#steve is the king of gun as therapy

[rwprincess]

Teenage Dirtbag (Robin Buckley x Reader)

Masterlist

Word Count: 3.3K

Synopsis: Reader is hopelessly pining for Robin, even though she knows the girl is out of her league and hardly knows who she is…and that she’s already dating King Harrington…right?

��Honestly, this song originally struck me as being for EddiexReader. But I love PostModern Jukebox (ft Jax)’s take on it and was like “what if it was wlw for ROBIN?!” and here we are. Happy Pride, mfers.

CW: Self-doubt and loathing; reader being a useless-sapphic ™;  homophobia common of the 80s; unfair stereotypes to ‘freaks’; Minor Steddie if you squint; song lyrics mention a gun and ass-kicking; swears; jealousy of Steve (we’re pretty mean to him here)/mistaken identity; also, we’re tweaking canon because Eddie lives. Fight me.

She radiated beauty and light, and while you hadn’t had more than a minute-long conversation with her, you could tell that she was intelligent and that her soul was deep. Robin Buckley was the coolest girl you’d ever laid eyes on. Even in that dorky band uniform with the oversized hat and bobbing feather, chin-strap snugly tucked underneath her beautiful face. Luckily for you, she was out of uniform today and you drank in her long, thin frame, adorned with a striped t-shirt, and a skirt…but most importantly her legs were being caressed by knee-high tube socks. The stark yellow stripe drawing attention to her taut calf muscle as she walked down the hallway, carefree and angelic. Somehow, the buzzing fluorescence of the lights in this shitty hallway took on a heavenly light when they met her skin. You sighed in both admiration and frustration. There she was treading so perfectly and she hardly knew you existed.

Her name is Noelle

I have a dream about her

She rings my bell

I got gym class in half an hour

Oh, how she rocks

In Keds and tube socks

You leaned against your locker, biting your lip in silent longing. You weren’t in her league; you weren’t sure you were even in the same species. She was somewhere between a nerd and a prep, and you were a certifiable freak. Besides the homosexual tendencies you were harboring that would make you a pariah in this town if you were found out, you generally were clad in black and heavy makeup, looking like a walking The Cure album, a poster-child for loneliness and therapy,  surrounding yourself with other freaks, most notably your best friend, Eddie Munson. You were no stranger to being called a ‘demon’ or having wild accusations thrown your way. No wonder Robin’s gaze never turned to you. While you loved your friends and relished your lowkey lifestyle, particularly because it made you feel comfortable with who you really were, you still lamented that that meant you were invisible to the most beautiful, captivating eyes you had ever seen.

“C’mon, band geeks aren’t that far from D&D dorks,” Eddie tried to cheer you up, putting an optimistic spin on it, like he always did. You wondered how someone with so much pain and darkness in their life could be so light. He was always smiling and had a way about him that made everyone want to bare their souls to him. He put out beams of trustworthiness and others gravitated toward it. You yourself had been sucked into that unrelenting positivity. He was one of the limited few who really knew you, and one that you had confided in about your sexuality, and eventually your ridiculous crush on Robin.

“It’s very different, Eddie,” you admonished him. How could he not know how the rest of the school saw you? “They all think we’re devil worshipers and shit and she just like, plays the trumpet,” you shrugged. “It’s totally not the same. Even if they get made fun of, we are not on the same level.”

“Maybe they just don’t know how dumb and nerdy our club is. Maybe she doesn’t know and you should introduce her to the fine world of Dungeons and Dragons,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes at him, black lids almost sticking to your brows at the effort.

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Ed,” you replied in a dismissive tone. 

“Ya know, I heard she got a job at Scoops Ahoy…” his grin grew larger at his implication. 

You acted unfazed by this information, but soon you went there consistently and not-so-innocently to indulge your sweet tooth, but the only sweet you were really gorging yourself on was Robin. You teetered between feeling guilty for going to sneak looks at her in her adorable, short uniform…and wholly enjoying it. 

You never really struck up a conversation. You’d just place your order and sit in a booth, nursing the dairy dessert as slowly as possible to get your fill of Robin in a sailor hat, eyeliner thickly applied and pink lips parted in a rehearsed sales monologue or talking to herself. Good thing you had the ice cream to tamp down the burning you felt in your stomach and your cheeks whenever you looked up at her, averting your gaze if she so much as twitched in your direction.

But she doesn't know who I am

And she doesn't give a damn about me

'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

Listen to Iron Maiden maybe with me

And then one day, Steve fuckin’ Harrington had to ruin your reverent ritual. It startled you the first time he was behind the counter instead of Robin, as if you’d walked into the wrong store. It felt so…unnatural. Steve lived down the street from you and had been an entitled dickweed ever since you were young. You were always more of an introvert and liked reading or drawing on your driveway with chalk when you were little, whereas Steve was a stereotypical rough-and-tumble boy, throwing his football into your lawn to disrupt you, or climbing trees and yelling loudly. He always reeked of desperation for attention, while you opposed having the spotlight on you. High school had only widened the gap between you two, as he fell in with the popular crowd and ruled the school. On a good day, you were invisible to him and his cohorts. On a bad day, you were a target of their slurs and slander and Steve dove right in to join them. You’d hear him mutter about how unfortunate it was to live near you, like he’d catch your cooties…or you’d put a witchy hex on him.

Her boyfriend's a dick

And he brings a gun to school

And he'd simply kick

My ass if he knew the truth

He lives on my block

And he drives an IROC

You couldn’t walk into your house without being reminded of his existence, and your one respite of Scoops Ahoy was now tainted with his god awful Farrah Fawcet hair spray and cocky demeanor. Even worse, he now created a barrier between you and Robin. You were no longer guaranteed to talk to her. Especially when Steve tried to butt-in to take your order. 

It was obvious he liked her, too. He would be a fool not to, sure. You couldn’t imagine anyone not being drawn into Robin and her dark, reflective eyes or her goofy smile. But you caught Steve blatantly checking her out, and more than once. You knew you had no claim to her, and were probably hoping against all hope to be with her one day, but it still irked you. Particularly because he didn’t have eyes just for her. He seemed to hit on every girl who breezed through the ice cream parlor, even though he struck out time and time again, looking like the biggest dork in that uniform, showing everybody that he truly peaked in high school now that he had graduated and was not having a glamorous jet-setting summer like his ilk. He didn’t deserve Robin as it was, but especially when he couldn’t put her first. She was your only crush and had been for some time. 

“What can I do for you?” He had the nerve to ask and grin blankly at you, nothing going on behind his eyes. ‘You could back off of Robin and take your douchey self out of here--’ you began to think snidely, biting the inside of your cheek so as not to let the words slip out. Luckily, it created a clever disguise, looking as though you were just debating what you wanted. 

“Uh, I guess strawberry today.”

“Would you like some sprinkles? They’re on the house.” He winked and you tried to hide your gagging revulsion. Customer-service Steve was totally fake and he acted as if he didn’t have a distaste for you his entire life. ‘What could Robin ever see in someone like him?’ you thought. But truth-be-told, most girls your age tended to fawn over Steve and he could give her something you never could: a normal life.

But he doesn't know who I am

And he doesn't give a damn about me

The mall fire marked a sort of beginning-of-the-end in Hawkins. Starcourt was the one hip thing about the town, the one thing to do. And now that had all been scrapped. Rightfully so, as it seemed macabre to just go on with it as if nothing ever happened there. People died, the town had to even elect a new chief of police because he had perished as well. But it left you in a lurch regarding activities you could do, especially on your own…and particularly to have access to Robin. Now, you didn’t know where she worked and you certainly couldn’t ask her. It would give off stalker vibes in waves if you approached and said, “hey, I miss watching you at your work all the time, mind telling me where I can find you now?” 

Even worse, she seemed to be closer with Steve. The rumor mill didn’t explicitly say they were dating, but you assumed they were. It was a small town and you’d see them together frequently. Steve even dropped her off at school most mornings, which seemed to you like something couples would do. It completely dashed your hopes that this would be like a Hollywood fairy tale and you’d get the girl in the final act. Time was running out, as it was your last year at Hawkins High, and quite possibly the last stretch of time you’d ever see Robin Buckley. Then, the unthinkable happened when Eddie betrayed you and became cozy with Steve after Spring Break in your Senior year. "I can't believe you're actually hanging out with--no, that you're friends with that douchebag, now." It was a charming little development that Eddie had been spending time with Steve. 

“He’s not really that bad. I know, I know,” he responded immediately to your huff and look of disgusted disbelief, “A month ago I would have dropped dead before I would have said something like that, but it’s the truth, Y/N. He’s changed a lot since he was in school. He’s actually a pretty cool dude.” You may have been a little over-dramatic with your resulting retching, as Eddie asked, “What’s your deal with him, anyway?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s my deal?’ Like you said, a month ago, you would have been calling him a douchebag right along with me! What’s your deal?” You didn’t give him time to respond and jumped right into your tirade instead, “First of all, in case you’ve forgotten, he hates us. Or at least, hates me still, since you’re all chummy now, apparently. He has made fun of me his whole life and uses it as fodder to yuck it up with his friends.

“‘Fodder,’ nice word choice,” Eddie smirked, eyes gleaming. He was clearly amused watching you get riled up over this, but you didn’t let that stop you.

“He’s so vapid and shallow. I’m pretty sure all of those hairspray fumes fried his few functioning brain cells. He pants after every girl he lays eyes on, like a dopey dog but without the loyalty. The most frustrating and asinine part of that aspect of him is that he does it with Robin! I’ve seen him drool over her and then turn around to immediately follow some other girl, but he--he still gets to drive her to school every day and talk to her and…I can’t,” you squeaked out the last two words, the realization crashing down on you: you hated Steve most because you were jealous.

'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby

Listen to Iron Maiden maybe with me

Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'

Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'

"Oh, trust me, she and little Stevie are just friends." He waggled his eyebrows and you stared at him in confusion.

“Wh-what? How? They’re like, always together, and--and. Did he tell you this because you’re best buddies now, or what?” You were flustered and were sure you weren’t making any sense, but Eddie just smiled in a smug way. He was hiding a secret, but you didn’t dig further right now. You had no idea what he meant, how he knew, but this revelation was a breath of fresh air: your spirit renewed.

Spring and the school year were quickly coming to a close. While you wouldn’t consider yourself one for tradition, nor attending events with people, Eddie convinced you to partake some of the normal teenage activities. “You’re only going to be a senior once, Y/N,” he goaded you.

“This is your third senior year,” you reminded him with a deadpan expression and tone.

“I know. I said you’re only going to be a senior once. You.” He gave you a playful smile in return, “And hey, life is short and not always guaranteed.” The smile faltered a bit, and you could tell he was remembering Chrissy’s death, all of the deaths that occurred over Spring Break. You couldn’t really argue with Eddie when he was being serious for once in his life. He blinked the memory away and put on a cheerful facade again, “Hopefully, this will be my last senior year, too, so we have to make it a momentous occasion. You should go to prom with me.”

“Oh Eddie, I thought you’d never ask,” you put your hand over your heart sarcastically as you replied to him in a monotone voice, “how romantic.”

“Oh God, stop. That’s embarrassing for the both of us,” he joked. “What I mean is, we should both go to prom. Make the memory, all that jazz. I think you’ll be…pleasantly surprised.” You were used to his theatrical pauses by now, but it sounded like he was up to something. Eddie wouldn’t be Eddie without hatching a plan or scheme, but you agreed anyway.

“This is the most conformist thing I have ever done,” you greeted Eddie at your door, “I hate it.”

“It’s just a dress, Y/N. It isn’t the end of the world,” he cleared his throat to hide his laugh, but you caught it anyway and shoved him out of your doorway.

“This was all your idea, Munson. I will never let you forget that.”

At first, it wasn’t all that bad. Some of the music wasn’t totally abhorrent and Eddie was making your group laugh, dancing and miming his way through various activities. But the fun was cut short when Eddie’s other group of friends came in. You felt betrayed as Eddie brought Steve back to the gym that he once owned. Amongst this new group was of course, Robin. Your cheeks flared and your heart raced at the sight of her. She was always beautiful, but tonight she had a touch of glamor, wearing a knee-length green dress. However, that happiness was also fleeting. Eddie took off with their group and had them laughing and dancing, and you even saw him twirl Robin around. You sat and sulked in the bleachers, meaning you missed Eddie pointing you out to her.

Man, I feel like mold

It's prom night and I am lonely

Your elbows were propped against your knees and your hands cradled your face as you stared down at the floor. This could have been a great night, a fun night. But you just weren’t cut out for that typical teenage fun. Perhaps it wouldn’t sting so much if you had chosen to stay home rather than put yourself out there; if you weren’t dragged here only to be ditched by Eddie. But him choosing Steve and his group only solidified the feeling that burned deep within you: you didn’t fit in. Anywhere.

You glanced up, hoping that maybe Eddie had noticed your absence from the dance floor and would take pity on you. However, you saw Robin walking unsteadily in your direction instead. It wasn’t a too-much-spiked-punch walk. It was more hesitant, methodical. The changing lights cascaded across her hair and skin, making her seem even more unreal. As she drew nearer, you gained more of an appreciation for her dressed-up look. The makeup highlighted her cheekbones and lips; the way the dress hugged her waist and the length of it emphasized her legs. You smiled softly when you noticed that she was still wearing sneakers, though. That was much more like the Robin you knew. 

“Is this seat taken?” She was standing directly in front of you, but you weren’t completely sure she was talking to you. You looked to your left, then to your right, confirming that you were alone. You nodded, automatically, but were still in disbelief. You’d hardly exchanged words that weren’t related to ice cream before.

Lo and behold

She's walking over to me

This must be fake

My lip starts to shake

How does she know who I am?

And why does she give a damn about me

“Eddie’s told me all about you. Well, everything I didn’t already know,” she said, effortlessly flashing you that radiant smile. You were glad to be sitting down already as your knees began to quake.

“Is that right?” You asked nervously, throat suddenly becoming dry. Your eyes flicked across the room towards Eddie. You discovered him watching you intently and when you made eye contact, he gave you an enthusiastic thumbs-up. 

“Mm-hmm. He said you were the coolest girl he’s ever met. But I already guessed that. I mean, I thought that. I mean---well, and he said you’re his best friend.” She quickly tacked on the change in subject, but your heart hammered in your chest. Robin thinks you’re cool? Wait, Robin knows who you are and thinks about you? Your mind was racing.

“He, he is. I mean, I am. His best friend. And he’s mine. He’s a good guy.” 

“Oh yeah, he’s totally great!” She rushed out, flustered. “He uh…he said that you were maybe, like…like me, too?” She looked at you with meaningful implication. Oh, shit. Did she just--is she saying she’s gay, too? It was a hopeful thought, but you were sure you were misreading it, and it’s not like you could just ask her for clarification. Not on this topic. 

When you didn’t give a definitive answer (truthfully, you probably looked more deer-in-the-headlights confused instead), Robin continued, “Anyway, uh, I’d like to get to know you better and Eddie said you liked Iron Maiden?” You nodded numbly in response to this and she reached into her small purse, “Well, I’ve got two tickets, would you maybe like to go? With me?”

“I--yeah, of course! I’d love to go with you, Robin!” You blurted out, not wanting the opportunity to pass you by. Like Eddie said, life is short and you only get this one go-around. “I’d like to get to know you better, too. I think maybe we are a lot alike,” you replied, giving her a similar knowing look before you both broke out in smiles, grinning like lunatics.

I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby

Come with me Friday, don't say "maybe"

I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you

[a-gilded-imprisonment]

Song challenge!

Share at least 5 songs that you associate with or remind you of your muse!

(Ooc: Tagged by both @veritas-ratio-rp and @spaceoddityhsr :3 Thank you!)

#1 : Unsweetened Lemonade - Amélie Farren

I fucked the reaper cause I knew My time was coming can't you see I was either gonna die At 12 or 90-fucking-3

I'd do anything for twenty bucks I'd sell my sour soul Cause lemonade is bitter till you Sweeten up the bowl

And I'm sitting in the bathroom I'm crying citrus tears Everything I used to love Decayed over the years

It's hard to finish sentences I'll sell my pride instead Cause it's easier to focus I'm just the price above my head

#2 : Poker Face - Lady Gaga

I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it) Love game intuition, play the cards with spades to start And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart

Can't read my, can't read my No, he can't read my poker face (She's got me like nobody) Can't read my, can't read my No, he can't read my poker face (She's got me like nobody)

I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be (hey) A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me (I love it) Russian roulette is not the same without a gun And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough, it isn't fun (fun)

#3 : Slut! - Taylor Swift

Got lovestruck, went straight to my head Got lovesick, all over my bed Love to think you'll never forget Handprints in wet cement

Adorned with smoke on my clothes Lovelorn and nobody knows Love thorns all over this rose I'll pay the price, you won't

But if I'm all dressed up They might as well be looking at us And if they call me a slut You know it might be worth it for once And if I'm gonna be drunk Might as well be drunk in love

Send the code, he's waiting there The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air Everyone wants him That was my crime The wrong place at the right time And I break down, then he's pullin' me in In a world of boys, he's a gentleman

#4 : Victorious - Panic! At the Disco

Double bubble disco queen Headed to the guillotine Skin as cool as Steve McQueen Let me be your killer king

It hurts until it stops We will love until it's not I'm a killing spree in white Eyes like broken Christmas lights

My touch is black and poisonous And nothing like my punch drunk kiss I know you need it Do you feel it Drink the water Drink the wine

#5 : Mirrorball - Taylor Swift

I want you to know I'm a mirrorball I can change everything about me to fit in You are not like the regulars The masquerade revelers Drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten

Hush! When no one is around, my dear You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes Spinning in my highest heels, love Shining just for you

Hush! I know they said the end is near But I'm still on my tallest tiptoes Spinning in my highest heels, love Shining just for you

I'm still on that tightrope I'm still trying everything to get you laughing at me I'm still a believer but I don't know why I've never been a natural All I do is try, try, try

I'm still on that trapeze I'm still trying everything To keep you looking at me

#6 : End of Beginning - Djo

Just one more tear to cry One teardrop from my eye You better save it for The middle of the night When things aren't black and white Enter, Troubadour "Remember twenty-four?"

