#steffie says stuff

[seavegetableconspiracies]

today is the perfect day to finally continue my overdue fma rewatch. only problem is the next episode i'll have to watch is fma03's "Night of the Chimera's Cry" and i wish i was joking

[callalillywrites]

A  Dream on a Mean Machine 1

I'm going to start by saying I wasn't expecting this to be such a beast of a first part. That said, I'm not unhappy with the results. I definitely tried to create more tension between the two of them compared to the fluffier stuff I normally write.

Bucky is really such a sweetheart while Steve is a pure menace in this.

Welcome to the first part of my Cool Rider Barber Shop and Hair Salon series.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Other Characters: Reader's brother, Steve Rogers

Word Count: ~7100

Summary: Bucky's going on his first date since getting free from Hydra. In order to look his best, Steve drags him to the Cool Rider Barber Shop and Hair Salon for a haircut and a shave. There, Bucky meets the famous, Stephanie Zinone (Reader's codename), who owns the place and does his hair.

Warnings: insecurities, mentions of violence (nothing too graphic), some language, Steve being a menace, anything I forgot let me know

A/N: I wrote this beast of a story in a few hours. While I did go through and proofread, any mistakes are mine and mine alone. Yes, Reader has a codename (used all of like 4 times), but she's still a reader who may or may not share some personality traits of the character she's chosen for said codename. She's still a blank slate to fill in as you desire.

I do not give permission for my work to be copied or posted on other sites or fed into an AI machine.

“Hey, Stef, you going to be okay?” your brother asked from the back doorway.

You looked up from where you’d been giving your workstation another spot clean. Nothing could be less than perfect for this next client. Not with the obscene amount of money being paid to rent out your entire salon for this new VIP.

“I’ll be fine, Davey. Take the others out to a nice lunch. I should be done here in a couple of hours.”

Your brother hesitated another moment before he finally nodded. His footsteps retreated until you could no longer make them out.

A glance at the clock on the far wall warned you your client should be there any moment.

When you’d spoken to both Pepper Potts and Tony Stark about renting out your salon, they never once mentioned who the client would be. If you had to guess, it had to be an Avenger. A simple agent wouldn’t warrant this level of privacy.

Then again, none of the other Avengers who’ve quickly become loyal clients of your salon never really bothered with having the place vacated for them, either. Sure, they picked the slowest times to schedule their appointments to keep their celebrity down, but that was about the extent of it.

You had to smile at the thought of a new Avenger joining the growing list you already had as clients. If they weren’t yours directly, they came in and worked with one of your fabulously talented employees. The fact that your talented staff came in such high demand had you ready to do a little victory dance where you stood.

It was really a dream come true how far your barber shop and salon had come in the years since you first took over.

All that was missing was someone to share your success with. Someone to call yours and you theirs.

Before you could get too far down that thought trail, a knock came at the front door.

You locked it earlier to keep any would-be walk-ins from trying their luck. Not that your place allowed walk-ins with the clientele you’ve built the last few years.

Going to the door, you smiled upon seeing the golden god of a man known as Steve Rogers.

With a twist of your wrist, the lock released. You pushed the door open and said, “Well, long time, no see, Goldie.”

“Goldie? That’s a new one, Steffy.” Steve chuckled. His eyes always sparkled with a bit of mischief every time he came around. This time was no exception.

Your smile widened. “Well, your hair’s gotten too dark for me to call you Blondie or Honey. So, it’s Goldie now. You my special client? Surprised you want the whole place to yourself. Something I should know about?”

“No, no,” Steve quickly assured before his head shifted to his right. “It’s not for me. It’s for…”

Your gaze followed the direction of Steve’s until it collided with the solidly built man leaning sullenly nearby. At least you thought he appeared sullen until you noted how his gaze never settled in one place for too long. His alertness had gone into overdrive.

A soft exhale was wrenched from you when his gaze landed on you.

Oh.

You’d recognize this man anywhere.

James “Bucky” Barnes, WWII vet and former Winter Soldier turned Avenger.

More importantly, your grandpa’s biggest hero.

Far greater than the blonde standing in front of you.  

How did none of his photos, past and present, do him any justice? It wasn’t fair how handsome this man was as you took in his features without trying to appear too creepy about it. Those steel-blue eyes damn near hypnotized you without trying. They reminded you of a clear Nevada sky. Then, there was his long, dark hair that called out to you and your fingers. It dared you to see if the strands were as silky as you hoped they’d be.

“Buck’s got a date tonight,” Steve said, breaking the silence. “Think you can work your magic for him?”

Well, that news sent a bucket of ice water down your back. It took everything in you not to shiver at the chill and give away your thoughts to these two men.

Instead, you made sure to keep your smile on your face as you nodded. “You doubting my skills, Rogers? Don’t make me buzz that glorious hair. You know I’ll do it.”

Steve’s hands came up in surrender. He quickly stepped into the shop and took a seat in the small waiting area.

You had to bite back a laugh at the way his features shifted from horror to pleading. The poor guy really could look like a kicked puppy when he wanted to. Simply wasn’t fair he could use that face and get away with anything, but then, it was one of the reasons you two had become friends. You really couldn’t resist his sweet face.

It was that sweet face that made you even more determined to find him someone, too.

If anyone deserved all the love they could get, it was Steve Rogers. You weren’t put off, either, after learning that the famous Black Widow was also on the same trail for him. Between the two of you, you were going to get Steve his happily ever after.

“Alright, Goldie, sit there and behave. No more quips about my skills, or you’re next.”

Satisfied Steve would listen, you turned your attention to the man who’d crept in behind you. His quiet steps nearly unnerved you. He really had no right to have all that muscle and build and be so quiet with it.

You gently introduced yourself to him, extending your hand.

His brows drew together as he blurted, “Thought your name was Steffy. Isn’t that what Steve just called you?”

“Codename. We all have them here. Can’t be too careful nowadays. Only a select few know our real names, and that includes you now.” You dropped your hand since he hadn’t tried to take it. Instead, you gestured toward the chairs. “Shall we? You have your pick: T-Bird or Pink Lady.”

The clueless expression on his face had you biting back another smile.

“Ah, another newbie to the musical greatness that is Grease and Grease 2. Come, I’ll educate you while we get you set up.”

You moved around him and stepped further into the salon where he could see the alternating chairs in black and pink design. On the back of the black chairs was the trademark logo of the T-Birds. The pink chairs bore the Pink Ladies trademarks. It was well worth the expense of having.

Nodding toward the different chairs, you continued toward the closet where you kept all your capes and other necessary items.

“Feel free to drape your jacket on one of the other chairs. It’ll be easier to cut your hair without the collar getting in the way.”

You didn’t stop as you spoke, or you would’ve seen the way Bucky froze at your words. The idea of taking off his jacket hadn’t crossed his mind and had him threatening to spiral a bit. While he’d worn a long henley in deep blue, he still wouldn’t be able to really hide his left arm from you. For some reason, he really wanted to hide it from you.

He couldn’t help thinking about how beautiful you were. How confident, too, in your space.

As he took in the shop’s décor, he could almost feel like he was back home in the forties. Sure, there were aspects that didn’t fit, but it had a welcoming aesthetic that called to those old memories.

Soft music played in the background, which you’d turned on near the back wall. While he didn’t know the song, he liked how it reminded him of simpler times. His memories might still be jumbled from all his years under Hydra’s control, but he could pick out pieces here and there.

It took him another moment and a deep breath to remove his jacket.

He set it on one of the T-Bird chairs while he settled into one of the Pink Lady chairs. They didn’t remind him of that awful chair Hydra used to strap him in. The soft leather even felt nice under his hand as he tried not to grip it too tight to leave impressions of his fingers.

“Hey, you okay?” You asked, coming to stand in front of him. A frown had replaced your bright smile, and Bucky already wanted to find some way to bring it back. “We have all the time you need. We go at your pace. Promise.”

As if to solidify your words, you brought up your hand again. This time, you extended your pinky and waited for him to make his move.

You couldn’t quite hide your surprise or your pleased grin when he finally brought his pinky up and looped it with yours.

“Alright, now that’s settled.”

Showing him the cape, you waited for his nod before placing it around him and cinching it loosely at his neck.

“Not too tight?”

He shook his head.

“Perfect.”

You spun the chair until he faced the mirror. It’s not lost on you when he grimaced at his reflection, but you wisely kept your mouth shut for the time being.

“I’m going to touch your hair now, okay? I want to get a feel for its thickness and texture. Stop me if it gets too much.” You kept your voice soft as you spoke, not wanting to spook him.

As before, you waited until he nodded to proceed.

You graced him with another smile for being so cooperative. Your fingers started at the front and gently combed through the locks at his temples until you reached the tips. As you guessed, the strands had a decent thickness with a silkier texture than you first imagined. It wouldn’t have been hard to continue to just run your fingers through his hair. But you had a mission, and you weren’t going to let him down.

What would your grandpa say if you didn’t do your absolute best for Bucky Barnes?

Returning your attention to your job, you met his gaze in the mirror. “Have an idea of what you’d like done? A trim or something a bit more dramatic?”

His eyes clouded while his lips thinned.

