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awesomerextyphoon · 2 years

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In From the Cold

Summary: Bucky comes home with little friend he found on a cold winter night.

Pairing: Bucky x Black Female Reader

Rating: 16/Teen

Word Count 1.2K

A/N: Some of the words are in Igbo with translation. Thanks to @mrsmischief209 for the beta!

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“I hope Bucky gets back soon. The food’s getting cold,” your worried eyes spied the clock as thick flurries of snow blanketed the ground.

“Don’t worry Mommy!” your daughter, Obioma, reassured you from the dinner table, “Daddy will be back soon! We aren’t being chased by bad men anymore!”

“I know, I know Oma Nwam (dear),” you murmured as you kissed your daughter’s forehead, “It’s just that I worry.”

And who could blame you?

Ever since you met James three years ago, people have been after you.

It started when you wanted to go to Trader Joe’s for movie snacks. You wanted to reward yourself for a grueling week of work and for picking up your co-workers slack again. The bright red of the store sign graced your skin when you heard a blast.

The vestiges of HYDRA was looking for their Winter Soldier and they were done being tactful.

Everything was a flurry of reds, oranges, yellows, and black as people ran for shelter. You almost vomited when you saw a man get sliced in half by falling debris.

You plummeted to the ground after get the wind knocked out of you by the frantic crowd of panicked civilians. Closing your eyes in defeat, you waited for Death’s sweet embrace. But it never came. Instead, strong arms carried you to safety.

You were saved by an angel who insists on being called otherwise. Though he did accept your offer to bum off your couch for a few days.

Soon you realized that the Adonis who saved you was the one and only Bucky Barnes. You giggled at his bashful expression when you called him out on it. Here’s a man who battled against Captain America on equal footing, but couldn’t look you in the eye at a small question.

It didn’t take long for the two of you to become friends in between running from HYDRA, Secret US Government Organizations, and assholes who wanted his vibranium arm.

–––––

The first kiss came as an accident.

You were watching Lily & Stitch and Bucky was having a moment connecting to Stitch and you to Lilo.

Bucky turned to you and wondered,“Do you think…I could change? Become a better person?”

You frowned at the tears welling up in his eyes. Here was a man who was nearly abandoned as POW experiment by his nation in during WW2 before being saved by his friend. A man who then was mind raped for nearly TWENTY YEARS until those fucking dobbers got their ‘fist’. A man who was trapped in his own mind for decades committing unspeakable crimes against humanity and the planet for the powers who wanted to ‘guide the people’. A man who never got to say goodbye to his loved ones robbed of nearly every chance to find peace.

A man who despite everything he’s been through, he still wants do good and protect others.

“Bucky, you are so much more than what HYDRA made you. You’re my angel,” you declared as you went in to kiss him on the cheek.

––––

It took about two months of Sam and Nat ribbing both of you for being idiots to start dating. Barely two dates in and Steve caught you making out in the car like a couple of horny teenagers.

Sam got a picture of it and sent it to Natasha.

You gave birth to Obioma eight months later.

A few months after giving birth to your beautiful baby girl, the US Gov’t finally backed off when Nat threatened to dump info on several redacted projects to the public.

For the first time in nearly a century, Bucky was at peace.

Then your daughter started walking at five months and talking at seven. Plus she crushed a hard plastic toy in her chubby little hands which caused your anxiety to spike for a bout two seconds before remembering Nat strong-armed the US Gov’t into getting off your backs.

––––

“Mommy! Mommy!” Obioma exclaimed, running to the front door, “Daddy’s home!”

“Hello sunshine!”, Bucky picked up his adorable daughter,” How was your day?”

“I went to Aunty Nat’s place for playtime and to make cookies! Then I went to Uncle Bruce for studying and met his cousin Jennifer!”

“You met his cousin Jennifer? What was she like?”

“She’s really nice and fun! Plus, she taught me how to get out of taking a quiz!” Obioma jumped out her Nnam’s (dad’s) embrace bouncing up and down with unrestrained glee.

“What did she say?”

“She said to get Auntie Nat-“

“She said to get Nat to talk to Bruce in a closet.” You interrupted not wanting a repeat of this afternoon. You had a quick sidebar with cousin Jen.

“Huh.”

“Hey Daddy, what’s in your jacket?” Obioma stopped jumping long enough to notice the small lump near the top Bucky’s jacket.

“Well sunshine,” Bucky knelt in front of the toddler,”This little one,” He slowly unzipped his jacket,”was lost and decided to give our family a chance.”

Bucky unfurled his large hands to reveal,”Is that a snowball, Daddy?”

“No Oma,” you giggled,”It’s a kitten.”

You didn’t know what to make of the next few minutes. Your little Oma backed away from Bucky, afraid of hurting the kitten.

No doubt she’s heard some of the slander peddled by sad, pathetic mothers with way too much time on their hands.

She took on step out to your husband and the pure white ball of fur terrified of hurting the little ball of fur.

“It’s okay, Sunshine,”Bucky coaxed with an outstretched hand,”Come and say Hello.”

Obioma carefully stretched out her chubby little hand to pet the tiny kitty.

Her eyes widened with joy when the tiny feline crept into her hands. You were able to sneak in a pic for Nat.

“Where did you find her James?”

Bucky pulled the kitten and his Sunshine into his arms,“I was walking home when a heard a ruckus a few blocks away. Turns out some punks ganged up on this little one.”

“Oh no! Poor Kitty!” Obioma exclaimed with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

“I know, sunshine,”Bucky mumbled into her forehead wiping away her tears, “But this little one was so brave! She refused to back down, but she needed a little help. So I walked up to them and they ran off. Then she ran up to my shoulder like a tree, or a mountain.”

“A mountain?”

“Yes, Sunshine. Poor little kitty was scared. Probably the first time anyone’s helped her.”

“Can she stay with us, Daddy?”

Bucky flashed you his ‘playful DILF smile’, “I dunno. It’s gonna be a lot of responsibility taking care of her.”

“Pwlease!” Your daughter flashed the Puppy Dog Eyes and Pout guaranteeing her victory. Both of you have a hard time saying no to her as it is.

“Alright, Oma,” Bucky passed your daughter to you awaiting arms,”What do you want to call our travel little kitty?”

“Um, Auntie Nat talked about the Awlps at story time. Mommy, what was the word she used?”

“Alpine, Nwam.”

“Alpine!”

“Alpine it is!” Bucky declared before rubbing his nose against Obioma’s.

“Well, now that we have welcomed our newest member to the family, let’s go eat. The food’s getting cold.”

“Yay!” Obioma ran to the dining room.

–––

“My kind angel saved a kitty this evening. That deserves a reward,”You whispered leaning to kiss Bucky only for you to jerk your head , “But, you didn’t call and we were so worried.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“I know, I know. I wonder how I’ll reward you?”

Bucky chuckled and kissed your neck,”I’ll think of something.”

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x black!reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky fluff #mcu fluff #marvel fluff #bucky barnes x female reader #alpine #in from the cold #bucky alpine fluff #cats #fluffy cats #bucky barnes fandom #bucky barnes fanfiction

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lnsfawwi · 10 months

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Winterbaron Thunderbolts blurb

Zemo has spent a lot of time reflecting his feelings for Bucky. when he first learned about the Winter Soldier, Hydra's most formidable secret weapon, he was stuck between disgusted by what's been done to him and general apathy. brainwashed or not, Bucky used his superhuman skills to kill many many people. But after their little adventure, he realizes Bucky isn't that. he isn't one of THEM, Avengers or Nazis alike.

Zemo's grown not just sympathetic but also fond of Bucky as partners in crime. That makes him uncomfortable. He spent YEARS resenting superheroes, hunting them, killing them, killing that sense of superiority they so casually project. But here he is, working with Bucky again, and can't keep his eyes off him.

Bucky is a natural leader, he takes care of his team even tho his contempt for certain people (including himself) is palpable, a brilliant strategist and even a better fighter, he is competent and...attractive.

Zemo tries to play his little mind game but Bucky isn't at all receptive. but that's ok, hatred is a strong enough emotion that may very well carry over to his ultimate demise. bucky won't be able to forget him that easily. Zemo isnt trying to be a 'hero', sacrificing himself for this assorted bunch, he just isn't trying so hard to stay alive.

Bucky notices that, from experience perhaps. Bucky keeps an eye on him in battle. in the middle of a shootout, Bucky drags him to security and shouts at him, 'stop letting your death wish get in the way!' or something like that.

'I'm touched, James, caring the life of someone like me.'

'I don't care if you're dead.'Bucky says as he takes out a guy by calculating the ricochet trajectory on the fly. 'you are just in my way.'

that's probably true. Zemo shrugs, sitting on the ground, fully confident that Bucky can handle the situation for both of them. 'I've been thinking...'

'shoot first, think later, socrates.'

'I've been thinking.' Zemo shoots somewhere blindly and keeps talking, 'we'd make great pair.'

Bucky stares at him as if he's grown another head. or lost the only one he had.

'you see, James, no one knows you better than I do, I'm perhaps the only one who GETS why you are the way you are. And you know me, sort of. we've come to a truce, the past is in the past...'

'I don't share your kinship, Zemo. Now be useful!'

so he makes himself useful, tho he is still talking. talking, yeah, but without referring to the most painfully obvious and unsettling fact. 'what I'm suggesting is mutually beneficial. I have connections and information you need, and you have one less bad guy to worry about.'

'I don't have to worry about you if you're in prison.'

'but I'm not there, am I?'

as the mission progress, Zemo offers help, shuts John up when necessary (Bucky smirks when he does that), and stays close to Bucky. yelena isn't blind, but she thinks Zemo has external motive and gives him the shovel talk.

'that's lovely. now, do you think James would prefer a new modified gun or customed knife? I know he is partial to the SiG but I see room for improvement. you know what, I'll get both. thank you for indulging me, Yelena.'

yelena: ok gay🙄

more fighting ensued, Bucky eventually uses the knife Zemo got him. some part of Bucky just breaks, that line that's been constantly pushed by Zemo is broken at that moment in a sense that Bucky acknowledges Zemo being in his tiny circle of 'allies' is already a truth. Zemo has been his ally longer than he's willing to admit. Bucky wants to believe they are different that's why he pushes Zemo away, only then does he realize accepting Zemo doesn't mean they're the same, it's just that they are compatible in certain situations. and Zemo is not exactly unpleasant to be around, sometimes.

after the mission, yelena suggests they go for a drink, Zemo suggests they go to that fancy place none of them would otherwise be allowed in. It's classy and degenerate at the same time.

while others disappear into the dance floor, Zemo sits down next to Bucky and asks if he could buy him a drink.

'will you back off if I said no?'

'I'm hurt, James. after all this time, you should know I don't take pleasure in forcing people into things they don't want.'

Bucky kinda laughs and lets Zemo buy him a fancy whisky. 'what do you want, Zemo?'

'I already told you what I want. partnership.'

Bucky downs the alcohol in one go and glances at him. 'is that all?'

Zemo is frankly surprised by Bucky's response but who is he to pass the opportunity? 'I usually go on a date or two before moving on to other things, but I suppose I can make an exception.'

and things get a little heated from there.

#bucky barnes #baron zemo #helmut zemo #winterbaron #blurb #experimental writing #thunderbolts #bucky x zemo

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beefromanoff · 11 months

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Project Mockingbird Ch. 5

summary: Natasha and Bruce have different ideas on how to help Charlotte. Natasha's way wins.

pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

author's note: let me know what you think! thanks for reading, xox!

tag list: @bangtanxberm (let me know if you want to be added <3)

chapter list

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Sunlight filtered through the tinted windows, casting delicate shadows across the sterile white walls of the hospital wing. Charlotte blinked, the soft hum of machinery and distant chatter gradually pulling her back to consciousness. The events of the previous day flooded her mind, the endless battery of tests and experiments, the barrage of questions from Dr. Banner and Tony Stark, the scabs around her wrists from the restraints she’d thrashed into.

Still not the worst place I’ve woken up.

Her eyes flicked to the state-of-the-art equipment surrounding her. Tubes and monitors blinked with clinical precision, their data feeding into sleek screens that could display a myriad of complex graphs and charts. Even with all the screens dark, all the tubes and wires hanging limp off of them, the environment made her skin crawl. She was acutely aware of the high-tech lab setting, a stark contrast to the comfort of her own room in the compound.