And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it Another version of me, I was in it I wave goodbye to the end of beginning

This song has started now And you're just finding out Now isn't that a laugh? A major sacrifice But clueless at the time Enter, Caroline "Just trust me, you'll be fine"

#7 : Blame Brett - The Beaches

That's why I won't get vulnerable Don't you dare get comfortable Heartbreak is impossible Feelings doing somersaults

I'm not ready for therapy To take accountability Right now, it's about me Me and only 'bout me, hey

You could be my baby, baby, baby You could be my baby boy, dear lady You could be my baby, baby, maybe Oh, oh

I'm sorry in advance I'm only gonna treat you bad I'm probably gonna let you down I'm probably gonna sleep around

So sorry in advance Before you take off your pants I wouldn't let me near your friends I wouldn't let me near your dad

#8 : Mastermind - Taylor Swift

What if I told you none of it was accidental And the first night that you saw me, I knew I wanted your body? I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork The dominoes cascaded in a line

What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine It was all my design 'Cause I'm a mastermind

No one wanted to play with me as a little kid So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since To make them love me and make it seem effortless This is the first time I've felt the need to confess And I swear I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care

So I told you none of it was accidental And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me I laid the groundwork and then saw a wide smirk On your face, you knew the entire time

(Ooc: Thank you!!! This was so fun :3

I'll lightly tag @sunday-halovian, @emanator-of-nihility, @intergalactic-singer, @teardrop-san, @sword-master-jingliu, @servallandauofficial, @stellaron-hunter-blade, and @scar-of-fractsidus only if you'd like or haven't already done it! ~ Mod Minie)

[wipbigbang]

Round 2 Of Artists Claims For The Regular WIPBB Are Open! Round 2 lasts until July 31st! You may claim 3 fics this round!

This is one of the fics open for claiming...

Stranger Things #110 Title: Put me together again Pairing/Characters: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Rating: Explicit | E Warnings/Tags: Graphic Violence, Non-con/Rape Forced Prostitution, Alternate Universe - Police, Age Difference, Eddie Munson is a journalist, Steve Harrington is a boss's whore, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Prostitution, non consensual pet play, Rape/Non-con Elements, Drug Dealing, Medical Examination, Dark Steve Harrington, Dark Tommy Hagan, ExJunkie Eddie Munson, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Alternate Universe - 2000s, improper use of a gun (because there is a proper one?!), no underage even if it may seems so, Daddy Issues, Boot Worship, Vomiting, Organized Crime, Crimes & Criminals, Murder, Forced Feminization, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Impact Play, Anal Plug, Homophobic Language, Attempted Murder, Drug Use, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Suicide Attempt Summary: Three years ago, Steve's life changed for the worse. His father died, and his mother started to use drugs and became one of Tommy "The Butcher" Hagan's whore. Trying to survive and to keep his little brother, Dustin, out of the drug lord's hands, Steve is forced into prostitution. One night, he meets Police Officer Jim Hopper, who is investigating Hagan, and the ex-journalist Eddie Munson, who is seeking revenge against Hagan for personal reasons. Is Steve the key they were looking for?

#111 Title: Sing if You're Glad to be Gay Pairing/Characters: Eddie Munson / Steve Harrington Rating: Explicit | E Warnings/Tags: Graphic Violence dubious consent, period-typical homophobia / homophobic language, explicit relationship between 17 year old and 18 year old, suicidal ideation, bullying Summary: August, 1983:

Steve Harrington -- the man who would be king -- fell from the gentry's grace at the inaugural jock party of Eddie's senior year after Carol Perkins and Melissa Cargill caught him sucking off Tommy Hagan in the senior Harringtons’ suite. The Saturday soiree went from giving head to getting heads rolling as the coup d'etat kicked off. The moral majority had found Harrington on his knees, and they intended to keep him there. There was no forgiveness from his former friends; there was no atonement allowed for knowingly and willingly performing such an evil act. He was expelled post-haste from the sanctimonious sanctum of Hawkins’ high school high society.

Months before Will Byers disappears, Steve Harrington is outed, bullied, and shunned. Eddie would be overjoyed to find another gay kid in Hawkins if it wasn't THAT gay kid.

#112 Title: Pairing/Characters: Scott Clarke/ Wayne Munson Rating: Mature | M Warnings/Tags: Chooses not to use Warnings Graphic description of past injury Summary: After Wayne Munson gets a severe head wound in the war, he's sent home to deal with the aftermath. Between survivors guilt and the never-ending struggle to do day to day tasks, Wayne finds himself falling for the physical therapist making house calls.

Scott Clarke is fresh out of school and eager to prove himself as a resident, but when one truly difficult case comes across his desk, he can't help but try and make things just a little easier for Wayne. Even if that means going to his home for therapy visits rather than forcing him into the office.

The list of remaining fics and the link to sign up are below!

[orenjikaraka]

Nucifera - ch. 3

Billy Hargrove x reader series

Peeps tags: @strawhatgamergirl @puppybittingotherpuppy

Author’s note: sorry for the long wait but wooo, also I made Jordan Mix, he still looks white but ya know a little slight tan, because he’s white and black, but also I usually have burn out because I have adhd, but here we are, but I hope everyone likes it, oh also I put emoji’s, even though it’s the 80’s.

Chapters: ch.1, ch.2, ch.4

Warnings: blood, a gun :D, cursing, slurs, anxiety and gore

Word count: 6251

Billy’s POV

2 weeks has passed, hospital appointments by hospital appointments, some physical therapy appointments to some police reports from the mall incident, it was roughly disappointing because his doctor told him he has to be in protective custody, which his first internal thought was ‘what a load of fucking bullshit’; feeling internally trap in one setting, feels isolating and rubbish. (Y/n) tried to help by talking to his doctor that it was her fault, it was her idea. But Billy cut it off by saying it’s ok, it’s no biggie, even though his brain was running on screws and wiring that is just going to all fall apart; at the beginning his doctor advised him to exercise, which hurts like he was being stabbed repeatedly, not until (Y/n) gave him some lessons for some easier solutions, a month later got half his weight back, it made him kinda more comfortable to look at himself in the mirror, except that massive hellish scar brings shivers down his spine; doing regular exercises was much easier to operate, even got (Y/n) to sit on his back for when he’s doing push ups; brought some of his confidence back up, but that fucking mind flayer keeps crawling back up in his mind…

Thoughts- no scratch that; nightmares through nightmares sworm through his skull, death; friends dying, you… Billy clenched his eyes shut, frustrated, he’s frustrated that he has these stupid thoughts, ‘stupid nightmares… stupid fuckin thoughts…’

He sighed and looked back at his notebook, it was pages and pages of stupid updates and shity doodles of frustration from past appointments for his physical therapy or just daily check ups, lot of it was lazy scribbles of updates but at least they were readable… just makes it more depressing that he has to write a reminder that he went through so much shit in little time, ‘fuckin doctors…’, he slowly breathed out and layed down on (Y/n)’s soft bed, felt quiet when no one was around, it makes his head hurt thinking about everyone, how Steve fuckin Harrington actually saved his sorry ass, why… why though; I bullied him, mock him till he felt threatened; heh- to rightfully feel like a king on top of his thorn; what did It got me, you lying to me, telling me that my sister wasn’t there, got a decent set of punches at me, and not even giving a hell to check I was ‘really’ ok… heh- I was just following a cuck of a father’s rules and I was a bit worried where she was at, but I know she can handle herself. Billy growled in frustration and threw the notebook across the room. And put his hands on his closed eyes and breathed out…

(Y/n) and Max… (Y/n) and Max… (Y/n) and Maxine…

I don’t even know why you both don’t hate me, everyone just left me in the dark, even my own mother… but nope, (Y/n) was worried sick of me and still cares about me, well I never heard you doubt me before… always there for me when I had my bruises from my father, always…

Always… so perfect…

I hate you- well not hate hate you; but I envy how nice you can be to people and especially me, the only “care” I got in high school was bruises and cigarettes… no one wanted to help my pain. My step sister was afraid to help me and her own mother didn’t even bother, I had no one, absolutely no one…

Until you show up again… more beautiful than before… and have that worried look like you used to have. You got Max to actually talk to me, which— fuck— Darn you for being a god damn angel. Maxine actually vents, talks, and jokes around me because of you; but you also just helped me get my confidence up to talk to my little sister…

He slowly put his hands on his chest and opened his eyes. His thoughts cooled down and he slowly got up and saw where the notebook was at. It was close to the bathroom door. Billy sighed and walked up to it and picked it up. As ragged as it is, he still has to deal with it.

Door creaked

“Hey whatcha doing staring daggers on that notebook again?”

Billy got a little started but then looked back at you.

“Oh just putting my frustrations on stupid things again.”

“So your notebook.”

“Yuppp… but at least it’s that piece of shit then something important…”

“Uh-huh… welp I got you something…”

She walked in with a huge bag behind her back.

“Nice hiding spot. Prez~”

“Oh shut up~ so your birthday has passed not so long ago and I wanted to give you these…”

She brought the bag up front. And opened it a little so he could see what’s inside. It was the dark red jacket and the two shirts, with some protein bars. Billy was confused at first but then realized those clothes really were his, ‘I mean it was pretty obvious…’

“Happy late birthday!”

Billy looked back up at her with a sad smile.

“No one ever actually celebrated my birthday; that’s why I always skipped it.”

She gave a small punch on his shoulder, “well that’s just shity. I'm just better than them!”

Billy gave a small chuckle.

“What do you want to do for your 19th birthday?”

“Just chill here; or work out today.”

“Well that's fine with me, I need to do some chores anyway. Also I'm glad you like the gifted!”

Before she walked off to her chores, she gave a small smile back and walked out of her room. Billy looked back down at the gifts and looked at a pacific one, the jacket, he liked it a lot, so much he hoped that (Y/n) wont think of him as a weirdo for wearing one jacket the whole day or even longer…

‘She’s just so damn cute…’

——- time skip (another mouth has passed) ——-

It was april and it was slightly warm outside, Billy was back at his original weight, which is quite outstanding; i mean all those bulking and working out was all not for nothing, Billy is proud he got all his weight back: the only thing is that he getting more stares then before, people are familiar with his old self, before Billy would hide away and he felt squeamish, but now he gives the death glares back if they looked, they're the ones that get frighten, which is amazing to have that self control back, the only difference is that he has lollipops instead of cigarettes, some girls think its cute, seeing a tough guy have a small soft side, but to billy he felt irritated, so when he goes alone sometimes, he tries to find other ways to deal with his anxiety, like tapping his fingers or shaking his leg or just tapping his foot, it usually doesn't last long, because his stomach twists and turns, anxiety is a bitch, and stupid thoughts of stupid shit will just pop up which made his anxiety worst…

“Grrrmmmm *sigh*” Billy picks another lollipop from his pocket and spits out the lollipop stick from his mouth and it lands in the trash can, and puts his 2nd one in his mouth, ‘mmm blueberry…’ He brought the hose up to his car again, his car hasn't really gone out as much because before his dumb organs would hurt like a bitch in his camaro, but now his body feels completely normal.

Well…

Billy lowered his head, and looked at his chest of his shirt.

“*sigh*”

SMACK

Billy looked up and saw Max on the other side of the car. “Max! What the hell!”

“Hey! I was just helping.”

“So throwing a soaked sponge was your plan.”

“Hey! Its not my fault that you still have anxiety over your scar.”

Billy just growled and put the hose back on his car, Max looked disappointed but sad in the same time, so she walked and grabbed the sponge off the ground, then looked back at Billy.

“Hmm” Billy looked back at Max.

“You know you can talk about some things that’s bothering you, ya know.”

“…”

“I know your going back to your normal self; but don’t hold it in, it just makes your anxiety worse…”

Billy clenched his lollipop stick again, “then what are your thoughts on this disturbing scar…”

Max just gave the most dumbest ‘are you serious’ face of all time and said “I think it looks cool and it makes you more of a badass because you saved a whole lot of people.”

“How-“

“WHAT YOU MEAN HOW! *sigh* Billy if I found it disturbing I wouldn’t be talking to you right now wouldn’t I.”

Billy unclenched his pop and brought the hose to Max.

“HEY!!!”

She threw the sponge at Billy and it hit his chest; Billy just started laughing but not until Max grabbed the hose and faced it at him.

*cough* “DANG IT MAX!” He coughed a little more and started laughing again. “Ok! OK! YOU-“ he picked up Max and put her by his right shoulder. “LET GO! YOU DORK!”

“OH I’M A DORK, last time I checked I was supposed to be the jock in high school!” “WELL YOUR A ADULT SO YOUR NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL ANYMORE! LET GO!”

“Hmmm, I can do this for hours or even days-“ “NO!” Billy just started to laugh again, “fine fine…” Billy put her down and she gave little punches on Billy’s right arm. “You! You! Idiot! You!” “So that’s a ‘I want to be picked up again’” “no!” And she ran on the other side of the car, Billy started laughing again a little and picked up the hose from the ground to finish up the rest of his car.

—-

After the car finished, they both took a break, they both sat on the end of the car. “You know… you're right.” Max looked back at Billy.

“Well- I’m sorry that I was a huge asshole before, I just thought… if I was like that; someone will bark back, bring hate back. In a fucked up way I thought that was comfort; I thought if I was like that, my mother would come schooling me back to how I used to be; but… she never came back…”

“I’m sorry-“

“No, don’t be, it’s ok really; life is not as shity as I thought it would be, ye there’s these stupid assholes that might come back, but… at least I have two people that are… actually there for me; which I thought I was going to be alone- but you know… I was wrong.”

Max gave a soft smile and gave Billy a soft punch on his left arm. “Well… I’m glad that you're alright… but! Rest time is over. You have work- well your first day!”

“*sigh* thanks max for reminding me…”

“Hey! At least it’s the same job.”

“True but-“

“If you're talking about your scar, then just wear dark colors. Or a really thick cotton white shirt.”

Billy just nods and went to change to a black shirt and the rest of his lifeguard belongings.

—- time skip —-

Tap tap tap

From the tapping from his finger to the shaking of his left leg, the anxiety is already erupting and it’s making his chest tight. His knuckles on the stringing wheel turn white. His muscles were tensing up. Billy clenches his teeth on the lollipop stick. The candy in his mouth was cracking, each time he clenched, it crack, crack, crack, felt like two stones clenching together to try to turn into one, but can’t. Because they’re two separate entities, two separate objects but the same counterpart, that can’t be fused together no matter how hard you try…

Crack

That sweet ball of candy broke; pieces that felt like chunks of unsharp glass were spewing through his mouth. Billy growled in frustration, ‘damn this fucking anxiety, it’s eating me apart…’ he reached his hand out to grab another lollipop from the armrest compartment and found none…

‘Fuck- I thought I brought more.’ His hand was searching more around until he found a box of cigarettes, it had two cigarettes left. Billy brought it up and till he stopped at the next red light, he looked at the ciggs, he was tempting but (Y/n) yelling at him tells him otherwise, so he threw them in the back with no hesitation. And continuing to chew his lollipop stick.

‘Can this day get anymore fucked then it is…’

— time skip (noon) —

Billy closed the car door and made sure his shirt was covering his scar. His shirt was clinging to his body, his muscles we’re tensing up, all that stress is making his body hurt already.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck everything…’

—- flashback - --

“Are you sure, you’ll be ok going out by yourself?”

Billy look at (Y/n) with a smirk.

“Prez, I got this~”

“Mmmhmmm” she looks unsurprised

—- flashback end —

‘Sometimes I need to be smacked in the head…’

Billy walked over to the building and clocked in. Before he was about to walk out to the locker room.

“Hey! You're the new guy right?”

Billy stiffed up then looked back. The woman gasps, “your that one guy saved all those kids from that mall that catches on fire or one of them!”

“I-“ Billy couldn’t think what to say, “so what…”

“So… nevermine, it’s a tough topic is it…”

Billy just looks at her with a ‘oh really, no shit’ face.

“Hehe, well it’s only me and you today! Everyone else called off because it’s April, and somehow it’s hot for this week… also aren’t you going to be sweating in that black shirt, we have some white ones in the back”

“Tch… I’ll be fine…”, Billy walked out, he can hear the girl in the back, yapping that he’s going to have a heatstroke, ‘whatever…’ right when he was at the door for the locker rooms, he felt hesitated, ‘max… and…’ billy sighed and decided to not put his stuff in a locker… and just brought it with him. When he stept out to the pool, not many people were around. Just three chicks in far corner of the pool and a couple kids they were probably watching; wait there old fucking woman looking at her phone; *sigh*.

Billy can feel the stares from the group of women, it made his stomach heaved. He checked his shirt again if any or just smig of his scar was showing, it wasn’t; which brought his mind at ease, he went to the left and walked to the nearest lifeguard and strapped his backpack to the left handle, before he got to the seat side, that other lifeguard from earlier came over.

“You know we have lockers.”

“Oh I know, but did I fucking ask for a reminder.”

“You know, I’m your couch today.”

“And. I’ve worked at a pool before, I don’t need to be told twice. Or as many times, you want, princess.”

The lifeguard looked in rage, but walked off to the other lifeguard station.

Billy couldn’t care less, he just wanted to get paid and leave. Weekly pay is not all bad. Anything that helps you or your family with bills, ‘don’t want to feel like a fucking burden.’ Billy relaxed in his seat but still feel his anxiety in his pores, it’s making his sides hurt, which fuckin sucks not having a lollipop in a while, he tried to message his sides to keep him at bay with his anxiety, but it just made things worse, he squeezed his eyes shut to see if that helped with his stress, but it just made him nauseous. Sweat that was lightly from the sun was getting worse by the second. He tried to focus on anything to make this stupid anxiety cool down, but that just made it worse.