You could feel his muscles tense despite her fingers still running through his hair. The tension radiating off him had you wanting to wrap him up in a tight embrace and comfort him. You could well imagine all this had to be overwhelming. That begged the question of why he was going on a date tonight. He didn’t even seem all that thrilled, but then, you didn’t know him well enough to know for sure.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. With what Stark paid to rent out my place, I’m more than happy to just sit here with you and talk. Or not talk if that’s what you would prefer. You want me to simply wash your hair and style it, I can do that, too. Whatever you want. You have my word, Sergeant.”

His eyes widened while his entire body shifted from tense to shock.

“Yeah, I know who you are. James Buchanan Barnes. Sergeant from the 107th Infantry Division. WWII. POW. Veteran. The man who saved my grandfather at Kreischberg.” You gave him a warm smile, happy to find the tension slowly ebbing out of him.

Deciding it best to continue, you added, “You took his place when they were experimenting on Allied soldiers. Sick as you were, you still stood up for him. He died last year before he got the chance to know you still lived. He did get to see his second favorite hero though before he died.”

Before Bucky could ask, your gaze drifted over to where Steve sat in the waiting area.

“I know everyone adored Cap over there. My grandfather did, too, but he never failed to talk about you more. You certainly left a lasting impression on him. He even named my father after you and Cap. James Steven. A lot to live up to, but my dad was never one to back down from a challenge.”

When you said your grandfather’s name, Bucky’s eyes widened. He remembered that name. Your grandfather had been built a lot like Steve before the serum. It hadn’t been much of a stretch for Bucky to become protective. Your grandfather had been a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old, too, if his memory recalled correctly. How could he not do what he could, sick or not, to keep your grandfather safe from Hydra’s hands?

Another thought niggled its way to the front of his mind, pressing to ask, “Is Steve…”

“A good friend, yeah.”

Resuming your earlier ministrations, you decided to use this time to talk. You both had plenty of time to get to the actual haircut if Bucky changed his mind.

“We actually met during that alien invasion a couple years back. I wasn’t even sure it was him until his helmet thing came off, and I saw his face. He took a nasty hit from one of those Chitauri guys. Knocked him flat onto his hands and knees. Such a cheap, cowardly blow, too. Deserved what it got for doing that.”

“What did it get?”

Your gaze dropped to Bucky’s hair, intent on combing through the strands with your fingers. He’d begun to relax again, and you wanted as much time as you could just being allowed to touch him like this. You had a feeling that could so easily change if he let you get near with your scissors or shaver.

“My best pair of scissors lodged in its neck. Grandpa always loved that you were a sharpshooter. Taught me everything he knew. Competed for several years during my high school and university days. He was also the reason I got into dagger and axe tossing as well. I’m a pretty good shot. As Clint likes to brag, I can never seem to miss.”

“She’s not wrong,” Steve hollered from his seat in the waiting area. “She took that thing down with little effort and cursed it out for ruining her scissors. Never thought I’d hear a dame with a mouth like hers. I still maintain I had it handled.”

“Sure you did, Goldie,” you shouted back, doing your best not to laugh. You failed as your shoulders shook despite your best efforts. Dropping your voice to a whisper, you brought your head closer to his so you weren’t far from Bucky’s ear. “Wanna know the real reason why I call Steve those nicknames of mine?”

Bucky swallowed at your proximity. Everything in him screamed to have you come closer as you continued to soothe him in ways he hadn’t felt in so long. He really wanted you to keep playing with his hair.

When he nodded, you bit your lip before admitting, “He just reminds me of a golden retriever. In the best way though, so please know I mean no offense.”

“You’re serious?”

You nodded, then called out, “Hey, Steve, come here a sec, would ya?”

It didn’t take Steve two seconds to come bounding into the heart of the salon. When he stopped, he shifted from one foot to the other as though he couldn’t settle while awaiting whatever orders you had for him.

You had to bite your lip harder to keep your laughter at bay.

“Can you fetch me that folder from Goose’s station? I wanna let Bucky check out some of the newer styles. See if he likes any of them.”

It took everything in you not to burst out laughing at how quickly Steve followed your orders. He had the folder in hand within moments and erased the distance between you two. When he held it out to you, his head tilted to the side as if awaiting a treat or another command. You just knew he would be wagging his tail if he had one.

“Thanks, Goldie. I’ll let ya know if I need you again.”

Steve nodded, then retreated to the waiting area.

When he was out of sight, you returned your attention to Bucky with a ‘see what I mean’ look.

“That was so wrong,” Bucky said, but a chuckle escaped him. An honest-to-goodness laugh escaped. His eyes scrunched at the corners as he tried to hold back more laughter at his friend’s expense. “You have a mean streak, doll. I like it.”

So lost in the realization that you’d made Bucky laugh, you almost didn’t hear, let alone comprehend, the pet name he’d given you. When you did, you could feel the heat suffusing your cheeks in pleasure.

The folder turned out to be a good idea.

Bucky flipped through the various photos of different styles that had either gained popularity or regained it in the last two years. He finally landed on one that seemed to hold his interest the most.

The model had a shorter, more dramatic cut.

Bucky would be losing all but five-eighths on the sides. The top would keep some length though nothing compared to what he currently had. It’d be enough to keep hair pulling or tugging an option. You always liked guys who kept enough hair on top for gripping, but…

You shut down that thought train before it could get properly started.

He wasn’t cutting his hair for you. Not that you would ever ask him to with how pretty it looked with its current length.

Though, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

As you continued to study the one he liked, you couldn’t help thinking how he wouldn’t be able to hide behind his hair with this style. His eyes would be allowed to pop, too, when he wore the right colors. This included the henley he was wearing.

Hell, he could probably wear almost anything, and he’d be devastating.

His date was one lucky lady.

Shoving your unprofessional thoughts aside, you picked up your shaver and showed it to him. “This okay? It’ll go quicker than me manhandling your hair with my fingers and scissors.”

“We had them back then, doll. Not as fancy as that one, but they did exist,” Bucky said.

If you knew him better, you would recognize the teasing in his voice as he met your gaze. He actually liked how much care you were taking with him, wanting him to have the best experience at your salon. It’d been a long time since someone had shown him any type of kindness.

When you didn’t move, he realized he didn’t exactly answer your question. He still couldn’t believe that you were holding to your promise not to rush him and check in with him. Not even the other Avengers had handled him with such care since bringing him onboard some months ago.

“Go for it.”

You smiled at him.

Oh, he was getting addicted to your smile. It just brightened the whole room and made him almost believe that he was worthy of it.

Lost in thought, he didn’t see you move behind him. That surprised him as he always kept his guard up, especially around new people. He’d long since learned he couldn’t trust others, not with what he’d done as one of Hydra’s assets. Danger always lurked in strangers’ motives.

Yet, he wanted to trust you.

Steve trusted you. So did the other Avengers.

“Such pretty hair,” he heard you murmur before your hand ran through his locks. He had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to hear that with how low you spoke, but the words continued to ring in his ears and through his mind. He hadn’t been associated with pretty in so long. Maybe never.

The shaver clicked on after another moment, taking the first of many paths across his head. His long locks fell to the ground around him until he had quite the pile surrounding him. Closing his eyes, he let the sound of the shaver and your soft humming lull him until he jerked back to reality when you clicked the shaver off some minutes later.

He couldn’t believe he’d actually nodded off.

That had never happened before.

When he glanced in the mirror, he stared in shock at how different he looked. You weren’t done by any means, but he didn’t look like he had minutes ago. He wasn’t even sure he recognized the guy staring back at him.

“Come on, stud,” you said, nodding toward the sinks. “Let’s wash your hair now, then I can finish up the rest of your new look.”

Again, he chose one of the Pink Lady chairs near the sinks. It took him a little bit to relax before resting his head in the cutout of the sink.

“Doing okay?”

He breathed in and out, then nodded.

You smiled at him. “Yeah, you are. I wish all my clients could be as great as you’re being. I’ll have to see if I can find you a treat when you’re done. I think Rizzo has some lollipops stashed at her station.”

“I don’t need a treat, doll. It’s fine.”

Bucky figured you dropped the argument when you didn’t counter his words. He couldn’t tell if he was more relieved or disappointed that you didn’t.

That thought soon disappeared though.

The water hit him at exactly the right temperature, dousing his head until his hair dripped.

Then, your hands performed their magic with the sweet-smelling shampoo your salon used. The way you massaged the shampoo into his scalp nearly had him moaning aloud. It just felt that good, and he hadn’t been prepared for it. Neither had his body with the way it reacted to your hands in his hair. He’d never been so grateful for the cape covering him.

You soon rinsed out the shampoo and followed it up with a conditioner that had the same sweet smell. Your hands repeated the same process as the shampoo, making his body even more aware of you and your closeness to him.

It really wouldn’t take much to grip your hips and tug you closer. The desire to do just that nearly overwhelmed him. To keep himself in check, his hands gripped the chair.

He could make out the floral notes of the perfume you used. It intoxicated him.

The sweet torment of your touch, smell, and proximity ended all too soon.

Water doused his head once more, removing all traces of the conditioner. It was soon replaced with a towel that quickly collected the stray water droplets that tried to break free and race down his neck as you helped him sit back up.

Before he knew it, you were leading him back to your workstation.