One night. I only got to enjoy it for one night before all this shit caught up with me.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, attempting to steady her racing thoughts. They found the problem. She reminded herself, her fingers absently tracing the edge of the crisp hospital sheet. They’re the best scientists in the world. How hard can it really be to fix if we found the problem in one day?

After hours and hours of testing, scanning, and an ultimate hail-mary experiment with the man himself -- they’d discovered that her violent aversion to James Barnes was linked to certain olfactory triggers. The implications of this breakthrough raced through her mind. She remembered fragments of her time with HYDRA, but the conditioning had taken place so early, so long ago. It was the first thing they did to her. That was one of the bigger question marks she had about what was done to her.

As she stirred in the hospital bed, she anticipated their return, eager to get started so she could get the hell out of here. She longed for the day when she could walk around the compound, or the world, without the looming dread of her own actions. Yet, beneath the anticipation lingered a sliver of apprehension, a fear of the unknown. What if this doesn’t work? What if they screwed me up too much?

With a sigh, she shifted her gaze to the ceiling. Despite her fears, she clung to the possibility of a future unburdened by the shackles of her conditioning.

In the daze of her worry, the room's atmosphere shifted from anticipation to warmth. The door slid open, and in walked Natasha, her arms laden with an impressive assortment of breakfast items. Behind her, a younger brunette who Charlotte recognized as Peter Parker, carried an impressive tower of pancakes, while Steve balanced a tray stacked with an array of pastries.

"Surprise!" Natasha announced, plopping down on the foot of the bed.

Charlotte couldn't help but smile, the knot of tension in her chest loosening at the heartfelt gesture and friendly faces. "Wow, you weren’t kidding.”

“We don’t joke about food around here.”

With practiced efficiency, they transformed her hospital bed into a makeshift banquet table, the three of them pulling chairs up beside the bed. The room was soon filled with the mouthwatering aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the sweet scent of syrup, and the comforting richness of pastries. All sterile scents had long since been forgotten.

Whether their plan was to distract her or they were just a naturally chatty group, Charlotte didn’t know nor care. As she picked apart the biggest blueberry muffin she’d ever seen, Peter launched into yet another story about his college life.

“I told him, sir, please - I was literally stopping a bank from being robbed, he still wouldn’t let me retake the test! I mean come on, it’s art history. Who even decided that art history was a necessary college course! He’s just out to get me, I swear.” He paused to take a gulp of orange juice.

Natasha laughed and reached for the last piece of bacon. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

The conversation was easy, the trio clearly comfortable with each other. Charlotte was perfectly content to sit back and listen, savoring one of the few meals that was actually close to satiating her endless appetite.

Just as Peter opened his mouth to speak again, the door slid open. A disheveled Dr. Banner, stood holding a tablet, looking like he hadn’t slept at all since she saw him last. "Hi, good morning, I uh, think I've found a solution," he announced, his voice carrying a note of cautious optimism. “Is that coffee?”

Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. Hope surged within her, mingling with a thread of trepidation. Steve poured Bruce a cup of coffee which he graciously accepted.

With a deep breath, she nodded, her voice steady despite feeling the exact opposite on the inside. "Let's do it. Whatever you think."

“Okay, I’ve run through this every way I can imagine, making sure I’m considering everything. All in all, it seems like a simple fix. I mean, it makes sense, if we look at the timeline of…well, it wouldn’t exactly have been advanced technology they used. So it seems incredibly simple, but for the time, it would have been a massive breakthrough,” He was careful with his words, trying to avoid anything too callous, despite his obvious excitement about the discovery.

The sterile white walls of the room seemed to close in on Charlotte as she listened to Dr. Banner's explanation. His voice felt distant, overshadowed by the memories of past experiments and the cold, clinical environment of laboratories she had desperately tried to forget. Her eyes must have glazed over as she fought against the rising panic in her chest as the words surgery and minimally invasive floated through her stupor.

"I understand your concerns, Charlotte," Bruce said gently, his eyes filled with empathy. "But this procedure is straightforward. It'll be quick, and you won't feel a thing. We'll make sure you're comfortable and safe the entire time."

Steve placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Bruce is right," he said, his tone steady and calming. "We're here for you. This will be over before you know it. You’re in great hands here.”

Despite Steve's comforting words, anxiety clawed at Charlotte's chest. The very idea of another medical procedure triggered a visceral reaction, a surge of fear rooted deep in her past traumas. Just as panic threatened to overwhelm her, Natasha spoke, her piercing eyes locked onto Charlotte's.

"Do you trust me?" Natasha asked, her voice calm, but there was an intensity in her gaze that demanded an honest answer.

Charlotte met her eyes, finding solidarity in the closest thing she had to a friend. She nodded slowly. "I do," she replied, her voice a whisper.

“Peter, move the food.”

He cocked an eyebrow, but immediately gathered the few trays left on the bed and relocated them to a table in the corner of the room.

Without warning, Natasha's hand shot out, the heel of her palm colliding with Charlotte's nose in a swift, controlled motion. Pain exploded through Charlotte's face, and her head snapped back, shock and confusion flooding her senses. Blood gushed from her nose, hot and sticky.

In the stunned silence that followed, Charlotte felt a strange sensation, like a fence around her mind had been torn down. Once the initial shock subsided, Charlotte let out a disbelieving laugh, the metallic taste of blood on her tongue.

"Thank you," she said to Natasha, her eyes shimmering with tears, only half from the blow. "That was…preferable."

“I figured.” Nat winked, squeezing her shoulder. I knew I liked her.

“Well, could you at least let me clean it up a bit?” Bruce winced, handing her a wad of tissues and squinting to examine the damage. Charlotte tilted her head back and applied pressure, blood immediately soaking and reducing them to a soggy, crimson mess.

“Hang on,” Her voice came out thick as a result of her mangled nose. Cupping it on either side, Charlotte took a deep breath and yanked. The crunch of the reset made all three men grimace, with Peter gasping as he covered his face. “Okay, I think I did that right. It’s been a while.”

She noticed their horrified looks as she wiped a trail of blood off her upper lip. “What, you’ve never had to reset a broken nose before?”

“We uh, usually leave that part to the professionals.” Steve gave a grim smile.

“Well, in my experience, the professionals only care about functionality, and you can still fight with a broken nose. Call me high maintenance, but I prefer my nose to be somewhat straight. So I picked up that little party trick.”

Even Natasha’s eyes softened, just for a moment. The nonchalance with which she spoke about her past was unnerving. It begged the question of what horrors she’d experienced that she couldn’t talk about, if these kinds of remarks seemed to roll off her tongue as easily as a story about her breakfast.

When Bruce had cleaned her up, insisting on packing her nose with cotton so it would heal correctly, the group left her alone to change into a spare Stark Industries sweatshirt that had been left in the lab.

Meanwhile, Steve strode out of the building to find Bucky. He located him in the training area, his expression focused as he sparred with Sam. Steve approached the ring, his voice carrying a note of urgency. "Bucky, we need you in the lab. It's important."

Curiosity flickered in Bucky's eyes as he lowered his hands from their defensive posture.

“It’s Charlotte. Bruce thinks he broke the conditioning.”

When they’d returned to the medical wing, they paused before turning down the hall to her room, waiting for a signal. As an added precaution, Charlotte had insisted on being restrained again, although she didn’t argue when they said the IV would be unnecessary this time. Wrist strapped down, electrodes taped to her head and chest, and the glowing model of her brain projected in the corner of the room, she nodded to Dr. Banner.

“Alright, Steve, we’re good to go. Come on in, Buck.”

Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, aware that her heart beat was quickening by the pounding in her ears and the beeping on the monitor. She heard the methodical footsteps again, approaching her open doorway. Finally, he turned the corner.

He was as tall as Steve, slightly stockier. His dark hair had been tied back in a tiny ponytail, and the ring of sweat around the collar of his gray shirt told her he had come from a workout. His shoulders were slightly rounded, tense, as though he could spring into action at a moment’s notice. The way he stood, his left side was slightly hidden from view. Despite the shadow, the metallic glint of his arm caught her eye. Vibranium. Very painful when it hits you. Another unwelcome memory came knocking in her mind as Steve followed his friend in the room.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath. Dr. Banner, anxiously checking all the readings. Nat and Peter, hovering quietly in the corner of the room. Bucky and Charlotte as they locked eyes, far from the first time.

How many times have I seen those eyes, this face, and yet I don’t think we’ve ever actually met. Not really. Not when we’re us.

"Charlotte, this is James Bucky Barnes," Steve stepped forward, smiling softly. "Bucky, meet Charlotte Rossi."

Bucky nodded, a tight lipped smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte."

Charlotte blushed, a reaction she hadn’t prepared for in the absence of her violent rampage. "Hi. I, uh, I'm sorry for how I acted…before," She paused, hoping he’d know she wasn’t just talking about the past two days.

“Don’t mention it.” His eyes crinkled in the corners. “Seriously.”

Bruce's eyes widened with amazement as he studied the data on his screen. "It worked!" he exclaimed, frantically pointing at the hologram, still glowing gold. He turned and embraced the closest person to him, who was a bewildered looking Peter. "We did it!"

Peter, still in a state of shock, smiled as Bruce set him back on the ground. "Didn’t doubt it for a second, Dr. Banner!”

“WOO! Yes! Oh, sorry - “ Bruce had raised his hand to high-five Charlotte before realizing her wrists were still strapped to the bed. “Let me just…okay, there you go!” He hugged her as soon as he released the second restraint, catching her by surprise.

“Oh!” She stiffened instinctively, but relaxed her shoulders to welcome his excited gesture. “Thank you, Dr. Banner…Bruce, seriously!”

“Alright, let’s not land her back in here for crushing chest wounds.” Steve chuckled, putting a hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

“Ah, yes, sorry! It’s just that these things, getting a breakthrough, gah! It just gets me so jazzed.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Man, I love science.”

Bucky couldn't help but let a small smile slip through. He extended a hand toward Charlotte, his eyes reflecting a mix of relief lingering reservations. "Congratulations. This is one of the good days."

She put her hand in his and he squeezed it, quick and light, before letting go. One of the good days. The words may have seemed vague and ambiguous to everyone else, but they hit home for her. When decades of your life had been lost to a string of one bad day after the next, the good ones really stuck out. Especially when dealing with an inordinate amount of trauma, sometimes the bad days persisted even in the good times. They were unavoidable.

But today was one of the good ones.

Natasha, clearly not one for the touchy feely part, spoke up. "Well, now that you're officially not a threat to the lives of those in this room, I say we celebrate."

Peter nodded eagerly, looking at Steve who shrugged. “Yeah, sure, why not. Training will be there tomorrow.”

“Yes! I love off days, I feel like we never do anything fun anymore.” Peter pumped his fist before noticing Steve’s raised eyebrow. “I mean, not that training isn’t fun, I love training. I could train all day. You know what? I think I’ll do extra training tomorr -”

“Hush,” Natasha put her hand over his mouth. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Steve, tell the recruits they’re working out on their own today. Finish their assigned routines and then take the afternoon off. Peter, get the football, the speaker, and the big blanket. Bruce, finish whatever report you’re itching to write about this and then log off for the day. Buck, go take a shower. You smell like sweat socks. Meet us by the lake in an hour.”

“And where are you guys going?” Steve raised an eyebrow, gesturing to both women.

Natasha grinned and started removing electrodes from the brunette, one by one.

“To get Charlotte the hell out of here.”

A little over an hour later, they traipsed down a paved path to the lake. Natasha carried a picnic basket full of snacks and drinks, although they were at most two hundred yards from the main cafeteria building. The sound of music grew louder as they approached the dock. Peter had laid out a large, thick blanket across the wooden boards, a portable speaker weighing down one of the corners.

Steve stood talking to Bucky, who’s hair was still wet from the shower. The back of his sweatshirt was decorated with pinpricks of water. The sound of shoes on the dock made them pause their conversation and turn.

“Long time no see.” Natasha thrust the picnic basket into Steve’s hands, grinning. “Barnes, you smell much better.”

“Feeling the love, Nat.” He rolled his eyes, hanging back as Steve followed her to the end of the dock. Charlotte hesitated, still a little reserved with her newfound mental autonomy. “Hey.”

“Hi,” She smiled, wincing as her nose crinkled. “Ow.”

“That looks awful.” He frowned.