‘Why did I say I was ready…’

—- time skip —-

(Y/n) Pov

‘How the fuck, do you forget your anxiety pops’

(Y/n) just snickers

“Anxiety pops”

She parked her car and checked her phone again to check where to drop these ‘anxiety pops’ at.

Billy’s text message said, “just dropped them off at the office. 🖤”

“Oh, William, you dork using a heart emoji.”

She grabbed the small bag of lollipops, and stepped out of her car, in the little plastic bag, there was only 15 lollipops, while she was walking over, she looked around and saw not much cars today, the pool parking seemed kinda empty, ‘figured it would be a slow day, it is kinda summer break in some schools, so families would go somewhere more entertaining than just some basic bitch pool…’

While she was walking over there, she was checking her phone again just to make sure where to put the bag of lollipops at. When she made it, she saw Billy to her left, she felt bad how stressed he looks, before she could walk in the office, someone firmly grabbed her arm, she looked to her right and saw zacharius, “fuck off dude, don’t you have anything else to do…”

“Ohhhh~, little rabbit wants to go on her merry way~; too bad because I have something to tell ya.”

“So harassing me and being a fucktard is your way of flirting.”

“You're spicy~ for a little rabbit but I need to tell ya something about Billy.”

“Now why would I want to hear that?”

“Well~ I’m not gonna lie to you. But why do a misfit like you want to hangout with an unmanageable asshole like that.” He shook his head up a little, to make it like he’s pointing forward, towards Billy’s direction. This time Billy got down from his lifeguard chair and was talking to the three chicks that were vibing in the pool earlier.

“See… boys never change, they’ll just keep following what there sluggish hearts can take and never look back.”

She looked back, “same goes to you, if you say that.”

“You’re such a biter~, that’s what I like about you~, but princess~, he would only throw you away like the other bitches, he wore out or just couldn’t care less what they think. You're walking on violence. Someone that threatened his sister; had bloody fights for weak individuals that can’t even sock a punch on solid concrete…”

“That’s-“

“That’s what sweetheart~ those chicks will get there brains fucked out; putting all that worked up anxiety to use… with those pretty little fuck toys in use and come home all relaxed so he can go on his next victim…”

(Y/n) looked troubled, which amused him even more.

“Sorry for telling the truth baby girl… but I’m only protecting you in my only fucked up way~”

“So that time at the mall…”

“Oh princess I wasn’t going to hurt you~ I was just faking a threat to keep you as far away from a monster like him…”

She looked back at Billy; he was still flirting and talking to the girls.

She turned back and snatched her hand back; she walked in the office and dropped the bag on the counter and stepped out.

Looked back one last time…

Then left…

——

Billy’s POV

Billy saw a glimpse of (Y/n), but she already got in her car and left…

“Heyyy… hot shot~”

Billy looked back, and gave the three girls a glare, “you know, it shows me how dumb, all of you are, to get easily flirted… you chicks vaginas must be warned out, just how many times u spat.”

One of the girls had a drink of water in a red plastic cup, she swung her hand out in a fast motion and the water hit Billy’s face. Billy was unfazed and had a smug look on his face. The girls looked disappointed and annoyed, so they walked off. Billy couldn’t care less. He looked at miss lifeguard. “Ima take a break!” While he was walking over he got his phone out and texted (Y/n) back.

“Thanks for the pops Prez~ maybe we can watch a movie 🍿 after I clocked out from work. Maybe horror. 🧡🔪🖤”

A couple seconds passed and he saw no ‘seen’ on the bottom. ‘Maybe she’s still driving or doing errands, she usually answers instantly…’ he closed his flip phone; put his phone in his pocket and walked in the office, and grabbed his pops.

—- time skip (night) —

After he got the pops hours ago, he felt much calmer than before, it even made him throw his stuff in his locker and took a quick shower. ‘Who would knew…’, his shift was almost done with just 2 hours left, it was quiet at the pool, the pool closed at 6:30pm, and the other lifeguard lefted at 5:00pm because she told him, at unexpected family problems happened, Billy understood and apologized about before because he was stressed out from not having his “anxiety pills”, she also apologized if she caused anymore stress then he was already feeling before, he told her she was fine, so she rushed to clocked out and ran out. The pool was easy to clean because it was a slow day. So he’ll do the pool last.

Now back to the present; 10:00 pm, Billy was just at the just of it with cleaning the pool. So he sat the end of the pool and got his flip phone out to check his messages again, he checked if he had any new ones from people he knew, some were appointments and some were max texting him little muscle emojis and telling him you got this, then he checked if you seen his message yet, and you haven’t… which got Billy’s heart clenched, ‘is she’s alright…’, he wanted to text you to see if your alright, but he felt nervous, ‘she’s probably been busy all day…’

So he texted Max and asked if they were both alright, Max responded fast and said, “we’re alright, we’re chilling, Hru.”

He texted back; “I’m doing alright, just chilling at the pool waiting to clock out.”

She text back with a little happy face :D, and ended the conversation.

Billy closed his flip phone and put it in his pocket, he lowered his head towards the pool a little and saw his legs in the pool, the pool had a soft light blue glow, it made the large pool water looked like melted crystals, shiny calming glow, it made him wonder if he should go on vacation too. Feeling tired all the time, from so much stress in one setting, makes you want to scream all the stress out. He moved his legs slowly in the water, making him dazed out from the movement of the water…

“I wonder if (Y/n) and Max would want to go on vacation…” he said silently, a meer whisper.

“Sounds fun… Bill…”

Before Billy could turn around, he got shoved in the water.

The water felt cold and refreshing, but his veins felt burning and boiling from someone above, who pushed him in the pool, the silhouette looked familiar, didn’t had the same clothes from last time, but the face was all to familiar, black roughed up hair, tired eyes, that had no rest for weeks, always had that look where he can get any girl with just a smile, but in reality he would just get his dick sniped and bruises like scarlet and violet roses… the devil himself, zacharius.

‘Nope that’s it ima kill him, I swear.’

Billy swimmed to the top and saw zacharius stupid smug face…

“You're a real bitch, ya know that.”

Zacharius stupid smug turned to frustration.

“Shut up, faggot.”

“Would a faggot, fuck you’re ex’s tight pussy, making her pant and moan; her yelling my name instead of yours.”

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” Zacharius pick a 9mm out of his pocket, Billy gave him a straight face, he was unfazed, which made Zacharius felt uneasy, but he continued, “I always hated you, when I was with my group of friends, we were having the time of are lives, going on pool parties, getting drunk on late nights, breaking rules so are parents would get pissed off, but most of all my. Girl. You. Took. From. Me…”

Billy kept being silent and listened…

“A blonde cali boy came to school one day, looking like he own the whole damn school, he walked over and started talking to Carol Perkins, Tommy, and the rest of my group of friends, but-“

“But he took your girl…”

“You… she… just stopped, she hugged me less, stopped looking at me, she told me that we weren't a thing anymore. Days passed and each following day, I saw her looking at the same blonde…”

“I fucking hated you from that day, she stopped being around me, she wouldn’t even give me eye contact, it looked like she forgot about me…”

“Well… you know what she told me that day, she told me that you treated her like shit, she said you slammed her tight clit like a pussy, she… *sarcastic snicker* she told me that you fuck like a girl losing her virginity for the first time.”

Zacharius right hand started to cliver, the 9mm slightly shaking left to right in his hand. You can see the anger in his veins, Billy noticed his finger shaking on the trigger. So he moved underwater in seconds-.

Shot

Billy got hit close to his left side of his intestines, it made a hole through his skin, but it still hurts like a bitch, crimson blood slowly spewing in the water, with Billy’s right hand, he put pressure on it. “Mmmmhhggg”, from above he can hear Zach yell “get the fuck up and face me.” Or just plain cursing, Billy just did the opposite and swimmed further in the deep end, so it make his figure hard to shoot.

Shoot

Shoot

Shoot

The bullets were close to Billy, but they all missed, suddenly the bullets stopped coming and another figure came, yelling “what the fuck your doing!” It was mumbled but what came from Zach was “Jordan get the fuck out of here!” It was like hearing two kids yelling who gets to be first in the front car seat.

Billy’s right lung was starting to burn, so he swam up, when he got up the service, he pant quietly because Jordan was distracting zacharius, so Billy swimmed slowly to the edge and put his hands on it, he slowly pushed himself up, even though it was a slightly a struggle to get up, his side making him nauseous, his black shirt getting soaked even more from his blood, when Billy got out, his panting was getting heavier, which made zacharius heard him, right before zacharius turned around Jordan grab his hand with his both hands and brought the gun up. “Jordan fuck off!” Even though Jordan was slightly shorter, he still put up a fight, “Zach! You're insane! It’s old fucking news dude just fuckin move on!”

When Billy got the hang of his breathing again, he pushed himself up, rushed up Zach to put a stop to this stupidity, but Jordan couldn’t hold on for long, and Zacharius pushed Jordan back, then pointed the gun back at Billy, Billy stepped back a little.

Jordan spoke up, “Zach come on man, there’s no point in doing this shit anyway.”

“Shut up!”

Billy spoke up, “Zach if it makes you feel any better, that bitch of girlfriend, you had was a stank; we only had a one time stand, and then she looked for some other dude to fuck…”

“That’s not-“

Jordan spoke, “Zach! Its fuckin true and you know it. The whole school knew, come on dude-“

Zacharius looked back at Jordan, in a fast movement, zacharius faced his gun at Jordan, Billy tried to move-

Shot

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

The bullet went through his left leg, it pierced through the thin skin, through the cartilage, smoothly going through the bone and out from the other side, hitting the concrete with a metallic sharp thud.

Zacharius stopped; froze up and looked at his friend, his body started to quiver, “Jordan- I- I—“

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!”

Billy just stood in silence, clenching his side, with his right hand, while his left hand clenched in a fist, Billy didn’t know Jordan that long, but seeing someone that you knew from school, just walking just fine moments ago, now on the floor clenching his lower part of your left leg blood on his hands, crimson liquid stained his black jeans making it darker then it already was. Zach dropped his gun and kept stuttering, but Jordan kept screaming and yelling that he bloody attacked him.

Yelling to screaming.

Yelling t screaming

Ye l in to scre m in

Yell scre-

Billy's brain felt like it was about to burst, from just hearing two men screaming, crying, and apologizing. It was becoming more moshed than normal speech…

“Zacharius get the fuck out of here…”

Zach looked back at Billy.

“But-“

“FUCK OFF WILL YOU, YOU TRIED TO KILL ME BECAUSE SOME WHORE THAT DIDNT WANT YOU.” Billy slowly walked up to Zach, he grabbed his collar with his free hand, and spoke “YOU TAKE YOUR GROUP OF FRIENDS IN STUPID AND DANGEROUS SITUATIONS; YOU TRIED TO HURT AND THREATED MY GIRL AND NOW- NOW YOU SHOT YOUR FUCKING FRIEND!!!”

“I—“

“FUCK OFF! WILL YOU!”

Billy shoved him away.

“FUCK OFF AND NEVER COME NEAR HERE EVER AGAIN, DONT COME NEAR ME OR ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS, AND IF I SEE YOU EVEN CLOSE TO MY SISTER AND MY GIRL ILL FUCKING MURK YOU! YOU HEAR ME!”

Zacharius nods and runs off, leaving the gun, leaving his friend, leaving without even looking back…

Billy ran up to Jordan and aided him in the office and patch up his wounds and Jordan’s wounds.

—- time skip ( 1:34 am ) —-

The stitches hurt like a bitch but at least they’re not bleeding.

“Thanks for helping me out Billy…”

“It’s no Problem… I knew police won’t be here fast enough anyway but they’re coming, do… do you think you can speak up for me… I need to get back home, before (Y/n) goes worried because my phone is broken…”

“No- no… you're fine, no worries I can understand how my sister can be when I’m not home at a certain time, well it passed that time.” He chuckled, “my sis, won’t be worried because she’ll know that I’m with the police anyway so…”

Billy chuckled back and stopped leaning on the office counter, “oh I understand, is your sister a cop?”

“She is actually!”

They both cracked up and Billy said his goodbyes and left…

When he got in his car he felt drained again, he felt like another disaster just flew by, like he got struck by bullet through the heart…

‘Ok… let’s get the fuck home…’

—-

While he was speeding down the road he felt like he really fucked up for some reason…

You are not answering his text…

When you dropped his pops in the office, you didn’t even check on him, or at least waved…

You didn’t even reply back or seen- welp can’t know that now because his flip phone is drenched…

“Why choose me…”

“Wait what am I saying…”

He slammed his right hand on the steering wheel, ‘when you walked out, you… looked frustrated…’

“Fuck…”

He boost up his speed to 110 horsepower, but then he slowed his speed, and slowed his fucked up breathing, no one wants to hear a quivering fool…

He popped a red cherry pop in his mouth and continued to drive home…

Your home…

—- time skip —-

When he came home, he felt like he was about to pass out, his stomach was curling, it felt like a demogorgon was eating his insides out, he felt every inch of his hair spiking out, he felt…

Pinned and trapped…

If he stepped in, it’s over, it’s all over…

He held his breath and tried to calm down…

Everything felt like it was about to shatter…

Until…

He heard your voice in his head.

“Well you're wrong in so many ways, that I would call you. Fuckin idiot, if you think I wouldn’t be there for you.”

Billy felt his breathing coming back and felt his muscles stopped tensing up…

Billy just chuckled while shaking his head in a downward ‘no’ motion. And stepped out of the car. While he walked, he was fiddling with his key again, when he got there, he found the correct key and put his key in the key slot and opened the door.

When he stepped inside, he slowly closed the door behind him. The house was dead silent, ‘everyone probably asleep’, so Billy slowly walked inside to not make any noise until he heard (Y/n)’s door opened, his quiet footsteps turn into a little faster swivels to her door, right before he was going to the hallway, she stepped out from the corner of the hallway.

She had tired eyes but she looked unpleased, her arms were crossed, “where have you been?” She had a soft anger in her voice, she couldn’t see the blood stain shirt, because from his side it’s dark, dim, and hard to see his body, his face was slightly dimmed, “I’ve been at work.”

“It's 2:45 am, Billy.”

“Zach-“

“Don’t give me a excuse about zacharius.”

‘What’

“Sweetheart-“

“Don’t call me that” she had venom in her veins. Billy’s muscles was tensing up, “hey… let me-“

“You let me what B, you clocked out 2 hours ago and now your here like nothing happened, not even at least giving me a call!”

“My phone’s dead”

“That’s an excuse…”

Billy clenched his hands, “what’s an excuse! Look!”

He put his right hand in his pocket, and brought it out, it was slightly drenched and won’t turn on.

“You could’ve called me on the office phone or used your coworker’s phone.”

“My coworker left early and also I didn’t want to fuckin call you because you didn’t answer my text or you haven’t seen my text before 10:25 PM-ish after around 10:30 Pm, my phone broke…”

(Y/n) looked at his phone and smacked it off his hand, Billy looked at his hand and back at you confused, “that’s bullshit.”

“And how is it not (Y/n)” his confusion turned into a low growl of frustration.

“You are just the same player that those three girls were looking for…”

Billy felt hurt, “you're thinking I’m going back to my old ways… you-“

“Me what William, You lied to me that you weren’t going back, you lied to me for making a whore out of yourself for flirting over those sluts. you LIED-“

“LIED!” He *chuckled*, “LIED to you about what! Is it a lie that I saved you and Max from my father, IS IT A LIE, that I was there for you at the mall protecting you from that wuss name Zach! HUH, AM I SO MUCH OF A FUCKIN LAIR! THAT I FUCKIN LOVE YOU (Y/N)!”

Her anger just vanished, “shut up-“

“NO, I was at my fucking job, then Zacharius pushed me in the fuckin pool, so my phone got damaged; to make it like I was fuckin ignoring everybody, he tried to kill me, but his bud jordan came along and saved my sorry ass, I got out of the pool. he got shot my Zacharius and i threatened Zach to never come NEAR ME OR HIS FRIENDS, OR MY GIRL AND MY SISTER AGAIN!”

“…”

“Oh and just in case I’m not LYING to you.” Billy pulled his shirt up and showed his stitched up bullet wound and he move to the side to show her it went right through him, he put his shirt back down and looked back at (Y/n), “but I guess if I’m so much of a Manwhore; as you so called i am… I’ll fuckin leave.”

“No— B im-“

“Stop.”

Billy walked passed her, and walked in her room and grabbed his duffle bag and started filling stuff he needs to get the fuck out of there.

“Billy— just wait, I was-“

“STOP.”

“But-“

“STOP WILL YOU. Just stop—“

He got his stuff and walk out of her room, she ran in front of him and tried to stop him.

“Move—“

“No- just listen to me, it’s a misunderstanding— let me-“

“You already explained already, you told me who I am— so fucking move…”

Max stepped out of her room and saw her brother’s distressed face, she couldn’t see (Y/n), but she saw how her body quivers…

“No-“

“Fine I’ll just make myself leave…”

He grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the way, it wasn't that forceful, but it made her gave up… so for the most part, she moved…

Billy walked up to the door and heard (Y/n)‘a soft sobbing in the background, while max was calling out for Billy.

But he never looked back.

And…

Simply said “I’ll pick you up tomorrow Max…”

And quietly opened the door and closed the door behind him, while never looking back…

[sangrefae]

my favorite flavor of yotsuyu lives AU is one where she goes to ishgard and meets stephanivien, who strikes a deal with her that she can’t do evil things anymore if he can make her a machinist

[octaviareina]

I can finally breathe after this episode... It took me so long to finally be able to write something, cause I tried to analyze all the details, and absorb everything, this episode really hits hard in all types of emotions, and even now I have watched at least 4 times, I still can't deal with how amazing and unbelievable it was.