Taking his seat, you moved behind him again and lowered the chair for the first time. You even shook your head as you mumbled, “Tall guys. I just have to like tall guys.”

Bucky swallowed at that. Could you like him? Would that even be possible?

No, he had a date tonight. He shouldn’t be thinking about you like he had a chance when he should be concentrating on his date.

As if you had the same thought, you asked, “Tell me about your date tonight. What’s she like? Or he? They? I don’t want to assume.”

“She,” he said, a small grin at your need to correct yourself. You might have a mean teasing streak, but you weren’t unkind. “I, uh, don’t know much about her. Sam set it up for me.”

“So, it’s a friend of Wilson’s then? He didn’t give you any information on her?” You picked up your scissors and a comb before turning toward him. “I’m going to start in the back and work my way forward. Okay?”

He nodded.

After you got started, he recalled your questions. “She’s not a friend. Sam said I needed to date. Put me on some of those apps. Tinble or something like that.”

Your brows lifted as you bit your lip.

He caught it in the mirror as his eyes haven’t stopped watching you since you started working. It took everything in him to ignore the way your fingers danced through his shorter locks.

Just as it was taking you not to laugh at whatever he said that was so funny.

You soon enlightened him by asking, “You mean Tinder? There’s also Bumble. It’s newer. I can’t blame you for mixing them. There are so many out there nowadays. Makes my head spin with the many options.”

“Do you use them?”

You shook your head. “Nah. Too busy with my salon here. Besides, I know what I’m looking for, and I know I’m not going to find him on any dating app.”

“What are you looking for?”

When you smiled, it had a dreamy quality that had Bucky holding his breath. Oh, how he wished he could be exactly what you wished to have.

To his surprise, your smile turned cheeky when you said, “I’m looking for a dream on a mean machine.”

Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been that.

Steve’s loud laugh echoed through the shop, having heard her answer from the waiting area. The punk followed it by saying, “Thanks for that, Steffy. I got that reference.”

“You should, Goldie. It’s a requirement you know it if you’re wanting to be a client here at Cool Rider.”

Now, that had Bucky’s attention. Before he could stop himself, he blurted, “You have requirements for your clients?”

“Just the Avengers. Well, mainly Tony. Such an insufferable ass though he does have a few good points to redeem himself now and then.”

That didn’t answer his question at all, but you weren’t finished thankfully.

“After saving Steve that day, he was the first to stop by my salon. He really liked the aesthetics. Reminded him of the old days. While he didn’t know anything about Grease or the best musical ever, Grease 2, he kept coming back. Eventually, he brought some of the other Avengers with him.”

You snipped several small swathes of his hair before you continued.

“One of those times, Tony tagged along. That man, I swear, wouldn’t stop commenting on my Grease theme and décor. Then, he had the nerve to tell me he’d never seen either film. After all his badmouthing, I’d had it. Told him I refused to service him again until he watched the movies and could be quizzed on both.”

A small chuckle escaped.

“He had no idea I was mainly teasing him, but the threat worked. From what Steve told me, Tony made all of them have a movie night where they watched both musicals. He even came up with every possible question I could quiz them on and made them answer each question correctly. Never would’ve guessed I had that much power over a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Did I get that right, Goldie?”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Steve hollered back. “He’s been complaining about his hair getting too long, so I’d expect an appointment soon from him.”

“And why didn’t you tell me this earlier? You know we need all the warning we can get when it comes to Tony, Goldie. He always shuts down my place at the worst times. Doubling my rate. Tell him that, won’t you?”

Steve acknowledged he heard you.

Satisfied, your voice returned to normal as you shifted to Bucky’s left side.

He did his best not to tense at your proximity to his metal arm. If you hadn’t mentioned it, then he didn’t want to point it out. Maybe there was a chance you didn’t know he’d been used as a weapon for so long. Though, he had his doubts as you’d known everything else about him.

“So, where are you taking your date tonight?” you asked, changing the subject with a quickness that Bucky feared he wouldn’t ever be able to keep up with you.

How he wanted to do just that surprised him, too.

He finally named the restaurant. It was a fancy place that Tony had set up for him, which meant at least a nice suit and tie. Both of which, Bucky really couldn’t stand to wear.

Maybe he wouldn’t mind so much if his date was anything like you.

Stop it!

“I’ve heard some nice things about that place, but you really strike me more as a smaller, cozier type of restaurant guy. Any reason why you chose something so fancy?” You paused then as though the words you just spoke finally hit you and the implications you’d made with them. Horror entered your eyes as they met his in the mirror. “That was…so rude of me. I apologize. I shouldn’t have made assumptions like that.”

Bucky shook his head, letting his smile emerge albeit awkwardly. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean any offense. Tony made the reservation. Told me to wine and dine her with the best the city had to offer. But you are right about me.”

Relief washed through you. Your smile returned as you finally asked, “Name your favorite place then.”

There was no hesitation as he named a little Italian bistro near your salon and the Tower.

Your smile grew. “That’s one of my favorites, too.”

He bit his tongue before he could think about asking you to join him there sometime.

Silence fell between you for the next few minutes.

In that time, you finished clipping his hair down to the right length and adding some layer and texture to it. You moved from his left to his front and finished on his right. Your movements had been smoothly fluid. Almost like a dance you’d learned long ago.

He had to admit he was mesmerized watching you work so quickly and efficiently. Watching you move the way you did. You never seemed to second guess where you needed to cut or the way it would look once you did.

That was something he’d never really experienced outside of the jobs he’d been forced to do for Hydra. Get in, get out with the least amount of mess left behind. He’d been good at it. As sick as it was to admit, he knew it was the main reason the newly reformed SHIELD even allowed the Avengers to take him on. Fury wanted him for his expertise with quick, efficient asset recovery and cleanup. Extract and sanitize wrapped in nicer packaging all over again.

It wouldn’t do to dream of being anything more. To dream about being with someone like you. You deserved someone without half the baggage he came with. You deserved someone more like Steve if he was being honest.

He really needed to put you out of his mind before you nestled too deep. Before you could manage to sneak your way somewhere even more locked away than his head. A place like his heart.

Crazy. It was crazy.

The two of you had just met. He shouldn’t feel like this about you.

Yet, he couldn’t deny that he did. He really did. That scared him, too.

You would never be safe with him in your life. Compared to the other Avengers, he would always be a target, and anyone attached to him would have the same mark on them. It would only be a matter of time before you’d had enough of him and being in constant danger because of him.

No, it was better to make this the first and last time he ever saw you.

Even if it hurt him to never see you again.

Something dark had entered Bucky’s mind. You could sense it in the way he tensed his muscles before forcing them to release, only to repeat the cycle all over again.

You had to find some way to distract him.

Landing on his face, you noted the way his full beard didn’t really fit with his shorter hair. As much as you liked its fullness, you could see the potential of trimming it down close to his face. It might even lessen the strain you could make out around his mouth.

Okay, you really shouldn’t focus too much on his mouth. You really didn’t need to go down that road, or you might start thinking about what kissing him would be like.

Get it together, you silently admonished yourself.

Even still, you couldn’t stop yourself from running a finger along his bearded cheek, drawing his attention back to you.

“Your beard is beautiful, but a trim might be in order. What do you think?”

You mentally high-fived yourself for how normal you made yourself sound right then. Hopefully, you could keep it up until he finally left your salon, ready for his date that evening.

“I, uh, whatever you think is best,” he said, his voice deeper than it’d been before.

Could it be that you affected him as much as he did you? Oh, now that was a dangerous thought.

Bringing yourself back, you shook your head. “Against the rules, stud. It’s your decision whether the beard stays or goes, not mine. I will say that our beard trims and shaves come with a facial massage and skin treatment.”

He shifted in his seat.

You could make out his hands rubbing up and down his thighs. Even without the cape, you recalled the way his legs had filled out his tight jeans. The man had actual thighs of steel.

He finally nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” You couldn’t help prodding him a little. After all, you needed to hear the words. If this was going to be his show, then he needed to decide and say it clearly, so you understood. After all his years of having no control over his life, you wouldn’t take even a second more from him if you could help it.

“I think it’s time for a shave, too. Go big or go home, right?”

You smiled. “Right.”

Since your station didn’t normally carry any of the items you’d need, you headed over to Goose’s station and picked through what he had. Thankfully, you had understanding employees who didn’t mind sharing when something came up. Plus, Goose’s equipment surpassed those of Kenickie or DiMucci.

Not wanting him to get nervous while you set up, you decided to ask him another question. It was nice to hear how he opened up in a way you had a feeling he didn’t do all that much with others.

“Well, we’ve covered who your date is and where it’s taking place. How about what you’re driving to get yourself there? It’s safe to assume you’ll be wearing a nice suit, so…” You allowed your words to trail off in the hopes he’d picked up from there.

Bucky didn’t disappoint you, either.

“Well, I don’t have much besides my bike, but I could always take the bus or subway to get there.”

“He’s taking one of Tony’s lesser fancy cars,” Steve offered so helpfully, still eavesdropping with little to no shame. You could almost imagine he wore a shit-eating grin every time he jumped into the conversation to appear so helpful. “I think Tony mentioned one of his BMWs.”

“Of course, he did,” you mutter, shaking your head.

