid of reverting back to his old self, his old way of coping. He's afraid of taking the wrong step forward that'll undo all the progress and work he's done on himself.

But truthfully, he fucking hates this.

He fucking hates this because at this point, he feels like it'll only bring more anger. Sadness. Hurt,

He hates that Yunho and Iseul are getting under his skin this way, he hates the predicament you're both in, he hates that Namjoon was there. He hates that he knows this is wrong but he absolutely refuses to let you go—

Even though, he's starting to feel like he needs to rethink those choices.

Mainly because he doesn't want anything to happen to you, mainly because he wants you to succeed and be happy. Mainly because he wants to protect you and keep pushing you forward; even if that means he has to support from afar.

He fucking hates this.

San drives with one hand on the wheel, finger brushing against his bottom lip as all the thoughts run at a thousand miles per hour in his head. He knows it's wishful thinking to assume it'll all blow over and be yesterday's news that didn't really mean much. He feels like it's far from that, and he knows Namjoon is eventually going to talk to him about everything.

He wishes he can hold on for a little longer, push it out a bit more.

Despite his feelings and how shot his mood is, San still manages to stop by for some aburasoba— remembering how you've mentioned time and time again that you had been craving it. He makes a pitstop at a random flower shop nearby, grabbing a small bouquet of baby pink roses. He gives the florist a small smile when she asks him if it's for a special someone, his dimples poking out; heart fluttering, butterflies swarming his tummy when he thinks about you.

And only you.

He wishes he could give you the world without having to hide it. There are so, so many things he wishes he could do or say that don't involve him acting behind doors or away from people.

This shit truly is hard.

When he finally pulls into his garage and parks, he sits in the seat for a little and huffs out a heavy sigh. He grabs his things and sets the food and bouquet down on the island counter before heading upstairs to shower. He gets comfortable in sweats and a matching crewneck, heading back down to the kitchen to get everything set up and ready for your arrival. You let him know you'll be over in the next few minutes, so he lights up a candle and gets the TV going— leaving it on the home page so that you can freely choose what you're in the mood for.

"Hi!" You greet in a sing-song tone as you let yourself in and walk into the kitchen. San is washing some dishes, which gives you the opportunity to hug him from behind and place a chaste kiss to the back of his neck. He chuckles, sinking into your hold before you pull away. "Aburasoba?" You gasp. "And pink roses?" You turn again just as he wipes his hands down and faces you. "Thank you, Sannie." Your bottom lip pokes out in a small pout.

"Of course, baby." He playfully runs a finger down your bottom lip and smiles. "How was the rest of your day? Sounded like you ran into Sunwoo after you left?" 

"Oh my god, yeah. But, I don't think he really caught onto anything. I just told him we met real quick then left, and he didn't question it." You sigh. "But otherwise, the rest of the day was good. Exhausting. I had tons of students coming into office hours so I ended up being done a little later than expected."

"Planning their proposals for finals?" You nod.

"Yup!"

"I know the feeling." You laugh, helping him grab the bowls and taking it over to the living room. You plop next to him on the couch, already flipping through options for tonight. You settle for rewatching The Walking Dead, San chuckling at your pick to sit through while eating dinner. You manage to yap away in between bites of your aburasoba, San only humming or giving you short answers in response.

At first, you don't think much about it. You assume he's exhausted and he's trying his best to keep you company like the good man he is. But then, you turn and he's not really watching. He's kinda scrolling through his phone, setting it aside then blankly looking at the TV. It's obvious San isn't entirely present. It's obvious he's got things in his mind, and you're not sure if you did anything wrong or if something happened in between the time you two were apart—

But, he seems unhappy and you wish you could fix whatever it is.

"Babe." 

"Hm?" He hums.

"What's wrong?" You turn over to look at him, cupping his cheek while you crawl onto his lap.

"Nothing." He chuckles and rubs your back, eyes looking deep into yours. All he sees is a personification of love, comfort. And nothing is harder than fighting the 'what if's' in his head when you look at him the way you do, when you touch him the way you do. "Nothing baby, sorry. I'm just really exhausted." He doesn't like to lie, but he sees the soft smile that grows on your face when you receive his reassurance and he can't help but brush it under the rug.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Yeah, baby." Though, he isn't. 

"Okay." You kiss him on the lips and caress his cheek, smiling at him. His heart aches because he thinks about all the moments you've had to share secretly or behind doors, not being able to put your relationship out there like you both wish to. He finally lets the 'what if's' free, thinking about how this could affect your future, you;

He can't help but feel like, maybe, you deserved better than this.

—read 11.5 here

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom @barbielibra @brown88 @choisansplushie @yunhoswrldddd @hyukssunflower @vickykazuya @lucid-galaxys-world @jaytheatiny @pommelex @thechaotictheoryy @vixensss @santineez @nopension @domfikeluva @in-somnias-world @my-atiny-kookie-rkive @mountiiny @naoristerling @onmymymyway @thecutiepieme @wyrated

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ grwm while I... ⋆⭒˚.⋆

(cw: f!reader, cursing, tiktok trend)

The frat brothers of Nu Chi were getting ready for a trivia night at a neighboring frat house for the night. They had been studying for it all week, probably harder than they had studied for anything else. They had covered sports, alcohol, geography, beer, music, and you, well you were there to cover general knowledge and pop culture. They had trusted you enough to not make you study with them.

Tonight Mark wanted to try something new with his hair, something he couldn't do himself, so instead of laying on frat!Jaehyun's bed, you were in the bathroom doing Mark's hair. You had already blow dried it and were now working some pomade into his hair.

"So I said to her, there's no way you think you're right about this. Like I did all the research and you didn't even have the decency to at least read through the presentation before we presented. I don't know, was I wrong?" Haechan asks as he leans on door frame to the bathroom.

"I mean you could have said it a little nicer-" Mark starts.

"Um, Mark, nobody asked you. I'm talking to Sweetie," Haechan interrupts.

You let out a small laugh, raking the pomade through Mark's soft hair, "I actually agree with Mark. I mean, yeah, she was in the wrong, but you didn't have to tell her in front of the whole class. You could have told the professor before or after class or spoken made an effort yo talk to her before you called her out in front of everybody."

Jaehyun can hear the conversation happening through his cracked bedroom door as he sets his phone up on top of his dresser with TikTok open. He waits until there's a lull in conversation, and finally starts recording.

He can feel his heart racing, his palms are sweaty, and his voice is unsteady as he begins, "Hey guys, the frat has a trivia night going on tonight so I just wanted to do a get ready with me, so uh, get ready with me while I tell you all the reasons why I think it's okay to cheat on my girlfriend."

He stays silent as he fixes his hair in the screen of his phone, but the silence lasts about 2 seconds before he hears various pairs of feet heading to his room. The door slams against the wall as Mark and Haechan begin yelling at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Seriously, what makes you think that's okay?"

"Are you being serious? You would actually cheat on me? You think that's acceptable?" You ask with a sad voice, and Jaehyun just feels... icky. He feels like a gross, mega asshole.

"Sweetheart, no-"

Haechan interrupts him, "shut up, don't talk to her. If anything, she should be the one doing this video. Reasons to cheat on your stupid, asshole boyfriend."

"Sweets, it was a joke," Jaehyun tells you with a sincere look, "it was for a TikTok."

You let out a sigh of relief and give him a small smile, "leave the pranks to me, baby. Don't pull anything like this again. I mean it."

Jaehyun feels a shiver run down his spine as he nods. Haechan is still going on and on, "you should be grateful she ever even looked in your direction! You should be so thankful you were even in earshot to hear her admit that you were her second choice!"

"I wouldn't cheat on you, by the way," you tell Jaehyun.

"But if she did! If she was ever looking for anyone to sneak around with she wouldn't even have to look far. Like I'm talking not even outside this room. And whoever it was, would treat her so right, much better than you-" you interrupt Haechan with a hand over his mouth.

"I'm not cheating on Jaehyun, he's not cheating either, it was a prank," you tell him with serious look.

He sighs, removed your hand from his mouth and presses a kiss to your palm before looking at Jaehyun with a deadly glare, "you ruin every single chance I get. I hold a grudge, Jung. Watch your back... bro."

Haechan leaves the room, you follow behind with a pouting Mark in tow, "bro, your stupid prank messed with my hair. Now we have to start over, I lost all my volume.

"Come on Markie, I can work with this. No more pranks, baby," you say as you pause in the hallway outside Jaehyun's room.

He holds his hands up in mock defense, "Got it, sweetheart. Leave the pranks to you, I know." And it really would be his last prank, at the risk of the rest of the frat jumping down his throat or experiencing more of your cold threats. He felt another shiver run down his spine.

[rangerbarbz]

Professor Pines pt 4

Author’s Note: Guys I am SOOOO sorry it has been forever since i have written. Im gonna be honest i have had a ton on my plate lately with family, work, and school, but i am going to be writing more I PROMISE!!! After this chapter will be the last one in the series :) 

August 20th 

Today was the last day you and Ford were going to be spending together in the cabin. It had been an indescribable summer with him. You had gathered so much information about the creatures you discovered and were going to present your research when you returned to school. You had also been harbouring some intense feelings for your professor. Your heart told you that he felt the same way about you, but your mind brought you back to Earth. You had a habit of letting your emotions get the best of you which caused many disappointments in your life. So, for right now, it was important to stay focused on the task at hand: your research. God, you spent so much time with Ford you were becoming him.

That night after you two had finished packing, you two had decided to celebrate with some celebratory whiskey that Ford had picked up at a distillery on the way to the cabin. There was an old record player that was quietly serenading you with Sinatra in the background while the fireplace crackled alive with flames. You were both laughing at something you said that you couldn’t remember now. All you remembered was the way the skin crinkled around his eyes when he smiled and how he covered his mouth because he was embarrassed by his laugh. 

“You’re something else, Y/N,” Ford said, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“You too, Doc,” you replied, relishing seeing Ford’s sheepish grin. You took another sip of your whiskey, savoring the warm caramel taste as it went down your throat. You didn’t see the way he looked at your lips as they kissed the edge of the glass. Suddenly, your head perked up hearing “The Very Thought Of You” pour out of the record player.

“Oh my goodness! I haven’t heard this song since my high school prom!” you gasped, placing the glass down to close your eyes and sway to the song. 

“They played Sinatra at a high school prom?” Ford asked, also placing his glass down. 

You chuckled. “Well, it was a roaring 20s themed prom. It was a slow dance song. It was pretty romantic for highschool standards.” You then turned and sat criss-cross applesauce facing Ford. “So what type of songs did they play at your prom? Beach Boys, Beatles?” 

Ford sighed and shrugged. “Maybe. I didn’t stay very long at my senior prom.” 

You cocked your head to the side. “Oh no, what happened?” 

His eyes wouldn’t meet yours. “Well, my brother, Stanley, encouraged me to ask this girl I had a crush on to dance with me. Didn’t go too well.” He looked down at his hands and placed them on either side of his legs. He let out a humorless chuckle. “She threw punch all over me and walked away.” 

“That bitch!” you exclaimed. 

“Y/N, please,” Ford said, a blush creeping up his neck. 

“Well , I’m sorry Ford, but it’s the truth. I would have been happy to dance with you.” You stood up and outstretched your arm to him. “Dance with me.”

“W-what?” 

“Dance with me.”

“I, uh, don’t know how to. I’ve never danced before.” You weren’t sure if it was the whiskey or how he looked so flustered right now… But, fuck, you felt electric. 

You smiled. “You’re a quick learner, Ford. Now use that big brain of yours and get your ass up.” Ford quickly downed the rest of his drink before standing in front of you. He was much taller and broader than you. A lot more manly than the guy you had danced with to this song previously. He glanced down at you, and at this moment you had never seen him so nervous. You had heard about how brave he was in the face of uncertainty and terror through his stories, yet right now, he just looked like a frightened school boy. The confidence he usually carried gracefully was withering away in front of you. 

“So, what do I do?” Ford asked, his cheeks reddening. You gave him a soft smile and took his strong hands in yours. 

“Just follow my lead,” you answered quietly. You placed his hands on your waist while yours looped around his neck. He felt his breath hitch in his throat at the feeling of your wrists resting on his shoulders. He had never been this close to a person in a very long time.

You began to move side to side slowly for a while, gazing into his deep, brown eyes. However, he was not meeting yours. Instead, he was focused on not stepping on your feet. 

“Look at me, Stanford.” You tilted his chin up with your index finger. His eyes were finally on you; they were unsure, darting across your face. “Eye contact is important.”

“Yes, I-I suppose,” he stuttered. Why did he feel like the inside of his stomach was being tickled? Are these the butterflies Mabel spoke of?

You gave him a shy grin before whispering in his ear, “This would be a good time to dip me.” 

Ford cleared his throat, feeling blood divert to his lower region. You were so close to his neck; it was exhilarating for him. 