“Now I’m feeling the love.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes, teasing.

“No, I mean - shit. I meant it looks painful.”

“I’m kidding. I avoided any and all mirrors on the way here. It always looks worse than it is.”

“Well, I know from experience that Nat doesn’t pull her punches, so I’m sure it didn’t tickle.” He offered a half smile, brows furrowed with concern.

“Guess I better get my mind off of it.” She pursed her lips, feeling more herself now that she didn’t fear her own actions. Bucky’s eyes scanned her face, she couldn’t tell if he was assessing the injury or really looking at her for the first time. She swore she saw his eyes linger on her mouth for just a fraction of a second.

“Guess so.”

Hours later, the sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm glow across the Compound. It was a perfect fall day, the air crisp, the lake sparkling under the sunlight. Truly unbeatable, especially for their day of celebration. They’d spent the afternoon talking, letting Charlotte get to know them. Although she seemed comfortable enough, Natasha had discreetly reminded them that it was still her first week in an unfamiliar place with perfect strangers. Over stories, snacks and general shit-shooting, they’d become a little further from strangers and a little closer to friends.

Just a little.

Sitting on the edge of the dock, their legs dangling over the water, Steve grinned at Peter. "Hey, Parker, you thinking what I’m thinking?" He held up the football.

Peter leapt up, landing in a crouch. "Always, Cap."

"Go long!" Steve called, his voice echoing across the water.

In a swift movement, he hurled the football with a strength that only a super-soldier possessed. It soared through the air, a perfect spiral against the backdrop of the clear sky.

Peter grinned as he launched himself into the air, shooting a web across the lake to a massive tree. He swung gracefully over the lake, his eyes locked on the football. With a perfectly timed web-shoot, he snatched it from the air, the impact making a satisfying thud against his palm.

"Nice catch, kid!" Sam called out, standing. “Damn, I knew I should have brought the wings.” He paused. “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

Bucky walked to the edge of the dock, mock flexing his biceps. "You're not the only one with a half decent throwing arm, old man."

Steve chuckled, his competitive spirit ignited. "Let's see what you've got, Buck."

Peter dropped back on the dock with a soft thud. Charlotte and Natasha were sprawled across the blanket, leaning back on their elbows. They exchanged an amused glance at the show of testosterone.

Holding his hand out for the football, Bucky strode to the edge of the dock. He shot Steve an arrogant look before turning and hurling the football. It cut through the air, disappearing almost instantly.

“Oh, shit!” Peter stumbled over his feet as he leapt to chase after the football.

“I got it!” A gust of wind blew through across the dock, ruffling everyone’s hair. Looking up, Charlotte saw Sam soaring across the lake towards Peter and the long-disappeared football.

“Dammit, Bruce never came out here, did he?” Natasha narrowed her eyebrows. “Oh well, his loss.”

“Okay, you had a head start.” Peter protested as he dropped back on the dock beside Sam, who held the football like a trophy.

“Whatever stops the tears, kid.”

The friendly competition between super soldiers intensified over the next hour, each determined to outdo the other.

“Alright, I think I’m warmed up now.” Bucky's blue eyes looked mischievous as he glanced back at the girls, a teasing smirk playing on his lips before he released the football with all his strength.

The ball sailed through the air, Sam and Peter taking off after it. Sam got there faster, but Peter's acrobatic finesse won the day. He caught the football mid-air, swinging back to the dock where he immediately collapsed on his back. "I tap out, guys! I need a break."

Natasha smirked. "Getting old, Spidey?"

Peter feigned offense, panting dramatically. "Not all of us are super soldiers!"

Chuckling, Steve clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Good job, Pete. You earned the break."

"I must be getting soft, letting the kid beat me." Sam shook his head, landing beside them.

“Alright, this pissing contest was getting old anyways.” Natasha stood to her feet. “I’m thinking pizza and shitty action movies for the next phase of our day off. Yes?”

“Yes,” Charlotte joined her. “I’m starving.”

They packed up and headed back for their building, Nat making a point to linger at the back of the group. She raised an eyebrow at Bucky. "If I didn't know any better, Barnes, I'd say you were trying to impress our newest addition."

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Don’t do this.”

“Do what?” She mocked innocence.

“Try to play matchmaker, like always.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yeah, sure, she’s pretty.” He gave her a dirty look. “But she was also hell bent on ripping my head off until, oh yeah, this morning.”

Natasha shrugged. “That was then.”

Groaning, Bucky shook his head. “I think she’s got more on her mind than finding a date to the prom.”

“Hm, prom sounds like fun. Maybe we should have one here.” She winked.

“You’re impossible.”

#james bucky barnes #avengers #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes #bucky fluff #bucky fanfic #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff #winter soldier #winter solider x reader

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international-sunrise · 11 months

Text

god its me again, with lookism spoilers below the cut

the way everyone gathered with their respective rescues like they're a stray cat or this month's grocery shop is just way too funny y'all but the way jinsung arrived with johan in tow and was immediately like "dude why does it looks like hyungseok was trying to rescue jaeyeol and not the other way around????? why is he knock knock knocking on heavens door???????? what the fuck did you do to him???????????" and hyungseok was like "i promise you there's a very good reason for this :D" smiley emoji and all and jinsung is just "don't????? change the subject????? you almost killed him?????????????" just left me cackling for five minutes straight thanks jinsung i knew i could trust you

jihan walking in carrying jibeom and hudson in a carrier after alexander was deadass carrying both jake and samuel is peak comedy. the devil works hard and alexander works harder. if you're an a/c unit i'm your fan. number one samuel stan can't compare can't compete we aint shit compared to alexander.

also it's funny for me to think that while hyungseok was beating the shit out of everyone, himself included, everyone else was like trying to think about how to transport the rescues. jihan being the bright patootie he is brought a bed, work smarter not harder. alexander decided to brute-force it. jinsung used the bro-style-carry. vasco is now carrying lil hyungseok like he's a cat he just rescued out of a fire. these guys all share one single braincell and its bouncing like that old dvd logo. i hope that reference lands somewhere.

now what's important here.

i think this chapter pretty much confirmed that nº1 is, in fact, made up of parts and scraps of other generation kings. i mean this is pretty obvious but i guess it'll be confirmed in a couple more episodes and we'll have to be like -pretends to be shocked-, i think it will be more impressive if nº1 is not, as a matter of fact, made up of parts and scraps from the 0 gen and is instead made up of several random people and then enhanced by drugs. why do i say this? well usually the first is not the best, specially with experiments, and i really dont think they would have wanted to waste precious parts in order to make something that wouldn't work, so it could be very possible that nº1 is actually the first working prototype of what the workers first affiliate was trying to replicate.

and what were they trying to replicate you ask?

why, hyungseok's fake body, of course.

my working theory is as follows:

i think it's very likely that nº1 is an experiment that is being made behind charles back, by the workers first affiliate, because back in the day he somehow found a way, alongside jinyoung, to recreate the perfect super-soldier, and went around playing the world's worst puzzle and stealing pieces from others with the help of james lee, and now won't rely that information to workers so that they can get mass produced. however it seems like eugene doesn't know about the two bodies, or at least hasn't found a way to confirm it (maybe, hear me out, maybe if ptj hadn't killed jiho off! the shrimp the felony commiter the only one crazy enough to come up with that possibility! then eugene would already know and this plot would be so much far ahead!), therefore it remains as a possibility that he heard about some kind of super-soldier project and tried to find out who was behind it because super-soldiers are very high on the list of what evil little dudes do on their free time, and that's how he stumbled upon jinyoung.

jinyoung however, probably wasn't the entire brain behind the operation. that's why nº1 looks... that way. it's very possible that the other half of the operation was... hear me out: hyungseok's dad, who was supposedly killed by jinyoung.

i dont really think that it was james lee, because he's supposed to be the figthing genius, the one-man-army, the one going to the hardware store to collect the parts and pieces of their little fucked up science fair experiment that might or might not violate the geneva convention (is the geneva convention a thing in the ptj-verse i dont think it is...). i also don't think it was charles, because while he's behind the interconnected webs, that's kinda not in the same ballpark as human experimentation, that's like management vs the kitchen, have you seen management inside the kitchen like actually working? no, that's my point. gapryong was too busy trying to become the president in order to also be trying to bring back prometheus 2: electric boogaloo. which leaves us jinyoung, a farmacologist, and hyungseok's dad, occupation unknown but with ties to jinyoung, and was apparently killed by him as well.

even if jinyoung didn't actively murder him, you know what mom park said? he died sick. who in lookism would have the very specific knowledge to prescribe drugs that would worsen someone's condition instead of making it better, and also be in a position of trust in order to make it work, thus killing hyungseok's dad while making it seem like he simply fell ill?

oh yeah its coming all together.

i also find it extremely funny that, in a way, hyungseok did manage to both unite and dismantle the four major crews. all of the groups are dismantled, inactive, on the run or were absorbed by workers, and now three of the original crew leaders alongside samuel as a representative form a temporary alliance. "not even the four major crews-" bitch sit down didn't you read the big deal arc and the hostel arc, the power of trauma compels you -gets blasted-

also johan being like "ew cant believe i gotta fight alongside you people" kid you've been working with Jake for months now what on earth are you talking about did you also get your memory temporarily erased by the drugs. will anyone else forget about some important part of the plot-- put your hand down jake.

what you thought i wouldnt mention the emotional whiplash it gave me to have hyungseok suddenly remembering the friend he just beat up. JAEYEOL IT'S ME YA BOY bitch you left him about to board the first train without stopovers to the left of christ's throne a foot on the gutter and the other on the grave, wipe out those damn tears and get his ass outta there stop crying it's not the time stop kissing in the foreground

#lookism spoilers #lookism theory #lookism 471

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twoidiotwriters1 · 10 months

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Until The Very End -(WITS Sequel)

A/N: There is something so perfect about Merry in my head, I haven't been able to write another couple as utopian as them -Danny

Words: 2,310

Masterlist

Previous chapter // Next chapter

2010—2011

"That's not how dragons throw fires!" Emmeline squealed.

Harry looked up at the tree branch where his daughter was hanging and scowled. "Lin, I can't spit out fire, unless you want me to not talk ever again."

The toddler scrunched up her nose in the same way her mother used to when she was little. "Not that, daddy! I mean your head!"

Harry's confusion increased. "What do you mean?"

"Dragons don't raise their heads when they throw fire," Regulus walked out into the garden carrying James on one arm, the toddler was stuffing his face with biscuits. "They press to the ground, 'cause their targets are smaller than them."

It was the summer prior to Reg's fourth year at Hogwarts, and he was spending most of his free time at the Potter's house. He helped Mel and Harry with the kids when they were at work. Today, however, is Harry's thirtieth birthday.

Everyone had promised to pay a visit and celebrate together, but Mel was on the verge of getting her obscurial treatment project greenlit, so she was working even more than when she was researching for the werewolf cure, which leaves Reg and Harry to interact in a way they hadn't been able to in a long time.

"So I take your lessons with Hagrid are going well?" Harry grinned.

"They're my favourite! Apart from Charms, of course," Reg admitted, sneakily handing a biscuit to Emmeline as he approached her tree.

"Heard you're on your way to become the Captain of the duelling club," Harry raised a brow. "That's amazing, Mel is really proud of you."

"Yeah, mum is too. Says my dad was a good dueller."

"He was the best, he and my dad," Harry confirmed, then added quietly so Emmeline couldn't hear him. "Took advantage of it when they were younger, you know, in case that McLaggen kid tries to get the best of you."

Reg laughed. Whenever he did this, it kind of sounded like a bark. He had no way of knowing he inherited it from Sirius, but those who knew his father picked up on it as soon as they heard it.

"Dad!" Jamie swung his wooden sword around. "Matty and Lily woke up!"

They stayed silent for a second, the cries of Harry's younger children coming to them right away.

"Thank you, Jamie—Don't know how he does it, he's got super hearing," Harry chuckled, getting up from under the tree. "I'll go."

"No, no," Reg stopped him, putting James down and going back to the kitchen's entrance. "It's your birthday, let me do it."

"Looking after my kids isn't something I enjoy avoiding, you know?" Harry mused.

"I know," the boy smirked. "But I rather deal with those two than the twins."

"Daddy, I'm stuck," Emmeline groaned in perfect timing, hanging upside down above her father's head.