Tony Stark was nothing if not pretentious in the types of cars he liked to drive and be seen in. You couldn’t really see Bucky wanting to drive something like that, but then, you doubted he’d have much choice with the restaurant he was going to.

Deciding to keep that observation to yourself, you said instead, “Well, it’s nice to see Tony knows how to share.”

With everything in hand, you headed back to your station to drop them off, then went off to retrieve a hot towel.

“I’m going to cover your face for a few minutes,” you held the towel up for Bucky to see, “but I won’t be far.”

His grin appeared again. Almost cheeky in the way one side curved up as he said, “I’ll be fine, doll.”

Oh, you just knew he was aware of the effect he had on you. It simply wasn’t fair when you were certain you didn’t have the same power over him. The nerve of this man to call you ‘doll’. It was so wrong the power of the pet name had, going straight to the heart. A dangerous man indeed.

Shoving those thoughts aside with all the other inappropriate ones you had for this man, you covered his face, taking an extra moment or two to ensure the towel covered him. No folds were in sight. You spared another moment or two of massaging his face through the towel to ensure it sat properly.

Satisfied, you went to work on building up your favorite lather, also stolen from Goose’s stash. You preferred this gentle soap as it had little fragrance and tended not to irritate clients’ skin.

To your surprise, he broke the silence with a question. “What do you think of flowers?”

Your brows rose before they drew together, unsure what his question hinted at. There were so many different directions you could answer it, but you didn’t want to say the wrong thing and put him off. So, you did one of your worst pet peeves. You answered his question with a question. “What about them?”

“Guys still bring them for their dates these days?”

Oh.

How did that make him so much hotter?

You seriously needed to get a grip on yourself or risk falling hard for a man that would never be yours.

“Not so much, no,” you finally managed to say before quickly adding, “but I think they’ll be a nice, unexpected touch. Is that what you did before the war? Bring flowers to your girl?”

“Girls,” Steve offered up. “Buck was never without a girl on his arm. Sometimes, two if I was meeting up with him. Pity date and all that for the scrawny Brooklyn boy.”

“Steven Rogers, you are not a pity date for any woman. Now or back then. I’ve seen pictures of you, and there was nothing wrong with you. It was always their loss if they didn’t see the rare gem you were and still are.”

You lifted the towel off Bucky’s face and flashed him a smile. Your voice dropped low, so Steve wouldn’t overhear as you said, “Your past doesn’t define who you are, either. Sure, it’s a part of you, but so is the man you are now and the one you were before Hydra got their hands on you. You are worthy of every bit of love you can find in this world.”

Bucky’s Adam’s apple bobbed several times.

“I see it now.”

“What’s that?” Your brows drew together.

Bucky’s lips curved up at the corners. “Why Steve likes you so much. I get it now.”

You beamed at him. His praise meant far more than it should for such a short acquaintance. Yet, that didn’t stop you from having to blink back tears before they managed to run down and mess up what little makeup you’d put on that day.

“Alright, mister, let’s get you finished up for your big date. You’re going to knock her socks off if I have anything to do with it.” If your own socks were already knocked off, then that would be your secret and yours alone.

The first few strokes of the lather brush felt a bit awkward since it’d been a minute from the last time you shaved a client. It came back to you though and soon you had him covered with the first application. When you were satisfied, you rushed over to grab a second towel from the warming rack.

With the same care as you used before, you placed it over Bucky’s face, molding it to the lather. You shot him a small grin as you whispered, “Doing so good here, stud. Almost done.”

Goose’s everyday straight razor took a minute to sanitize and reset with a new blade. He preferred using single-use blades for their easier disposal over sanitizing and reusing a conventional straight razor. That wasn’t to say he didn’t have one, but no one, not even you as his friend and boss, were allowed to touch the reusable one or its strop. That was his and his alone. His most prized possession.

With the razor intact and ready to go, you turned back to find Bucky’s eyes on you. You did your best to hide the warmth his gaze caused, but you were almost certain you failed at this point.

To hide the way he affected your nerves, you quickly removed the first lather you applied and the towel covering it. You’d never been so satisfied than in that moment to see it all came off without missing a spot on his face or neck.

“Alright, stud, I’m going to need you to stay as still as you can for me. I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible. Really don’t want to nick your handsome face before your date tonight, okay?”

The small grin he shot you had you nearly dropping your lather cup. “I’ll do my best, doll.”

“It’s not nice to tease a lady with a razor, Sergeant.”

The nerve of this man, you couldn’t help thinking as he didn’t appear the least bit repentant.

Not to be outdone, you lathered him up again, making sure you covered every inch you needed before you picked up the razor and made the first of many gentle scrapes across his skin. Muscle memory had you finishing up within minutes of starting.

The rest of his shave went smoothly until you got to the last step.

“Which one do you prefer?”

You held up two bottles of aftershave, letting him take and inspect them at his leisure. One had a spicier scent while the other had a cleaner, more natural scent to it.

He chose the latter.

It took you moments to pat it into his skin until you were certain you’d done your job well. The same moments you realized you would shortly be forced to say goodbye to him.

Before you could think better of it, you leaned into his space and pressed your lips as softly as you could to his cheek.

His breath hitched at your action, but he didn’t appear upset.

Taking that as a win, you retreated with a small smile. “A good luck kiss for your date tonight. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, stud, and to work with you. I really hope we’ll get to do it again.”  

*****

Main Masterlist

If you'd like to be tagged, reply to me here or message me. I do expect Bucky's story to span a couple more parts. If you want to be tagged for the whole series with the other characters, please reply to the master post.

[theselfshippingwitch]

JanAUary - Fake Dating AU

(Divider by @saradika)

Ship: Ray x Violet Word Count: 3088 Summary: Ray and Violet are going to Ray's hometown for his high school reunion, and Violet thought her worst problem would be figuring out how to pretend to be his girlfriend until she got there Rating: General Audiences Notes: For JanAUary run by @bioexorcizm and @eternally-smitten - Thanks for the prompt! Yeah this one got way away from me, it's super long whoops

(Divider by @cafekitsune)

Violet stepped out of the inn wearing jeans and a blouse. It was dinner time, and she and Ray were meeting up with his high school classmates for dinner before the high school reunion party the next night. They walked side by side to the restaurant. He seemed distracted, watching the ground with a pensive expression on his face. “Nervous?” Violet asked.

She didn’t blame him. The plan was ridiculous. When Peter suggested it, her first instinct was to flat out refuse. It took coaxing from both him and her personal assistant, Steffi, to get her to agree to pretend to be Ray’s girlfriend at his high school reunion. There was no way she would be able to keep up that kind of ruse. Her fame and success had come from writing, not acting. Not that she wouldn’t be able to convince people she liked Ray as more than a friend. That part came easy to her. But how was she supposed to act like a girlfriend when she had never been anyone’s girlfriend before? 

While waiting in the line to get into the restaurant, the first person to greet them was what looked like to Violet to be some washed up high school football star. “Ray, old pal!” He slapped Ray on the shoulder just a little too hard, making him flinch and rub the spot where he hit after. “Hey, no hard feelings about last time, right, old buddy? Just a bit of dark magic between old friends!”

“Hi, Alan.” Ray sounded mostly annoyed. 

“Yeah, I mean it was just like old times, right? Remember in high school when I used to steal your bike and not give it back to you for weeks at a time…”

“The last time, you never gave it back.”

“...Or that one time I moved that carjack in shop class while you were still under the car?”

“I had to get stitches.”

“Boys will be boys, right?” 

“That’s what the cops told me.”

“And who is this gorgeous creature?” Alan moved past Ray, sliding in between him and Violet in line and leaning against the wall in front of her. 

“This is Violet. Violet, this is Alan.”

“Alan Favish, Head Quarterback for the Morrisville High Eagles, Class of ‘76. So, he guilt tripped you into tagging along, did he?” He jerked his head towards Ray as if he wasn’t still standing right next to them and hearing all of this. “Well, It’s not a total loss. I can make sure you still have a good time…”

“Actually, I’m his girlfriend.”

Alan raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You’re dating him? Ha! I guess I’m not the only one who’s using dark magic around here. What kind of love potion did you have to use to convince her to date you, huh, Ray? Must have been some powerful stuff!” 

Violet sneered.

“Hey, I’m just joking! Meet you inside, buddy!” Alan punched Ray in the forearm, again just a little too hard, as he left them in the line. 

The second person to approach them was an older gentleman in a rather loud suit and a sash that said “MAYOR” in big red letters. Violet wondered if he wore it all the time. “Roy Stantz!” He greeted Ray.

“It’s Ray… again…” Ray reminded him. 

“When I heard our hometown hero was coming back for the high school reunion, I had to come say hello! And I also heard a rumor that you were bringing a famous celebrity author…” He turned his full attention to Violet, ignoring that Ray looked ready to say something. “Violet Bellamy, I presume? I recognize you from all those magazine covers! I’d just like to tell you what an honor it is to have you in our little town!”

“Um, Thank you.” Violet said as the mayor grabbed her hand and shook it all too eagerly. 

“The town council would love to have you do a speech at the town hall, Miss Bellamy. Maybe take a few photos to put in the newspaper and hang on the walls of my office. How about the morning after the reunion?” 