“Oh, okay. Do I just?” You felt his hand move to the small of your back while the other one was placed at the top of your spine. 

“Uh huh,” you reassured him. “Well, if you would actually put one hand in the middle of my back and then the other one under my knee, I think that would be better.” 

He was blushing furiously as he felt the sensitive skin behind your knee. You let out the tiniest exhale at the way his calloused fingers felt. You knew it didn’t go unnoticed by Ford because you saw the twinge of a self-satisfied smirk. 

“Okay, so now you just-” You were interrupted by Ford sweeping you off your feet and catching you at the same time. Your faces were just mere inches apart. All the air had left your lungs as you looked into his eyes, his pupils dilated. You were not expecting the smoothness at which he dipped you. It was like you weighed nothing, and God was it hot.

When you didn’t say anything, Ford started to get worried. “Did I do it right?” His eyebrows were furrowed before they raised. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, concerned. 

You immediately shook your head. “No, not at all. I just… Wow, that was the most romantic thing I’ve ever experienced.” 

Ford began to laugh as he brought you back to your feet gently, his hands lingering on your body for just a moment longer than needed. “That’s the first time I’ve had the word romantic associated with me.” His eyes then began to soften, a smile spreading across his face. Your face felt hot under his gaze. “Thank you, dear.” 

Your fingers began to twiddle with the ends of your hair nervously. “You’re very welcome, Ford.” You continued to admire each other in the silence, the tension so thick you’d need to slice it with an axe. The older man then cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Well, it’s late. We have a long drive in the morning. We better get to bed.” You blinked, obviously jarred by the change in tone. 

You nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ve been up a while,” you replied. You clenched and unclenched your fist in an attempt to bring your attention to something else. “Have a goodnight, Ford.” You walked past him making sure to keep your focus on the floor.  Ford frowned as he watched you give him the cold shoulder. “You too, Y/N.” How could he be such a fool?

[cosmerelists]

How Cosmere Characters Would Flirt With Kaladin

Warning: Adolin & Shallan are NOT in this post! Before you cry, "How DARE you?!", please understand that it's only because I already wrote an entire post that was just Adolin & Shallan flirting with Kaladin. It's linked here.

Anyway, here's how various other characters would flirt with Kaladin if they were so inclined!

Edit: I have this tagged as WAT spoilers- just so you know, it’s the only the last entry that contains a spoiler-y joke so I put it under a read-more. The rest is safe!

1. Leshwi

Leshwi: [stabbing Kaladin straight through the chest] Leshwi: Your eyes look so beautiful tonight. Kaladin: [spitting blood] I-- I'm getting kinda mixed messages here... Leshwi: Mixed how?

2. Azure

Azure: [Stabbing a Fused at the same time as Kaladin does] Azure: Your eyes look so beautiful tonight. Kaladin: IS NOW THE TIME

3. Teft

Teft: I mean to be by your side forever, you know, Kal. Kaladin: I know that, Teft. Teft: Specifically tonight. Kaladin: Why what happens tonight?? Teft: Dinner happens. Teft: While you're there and I'm there. By your side. Kaladin: Uh...okay? Teft: ... Teft: I am not nailing this.

4. Szeth

Szeth: You know...I no longer fantasize about killing you. Kaladin: You fantasize about killing me?? Szeth: I just said that I do not do that. Any longer. Kaladin: Well that's...good, I suppose. Szeth: You still share space in mind with all of the voices, though. But sometimes your presence in there stills them momentarily. Kaladin: ...yay? Nightblood: Eeee, you are SO nailing this!

5. Renarin

Renarin: Hey, uh, Kaladin? Renarin: I had Jasnah help me, and I looked into the history of the treatment of insane people. Renarin: I found some really interesting historical facts about ways the treatment and methodology has changed over time! Kaladin: Yeah? Well, I'd be interested to hear about it. Renarin: (I knew researching your special interest would work!) Kaladin: What was that? Renarin: N-Nothing!

6. Veil

Veil: Oi! Stormblessed! I challenge you to a DRINKING CONTEST Kaladin: We both know you can beat me at that, Veil. Veil: Awwww, you're supposed to say, "How dare you challenge me? I can take you! I can take you right now! I can take you all night long!" Kaladin: In what world does that sound like me? Veil: ...This went so much better in my head.

7. Moash

Moash: [Is sitting in front of his beer, eyes downcast. Various members of Bridge 4 sit around him, looking at him sympathetically] Moash: I just--I can't storming believe it. Skar: We know, man. We know. Moash: I storming looked RIGHT at him and said, "I bet I can swallow it." Rock: You did. You did say that. Moash: Were my eyes not glittering hungrily?? Did I not indicate a GIANT gemstone and say how good I was at swallowing?? Is Kal STUPID?! Sigzil: Like I keep telling you all, formality exists to avoid misunderstandings like... Moash: I AM NOT GIVING HIM A NOTARIZED FORM OF INTEREST, SIGZIL Sigzil: (muttering) Like YOUR way is working...

8. Sigzil

Kaladin: ...What is this? Sigzil: It's...well, it's a notarized form. Of interest. Kaladin: Interest in what? Sigzil: In, uh, you. Kaladin: What for? Sigzil: ... Kaladin: You know I can't read, Sigzil. You gotta help me out here. Sigzil: ...Maybe Moash did have a point...

9. Lyn

Lyn: Hey Kaladin, let's try dating. Kaladin: A-Are you flirting me with me?! Lyn: It's more that I am asking you directly, but the fact that only that level of directness gets through to you is admittedly pretty cute. Lyn: (THAT was a bit flirtatious) Kaladin: Wait what do you mean "only" that level of directness...? Lyn: Come on! We'll discuss it over drinks! <3

10. Dalinar & Navani

[WARNING: WAT SPOILERS IN THIS! SKIP IF YOURE NOT READING PREVIEW CHAPTERS!]

Dalinar: Kaladin, you know how I asked you to become king of Urithiru? Kaladin: You said I could think about it! Navani: We're not trying to rush you. Dalinar: We just wanted to know if you wanted to be "king" of "Urithiru" along with me and Navani tonight. Kaladin: What Navani: You did an amazing job of pronouncing those quotation marks! Dalinar: I learn from the best. Kaladin: WHOOPSITHINKIHEARSZETHCALLINGME

[screampied]

miss vegas. how do u survive in college. please give me some tips. i am barely hanging on by a thread and it's only my first year. how do u do it. also ilysm.

hi nonnie 🌞. omg ofc! i used to live on campus, i don’t anymore which is way easier for me— also, don’t stress. first year can always be a lot and extremely overwhelming but i got uuuuu !!!!!! love u too

it's a lot of things i wish i knew as my first year LOL. i guess one thing that is probably super basic, don’t procrastinate. just get your stuff done so you don’t have to worry about it later ☝️ it’s easier said than done, but trust you’ll feel a lot better once you finish your assignments / projects early n on time !!! also, staying up late while working on stuff — don’t do that. it’s not good for you, and i always did that eheh. waiting ‘till the last minute of 11:59 to finish essays nuh uh. do your stuff as soon as it get assigned, DONT PROCRASTINATE 🫵 also, go to all your orientations. do nawt skip them

sleeeeeep. you need lots of sleep, regardless of what year you’re in it’s very important. i wish i knew that as a freshman 😀😀😀. i would stay up all night doin work, especially on the weekends. certified loser nerd. also, set an alarm !!!! if you’re a heavy sleeper like me, set a fuck ton of them !!!! or uh… have someone wake you up. i used to oversleep a lot, a way to prevent this is to usually go to sleep earlier than you usually do ( from my experience )

if you’re on campus, have some sort of map / guide so you know where you’re going !!!!! on my first day i literally got lost right away and i barely knew much english so it was even more embarrassing LOL. beeeee prepared !!!! ☝️ do research on ur school, they should provide those things — also, try to get those things ahead of time before your courses start so you aren’t askin random ppl where one of your rooms are. of course, its okay to still get lost anyway. it happens. ask for help if needed but make sure you’re prepared !!!

you don’t necessarily need friends to “survive” in college. everyone’s experience is different, but i found my experience easier by just keepin my circle small 🫂. IM NOT SAYING TO BE A LONER, you can have / make friends throughout your years ofc !!! in college, you’ll meet the best and worst people of your life. your main priorities should be yourself and your studies — but you come first at the end of the day. friends will always come & go, but eventually you’ll stumble across some nice ppl who share the same interests as you !!!

there’s prob super more important details but for the last thing i’ll say this— don’t let your grades define you 💓. it sucks majorly to get bad marks on something, especially if you stayed up countless hours on it, givin it your all. i personally have / had a habit of doing that, but never let it define you. if you truly think you didn’t get the right grade for any number of reasons, you can always talk to your prof about it in private. but don’t stress ab it !!! always remember you matter first over some exam 🫵

[d6volution]

Corporeal

Caine/Fem!Reader

caine wants to learn more about humans, so why not become one himself? surely, these new waves of emotions and new desires won't become an issue.

tags: mutual pining, eventual smut, fluff, human!caine, lingerie, reader is down bad for caine but won't admit it, implied masturbation.

Chapter Two.

(previous chapter.)

As an AI Caine didn't feel love, or even fear death. If anything the notion of both seemed more like entertainment to him.

This human trial was proving to be more complex than he initially thought, but what fun that would be? It was in his nature to be curious and seek out answers so that's exactly what he intended to do.

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

The following day Caine waited til what he thought to be a reasonable time to show up at your door, but he just stood there. Hand hesitating to knock. A new feeling,  he thought.

"Oh! Need some help there Caine?" Kinger said, shufing over to him, lifting Caine's hand and helping him knock at the door. Kinger chuckled, "Always gets me too." And just like that he walked away. Perhaps everyone is right, he really is losing his marbles.

But Caine didn't have long to think about his strange and brief interaction with Kinger because you swung open the door. "Oh, Caine.. uh. what are you doing here?" You felt a little disheveled, trying to hide your form behind the door unconsciously. You usually had time to properly groom yourself before speaking with him.

He had to compose himself, clear his throat and remember why he was at your door in the first place, his persona switched on. "Gooood morning, y/n! I hope you're right ripe and ready for today, me and you will be going on a.. mini adventure of sorts!"

"Huh? Just us? Wait— why?" You almost didn't want to ask, afraid he'd suggest others to join.

"Now, now not too many questions, you'll spoil the fun my dear!" He said and patted your head gently.

You blinked and nodded, "Right.. well can I.. freshen up?"

"Of course, I'll be right here!" And he wasn't kidding, he'd stand at your door idly waiting as you shut it. You stared at your room with wide eyes, back to the door, "What the hell." You mutteted, was this some kind of prank? Did someone tip Caine off that you liked him? Why else would he be singling you out??

Maybe you're overthinking it. Definitely over thinking it.

You exited your room soon after, rushing out of the door you didn't realize that Caine was literally still standing in the same spot causing you to bump into him. He caught you mid way, large hands clutching your waist as he helped you up.

Soft, he thought.

"S-Sorry, Caine you really shouldn't stand that close to the door.." You said, a little flushed from embarrassment.

"Duly noted!" He held out his hand without speaking and the moment you grabbed it you were both teleported outside of the tent.

You still hadn't got used to that, your stomach was churning by you managed to hold it back. ".. What are we doing here again..?" You finally asked.

"Well, to put it simply you're going to be my little test bunny, y/n! Bubble isn't really any help at the moment.... and you! Well you're making my body react in all sorts of wacky ways!" He admitted.

"What.. exactly do you mean, wacky?" You said, trying to understand, knowing this all must be just as confusing for him.

"Well, I couldn't stop thinking about you last night. It was quite strange, I usually don't care too much about you all after hours but you were eating away at my mind, y/n!" He stopped and grabbed your shoulders dramatically and you flushed.

"And since that happens to be the case, I plan on keeping you by my side. For research purposes of course!"

This was.. a little messed up, in a sense. You felt torn between flattered and like he was playing with your emotions. But it could it really be helped..? You were stuck here. What else did you have to do with your time? Caine was the only one here you seemed to be the least bit attracted to so why not go along with it.

You cleared your throat, "Well, I see personal space still isn't a thing for you," You jested and he slowly let go of your shoulders, your mind briefly missed the contact.

"Personal space.. got it! Now, my dearest y/n, do tell me. I'm aware you're memories from before now are quite hazy but did you have any hobbies?"

What an odd question. Was he trying to .. get to know you? You had to think, "You're right.. it is hard to remember, but I know I loved being out doors. Walks, picnics... simple things like that were always nice. Though I'm not really sure that really counts as a hobby." You chuckled.

You laughed and he felt that pang in his chest again, he was silent for a moment.

"Yes, yes! All those things sound wonderful, hobbie or not you spend your time well! Come, let's go to the digital lake." He takes your hand without thinking, dragging you along towards the lake. You stumbled behind him, but kept up with his pace. You glanced down at your hands, and how his larger one dwarfed yours.