Mel fell on her bed groaning, absently rubbing her backside. "I'm starting to understand Fred a little, you know? Every family reunion we attend nowadays is packed with children..."

She rolled over and groaned again, so tired she couldn't bring herself to start changing into her night clothes.

"Am I allowed to ask how was work, or will you kill me if I bring it up tonight?" Harry teased her.

Mel glanced at him with the shadow of a smile. "You're a lost cause, Harry James Potter."

"Full name treatment?" He raised his brow. "What did I do?"

Mel pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Three whole decades and not a single one has been enjoyed at a proper pace, you just don't know how to relax, do you?"

"That's rich coming from you," he retorted, kicking off his shoes and crawling to her side.

"I'm a hard worker, that's different," Mel responded, kicking off her own shoes while he got closer. "I'd argue that I at least respect my birthdays."

"Mel, it's time you accept that my way of enjoying life is different from yours, that's all."

The woman eyed him sceptically. "Please, do elaborate."

"I don't enjoy my job, not exactly. I find it gratifying, that I catch dark wizards before they can do real damage, before they can ruin the world we built for our kids. Which brings me..." he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in. "To you."

"Me?"

"I know I ask you about work a lot," he continued happily. "But if I'm honest, I don't care about your job. You could be a stay-at-home parent and I would still ask about your day, 'cause it's my favourite part of our life together."

Mel frowned. "Really?"

"When we were twelve," he explained, casually helping Mel out of her robes. "I realized that life didn't feel right without your squeaky ramblings buzzing over my ear every day."

"Hey," Mel hit his chest, laughing. "Rude!"

"I'm going somewhere with this, let me finish!" He pressed, catching her wrist before she could push him away.

"Get on with it, then!"

"Well, then we started to spend more time apart, and when the bad times came... part of my comfort was knowing that I'd be the one who would die and not you, a life without your ramblings was a life not worth living."

Mel stared at him, her throat tightening against her will. "Harry..." she whispered. "Don't say that."

He kissed her palm. "I've always admired you for the way you handled everything. I saw it in your eyes that night, Mel, you had come to terms with it," he sighed. "I could never. I would've kept my promise 'til the last moments of the war, but not a moment after."

She spoke quietly, lovingly brushing his hair back. "You say that now 'cause you know you'll never have to do that, but just like you told me, you would've found someone else too."

Harry shook his head, pushing himself up and reaching for one of his shirts so Mel could change into it. "Like I'd be capable of forgetting that easily..."

"I wouldn't be forgetting..."

"My point is..." the man tossed the discarded clothes out of the bed and dressed his wife with gentle hands. "Hearing about your work it's a daily reminder that I'm living my dreams."

"Having a dull life was your dream?" Mel teased him.

"A life with you is never dull," Harry shrugged, then smirked. "Though I wouldn't hate it if you buy me a Quidditch team for Christmas."

"I'm sorry, sir, can you repeat that?"

"Mel, I never repeat myself, let alone when I know I've been heard," Mr Greengrass stated.

"If you wish to retire, I understand," she continued, still not able to breathe right. "But risking to sound rude, Mr Greengrass... Have you lost your mind?"

The man showed a big smile—the first one since she'd met him—and spoke in a bemused tone. "Miss Dumbledore, you are quite rude," he looked at her pointedly. "But only with yourself."

Mel sputtered out a reply and stopped, looking at him wide-eyed. "You just offered me your position in the Department of Mysteries, what am I supposed to do?"

The man looked away as if pondering her question. "Well, I'd start by moving the stuff from your desk to mine."

Mel laughed—with incredulity—and shook her head. "With all due respect, sir, there are Unspeakables here with more years of experience—"

"Other Unspeakables," he interrupted her, "lack your integrity, your intelligence, and your commitment to our cause. I've known, for twelve years now, that your heart is stronger than your magic, which is a good thing in our line of work. What we do here isn't just tinkering with ancient powers, and you..."

Mr Greengrass stood up and placed both hands on his desk, eyes shining.

"You care about making existence a beautiful experience for all kinds. You're the change the department so desperately needs."

Before Mel could argue, the old man raised a hand to stop her and brushed it off.

"Save it. I'm an old man, holding to my position any longer would rot the whole place. Better step out before I lose my good streak," he chuckled. "Do you know, out of all the good work I've done during my entire career, the one thing people bring out the most is your hiring?"

Mel laughed, feeling lots of gratitude. "I don't know what to say..."

"Say yes," he sighed, going back to his seat. "Some people might not like this, but no one with a good head on their shoulders would question your promotion, not after all you've done in the last decade."

"What about Erick Flint?" Mel questioned. "He's my equal in all the ways that matter. He ought to be considered for the spot too."

"Oh, he was," the man raised a brow. "Unfortunately for you, Mrs Dumbledore, he threatened to quit if I didn't choose you as my successor. But between you and I," he lowered his voice. "I know he's quitting anyway."

Mel smiled. Erick was planning to open a shop with Anne in Diagon Alley, but she thought that maybe he would reconsider if Mr Greengrass offered him his position. However, not even the chance to boss Mel around was enough to distract him from his own projects.

Worse yet, now he'd be able to say he heroically rejected a job so Mel could get it, and he would definitely be insufferable about it for the rest of their lives.

Mel sat on her desk quietly, she could feel Erick's eyes on her, but she ignored him the whole time until their lunch hour.

"You're coming?" She asked, getting up from her chair.

Erick jumped out of his seat and hastily grabbed his stuff. "Yeah."

Mel conversed with him about everything except Mr Greengrass, and she was having a great time torturing him, seeing his expression get tenser the more she stalled.

They found Ron, Hermione and Harry eating in the corner of their favourite cafeteria. Mel approached them and Erick followed, almost vibrating with expectation.

"Did you know Reggie won the duelling match last Tuesday?" She asked the whole group.

A stream of compliments and cheers came after that, from all except Erick, who loudly dragged his chair back and pushed his plate away. "Come on, Mel, spit it out!"

The group of friends stared at him in shock, but Mel started cackling.

"What's up with you two?" Ron frowned.

"Nothing, just Erick being his usual nosy self," Mel mused.

"I'm your best friend!" He argued.

"Oh, so that's what you want me to say?" Mel raised a brow, still laughing. "You want me to tell the others how generous you are, Prince? Like I don't know you weren't going to take the job in the first place!"

"Did you take it?" Erick asked eagerly.

"Two things," Ron intervened, lifting his fork and pointing it at Erick. "I'm Mel's best friend, you git. Second," he pointed his fork at Mel. "If you don't explain what's going on before the hour ends, I'll force-feed you veritaserum."

"Ron don't go around saying that!" Hermione scolded him. "What would people think if they heard an Auror threatening to misuse their resources?"

"They would think he's an idiot, trying to force-feed Mel Dumbledore anything," Harry responded with a grin. Then he turned his attention back to Mel and Erick. "So what's going on, then?"

"Mel got offered the position of Head of our department."

"What!"

"Are you joking?"

"What?" Harry looked at his wife in surprise. "And what did you say?"

Mel kicked Erick's leg under the table. "He's getting ahead of things! Mr Greengrass is retiring, yes, and he said he would like me to take his spot, but—"

Ron lifted his fork again, now with a carrot in it, to shut her up. "No buts! You're taking it!"

Mel was aghast. "I can't be the Head of the department!"

"So you could be Head Auror at nineteen but you can't be Head Unspeakable at thirty?" Erick taunted her. "I thought you'd grown out of being exasperating..."

"She takes breaks more often than before, but she hasn't quit it," Hermione joined his teasing. "Mel, this is silly, you deserve the position."

Mel fidgeted with her wand, sinking into her chair. "Being Head Auror was easy 'cause it wasn't so different from what I'd been doing back then... this is not the same."

"You'll get to review all projects, of each room in the Department of Mysteries," Erick counted. "Mel, this has been your dream since you were fifteen."

"But you're quitting this year," she frowns. "What if I discover that I hate the position? What if it turns out to be restraining, or I lose my mind a little like my uncle and—"

"You can change the rules, if they don't work there's no reason to keep them," Harry argued. "You told me that when I took your place. But after all you've been through, I doubt you'll be like Dumbledore, mostly 'cause you've learned from past mistakes, his and yours."

Mel heaved a sigh, running a hand through her hair. "A higher rank means less free time, less chances to go out and enjoy the kids..."

"I'll keep an eye on you, we all will," Harry assured her. "If you overdo it, we'll let you know. As Head Auror I'll be in the same meetings as you, I'll see you more often this way, like old times, don't you miss that?"

"I see you every day at home, so not really."

Erick and Ron snorted and laughed. Harry pouted a little. "Sometimes I wonder if you married me out of pity."

"Give it a try, Mel," Hermione patted her hand encouragingly. "We'll be right here if it doesn't work."

"I can always employ you as my secretary if you get fired," Erick joked.

Mel glared at him in annoyance and flicked his nose. "You should quit already."

"Ouch!" He turned back to Harry while rubbing his nose. "You know, sometimes I wonder if she's my friend out of obligation, too."

"Well, anyway, I hope you take the job," Hermione concluded. "You deserve it, and we're all supportive—it's great news."

Harry looked at her trying to convey all the sincerity and love he was feeling. "Whatever comes out of it, we'll manage."

Mel only smiled in response, stealing a piece of chicken from Ron's plate.

"Oh, and just to clarify," Hermione added, looking at Erick and Ron. "I'm Mel's best friend."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @reverse-hxlland @hamiltonwc @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @21bruhs @dielgonacoffee @thelastpyle @cedricisnotdead @greengarsstuff @aconfusedslytherin @talksoprettyjjx @avengersz-biotch @23victoria @moonhoonie @raajali3 @peachyaeger @espressopatronum454 @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @na1ven3vy @kai-wifey

#twoidiots writing #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter xoc #hp fanfic #witt fic #UTVE fic

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pbandjesse · 2 months

Text

Very sorry that my post didn't get posted on time last night. I was ridiculously tired and had forgotten it in my drafts. Thank you to my mom for pointing that out. It's fixed now.

I felt really really miserable today. Thankfully I am feeling a lot better now but today was really horrible for me. I felt horrible. It was super super hot. I was feeling uncomfortable and puffy in the face and bad. It didn't help that I was just so tired.

I went to sleep before James even came to bed. I had texted them to ask for my weighted blanket and was asleep before they got it. I did wake up enough to notice that the blanket was on me but I was out really quickly after that.

I woke up before the sun and got a drink and accidentally knocked my phone between the wall and the bed. I couldn't get to it and would have to wait until the morning. It didn't matter but I knew the alarm going off would scare me.

Thankfully when James woke up I was able to then move the bed a bit and get my phone before falling back asleep. So it was not super consistent sleep and my dreams were upsetting and I didn't wake up in a great space.

James tried to make me feel better. They packed me a breakfast and some snacks. I would pack the Mac and cheese I got on Saturday. Gave me hugs and kisses and sent me off on time. The plan was for me to stay at camp all week so we have extra kisses. I did not end up staying at camp but it was still a nice way to start the day.

I went to camp and had an alright drive. I got there a few minutes after 8 and was frustrated at how warm it already was. I was feeling uncomfortable but I was trying to remain positive. It was a loosing battle.

James had put my sewing machines in the car so I had to set those up. I did not get a chance to double check that they were working probably yesterday but thankfully they set up easy. I did feel frustrated when SarahMarie asked if I could help her carry water jugs to the back of stockade but I just couldn't. I didn't have time. I had basically no rest today. It was go go go.

And the heat did not help. In the art building and surrounding area it wasn't so bad. But man. It would only get worse everywhere else. Leaving my building felt really really bad.

And I was just so busy. Doing teddy bears is a fun but wildly time consuming project. And I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to make the tiny bears. The campers would struggle hardcore and we were getting some really silly outcomes. I also made the call that we weren't going to flip them. I just didn't think they would work because of how they were cut. So they look a bit silly but it was still fun to do.

It was sweet when one of the boys told me they were excited that they got to make their bear on Monday so they got to have more time with them. It was so cute.

I had handed out number cards so people knew when it was their turn and that was such a good move. One of the counselors made me feel really nice when he made a fuss about how organized I always was. How I always knew what they were doing when they got there and I had a plan and it made me feel really good. Like I know I'm doing a good job but hearing this guy who is so stoic and I respect say that meant a lot to me.