• What an incredible performance by Sebastian at the beginning of the episode, you can see the pain, the fear, the anger, the doubts, the relief and the happiness, all these feelings are visibly present, and it was a really touching scene.

• My Dora's ah, how great to bring them back to us. I love Ayo, she's so powerful and confident, I love everything about her, the way her talk, to the way her move, to her fight skills. I love how she talks to Bucky, but I felt extremely sad when she "disowned" Bucky with "bast damn you James", it really hurt, you can see the disappoint in her face and the hurt on bucky's face, like, people of Wakanda take care and technically and literally healed Bucky, he is/was their White Wolf, so seeing him in that situation of twice time defending the people they are against is frustrating. I really hope that can be fix.

• As for Bucky ... Well, he is clearly suffering from confusion, he is in this new world, without Steve, and having to be a completely different person, but this time he's much aware about his past and the thing he did. "Being good" for him it's based on what he knows are Steve's ideals, and his own as "crazy", no matter how much therapy, or how that words doesn't affect him anymore, that's the version of him self that he remembers the most. It is he is struggling and trying too hard to do the right thing, because he wants to believe what Steve saw in him. So that desperation and agony will give him some mistakes. I believe that time and in the next 2 episodes, Sam's side will make him see that he is a good person and that the bad phase can finally rest in the past.

• Speaking of Sam. KING THING, HOLLY BLESS THIS MAN, I love him so much, the conversation with Karli, that's why Steve gave HIM the shield, he's fair, he's incredible, and he's human. Sam has been winning my heart more and more, and I know that this BITCH has fought with aliens and everything, but I love how fearless and confident he is, how he ventures and fights on an equal being a civilian. He understands the struggles and fights of the people in this new world. Anthony is doing a phenomenal job at us handing over Sam's diverse faces, I love this man.

• I love to hate Zemo.

• So little of Sharon, but that Bitch it is rich and powerful, she walking full through all those people with guns, like they was holding flowers JESUS HER POWER, and like simply having access to satellites. I understand why she and Zemo cannot exchange many words, they will start competing who has more resources and class LOL.

• I mentioned it a few times on MY twitter but never here, but John Walker always had a Homelander vibe from The Boys, and I was imagining that episode would come sooner or later. That final scene literally left me breathless, I just took my breath away when the credits ended, because the whole time I was "WTF", the scene weight, especially that scene with a bloody shield, WOW just bring the awards for this Show. The symbology was brilliant.

[aworldofimportance]

Falcon and the winter soldier spoilers/liveblogging

- not to jump the gun but the episode synopsis says “John walker faces consequences” and YES

- oooh Bucky is NOT vibing with that blood on the shield (as he shouldn’t)

- SAM💞 yeS YES GIVE SAM THE SHIELD

- “yeah we do” YESYES FIGHT FIGHT GET THAT SHIELD

- BUCKY HAS THE SHIELD I REPEAT BUCKY HAS THE SHIELD oh no his arm 🥺

-“ I am Captain American” FUCK. OFF. OFF WITH HIS HEAD ALREADY OMG

- YES Bucky save your bff

- YES sam save your bff

- omg them pRYING OFF THE SHEILD AND BREAKING HIS ARM WAS AMAZING WHY DID THAT FEEL SO GOID TO WATCH WOW IM PUMPED

-ITS NOT YOUR SHIEld BACK TF OFF also SAM USED THE SHEILD YES

- oooh that shot of Bucky over John and the sunlight and him returning the SHEILD to Sam was *chefs kiss*

- was...was.. the ripping of the wings and getting the shield foreshadowing him becoming the next cap?/someone else taking on falcon?

- “hey you got your sleeve back” Torres is adorable I love him he’s an innocent sweetie

- WHAT WHY DONT PEOPLE KNOW THAT HE TORE SAMS WINGS? HE NEEDS TO GET THE APPROPRIATE BLAME

- Torres TOUCHING THE WINGS 🚨 (new falcon?👀) “KEEP EM” HE SAID KEEP EM OOOOOOH

- the lady is sketch but I love that the government does not own the shield

- ok but Isaiah literally did what Steve did (ie free fellow soldiers) AND WAS PUNISHED FOR IT IM ANGRY A

- “but we’re gonna do it our own way” Bucky is CONSISTENT with this King behaviour

- YAY BUCKY GAVE HIM TO THE DORA that was the right thing to do

- “crossing off my name in your book” stoP😭

- the raft? space jail? Pls tell me if I’m wrong

- BUCKY💞💞💞💞 AWWW IS THATS WAKANDAN WINGS FOR SAM? A SUIT?

- I’m gonna cry Bucky flirting with Sarah is so fun it reminds me if 1949’s pre trauma Bucky who was like the ~ladies man~ it’s like he’s slowly being himself again 🥺

- STOP THIS SEQUENCE IS AMAZING I HAVENT FELT THIS MUCH JOY SINCE NOVEMBER 5TH THIS IS MY FAVOURITE EPISODE I AM NOT OKAY

- Bucky helping around with the boat (and straight up ripping out parts) is making me soft I’m

- YAY SLEEPOVER I love this friendship

- aww lemar’s parents that part was sad but I still hate John Walker

-oooh Sharon is sketch

- STOP Sams nephews playing with the shield in front of Bucky🥺 like that scene in captain America where the kids use a trash can lid as a shield brb crying

- AHAHA Sarah going off and Bucky taking her side I’m wheezing

- LOOK AT THEM BICKERING I’m

- they literally playing frisbee with the shield

- Bucky apologising about how hard taking the shield would be for Sam and Sam giving Bucky the therapy he needed cleared my skin

- “partners””co-workers””couple of guys” the character DEVELOPMENT

- NO LET ME SEE WHATS IN THE BOX LEMME SEE

Post credits scene

- bitch he’s actually insane is he actually making his own captain America shield THAT TITLE IS NOT YOURS SIR SHOO

[fanaticfangirl001]

Like Real People Do Ch 5: An Assassin, A Terrorist, A thief, and A Bird Walk Into Madripoor

Taglist:

@p3nny4urth0ught5, @kissofvenom922

Ch 5:

Author’s note:

“I’m going to go in alone.” Bucky turns to Winnie and Sam.

“Why?” Sam asks.

“Bucky does have a better chance of getting answers.” Winnie adds.

“Also you’re an Avenger. You know how he feels about that.” Bucky says.

“It’s not like you two are known for frolicking in the sun together.”

“Zemo would be a good informant though, Sam.”

“He was obsessed with HYDRA. We have a history together. Trust me. I got it.” Bucky walks off to speak with Zemo.

Sam turns to Winnie “ Why aren’t you volunteering to go in with him?”

“I can’t, I doubt Zemo likes me much.” Winnie scoffs.

“Right, SHIELD.”

“Yeah.” Winnie nods hoping Sam drops it.

“So.” Sam changes the subject, “ You were kind of out of it when I mentioned Sharon.”

“I said then that I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“How about now?”

“Look, right before Shield fell I found some documents connecting the dots.I saved them to a flash drive and drove my ass home to the apartment Sharon and I shared. I tried to tell her, she got defensive, we got in a fight. She claimed I was a part of Hydra. I called her a bitch and left.” Winnie explains.

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah, I don’t see us working it out. “

“There’s always couple’s therapy.” Sam suggests with a laugh.

“Oh right, how’d that session go?”

“Got to stare into his baby blues.”

“Did that help?”

“No.”

“I could do better than that.”

“Oh I bet he’d like that.” Sam smirks.

“Not what I meant.” Winnie rolls her eyes.

“What are you talking about breaking Zemo out of jail? Where the hell are we Buck? Have you lost your mind?” Sam asks.

“That’s a fantastic idea, Buck.” Winnie says sarcastically.

“We have no leads, no moves, nothing.”

“What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars.”

“That Bucky wants to let out of those bars.” Winnie sidesteps by Sam to avoid tripping.

“We also have eight super soldiers on the loose.”

“Shit, he’s gotta point, Sam.”

“Zemo is gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours.”

“He also probably doesn’t like me either.” Winnie adds rubbing the back of her neck.

“Offense, super soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy but he still has a code.”

“How crazy?” Winnie asks.

“Bag of cats.” Sam answers.

“He blew up the UN, killed King T’chaka and framed you for it.” Sam continues.

“We don’t know how they’re getting the serum.”

Bucky says.

“We don’t even know how much serum is out there.” Winnie replies then adds “ Or who put it out there in the first place.”

“What did you do?” Sam asks.

“I didn’t do anything.” Bucky says calmly.

Winnie takes a deep breath and puts her hands on her guns. If Bucky did what she thinks he did, then it’s only a matter of time before shit gets real.

“The weakest point in any system is not the software, the hardware, it's the meatware.The human element…” Bucky continues.

Three seconds to draw, two seconds to fire, three seconds to draw two seconds to fire, Winnie thinks over and over.

“I don’t like how natural, you’re being about this, and where are we, man?”

More lights fill the area and a door opens.

“Woah Woah Woah, What are you doing here!”

“I didn’t want to tell you cause I knew you’d never let this happen.”

Winnie follows the two with a gun in hand.

“What did you do?”

“We need him, Sam.”

“You’re going back to prison.”

“If I may..” Zemo starts.

“No!” Both shout.

Winnie stands besides them with her gun pointed at Zemo.

“Apologies.”Zemo says softly then looks at Winnie.

“When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you back him.” Bucky continues.

“I really think I’m invaluable.”

“Shut up.” Sam turns to Zemo.

“If we do this, you don’t make a move without our permission.” Sam says to Zemo.

“Fair.”

Zemo turns to Winnie and says “You’ve been very quiet. Penny for your thoughts.”

“Don’t let him mess with you.” Sam says as Winnie puts her gun back in the holster. “Okay, Zemo, where do we start.”

“So our first move is grand theft auto?”

“These are mine, collected by family over the generations.” Zemo starts collecting his things out of the cars.

“Nice wheels.” Winnie gestures to a vintage cadillac.

“So she speaks.”

“Leave her alone.” Bucky says.

“I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention of leaving my work unfinished. To do this, we’ll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes.”

“Well, join the party. We’ve already started.”

“First stop is a woman named Selby.” Zemo says carrying his bags away. “Mid level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb.”

Walking up to the private jet, “ So all this time you’ve been rich.” Sam asks.

“I’m a Baron, Sam.” Zemo says as the four climb on the jet, “ My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country.”

Zemo drinks the champagne his butler serves him.

“It seems like you have me at a disadvantage. I don’t know your name, and if I had known such a treasure would be with those two idiots, I’d escape sooner.” He says to Winnie.

“She’s Winnie, she’s a hacker. That’s your introduction.” Bucky says gruffly.

“ A hacker...interesting.” Zemo sips at his champagne.

“Not really.”

“Oh no, it is. You’re not with an agency, I guess.”

“No.”

“No health insurance or dental, no pay check.”

“None of that.”

“Do you live in a house?”

“Yes.”

“With no income?”

“Yes.”

“Must have a wealthy family?

“No, I’m an orphan.”

“Then pray tell how you get paid.”

“Easy, like Buck said, I’m a hacker, To make money I hack into bank accounts of the rich and take very little in the grand scheme of things. One percent of the richest men in the world’s wealth.”

“Winnie.” Sam nudges her.

“It’s the truth.” Winnie adds. “Besides not like he needed it in prison.”

The conversation lulls to a deafening silence.

“Why don’t you tell us where we’re going?” Sam asks.

“Sorry I was just fascinated by this. I don’t know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?”

Bucky jerks across and grabs Zemo by the throat.

“If you touch that again, I’ll kill you.”

Zemo nods understanding and Bucky sits back down.

“You okay, Buck.” Winnie asks.

Bucky nods.

“I’m sorry. I understand the list of names.People you’ve wronged as the Winter Soldier.”

“Don’t push it.”

“I’ve seen that book.” Sam adds. “It was Steve’s when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What’d you think?”

“I like ‘40s music, so...” Bucky answers.

“You didn’t like it.”

“I liked it.”

“It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience”

“He’s out of line, but he’s right.”

“Extremely right.” Winnie adds.

“Everyone likes Marvin Gaye.”

“I like Marvin Gaye.”

“Steve adored Marvin Gaye.”

“You must have really looked up to Steve.But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America’s super soldiers is that we put them on pedestals.”

“Watch your step, Zemo.”

Winnie watches Bucky, and nudges his leg with her foot. He nudges her foot back with a small smile.

“They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought.”

“There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.” Winnie quotes Machiavelli.

“Clever.” Zemo says then adds “ Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull? That is why we go to Madripoor.”

“What’s up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it’s Skull Island.”

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary in the 1800s.”

“It’s kept it’s lawless ways.”

“Well let’s get the show on the road.” Winnie picks up her bag.

“We can’t exactly walk in as ourselves. James you will have to become someone you claim is gone.”

“We have to fix this.” I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”

“Only an American would assume a fashion forward Black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming, African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“Who am I?” Winnie asks. She dressed in a glittering short golden dress with black thigh high boots.

“A sugar baby.”

“Why am I the sugar baby?”

“It’s a role I thought you would be the most comfortable with.”

“Is this payback for stealing money from you.”

“No.”

“Oh well then Sam and I will be constantly vigilant. I have extra guns strapped to my thighs just in case.”

“The Smiling Tiger doesn’t have a sugar baby.”

“Then who am I..” Winnie’s face falls as she realizes who she’s paired up with on this mission.

“That.” Zemo points to her face,” is payback enough.”

“I don’t like you at all, but good play.” Winnie admits holding out her hand.

Zemo takes her hand and kisses it.

“Oh you don’t have to do that.” Winnie adds.

“No matter what happens we have to stay in character.”

The four of them climb into the car headed for Low Town.

Winnie stays close to Zemo looking around.

Zemo wraps an arm around her and whispers “Relax and fake like you’re meant to be here.”

“Right.” Winnie straightens her postures and twirls her hair between her fingers.

“We’re here.” Zemo then speaks to Bucky in russian: Ready to comply, Winter Soldier.

Once at the bar the bartender welcomes them “ Hello Gentleman, and lady, Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed, we have to do business with Selby.”

“The usual?” The bartender suggests.

“Ah, Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” Zemo says.

Winnie puts a hand on Zemo’s shoulder and lightly squeezes it.

“I love these.” Sam takes the glass

“Cheers, Conrad.”

Sam takes the drink and swallows the snake organ.

A man comes up to Zemo and Winnie lets go of his arm. Zemo wraps his arm around her.

“I got word from on high. You ain’t welcome here.”

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…”

“New haircut.” The man nods towards Bucky.

“Or bring Selby for a chat.”

“Power broker, really.”

“Every kingdom needs its king. Let’s just stay under his radar.”

“Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.” Zemo begins walking to the middle of the room speaking Russian to Bucky.

‘ Oh no, Winnie thinks, it’s showtime.’

Bucky attacks the man standing beside Zemo. People begin recording. Multiple men are attacked until a gun is cocked.

“Didn’t take much for him to fall back into form.”

“You’re undoing so much therapy.” Winnie adds softly.

“Keep in character or the whole bar turns against us.” Zemo adds softly before ending Bucky’s commands.

“Selby will see you now.” The bartender says.

“You good?” Sam asks.

Bucky doesn’t answer, just walks off.

The four go up the stairs.

“You should know, Baron.” Selby says “ People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.”

“Not a demand, an offer.”

“A lot has changed since you were here last.By the way I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?”

“People like us always find a way, don’t we. I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger.”She purs, “ What’s the offer?”

“Tell us what you know about the super soldier serum. And I give you him.” Zemo touches Bucky’s face. “Along with the code words to control him, of course.He will do anything you want.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember.”

“I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately. It’d be a bad date for the pretty thing on your arm. You were right to come to me. Arrogant but right. The super soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you want to thank. Or condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum but things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?”

“Oh the bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute. Don’t think you can find Nagel without me.”

Sam’s cell phone buzzes.

“Answer it.”

Winnie stands with her hands by her side ready to grab her guns.

“On speaker.”

“Hello.”

“Hey, um we need to talk about this situation. It’s been driving me, nuts.”

“What situation exactly are you talkin’ about?”

“Are you high? You know what situation, it’s the only situation me and you have.”

“What situation, Sarah? Say it.”

“The damn boat. And watch your tone. Okay? I let you slide at the bank.”

“The bank, yeah.” Sam scoffs. “Laundered so much… Yeah they’ll come around.”

“If that was the case, then why’d they dog you out, Big time.”

“Yeah you damn right I’m Big Time. You’ll see when I have that banker killed.”

“Cass! What’d I tell you about the Cheerios! I don’t have time for this! Sam I’m sorry let me call you back.”

“Sam? Who’s Sam? Kill them.”

The window breaks and Selby falls shot in the chest.

Bucky and Sam fight the two guards with Bucky grabbing the gun. Winnie follows Zemo to the door.

“They’re going to pin this on us.”

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead.”

As they walk out, phone’s all over the island begin buzzing with a bounty on the four of them.

“This is not good.”

“Obviously not good.” Winnie says

A man with a large gun begins shooting at the four, Sam and Bucky go in one direction, Zemo and Winnie in the other.

Winnie begins to notice the pattern of the sniper killing all those who want us dead. It reminds her of the cover she had on missions with Sharon. Winnie and Zemo keep going until they meet up with Sam and Bucky.

“We seem to have a guardian angel.”

“Well this is too perfect.” A woman says walking out of the shadows. “ Drop it Zemo.” She has him at gunpoint.

“Sharon.” Bucky says

“You cost me everything.” Sharon takes a step towards Zemo.

“Sharon wait, someone recreated the super soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.” Sam explains.

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass to save his ass, from his ass. I didn’t have the avengers to back me up. So I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”

Winnie clears her throat,” Sharon.”