It made you think about other parts of his body, the way his fitted suit hugged his waist. Buttons struggling to keep his firm chest hidden away—

What were you thinking?? He's an AI. You scolded yourself before your thoughts could even lift off the ground.

"Here we are, I know it isn't quite the same but I think this should do just fine!" He snapped his fingers and a plaid throw blanket was laid out as well as a picnic basket. "Well don't just stand there , take a seat!" He said with a grin.

"I .. I wasn't expecting a picnic now." You said amused by his eagerness and plopped down next to him. You leaned over and opened up the picnic basket and there was nothing inside. "Caine?"

His eyes were busy, when you leaned over his gaze caught a glimpse of your cleavage, luckily before you made eye contact he was already looking away and tugging at his collar a little, "Oh , yes! What.. did you usually pack in your little basket?" His cheeks were dusted with the lightest tint of red.

"Hm.. sandwiches, water.. maybe other fruit on the side?" In the blink of the eye, pixelated versions of everything you named was now in the basket.

"Wow. That must be extremely convenient," You laughed a little, only now noticing the blush on his cheeks that seemed to be fading. "You're blushing.. does sitting out in front of a nice scenery do that to you?" You joked and he almost agreed, because you were the nice scenery at the moment.

"Oh, no no! It must be..sitting this close to you! I told you y/n this janky human body has a mind of its own!" Caine tapped at his baton at the ground a little, becoming fidgety. "Anyways, what a grand time this was! How about we head back? Our best bubble chef must be hard at work preparing dinner we wouldn't want to spoil our appetite too much now would we?" The words spilled from his mouth unceremoniously.

"A.. Already are you sure we just got here—" You tried to protest but he was dead set on ending the picnic so abruptly.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, we always have tomorrow after all!" He grinned and instead of taking your hands he made the bold decision to grab your waist instead. Teleporting you right back in front of your door.

"Well, until tomorrow y/n!" He tried to hurry off but you yanked him by the collar and brushed your lips against his cheek, and before he could respond you hurried into your room like a flustered school girl.

Gosh, what were you doing?

Caine was flustered, confused and utterly enamored. He didn't have a wacky comment to make, he simply relished in these emotions, though.. his thoughts flashed back to your chest and those feelings were amplified but now the feeling wasn't in his chest.. but somewhere lower. This human program was eating away at his base coding.

These desires were bubbling to the surface, and he'd have to... take care of it somewhere more private.

Unbeknownst to him you were having a similar issue. It didn't help that you were not only crushing on the ringmaster but you were touch starved as well..  in the emptiness of your room, away from judgement you thought about how it would feel if Caine was on top of you, touching you and praising you in that charming voice of his.

It wasn't fair.. it wasn't fair, you repeated. But he remained in your mind as you climaxed on your fingers to the thought of him..

You could only dread to think about what he'd think of you doing such a inappropriate thing with him in mind.

Little did you know he was doing the exact same thing while thinking of you.

(chapter three.)

[reverse-runaways-au]

humbly requesting some Reverend and Will first meeting content 🪽🤞🏻

This was both fun and a challenge to write!! No warnings here, other than what you probably already know about the characters and the Reverse Falls au.

Standing alone in the room, staring at the candles on the wooden floor, he braced himself. Again, the warning rang in Stanford’s mind.

Do not summon at all costs.

It was not a phrase to be taken lightly. Not an action to take without long, careful thought. Long sleepless hours of research and study, restless nights alone, turning it over and over in his mind. Preparing himself for what he wanted to do. A reckless man would have summoned the strange spirit, this dream demon, as soon as he could. He didn't like to think of himself that way. He liked to consider himself better than that.

Nothing else he'd come across had a warning like this. Nothing else had the potential like this. Nothing else begged for his attention like this. Begged for his control like this.

Too good to resist. Too good to hold back.

Yes. Whatever this truly was, demon or lesser spirit, or something else unimaginable, he was ready for it.

The candles flickered. Stanford Gleeful held his breath. A wind wrapped around him, tossing his hair as the world distorted into grayscale. Behind his arms he watched with wide eyes as a hole ripped itself open in reality. A triangle through which he could see the whole cosmos watching back.

He blinked.

The eye within the hole blinked back.

Reality turned solid again. The triangle seemed to smile, looking around the room.

“I'm back,” he said.

Stanford lowered his arms, and stared. He was a strange thing, dark arms and legs with a top hat and tie. All blue, an almost photo negative shade, with a single eye that looked at him with cheerful curiosity. Intelligence burned within it. So did power.

He couldn't look away.

“So!” The little thing floated closer. “You're Stanford Gleeful!” He circled around, as if examining Stanford. “Yknow, I didn't think you'd actually do it. Summon me. I'm glad you did though! It's nice to talk to a human again.”

“How-” Stanford swallowed. “How do you know my name?”

The triangle laughed. “What don't I know!” He said. “I'm practically a god of knowledge!” He rubbed his face with his little hand. “But uh. I've actually been hoping someone would summon me for a long time. The last guys didn't like me. They thought I was annoying. I saw you find that old stuff-” He gestured to the desk across the room. “- and I thought, maybe this time it'll happen! And go better, too! I shouldn't hope, it's gotten me in trouble before. But for once, it worked out!”

He reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of Stanford's face, before flicking him on the nose.

“Name's Will Cipher! Great to finally meet you. Hope I don't let you down!”

Stanford felt something odd wrapping around inside him. Like… intrigue. Interest. Attraction? He couldn't say. This whole situation caught him off guard. He'd expected a demon like his grandfather spoke of so often in his sermons, in personality, if nothing else.

But Will, he seemed… Nice. Innocent, even.

“So!” Will crossed his legs and looked at Stanford with clear eagerness. “What would you like to do first?”

Right. He'd wanted to test the demon with questions. See how powerful, how dangerous, he truly was. But he couldn't remember them anymore. Damn it.

“Hold on,” Stanford said, raising his hand. “What was it you just said about being a god?”

“Compared to humans, yeah!” Will said. “I'll show you! You want to see something fun?”

“... Yes?” Stanford said.

Will took off his hat and tossed it in the air. He spun around in a blur of blue and black, moving so quickly Stanford could not see him anymore. The hat shot up, almost hitting the ceiling, and drifted back down.

The hand that caught the hat was human, in black fingerless gloves. The head that the hand put the hat back onto, covered in blonde hair, was also human. Dark blue eyes winked at him, human eyes, a human face. A human body dressed in a blue vest over a black sleeveless turtleneck and dark pants, lean and youthful and grinning wide. Will adjusted his tie.

“What do you think?” Will said.

Something about Stanford's face must've caught Will’s attention. He wilted.

“... I didn't make you uncomfortable did I?” He said. “I can change back if you-”

“No!”

Stanford lowered his hand. He exhaled. Forced himself to smile through his disbelief.

“I… I like it.”

But Will must have known that. How, he would need to figure out. Stanford never told a soul about his true desire in a partner. He would never let anyone know he was gay. But this form that this bright-eyed demon took…

He must have known. How else could he have chosen a body that captured everything he'd ever fantasized about?

“Thanks!” Will said.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was fate.

Maybe they were meant for each other.

Stanford grinned. This was the best decision he ever made in his life.

[andreeacircus-blog]

She had been tossing and turning for a good while before the first attempt to lift her heavy eyelids, which was a complete failure. After what felt like eons of drifting in and out of sleep, she woke with a gasp. Dazed, her eyes slowly moved towards the left side of the tent, where the sun rising behind the trees was weaving intricate patterns of branches and leaves on the fabric.

She felt so far away, yet slowly became aware of where she was. An emotion like nothing she'd felt before rose up through her abdomen and stopped in her throat then. She couldn't put a name to it, but instinctively knew that it had something to do with the pained expression that popped into her mind.

Aloy was not herself, and hasn't been herself for the past few days. It felt like reality suddenly shifted from a solid to a liquid state. She, who was usually so grounded, believed everything was drifting further apart and was harder to grasp with each passing moment since she met Seyka.

How was it even possible to go thorugh so many extreme emotions in the span of just a few days? At first, there was the bewilderment that stirred her worldview when she met the confident warrior who took the lead as soon as she deemed Aloy worthy enough in battle.

Then, the curiosity that made her ask way more personal questions than she was ever bothered to ask someone she just met. Aloy felt pretty embarrassed for showing so much interest, like she was interrogating the girl. She so desperately wanted to know more but then there was the constant fear of saying something wrong that would bring the end of their interaction. A simple misstep and their budding companionship could be over.

That's why she was beating herself up about what happened last night.

She knew that there was no stable ground for them to stand on. She knew that, yet still went and spilled what she'd been keeping from Seyka since they first met.

She didn't know which was was the stupider move, keeping the promise of impending doom hidden for so long or blurting it out at the worst possible time, when they had both been so tense from the difficult fight they just went through.

Seyka's disturbed yet dejected face when she found out that the world was ending, was exactly the type of expression Aloy wanted to avoid seeing on the faces of every person she had met thoughout her journey. But what really caused the guilt coarsing throught her veins was the hint of betrayal in Seyka's eyes.

Escaping these constraining thoughts, her eyes focused back on the slowly vibrating patterns on the tent. Her ears could now make out the familiar hum of nature mixed with the faint sound of heavy metal moving, all parts of the world she was so desperately trying to save.

Despite her general lack of sentimentality, she was very fond of the world that emerged from both insufferable greed and pure love. She wanted to give everyone a fighting chance, or rather, a chance for reconcilliation, both the people and the machines.

But Varl showed her she couldn't do it without her friends now. And this made her feel like she couldn't do it without Seyka either. The confusing part was that what she felt towards Seyka was nothing like what she felt towards her friends.

What this what she feared it was? And did Elizabeth ever feel it? She remembered Tate's words. Then she thought of Tilda. The answer was difficult to ascertain.

What she knew for certain was the strong need to make up with the endearing marine. Even if Seyka hated her now, hopefully she didn't, Aloy had to at least help the girl find her lost sister. She didn't want to be written out of Seyka's story yet. Or ever, maybe.

She suddenly felt the urge to hear her sister's voice, a recent source of comfort.

"Aloy?" she heard through her focus. "It's pretty early. What's wrong?" Of course she knew something was wrong. Beta was very good at reading her lately.

"Hey, Beta. Uh, did I wake you up?"

"No, I was actually doing some research. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just..." suddenly Aloy's eyes filled with tears and her vision became foggy. After a long pause to recollect herself, she managed to let out something she never thought she would, to a sister she never knew she had, not until recently.

"I think I just picked the worst possible time to fall in love for the first time."

[livesincerely]

i was just reading back through your writer’s desks and remembered how much i loved the slideshow au! no pressure but do you have anymore thoughts on it? it’s just one of my faves <3

The outline/notes for that one are still in the very early stages but I’m happy to share what I’ve got so far!

00000

He’s waiting for Tony to come back from the bathroom, the next episode of Crime Scene Kitchen queued up on the tv, when his phone vibrates with a text from Jack.

this prod meeting is running long, probs won’t be back until late. Go ahead and watch w/o me

Everything ok?

ya but part of the set got busted during a scene change so I gotta figure when/how to fix it before tomorrow night

I’ll put your takeout in the fridge and save you some egg rolls

and that’s why you’re my favorite

Say hi to Medda for me

of course

“Jack’s not going to be home until late,” Davey announces as Tony wanders back into the living room. “He says we should start without him.”

….

“Dave,” Tony says, sighing deeply. “Why am I looking at a PowerPoint titled, “Jack Kelly + David Jacobs: A Comprehensive Argument for Maintaining Equilibrium.”

Davey pins him with a scathing look. “It’s a Google Slides presentation, you godless heathen.”

“What the fuck?” Tony asks, ignoring him, clicking rapidly through the screens. “When did you even make this?”

Davey shifts in his seat. “I mean, it’s more of a living document, so it’s never really finished—“

“Davey.”

“A couple years ago, I guess,” Davey says. “Give or take.”

Tony squints at the computer screen. “It’s saved on your old university account.”

“Okay, or maybe it was three months into junior year!” Davey admits, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was a stressful semester and I was super nervous about failing my animal science midterm and Jack was out on a date with that PoliSci major that lived upstairs and— And the when isn’t the point! The point is, according to my research, telling Jack isn’t worth the risk of ruining our friendship.”

“What are these graphs even measuring?” Tony asks, staring at one of the slides. “‘Overall Happiness, Jacobs v Others’?”

….

“Well, your math is absolute shit, for one thing,” Tony says, frowning at a graph entitled ‘Art Pieces per Subject’. Davey’s name is sitting in dead last. “There’s no way these numbers are right. Jack draws you literally all of the time.”

Davey frowns right back at him. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Uh, yeah he fucking does,” Tony disagrees. “You’re, like, one of his favorite things to make art of, period. He spends about half his time bitching about how copic doesn’t make a marker that matches your eyes—at this point I’m pretty sure he’s got more drawings of you than actual pictures.”