Especially when I was having such a hard day.

Callie had come through in the morning and asked if she could carry one of my large bears around. I had brought them as an example but I was like actually yes. I'm glad it's getting cuddled.

I didn't go to lunch. Instead I went to the office to microwave my Mac and cheese. But when I went to get my earbuds from my backpack I realized I had forgotten all of my purse contents that I usually transfer over to my camp backpack. No hand sanitizer. No lotion. Not wallet. Not earbuds. I was so bummed. I felt so stupid.

And like it isn't a huge deal. I keep my ID in my phone case. But I just felt really dumb and was so out of sorts I just walked to our cabin to lay down. I needed to be horizontal and in the AC.

The laying down helped. But I just became more and more upset. I did not want to sleep there. I wanted to go home. I wanted to have a cabin for daytime cool downs and the option to sleep over but I was feeling guilty about it too. About not being there for Callie. I want to hang out with her! But I also just. Feel so sad. I feel so miserable inside. I want to be home. I want to come back to our house and it be my little sanctuary. I feel resentment about the heat and the anxiety I am feeling around camp this year. Like we are in week 4! I shouldn't be feeling like this. Thankfully I have a vacation next week.

Speaking about this vacation. James would help get me checked in and scanned my passport for the app. I would buy my two packages I wanted to make the trip nicer for me. Specifically the soda package and the Internet package. I figure I'm not paying for the cruise so if I want this it isn't a huge deal. And I think it will make me feel better to have access to messaging James and doing my post and being able to watch videos and just feel connected. I don't want to be on TikTok much but I do want the option when we are just chilling. Even if it's not a need, it will make me feel better.

And I needed that. While I was sitting doing that research the alarms started going off. There was an emergency drill and we all needed to go to the field. I grabbed my sunglasses and water and walked down to be with the rest of specialty staff.

We were missing at least 2 groups which is not great. Like yeah it's a drill. But you don't continue to do a bathroom run for your whole group. Hustle down here.

It was basically the hottest part of the day and I was really struggling in the sun. I'm sure everyone was. And because of the drill my last day camp group, group 1, missed the first half hout. So they would not have time to sew. Instead they would decorate a bear and I would sew them together and deliver them later. Kenny was in this group and kept asking if it was done yet but I was not even working on theirs yet. There were three groups ahead of there's to finish! But I would get them all done. Mainly during my last program.

I felt bad not hanging out with Bontkirchen but they are pretty self sufficient. They wanted to put beads in their hair and do henna and make bracelets. Love it. So they were out back doing that while I was inside sewing. Periodically they would come in to ask for a material and I would give them what I had. I felt bad but I just needed to finish this sewing ASAP.

I was falling apart though. Alexi got on the walkie to let us know the heat index was 107 and we needed to stay cool best we could. I had planned on going swimming but I didn't think I could stay. I needed to go home.

Once I was done sewing everything together I texted Callie that I felt really bad but I had to leave. She said she's not upset with me. But I still feel bad. Guilty. But I needed to go home.

It was a rough drive. I let James know that I was coming home and they made a comment about changing their plans (they were going to trivia with Joel) and I melted down. I started crying. I didn't want them to change their plans. I want people to stop doing that. I wanted to be alone. And I felt like I was coming off mean in texts telling them I wanted to be alone. So I called them and was crying and driving and I just wanted to go home.

They would help me calm down. They understood I wasn't being mean. And they would let me be alone to decompress. And everything would be okay.

I would get stuck in some traffic. But once I was through that we would say goodbye and I would drive the last 15 minutes home list ring to a podcast and trying to not cry anymore.

When I got home I noticed that the business on corner that has been getting demoed has a fence around it. Which usually means the whole building is coming down. Which is neat! But also that made our street loose like 5 parking spaces. So that's not great! But we will have to figure that out going forward.

I did get a spot though and James was waiting for me on the steps. I didn't need anything to come inside so I was just happy to see them.

We would hang out inside. I would go take a shower first. Pet the animals. And then cuddle on the couch with James until it was time for them to leave for trivia. They made me a tomato sandwich. Things were slowly feeling less horrible.

Being alone for a few hours helped a ton. I would tidy the living room and put things away. I fixed some things and finished clearing out the wardrobe in the studio. It's getting moved upstairs to the guest room. Eventually. But I was happy to get that cleared.

I would spend some time upstairs going through my packing pile for the cruise. My new duffle bag is supposed to be here tomorrow. But I am still not positive what bag/bags I will be using for this trip. But I feel pretty secure about what I'm bringing and what outfits are for what days. It was nice to hang out and fold things.

I also got to interact with Crabcake for a little. He was climbing and digging and hanging out in his water. Just being a cutie.

Sweetp was being good today too. And I was just happy to be around my animals.

I got in bed to write this. And James got home right as I started writing. They had a tough bike ride back. Getting very winded at the end there. But they are hydrated and showered now and we are going to start winding down for sleep.

Tomorrow I hope is a better day. Maybe I'll stay over. Maybe I'll swim. I'm not making any promises either way. I just want to feel okay. Whatever that means for me.

I hope you all have a good night. Take care of yourself. Wash your hands. I love you all. Goodnight!

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blackoctober-blog · 1 year

Text

Hi. This Horror-blog78 and this is my new side blog I made for my project called Black October. I just wanted to say that all my work will appear here and all the updates will also appear here.

Well what else can I say. Just thank you all for supporting me and enjoying my work. I swear I really work hard on this project and I really enjoy it.

So be welcomed to first Black October blog i made 😊.

Also I would like to thank @angel-lopes2000 for her hard work on this project. So it's our blog and project from now on. Go check out her blog because it's great. She writes great Carrie stories 🤗💕.

Still my original blog is here: @horror-blog-78

My other blogs:

@horror-blog-78

@pals-house-blog

@shark-blog-stuff

@spaceprojectsblog

@bloodychristmasblog

@monster-highblog

@applefield-bizzare-murder

@that-70-blog

@loveandhealing-comfortblog

@evildeadblog

@dr-house-blog

@horrorblogafterhours

🍁Black October Masterlist🍁

✍️Characters designs✍️

🩸Black October🍁

Art 🎨

Suzanne boyfriend design

My characters:

🍁Suzanne Jones🍁

Suzanne Jones headcanons

More Suzanne headcanons because i can and i want

Suzanne Jones moodboard

🩸Alex Grove🩸

Alex Grove past

Alex possession

☯Jill Bradley☯

☯Jill Bradley headcanons☯

☯Jill Bradley moodboard☯

🎀Rose Smith🎀

🎀Rose Smith headcanons🎀

🎀Rose Smith moodboard🎀

🎻James Carter🎻

James Carter moodboard

💕James and Suzanne fluffy scenarios💕

Suzanne and James day off

🍪 Cookies 🍪

💕Shopping hours🛍

⛱️ Beach 💕

💕Sweet autumn time🍁

💕Horror movies🩸

💕 Relax session with Suzanne and James💕

James and Suzanne romantic date

💕Black October alternative universe💕

💕Trip to the aquarium🦈

James taking care of sick Suzanne

Black October 2004

Black October 2004 characters

Hospital scene

She's gone

Old school scene

Cemetery visit

#horrorblog78 #black october project #black october78 #black october blog #black-october-blog #black-october78 #suzanne jones #james carter #alex grove #angel-lopes2000 #halloween 1978 #horror writing #horror

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snailpdf · 1 year

Note

Hi!

for WIP week-end ;) The Devil Doesn't Bargain please?

Happy writing :)

thank you! i got a little carried away! lots of words for you :)

jumping back a little, takes place after one of the earlier parts i posted!

context: convo with research lead for biomechanics! still at hyperion event! tim is playing jack!

"Of– of course," He says; he doesn't react to Tim's informal address. At Tim's raised eyebrow he looks slightly nervous, "We've been hard at work, lots of progress, but we've made considerable leaps since the last status update we sent up to your office. If you have a moment, I can give you a brief rundown of our recent project?"

"Ehh, yeah, why not." Tim says. He pulls Rhys a little bit closer, "This is the sort of nerd shit you like, yeah?"

James something gives Rhys a look, "You're interested in Biomechanical engineering?"

"Uh," Rhys doesn't look like he knows what to say, "Yeah, I mean, I've always thought cybernetics were cool, so." He waves his metal hand awkwardly as an example then tucks it around Tim's arm.

(That's an understatement.)

"Interesting. Well, we've been working on creating a synthetic mesh that bonds with natural tissue without rejecting in order to perfect organ replacements." And off he goes. Rhys nods along, seeming to understand more of what's being said than Tim. He keeps casting glances at Tim from the corner of his eye.

James is explaining their recent tests on live subjects while Tim affects the right amount of disinterested attention when he feels Rhys' hand tighten around his arm. He glances first down at the metal fingers curled over his sleeve, then at Rhys. He's staring into his drink, seemingly lost in thought. The very beginnings of a frown is visible between his brows and at the corner of his mouth.

#:))#tddb #wip weekend game #wip weekend #lev.fic #bonus content #to the people who have been commenting on these with theories: I SEE YOU #;)#fic: the devil doesnt bargain

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dustedmagazine · 8 months

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Henry Kaiser — Mahalo Nui (Metalanguage)

John Fahey was 27 years old when he recorded Requia. While parts of it play as a sincere ceremony of remembrance for people who meant something to him, it was nonetheless the work of an ornery young man. That provenance showed, especially on the spectacularly trollish, side-long musique concrete composition, “Requiem For Molly.” Henry Kaiser knows all about Fahey, guitars experimental music, and Requia in particular. He’s recorded a couple albums of his own using that title, and posed for one of them in a visual homage to Fahey’s record. But Kaiser’s also managed to live a longer life than Fahey, very different but no less astounding. He has been able to carry on a career as a boundary-straddling guitarist who gets to play whatever he wants with pretty much whoever he wants and also to work as a research diver with a specialty in under-ice video work.

Several tracks from this projectstarted out as a COVID-era project, when Kaiser included among the regular YouTube videos that he posted from lockdown with shout-outs to recently passed musicians, such as Steffen Basho-Junghans and David Lindley. Over time, the partings tend to proliferate. Kaiser found himself with ten mostly-solo tracks that shared two criteria: they memorialized fellow travelers who adventured with him upon or under the ice, or who made music, films or musical instruments; and they continued Kaiser’s decades-long determination to do more with the guitar than it previously had been able to do. These became Mahalo Nui.

Born in 1951, Kaiser has now lived long enough to know loss in ways that Fahey could not when he recorded Requia in 1967. Across its two sides, Fahey dug deep into sorrow and respect, and also let fly some ill-focused antagonism. You’ll some sorrow on Mahalo Nui, particularly on the sole non-solo performance, a slide guitar trio in honor of David Lindley. But you’ll hear a lot more joy and gratitude; the album’s title translates from Hawaiian as Thank You Very Much. “Hard Time Killin’ Spoonful Requiem For Paul Hostetter” mashes up Derek Bailey and Skip James gestures with more glee than rue; perhaps Kaiser assembled the performances from licks that the late luthier loved? The glistening tones and complex timbres of “Antarctic Requiem For Liz Sutter & Bija Sass,” which is named after two of his fellow Antarctic travelers, evoke a state of drifting wonder and weightless solace.

In 1990, I caught a Kaiser solo concert and came away as impressed with the looming height of his effects rack as I was with his music. He’s never been afraid to indulge the possibilities of technology and technique, and there have certainly been times when they have gotten the better of him. That never happens on Mahalo Nui. The occasions when he foregrounds technical interventions, such as the school of psychedelic blurs on “Mysterious Requiem For Paul Plimley” and the real-time combination of scything slide guitar and MIDI-controlled piano notes on “Some Of The Great Ancestors Inside My Guitar,” pay off real musical dividends. This record makes a strong case for both the technical and emotional aspects of Kaiser’s art. One caveat for those who prefer physical formats; if you go to Kaiser’s Bandcamp page, this title is only offered as a download. However, it is also available as a CD if you’re willing to search a bit.

Bill Meyer

#henry kaiser #mahalo nui #metalanguage #bill meyer #albumreview #dusted magazine #solo guitar #experimental guitar #digital delay #requiems

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piotrekperezdesigner · 9 months

Text

Today I received the great news of having been selected as the winner in the Global Footwear Awards, GFA in the #AthleticSport category, for my technical sports project focused on soccer, -Evolution Cup 23- carried out in my previous international company Joma Sport.