“Uh… sure.” They were taking the train at noon the day after the reunion anyway. Although Violet kind of hated the way this guy brushed over Ray for her. She wouldn’t have been as successful as she was if it wasn’t for his expertise in the paranormal. And something about the way the people in this town treated him…

They finally made it inside, and after they got partway through their dinner, a pretty girl interrupted them, smiling wide as she pulled up a chair in between the two of them and faced Ray. “Ray, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Hi, Elaine.” Ray said.

“I’m so sorry I haven't called since the last time we saw each other. I know I said I would, but I’ve just been so busy fixing up the house I inherited that you messed up while you were trying to catch the ghosts that were haunting the place, and it just kinda slipped my mind until this reunion!” She said, upbeat.

“Oh, that’s okay, it’s only been… a few months.”

“I knew you’d understand! Hey, why don’t you come over tomorrow before the reunion and help me out? I remember you being real handy back in high school. I have a few walls that still need repairing, and some electrical work, and maybe a bit of the plumbing. I know it’s a lot, but you were such a good friend back in the day, I remember how you used to always jump start my old car whenever my boyfriend couldn’t because he was at basketball practice, even when it was raining out! So, what do you say?”

“Well, I kind of already had plans…”

She laid her hand on his arm and batted her eyelashes. “Please, Ray?”

Ray sighed. “Well, maybe I can swing by really quick and take a look at the place.”

“You’re so good to me, Ray! You know, I’ve still been reading all the newspaper articles with you in them. Your success has been very interesting to me.” She winked, and left without even acknowledging Violet. 

Ray shot her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry…” he whispered to her. 

Violet didn’t respond. In fact, she didn’t say much of anything until they were back in the room at the inn. But, then she just had to ask. “Why do you let these people treat you this way?”

Ray sighed. “I don’t know. Coming back here has always felt… wrong, somehow. High school was honestly the most difficult time of my life. When I moved here, my parents had just died, and I wasn’t getting along with my siblings, and I felt so small and helpless and alone. It wasn’t until I left for college in the big city that I stopped being so shy, and when I’m in this town again, I feel like that sad little teenager again.” 

“So, why do you come back?”

“Because, for some inexplicable reason, I feel like I have something to prove to these people. Like, no matter what I do, how successful I get, I’m always gonna be that weird kid who’s going nowhere in life to them! I know it’s pathetic, but I’ve felt that way ever since I left this town.”

“Ray…” Violet wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry these people make you feel that way. And I’m sorry I got upset with you. I didn’t know…”

Late that night, as Ray slept on the cot in the corner of the room, Violet slipped out of the bed and opened her suitcase. She dug through the clothes she had packed until she found the outfits Steffi had slipped into her suitcase, despite her protesting. She looked over at Ray, who was snoring lightly. She laid the outfit neatly on the top of the pile of clothes, and then shut it again.

-

Violet stepped out of the inn wearing a halter top romper in deep red with matching red chunky heels with an ankle strap. Her short brown hair fell in a perfect wave down to just below her jawline and was piled to one side. Her red lips curled into a smile when she saw Ray waiting for her outside. His mouth fell open when he saw her. She put her finger under his chin and shut his open mouth gently “C’mon, babe. Let’s go see a girl about a house.” He couldn’t help but stare at the way the thin silk fabric of her shorts wrapped around her curves as she walked ahead of him, leading him by the hand to the old mansion on the outskirts of town. 

As they walked down the street in the middle of town, every man who passed them turned their heads to stare at Violet as long as they could. Some literally stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted her. A couple teenagers walked up to them. “Hey, are you Violet Bellamy?”

“Yeah, I am!” Violet smiled.

“No way! I can’t believe it’s really you! I loved your last book. Scariest thing I’ve ever read, it gave me nightmares for days!”

“Thanks!” 

“Hey, could I, like, get your autograph?”

At the mansion, Violet wrapped herself around Ray as Elaine approached, taking his arm in hers while the other one rested on his chest. The other girl faltered in her gait as she took in the sight of Violet, before bringing herself the rest of the way down the dirt path. “Hi, Ray! Glad you could make it!” 

“Uh…” Ray’s voice shook. He forgot what exactly he was supposed to say in response, nor could he remember to take his eyes off of Violet as she rubbed the center of his chest in a slow, steady rhythm. “Yeah, sure, Elaine.” He finally squeaked out. Violet smiled at him, pleased with his response. 

She turned that smug smile to the shocked girl in front of them. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Violet Bellamy, Ray’s girlfriend.” The hand on his arm slid up to his shoulder as the hand on his chest reached out palm upwards.

“Uh… Hi.” Elaine shook hands briefly, still in disbelief. 

“Ray just came over to see the house, like he said he would last night at dinner. Right, baby?” Violet laid her red fingertips on Ray’s cheek. He swallowed hard. “Uh-huh.” He nodded.

She chuckled. “He is so sweet. It’s one of the things I love about him. Just like an angel, sent down from Heaven just for me…” Violet let her face get closer and closer to Ray’s as she spoke. She took one last look at Elaine’s dumbfounded face before closing the gap between her red lips and Ray’s, initiating their first kiss and her first ever kiss. She hoped it was really as simple as Steffi told her it was, wrapping her lips around Ray’s bottom lip, sucking a little, and moving them slowly against his. She hoped it looked enough like they had done this before, and more importantly, she hoped Ray was enjoying it. When she pulled away, the bright red blush in his cheeks and the blissful expression on his face told her he had, to her ecstatic delight. 

Satisfied, she turned to Elaine again. “Well, we said we’d look at the house.” She looked the house up and down. “You were right. It does need work. See you at the reunion!” She led Ray by the arm away from the house and away from its now fuming mad owner. 

“Violet…?” Ray started.

“What? I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, aren’t I?” She looked up at him. As gratifying as that was, she hoped he didn’t think she had gone too far. He closed his mouth again and only looked at her with sad, pleading eyes. “Are you alright, Ray?”

“I… it’s nothing.” 

-

They spent the rest of the day walking around Ray’s old neighborhood, going by his old house and all his favorite spots where he spent his free time. That night, they went to the high school gym for the reunion party. Violet was sitting at a table covered with a blue tablecloth and gold confetti, sipping on whiskey ginger Ray just brought her before excusing himself to use the restroom. Alan sat down next to Violet and placed his beer on the table. “Hey gorgeous. Do you wanna dance?”

Violet put her head in her hand. “I’d rather die.”

“C’mon, baby, what else are you gonna do? Sit around with Ray all night? I know I could show you a way better time.”

Violet blinked. Without a word, she picked up his beer with her free hand and poured it onto his crotch. She put the cup back on the table, and smiled slightly. 

Alan jumped up from the table. “You little tramp! Who do you think you are?” 

“Well, I’m not an ex-high school quarterback desperately trying to relive the glory days that are far behind me, that’s for sure.” 

“You think that’s funny?”

“I think it’s true. I think you’re pathetic. You’ve been handed everything you’ve ever gotten because of some stupid game, and now that you don’t have that to lean on anymore you’ve realized that you’re nothing but a waste of space, and your life is going nowhere. I think you’re half the man Ray is, and you always have been, and you always will be.” 

He grabbed her by the elbow and lifted her up from the table. “No one talks to me that way, you little-”

Ray came up from behind and ripped Alan’s hand away from Violet’s arm, spinning him to face him before punching him square in the face, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the floor with a loud thud that echoed through the gym, causing everyone to look. “Well, maybe someone should, Al. It’d be the first time anyone’s been honest with you.” He crossed over to Violet, taking her in his arms. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Ray.” She put her hands on his chest. “You were incredible.” She looked over at Alan lying face down on the floor. Ray looked up and saw that the entire gym full of people were now staring at the two of them. Violet kept her eyes on him as she continued. “Ray, you’re so wonderful. You’re sweet, you’re brilliant, you’re so brave, you always do what’s right, even when it’s difficult, even when it’s a detriment to you. I’m so lucky just to know you, to have someone like you in my life. I love you.” Violet wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck. 

His face heated up, but his movements were stiff as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Violet…?”

“Yes, Ray?”

“...Can we leave?”

“Yeah. Let’s leave.”

Ray had a strange, almost angry look on his face as he walked, faster than he normally did, with Violet to their room. For the first time since she had known him, she was almost afraid to ask him what was wrong. “Ray…?”

He didn’t respond. He sat on the bed, facing away from her.

“Did I do something wrong today?” 

He stood up. “You’ve been driving me crazy, all day…”

“I’m sorry. I might have laid it on a little too thick, I guess….”

“The way you look, and all the touching, and the compliments, and that kiss…”

“Ray, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”

“I want it to be real!” he whirled around to face Violet, tears in his eyes.

“You do?”

“I want it so bad! I’ve wanted you ever since the day we met, but today was just… I couldn’t stand it! I feel like I’ve been losing my mind all day! I need it to be real! I need to know, did you mean any of it?” 