“I think I would’ve noticed if Jack suddenly started drawing me,” Davey scoffs, shaking his head. “It’s not like he’s subtle when something’s caught his eye. Plus, he lets me flip through his sketchbooks whenever he finishes filling one and I’m almost never in them.”

“Which one?” Tony asks.

Davey blinks. “Which one, what?”

“Which one,” Tony repeats, oddly intent. “Which sketchbook does he show you?”

“What do you mean, which one?” Davey asks, irritated. “The only one! The one he always— it’s not like it’s some big secret!”

Tony stares. Then Tony sighs.

Very quietly, Davey hears him mutter, “…pair of fucking morons.”

…..

“Okay, but, riddle me this,” Tony says. “Why don’t you just tell him? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“What’s the worst that could— I literally just went over all the reasons why that’s a horrible idea!” Davey exclaims. “It would ruin everything!”

“I really don’t think it would, Dave,” Tony says. “You and Jack… will ya at least think about it?”

“I’ve done nothing but think about it,” Davey says, and to his horror, he can feel his eyes starting to sting. “I can’t.”

“Want me to do it?” Tony offers, and he says it like a joke but Davey knows him too well to think that he’s anything but absolutely serious.

He jolts forward, arms outstretched as if to preemptively cram the words back down his throat. “Don’t you fucking dare, Tones, I am so fucking serious—“

“Okay, okay!” Tony says, holding up his hands in surrender. “I won’t snitch on your neurotic ass, even if it’d make you happier in the long run. My word as my bond or whatever.”

Davey huffs out a laugh, and it’s only a little teary. “Fuck you, my neurotic ass is the reason you made it to graduation, shithead.”

…..

“Hey, can I borrow your laptop?” Jack asks. “Mine’s dead and I left my charger at the theater.”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Davey absently responds.

…..

“Davey,” Jack says, voice straining. “What the hell is this?”

“What is what?” Davey asks.

“This.” He turns the laptop around and— oh shit. It’s The Argument.

He feels his blood run cold. “Oh,” he says. “That.”

“Dave,” Jack says, his mouth set in a hard, thin line. “Did you make a fucking PowerPoint about me? About us?”

Davey swallows. “…It’s actually a Google Slides presentation,” he says weakly.

…..

“You’re telling me this is nothing?” Jack demands, incredulous. He tilts the screen back to show Davey the current slide, which is just an enlarged photo of Jack’s handsome, smiling face, surrounded by a halo of red arrows and the caption, ‘JUST LOOK AT HIM,’ written in boldfaced text. “Nothing? Nothing at all?”

“Maybe we can stop looking at it now,” Davey says, loudly. He leans over the back of the couch, making another panicked grab for his laptop, but Jack dodges out of the way, clicking to the next slide.

[dark-frosted-heart]

Mirror, mirror…Who will sink into lustful dreams? - Roger Barel (His POV)

The aftermath of this story in Roger's POV.

Important: Before proceeding with this story, I'll let you know now that outside of Kate's POV, what happened before was not actually a dream.

As usual can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this

Roger: That should do it...

I'd cleaned Kate up after she passed out from being loved pretty thoroughly.

I then carried her back to her room and laid her down on the bed.

(When you wake up, you'll think everything that happened was all part of Al's illusions...)

(Still, what a misunderstanding. Never thought Kate would think the real me was an illusion)

~~ Flashback start ~~

It all started a few hours ago when Kate stumbled into the infirmary.

Roger: What's up, little lady? You feeling sick?

Kate: This suggestion’s amazing…It’s as if the real Roger’s right in front of me!

Roger: The hell are you talkin’ about?

Sounds like I'm a "fake Roger".

When my brows furrowed in confusion, Kate regained her footing and explained herself.

Kate: Um…I’ll explain later. Do you remember when you and I had a fight last week?

(A fight...Ah, something like that happened)

We had different thoughts on a mission and Kate got fed up with my position...

I remember her yelling something childish like 'I don’t want to see you again!'

Kate: So I asked Alfons to help me…practice apologizing to you. He suggested that I see Roger in a dream.

Roger: So that’s it… So we’re in your dream, huh?

(It's not suggestion though... Is it cuz of Al that you think I'm an illusion?)

(Is he harrassing me or teasing Kate...Could be both)

(I can tell Kate that this is reality but...Since she thinks it's a dream, it won't change anything)

(Now's a great chance...I can do some research on the power of suggestion)

I decided not to correct Kate's misunderstanding for the sake of my research on curses.

Roger: You’re earnest even with stuff like practicing how to apologize. I don’t really care about what you said to me back then. I know you have your own thoughts, so don’t worry about it.

Kate: I wish the real Roger would say that same thing…

Roger: He did. It’s me.

Kate: Just because Roger’s illusion forgave me so easily, doesn’t mean it’ll actually turn out like this. I shouldn’t just apologize…Should I prepare something…?

Roger: If you really wanna show your sincerity, then how ‘bout you buy him a nice beer?

Kate: …! You’re right, I should!

It was just an idea, but Kate's face lit up at the thought.

Something felt off about that happy look.

Roger: By the way, little lady, why’re you puttin’ so much effort into making up with me?

Kate: Eh…

Roger: Hate to say this but, I don’t mix business and pleasure. If you and I are fighting, it’s not gonna affect your work, is it?

Kate: The reason why I want to make up with Roger isn’t because of work…

Roger: Oh…?

Kate: I…I admire how Roger’s researching curses and his diligent approach to treatment others. Though I think it’d be nice if you were less pushy or mean… I put my trust in Roger. That’s why I don’t want to stay on bad terms with him.

(I'm hearing a confession...)

~~ Flashback end ~~

I couldn't control myself after hearing something like that...

I ended up assaulting Kate, forgetting about my research.

Roger: "Putting your trust in me" huh...

I mull over the thoughts she'd never say to the real me.

It's like those words were more intoxicating than any strong drink.

(If she says those kinds of cute things in a dream...she's not gonna return to reality)

I know it's an impossible dream, but...

I wanted her to say what she said to illusion me to the real me.

--

The next day on my way to the dining hall for breakfast, I ran into Kate who'd just woken up.

Kate: ...Roger...

Kate's face turned red and flustered like she was remembering last night as a dream.

Roger: Oh, mornin'. You're acting weird...Something you wanna say?

Kate: Ah...Uh...well... I'm really sorry I said that I didn't want to see your face again that day!

Roger: Don't worry about it...I was being stubborn so we're even.

Kate: Thank you... Please let me buy you some nice beer.

Roger: Sure, lookin' forward to it...

Seeing how Kate used last night's experience, I could feel my lips quirking up.

Then, as if she caught my smile, Kate smiled back.

(Don't you know that I take advantage of you when you smile so defenselessly around me like that?)

Even if it was just a dream for Kate, something like that happened last night...

I wanted to bully Kate again as she kept her guard down.

Roger: To show we've made up...Lift your face a bit

Kate: Eh? Sure...Nn, hmm?!

I stole a kiss when Kate looked up.

Roger: ...Alright, we're back to normal now

Kate: What...Things aren't back to normal, they've gotten worse! Roger you're so...shameless...The Roger in my dream was like that too...

Roger: What about me in your dream?

Kate: N-nothing! Nothing at all!

Either out of anger or embarrassment, Kate's ears turn red and she runs away.

I watch her leave while holding back my laughter.

(Just one push away from it all tumbling down...)

(I wonder how long she can keep her bluff?)

(Well, it can go a little longer...I'm liking this little tug-o-war we have on whatever you'd call this relationship)

(But it's not gonna be a one-night dream if it falls to my side)

[talekinesis]

Chaos from the Stars Ch. 2

okay so I genuinely really enjoyed writing the first chapter :]

I'm gonna keep going. I don't expect it to get super popular or anything, this is mostly for me since I never see anything with just the Ravagers, let alone Stakar's crew

I am doing research on some of these characters, mainly Stakar's group, that's how I found out Krugarr's mouth was in his chest

>Blood/ minor injury warning toward the end<

A/N: This chapter is kind of long and slow, I'm so sorry. It's so mundane, I'll do better in the next chapter

Previous | Next

By the time you woke up, you figured it had all been a weird dream. It was too absurd not to be.

So you sat up, swung your feet off the bed and stretched. Checking the clock, you found that you slept in past 10 am, which was late.. You were supposed to be at work.

Shit.

Maybe you could call in sick.. You pulled on a pair of socks, grabbed a robe, and went to leave your room, only to find that you had locked the door..

But door shouldn't be locked if what happened was a dream.

You unlocked the door and crept out into the livingroom, your stomach dropping when you found Krugarr sitting on the couch, holding one of your books and flipping through the pages. You didn't think he was actually reading it, more just fascinated with the object, but at least he was being gentle with the pages.

He noticed you standing in the hall and greeted you with a nod.

You nodded back partially out of shock that he was real, and turned into the kitchen, arriving just in time to see the woman from last night storming out and back to the guest room. Stakar sat down at the kitchen table, seemingly unbothered and used to this.

He caught sight of you and nodded. "Morning."

"Morning.." you answered back, "Uh.. Is she okay? Something wrong?" you asked, partially worried that maybe it was something about the room or house. Maybe something you could fix.

He shook his head. "No, no, she's always like that. Part of what drew me in actually." He smiled.

"You're together then?" You asked, pouring a cup of coffee. It was cold now, since you made it at 4 am that morning and it sat for six hours, but you didn't mind heating it back up.

"Married for a couple hundred years and still going strong." He nodded.

"Hundred? I'm sorry, I thought you two were human," you turned and looked at him, leaning against the counter, "Are you not?"

"Aleta is Arcturan. I'm sort of humanish, but not really. I was raised Arcturan though."

"That's.. so unbelievably vague.." you muttered. You looked up at him and then out the window toward the barn, then back to him. "Are you hungry? I can make breakfast. A little late in the morning, but you've got to be hungry after a space battle and crashing your ships."

Stakar's brow furrowed, his lips almost tugging into a frown. "Who told you about that?"

Shit, were you not supposed to know about that? Would you get in trouble? Surely not, but.. Would Kraglin get in trouble for telling you? Was that not your business?

"Uh, Kraglin did.. I think he's one of.. what was his name.. Yon- He's one of Yondu's men.. Is that okay, if I know about that?" you asked, slightly worried.

He shook his head and sat back in the kitchen chair, the wood creaking under him. "It's fine, I was just confused how you knew that.. Yeah, I could go for something, I haven't had Terran food in ages. Do you mind making a little extra, for my wife?"

You nodded, thinking it was sweet he wanted to get her something as well. "Of course. How's eggs sound?" you asked, opening the fridge door and pulling a carton out. That was when you started to smell something fowl.

At first you sniffed the carton in your hand, but that wasn't it. You sniffed the air, nose scrunched, and it lead you to the door that lead outside.

You slid open the glass door, only to be startled by a man stumbling back, equally as startled, muttering out apology after apology as if he had been caught doing something.

Stunned, you stepped out onto the back porch, not even setting the eggs down first.

This man was human-like with dreads, and some sort of facial tattoo or marking around his right eye.

You sniffed the air again and finally recognized the scent. Piss.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, the fellas told me to do it away from the barn, I should have just gone to the field, I don't know what I was thinking-" he rambled out, clearly embarrassed at having been caught.. relieving himself on your back deck.

You were starting to catch secondhand embarrassment yourself, so you held up a hand to stop him. "It's fine- .. Uh.."

"Tullk.."

"Tullk.. It's fine. Just- .. Either walk yourself into the woods behind the property, or you can come inside and use the restroom.. I know you're staying in the barn, but I won't treat you like an animal." you joked a little, trying to lighten the mood a little.

God this was fucking awkward.

"You and the other guys want some breakfast?" You offered, changing the subject.

By the way his eyes lit up at the mention of food, you assumed it had been a while since he, or any of them, had eaten. He nodded, and you sent him back to the barn to let the others know.

Then you realized you'd actually have to somehow cook for forty men, and let out a long, irritated sigh.

You barely liked cooking for just yourself.

You headed inside and put the eggs back in the fridge. "Stakar, I'm heading into town, I have to buy more food, please don't let anyone pee on my back porch." you called as you passed through the kitchen and down the hall, slightly amused by his confused and stressed out 'What?'

You got dressed quickly and grabbed the keys, ready to head out before you stopped and realized you didn't know what aliens could or couldn't eat. With a sigh, you turned and jogged out to the barn, where you walked in on some sort of fight going on.

A bald man with a knife was yelling, trying to get at another man with a prosthetic eye who was trying to reach for some sort of gun on his hip. Both men were roughly pulled apart by an extremely large man in a yellow suit, who stopped the fight pretty quickly with a loud booming voice that made even you feel like you were in trouble despite not having done anything.