“Winnie.”

“Don’t blow smoke, I was on the run too.”

“Was, is, big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore. I can’t.”

“Listen Sharon we need your help.” Bucky asks.

“No we don’t.” Winnie argues.

Sharon laughs.

“Please.” Bucky tries again.

“Bucky.” Winnie interjects.

“Winnie, we need her help. You two can get over it.” Bucky turns to Winnie.

“I have a place in High Town, You’ll be safe there.”

“Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well.”

“I thought if I had to hustle, I might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I can get for a real Monet.”

“You never liked art before.” Winnie mentions crossing her arms.

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monets.”

“No, she means real. This gallery specializes in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.”

Winnie stops by one painting, and Sharon stands beside her.

“The Beach in Pourville, it was your favorite, right.” Sharon points out.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you were listening, when I spoke about it while experimenting.”

“You said that if you could jump into any painting like Mary Poppins, you’d choose this one. So you could lay on the beach after jumping in the waves and watch the sun set.”

“I know what I said.”

“Have you?”

“Do I look like I’ve been to any beaches?”

“There’s a beach on High Town. You could stay.”

“I can’t leave Buck and Sam.”

“You call him Buck.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s nice,” Sharon turns to the group away from Winnie “ You guys need to change I’m hosting clients in an hour.”

Winnie changes into the gown that Sharon picked for her. Albeit not as sparkly as the one Zemo picked out. It was nice and understated. A short lilac halter dress with a black belt paired with her same thigh high black boots, Zemo had picked out.

Sharon opens the door.

“Sure, Sharon, you can come right in.” Winnie puts on the pearl earrings Sharon picked out.

“You look great.”

“Thanks.”

“You were right.”

“About.”

“Everything, shield, the government, being pessimistic. I didn’t believe you, and then I stole the shield and after being on the run I realized I was wrong the whole time. I shouldn’t have called you a hydra agent, especially after everything you did for Shield and the inventions.”

“The rocket boots work.”

“Course, they did, you made them.”

“You think apologizing after more than seven years is going to fix everything.”

“No, because I know you, and you hold grudges like no one else I know. But it’s a start to not hating me.”

Winnie sighs, “I don’t hate you, that’s too strong of a word but another start would be helping us a little more.”

“I thought you didn’t need my help.”

“Buck was right. Any other information you have is going to help us.”

“ Speaking of Bucky, what is your deal?”

“Deal?”

“Yeah are you two friends or more, because I…” Sharon starts but gets interrupted.

“Don’t.” Winnie says sharply.

“Oh.” Sharon smiles.

“Not like that. It’s just, you remember when we’d go out together, and I’d flirt with a guy and then they’d ask me for your number.”

“You don’t want that to happen to Bucky.”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Noted. Just uh he might have heart palpitations when he sees you in this dress.”

“Sharon, go check on the guys.”

Sharon walks in the room as Sam’s changing shirts.

“Much better.”

“What’s going on Sharon? You don’t ever wanna come back home?”

“They’ll lock me up if I step foot back in the States.”

“Madripoor doesn’t allow extradition.”

“Look I’m sorry I didn’t call. But after the blip and the chaos. I just..”

“Look you know the hero thing is a joke, right. The way you gave up that shield.deep down, you must know it's all hypocrisy.”

“He knows. And not so deep down.”

“By the way how is the new Cap?” Sharon asks.

“Don’t get me started.” Bucky answers.

“I punched him in the face.” Winnie enters the room in her new dress.

“You look nice.” Bucky looks away from Winnie.

“Thanks.” Winnie sits on the other couch by Zemo.

“Please you buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr.America! Cap’s best friend.” Sharon sits down by Bucky.

“Wow, she’s kind of awful now.”

“Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum.” Sam starts.

Winnie looks down at her phone tracking the shield and John just to see that they are still in Germany.

“You guys really should steer clear of all this for your own safety. Winnie, seriously, you can and should stay here with me. You know all about art and I can get you drawing again, or inventing. Plenty of people would pay big money for rocket boots, or taser whips, boomerang daggers.”

“I can’t.”

“We know it’s a risk, but we won’t leave until we find the person that cracked the code.”

“We got a name, Wilfred Nagel.”

“Nagel works for the Power Broker.”

“We need your help Sharon, I can get your name cleared.”

“You haggling with my life?”

“Not like that.”

“I don’t buy that.”

“You pretending like you can clear my name.”

“Okay maybe it is hypocrisy. Maybe you’re right. What happened to you. But I’m willing to try if you are. They cleared the bionic staring machine, and he killed almost everybody he’s met.”

Sharon looks at Bucky, he’s glaring at Zemo, who’s talking to Winnie about art.

“You draw and paint?” Zemo asks.

“I did, when I had the stuff or the time.” Winnie shrugs and pulls out her tattered sketchbook with pages falling out. She opens it flipping through a few landscapes and portraits of people she saw at coffee shops.

“You stole money from a billionaire and you didn’t steal enough for art supplies.” Zemo questions.

“I only stole money from you for rent, groceries and to sponsor a few Sokovian families.” Winnie explains. “ I make a tight budget and stick to it.”

“You.. what?” Zemo looks surprised.

“I sponsored a few Sokovian families to emigrate to the United States. It was anonymous so I don’t know where they ended up.”

“I heard that.” Bucky adds to Sharon.

“I don’t trust charity.”

“All right, a deal then.”

“You help us out, and I get your name cleared.”

Sharon shakes his hand.

“Well I sell to some well connected people. Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party. Try to stay out of trouble. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Trouble.”

Loud electronic music plays. People are everywhere, dancing with everyone. Winnie feels a little out of place.

“A part to play,again.” Zemo says from behind her. “Relax, your friend said to have fun.”

“Ex-friend, and secondly parties like this aren’t fun for me. I’d rather be..” She’s interrupted by Zemo.

“You’d rather be in some greasy spoon hole in the wall diner with James, sharing a milkshake.”

“Malts, and second why do you think this?”

“On the plane when after James choked me, you asked if he was okay.”

“Friends do that.”

“Again on the plane when I made James uncomfortable, you kicked his leg.”

“Yeah, checking up on him without asking if he’s okay. “

“ He stares at you when you aren’t looking.”

“He stares at everyone.”

“When he stares at you though, his features soften.”

“And.”

“Also when we were talking about art, he was glaring at me.”

“He doesn’t like you much anyway. He has reason to glare at you that doesn’t have to do with me.”

“I’m just saying if you two both feel the same way, why wait? No one is guaranteed time on this earth.”

“You’re ridiculous. Also you might want to change your pin code. Your dead wife’s birthday isn’t a secure code.” Winnie walks off from Zemo.

Winnie finds Bucky by himself on the outskirts of the dance floor.

“Need a breather.”

“Yeah.”

“Winnie, stay away from Zemo. He plays mind games”

“I can handle myself. We were talking about you.”

“That’s another reason why you should stay away from him.”

“He said you like me cause you stare at me, but..”

“I gotta find Sam.” Bucky walks off to find Sam.

The moment Bucky is out of sight Zemo walks back to her.

“Did you get the answer?” He asks.

“Yeah, I did. Not the one I wanted” Winnie nods then says “ Let’s dance, Zem.”

Bucky looks around and finds Sam.

“Winnie knows.” Bucky says nervously to Sam.

“She’s a genius and a hacker. What specifically does she know?”

“She knows that I..” Bucky trails off when Sharon arrives.

“Don’t let me interrupt this.” She says. “ Winnie knows that you..”

“I’m fond of her being around.” Bucky finishes.

“That was a secret?” Sam asks.

“Yes, did you know?”

“Of course I knew. The real question is does she like you?” Sam looks towards Sharon.

“I’m not violating Winnie’s trust. She just stopped hating me. I also found him.”

“Okay Bucky, let’s put in a pin in your love life problem for now, and let’s get this guy. Here we go.”

Sharon signals Winnie and Zemo and they follow the three out of the party.

“Madripoor can give New York a run for its money.”

“They know how to party.”

“You’re not a bad dancer, Zem.”

“Neither are you Win.”

“With that bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving. All right. He’s in there. Container four-two-six-one. I’ll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel.”

“Need help out here.” Winnie offers.

“No I got it.” Sharon insists.

Winnie follows the three guys inside putting in her ear piece.

“Completely empty.”

“I’m positive it has to be.”

Walking around on the inside with a flashlight Zemo pushes in the false wall. Music is playing softly.

“Mel Torme, good taste.” Winnie whispers.

“Agreed.” Zemo motions for Bucky and Sam to go forward with the guns.

Winnie pulls out her guns, ready for anything and follows walking through the makeshift lab.She listens out for any signs of struggle from Sharon outside.

Zemo stops the record.

“Dr.Nagel?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“We know you created the super soldier serum.”

“Get out of my lab.”

“Hey. You know who he is right.This is Baron Zemo.I know you've heard of him too. You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick.”

“How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I’ll talk.”

Winnie looks around at the chemicals and the serum making process. It would take years to make sense of this.

“Guys we have company.” Sharon says from the ear pieces. “Every bounty hunter in the city is here we gotta go.”

Bucky grabs the doctor and puts him in a chair with a gun in his face. He fires the gun near him.

“Okay.I was brought into Hydra’s Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When Hydra fell I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject, with semi-stable traces of serum in his system.After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary components in his blood. I was a god. I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized. Perfect.”

“How have we never heard about this?”

“Because before I was able to complete my work. I turned to dust.Then when I returned, it was five years later,the program had been abandoned, so I came here. THe Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work.”

“How many vials did you make?”

“Twenty.”

“Karli Morgenthau stole those, so I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl.”

“Where’s Karli now?”

“I don’t know where she is. But a couple of days ago she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. Poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that.”

“Well, what happened to her?”

“Not my pig, not my farm.”

“Is there any serum in this lab?”

“No.”

“Now what?”

“Guys we’re seriously outta time here.”

Zemo shots the doctor.

“No!”

A large explosion throws the five on the other side of the lab.

Bucky, Sam, Winnie, and Sharon on one side with Zemo on the other.

“Anybody see Zemo?” Sam asks.

“Let’s go.” Bucky pulls Winnie and Sharon up.

“Alright wait for my signal.”

Gunfire breaks out.

Sam goes early.

“Damnit.” Bucky says running after providing cover for Sam.

“You know the drill, right Winnie.” Sharon says.

“Yeah yeah, go.”

Sharon and Winnie run and fall into their old routine, as though it’s been no time since they were partners. The four find cover and keep shooting.

“And you like living here?”

“It’s not terrible.”

“It’s pretty terrible, Sharon.”

“I thought you were going left.”

“You went the wrong way.”

“I was clearing the way.”

“Do they always fight like this?” Sharon asks.

“Pretty much.” Winnie answers.

“I came out first. You had to follow me.”

“And where are we now!”

“Guys, Not the time!”

“I’m out.”

“This is a barricade.”

“It’s in every action movie.”

“Might have some more in my backpack.” Winnie tells Sharon.

“You carry ammunition in a Jansport.”

“I didn’t judge you in your home with the off season prada purse you were carrying.”

The four look up and see Zemo with a purple mask sniping the way clear.

“Go.” Bucky taps Winnie and Sharon

They grab each other and run.

Bucky and Sam follow into a shipping container.

A car screeches to halt with Zemo in it,

“Supercharged.”

“You’re going back to jail.”

“Do you want to find Karli or not?”

“He’s right, we need him.”

“There’s three of us and at least twenty of them.”

“Fine but if you try that shit again…”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Well that was one hell of a reunion.”

The four get in the car.

“Come back to the states with us.”

“I can’t. Just get me the pardon you promised me. And here.” Sharon gives Winnie back the flash drive with all the hydra information on it.

“Thanks.”

“You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you.”

“No.”

On board the private jet Sam calls Joaquin about Donya Madani.

“Oh ask him about the secret Winnie project.”

“Sure.”

“Do you have information on some secret Winnie project?”

“Yeah yeah it’s a bad name, she’ll work on it. Nothing, yet, okay more importantly is Donya Madani.”

Winnie looks down at her phone tracking John with earbuds in listening to his conversations.

“You okay?” Bucky asks seeing Sam flop down into a chair.

“Yeah. Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through, and Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn’t even a real person. Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal.”

“Well it depends on who you ask. That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives.”

“Yeah I get that. All right. Maybe I made a mistake.”

“You did.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have put it in a museum. I should have destroyed it. “

“Look that shield represents a lotta things to a lotta people, including me. The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap. and it aint gonna be Walker. So before you destroy it, I’ll take it from him myself.”

Joaquin calls Sam back and Zemo comes back with plates of food.

He gestures towards Winnie and says to Bucky“ Can she hear us?”

“No, she’s in survelliance mode. Put a tracker on the new Cap.”

“Smart.”

“Surprised she hasn’t put one on you.”

“Winnie is quite special, isn’t she?”

“Whatever you're thinking about saying or doing, don’t.”

“Oh I have no interest in her. Besides a financial one.”

“You want her to hack on your behalf, not gonna happen.”

“No, she’s an artist.”

“You want to pay her to draw and paint.”

“Yes, she’s very talented. She showed me her sketchbook, you’ve seen it haven’t you?”

“No.”

“Hm, interesting.”

“Stop.”

“They found Madani. Dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea.”

“I have a place we can go.” Zemo says. “I for one am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oeznik we’re changing course.”

“Walker knows you two broke out Zemo.” Winnie says taking out her earbuds. “ He’s also not too concerned with his rules of engagement.”

Walking down the streets of Riga, Latvia, Zemo begins talking. Winnie looks at the small buildings lining the street, it looks like painting by the sea.

“I don’t suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial, at least the thief donated.” Zemo gestures to Winnie.

Zemo stops at a large building, “We are here.”

“I’m gonna go on a walk.” Bucky says.

“You good?”

“Yeah.”

“Be careful.” Winnie adds.

“Always am.” Bucky nods.

Once Zemo and Sam are inside Winnie follows them.

Sam turns towards Winnie with a smile.

“What?”

“Be careful.” Sam mimics her.

“Not you too.”

“No it’s cute. It’s adorable actually. That you have no clue.” Sam says.

[winterbuckytho]

When Is It Over

After being missing for 48 hours, Tony Stark comes into the restaurant and is escorted to the table James Rhodey was waiting for him at. Rhodey, always a patient and understanding man wanted to give Tony an absolute earful for disappearing like that. He and Happy had been just about to raise alarms when he got the text "I'm a genius and you know that but I had major breakthrough and can't talk to anyone else. You will never guess who's bed I woke up in."

Rhodey guessed wrong 17 times then finally gave up by texting back. "Uuuugh, I hate it when you’re right! Just tell me!!"

"One Sargent James Buchanan Barnes, the Manchurian Candidate himself. TMI, but we have no boundaries, he's an awesome lay btw. I'll send you info for a meetup and brunch. I need so much coffee."

And so not long after the two sat in a little known upscale place seated at a privately reserved table on a terrace over looking the sea, Rhodey asking how in the flying fuck Tony had ended up at a dick appointment in Wakanda.

"It all started a while ago but what happened last night started the night before last. I kept having this nightmare where Barnes is bearing down on Pepper and my reactor is busted and I'm trapped in my suit, pinned to the floor like a butterfly to a card by one of those creepy bug collectors. Pepper is right there but I can never convince him to not hurt her. Sometimes it's you or Steve and I guess because I watched footage of him before he started remembering stuff... God, the way he gunned after Steve, like a pretty Ultron. And I fought him myself in trigger mode, Christ, his eyes were colder than dry ice and emptier than Bruce's apartment right now... I had it again and sitting up after with a glass of warm milk thought about that exposure therapy thing, what is it called?"

"Systemic Desensitization?"

"Right, anyway, so I called King T'challa and it turned out Barnes was awake. So i asked to see him, explain what I want to try and do because I already have 15 flavors of PTSD, I didn't need a special designer one and reassured nothing like vengeance was even remotely on my mind. I just needed to see him outside the context I had him in before in Siberia so he agreed to have me."

"Whoa, that's a stupid idea. So what happened?"

"Well, he has a convalescent suite in the mines, most secure place on the planet I bet. From himself and from others. I went straight there and was on his doorstep at 2 the next morning. He was still willing to see me and the Princess seems to have figured out how to end his following through with the programming, so he opened the door and..."

--

"Stark, I understand I never even knew you and I fucked up half your lif-" Bucky Barnes began.

“I don't wanna talk about that Barnes..." Tony replied.

"Then what do you want?" Buck asked shaking his head a little at a loss as to why Stark would need to see him this bad. A cold fright made his belly feel full of squirming eels as he wondered what in God's name he had done now. 'Th-they say I'm alright now but before... I hardly remember being brought to Wakanda, everything after my arm was fried off... is just a smudge of awareness. Did I hurt him bad that day, he looks okay but what did I do..?'

"I... fuck, okay, this is one of those times where I am doing a crazy rich person thing, you know. I keep having these dreams... "I remember them all." you said. That's what you said and ever since I feel like I need to face you in a.... I don't know... unfiltered way? I need to know you're not going to... hurt me or Pepper or Steve or Rh-" 

Bucky stood in the doorway his blood chilled to slush in his veins. What did Tony want him to do? Act out some death wish? 'Absolutely fucking not. I will eat a gun before I endanger anyone else. I can't, I literally can't let it happen, even by the most unpredictable accident...' "Tony, what is it you mean for me to do? I'm not gonna fight you, I-i can't, I-"

"Shit, Sarge..."Tony says and aggressively goes in for a kiss. A hard confused long and breathless kiss.

--

"Oh my God, you did not!" Rhodey exclaimed his incredulity impossible to contain.

"You going keep talking or are you going eat your lunch and let me finish?" Stark says a little miffed even if he wouldn't say that word unironically.