It is an honor to receive this design award Global Footwear Awards, GFA , is more than a recognition of my work in my previous company it is the culmination of hours of dedication, effort, and passion for what I do. At this moment, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has made this achievement possible. To all my colleagues in the design, product, and production team who made the completion of this work possible. This award not only represents an individual achievement but also serves as a reminder of the importance of working together, learning from each other, and pursuing excellence with passion and dedication. I am grateful for this honor and excited about what the future holds for me in the exciting world of design now at AWWG This award propels me to surpass my own limits, to explore new possibilities, and to continue growing as a designer Pepe Jeans London.

I want to express my gratitude to the event organizers for providing a platform that celebrates creativity and talent in footwear design. I also thank the judges for their hard work and for recognizing the aesthetic and functional value of my work at Joma Sport.

Among the esteemed jury panel are renowned personalities such as Felipe Fiallo, Founder & Creative Director of Felipe Fiallo S.R.L.S, who, after working for Ferragamo and creating concepts for Stella McCartney and adidas Maker Lab, is now focused on luxury sneakers and footwear. Jury member Sissi Johnson, an MBA professor and Founder of SelfSells, has had her work featured by Forbes, CNN, The New York Times, Vogue, and the V&A Museum. Sean Williams a well-respected NYC-based sneaker lover for over 37 years, serves as a sneaker industry consultant to brands worldwide and is a co-founder of the SOLEcial Studies sneaker industry education program... Jazerai Allen - Lord is a multihyphenate creative with deep roots in sneaker culture. She work with brands as New Balance, Nike, Reebok. Richard Kuchinsky, Founder and Owner of The Directive Collective, Joining these luminaries are Robbie Fuller, Creative Director at Anta Group, James Lee Thompson, the innovative strategist from On, Oronzo De Matteis 奥龍佐马蒂斯🇮🇹, the visionary behind OROORO BRAND LUXURY, Ann Williams, Co-Founder and Footwear Design Director at Schwilliamz Creative Consultants, and Mary Norton, the Luxury Accessories Design Director/Specialist at Savannah College of Art and Design

Again, thank you all for this incredible honor.

More information is available at: https://lnkd.in/dy_g839U https://lnkd.in/d_dY9jSw

JOMA SPORT, S.A. Season_ FW23

Photo Credit: Joma Sport, S.A

Project Type_ New Upper

Product Management_ Maite Torrijos

Product Development_ Daniel Álvarez

Product Design / Colour and Material_ P. Pérez

#design #industrial design #footwear design #footwear designer #Global Footwear Awards #Footwear Industry #Fashion Design #joma sport #joma #sustainable #sustainability #creativity #illustration #ai generated

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changingplumbob · 10 months

Text

New Goth Household: Chapter 3, Part 4

It's time for Milton to turn 6 and become a proper child, I shall miss his little face 😭 We take a quick trip to the humor and hijinks festival, Joey prepares for his first day of real work

Marta: Buenos dias carino

Keira: You okay? You seemed restless last night

Marta: Just a few bad dreams

Keira: Was he in them

Marta: He’s only ever in the bad ones. Gertrude why are you up here

Keira: I think she’s trying to establish territory

Marta: I got to get to work, I’ll see you later, te amo

Keira: Bye, love you to

James: I can’t believe I forgot to make the cake

Alexander: Sweets you were busy with the grand meal yesterday

James: I know but Milton deserves a good birthday

Alexander: I still can’t believe Father Winter wouldn’t give him anything

James: I got so mad, needed cat time. Don’t you have a project you should be working on

Alexander: Not losing your memory yet I see

James: Go love. I have this under control

Once the cake is sorted James gives Hamlet some snuggles and the two become companions! Gertrude is aloof so winning her over will take longer. The doorbell rings and Cassandra is here!

James: No kids

Cassandra: They were in grumpy moods this morning, I decided that if they were here they’d only ruin Milton’s day

The adults sit and talk in the library until Milton emerges for the day. He needed a long sleep after Father Winter was the biggest bully around screw that guy.

Milton: Cassandra!

Cassandra: Hey little brother. You ready to age up

Alexander carries Milton to the freshly baked cake.

Alexander: Okay buddy, let’s blow them out

Milton: Can I has help

Alexander: We can do it together. Three, two, one The two Goth boys blow the candles out and Milton laughs in delight. He is put down, spins it out, and…

Six year old Milton is here! Is it just me or is it hard to find younger kid clothes in cas? Like most of them seem good for preteens but maybe it’s just me. Back to Milton, he has spun the geek trait. I swear it was not my choice despite the poll. He also has the slumber party animal aspiration and is a 1 star celeb? It must be from Mortimer dying as a 5 star celeb.

Black joins yellow and orange as his favourite colours. He rolled liking photography, telling jokes and talking about hobbies. Alexander and James got him some voidcritters.

Keira: Happy birthday

Milton: Thanks, what did you get me

Keira: Oh I haven’t-

Milton: Joking!

Alexander: I think your comedic timing needs some work

Hamlet: *meows* no kidding

The household, minus James who needs a nap after working out, head to the humor and hijinks festival.

Joey: Oi, there’s Morgan

Keira: The one who cheated on me, thank you for pointing her out

Joey: What if, and hear me out, I woohoo her. Like a revenge woohoo on your behalf. I need to get my count up

Keira: *sighs* You know she’s a lesbian right Joey

Joey: Wouldn’t be the first lesbian to sleep with a dude

Keira: Knock yourself out but I’m telling you, you’ll just make a fool of yourself. I'm going to catch up with Marta

Joey: Hey hottie, nice to see you

Morgan: Is it? And since when do you call me hottie

Joey: Oh you know, couldn’t do it when you were dating my friend but I do love redheads. And you in that leather, damn girl

Morgan: *laughs*

Joey: You know, I’m actually a celebrity now. Starting down that path to roll in the fortunes. You could always roll with me if you know what I mean

Morgan: I have some idea

Joey: So what do you say? I’m sure there’s a woohoo spot somewhere here

Morgan: Yikes. You know I’m gay right

Joey: Well yeah but-

Morgan: So keep your pixel parts in your pants and away from me. Unless you’ve suddenly sprouted a vagina, I’m not interested

Morgan turns and walks off.

Joey: I'm not saying I'm a woman but you know Morgan, not all women have vaginas!

He looks over to his housemates who all seem to be having a good time. Figuring they’ll be happy here for a bit he decides to head home and see if Rita is still good for coming over.

Rita is indeed still keen to come over for Joey’s standard collection picture (I have a bad memory so this is just the best way for me to keep track of his count, he's not a complete sleeze, he doesn't score them or any creepy ick). Of course the photo session soon turns into something else as the two take advantage of having more space than the inside of a nightclub bathroom.

When the rest of the household returned from the festival James had finished being critically tired. Milton went straight up to bed while James and Marta chatted as Keira and Alexander finished off their homework. When all was done, everyone of consenting age in the household got lucky that night.

Joey: Thanks for coming so quickly

Tuesday: It’s 5am, you better have a good reason for needing this

(actually Tuesday was the one who contacted Joey requesting a hook up but I changed it around for story purposes)

Joey: My new job starts today and I really don’t want to get in any woohoo entanglements with coworkers. That’s just opening myself up to future harassment lawsuits when I make it big

Tuesday: Okay but I’ve got stuff to do to, so we better play in the shower

Joey: A new location, I’m up for that!

Marta: Really Gertrude? Every morning

Gertrude: *meows* This never gets old

When Marta sits down to have her early breakfast she sees a new face across the table

Marta: Oh hi, I’m Marta

Tuesday: Damn, you’re cute. I’m Tuesday

Marta: Right, Joey’s woohoo buddy. I was thinking it was odd a hook up would stay the night

Tuesday: *laughs* I didn’t, he just needed some unwinding this morning. You know, if you ever need unwinding-

Marta: Thank you but I’m happily taken

Joey: Shower done, teeth brushed, breakfast-

Hamlet: *scoffs*

Joey: Really bro? At least let me get a plate

Tuesday: If you do that, I guarantee it lasts longer

Joey: Are you talking woohoo tips without me

Keira eats her breakfast quietly while Tuesday tells Marta all about various girl on girl woohoo techniques. She really wished she could just disappear from this conversation.

Joey: Wish I could do that

Tuesday: Don’t be ridiculous, you love throwing your pixel parts around

Joey: That’s... not untrue

James: For the love of- Gertrude, did you tip the trash out again? Hamlet you have got to stop eating it

Joey: My first real job, wish me luck dudes

James: Are you wearing a pressed suit

Joey: No because it’s not the 1800s

James: Kids and your “fashion” these days

Joey: Trust me James, if I show up in a suit people wouldn’t believe I want to be a tech bro

Keira has a day without classes, and is all up to date on her homework and exam prep. She heads off to Sulani and spends some time snorkelling among the reefs. She does love how all the fish seem to have their own patterns. She’s thinking marine biology could be a good field to get in to.

After some time she seeks out deeper waters and purchases some dive gear. For now she can afford a rebreather, a dive knife and an underwater camera. Heading below the surface she enjoys seeing bigger creatures, as well as more variety. She manages to capture a photo for her wall. It may be normal quality but she thinks it’s beautiful.

As she swims she thinks. Tuesday was so open and candid about her woohoo life. Marta seemed interested in what she had to say to. Maybe she is a prude if she doesn’t like discussing her woohoo life with anyone but Marta. But does Marta mind that? She knows Marta is naturally curious, so are they properly compatible?

Keira decides to go meet Marta at the end of her shift and suggests they talk.

Marta: Are you all right carino, you look upset

Keira: It’s just Tuesday. She was saying such explicit things and I worry I’m not adventurous enough for you

Marta: Surely you’re interested in how to increase our pleasure

Keira: Well sure but I'd rather have those discussions with just you

Marta: We didn't discuss what you and I do, did we? Our woohoo life is our business carino, I wouldn’t go sharing it like that

Keira: But you talked about the other women you’ve been with. I’m worried I’m not doing enough

Marta: Listen to me carino, and hear me. Te amo, I love you

Keira: Yeah

Marta: That is making the woohoo we share the best woohoo I’ve had. I trust you. Maybe we haven’t launched into the range of positions that exist but every time I’m with you, you leave me satisfied

Keira: Sorry for overreacting

Marta: Remember what I said, communication is important. I’d rather we talk through our worries instead of boxing them up

Keira: Our worries?

Marta: I... I saw him today

Previous Part ... Next Part

#sims 4 #the sims 4 #the sims #Rotation8 #ChangingPlumbob #NewGothHousehold #KeiraFoster #MartaRomero #AlexanderGoth #JamesGoth #MiltonGoth #JoeyYork #simblr #R0802

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i-hope-youre-hopeful · 4 months

Text

On Apocalyptic Meteorological events and other little oddities

A few days ago I saw a total solar eclipse. It was only one of the surreal and impossible to process moments I’ve had this week. The sky grew dark and the air got cold and the wind picked up and the world seemed as if it stopped moving to look at what was happening. People all over stood outside and stared up at the sky and birds congregated in trees and street lights around the park came on in the middle of the day. This is what it was like when you died wasn’t it? The world grew dark and cold for a moment. We all felt dark and cold for a moment. But then the sun came back out and the dead rose and the birds started flying again and the street lights turned off in the park and everything was different. How funny that a moment in a shadow feels like the world is ending. How foolish to think we are special because we witnessed something that happens all the time where we don’t bother to look. How small to be human. How strange to be anything at all.

Your creation is incredible and awe inspiring and beautiful and wonderful. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for this world.

Today I took my exit exam for school. I am officially allowed to graduate. I scored in the 95th percentile nationally, I think. I’m not 100% sure but I think that’s really good! I told my mom but she didn’t really care. She did a good job at responding as excitedly as she could, but she doesn’t feel much of anything positive lately. It’s not her fault, but I was kind of bummed because I felt so excited when I left the testing center and it dissipated so quickly when I told her. I didn’t tell Hunter because I didn’t want him to feel like I was bragging, or feel dumber because of what a know-it-all I am. I might tell my friends, I don’t know. It’s hard to know what to tell who. I did tell my dad though, and he said he was proud of me and that he was continually impressed with my abilities. My dad fails me just like all humans fail each other, but he really is one of the best people in my life at making me feel loved.