"ENOUGH! Retch, go take a walk! Give me the knife. Vorker, stay here. Yondu! Get your men under control, there is no reason why I should be the peace keeper down here when you are their captain!"

The bald man, Retch you assume, pushed past you, muttering under his breath. Vorker grumbled and made his way toward the back of the barn where one of the heaters were and sat down.

Movement from the loft caught your attention, as you saw Yondu lean over the railing, pissed.

"Don't you tell me how to lead my men! They woulda been fine if you just let them sort it out themselves. If one of 'em dies, that's on them."

Sensing another argument would break out, you cleared your throat loudly, getting everyone's attention. Kraglin noticeably stood a little straighter, as if embarrassed by the way the crew was behaving.

"I'm heading into town to get food," you started, acting like nothing had happened, "However, I'm not sure what you all can or can't consume. If someone would like to come with me and help me out, that would be appreciated.. Uh.. Preferably someone who won't shoplift or get me in trouble with the store-" a couple men sat back down, "...Or the government, if someone reports seeing aliens." A few more men sat back down.

"I'll go, I can pass as Terran, and I know the crew pretty well." Kraglin said, stepping up. He looked to Yondu, as if silently asking if things would be okay while he was gone, and the captain just nodded back.

"Alright, come with me, my car's out front." You looked past him as he approached and called out, "Please don't kill each other while you're here! I don't really care how you settle things, but I don't want to have to deal with cleaning up blood or getting rid of a body, thanks!"

You heard a few men chuckle and start giving Vorker a hard time as your turned and left with Kraglin, leading him toward the driveway.

You got in the driver's side and turned the car on before realizing Kraglin hadn't gotten in yet. Ducking your head a bit lower to see what he was doing, you saw him standing there, grabbing at the door handle a little before attempting to push it.

When he realized pushing it wouldn't work, he pulled, a little too hard, and startled a little when the door flew open. Flustered, he got in and pulled the door shut. "I've.. the doors-.. We don't have doors like that anywhere else.." He muttered.

Laughing a little, you started to pull out of the driveway, only to notice a dinging sound. You turned to Kraglin, who was looking around for the noise.

"The uh, seat belt. It's behind y- no on your right- above your shoulder there- hold on." You leaned over, grabbed his seat belt, and just clicked it in for him to save time. He cleared his throat and looked out the window self-consciously.

You sat back in your seat and started the journey to the store, turning the radio on. Some 70s song came on, and you didn't miss the way he started to subtly bop his head, apparently knowing the words.

I'm hooked on a feeling..

I'm high on believing..

You wondered how he knew the song if he was from another planet.

-

Getting to the store was easy. Getting into the store was easy. Getting out of the store was what was difficult. At this point, your 'guests' would be eating lunch.

You and Kraglin had been walking around the store for nearly an hour gathering food -mostly meat- for the others, and he kept stopping to read every ingredient on the labels. A good thing, you were sure, but it was taking forever.

You looked down at the cart, filled with various meats, cartons of eggs, gallons of milk, vegetables, a new large pot to cook with, and multiple new sets of silverware and dishes since you knew you didn't have enough back at home.

You sighed. This was going to be expensive.

You noticed people giving Kraglin some odd looks, noticing his Ravager uniform, and pushed the cart in front of him in an attempt to sort of block him a little.

"I don't mean to be rude, but can you hurry just a little bit? You do pass as human, but people are staring. I think they think you're a cop of some kind or maybe a LARPer.." you whispered.

His face screwed in confusion. "The hell is a 'Larper..?'" he muttered, "And I would, but I'm trying to figure out if these are safe for some of the guys," he handed you a can, "They look like fruit, but they're in a can, and the label says it has acid in it."

You looked down at the can and tossed it in the cart. "It's pineapple, sometimes humans store fruit in cans to make it last longer or more convenient to prepare.. And uh.. well the acid is safe for humans to eat.. though I'm not sure about any other races.. I mean I read somewhere that the reason it tingles a little when you eat it is because technically the acid is eating you back in a way..? But it's safe for us, as weird as that sounds."

He tilted his head to think about it, then grabbed a couple more cans, putting them in the cart. "I mean if it's safe for Terrans, it's probably safe for the fellas. I don't say this to be rude or nothin', but Terrans typically are less.. durable than other people."

You didn't take offense to that, but man it was funny hearing him try to phrase it politely.. So you were a little mean about it.

"What do you mean by that?" You asked, biting back a smile.

His eyes widened and he backpedaled. "I-I didn't mean nothin' by it, I just meant.. Well.. Okay, Terrans aren't weak, I'm not sayin' that, I mean, I'm sure there are things that y'all are better than us at-" He rambled on.

He only stopped when he caught sight of your grin and sighed, realizing what you were doing.

"You're so funny." He muttered, sarcastically.

"I am." You laughed, starting to push the cart toward the self check-out before he got the chance to grab anything else. You were on a budget.

-

By the time you got home, it was around noon, so you figured you'd just make lunch instead. It was easier anyway, you'd just make sandwiches and hopefully get someone to help you.

You entered the house, carrying as many bags as you could, Kraglin coming in behind you doing the same.

A couple more Ravagers were inside now, and you could see many more were outside, either in the yard or sitting on the back porch. And luckily no one was fighting.

You locked eyes with Tullk as he came out from the hallway. "Hey, there's still some more bags out in the trunk of my car, do you mind getting them?" you asked.

He nodded and headed past you while you focused on just setting everything down and stocking. Freezer foods first, then fridge-

No room.

"I guess I'll have to use the freezer in the basement.." you said, mostly to yourself. You hated the basement. Not only was it dark and unfinished, but it was creepy. You knew logically it shouldn't be, since you're an adult, but you couldn't help it. You tried not to go down there unless you had to.

"What's this?" A deeper voice asked suddenly.

You turned around to find a man with pale, pinkish-purple, almost scaly skin, golden eyes, and a flat, multi-chambered nose. He looked like if a snake were a person. Brahl, you remembered.

You looked at the can in his hand. "Pineapple," you answered, "it's a type of fruit. It's sweet, but it can also taste sort of.. tingly, I guess? It's good, feel free to open it. Can-opener should he in the-" you stopped as he bit the can open, "... okay, yeah sure.."

You couldn't help but stare a little as he just reached in and grabbed a pineapple ring, putting the whole thing in his mouth. You shook your head and started to grab some of the bags of freezer food to take down to the basement, only to be startled out of it when you heard aggressive coughing.

You whipped around to find Brahl bent over the sink, spitting the pineapple out and frantically turning the sink on to run his tongue under the water.. Water that ran purple after it dripped from his mouth.

Oh god..

You dropped the bags and rushed over to him to see what the problem was, and sure enough, his tongue was bleeding, blistered, and splitting open.

Worried he was having some sort of allergic reaction, you told Kraglin to go find their medic if they had one, and he rushed outside. Turning your attention back to Brahl, you made him look at you.

"Can you breathe?? Is your throat closing up?" You asked.

He shook his head and just spit more blood into the sink. "Fuck.. Fuck, it juth burnth.." he said, though it came out slightly muffled due to the injury.

"Burns?" You questioned. Your eyes widened.. Fuck..

"Oh.. I think I know what happened.. Did you swallow any of the juice?" You asked. He shook his head. You sighed in relief. "Good.. Okay, so uh.. Pineapple is acidic-"

He whipped his head up and glared at you as if you had fed it to him on purpose. You held your hands up in defense. "But it's safe for humans! I didn't think it would do anything to you, I swear!"

He groaned and spit into the sink again, lowering his head under the focet to drink the water.

The back door slid open and Kraglin returned, followed by Yondu and the large man in the yellow suit. It only just now occurred to you how big he really was, as his head almost touched the ceiling, possibly nearing eight feet tall.

"It was the pineapple," you explained quickly, taking a step back to give them some space, "I underestimated how the acids might effect someone who isn't human.. We can eat them just fine, I didn't think it would hurt him."

Yondu nodded, now understanding this wasn't some allergic reaction or emergency. "He'll be fine." he said.

"What?" you started, "But he's-"

The tall man nodded as well. "It'll be painful, but your mouth will heal from that." He turned and eyed you now. "Please be more careful about foods that quite literally have acid in them. I understand Terrans can consume it safely, but many other races cannot, as I'm sure you are aware now."

You felt guilt pooling in your gut now, and looked back at Brahl, who thankfully had stopped spitting blood, but was now urgently downing a glass of water, having found the cups.

"I'm sorry." you said.

"Nah, this falls on me, Cap'in," Kraglin said, stepping a bit closer, "I told them it would probably be fine. I thought if Terrans could eat it then we could too, since.. well since Terrans ain't usually too durable, as we tend to see with Pete."

Yondu looked at his first mate and nodded, acknowledging him but not really saying much on the matter. He looked at you, then back to Brahl before turning around to leave the house. "He ain't dead. If he can still fight and work, he'll be fine. Right, Brahl?" he asked, giving the man a look.

Brahl nodded. "Ye.. Yethir." he said, shooting Tullk a glare, who had snorted upon hearing the lisp.

Tullk had walked in on the scene and not thought too much on it. It seemed that like Yondu, as long as the man wasn't dead, he assumed he was fine.

You opened the freezer, grabbed an ice cube, and handed it to Brahl. "Suck on this, it'll help the pain and swelling."

He took it and popped it into his mouth with a relived groan and you muttered out another apology, feeling bad that someone had gotten hurt due to your ignorance.

With that taken care of, you turned to Kraglin and Tullk. "Can you two help me make sandwiches, we've gotta feed like, what, forty people?"

-

The sandwiches took about half an hour to make, and at least four loaves of bread, but at least everyone was fed.

And you had to admit, watching a bunch of alien pirates eat was fascinating.

Some would take the bread off and give it to someone sitting next to them, and just eat the meat. You had a six year old nephew who did the same.

A few took their sandwiches and would sit far away from the rest of the crew, like an animal guarding its resources.

But most of them sat in hoards on the floor of the barn and talked.

One, however, came over to talk to you, a pink man named Oblo.

"What kind of meat is this?" He asked. He had removed the top slice and was just eating the ham.

"Uh, it's ham.. It comes from a pig." you answered. You were still out in the barn having just given away the last sandwich, but you figured a bit if conversation wouldn't hurt.

"Are all animals edible here?" He asked, now just holding the plain slices of bread in his hand, seemingly unsure of what to do with them. This issue was quickly resolved when a shorter man just took them from him, and he just let it happen. No words exchanged.

"Most are, but not all, I guess. Some are toxic, even to humans, and some we're not allowed to eat because they're protected. And some we keep as pets, so if you see a dog or cat, please.. don't eat it."

He nodded. "I don't know what a dog is.."

You shook your head. "I'll let you know if we see one, don't worry about it." you said, figuring that would be easier than trying to explain a dog to someone who has never seen one before.

-

In the evening, you saw less and less Ravagers in the yard as it got colder, so they started migrating back into the barn where it was warmer.

You had busied yourself with finally taking some of the frozen goods down to the basement, flicking the one dim light on down there. Hoping the food was still good, you began to load things into the freezer, when something caught your eye in the side room.

It was your old TV. You had gotten a new one about a year ago and just stuck the old one in the basement.

You finished stocking the freezer and made your way into the side room to get a look at the TV. It was still in good condition. Maybe you could find a way to hook it up in the barn for the guys so they weren't just stuck out there with nothing.

But that was a project for tomorrow.

For now, you made your way back upstairs to get ready for bed. You made sure the front door was locked, but kept the back door open so people could come in if they needed to.

You figured they didn't want you dead, otherwise you already would be.

With a huff, you fell into bed, and drifted off, wondering what the next day would bring.

[kissorkill16]

After That Night: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: After Dove saved Ivan and Mr. Murtaugh.

Mr. Murtaugh grabbed Ivan and ran down the hall of the school and straight out of the entrance.

The science teacher ran to his car, and Ivan fell to his knees on the ground, then he started crying. His science teacher turned to him and sat down next to him.

"Oh dear.", he said. "Are you alright, Ivan? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Ivan shook his head. "Did they hurt you?", he asked.

Mr. Murtaugh shook his head.

Then Ivan started crying again. Murtaugh gently wrapped his arms around him and put him in the backseat of his car, then he went and sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and drove away from the school.

"Can you drive me to Trinity's house, please?", Ivan asked in between sobs. "She lives on Friendly Court."

"Of course, Ivan. But first...", he started, "Would you be so kind as to explain to me what just happened back there?"

Ivan went quiet, and he could feel his science teacher's eyes on him through the rear view mirror. "I...uh..."

He didn't want to answer.

"Ivan, we both nearly lost our lives due to a bunch of people in bird costumes. I'd like a little explanation as to why they nearly killed us, and why they were after you specifically.", said Mr. Murtaugh. "I'd also like an explanation as to why you were even at the school after hours in the first place."