“Ray…” Violet ran to him, wrapping him up tight in a hug. “Yes, sweetheart, I meant it. I meant all of it. You’re the most wonderful, amazing, incredible man in the whole world, and I’ve been madly in love with you from day one. You’re so far beyond anyone in this town, I couldn’t stand the way they treated you. I wanted them to see what I see in you. You deserve someone who adores you, worships you, who would never take you for granted or treat you like you’re beneath them. Ray, I want you to see that in yourself!” Violet kissed him on his lips. “I want you to realize how incredible you are, how much you mean to me!” She kept kissing him, on his cheeks, his nose, his jawline. “And I… I don’t want you to sleep on that cot tonight!” 

“Oh, Violet…” Ray wrapped his arms around her and gently guided her onto the bed, kissing her. 

-

Violet stepped out of the inn wearing a tight black knee-length dress with a square neckline, elbow-length sleeves, and a high slit up her left leg. Her brown hair was smoothed back, the tips just barely covering the top of her neck. She had left Ray lying in bed, still fast asleep. What she has to do this morning wouldn’t take long. She had a speech prepared that this town would never forget. 

When she walked into the crowded town hall, all conversation halted immediately. She stood behind the podium and surveyed the crowd, unsmiling. “Every single one of you is scum  compared to Ray Stantz. Even if he wasn’t a Ghostbuster. Even if he wasn’t famous. Even if he wasn’t anything even close to successful. He will always be twice the person any one of you are. And you’re all going to get what’s coming to you.”

Nobody could say anything. Even the ones that wanted to couldn’t seem to make their mouths move, no matter how hard they tried. “All of you will stay trapped in this town, like rats in a cage, and rot. He and I will have good fortune and happiness, and you will only have despair. I place a curse upon your town now.” She raised her hands, covered to the wrist in gloves of black silk, and whispered. “Acadiona Ludio Impbeo Angarum Noreabus.”

 She left the stage and walked through the silent crowd. She didn’t stop until she reached the room where Ray was just waking up. “I’m sorry I slept through your speech, honey. How did it go?” 

“I think it went very well. Let’s go home now, darling.”

[time-travelling-chaos]

Ok rant because I need to scream about it.

So, I sometimes watch the Circle game on Netflix, because yes, it's a bit terrible, but it's fun, and I like to see people interacting together, especially as they often end up sharing personal things and supporting each other which I love to see. Plus, there are often really cool people that I like to see in media and that I like to see sharing their experiences, like queer people or people with ADHD.

So I was quite happy to see there was a new season, especially as I'm not that ok right now, and it's often something I like to watch when I'm feeling a bit down, as it doesn't need a lot of focus and can take my mind off of things easily.

But then I see they put a fucking AI in the game. So it's already bad, fuck AI, I don't want it in my games, I don't want it anywhere, the WHOLE POINT of this game is to see people interact together not to see how an AI perform as a human. But I'm there like ok I like this game, so let's just give it a shot, maybe it won't be too much of a deal.

But then, of course, they make a big twist about it, so players starts to analyse everyone's behaviour to see who could be the AI. And a lot of them thinks about Steffi, because she is kinda flat in her speech, and uses a lot of complex words that of course no one uses in real life, her jokes are bad. Plus she knows a lot about that one topic, like how can she knows about horoscopes right away? Like? It's her job? And people can know things? And she is into horoscopes, but also did well on the rap battle? Like people can do and like several things?

But yeah, the speech thing (and especially the complex vocabulary part) really really threw me off, especially because all of it are bascially autistic traits, like the complex vocabulary and stuff. Like of course this was going to happen, why no one in the production thought about that? So yeah, I'm really upset about this right now, and kinda sad as well, and the idea of some autistic traits being considered as not so human, and this being portrayed on popular media like this make my really mad, and I'm not really ok right now.

(And to be clear, I don't think Steffi is autistic, she is a real person, I'm not saying anything about her, I'm just talking about how autistics traits can be perceveied in media.)

So yeah, really upset now, and I'm kinda annoyed, because I like this show usually, and I like some of the contestants a lot for now (like Brandon and QT I love them), but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep watching it now, and it makes me sad.

[lfthinkerwrites]

'Uncle Eddie'

The winning oneshot! Rated T for canon typical violence, referenced drug use and referenced child abuse.

Stephanie Brown is eight years old when she first meets Edward Nigma.

Her father doesn't lock in the closet anymore whenever he has his 'friends' over. She's gotten too big for that. Now, he tells her to stay in her room. There's no lock on her door though, so she can look down into the living room from the top of the stairs.

Three people are at the small dining room table across from her father tonight. Two of them are women, one tall and blonde, the other short with dark hair. They're standing behind a man, sitting at a chair directly across from Stephanie's father. He has reddish brown hair and is wearing a green leotard. Stephanie can just make out the purple question mark on his chest. She thinks she hears her father call him 'Eddie'. Her mother is, once again, nowhere in sight. She's probably asleep.

Stephanie can hear her stomach growl. She hasn't eaten since before school, but her father will yell at her if he sees her coming down the stairs. She'll have to wait until later, to get a snack from the fridge, if anyone went to the grocery store. As quietly as she can, Stephanie scoots away from the railing and turns to head to her room.

She wasn't quiet enough. The blonde woman turns sharply and catches sight of her. Her eyes widen and she swats the green man on the shoulder. "Boss!"

All four heads turn at once, and Stephanie is frozen to her spot. Her father's face turns red and she knows she's in for it. The green man, Eddie, merely raises an eyebrow. "Arthur," he says. "You didn't tell me we had company."

"It's just my kid," her father says, rubbing the back of his head. He gives Stephanie a strained smile. "Go to your room, Steffie. Daddy and Uncle Eddie have grown-up stuff to do."

Stephanie nods. The man called Eddie looks at her a moment longer. He has green eyes. Cold eyes. Stephanie can't get back to her room fast enough.

When Stephanie is twelve, her father comes back from jail with an unwanted guest. "Hey Steffie," he says. "You remember Uncle Eddie, don't you? He's going to be staying with us for a few days."

Stephanie knows full well who he is now. Edward Nigma. The Riddler. He and her father are working on some big score. She knows what her father is now too. Cluemaster. A wannabe crook trying to ride Nigma's coattails. Nigma walks into her living room like he owns it, giving her mother, drowsy on the sofa, a disdainful look. He turns to look at Stephanie, and a shadow passes over his face. It's soon replaced by a smirk. "Tiffany, isn't it?" he asks.

"Stephanie," she answers, fists clenching. He shrugs and continues on his way.

"I hope you're not expecting me to crash on your sofa, Arthur," he says.

"Of course not," her father says. "You can stay in Stephanie's room."

Stephanie whirls around. "What? Where am I gonna sleep?"

"You can take the couch for a few days. It's just until Uncle Eddie gets his gang back together." Her father is right in front of her, his nails digging into her shoulder. He's smiling, but she sees the warning in his eyes. "Suck it up, Kiddo."

"Arthur," her mother calls out. "Don't make her sleep out here-"

"Oh, look who's finally awake," her father sneers, letting go of Stephanie's shoulder and storming to the couch. "You finally sleep off that hangover of yours?"

Stephanie looks away from her parents and over to Nigma. He looks bored, maybe a little irritated but he says and does nothing. She hears her mother let out a sharp cry and sees that her father has grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her off the couch. He looks like he's going to slap her.

"Stop!" she cried out. Both of her parents look at her. "It's ok Mom," she says. "I can sleep on the couch."

Her father lets go of her mother. "See, Crystal? It's fine." He stomps over to the dining room table. "Come here, Eddie, I got some plans I wanted to run by you."

Before Stephanie goes to her mother, she looks at Nigma. Surely, he won't want to work with her father after this? Surely, he'll leave. Maybe, just maybe, he'll-

Nigma's gone to the dining room table without a second glance at Stephanie or her mother. He saw everything, and he said and did nothing. Stephanie doesn't hate Nigma like she's coming to hate her father, but she decides then and there that she hates him all the same.

When Stephanie is fifteen, she finally gets to act on that hatred. She's been following her father around on his latest scheme, following him all the way to an old toy factory Except, it's Nigma's scheme. He's just letting her father take the fall for it. She's left enough clues for Robin and Batman to follow and they're here, going through Nigma's mooks like a knife through butter. Her sperm donor is on the ground with a broken jaw and she smiles from the rafter she's hidden herself on.

She catches sight of a figure in a green suit, running towards a back exit. Nigma. While she can appreciate him leaving her Daddy Dearest to the wolves, she's still not going to let him get away. Her hand goes to her makeshift belt and she grabs a Batarang, one she grabbed from the last scheme she spoiled before Batdick chased her off. She takes aim and throws it.

She has to stifle a cheer as the Batarang connects, hitting Nigma in the back of the head and causing him to stumble forward and fall with a grunt. Aww, did you get your suit dirty? Asshole. He rolls over and looks up, his eyes meeting hers. She doesn't think he recognizes her through the full-face spoiler mask, so she contents herself by flipping him the bird. Eat shit, 'Uncle Eddie'. Batman is approaching him now and Stephanie climbs up the rafters, out the open skylight where she came in. She doesn't need to hear Batdick giving her the riot act. Again.

Stephanie Brown is twenty now and so much has changed. She's Batgirl now, finally wearing the symbol after so long looking in from the outside, even if she still can't say that Bruce is her favorite person. She's in Nigma's apartment, watching as a former enemy hugs a girl close to him, kissing her on the forehead and looking at her like she's the most important thing in his world.