Tonight I’ve been having a hard time pushing away feelings of fear toward losing my parents. I love them terribly, and if I lose them I just feel like I won’t be able to go on. I know I’ll be okay, I always am, you always make sure I am. But days like today make me scared of the day when I can’t just text my dad and tell him about my good grade or pop over to my mom’s with Starbucks for a quick lunch before I head to Hunter’s. It makes me cherish this time I’m in even though it’s hard, and while I yearn for things to be better I fear for a future when they are not the same anymore. Thank you for giving me my family. Help me cherish them without holding them too tightly. Help me have peace in knowing I’ll have them exactly as long as I’m supposed to.

Graduating is real now. I’m really graduating from college. I’m really ending my time as a student, a role I’ve had most of my life. In a few days my cap and gown will arrive. A few days after that I will leave for Chicago to present my last research project with Dr. Drouin’s lab. A few days after that I will attend my very last lectures and take my final exams. I will hit “submit” on my last assignments, and say goodbye to my classmates for the last time. The next week I will walk through a sea of other graduates in a huge echoey room and hear everyone talk about what an accomplishment this is, even though I don’t feel like I did anything anyone else couldn’t do. And then a new chapter begins and an old one ends. I will start working at the Mirro Center, and start planning for my next steps to grad school, and start feeling that familiar unfamiliarity of a new place and new people. Everything that will be easy eventually will be hard first. I will carry a heaviness in my heart and a lump in my throat even as I feel accomplished and excited. So it goes.

I met James in real life the other day. He’s real! I’m real! We met in Plymouth and it was so surreal. We got drinks at a plant cafe, walked through the park, walked all over town, toured a museum, got lunch at a bar and grill, walked some more, went through an antique shop, drove to Kroger, and then I drove back to town and spent the evening with Hunter and Rachel and Kyle and John and Lily. It was a beautiful perfect spring day and we explored a tiny town which is one of my favorite things to do. It felt like spending time with anyone really. Like being with Rachel or Carissa. It felt nice and easy and happy. He questioned why I stopped in the middle of the grass and it made me realize he’s never known that I always look for four leaf clovers. He’s never had to know before now. i realized how I take for granted that my friends know things about me. Hunter always waits patiently while I hunt for clovers, and usually he helps me look. I love that he knows me. I got to see all the little mannerisms that I didn’t know James had and he got to see mine. I can’t believe I’ve known him nearly four years. What a blessing to have a friend.

It’s been beautiful outside lately. It’s my favorite season now. April brings me a feeling of refreshment and clarity and joy that no other time of year knows how to match. Of course there is the constant stress of being constantly busy and the unrelenting anxiety of things nearing an end, but that’s just how it be sometimes. It has been warm and sunny lately, and the plants are starting to grow colorful and the animals are starting to wake up and the world is coming back to life and so am I. I didn’t know if I would make it to another spring. I always do. I don’t know why I always feel like I’ll never survive. Thank you for the warm weather. For the sunshine. For life and rebirth.

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polizwrites · 2 years

Text

WIP Update - 22 Feb 2023

Back to a more normal writing week - I touched 9 fics ( 4 WIPs & 5 new works) for a total of 2744 words!

On Ao3, I posted: -- Chapter 2 of Make My Heart Come All Undone -- surfer(and selkie)!Tony & amputee!Bucky meet cute -- Clothes Make The Man - a Steve POV CA:WS missing scene drabble -- Tensegrity - MIT Era TonyRhodey mutual (unresolved) pining ficlet -- The Fist, Defeated - double drabble TFatWS flashback - Isaiah vs the Soldier

On Tumblr I posted: -- Down in the Hole (Some Emotions Are Hard to Hide) - Sam & Bucky mission ficlet with a dose of hurt/comfort -- Flying the Flag of Freedom - Part 2 - Pirate AU Captain Rogers & his first mate Bucky encounter a slave ship that might not need rescuing.

I have 12 active WIPs with my current deadlines being the February Ficlet Challenge, Bucky Barnes Flash Bingo 2023 and the Tony Stark Bingo (all ending 28 Feb)

See below cut for what I’m working on/planning to work on - arranged more or less by bingos/challenges/etc. As always, feel free to send me prompts or plot bunnies as well as asks regarding any of these projects or any other WIPs I’ve got out there. Interaction really helps feed the Muse and keep me motivated!

Bucky Barnes Flash Bingo 2023 [BBB_F23] (Ends 28 Feb)

The Bucky Barnes Bingo team (@buckybarnesbingo) is running a flash bingo this month - pick one of 5 premade cards (each with prompts starting from the same letter of his name) and create some new content to share!

I picked the U card and I’ve filled all 5 squares! Just need to get everything onto Ao3 so I can submit my fill forms.

* Ultimatum - used this in combination with the FFC23 Day 9: Soulmate AU prompt along with my Stucky Bingo Stark Tower prompt for The Words Engraved Upon Our Souls - a Stucky Soulmate AU ficlet with supportive (and maybe pining, just a little) Tony.

* Unlucky - Filled this with Come Again Some Other Day It’s an introspective piece with Bucky reflecting on how much he hates being rained on that came in at 527 words.

* Undone - Filled this with Chapter 2 of Make My Heart Come All Undone - No Powers AU featuring surfer!Tony (with a secret) and amputee!Bucky. I got a good start on this thanks to the FFF23 Day 1 prompt: Wave and have since finished the fic, which is coming in at 2191 words - will probably post the final chapter March 3rd.

* Uniform - filled this with Clothes Make the Man - a drabble where on the eve of Project Insight, Steve takes on a more personal mission.

* Underdog - combined this with last week’s Flash Fiction Friday prompt . [#FFF189 Who Are You] for a double drabble: The Fist, Defeated. The plan is to possibly add on more (possibly present day) to also fill my ACB Isaiah Bradley square.

Tony Stark Bingo - Round 6 [TSB_R6 (Ends 28 Feb)

22 fills with two bingo so far and three WIPs at the moment - with Vague Ideas for almost every other square. I am gunning for a blackout, tho will probably have to pull my Adopted squares in to make that happen.

S5 - James “Rhodey” Rhodes – a FFC 23 prompt “This is the last time I bail you out!” combined with my AvB Vulnerability square gave me the inspiration to finally write Tensegrity. Posted to Tumblr previously and now up on Ao3

* T3 - Pepper Potts/Rescue - Wrote up a partial remix of sabrecmc’s Indecent Proposal from Pepper’s POV after a quick re-read of Chapter 1 - An Indecent Proposal is coming in at 517 words and will get posted on teh 25th.

* T4 - KINK: Concubine - this is getting pushed to the next round in order to do the idea justice. 😔

* A1 - AU: Regency - finally cracked this with an outsider POV (Phil Coulson) of the events of To Tame a Werewolf. The Steward of Brookline Manor is completed at 707 words, after added to the initial draft posted on Tumblr to fill Day 13 of the FFC23 challenge. It will get posted on the 27th.

*A5 - Scott Lang - also getting pushed to the next round unless time/inspiration breaks free before the end of the month. 😔

* K2 - Secret Admirer - carried this over from last round so I could try my hand at a remix of Seeds of Love (WinterIron hanahaki fic by the super-talented @hddnone). Wrote two segments of this for the Flash Fiction Friday and February Ficlet Challenge events - am re-titling and combining them for Wraps Around My Heart (Refusing To Unwind) - which will either be a one shot or a one-chapter WIP. It’s coming in at 600-ish words and will post by the 28th.

February Ficlet Challenge [FFC23] (Ends 28 Feb 2023)

I’m participating in the @februaryficletchallenge, where two prompts get posted each day. You’re supposed to write a 200+ word ficlet within 24 hours and share it to the collection - I’m ending up using these as prompts for longer works to fill bingo squares, but am posting each ficlet to Tumblr as I complete it.

I’ve completed ficlets for the following prompts: (12 of 22 days)

Day 1: Wave; Day 2: Caught in the Rain, Day 3: “What’s up, Doc?”; Day 6: Pirate AU Day 7: Carnival/Amusement Park, Day 8: “This is the last time I bail you out!”; Day 9: Soulmate AU; Day 10: “Wet your whistle”; Day 12: Secret Admirer, Day 13: Vampire and/or werewolf AU; Day 15: Ice; Day 16: Out to Sea

Stucky Bingo Round Four [SB_R4] (Ends 31 May 2023)

Thirteen fills and one WIP with a couple of other vague ideas.

* B1 - Mutual Pining - no specific idea, but it’s so On Brand for me I’m sure I’ll come up with something! (maybe the Centerfold fic idea I’ve been toying with)

* O2 - Stark Tower - See BBB Flash Ultimatum above.

* N1 - AU: Fairytale - stretching this prompt a little to combine it with the FFC23 Day 15: Ice prompt for a double drabble. The Captain and the Soldier is vaguely inspired by The Snow Queen (Hans Christian Andersen).

* O4 - AU: Supernatural - got inspired by a dream to start a Stucky fantasy AU (magician!Steve/ensorcelled!Bucky) that @bill-longbow is collaborating on with me. We’re currently sitting at 1640 words (984-ish of which are mine). Will probably continue on this sometime in February/March. Current Last Line: "My men will accompany you back to Brookline in the morning.”

I also adopted the Writing Format: Remix one of your fics square – am thinking of taking one of my Stony or WinterIron No Powers fics and adapting it to a Stucky pairing – if you have any requests - hit me up!

WinterIron - No Powers AU – Stony No Powers AU

Avengers Bingo Round Four [AvB_R4] (Ends 2 June)

This time around the card is a 3x3, so am looking at writing different pairings for my two favorite Avengers - Tony and Steve. I have 2 fills completed and two WIPs, with a couple more ideas in play.

* A1 - Vulnerability - see TSB James “Rhodey Rhodes square above

* B1 - Unrequited Love - see TSB Secret Admirer square above.

* B3 - Mistaken Identity - I’m planning a third chapter of my Tony/Rhodey Western AU Decision at Sundown based on the ficlet I wrote to fill the “Wet Your Whistle” FFC23 prompt. The expansion will make both this square (and probably the fic itself) more explicit. 😁

* C3 - Dog Tags - seems like a good Steve/Bucky (or Steve/Sam?) square.

All Caps Bingo [ACB_R1] (Ends 30 Sep 2023)

This new bingo focuses on Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson as its main characters - paired up with each other or anyone else! I’ve got three completed fics, one WIP and two different ideas for the One Fill, One Bingo Challenge - see this Tumblr post for details.

* B2 - AU: Fugitive - I combined this with the FF23 Pirate AU prompt to write Flying the Flag of Freedom. I plan on expanding it to bring Sam aboard (so to speak) but need to do some more research first.

* G1 - Isaiah Bradley - see BBB Underdog above.

* O1 - “This is payback, isn’t it?” - combined this with the FFC23 - Day 7: Carnival/Amusement Park prompt for Recollection of Anticipation - Steve revisiting memories based on Bucky’s comment about the Coney Island roller coaster. It came in at 541 words and will be posted to Ao3 before this event ends.

* O3 - Pararescue Sam Wilson - may try to squish this into an expansion of A Rising Star - a previous Flash Fiction Friday fill.

Sam Wilson Bingo [SWB_R3] (Ends 15 Oct 2023)

Finally got my square incorporated into my Master Bingo tracking workbook and have one fill. I have a few squares I want to swap & will probably start tacking this and the All Caps bingo in earnest next month.

G1 - Rescue Mission - I combined this with last week’s @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt [#FFF190 Trapped in the Dark] to write a Sam & Bucky mission fic hurt/comfort ficlet: Down in the Hole (Some Emotions Are Hard to Hide) It came in at 525 words and will get posted to Ao3 sometime next month.

* G3 - Joaquin Torres - possible expansion of A Rising Star .

————

On other creative fronts: I have a Launchpad McQuack Stuffed With Character figure in progress - still working on the figures/props for my three Marvel Trumps Hate auction winners as well (7 of 8 done so far) – thanks so much for your generous support!! Finally, I am prepping for a superhero con in March and another con in June so am pretty well booked up through spring/early summer.

That said, if you’re looking for one of a kind gifts for birthdays or other celebrations later in the year, check out Stuffed With Character over on Facebook for a full list of my designs (now over 100!). They’re mostly Marvel and monsters, but I have some Star Wars, Star Trek, DC and Disney figures as well. Plus I love to take custom design requests for any fandom!