Poor Ivan so badly didn't want to answer. That would mean he'd be selling out his friends, that would mean having to explain the entire investigation of Crowface.

"Ivan."

"THERE'S MORE THAN ONE CROWFACE!"

It just slipped out. He didn't mean to say it, but Ivan felt like he was a balloon that was on the verge of popping from being too full of air.

"Excuse me?", asked the science teacher.

Now Ivan had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Me and my friends have been spying on people around town, because there's this weirdo in a crow costume that's giving out bad luck coins. One of my friends had one of those coins, and now they're all after us!"

Mr. Murtaugh kept his eyes on the road as he listened to Ivan explain his story.

"So that murder of human ravens were the people you've been trying to find the identities of?", asked the science teacher. Ivan nodded. "What about the one in the white costume?"

Ivan shook his head. "I don't think he's a raven, I think he's more of a dove. I don't even think he's part of the cult.", he said. "He did just save us after all."

Murtaugh sighed as he made his way to Friendly Court. "We're here, child.", he said. Ivan made his way out of the car, and stopped when he heard his science teacher say one more thing to him.

"I advise that you tell your friends to drop this whole Crowface thing.", he said. "You nearly died, and God forbid you actually do if you keep messing around in things that aren't your business."

Ivan nodded and quickly ran to Trinity's house as he heard Mr. Murtaugh's car drive away.

The next day at school, Mr. Murtaugh kept a close eye on Ivan. He seemed really jumpy, he wouldn't stop fidgeting.

He could tell he was still on edge after what happened last night, and he could also tell that Ivan wasn't really going to drop this investigation, he picked that up when he caught him absentmindedly doodling a picture of a raven person during catch up time.

During the lunch hour, he sighed and decided that if him or the rest of his friends weren't going to drop this, he could at least help them from the sidelines so they wouldn't get hurt as much anymore.

He also took the liberty of doing some more research on the crow people.

Once the last bell rang, Murtaugh was just wrapping up when he saw Ivan walking down the hall with his friends. He gently pulled him inside the classroom.

"Is there something you need, sir?", asked Ivan.

"Yes, actually.", said Mr. Murtaugh. "Do you know anyone in particular who could be the Crowfaces?"

Ivan shrugged. "Well, before that night, I thought you were one of them.", he shyly admitted. Murtaugh pretended not to be offended. "But apart from that, me and my friends already know that Principal Abanate is one of them.

Murtaugh didn't even hide his shock.

"Your principal, my boss, the owner of this school is a cult member?", he asked. Ivan nodded. "God, I never really trusted her. Even when she was a child, I thought she was nothing but a troublemaker. But I'd never expect something like this from her."

Ivan looked at his shoes, "I know. But apart from her, she's the only one we know who's a cultist.", he said.

Murtaugh went over to his desk, taking out a notebook and writing something down. "Interesting.", he mumbled. He turned back around to face the boy, "What about Dove? Do you know anyone who could be the white raven?"

Ivan shook his head.

Mr. Murtaugh sighed, then he looked behind Ivan to see Nicky sitting against the lockers, and he looked absolutely terrible. His hair was a frizzy mess, his eyes were bloodshot red, he had more noticable eye bags, and it looked like one of his arms were broken since it was wrapped up in a sling.

The science teacher's eyes widened as he thought about this.

He didn't want to think that Nicky could be Dove. From what he knew, these Crowfaces were dangerous people, and Nicky was just a child who seemingly didn't want anything to do with it.

He remembered that Dove blocked the can lid that made its way towards him with his own arm, and that he'd accidentally dropped acid on it out of fear from that terrifying screech he made.

But even the broken arm wasn't enough to prove it.

He knew a better way to confirm his theory, but he had to get Nicky alone first.

[shrimpsalot]

Oh gawd I dreamt of quite a weird AU(?) last night so yapping ahead!!

So for whatever reason instead of getting a full ss3, we just get random episodes here and there about their 11th-12th year? Randy and Howard's relationship r still ride or die but they managed to form a bigger friend circle with Theresa, Debbie, Julian, Bucky and Rachel and often have lunch together in a more darker gloomier version of the cafeteria (think it's just my irl school cafeteria that got projected into my dreams 😭 but for shits and giggles let's say Slimovitz ran out of budget to fix it completely after another monster attack). Unfortunately there was an assignment in class that put Howard and Debbie in the same group, idk about everyone else, and they have to research about stuff like Ninja's Japan origins, tactics, fighting techniques, types of weapons he used etc. Ofc no one knows it better than randy (and kinda howard) so when they were fighting about it during lunch, Randy just casually went "no actually because if you maneuver your body like that you wouldn't ensure a safe landing and might twist your ankle, also the chain sickle is used more as a defensive weapon such as blocking a sword, locking the opponent's weapon in place and potentially yanking it towards you, and did you know smoke bombs are crafted wit-" accidentally yapping about things Nomicon taught him until Howard cuts in to save his butt "see Debbie, even Cunningham's more knowledgeable about the ninja you sure you've been studying him properly for your reports?" which re-enabled their argument and divert the attention away from randy(which he's gonna thank Howard for later). A bit of time later an attack happen in town while they were working on the assignment in the cafeteria after school, Randy ofc had to leave but it'd be suspicious so he made an excuse maybe smth along the lines of they can learn more by watching the ninja fight and everyon agreed. Again he separated from them mid-walk to do some ninja-ing, which worried theresa that he's nowhere to be seen while Howard and Debbie is still fighting about their research. Howard couldn't take it anymore as well as lowkey bothered by Theresa so he called randy to prove that he's safe, AND to call for backup on his ninja knowledge. The phone call was the same vibe as ones in the show and while Howard was too engrossed on the convo, Ninja!Randy holding the phone answering while fighting got launched backwards to the front of the alleyway where the group was but randy didn't see them so he was unaware that they heard the phone convo. When he was finished and transformed back, he immediately ran into them after turning a corner and the first thing he said is "heeyyyy uh so I got a lil lost where were you guys? Ahaha" all for Debbie to respond with a shocked expression "YOU'RE the ninja?!?"

"what?? Nooooo I I am definitely not the Ninja psshh what makes you say that? I'm just a lil ol me Randy that's right there's no ninja here-", Theresa then explained they overheard his phone call and Randy gave in, only to be slightly offended to see Bucky looking defeated and handing Rachel $5. Cartoon scene cut and we see randy on his hands and knees in front of debbie(nothing too serious its like those comedy anime gags type of pose)

"What a sight. An 800 year old ninja vs the power of journalism." Bucky tries to lighten up the mood. Randy is begging Debbie not to write about this (for the second time) and she's having a hard time accepting (again) so she asked "what if I do write it? What would you do?" making randy look up at her with a serious face without saying anything, causing slight misunderstanding

"y-you're gonna erase me?!"

"what?? No ofc not I was just gonna mind wipe you!!!"

"mind wipe?"

"uh I mean-"

"what, by using that book that you sometimes drool on while being unconscious?"

"W-what book?-"

"is that like an 800 year old ancient ninja book of wisdom?"

"HOW ARE YOU STILL GOOD AT THIS???"

"wait 'still'?"

"CUNNINGHAM WILL YOU STOP TALKING SHE FEEDS ON YOUR ANSWERS" Howard shouted from the side

"do you mean you've mind wiped me before??"

"huh is it that time in 9th grade where you broadcasted to the whole town that he's the ninja which turned out to be false?" Rachel questioned

"I did what in 9th grade?????"

"... Debbie please" Randy pleaded

"Randy this is ridiculous" Debbie pinched her nose bridge "then why don't you just mind wipe us this time?"

"um..."

"because you can't or because the book will get mad at you?"

"enough with the mind wipe how did YOU know he was the ninja Rachel?" Howard saving randy once again

"well that time I got turned into a monster and the Ninja made me an apology song, it sounded awfully familiar to randy during music class so I just guessed, plus whenever we hang out and there's an emergency he's always the first one to disappear on us"

"and you gotta admit Randy's jokes are as bad as the ninja's " Bucky chimed in

The mood between them improved so debbie eventually agreed because they're friends for the past year or so, and that's when I started to wake up :') one more weird thing is the ninja in my dream didn't have a red scarf around his neck, it's more like black-blue color and idk maybe he looks cooler that way? At least it is in my dream

Thank u for reading I'll think about whether to make this into a real AU or not 😭😭 Edit: i just realized i dreamt of Julian but the entire time he was standing behind theresa, also worrying about randy but idk why he didnt do anything else :')

[readyforthegarden]

Breakable Heaven - Part Three

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Female Reader

Synopsis: Being the maid of honor in your best friends wedding is already stressful enough without the best man being the ex-boyfriend who tore your heart to shreds. Stumbling across a dating app with dates for hire, you take a chance, inviting a perfect stranger to pretend to be your boyfriend for the weeklong celebrations. But how long can the charade last when the champagne starts pouring and feelings start growing?

AN: posting early for my lovely @gretavanfleetposts and because danny posted today while I was writing part four so it’s meant to be 😌

Warnings: Conversations alluding to sex, mentions of drinking 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

WC: 3495

“Did you see this itinerary?” Danny asked you as you yawned the next morning, walking back into the living room after brushing your teeth. There had been an early wake up by room service with coffee and pastries. You watched from the bed as Danny had brought the tray back into the living room, and for a brief moment, you thought you fell in love with the sight of the tall man, curls disheveled and holding an apple danish. 

Sitting next to him on the couch, you glanced over his shoulder at his phone screen, watching him scroll through the imported calendar. Monday, today, was low-key, as more people arrived at the vineyard. There was nothing for the bridesmaids as some were missing still, while the groomsmen went golfing at a nearby course, and then another dinner at the vineyard restaurant. 

“Mike invited me out to golf with the guys today,” Danny picked up a note on the tray with the coffee and handed it to you.

“That’s really nice.” you leaned forward, setting it down after reading it and pouring some coffee into a mug from the fancy carafe. You poured in your cream and sugar, stirring it and taking a long sip. “Do you like golf?”

“I actually love golf.” Danny smiled, biting into a danish.  “I may have done a little research about the area and was planning on going to play while you were busy with wedding stuff.“ you set your mug down and reached over, grabbing a danish of your own. As you chewed, you pulled up the itinerary on your own phone, looking through the days. 

“Uh, we have a field day??” you asked rhetorically, furrowing your brow. “A campout? Olivia didn’t say anything about camping.”

“It’s just one night, and look, the next day you’re at a spa all day getting pampered.” Danny mentioned, tapping the side of your phone with his long pinky finger. You did feel a small sense of relief that it would only be one night. “Dang, that massage sounds really nice.”

“Mm, hot stones, I cannot wait.” you nearly moaned at the idea, your body already feeling a little melty. “What time do you have to be downstairs?”

“‘Bout an hour.” Danny sipped on his coffee, leaning back in his seat. “Enough time to shower, get dressed and kiss my honey goodbye.” you froze for a moment, until the nickname conversation replayed in your head. Then you realized what he said and near-stammered.

“Oh, you want me to go with you down to the lobby?” Shrugging, Danny gave you a small smile.

“You don’t have to,” he began. “But it may make us look as hopelessly in love as we proclaimed to be last night.” you nodded and thought about it. In all your worries, you hadn’t realized that you and Danny had shared a kiss already. And in front of Gavin, no less. It felt like it was supposed to happen, once your surprise had worn off. His lips had been warm and soft, the memory of the faint trace of beer on them made you lick your own subconsciously. 

“No, that’s a good idea.” you nodded. “We’re still in the honeymoon phase, after all. Do you mind if I go get dressed before you hop in the shower?” Danny shook his head and you got up, going into the bedroom and shutting the doors.  You dressed quickly, throwing on a light, soft sweater and some jeans before slipping on a pair of socks and going into the bathroom, running your brush through your hair. The green of your sweater was one of your favorite colors; it made your eyes pop and your skin glow.  The color boosted your confidence in a way that gave you a little more bounce in your step as you walked back into the living room.

“Oh, you look nice.” Danny complimented when his eyes raised from his phone screen to you. Smiling, you gave a little spin as he stood up and walked closer to you. 

“Thanks, I love this sweater.” you replied. Danny was close enough now, he reached out, gently pinching the fabric on your upper arm and rubbing it between his fingers, feeling the softness of it. “Olive green is one of my favorite colors.” Danny’s eyes raised to yours, a tender smirk playing on his lips.

“Well, I don’t like olives,” he said softly. “But I do like this sweater.” as he departed to go get ready himself, it felt like he had finished his sentence early. If he had continued, he would’ve let slip that he possibly only liked it because it was on you. 

While he stood under the steaming water of the shower, Danny questioned why he had just done that. He felt a quick friendship budding with you, that was for sure, but to flirt like that with no audience wasn’t a part of his job description. It just happened, he hadn’t even realized he was touching your sweater or standing that close until he was walking away, leaving you to stare at his retreating back.