Ellie is like a funhouse mirror. At first glance, she can't help but see the similarities. They're both young scrappers from the lower end of the economic spectrum. They both have attitudes to spare. They both have a love for art and creating it, though Ellie's drawings trump Stephanie's any day of the week. And of course, they both have puzzle-themed criminal fathers.

That's where the reflection becomes warped.

Ellie grew up in safety, not knowing who or what her father was. She didn't have a father, but that was better than having the Riddler as a father. Stephanie's under no illusions what kind of father the man she knew as a child would have been. And yet...she sees the man she knew as 'Uncle Eddie', the man with cold green eyes, the man who did nothing as Arthur Brown abused his family, the man who's left so much damage in his wake, hug a girl who took a chance and decided to love him anyway.

Where was this man ten years ago?

She should be happy for Ellie, and she is. Every girl deserves a father's love. She worries though. There's so much baggage that comes with being the Riddler's daughter, even if Ellie isn't aware of it yet. So much potential danger, even without Strange and Sharp, and Bolton to worry about.

And sometimes, love isn't enough.

Stephanie looks at the man she once knew as 'Uncle Eddie' and hopes to God that in this case, love will be enough.

[imaginefan]

Hey so sorry I just love your writing can you do a prologue for the new baby

Where the reader gets drunk and sleeps with Jeremy and Tyler and Caroline finds them but keeps it a secret from Stefan who is the readers adopted Uncle and Damon the readers adopted father ( Who takes his job seriously) Elena and Matt and Bonnie.

3 months later

The reader tries to hid her symptoms but at school she sees Jeremy talking with Bonnie and finds out they are secretly dating and she goes to her class Ric's class and he starts teaching but the reader gets dizzy she hasn't been able to keep blood down or food so she passes out and Stefan and Ric help her and Stefan takes her home and Damon become mother hen and he stays with her to she wakes and the reader convinces Damon to go to the grill. Reader sneaks out and buys pregnancy tests and takes them and sees the unholy sign positive and she cries and takes out her phone and text Jeremy to get over to the boarding house.

She tells Jeremy she is pregnant not knowing that Stefan and Elena are up in his room and the could hear the reader tell Jeremy and they get into a argument.

2 months later

Damon is angry at Jeremy but is a doting granddad to be big appointment today for reader she is gonna find out the genders of the twins.

The reader goes down the stairs and sees Elena talking with Jeremy and their aunt Jenna. The reader puts a fake smile and Jeremy does a nob to her they haven't really spoken he didn't want to be a father just yet and didn't get time to process till everyone found out and now he didn't get a choice. Dad comes out and asks " Now what theme do you want the nursery because we don't know the genders yet so it may be two nurseries." I look at him and say " If it is a girl I was thinking a princess theme I always wanted that and for a boy Classic wood crib." Damon nods and looks at Stefan and silently commands him

2 hours later

I am sitting in the comfortable chair that I made Damon buy ( He can't say no to my puppy eyes.) Caroline pulls Tyler and Matt into the room and Bonnie is behind her and Caroline sees me and asks " What are they tell me now I can't wait." I look at her and say " Girl and Boy." Caroline looks excited when I said girl and then looks sad at a boy she says " I better forty for two girls and Bonnie betting for two boys." Damon helps her up and she goes to her room and sees a present she opens it and sees an old copy of nursery rhymes and a note it says " For your little ones hope they get common sense and a survivor instincts love mom.

The day the reader gives birth

The reader is in her bed alone because they are trying to protect Elena from a big bad wolf guy.

When the reader has been having bad cramps all day feels dampness like she peed herself but she knew she didn't she panic and screams.

She pulls out her phone calls Jeremy no answer and she calls Damon with no luck she calls Stefan who is with Caroline answers and rushes to help his niece but puts Caroline in charge of finding Jeremy and Damon. Stefan finds the reader in the birthing room she is screaming and looks at Stefan for help she says " Uncle Steffie I am so scared what if the die or I am a terrible mother what if they don't love me or CPS takes them away." Stefan pulls the reader into a hug and checks on the dilation of the reader and sees she is at 9 cm and Stefan prays that Damon and Jeremy can witness this moment.

Caroline found Damon who had his phone off when she found him when he heard he grabs them some stuff and raced home now Caroline is trying to get Jeremy who won't answer and she tried Bonnie who is to busy kissing Jeremy.

Jeremy misses the birth of the twins as they were being born he was sleeping with Bonnie.

Damon holds The readers hand as she gives birth to the twins and the reader passes out when the girl is born and Stefan crabs the baby girl and Damon holds the boy and Stefan checks on the babies and says " They are healthy but I am worried on the reader." Damon nods and pulls out his phone and calls Caroline to update her." Caroline who has had enough goes to Bonnie's house and storms up to Bonnie's room and opens the door and Jeremy gets off Bonnie and Bonnie says " What Care?" Caroline says " If you guys answer your phoned you would know the reader just had the twins." Jeremy eyes bulge out of his face he gets dressed and he gets to the salvatores as fast as he can and he goes inside and sees the fells nurse checking over the reader and sees Damon holding onto the boy twin and Stefan with the girl twin and the nurse looks at me and asks " We'll Dad what are babies names and I answer Jayleen Katerina and Asher Conrad." Damon glares at me and says " You already missed the birth you couldn't take I don't know 5 minutes for a shower." Damon hands me Asher and goes to the reader and bites his wrist and feeds her some of his blood and the reader gets more color back and wakes up and hugs Damon and asks " Are Asher and Jayleen okay?" Damon says " They are okay thank God Stefan had medical knowledge and also took midwife lessons." Jeremy hands reader Asher and the reader eyes fill with love and she whispers Nothing is gonna hurt you or Jayleen because we are Pierces and Salvatores."

Hey this is a really cool story however with the way that the first par t was set this wouldn't fit as a prequel for the first part as Klaus was there before she gave birth to the twins, that being said I think that I would be able to assign their own story to their pregnancy as well.

[mycameraandmythings]

Truths

You are getting ready to leave. You go get your jacket, put on your shoes and as soon as you open the door, you have uninvited guests waiting for you on the hall.

At first you don’t see them, but as you walk to the front door through them, a cold breeze goes all over your neck down to your back and as if they were crashing the best party ever, they decide to stick around. 

I guess we all have our fears, our ghosts. I’ve always pictured them like some sort of Dementors that are invisible to people, but are there with you all the time. And I imagined them coming in the most unannounced and unexpected way ever… Maybe that’s why I always have cold hands.

A few of them are my messiest roommates. I have asked them to leave but my Patronus is not strong enough yet. However, there is this one Dementor. He’s been been with me for quite a long time and I admit that I’m afraid that, after so long, this fear can become a truth. A reality.

And a truth spoken by someone else, has another sound, a different wave. And if that person is someone you care about, then it’s like a katana going through your heart. That’s why this hurts way more than when I see my Dementor everyday. 

I guess when you don’t have so many things, it’s easier not to get attached to stuff you don’t own. Makes sense, right? The least you have, the easier it is to adapt to unknown situations. So for example, if you want or have to move, change country or whatever, then you only have to worry about the things that you have. When I moved for the first time, I put an ocean in between my family and the only life I had known and I flew with only two suitcases. Nothing else. 

It’s been 12 and a half years of that.

But what happens when your life changes? At some point, it has to. Of course, we all grow and want different things. I’ve been searching for stability for so long that instead, it has become a shadow that follows me around all day long, every single day. Sometimes, I think it’s just making fun of me, honestly.

In the last three years, a lot has happened. I found a good job and the stability (in the most literal meaning) that I was looking for. But I discovered that stability is not just having a 9 to 5 job and a fixed salary every month. Of course this helps, but stability, actually, has another side: it’s a house that feels like home; it’s friends who like spending time with you and creating memories; it’s time shared with those who live in your heart. Does it make sense? 

As I think I have been slowly ticking a few items on the list to complete the recipe of stability (this feels like it’s taking foreveeeer!) one of the Dementors, grew stronger since last weekend. You see, two weeks ago, my first ever sofa, arrived to my new apartment. It’s a three place sofa but really wide; and because of something I heard that got stuck in my heart, I started thinking what if this is too much of a dream for me? Is this “too big” for me? Not only the sofa, the whole thing…

It’s kind of that feeling when you buy some clothes that you really like, for example, and they turned out to fit a little bit big on you… what would you do? Would you keep them even if they don’t look that bad or would you return them?

My best friend can perfectly see when one of my Dementors is draining me and she can cast her Patronus immediately so I could breathe again. She would probably say that I should do what I want and not listen to anyone. Steffy would say that nothing should matter more than what I think. She would say that this is my “home” and that’s what counts. 

I know she’s right. 

But the Dementor of doubt has been playing in my living room this week and I can’t help to wonder if maybe I was dreaming way beyond my possibilities. Do I actually fit here? I’ve always thought it was alright to aim high enough and always wondered if I could reach there… is it a bad thing?

The truth is that I live alone in what somedays feels like a giant’s castle. My apartment is big, with enough space and perfectly fine for just one. But it’s true that when you start to build your home, especially in a country that’s not yours, you dream of having people around as much as possible. You dream of having a physical space big enough to share with a partner and a perfect excuse to just get together. And that is exactly what I want.