#writing stuff #WIP Update #WIP Wednesday #Shameless Self Promo

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stuffmyfriendssay · 2 years

Text

dead since the beginning - chapter 2

The second part of a multi-part thing? By me? Will wonders ever cease? I other news I had a great day today so this is probably a mess, but I'm riding the high so I'll worry about that later.

Chapter summary:

“Get Selene out and then run.” Eris had already turned to face the crowd of guards behind them, “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

And just like that, the legendary superhero version of Eris, the one he had been hoping to be saved by, appeared. Like in a movie, like a horrific, hyper-realistic movie, he heard a loud, grinding click, and, moments later, Eris’ hands were free. It would have been nice to go without the view of her thumb hanging out of pace, of the patches of missing–torn off–skin, but he was glad she was out.

It would really, really suck if she did that to his hands, though.

With another twist to her thumb, the click repeated, a sound more felt than heard. She moved towards him in the semi-darkness and he shuddered. Peering at the binding on his wrists, she twisted them this way and that, before sighing and moving away. James let out a breath of relief. No dislocated thumb for him, thank you very much.

Silently, she stalked to the door of their cell and stuck her arm through the bars. When she came back, she had a tiny yet wicked looking sliver of metal between her bloody fingers.

Silently, she motioned for him to turn around. He hoped his hands weren’t shaking too much, or at least that she wouldn’t cut him too badly if they were. Before he had even acknowledged the pressure of her hands against his, the ropes were slack around his wrists and Eris had gone back to the door.

Silently, she squatted in front of the handle, reaching to the lock on the other side, picking it blindly. She steadily grew less silent as she worked, hissing in frustration as her blood-slicked hands slipped on the improvised ‘pick’ again and again and again. One hiss came louder than the other. Fresh blood dripped onto the floor.

It took a few minutes, but, with a quiet click, the door swung open. The sound it made as it swung, however, wasn’t even in the same universe as ‘quiet’. If no one had been coming to check on them before, they certainly were now.

As James watched, Eris stood back from the door, stock still. She stared at it for a count of three before breathing once, heavily, and shrugging. The next time he blinked, they were own three corridors and the door was long forgotten.

The fear that the noise had brought him? Not so much.

James was glad he wasn’t alone as he followed Eris down a seemingly endless warren of turns. More than once, they came across guards. Mostly voices around corners. Each time, Eris would push him between her and the wall, holding her tiny piece of metal in front of them like a knife. Something about the set of her shoulders and the half-feral wideness of her gaze, made the makeshift shiv seem like it could actually work as a weapon.

Something made him think that anything could be a weapon in her hands.

“” “” “” “” “” “”

“How do you know where to go?” he whispered. They were crouched just out of sight of a pair of guards, whose animated voices carried the news of a fight from the night before. At first it seemed like any other conversation about wrestling or MMA, but the more he listened, the more little twinges in their words seemed out of place.

Eris had gone stiff in front of him. He repeated his question, “Eris. Are you listening?”

She didn’t respond.

It was becoming increasingly clear that the guards were talking about an underground fight ring. An illegal one. An illegal, very unethical underground fight ring. Prisoners, like him and Eris, forced to fight to the death for their entertainment. Just another reason to get the fuck out of this place. Just another reason to check they were going the right direction.

“Are you okay? Eris?” He nudged her gently in the shoulder and she flinched. Hard. Flattening herself against the wall, she took his wrist in a bruising grip and breathed slowly. Deliberately. Her eyes were wide open but flicking back and forth, staring in blind fear at something he couldn’t see.

The sound of the guards’ voices grew distant, and Eris seemed to come back to her senses.

“I’m good.” She shook herself out, standing again. Glancing at his wrist, and her hand clamped vice-like around it still, she let go, apologising, “Sorry. I’m good now. That was just… yeah.”

James decided quickly that he didn’t want to know. If it had made Eris this rattled… thought she wasn’t exactly having the best of days to begin with.

“It’s okay,” he said, even though it wasn’t at all, “It’s okay.” He paused. “How do you know we’re going in the right direction?”

“Selene. I don’t know if we’re going towards an exit, but we’re going in the right direction to get to her. Anything else doesn’t matter until then.” She glanced at him as if for confirmation, as if she was worried he would want to get himself out first.

“Of course.” The bond. That made sense. “Is she… is she okay?”

Eris didn’t respond,staring off down another identical corridor. The new pace was punishing. He didn’t know if it was better or worse that she likely meant it for herself rather than him. He didn’t know how much more punishment either of them could take in this condition.

And call him a cynic, but that seemed like a ‘no’.

How much pain was she in right now? How much pain was Eris in? He decided it was another thing he didn’t need to know.

They walked for what seemed to James like hours. Every corridor was identical to the last, every encounter with guards equally heart-stopping. Thankfully most only resulted in cramped calves from crouching.

One didn’t, though. One left slightly more than a cramp. Not for James, of course. Eris had decided to get him out in one piece, so that’s what was going to happen.

Consequences be damned.

He had seen her fight before, and whatever this was with the guard it was definitely not her fighting, not properly. It had always been brutal, always blunt and efficient and forceful. He had never seen her at the full extent of her skill, either, but she was always a thousand times better than this.

It looked horrible. She jerked through the motions, stumbling around the space. She ended the fight with an elbow drilled into the side of the guard’s head. The momentum took her to the floor along with him.

She always seemed to ignore the consequences to herself.

Panting raggedly, swaying on the spot, she tried to grin at him. It looked like a grimace. James was glad the guard hadn’t been a good fighter, glad the fight hadn’t demanded more from her.

He wasn’t sure she had anything left to give.

“” “” “” “” “” “”

They rounded a corner and met with a wall of blood.

It wasn’t a room so much as a wider section of corridor. Instruments of torture covered the walls, well-used and well-maintained, and half were coated in blood where they hung. A table stood in the middle of the space, the epicentre of destruction. More blood coated its surface. He stood frozen, half processing and half already repressing all of this into some dark corner where it would never be found again, when something brushed past him.

He started. The figure had moved straight to the centre of the space, muttering in a low, repetitive way. It was soothing, he supposed. The figure, Eris, probably, leaned over the table. It dripped blood. She fiddled with something on one side of the table, then the other, then two corners.

She flew back suddenly, two arms around her neck. James wondered distantly if his friend was being choked to death. It took a disturbing amount of time to realise that the arms belonged to Selene, that she had been the bloodied thing on the table. It took longer to realise she wasn’t strangling Eris.

His vision cleared a little at the sight of the girls hugging. They were crying too, sobbing without restraint into each other’s blood-stained shoulders. Quickly, though (disciplined), they moved apart. Wiped tears and sweat and blood out of their eyes and moved on.

They’ve done this before, James thought, relieved. Mounting horror slowly replaced the relief.

They’ve done this before.

“” “” “” “” “” “”

James could literally see an ‘exit’ sign on a hatch when the guards caught up to them.

He froze, once again, vision clouded over with imagined or remembered blood. Selene’s weight, deposited heavily on his shoulder, broke him out of his reverie. She had walked under her own power at first, but as the walk had dragged on, she had weakened, and Eris was left to half-carry her.

“What?” he asked, eloquently.

“I can’t carry her and get rid of these guys at the same time.”

“Huh?” Again, James, wow. Very speaking, much English.

“Get Selene out and then run.” Eris had already turned to face the crowd of guards behind them, “I’ll be right behind you.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but a groan from Selene cut him off. He didn’t have to like it–and he didn’t, his friend was about to take another beating for him–but Eris was right. Getting Selene out was what mattered. He dragged her as fast as he could to the ladder, pushing her up. He hoped he was exacerbating anything. He liked those sounds she was making even less than he liked Eris’ ‘plan’.

It took an age to reach the top of that ladder, to touch the sign that read ‘exit’ or ‘salvation’ or maybe just ‘it’s finally over’. Selene was in bad shape, too bad to carry herself upwards, but hopefully, hopefully good enough to walk once outside, hopefully okay enough. He shoved her, shaking, faster. He just needed to get out, get her out.

Eris was right behind them.

He hadn’t heard the sound of a fight, though. Shouting, sure, but no cries of pain, no thuds or crashes. He glanced over his shoulder.

She was just kneeling there. Hands behind her head. A picture started forming in his mind. She must have given herself up for them. Said they could have her if they let him and Selene go. Her mouth was moving, and she was looking him dead in the eye, but she wasn’t talking to him. It might be the first time he had ever seen such strong fear and relief on someone’s face at the same time.

He should’ve known she would do something like this.

“Eris!” She startled at the sound of his voice, as if she hadn’t really been seeing him before at all. “What are you doing? You said you were right behind us!”

She stared back at him for a second. Then at the guards edging warily past on either side of her. Then back at him. The relief in her eyes broke, fear and doubt and apology replacing it.

The guards started rushing past her, towards him and Selene on the ladder. She shouted in protest. He wasn’t surprised they had gone back on their word, and Eris likely wasn’t either, but she did not look happy.

And she wasn’t about to let them get taken back too.

She spun in place, leg trailing out behind her in an arc, taking a pile of guard straight to the floor. Her arms followed as she sprang to her feet, elbows out, aiming at throats and temples. For one glorious moment, it seemed like she really could do it.

But fatigue dragged her movements. She looked like she’d been through this fight ten times already, blood streaming down her hands and face. There were too many for any one person to fight alone.

He caught her eye again as she went down, imploring him to do what she had said, damn the consequences. Get Selene out. He felt bile rise in his throat, but it took less than a breath for him to turn his back on her, pulling at the handle of the hatch.

The sounds of the fight filled his ears now, grunts and shouts and impact after impact after impact. All hitting Eris. It was a brutalisation, really. A massacre, not a fight.

He had to get out, so that he could come back and get Eris out. This couldn’t be for nothing. He wouldn’t let it.

The twins couldn’t forcefully take pain through the bond, not like Eris could. He knew she wouldn’t push any of it onto them.

He glanced back and she wasn’t even trying to get back up now, just curling, barely visible under a sea of bodies, trying to protect her head as they kicked her and kicked her and kicked her and-

The hatch swung heavily open above him and all of a sudden he was pushing, screaming and crying, but heaving Selene out as fast as he could, he was pulling himself after her, yelling at her to run, not to wait, to get far away, he was coming.

He didn’t say anything about Eris. He was sickeningly glad she was too out of it to ask/

He got his elbows up onto the edge of the opening. Suddenly, he felt a hand around his ankle. He kicked it off, crawling up further, but two more hands appeared. They were strong, and pulling, and if Eris couldn’t fight these guys off, how the hell was he supposed to.

He really tried, though, honestly, he did, but Eris wasn’t the only one who was tired, and Selene couldn’t help him in her condition. Shouldn’t help him. Should be running already.

So he told her as much. Told her to run. And she looked at the guards, and she met his gaze, determined, more solid than he expected, and nodded.

She left.

He let himself be pulled down by the hands. He dragged the hatch shut behind him, turning the handle to re-engage the lock. All she needed was time to get away and get the others. A little time to get help.

He could get her that time. He only hoped it was long enough.

Eris would have to wait, but help would come. They could get through it. Together. They had each other, that was all that mattered now.

With his escape attempt over, he gave in to the hands and gravity and sagged to the floor. They put actual cuffs around his wrists this time, not rope. They dragged him away from Eris, who was limp in the guards’ grasp.

Away from her.

“Eris!” They could not be separated. He could not get through this if they were together, but if they were apart… He struggled against their hands now, but Eris didn’t react to his voice, and he couldn’t get free.

He was pulled around a corner, and Eris fell out of his sight.

“” “” “” “” “” “”

She raised her head slowly. A voice came from somewhere as if underwater, and she was almost certain it was saying her name.

James, maybe.

Hopefully not. He should be gone. She hoped he was gone. Hoped she was alone.

But she wasn’t. Through blurred vision, she watched as he was forced away from her, down another passage, back into the bowels of the building. Some thin thread inside her snapped. He hadn’t made it out. But Selene wasn’t with him, or with the guards. She had to have escaped.

The hands surrounding her started dragging her away from him. She didn’t fight them. It would be pointless to do so. She may as well say her strength for later.

Eris had told him they were getting out. And now that that little thread holding her instincts in check had been severed?

Well, now there was nothing standing in her way.