You were doing your best to busy yourself in the living room, putting the empty coffee mugs back onto the tray, wiping up any crumbs of the table, even though you knew housekeeping would be in to straighten up. Danny was a very, very good actor, you decided. A method actor, who had to stay in some form of character in order to properly perform when the time came.

When he was ready, you and Danny headed out, his hand sliding into yours in the hallway swinging slightly between the both of you as you walked. There was no need for assistance down the stone steps in your sneakers, but he made sure to slow his gait as you both descended. 

Mike, Gavin, and the other groomsmen were already downstairs, a small, black van idling in front of the doors. Olivia was standing next to Mike, doing her best not to glare at Gavin as the two men spoke.  

“Hey! Glad you could make it!” Mike grinned, waving Danny over. Danny let go of your hand as Olivia cut through them, coming to stand by you. 

“Thanks for inviting me, this will be more fun than playing by myself.” Danny thanked Mike, before being introduced to a few groomsmen he didn’t get to meet at the dinner before. 

“I was thinking we could go into town while they’re out golfing.” Olivia turned to you. “I need a few things I forgot back home and my mom is already driving me insane.”

“Sure, I just have to run upstairs and grab my bag.” you replied, motioning back towards the room. 

“Danny, did you do this on purpose?” Tom, one of the groomsmen, laughed. “Your socks match her sweater!” Looking down, you realized Danny had adorned his long legs with argyle socks, patches of olive green in the pattern. 

“It’s for good luck,” Danny wrapped an arm around your shoulders. You leaned into his side, looking up at his grin. His crooked smile charmed everyone around him, and you found yourself included under its spell. “Matching my girl makes me play better.”

“Sure it does.” Mike patted Danny’s arm with a laugh. “We should get going, our tee time is in an hour.” Danny squeezed you closer before pulling back a little. 

“A kiss for even better luck?” his hazel green eyes sparkled down at you and you couldn’t help the small smile and nod you gave him back. You hopped up onto your tiptoes, pressing your lips against Danny’s before he pressed back, holding your cheek to keep you in place a few seconds longer. 

“C’mon lover boy!” Danny pulled away with a laugh, giving you a quick peck on the cheek. 

“Thanks, honey.” he winked back at you as he walked out the front doors, leaving you standing there with a breathless feeling. 

“Damn, he’s good.” you murmured to yourself, forgetting Olivia was right next to you. 

“Yeah he is,” she agreed, a smirk on her face as she watched you.. “Go get your bag and drink some water, babe. We’ll leave in ten.” nodding, you went back upstairs to grab your purse. Meeting Olivia back downstairs, she ushered you into Mike’s sports car, and whisked you off to town. The small town was straight out of a hallmark movie, the street lamps done up for the nearing autumnal season with warm white lights and fall leaf garlands wrapped around them. Everyone on the streets seemed to know one another, stopping for a chat or smiling pleasantly. 

You and Olivia popped in and out of a few stores, gathering some last minute items, various spools of white threads in case something tore on her dress or veil, inserts for her heels she’d be in most of the day, anything and everything Olivia was starting to panic about. Stopping off at one of the small diners for lunch, you recounted the items on the list she rattled off in the car, trying to see what was left.

“I wonder how the boys are doing,” Olivia cut you off, pushing the grilled chicken from her salad around the plate with her fork. 

“Well, they’re probably a few beers in and having trouble seeing the tees.” you laughed under your breath, remembering the time Mike and Gavin came back from a golf day with the guys plastered. “If that group makes all eighteen holes, I’d be impressed.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Olivia giggled. “But I was talking more in terms of getting along.”

“Why wouldn’t they get along?” you turned up from your phone, marking off one of the last items you knew you had gotten on the notes app. Olivia narrowed her eyes at you, pursing her lips to keep from smiling.

“Because, Mike told me Gavin thinks Danny is a prick.” 

“What?!” your mouth fell open in shock. “They’ve spoken to each other once!”

“Well apparently, Gavin tried to talk to Danny at the bar last night, and he completely ignored him.” Olivia shrugged. “Said he was trying to congratulate him on getting a girl like you.” you rolled your eyes so hard, you nearly severed your optic nerve. “I know, I don’t believe it at all.”

“Gavin went up to Danny and tried giving him advice about me,” you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Told him that he was surprised we lasted as long, that I was boring and to try and cut his losses early.”

“I swear to god,” Olivia was fuming across the table. “When I get my hands on that piece of shit-”

“Danny took care of it.” you told her. “He told him to drop it and from the looks on their faces when I came up, I’m pretty sure Danny scared him a little.”

“Good, that bastard deserves to be scared.” Olivia stabbed the piece of chicken now. “I don’t know what Mike sees in that man.”

“Beats me,” shrugging you picked up a fry from the plate you were sharing with Olivia, dragging it through the ketchup on your plate. “I’m sure nostalgia is clouding how different they’ve become.”

“Oh for sure,” Olivia agreed, finally eating more of her salad. “Speaking of Danny, I want to know more.” you froze internally. Olivia was never one for simple, non-invasive questions. No, she was a true interrogator. If she could waterboard answers out of people, you felt that she fully would.

“Like what?” Now it was Olivia who rolled her eyes.

“Everything! What’s he really like? He’s in a band, are they any good? You’ve kept me in the dark and I need to know everything!!” you felt a pang of guilt twist your stomach when Olivia said that. Lying to her was hard, she was your best friend, the biggest secret you’d ever kept from her was her birthday and Christmas presents.

“His band is really good,��� you nodded, the fibs starting to flow through your teeth. “They’re a rock band, so talented.”

“You’ll have to send me their stuff, I’d love to hear it.” Olivia smiled, her eyes wide and sparkling. “Oh! We should go to one of their shows together! When I get back from my honeymoon!”

“That’d be great!” you faked a grin. You wouldn’t know Danny anymore after the wedding, there was no chance of that. “Um, I mean I don’t know what to say, he’s just…he’s really great, Liv.” your friend leaned forward, lowering her voice.

“Okay, but how is he?” she wiggled her eyebrows at you.

“Liv!”

“Oh come on, I know all about Gavin’s dick and how that was, give me something good!” she whined. “I’m about to be with the same penis for the rest of my life, I need to live vicariously through you!” Blushing, you sighed. What Olivia took as you trying to decide where to start first, was you trying wrap your head around talking about sex with a man that you had only kissed twice, and were never going to go farther with.

“He’s incredibly…attentive.” you finally answered. “I have no complaints.”

“Oh come on!” Olivia pressed, stomping one of her feet under the table. “You have to give me more than that!”

“Liv, really, I…” you pursed your lips together. “He’s different…he cares, and he’s good. I’ve never been with anyone like him.” Olivia grinned, seemingly satisfied with your answer. 

“One day I will get a full play-by-play out of you.” she replied, snatching a fry off the shared plate. “He must really be something if you of all people aren’t giving me every sinful detail.”

“He is,” you smiled softly. The two of you finished your lunches, heading back out to the shops for the afternoon, finishing off the list and shopping for fun. The ride back to the vineyard was filled with anticipation. You were excited and nervous to see Danny, not knowing how he’d take the conversation you and Olivia had at lunch, but hoping he would laugh, especially at the way you blew it off.

You and Olivia had just started walking from the car back to the stone manor when the van with the men pulled up. They were loud, as soon as the doors opened to let them out, and they spilled out, laughing and talking excitedly with one another. You saw Danny, who looked to have a new hat from the golf course on his head, with his arm around Thomas’ shoulders as they spoke to one another, and you smiled, glad he was getting along with them. 

“Baby!” Mike waved at Olivia once he spotted her. At his voice, Danny looked over, an excited grin on his face. Before you could register it, Danny sprinted across the parking lot to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you up off the ground.

“I played the best game I’ve played in years!” he cheered. Your hands clasped his strong shoulders as he spun you around in circles. 

“I’m glad!” you laughed, your legs wrapped around his waist as he stopped turning, adjusting his hold on you. Reaching up, he took the hat off of his head, plopping it on you. It smelled of new materials and a little bit of sweat, mixed with the shampoo and conditioner Danny used that morning.

“All because of that good luck kiss, honey.” he said softer, before turning to the guys. “You all made fun of me, but who got the best score?” The guys all waved him off, but Danny had turned back to you before he even saw. “I need one before every round from now on.”

“I think you’re a little tipsy, Danny.” you laughed softly as he hoisted you up, feeling you fall a little. 

“Maybe, I had a few rounds to celebrate my win.” he shrugged. 

“You guys are back in just enough time to sober up for dinner.” Olivia laughed as Mike swayed her back and forth. Danny set you down, sliding his hand into yours as you both walked into the building. “Let’s go, you smell like beer and sweat.”

“A day well spent!” Mike cheered, causing the other guys to cheer in agreement. You laughed as Danny joined in, his eyes glimmering. You and Danny parted ways with the others and headed to your room, where he immediately kicked off his golf shoes.

“That was so fun,” Danny laughed, sitting on the arm of the couch, letting himself fall back. His long legs dangled over the arm, and you shook your head. “Gavin sucks at golf, if it’s any consolation.”

“You know what? It is.” you came around the back of the couch, looking down at Danny, who had his eyes closed, hands laid flat over his chest and abdomen, thumping out a beat that was in his head. “You’ll never guess what Olivia and I talked about today.”

“What?”

“Our sex life.”

“Hmm?” Danny sounded confused for a moment, then laughed.”

“Did you tell her I was huge?”

“No! I tried to stay away from that.” you shook your head. “I did tell her I was completely satisfied and had no complaints.” Danny’s eyes opened as he gave you a goofy grin. The green in his eyes melted in with the browns, reminding you of something you couldn’t quite place.

“Glad to hear it,” Danny laughed slightly. “For the record, I’m amazing.”

“Oh you are?”

“Yeah.” Danny closed his eyes and nodded confidently. 

“I’ll take your word for it.”  moving away from the couch, you went to the bedroom getting your outfit together for dinner. You listened to Danny start to lightly snore from the couch, and you stilled. Mostly so you could slow your movements, not wanting to wake him as he slept off the sun and alcohol. But also because it reminded you of how you’d woken up in the night. You found out you and Danny both tended to sleep on your sides and stomachs, arms under the pillows supporting. You had felt something touch your hand, and jolted out of sleep, though not enough to rouse your bedmate. Danny’s fingers had been grazing yours in his sleep, twitching like he would hold them if not for his unconscious state.

Something about that memory made your stomach flutter, thinking of Danny’s sharp features having been softened by sleep. You were becoming fond of the young man snoozing on the couch. You hoped that the two of you could stay friends after this ruse was over, pretend to break up, maybe even use the band and his traveling as an excuse, and then just be friends. 

You were taking the last hot roller out of your hair when Danny entered the bathroom, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“What time is it?”

“Almost half past six,” you answered. “I’m almost done, and then you can hop in the shower before dinner.” Danny nodded, leaning against the doorframe, watching you turn your attention back to your hair. He watched as your fingers gently fixed and primped the smooth, loose curls before you grabbed a can of hairspray and set them in place. 

“You look beautiful,” he smiled, watching your cheeks turn pink under the soft blush that was resting on them already.

“Thank you,” your eyes flickered from his reflection in the mirror back to your hair. “I…”

“Yes?” Danny looked at you curiously after you stopped yourself. Taking a breath, you looked back up at his reflection sheepishly.

“I get that you’re here to pretend to be my boyfriend and to be in love with me, but you compliment me even when we're alone.” Danny felt something bubble up in his throat, trying to clear it before he spoke again.

“Is that a problem?”

“No,” you shook your head quickly, and Danny watched as your hair bounced from the movement. “But it’s just….I don’t know, it’s nice, I guess.”

“Well, knowing how Gavin talked about you, I can’t imagine he was doling them out very often.” Danny near-sneered at the mention of Gavin. He had refused to acknowledge the man during the golf outing, opting to get to know the other groomsmen and Mike a bit more. Danny felt his heart sink as your face told him he was right. “Just because this is fake, doesn’t mean my compliments always have to be. You deserve to be told you’re as beautiful as you are, as many times as possible.” 

There was a change in Danny’s eyes that you noted, though what it was you couldn’t guess. He stood there for a few more seconds, locking eyes with you before pushing himself off the door frame and walking back out to the living room. You quickly finished your hair and makeup and left the bathroom letting him pass by you to get ready.

“I’ll be done in fifteen, wait for me?”

“Of course.”

Taglist: (feel free to add yourself!)

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[cepheusgalaxy]

hello!!! happy sts(unday)(shhhhhh)

uh so may I ask for a lil crumb of your writing?

something funny, and then something tense!!!

<3

oh ^^

(happy stm[onday] lmfao)

for the tense one have some angst with my dear living weapon oc, Polaris from TWOTHT :) (cws for blood and death mentions)

“Not actual difference”, “similar brains”, “all equal” and “unnecessary war”,  were the only words Polaris made out from behind the door until the Coronel found him and ordered him to go away.