"I thought you were in like, regular killer robots trouble, but this takes the cake, please do go on. I want every sordid detail. I can't tell if I'm more horrified at your taste in guys or frustrated with you for not telling me about what you were going to do."

--

'Oh god my heart is racing faster than that time it almost got its promised dose of metal shards before I could get the other reactor in. I might throw up. But uh yeah, I'll admit it. I'm definitely getting hard. Is this it? Is this what I need to make myself understand he's not a killing machine anymore? For an engineering genius I'm so fuckin' stupid... O-oh ah, is- is he... holding me?' Tony's mind went from one thought to the next so rapidly it almost made him dizzy. But as Barnes wrapped an arm gently about his waist and pulled him closer over the threshold and into his suite, his initial fright at his own actions became quieter and slowed till he was thinking nothing and only letting the electricity of it flow as neurons and synapses and receptors did their work. He could feel Barnes' lips tremble slightly against his as they kissed, cold metal under his palm as it slid up over the smooth curves up to the other man's shoulder, his need now becoming clearer by the second.

Bucky didn't understand what was happening and in ordinary circumstances would like to know and love someone before getting closer this way. It felt wrong at first and he was so hypervigilant he was half convinced his body was acting on its own to attack Tony until the man moaned deeply in to the kiss, the sound of it long and greatly pleased. Barnes pulled away a moment looking at Stark. "What is this? I... I’m afraid I don't understand..."

"You and me both, pal. Oh no, Steve is rubbing off on me.... But yes... I'm figuring something out. Can we go to your room?"

"I- uhm sure it's... uhm... on the left. End of the hall."

"Come on, I can make it fast."

"I... had no idea you..."

"Again. You and me both, pal. Turned out my heterosexual philandering was me performing gender conformity and trying to hide from anything real about myself. I think I swing both ways. Or multiple ways at once." Tony said leading to the bedroom. He took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair by a small table in the room and sat on the edge of the bed. 

Buck sat next to him and said "Ah. Well, you're not alone in that. If I had a nickel for all the girls I had hanging on my arm while hiding the truth..."

"Wow. I mean... The length Steve was going for you... I didn't realize it was a two way street."

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' stupid for that boy. All those years... and then the first one I see his face again, the curse was lifted. Kinda like a fairytale." Barnes laughed.

Tony laughed too. A genuine happy sound he had been too anxious to properly make the last few months. Hearing Bucky say it like that, he knew they both loved the same things in their favorite star spangled dumbass. Another layer of fear melted and he grasped Bucky's metal hand. "Is this going to hurt what you got going for him? I can stop, find some other way to work through how I'm feeling about everything..."

"No, its okay. I...think I understand what you need."

"Oh yeah?"

"We were never properly introduced and until you know who a man is, he will always be a stranger."

'I'll be damned... that's kinda exactly what this is. I need to know him. I need to know him inside out like how I know Steve. It took almost dying together a few times for us to become friends. This is the express route for me and Barnes.' Stark sniffed and nodded then said abruptly, "But first I... I’m sorry. I'm sorry things went down how they did for you, I'm sorry for reacting that way when I found out our... connection. I- well I was going to say I'm sorry I blew your arm off but I'll say it when I'm sure I won't be lying. I had seen you kill a dozen people that day and I'm still scared shitless of you."

The room was quiet a moment as Bucky carefully gathered so he wouldn't burst in to tears before he could say it. "I'm sorry as well. I never got to apologize to any of their families before. So thank you too."

"Hey." Stark said quietly. He was beginning to truly feel something about Bucky other then that fever pitch fear. The time Barnes had come within a second of shooting Tony straight in the god-damned face came back to him but he didn't see that man in this moment. "I want to believe you so, come on. Make love to me and show me who you really are."

--

"Oo, you was being all smooth with it, okay, alright, Mr Stark, turn the swag on..." Said Rhodey.

"One of these days, Alice, right to the moon." Replied Tony.

"Ha ha, okay, I'll stop. One of these days...”

--

Barnes nodded and turned further to Tony reaching a hand out. He used the side of his index finger to take Stark's chin and tug lightly guiding him towards himself and beginning to kiss him in soft slow motions. "Do you want me to take charge a bit? Because I don't think I want you to make it fast."

"Hah~ I uh... don't mind, bottom, top as long as you're comfortable."

"How bout we work it both ways. I mean sure I'm big and can probably punch out that whole wall down in less than 3 minutes but I have a... softer side too."

"Being little spoon is nice..." Stark replied with a small smile pulling his tie vest and shirt off. He was endeared further to see Bucky blushing in the low warm light.

Bucky pressed him back on the bed and rolled half on top of him. His was so effortlessly strong his weight could barely be felt as he held himself from simply pinning Tony to the bed under him. Heat began to flush his body as the gentle kisses they traded became more passionate and hungry. A thrum of pleasure pulses outward from his pelvis and Bucky groaned in the ecstasy of it thinking 'Guess it's like riding a bicycle... it's all coming back to me now, huh?...uhn~' while his hips rocked forward pressing down against Tony.

It was a small gesture but so erotically charged, Stark's breath caught in his chest a second then he mirrored it with his hand sliding downwards to explore the stiffening shaft pressed against his thigh. He squeezed and stroked it marveling it a little for it's size and immediately wondering how much of Bucky's size was from the serum. He suspected from the way Barnes handled himself though that it was all Buck. He pulled the waist band of Bucky's pajama bottoms out and down exposing him. Tony's hand wrapped around it and he watched as Bucky's eyelids lowered and he breathed quietly "Oh God hahn..." pecs heaving as he gasped. Stark bit into his lower lip surprised how a sight like that could turn him on and quiet still more of his fear of the man. It humanized Barnes instantly like nothing else he could have made in the Avengers tower r & d labs.

Bucky's erection throbbed, Tony's hand feeling cool on it's hot skin as he took in the sensation just made it even more captivating but he paused a moment before raising himself to stand and pulled his pants off. As he did Tony took off the remainder of his clothes as well and soon they reconvened on the bed together. Tony waited for Buck to lie down then took a position that would serve well for oral. He was surprised to be further guided gently to straddle Barnes' face. They each used oral to the pleasure of the other and it was not long before the room was full of moans and sighs.

Barnes could never explain it but serving someone willingly in this scenario nearly made his mind melt with the extreme arousal building inside him. He moans softly his tongue massaging and circling sensitive skin, probing flicking at the entrance. He can't help how he is drawn in to the movement both soothed and excited by it, all the while feeling heat and soft textures and slick saliva slowly slathered up and down his length paired with a delicious friction he couldn't withstand in stoicism. His hips jerk and thrust up and his arms wrap around Stark's thighs pulling him down against his now wildly thrashing tongue.

"O-ohn hah! Mmm~!" Tony's breathes come fast and eratic as he tries to not be distracted from the task at hand. Which was enjoying Barnes' response to his sucking and licking of the man's cock. He is becoming increasingly intensely aroused to the point of loosing much of his control leaving him trembling and squirming as he struggles to keep his tongue moving. Finally unable to do much else he accepts Bucky's entire length in to his mouth allowing him to thrust himself in and out while Stark groans in deep pleasure at the many sensations.

Bucky came to a point where it wasn't enough and he needed to see his lovers face as well as become the more active party. He slowed his licking and paused one hand grasping Tony's arm and pulling him up to head of the bed French kissing him and enjoying the feel of their tongues sliding about one another. After a few moments they worked into missionary position. Bucky licked his fingers, massaged and stretching Stark making the man whimper and gasp pressing his head back into the pillows. Then he began to penetrate working his tip in slowly, setting urgency aside for a bit to be sure they were both on the same page.

Tony, experiencing great pleasure eagerly thrust his hips up as his calves rested on Barnes' broad strong shoulders. "I-it's okay, I'm experienced, you can go harder, go faster. Oh god~!" Even as he did it he was having a strong sense of sorrow derived from the way Bucky handled his body, with such a care, terrified of himself of hurting anyone. He knew this was because of who he was as a person and not just special treatment. Hydra had commited a deep sin against humanity by making such a man kill against his own will and every minute with the former Sargent made Stark's heart break for him, drowning the animal fear right out with the deep kindness that had stayed true in Barnes’ heart all these years.

Buck nodded now breathing heavily and started to thrust deep and hard at an almost relentless pace, grunting in a low tone his eyes scanning Tony's face drinking the pleasure he caused, this somehow just as pleasing as the direct stimulation of the sex itself. But still he maintained responsibility for both of their well being and carefully examined himself to be sure he could warn if he lost control of himself somehow. His ardor rose and swelled around him and to this he was perfectly happy to lose himself in the moment, his breaths harsh and fast as his powerful thighs and hips worked to thrust and his hands rose to lace his finger with those of both of Tony's hands holding them pressed to the pillow beside Stark's head on either side, Bucky's mouth exploring licking kissing Tony's throat and chest.

"That's it , oh don't stop, don't stop huhn!! Ah aaah hah~!" Tony groaned as he chased his orgasm. 

"Yeah? Ohn~ come on, come with me, come on baby..." Bucky told him between gasps and moans speaking softly into his ear.

It was one of the best climaxes he had ever had and he supposed it had something to do with how emotional the sex had been paired with Barnes commanding him to do it. 'I didn't even feel submissive till he took the reigns, and that's kinda how I like it.' Tony thought. Panting he said "You really must have given those girls a run for their money. And Steve?"

Bucky paused and smiled. It was honestly one of the most beautiful smiles Tony had ever seen. "Actually, I'd bet my left arm he's still a virgin. He's always so focused, no one ever wonders. They think a man like that would have been taken such a thing the first time it presented itself but our history together says otherwise. His birthday wasn't always July 4th, you know?"

"Meaning he didn't always appear to be the reserved type, a no kiss and tell sort of guy. Oh my God, that explains so much. Does he think it's too dirty or something?"

"Nah. He just wants the moment to be right. And it never can be with the world at stake every other day. He says to me, 'We can move to the country or the sea shore and no one will bat a lash. The ring can be made of the perfect materials for your hand and we can just settle down, when the fight is over’. He doesn't know... living is always going to be a fight. There's always a fight. It doesn't end until your heart stops. So he'll always be waiting for the right time and I'll always be waiting for him." His gaze was a bit melancholic, a bit proud and a lot yearning. His crystalline cerulean eyes swam with tears a moment before he closed them and leaned in to kiss Tony. 

Tony wrapped his arms around Bucky and now he felt more real than ever, there was no monster here. Just a man who was having the most rotten luck in history. And he still fought for more each day. 'Men like them really are cut from different cloth. I always thought my dad was just being a righteous asshole when he said that but no...'

--

"And I'm cured! Turns out the right guy can heal you with magic peen." Strk said sarcastically.

"Pft, really?"

"Well, of that one thing. My mind is still fucked pretty hard from everything else though. But I'm glad it's finally laid to rest. Dad would have wanted it that way. Mom would forgive him, why shouldn't I?”

"Jesus, did you just mature before my very eyes?" Rhodey said with a smile reaching out to put a hand on Tony's shoulder with a squeeze.

"Yep. Let's hope I don't have to fuck everyone who has wronged me to finally put my suit away." Tony sassed back patting the hand of his best friend.

He hoped that day would come though. That Steve and Nat and Bruce and Vision and Wanda and Sam and Clint could set down their suits and anger issues and come home so they could all be worth the wait together.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to a weekly collaboration between FiveThirtyEight and ABC News. With 5,000 people seemingly thinking about challenging President Trump in 2020 — Democrats and even some Republicans — we’re keeping tabs on the field as it develops. Each week, we’ll run through what the potential candidates are up to — who’s getting closer to officially jumping in the ring and who’s getting further away.

It was a historic week. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand entered the presidential race. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard did too, sort of; she has not yet formally announced but said she plans to this week. This is the first time that at least three women will vie for the nation’s most powerful office in one of the two major parties. It’s already an increase from the 2016 field, which featured Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. And several other women could still join the field.

Jan. 11-17, 2019

Joe Biden (D)

Asked about the possibility that Biden could run for president, President Trump told Fox News on Saturday that Barack Obama took Biden “off the trash heap” when he selected him to be his running mate. Trump went on to describe Biden as “weak.”

On Monday, Biden is scheduled to attend the National Action Network’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Cory Booker (D)

Booker questioned William Barr, Trump’s attorney general nominee, on race and the criminal justice system during Barr’s confirmation hearing Tuesday, objecting to Barr’s earlier claim that “there’s no statistical evidence of racism in the criminal justice system.” The pair ultimately pledged to meet and discuss the issue further.

The New Jersey senator sent best wishes via Twitter to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York after she announced her presidential exploratory committee. The two played a lighthearted game of “How Well Do You Know Your Co-Worker?” in a Marie Claire video in which Gillibrand described Booker as “Senate chiseled.”

Michael Bloomberg (D)

The former New York City mayor said he hasn’t made a final decision about a presidential run during the keynote address at an Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada event Tuesday. Bloomberg joked that “there’s actually no rush” because, in his case, “my donor isn’t walking away.”

Bloomberg visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday to announce that the city was a winner in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge and meet with a local Moms Demand Action gun control group. On Monday, he is scheduled to attend the National Action Network’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in Washington, D.C., according to a spokesperson.

Sherrod Brown (D)

The Ohio senator announced Tuesday that he will embark on a “dignity of work” listening tour beginning at the end of the month, with stops in Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. “What I want to accomplish is I want to continue to learn about the dignity of work,” Brown told MSNBC. “I want [the tour] to encourage my colleagues running for president that this should be the narrative. … It’s the best way to govern, fighting for the dignity of work, and it’s the best way to win elections.”

BuzzFeed News reported Thursday that Brown hired an Iowa-based former field director for Bernie Sanders’s 2016 campaign, an additional sign that he may launch a campaign.

Steve Bullock (D)

The Montana governor wouldn’t answer questions about his presidential plans during a Wednesday news conference in Helena. Bullock said that he is “at a great advantage to be able to do the job that I get to do, and that’s what I’m focusing on.”

Pete Buttigieg (D)

The South Bend Tribune previewed Buttigieg’s forthcoming book Thursday, which describes his first mayoral run in 2011, his coming out story, his missteps while leading South Bend, Indiana, and his unsuccessful 2017 bid to be the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He told the newspaper that a decision on a presidential campaign could come within the next few weeks. “For anybody who isn’t already very famous, you really don’t have long, past the end of this month, to make some kind of move,” he said.

Julian Castro (D)

Castro officially announced his presidential candidacy Saturday in his hometown of San Antonio, where he served as mayor for three-terms. “I’m running for president because it’s time for new leadership, because it’s time for new energy and it’s time for a new commitment to make sure that the opportunities I’ve had are available for every American,” he said.

Following the announcement, Castro traveled to Puerto Rico where he met with San Juan Mayor Yulin Cruz, an outspoken critic of Trump, toured communities affected by Hurricane Maria and spoke at a political summit.

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary spent much of the past week in New Hampshire, with various events in Concord, Laconia, Manchester and Somersworth. At Saint Anselm College in Manchester, Castro criticized the government shutdown and argued for “compassion” in developing immigration reform. He additionally pledged universal pre-K nationwide and a recommitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Bob Corker (R)

Corker, a former Tennessee senator, said in an interview with Nashville Public Radio that the ongoing partial government shutdown was Trump’s responsibility. “This is one where at the last minute the president changed his mind and so now we are sitting here shut down because — just because,” he said. “This whole thing, as I’ve mentioned before, is pretty juvenile, and at some point, government will open back up.”

Asked during the interview about a potential presidential run, Corker didn’t rule it out. “It’s something to consider, and certainly I’ve got the background and knowledge levels, and hopefully intelligence and judgment and all of those kind of things to be good at it, if I was elected,” he said. “But, again, it’s not necessarily even on the front burner; it’s a possibility. There are many other things that I’m going to be thinking about over the next period of time.”

John Delaney (D)

In an interview last Sunday on ABC News’s “This Week,” Delaney said he would focus the first 100 days of a potential presidency solely on “bipartisan proposals.” The former Maryland congressman said such initiatives could include action on infrastructure and criminal justice reform. He also said that he felt his campaign (now more than 500 days old) was “going great.”

Delaney will visit New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday for meet-and-greet events in Amherst, Hanover and Manchester, according to his campaign.

Tulsi Gabbard (D)

The Hawaii congresswoman said that she has “decided to run” for president and teased a forthcoming formal announcement in an interview with CNN last Friday. Gabbard, who has served in the House since 2013 and was one of the few elected officials in Washington to support Sen. Bernie Sanders’s candidacy in 2016, said that the “one main issue” she wished to address as president was “war and peace.”

Following the announcement, Gabbard quickly faced criticism for working for an anti-gay organization led by her father in the early 2000s that touted conversion therapy and fought same-sex marriage legislation. On Thursday, she apologized in a video and series of tweets, explaining that she was raised in a socially conservative household and that her personal opinions have since changed.

Eric Garcetti (D)

Garcetti’s hands were full this week with the ongoing Los Angeles Unified School District teacher strike. The mayor, who facilitated negotiations at City Hall Thursday according to his office, earlier described the strike as “electrifying” and expressed pride in the educators for standing up for a “righteous cause,” but cautioned that there must be consideration for the district’s “fiscal health.”

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Gillibrand announced on Tuesday that she is forming a presidential exploratory committee, making her the second female senator, after Elizabeth Warren, to take the step toward a White House bid. In an interview on “The Late Show,” where she made the announcement, the New York senator cited health care, education and economic inequality as key points of focus for her campaign. Asked what she would do on her first day in office, Gillibrand said she would “restore what’s been lost — the integrity and the compassion of this country,” and stressed the need for bipartisanship.

On Wednesday, Gillibrand addressed reporters outside a diner near her hometown in Troy, New York, and described her evolution from a centrist Democrat who once received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association to a more liberal lawmaker, saying that “it’s important to know when you’re wrong and to do what’s right.”