I still have some points on the list waiting to be ticked. But with doubt disorganising my house, I ask myself: if this is too big for me, then what should I aim for? Where am I standing and where should I go? Am I going to have the opportunity to have my own “home”, share it with someone everyday and having friends around pretty often? 

If the answer, dear Universe, is yes, then my last question is: when is it going to be my turn?

Madrid, August 2017.

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

15 Questions

Thanks for the tag @radiowallet 💞

1. are you named after anyone?

I don't think so, though Steffi Graf (the tennis player) and me share the birthday so my step dad used to joke I was named after her

2. when was the last time you cried?

i... actually don't know.

3. do you have kids?

nope

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

is the sky blue?

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

eyes. You can tell a lot by peoples eyes.

6. what’s your eye colour?

brown baby

7. scary movies or happy endings?

yes

8. any special talents?

hmmmm... not really. Though I did say I am exceptionally talented at staring at a wall

9. where were you born?

in the German capital in the year of 1990 (we had another one back in the day)

10: what are your hobbies?

writing, traveling, baking, procastinating

11. have you any pets?

I don't. My mom has a dog (used to be two, but sadly one died last year) and she's my child.

12: what sports do you play/have you played?

LOL I don't do sports. I used to to ballet when I was little, but my ballet teacher downright told me I was getting to fat, so I quit

13: how tall are you?

5'4

14. favourite subject in school?

history!!!

15. dream job?

honestly? I would love to work as someone who professionally organises closets and pantry's and stuff

NP tags: @lunaserenade @just-here-for-the-moment @sizzlingcloudmentality @wheresarizona @whiskeynwriting @guess-my-next-obsession

[seavegetableconspiracies]

Always nice to write a recommendation letter about yourself and your accomplishments when you feel at your worst and stupidest

[aheartshapedgun]

charlie had a crazy dream where all the famous ilsaethan writers, you steffi and a bunch of others from twitter, all created like a text group chat and for some reason added me and i was totally shocked and then steffi went like “i became a mom!!!” and then sent a dog photo and everyone was like ohhh that makes sense. and we were all discussing ilsaethan and stuff except i was just lurking and watching bc like. omg. all the twt mutuals added me. this is terrifying

as someone who rarely says a word in group chats unless i’m triggered by some dumb take or really invested in the subject matter, i get it lol

[monarchisms]

[diminuel]

1/2 Dont know if its something wrong with my cake (ty foxymoley for this analogy) or what but when engagement drops so much from what you were used to its hard not to take it personally? i know everyone says that theres been a drop and its probably normal but... it seems like some people still hit their prev standards and it feels like *audience is still here so what am i doing wrong*

2/2 theres a bunch of stuff i made this year but didnt share bc posting is less a rush now and more bracing yourself for feeling bad and insecure. Which i know is the wrong way to do fandom but idk im human and legit insecure so. Anyway always love your content and presence here Steffi, youre a pillar of fandom and some of the best this whole place has to offer. Hope things look up 💙💚

Aww, thank you ♥

And I agree with you, you can't help wondering if you are doing something wrong if the engagement drops. No matter how often people say it's not you, it's the platform. And, as you say, people are still getting good engagement, so the fandom isn't dead.

I try to post and not think about it after that, but that's not natural either for fandom. Fandom thrives on community and just posting into the void like I'm not part of a community doesn't feel particularly good. Of course, I'm not good at reaching out to others, so art is one of the few ways I have of "communicating". (Even though most of the time I'm not sure what I'm saying with my art. It's probably just an inarticulate :DDDD or >:3 *lol*)

Anyway. I hope you continue to take your cake to our fandom party, though I definitely understand that you hesitate to share all of it. ♥♥

[ghostchasersmagazine]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids model sheets pt. 1 - Full Body References

I was requested to upload all of the Butch Cassidy model sheets I got, so here’s part one of it. My commentary/thoughts on these under the cut.

- Butch only has four poses on his sheet while the other Sundance Kids get five. Not sure why they didn’t feel the need to draw him in a side view, but it does feel fitting for his character to me.

- Speaking of the side views, the purpose of them seems inconsistent between the other three Sundance Kids. Stephanie’s pose is quite literally a side view of one of her other poses on the sheet (as one would expect on a turn-around like this), while Merilee and Wally’s are entirely new poses. 

- Comparing these sheets to the advertisements that were sent for the show, it looks like everyone’s “default” pose for those was pulled from them (and in Wally’s case flipped around) expect for Merilee’s, who has a different front-facing pose between the two of them. Why she has pseudo-unique pose like that (I say pseudo because the pose is just a front-facing version of two of the other poses on her sheet) and the other don’t is unknown to me.

- This is more of a general note, but I do find it interesting that Stephanie is officially labeled as “Steffy” on advertisements and her model sheet and stuff. It does make sense since she is called that in-show, but it just makes me wonder if that was something that was carried over from when she was a bit younger than the rest of the Sundance Kids/Butch’s little sister.

- I like how both Stephanie and Wally have their front poses with their arms behind their back. Polite siblings.

- I find it very amusing that even though he doesn’t have a turn-around, Elvis still gets a sheet. He’s just standing there.

[clandestineloki]

Loki x streamer!reader, they look through ships on stream, then they see thorki, how would they react :))?

OH G O D

um how do i start this

the two of you'd be doing this kind of thirst tweet reacts video like:

"marry me loki" and loki'd look straight in the camera and go "how much money do you have?" KAJSKASJKAJJSA LIKE THAT STEFFI GRAF VIDEO

"i'd let [your handle name] throw me around like lady dimitrescu threw that vanity" you'd go "sorry i'm a taken woman, only for my 9'6" love of my life"

loki's like "i'm not 9'6"- wait. what. was. that."

you hastily scroll away from the inevitable thorki tweets. "wh-what was what?"

loki's eyebrows furrow. "scroll back up."

"uhhhhhhhhhh........ ooooookaayyyyyyyy"

and when he sees the stuff

he goes through the five stages of grief but like, denial bargaining anger depression and back again AKSJAKSJAKJSAK

"what the hell."

"i'm sorry, this must be really awkward-"

"no, yes, this is really awkward but i already knew the extent of how maniacal some of you can be."

*cue loki staring into the camera for 15 whole seconds with the caption saying "he's getting you to rethink your life choices do it you mortal"*

needless to say you sneak a little "sweet home alabama" joke there somewhere

[putonmyfavoriteshow]

Netflix "Cielo Grande" Rating/Review!

SPOILERS AHEAD~~~

Mystery: GRANDPARENT TRAP! 3.5/5

At first I thought this show was predictable since it was obvious from the get-go that Steffi and Luz were sisters but the twin twist at the end took me by surprise just as much as the girls. So points for that shocker! However, I did find Steffi’s snooping around to be a a bit too easy, like she was just straight up stealing stuff without anyone noticing. I guess it was believable with the way the place was run by Noda. Also, though it was fun seeing her Nancy Drew it up, it would be better if she and Luz teamed up a bit earlier. I know she enlisted some help from Ian and Tony but she could have really used a partner in crime. As for next season - looking forward to them gettin to know their "new" parent and build upon their sister relationship.

Theme: JAM & WATER 4/5

Similar to Soy Luna, I like how this show mixed music with an unusual sport (wake boarding). Also it being a water sport made for a really cool location for shooting - a river and resort that’s surrounded by nature. (however, I was a bit concerned about the brown of the water in some scenes...) Music was also amazing and gave off the same natural vibe. I love how we got to see them compose the songs and work on them together. Their jam sessions as a group as well as their performances were probably my favorite scenes.

Ships: AMOR URGENT! 3/5

I really like how there wasn’t any love triangles or miscommunications. It was just really cute and pleasant pairings. However none of them really jumped out to me as being special enough to hand OTP status too. I will say I did like the main ship, Steffi/Julian, more than I expected, mostly because it wasn’t so rushed and I like how he helped mellow her out as the resident mediation guru. I think it would be interesting to see him go through something of his own next season for her to help him with.

I must point out Nati being a legit queer character was really great. I think her crush on Luz was handled wonderfully and Charlie’s acceptance of her rejection and their resulting friendship was nice. But I really hope she gets a girl next season!! And semi disappointed she never told Luz, even if she didn't return the feelings I would have liked to see her reaction.

I thought Tony and Luz were kinda boring. I like both of their characters though, but I think I preferred Tony's friendship with Steffi and Luz's connection to Cielo Grande/Sky Vibes. *shrug*

This is just me, and I know Natasha is this overly competitive mean girl, but it’s way more fun to head canon her as having a big crush on Steffi. I mean it’s not like Steffi landed on her turf and upstaged her. Natasha went out of her way to chase Steffi just to show off. Like omg girl just admit you’re in love 😅 OVERALL: 4/5 Definitely worth the watch! Cool concept, likable characters, good music, sweet romantic plots, and a paradisal backdrop. All around just good vibes :)

BONUS: Friendzone song is a bop

[seavegetableconspiracies]

Why did you fail the exam?

Oh you know, instead of studying I was staring out the window and waiting, trying to finally feel brave enough to smack away the big bad spider once it reappears