He didn’t want to know what it was about. He bit his lip and reminded himself not to stay when he passed through a door and overheared the superiors speaking again.

The copper smell of blood bought him back to reality. He closed his fists but felt something hard on his hand not quite allowing him to.

Oh, yes. The sword.

He was in the target’s house, at night, and had killed him with way too many blows. He’d wished the person hadn’t fought that much.

He had a sibling. Polaris looked at them for a minute before going after them. He was ordered to clean everything.

He avoided stepping on the corpse and went in the direction of the person.

They were frozen up, blood spilled on them standing and gripping on an armchair so hard their knuckles were white. They didn’t beg. He was expecing for them to beg.

They looked down at the corpse and clenched their jaw.

“Are you gonna kill me too?”

Polaris used all he had in him not retreat and continued going in their direction.

They sighed. “You aren’t even gonna hear me, are you?” They closed their eyes shut and their breathing got erratic. “Stupid assassin. Stupid government. Stupid War.”

That made Polaris stop.

“I…” he started. He didn’t trust himself to speak at all, but he’d have to keep his voice from waving. “I don’t like the War either. B-but”, he continued, looking at their eyes, “if he went on with this research, another one could happen. It’d be worse.”

“It wouldn’t.” They growled, and Polaris flinched. “If anything, it could stop the War. But you don’t really care, do you? You don’t care, as long as you get to destroy anyone you don’t deem to be like you.”

Polaris really didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just, relutanclty but deliberately, took a step back.

The researcher’s sibling squished their eyes.

“Where are you going?”

Polaris didn’t know. He just wanted to get away. He didn’t wanted to kill this person, knowing that the words they said to them would stick on his mind like blood on white cloth forever. He didn’t want to spend another second in that room, because the smell of blood was making him sick, again. He didn’t want to remember the blows he had to throw at the target, he didn’t want to remember his begging, he didn’t want to remember his voice.

He could feel his throat closing and it was getting harder to breathe.

“Run.” It was all he managed to say.

The person just looked at them with wide eyes.

“You heard me”, he said, in his most authoritarian voice. He really wasn’t prepared to kill one more person today, and he just wanted them to get away. He didn’t want another human to die. It wasn’t fair. Why did they have to be at the target’s house in this night? “Run. Away. Do not come back.” He looked up at them with bloodshot eyes, holding tightly on his sword, arms on his side. “If you do, you’ll be killed.”

They opened their mouth to say something, but Polaris really couldn’t do this for one second more. He advanced at them in a quick move and they flinched.

“Out of my way. Now.”

The person gave him a last look and ran away quickly.

Polaris thought he had heard they say something while leaving the cottage, but it was propably just his imagination.

The Colonel and her right hand were waiting for him on the base at the border of the forest.

He saluted them.

“Report of the mission, Supernova”, said the assistant.

“Mission sucess. Threat eliminated, death confirmed. The local was left with clear signs of action.”

The Colonel gave him a satified nod and Polaris subtly relaxed. On her side, her loyal assistant asked:

“Any leftovers?”

Polaris almost panicked. No. Just say no.

He breathed heavily and said, “No, sir.”

The smiles they gave him were almost enough to relief the curling on his stomach.

His heart almost stopped, however, when the person he let go appeared in front of him. At the back of his superiors.

His glance gave them away, and the Colonel looked back. Polaris thought he might have died at the spot.

“Who--”, she started, making them freeze in place. “Oh”, she said. “I know who you are”, she snarled and quickly went in their direction, yanking them by their arm, who tried getting away, but the Colonel was way too strong. Polaris knew how much her grab hurt. “You are his sister, aren’t you? Oh we have your records. Polaris,” he didn’t dare move a muscle. “What are they doing here?”

Polaris couldn’t lie. He didn’t know how to. They’d catch him if he did. How much of the truth could he tell? Would he get in trouble?

“She probably came here to visit her brother.”

It was all he knew. All he would be able to say before getting in trouble.

The Colonel tsked, and tossed the woman on his direction.

“Supernova. Reach out to the escort and tell them to transport this person to the nearest base.”

[...]

(i never posted this one lmao. it was for an event in february and my net stopped working in the middle of the night and MAN i was almost finished but google lost all of my progress :/ it also managed to wipe out a whole 5pg long piece for the next day and im still mad about it. so yea, lol, thats why its not finished)

for the fun one im afraid i dont have any, sorry ;P i like angst way too much

[reigningqueenofwords]

Dad

Pairing: Steve x Reader, Bucky x daughter!Reader

Part 19 of Looking for the Captain

Bruce was in his lab when Steve called. “Hello.” He answered quickly, worried. “Is everyone okay?” Did something happen? He couldn’t think of another reason for Steve to be calling.

“Well.” He sighed. “We..don’t know.” He told him awkwardly. 

He froze. “What do you mean you ‘don’t know’?” He was clearly confused. “Is anyone hurt? Sick?” 

Steve ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll skip all the details, but would Plan B work for us? Me and Y/N?” He clarified, wincing. Who else would he be talking about? Bruce was smart, and could have figured that out for himself.

“Uh.” It wasn’t like there was a ton of research on this topic. When would they have been able to do research on this, and then publish the findings? “I honestly can’t say…” He admitted. 

While Steve was on the phone, you took the pill anyway. It couldn’t hurt to try, right? “Oh, uh, I should warn you. The cashier said that you won’t feel too hot for a few days, and your period might feel way worse.” Bucky told you. “His girlfriend had to take it once and hated it. Said it felt like Freddy Krueger was in her stomach or something.” He made a face. He didn’t like thinking of you dealing with that. It was something else he couldn’t protect you from. 

You made a face. “Well, that sucks.” You grumbled, not looking forward to any of that. “Kinda wish I was at the tower for that.” You admitted. “Could have asked Bruce for some pain killers.”

Steve came in and his face didn’t give you hope. “So, he can’t say.” He started. “There’s obviously no research on this. He suggested taking it as a just in case, because it might work.” He felt bad now. This hadn’t even crossed his mind last night, and it really should have. He shouldn’t have let himself get so carried away. 

“Already did.” You told him, slightly worried. “Apparently I won’t feel hot for a few days, and my next period might be worse than usual.” You scrunched your nose. “So, I’m sorry if I’m a bitch.” You half joked.

He let out half a chuckle. “It’s okay.” He assured you. “When is your period due?” 

“A week and a half.” It would probably feel like much longer. 

“Do I need to go back to the store for supplies?” Bucky asked, clearly hoping that the answer was ‘no’. “Or do you want me to head to the tower to ask Bruce for something?” It would be a long drive, but he’d do it in a heartbeat if it meant you wouldn’t have to deal with the pain. 

You shook your head. “I packed for it, don’t worry.” You assured him. “I’ll let you know, though. If what I packed isn’t enough.” Who knows if you’d want something closer to that time. “So, should we get your camp setup early? Then we can spend the rest of the day playing board games and watching movies?” Maybe this would be a good way for the three of you to bond and get over this awkwardness your father felt. “Then after dinner I can make us some drinks.” You offered. “Relax and all that.” 

Bucky nodded. “Sure.” He easily agreed, pushing that morning from his mind. “Stevie can help me pitch the ten-” He gave you a bored look as you giggled. “Haha. Very mature.” He rolled his eyes for effect. “Anyways. We’ll get the tent set up, how about you work on getting the air mattress blown up. I can bring it out after.” Sure, he grabbed a sleeping bag, but why not put that on the air mattress. 

“I think I’ll only have a drink or two.” Steve noted. “I want to remain alert. The chances of someone getting to you here is low, but I don’t want to risk it.” That was the last thing that he wanted. “But, I’m sure that there will be a party once this passes.” He chuckled. “Tony will throw one himself. Then I will let myself let loose. Deal?” 

You grinned at that. “Deal.” You agreed easily. 

It didn’t take long for everything to be set up out back. It actually looked like a comfy little camping set up, if you were being honest. “How about a game of Sorry!, and then I’ll make lunch?” You suggested, looking at the two guys. 

“Sure.” They both agreed easily. 

“HAHAH! Sucker!” You laughed as you once again sent one of Bucky’s pawns back to home. 

“That’s like the fourth time!” He groaned. “Are you cheating?” He teased. 

“How would I cheat? You see what card I draw, and how many spaces I move.” You giggled, pulling your hair up. You were clearly very amused. 

Bucky gave you a playful glare. “You were a mean little shit when you played Candy Land, weren’t you?” 

You played along, putting your hand on your chest as you gasped. “I will have you know , I was a delight playing Candy Land! It was Chutes and Ladders that did it.” 

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. He was glad that things were calm at the moment. Maybe this cabin would help you have a better relationship with Bucky. Taking his card, he sighed. “Go back 4 spots.” He read. “I know I won’t be winning this round.” He mused. 

“Awe.” You patted his arm. “Should we move to go fish next?” You grinned. 

“I’d say poker, but I have a feeling you can play that, too.” He raised an eyebrow at you as Bucky took his turn. 

You made a ‘so-so’ motion with your hand. “I’m not like really good at it, but I know how to play.” You shrugged. “I learned how to play at a frat party my freshman year in collage. I got bored and found some playing cards. A couple of the frat twins and their dates taught me.” 

“They weren’t bothered that you weren’t enjoying the party?” Bucky asked.

“Not really. They were seniors and used to the parties at that point. They knew it wasn’t for everyone. They were more shocked I wasn’t in a sorority.” 

“Why weren’t you?” Steve was honestly curious. You were very sociable, and would likely thrive in that environment. 

“I actually planned on it. Found one I thought I would love. Then pledge week started, and so did the hazing.” You scrunched your nose. “I bowed out. I think hazing isn’t as bad as it used to be, but still needs to just stop.” 

Bucky shook his head. “Proud of you for not putting yourself through that.” He’d seen hazing in a couple movies, and couldn’t understand why people agreed to it. It didn’t seem all that worth it to him. 

You couldn’t help but smile at him. “Thanks.” It was a nice change from the pair of you butting heads so much. There was a glimmer of hope that maybe you could have an actual father-daughter relationship with him. 

You won Sorry!, and then went to make some sandwiches while the two of them hung out in the living room. Steve offered to help, but you declined. You had a feeling the pair of them hadn’t had a chance to hang out in years. You took your time so that they didn’t have only a few minutes. As you made each sandwich, you hummed to yourself. 

Bucky lounged in a chair as Steve sat on the couch. “It’s been awhile, huh, Stevie?” He mused. 

Steve nodded, a sad smile on his face. “It has. Too long.” He agreed. “Hopefully once this is over with it won’t be years before I see you again?” He glanced at his best friend. 

He chuckled. “That’s the plan. What, think I’ll take off and just show up again for the wedding?” He felt that maybe joking with him would help. He was taking Nat’s word to heart- what if Stevie was dating literally anyone else that made him this happy?

“Jesus, Buck.” He glanced at the kitchen, hoping you hadn’t heard. “We literally just started dating. No one has mentioned that.” 

Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ve known you since we were kids, punk.” He reminded him. “And Stark said he sees that in your future with her.” Bucky admitted softly. “Then pointed out I’d be the grandfather to my best friend’s kids.”

He furrowed his brows. “When did he say that?”

“When I went to ask him for the address for the cabin.” He shrugged. “Anyways, what should we watch while we eat?” He could hear you coming back, and knew Steve could, too. 

“Oh, I vote something funny. Save the scary for at night.” You said as you set the tray down with their plates and drinks. “How about you pick?” You suggested to Bucky as you went to get your food, making you wonder if you’d ever call him ‘dad’. The idea was so foreign to you. And you were so wounded in the parent department at the moment. With everything that had happened with your father, and then your mother attacking the tower. Clearly she hadn’t been herself, but could you ever look at her and not be afraid? Was your relationship shattered? 

Resting your hands on the counter you hung your head as you took a deep breath. You pushed off the counter and swallowed those emotions. Rolling your shoulders, you got your lunch and went back to the guys to see what Bucky picked. 

Thankfully you’d managed to keep those thoughts from your mind all day. They didn’t sneak up on you again until you were on your third drink. The last thing that you wanted was to ruin the really good day the three of you had going. You’d played card games, board games, played with Goliath in the back, and watched a couple movies. 

Downing the last half of your drink in one go, you let out a breath. “You boys have fun, I think I’m gonna get some sleep.” No need to add you hadn’t slept much the night before. “You guys have fun. Have some guy time doing whatever it is guys do.” You chuckled. “Night.” You leaned over, giving Steve a quick kiss. “Night, dad.” You said without realizing it before heading upstairs to the bedroom and gently shutting the door. 

Bucky and Steve stared at each other. “Did she just call me dad?” Bucky asked, feeling a bit emotional. 

“She did.” Steve smiled at him. 

Tagging: @vicmc624 @hisredheadedgoddess28