Gillibrand will travel to Iowa this weekend for events in Sioux City on Friday and Cedar Rapids on Sunday, according to a Gillibrand campaign official. In-between, on Saturday, she’ll stop in Des Moines to speak at the Iowa Women’s March.

Kamala Harris (D)

On Thursday morning, Harris became the first member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to come out against the confirmation of attorney general-nominee William Barr. Harris tweeted that Barr’s hearing indicated to her that he “won’t defend independent investigations from attacks and ensure equal protection under the law for all Americans.”

During the hearing, Harris was critical of Barr’s role in promoting incarceration during the “war on drugs” amid his prior stints at the Justice Department.

“I would suggest to you that in the intervening almost 30 years since you were last Attorney General that there is consensus in the United States that when we look at the drug epidemic, whatever the narcotic may be, that there is now an understanding that the War on Drugs was an abject failure,” Harris said.

Jay Inslee (D)

Next Tuesday, Inslee will visit New Hampshire for two events focused on climate change, according to a media advisory from his office — a roundtable with students at Saint Anselm College and a speech at Dartmouth College. The trip comes as some local Democratic officials have criticized Inslee for not investing in New Hampshire’s 2018 gubernatorial race during his tenure as chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

John Kasich (R)

Upon leaving the Ohio governor’s office, Kasich signed on to become a CNN political commentator. In a tweet, he said that in the position he would “be like an umpire calling balls and strikes like I’ve always done throughout my entire career.” This week, in one of his first appearances on the network, Kasich questioned Trump’s command of the partial government shutdown and whether Democrats were seriously engaged in negotiations. “I think it’s incumbent on the leader to try to bring people together and get something done, and I just don’t see it,” he said, adding, “I wonder a little bit if the Democrats are enjoying this, because the numbers are all going against the president.”

On Friday, Kasich will be a guest on the 17th season premiere of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Amy Klobuchar (D)

The Minnesota senator told MSNBC that she received the blessing of her family to move forward with a presidential campaign, relaying that they are “on board,” should she decide to run.

The internet worked itself into a tizzy on Tuesday after a Twitter user posted what appeared to be a Klobuchar 2020 campaign logo that he said he found at a Washington, D.C. coffee shop. The senator later responded, speculating that the artwork was the work of “a very enthusiastic supporter” and joking that the design’s mountains weren’t geographically accurate.

During this week’s confirmation hearings for attorney general-nominee William Barr, Klobuchar alluded to Watergate as she asked Barr whether “the attorney general [is] the people’s lawyer or the President’s lawyer.”

Mitch Landrieu (D)

The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School announced on Wednesday that Landrieu would be among its visiting fellows for this year’s spring term. Landrieu will join former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to “continue their discussion on ‘Politics, Potholes, and Public Service.'”

Jeff Merkley (D)

Merkley was one of the many Democratic senators on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who had strong words for the Environmental Protection Agency’s acting administrator Andrew Wheeler during his confirmation hearing. Merkley shared his concern that “the rate [of carbon emissions] is actually accelerating despite the international conversations” and said he hopes Wheeler will “become more familiar with these issues.”

Seth Moulton (D)

Citing a source close to the Massachusetts congressman, WBZ-TV reported Wednesday that Moulton is exploring the idea of a presidential bid.

Moulton will visit New Hampshire on Feb. 2 for a private event with the Bedford Democratic Committee, the group confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday.

Beto O’Rourke (D)

O’Rourke gave an interview to the Washington Post on Tuesday that received attention more for what the former Texas congressman didn’t say than for what he did. In it, O’Rourke demurred when asked for solutions on the border and Syria, calling for “debate” and “discussion,” but providing few concrete details about where he personally stands on the issues.

In a Medium post published on Wednesday detailing a visit to southwest Kansas, O’Rourke admitted to being “in and out of a funk,” but wrote that if he continues to travel to meet people it’ll help clear his head. “Maybe if I get moving, on the road, meet people, learn about what’s going on where they live, have some adventure, go where I don’t know and I’m not known, it’ll clear my head, reset, I’ll think new thoughts, break out of the loops I’ve been stuck in,” he wrote.

O’Rorke will be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey as part of “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square” on Feb. 5.

Howard Schultz

Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, announced a book tour beginning later this month to promote, “From the Ground Up.” Notably, stops on the tour thus far do not include cities in early-voting states.

Bernie Sanders (D)

On Wednesday, Sanders met with women who said they experienced sexual harassment or gender discrimination while working on his 2016 presidential campaign. A read-out of the meeting provided afterward to ABC News indicated that the senator “was there to listen” and that there “is a desire to create a better process” and “put a good program in place” to combat the issues.

Sanders pointedly questioned acting EPA Andrew Wheeler at Wheeler’s confirmation hearing Wednesday, pressing him about the EPA’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We are the strongest economy in the world, and if the leadership in the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States says to China and to Russia and to India, and to countries all over the world, that we have got to move aggressively to protect this planet for our children and our grandchildren, we can have some impact on the entire international community, are you prepared to do that?”

Eric Swalwell (D)

The California congressman is headed to South Carolina on Saturday to speak at the Greenville Women’s March and the Spartanburg County Democratic Party’s Blue Carolina Black Tie Gala, according to an adviser.

In the wake of a New York Times report that the FBI investigated whether Trump was working on behalf of Russian interests, Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that the question has “shifted from whether the president is working with the Russians to what evidence exists that the president is not working with the Russians?” He further criticized Trump for failing to meet personally with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Warren visited Manchester, New Hampshire, last weekend — her first visit to the state since announcing her presidential exploratory committee. In public remarks, the Massachusetts senator called for “systemic change” as a course correction following the “bad decisions” currently being made in Washington. Warren returns to New Hampshire Friday for an event in Claremont.

On Sunday, Trump criticized Warren’s Instagram livestream from early January quipping on Twitter that she should have done the video “from Bighorn or Wounded Knee instead of her kitchen, with her husband dressed in full Indian garb, it would have been a smash!” Native Americans condemned the tweet as racist.

[allbestnet]

Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set by Wizards RPG Team

Clean Code by Robert C. Martin

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns

No More Mr Nice Guy by Robert A. Glover

Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition by Thomas H. Cormen

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe

Player’s Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons) by Wizards RPG Team

C Programming Language, 2nd Edition by Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford

Three Felonies A Day by Harvey Silverglate

Design Patterns by Erich Gamma

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared M. Diamond

Code Complete by Steve McConnell

The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt, David Thomas

Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker

The Demon Haunted World by

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

She Comes First by Ian Kerner

Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide by Eric Freeman

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

How to Prove It by Daniel J. Velleman

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

Models: Attract Women Through Honesty by Mark Manson

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter

C++ Primer (5th Edition) by Stanley B. Lippman

A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss

Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52) by Scott Snyder

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition by Robert B. Cialdini

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay

A Random Walk down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski Ph.D.

A History of God by Karen Armstrong

The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas A. Limoncelli

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches by Don Jones, Jeffery Hicks

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley, William D. Danko

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins

How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

Command and Control by Eric Schlosser

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers

The World Of Ice And Fire by George R. R. Martin

Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine

Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz

Head First Java, 2nd Edition by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

Effective Java (2nd Edition) by Joshua Bloch

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

The Creature From Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin

The Mind Illuminated by Ph.D.) Culadasa (John Yates

Rise of the Warrior Cop by Radley Balko

Ready Player One: A Novel by Ernest Cline

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō

Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Manufacturing Consent by Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited by Steve Krug

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughan

The Practice of System and Network Administration, Second Edition by Thomas A. Limoncelli

A People’s History of The United States 1492- Present by Howard Zinn

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

The Problem of Political Authority by Michael Huemer

The Baby Owner’s Manual by Louis Borgenicht M.D., Joe Borgenicht

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee

Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan, Cacilda Jetha

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R.R. Martin

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

What’s the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank

Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne PhD

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

Ordinary Men by Christopher R. Browning

Elements of Style by William; White, E. B. Strunk

Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

On Killing by Dave Grossman

On the Historicity of Jesus by Richard Carrier

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

What Every BODY is Saying by Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins

HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett

[iamnotathornbird]

random list of semi-famous (you can google them) and famous famous (they have a wikipedia article) people i've encountered in the wilds of NYC:

-voletta wallace (biggie smalls momma)

-richard belzer (homicide & SVU)

-john hodgman (mac vs. PC commercials)

-nick valensi (the strokes)

-elle king (musician + rob schneider's daughter)

-jane krakowski (ally mcbeal, 30 rock, OJ commercials?)

-alex mccord (RHONY)

-jennifer connelly (requiem for a dream)

-orna guralnik (therapist on that showtine couples therapy show)

-charlie himmelstein (model, boxer)

-ashley smith (model, playboy)

-jo andres (artist & filmmaker, also RIP)

-steve buscemi (what HASN'T he been in? plus the old guy/hey fellow kids meme)

-chris hayes (MSNBC)

-jodi kantor (journalist)

-ron lieber (journalist)

-val kilmer (willow, top gun)

-lea delaria (orange is the new black)

-cher hubscher (my super sweet 16)

-amber benson (buffy the vampire slayer)

-cody clarke (independent filmmaker + author)

-bobby cannavale (third watch, boardwalk empire)

-jeremy allen white (shameless, the bear)

-michael buscemi (actor + steve buscemi's brother)

-marian quinn (actress + aiden quinn's sister)

-martha stewart (martha stewart magazine, tv show, homewares, etc.)

-taji ameen (skateboarder + vice)

-adam lavorgna (7th heaven actor)

[cecilspeaks]

115 - Council Member Flynn, Part 2

Paint a picture. It’ll last longer. Welcome to Night Vale.

Councilwoman Tamika Flynn announced this week that she got a new dog. It’s her 17th birthday in just ac ouple of weeks, so her Dad DeAngelo Flynn said she could adopt a puppy. They went to the Night Vale Animal Shelter and Discount Tire Shop. Tamika thought about this sweetheart pitbull named Rosie, but worried about the need to walk and exercise such an active dog regularly. Same with the Blue Heeler mix named Hydrant. The shelter manager suggested a German Shepard named Vincent, but DeAngelo said no daughter of his would have a German Shepherd. He added that even the German Shepherds with all of their hateful teeth and ignorant rage could not save us from the robot uprising. Tamika said she wanted a smaller dog anyway, and she settled on a Pomeranian, whom she has named Lucky. She brought Lucky to City Hall. Standing atop the front steps of the building Tamika, wearing a long black coat adorned with chevrons, a Sheriff’s badge, infantry cords and little flanks of uncooked beef, held Lucky proudly above her head, the way a person who just got a new car might hold it above their head.

Lucky is a light brown dust bunny with hollow yellow eyes and a shrieking little laugh of a bark. Ah, a real cutie! Happy early birthday, Councilwoman Flynn!

An update on the recent spate of robberies and the related deaths of Tristan and Camilla Cortez. The Secret Police have no new leeds toward suspects, but since the 8 PM curfew has gone into effect, there have been no robberies or major crimes of any kind. They have arrested six people in the last two days for being out after 8 PM. But those people were all angels, who were unaware of the curfew and were just walking around trying to ask people for ten bucks. Now that acknowledging of angels is legal in Night Vale, the angels have been making a fortune, by just asking people for cash they don’t actually need, because they’re billionaires. But people are so happy to be able to acknowledge them that it’s worth the few bucks the angels are asking for.

And now sports. The Night Vale Scorpions wheelchair basketball team lost the state pre-season tournament last weekend 81-72 to the Pine Cliff Lizard Monitors. Pine Cliff forward Helen King led all scores with 30, and Night Vale point guard Janice Palmer set a state record in assists, with 22. 22 assists in a game, that’s empirically the most helpful game a Night Vale player has ever had. Y’all, Janice is my niece.

It’s a shame to lose, but it is only the pre-season. There is still a chance to win the division. Unfortunately, I heard from Janice’s dad Steve that Janice is not handling the loss very well. Steve said Janice works really hard to get assists, because she wants to be a leader to help other people score the points, and even though she set a state record in assists, they still lost. Steve said Janice is working even harder on her passing skills and on running the high pick and roll, which is a basketball term that Steve explained to me, and I knew I wouldn’t understand it, so I wrote down what Steve said verbatim. Let’s see. Here’s what he said a “high pick and roll” was. Quote: “So the defender’s guarding, right? Like this! And then an offensive player comes over here like whoosh! And then the ball handler goes like zam! And then they go all and then, whoom!” Well. Best of luck in the regular season, Janice.

Michelle Nguyen, owner of Dark Owl Records, said that her store was robbed several weeks ago, during the height of the robbery spree. She remembers a person coming in wearing a mask, holding a gun, and smelling like fertilizer. They asked for gas, and Michelle gave the thief a velvet sack full of Item nr 4 bank-run gravel, which is her preferred currency these days. The robber then grabbed a stack of LP’s from the new release section and left. Michelle said she didn’t report the robbery because she didn’t really feel like it was a robbery. “It’s not like anyone listens to music anymore,” she said. “Music is dead! If they had stolen the sound of traffic and sirens and low-flying aircraft, I would have felt truly violated. But who’s gonna miss Keith Urban on vinyl?” Michelle added that everything is music and music is nothing. And then she closed the store for the day to go shout poems at passing trains with her friend Maureen.

Tamika Flynn and her new dog, Lucky, have been making appearances across town at local businesses assuring the owners that the town is safe. In addition to her dark coat with its many pins and stripes and medals and cow flesh, Tamika has begun wearing leather riding boots, a tricorn and spike studded knuckle rings. She’s really taken to the politics of her job, bringing along a camera crew to record these positive interactions with her constituents. It should be noted that there have never been elections for City Council in our town’s history. Even Tamika joined the Council through coercion, not campaigning. Perhaps this isn’t just a photo op, perhaps she really does care about the wellbeing of each of her citizens. She might be my new favorite Council member.

Frances Donaldson, owner of the Antiques Mall, said she was so happy to see Councilwoman Flynn in her store. Tamika shook her hand and told her everything would be OK, that she would not let anyone rob Frances of her antiques. “I mean these antiques are cursed as all getout. Anyone tries to touch one of these things, they’ll be living in a psychological terror-scape,” Donaldson said, “but it was nice of the young lady to say so.” Frances then sat by the window and thoughtfully watched the distant plane plass against the sky.

Liesel Schmidt, who owns the auto-body shop near Summerset and Gray, said Tamika stopped by her shop and told her all about how Tamika’s father worked at an automobile factory for decades, until he was laid off five years ago. He’s since run his own dent repair service. Liesel said Tamika really wanted to impress on her the importance of independently run businesses. “I like Tamika,” Schmidt said, “and her little dog too! He ate some of my socket wrench heads, which made him walk slow – ah, that made me laugh. He’s a good dog!”

Well, I’m certainly happy to see Tamika winning over the people of Night Vale. She’s done a lot for this town. But I know the curfew and travel stoppage has been a real strain. It’s good to see her out there, keeping our spirits up.

It’s time once again for Citizen Spotlight. Today’s Citizen Spotlight is on Megan Wallaby. Despite only being born four years ago, Megan just celebrated her 17th birthday this past spring, and will graduate Night Vale High School with honors next May. Megan enjoys athletics and biology classes, and hopes some day to run her own clinic. She wants to go to a university and major in physical therapy next fall, but she’s not sure where that will be just yet. Megan was also on my niece Janice’s basketball team and was the team’s leading scorer. But after the preseason tournament, she has decided to quit basketball to join Tamika Flynn’s Secret Citizens’ Secret Crime Patrol force. Megan never had an inclination toward law enforcement, but she’s not she can afford college. Even if she gets a scholarship, she says there are still books, dorms, food, beer, pet tarantulas, and clothes to buy. Her parents Tuck and Hershel can’t pay for any of that, so she is taking on part time work patrolling the streets after curfew. The team will miss you, Megan, but our streets are safer with you out there. This has been Citizen Spotlight.

A new report from the Mayor’s office shows a significant drop in crime the past two weeks, since Tamika Flynn took over the Secret Police. Councilwoman gave credit to Deputy Sheriff Sam, the entire police force including the Secret Police, Double Secret Police, Obvious Police and Dog Police, and even the Citizen Patrol Force for their extra efforts. Also Tamika said the bloodred buildings everyone helped paint look gorgeous and intimidating.

But it’s not all good news. The Mayor’s report shows a significant increase in traffic accidents, as the police are stretched so thin. Also, since most of the city’s resources are focused on stopping armed robberies of businesses, there have been unrepaired water main breakages, damaged street signs, and understaffed municipal offices. With few available funds and zero economic activity after 8 PM, city-run departments like the Hall of Public Records, the Public Library, and the abandoned mine shaft outside of town, sit empty most days. 

The Mayor’s office expressed concern in the deterioration of these buildings for lack of huge, not to mention the inconvenience their closures pose. “Councilwoman Flynn is a tough and decided leader, but how far must we push ourselves away from comfort in order to preserve safety?” Mayor Cardinal said. “Our infrastructure is at risk of erosion if we continue to ignore everything, except law and order. Our emotional health is at risk if we close ourselves off.”

And here the Mayor paused to take a bite of a whole fresh butternut squash. Or, as the Europeans call it, a “yam balloon”. She continued with her mouth full: “I ask Councilwoman Flynn to call back the rest of the City Council from wherever they are so we can hold an emergency meeting to explore better solutions toward reducing crime.”

Listeners, I agree with the Mayor. While I love that there have been no robberies or deaths or arsons in the past several weeks, I would also like to point out that a culprit has yet to surface. The police, under the control of Tamika Flynn, do not even have a suspect. Whoever has done this has certainly been stifled by the strict city ordinances, but how long must we continue hiding in our homes every evening? If the person who has committed these crimes is still in this city, they will certainly start robbing, and maybe even killing once again. Tamika refused the Mayor’s request, saying that the other City Council members do not do well under stress, and that they’ve never been of any help in situations like this. Tamika continued.. Oh! Oh, listeners, I – I’m sorry to break into my own story but I am getting reports that Deputy Sheriff Sam and their Secret Police are in a standoff in the Tepid Sands housing development at the intersection of Skillman Boulevard and Dubois Avenue. Shots have been fired, uh I’m going to find out and report further what is happening. But first, let me take you to the weather.

["TMI" by Josey joseyofficial.com]

The good news is that all of the police officers in this afternoon’s fracas are uninjured. The bad news is that two young women were severely wounded by a librarian. A librarian, in their own home! The girls, Lisa Robertson, 18, and her younger sister Marcia, 15, were at home quietly reading their new copies of Patricia Lockwood’s 2017 spectacularly crafted memoir “Priest Daddy”, when they heard a window shatter. A librarian had smelled the humorous and deft poetics of Lockwood’s impeccable writing and broke in to devour the readers of this sharp and emotional story of religion, family, and toxic masculinity. When the librarian found the two sisters, it attacked. It was not the Robertson sisters’ first fight against a librarian. They, along with Councilwoman Tamika Flynn, survived the summer reading program at the Night Vale Public Library three years ago. They nearly did not survive today’s attack.

It was thanks to Sheriff Sam’s quick response that police were able to stop the librarian from further damage. Unfortunately, the librarian, whose name was Dan McDowell, escaped police custody and is still on the loose.

Tamika Flynn, on behalf of the City Council, still away on vacation until this whole thing blows over, expressed sadness for her injured friends and fellow bibliophiles Lisa and Marcia. The Mayor doubled down on her earlier statements and blamed this tragic attack on a city-wide failure to pay for upkeep of municipal buildings. “There was no one there to lock the librarians’ cages, to feed them regularly,” the Mayor said. “As a city, it is our responsibility to protect life, yes, but also protect a life worth living.” Councilwoman Flynn thanked the Mayor for her comments, but then promptly called for a closing of the port authority. No ships in or out of town. Night Vale has no body of water to speak of, but the occasional freighter or cruise ship does arrive.

Flynn also moved curfew to 6 PM and said no one is allowed within 100 feet of the library, or any bookstore, for that matter. “These days my father only talks about the robot uprising,” Flynn said. “For a long time, I thought he was just being weird. There’s no robot uprising! I have seen advanced robotics, and those things can barely walk. Even my phone struggles to load a basic Google image search for “vaping sloths”. But what if there were robots we do not know about? Metaphorical robots. What if the things we cannot see, cannot predict? Why not be prepared to protect ourselves against –any- enemy?” She added her regret that people would not have access to books anymore, but added that maybe, the city should get everyone a nook. “Is nook still a thing?” Flynn added. “Whatever. Mayor Cardinal, let’s have the city buy everyone an e-reader.” Flynn concluded her speech with: “I know curfew is early, but curfew doesn’t apply to law enforcement. You’re all welcome to join my new Vigilante Citizen Squad. Help us beat the hell out of crime after dark!” Lucky laughed, or barked, it was unclear which, and they both left, Tamika’s spurs rattinglina dn long cape swithing.

The Mayor has appealed to the public for support, stating that once we have a full coroner’s report on the bodies of Tristan and Camilla Cortez, we can engage iun a true investigation, rather than martial law. But given Tamika’s success in eradication the robberies, most people still trust her ability to stop librarians. I mean, battling those things is her specialty. There’s no one better. I’m not really afraid of robbers who target businesses, I mean, who’s gonna hold up a radio station? Or a science lab, where my husband works? But if librarians start believing they can wander anywhere, attack anyone reading any old book by one of America’s foremost poets or word smiths, then they could attack me, or Carlos. Or Steve, or Abby, or Janice. I-I know it seems like I’m scared, but I’m not. Like you, I’m just – wary. Wary of lurking disaster. Plus there’s so much to keep me entertained at home after curfew. It’s not like the 1990’s when the only technology we had was putting on politically satirical puppet shows using rocks with cartoon faces drawn on them. It’s actually enjoyable to turn in early each night. I’ve got an Xbox, a VR helmet, some vegetation that is tootally legal, and Susan Wilman’s HBO Go password, which Steve gripped for me. It’s great!

I don’t know how long we ca keep this up,but for now, I just want to feel safe. Stay tuned next for.. wait, hold on. Oh.. I just received a fax that the coroner’s report has been completed, Night Vale and.. huh. Oh wow! Ooh, you’re not going to like this! You know what, let’s save it. 

it’s almost dark, Night Vale, curfew is almost upon us. This will pass as all things will pass. We’re in good hands in Tamika’s hands. If there’s anyone who knows how to protect us from librarians, she does.

Stay tuned next for the sound of two men cuddled up in bed watching the new season of Insecure.

And good night, Night Vale, Good night.  

Today’s proverb: Pull this lever. Don’t worry, you will never know the result.

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, August 26

Cover: Suri Cruise Kidnap Nightmare 

Page 2: Tragic Saoirse Kennedy carried scars of kidnap trauma 

Page 3: General Hospital producers have approached Susan Lucci about reprising her role of Erica Kane -- the character she played on All My Children, Lynda Carter is in talks to reprise her role of Wonder Woman in a miniseries at the age of 68 

Page 4: Ryan Seacrest walking down the aisle after therapy cures cold feet, Vanna White’s hidden child abuse horror 

Page 5: Kathie Lee Gifford’s new guy Randy Cronk is a two-time loser, Hoda Kotb asks bestie Kathie Lee Gifford to pump the brakes on her partying, Heidi Klum and new husband Tom Kaulitz were fined for swimming in Capri’s Blue Grotto which is against the law 

Page 6: Suffering Olivia Newton-John faces her final days, hard-partying boytoy Pepe Munoz destroying Celine Dion 

Page 7: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith living separate lives, Bill Cosby’s long-suffering wife has called off the divorce and the two will renew their vows instead 

Page 8: Amber Heard eyes Johnny Depp in the disappearance of the co-owner of The Viper Room, Johnny Depp’s flash-in-the-pan fiancee flees the U.S. 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Donnie Wahlberg, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling, Jerry O’Connell 

Page 11: Lady Gaga’s gone guy crazy dating three men in three months -- Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner and Dan Horton, Irina Shayk revenge tell-all trashes Bradley Cooper 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- No one wants MTV’s top honor the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award because it’s named for the disgraced King of Pop, with Howard Stern set to retire in 2020 his team is out pounding the pavement, no one has met Wendy Williams’ new mystery man so either they broke up or he never existed, Matt Damon and Chewbacca, expect changes on The Bachelorette after the revelation that Hannah Brown’s pick Jed Wyatt had a girlfriend before taping the show 

Page 13: Chunky Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are battling over his man boobs, Kylie Jenner buying her own island, Selena Gomez was spotted flashing a massive ring on her engagement finger 

Page 14: True Crime 

Page 15: Shia LaBeouf’s pedophile father is taunting U.S. authorities about his cushy life on the lam 

Page 16: El Paso and Dayton massacres survivors’ stories of courage and heroism 

Page 18: Real Life 

Page 19: Officials are keeping quiet about a gun-toting man who supposedly fired at a raging Bigfoot in a national park sparking new fears of a government cover-up to hide the existence of the elusive creature, Bruce Springsteen’s son Sam is a firefighter 

Page 20: Tom Cruise cozying up to Nicole Kidman’s pal Reese Witherspoon craving her magic touch to overhaul his career 

Page 21: Cover Story -- Suri Cruise kidnap fears -- she wanders NYC alone and is an easy mark for kidnappers 

Page 23: How to cope with a loved one’s last days 

Page 24: Health Watch 

Page 28: New Brad Pitt relapse drama

Page 32: Rings spark buzz that Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn are secretly married, Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger clash over kids and cash, Hollywood Hookups -- Sean “Diddy” Combs enjoyed a getaway with Lori Harvey -- the ex girlfriend of his son and stepdaughter of Steve Harvey, Brody Jenner and Kaitlynn Carter split 

Page 34: Jennifer Aniston declares she’s no sex symbol, William Shatner’s wife drowned covered in bruises 

Page 36: Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville is battling to silence a sex worker who says he paid her to pleasure him and she’s publishing a book about it, Bret Michaels devastated by dad’s death 

Page 42: Red Carpet Stars & Stumbles -- Cobie Smulders, Janelle Monae, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Today show co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager 

Page 47: Odd List 

[withgreatpowerp-blog]

JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES. 33 (BIOLOGICALLY). OPEN. FC: SEBASTIAN STAN.

“She said at night in my dreams You dance on a tightrope of weird Oh but when I wake up you’re so normal that you just disappear You’re so straight like commuters with briefcases towing the line There’s no residue of a torturer inside your of eyes.”

lives in: Avengers Tower, New York.        works at: n/a status: Documented.                                 identifies as: Unwilling Hero. alias: The Winter Soldier.                          operates as: Non-Team Affiliated.  

past life: 

‘Happy’ is never a word that could be applied to Bucky’s childhood. His mother, now barely existing in his memory as a vision of blue eyes and whispered lullabies in Romanian, dies when Bucky is a young child and his father dies in a freak accident when the boy is only fifteen. An army brat, they let him stay on the compound even though his father is no longer with them as a ward of the state and after much persuasion and pleading gets his sister Rebecca sent off to boarding school. A year or so before his father dies however, Bucky makes a twiggy, way too ready to fight poor kid named Steve, and his life changes. All the shit that Bucky goes through is better with Steve by his side, even though he’s constantly trying to keep the kid out of trouble. He truly does not know the meaning of knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

When they enter their early twenties the war hits and Bucky enlists without a second thought, the love that he’s had for the armed forces and his dedication to his country kicking in. Steve wants to join him but has too many issues, and every time Bucky is on leave he tries not to talk about what he’s doing to spare Steve of the pain. Imagine his surprise when his spindly blonde best friends shows up to save him from a Hydra base in a new, incredible strong ripped body. Steve is still the same guy Bucky’s always known underneath though, and that’s what matters. Bucky isn’t sure how he feels about Captain America but it is Steve that he follows, and the Howling Commandos give him a sense of family he hasn’t felt in years.

He still remembers the cold of the metal bar under his fingers as he hung for his life. And the look in Steve’s eyes as he falls to his death. So ends Bucky Barnes.

now:

And so the Winter Soldier is birthed. Bucky doesn’t remember much of being brought back or the loss of his arm, and the memory doesn’t improve as the years go on. All the years of mind wiping and pain have caused Bucky to lose over seventy years of time to blood and his hands and guilt in his soul. A break in the horror only comes when locking eyes with a man who looks terrifyingly familiar even through the haze of fire and ice that is Bucky’s mind. He didn’t even know his name at that point, he was имний солда. He wasn’t a person. He was a smoking gun.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

It starts coming back to him, in bits and pieces between the electricity they used to fry his brain. Its why he saves Steve, even before he really remembers who he is. It’s why he goes to the museum. Who was Bucky? The Winter Soldier was going to find out.

Then came Sokovia. And the killing of the Wakandan king and terrible discovery of who had killed Tony’s parents. Bucky should’ve stayed away, should have kept himself from hurting anyone else, but Steve persuades him to stay. It takes a while, some therapy with Bruce and a lot of looking into his past, but Tony forgives him. He even lets him live at the Avengers Tower, on a provisional basis. They have an understanding, if not a friendship. The whole world knows who Bucky is, so the laws wouldn’t affect him, but they would affect others that Bucky has come to begrudgingly care about, so he does not support them, although he has absolutely no say in the matter. After the horrors he was engaged in, the world doesn’t trust him worth a damn, much less wants to hear from him.

CONNECTIONS:

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Steve and Bucky understandably go way back. Way way back to before the ice and the train and the plane turned them into something else. Now that Bucky is back (for the most part) he spends a lot of time with his best friend, allowing Steve to introduce him fully to the world that he’s only seen through a haze of red and orders in Russian. Nothing goes deeper than the bond that these two have, and Bucky would move heaven and earth if Steve asked.

SPIDER-WOMAN: Maybe the former Hydra agent just has a soft spot for blonde’s, but he and Spider-Woman (also known as Gwen Stacy as she’s entrusted to him) are good for each other. Steve was frozen in a plane, yes, but he wasn’t brought back from over the edge. No one quite knows what it feels like unless you’ve gone through it, unless you feel that darkness always tugging at your soul. It means a lot to say that Bucky may even trust the girl, which is a huge mark in The Winter Soldiers book.

GREEN LANTERN: Bucky envies the Green Lantern’s ability to control their will terribly. After so many years of being controlled and manipulated to be used as a tool by others the idea of being able to be in complete control of himself is a dream that he’ll never quite reach. Kyle and Hal are both kind to the gruff soldier and Bucky appreciates it greatly, even if he never says it.

“You don’t seem to change when you stuff all of your feelings with drugs Other boys you may have dated serrated your heart with a slice But the cut of your love never hurts baby, it’s a sweet butter knife.”

[wildcardwriting]

Edge of a Revolution : Prologue and Chapter one

[Captain America/MCU/Avengers/Thor]

Next Chapter | Read on AO3

Summary: The thing most people didn’t quite understand about Steven Grant Rogers, is that when he’s faced with a problem, he does three things. He retreats to a calm place, he thinks it's over, and then he acts. After all, if the governments around the world were going to hide behind things like fear and politics to hurt innocence people, and ignore things like due process, then the glove were going to come off.  BAMF Steve Rogers. Post-Civil War.

Warnings: Slight Avengers bashing, destroying of therapy myths, ignoring hydra!cap, near complete disregard of normal century things.

Prolog: Could Have

If Bucky had been in his right mind, he probably would have seen this coming.

If Bucky had been awake and not encased in ice, he would have started running.

If Bucky had been around, he could have stopped what happened next, but he wasn’t, and therefore there was no one alive who had seen that look in Steve’s eyes and could have cut off the thought before Steve act on it.

~*~

If Peggy had been younger and less forgetful, she could have headed off Steve before anyone could freak.

In a perfect world Peggy and Steve would have lived out their lives, and the mind-destroying events that took place in 2016 would not have happened, but this was not a perfect world, and Steve was alone and by himself.

Without anyone to deter him, when he had an idea.

Pray.

Because when Steve gets an idea in his head, things happen.

Chapter 1: Falling Down

When Steve went after the rest of his team currently locked up in the Raft, there was no one who noticed the glint in his eyes or the rather large backpack that should have been out of place.

The only people with him were the royal bodyguards that T’Challa sent with him to rescue the rest of his team, and none of them were going to question a direct order of their king regardless of how strange it was.

Steve set about rescuing his team, while one of the bodyguards, set about her task, and inserted a jump-drive in one of the main computers letting a program upload itself into the system, and then removing it, before assisting with the rest of the rescue effort.

Scott and Sam were already being loaded into the slick black plane when Steve started ripping off the metal binds around Wanda's wrists, and helping her to the door. 

There were no alarms, no guards, nothing to indicate that a jailbreak was taking place.The bodyguards didn’t notice because they were unfamiliar with some of the more obscure technology of the world, and rescuee’s because they were too busy getting onto the plane to think about minor details like alarms and codes, and whatnot.

No one noticed it.

Once Wanda was helped onto a stretcher, Steve took the time to nodded to the royal bodyguards, before the place flew off.

Without one supersoldier.

~*~

Sam will later curse himself out over this development later, considering how well the warrior women will distract him and the rest of the conscious team about Steve’s whereabouts but no one from the Raft will notice Steve’s disappearance until after they situated in the Wakanda Palace and had a good nights sleep.

~*~

Steve goes ghost the second the plane disappears into the clouds.

The guards he knocked out earlier, are tossed into one of the large life metal lifeboats (that are really like mini-subs, but Steve figures that a time difference), and he slowly starts cleaning house.

He steals a heavy sniper gun, and half dozen smaller guns and their ammo, in the armory, as well as a stock of non-lethal weapons such as tasers, and batons, before closing the door and crushing the handles. 

He was an old hand at this.

The next set of guards he encounters are taken down without much thought and dragged along as he searches for the main control room. He feels a little uneasy about the empty space on his arm where his shield used to be, but he moved passed it, feeling the weight on his back and the hours of training he did to use it.

A series of yelling from up ahead announces the presence of more armed guards, and Steve drops the two guards he had been dragging to jump into the fray. Bullets and arms are lost in the sea of people as Steve moves through them taking them out one by one through the combination of kicks, punches and side swipes in a variety of martial arts. He's been busy in Wakanda, and it was showing.

He slides under another punch and kicks out the legs of one of the other guards, pushing both into the walls, and both down for the count. He took a second to pick up some more ammo and slammed a fist into one of the walls and opening to the entrance to yet another lifeboat. Tossing them in, he let the walls slide close behind him.

While in front of him, he rips the metal door off its hinges far too done with this already.

The people at the computers cluster together, all with guns, and yelling at him but at this point, it's mostly all a blur. Using the door as a makeshift shield he runs forward with it slamming it into the group and disarming most of them. 

Dropping the battered door, he lets the ribbons around his backpack fall away, as machine guns come from the ceiling all aimed at him.

Beneath the cloth and material, a bright green circle cut in half by a line glowed.

~*~

To say that Tony Stark was little grumpy to be bothered at 4 am in the morning was an understatement. Not because he had been sleeping but mostly because he was neck deep into the calibrations for the new AI was creating.

His phone rang, three times, before the noise bothered him enough, that he answered it.

Hopefully, if he talked fast, he could go back to his work in peace.

"This is the Tony Stark message machine, leave a message and I'll get back to you never." He said fiddling with some more programming code.

"I don't give a damn, Stark." General-No Senator Ross said. "The Raft was destroyed."

Tony blinked and sat up. "On second thought, tell me everything."

~*~

Author’s Note: Something else that’s been on the back burner for a while. Probably won’t update this one too soon. It’s not really too great.

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