#the Hulk enjoying nature has been a long-standing thing but this is a new spin on it

[daydreamerdrew]

The Hulk (1978) #10

[jinxthequeergirl]

1-20 for Ash since he's your groovy boy.

I'M CRYING THE TERM "YOUR GROOVY BOY" MADE MY HEART MELT TO A PUDDLE (i've had a real shit day this is the only think keeping me sane) 

In other news i wasn't sure if you meant like 1 through 20 or like just 1 & 20 so i went with the first option just so i could talk about him more(1 through 19 cause two where pretty much the same) I also made sure to make sure this was as gender natural as possible so

Enjoy

1: Cuddling

Ahakakab

Ok firstly Ash?

Biggest cuddlier ever

He just loves the close contact

Spoon wise

He is the big spoon cause he feels like even when sleeping hes protecting you

He also likes two other ways

A: His head on your chest with your arms around him

Because lets face it he also deserves to feel safe and protected

B: facing you with yout limbs in a tangle

Cause he likes to look at/ admire you

You look so peaceful its one of his favorite sights

2: kissing + Favorite kiss

Ash can be a pretty rough kisser

Almost kinda like a "we might die and or never see eachother again so this is my last chance to do this" type of kiss

Sometimes you have to remind him slow down and that everything is ok and as it should be

When he remembers that hes a very passionate kisser

Like he kisses you slowly but just rough enough to be perfection

She said sighing wistfully

They can also be really playful

He'll dip you while kissing you

But also he peppers kisses all over your face while tickling you

his favorite kisses are french and neck kisses

3: Injured

He likes to make jokes about it

To lighten the mood

Just cause seeing you worried about him breaks his heart

But also to make himself feel better and help to not worry bout it to much

He secretly likes getting injured

You're always so sweet and gentel with him

And you give him special treatments ( ;) ya know what i mean?)

He also pretends he doesn't like it when you kiss his injuries cause its "childish"

But he loves it

When you are injured however its a completely diffrent story

Hes not as calm and collected as you can be

Hes angry, worried and very guilty

You can tell he blames himself because he doesn't crack any jokes like usual and hes always very quiet while he's trying to patch you up

"Kiss me better?" You ask

That makes him smile and he kisses your injuries softly just like you would

You don't blame him and you tell him that much

4:First Date

Ashely J. Williams is not

A fancy man

classy

Or a rich man

He's not one for flashy/fancy dinner dates

Your first date was some sort of take out

In his trailer

You actually really enjoyed it

Only because he made it enjoyable

After dinner the two of you kinda just laied on the floor and talked

Which was weird for ash cause he was more of a

Take someone on a date and get down to bussnies type of guy

But he actually felt connected enough to just sit and chat

5: First kiss

It happens on the hood of the delta on your second date

You where sitting there star gazing

Just talking again and when you looked over you saw him staring at you

"What?"

"Nothing...it's just...your so amazing.."

You only laugh at him

Before suddenly you felt his lips on yours stopping you

That was one of the first and only times hes ever taken his time kissing you

It was one of those gentel kisses that you just melted into

He cupped your cheek with his hand and his other pulled you closer

It was one where when he pulled away you chased after it not wanting it to end

*cheifs kiss* twas perfection

6:Training

Ash really did his best to keep you out of that part of his life

He didn't want any one else he cared about dying on him because of it

He loved you to much

But it came to a point where he decided it was better to be safe then sorry

He taught you how to use the boom stick

And you quickly became pretty handy with it

That along with teaching yourself how to use a series of other tools

Like knifes and axes

He found it really attractive to watch you work like that

7: akward moment

The first really akward moment between you was probably the use of "i love you" too soon

To be fair though everyone thought they where about to die

So when ash blurted "I love you!"

And found that you where still intact

It was slightly uncomfortable in the room for everyone when you responded with

"You've never said that to me before."

And nothing else

Not that you didn't love him back

You where just unprepared for it to happen like that

After avoiding eachother him mainly trying to play it off as if he didn't say that

And acting as if Ash williams never told prople he loved them

Once you finally git fed up enough with it you had to basically yell it back to him

He was very relieved and happy to hear it

8: Fighting

Fights can go one of two ways usually

One being no one gets anywhere ever in the argument

Your both so stuborn

And ash being ash who hates to admit when he's wrong and never owns up to his own actions

Just makes you more angry

Making the argument get heated further

This type of fight usually ends in an angry make out session where your both apologizing like crazy

The other way is again ash being ash

But instead making you cry

This ends the argument pretty quickly because the only thing that can make him own up to any thing is you crying

You tend to use this strategy a lot in order to keep him quite

But sometimes it can really make you cry

He always apologizes right away and pulls you in for a tight hug where he kisses the top of your head

And wipes away your tears

You both actually hate fighting and hate that it ever (though rarely) gets to that point

9:crying

Like I've mentioned before

Ash cannot stand the sight of his baby in pain of any type

Crying is one of the worst things hes ever had to deal with in his life

And hes delt with a lot

His only goal in life is to make sure you are happy, healthy and safe

He's also kinda shit when it comes to dealing with emotions

He won't ask whats wrong right away

Just kinda stand there awkwardly attempting to make you laugh

When and if that doesn't work he'll finally sit down next to you and put a protective arm around you and ask whats wrong

If you don't wanna talk?

Thats ok hes there when you're ready to

Hes not leaving any time soon until your happy again

He'll hold you close to him

Pulling you into his lap to hold you properly

And just lets you cry

When you do tell him whats the matter

Bet your ass that its taken care of right away

Cause anything that makes his perfect partner cry? Dosen't even get the right to exsist anymore

10: sleeping

You better believe ash has nightmares

And feels bad for waking you because of them

But you're very well aware it can be hard for him to sleep

So you are more than happy to stay awake with him for as long as it takes

Even if that means until the sun rises

Or you fall asleep in his lap hes ok with that its the thought that counted

Nights like that are nights when he likes to cuddle you with his head on your chest

You'll kiss his head, smooth his hair

And even sometimes talk or hum to him to calm him down

That usually does the trick of getting him back to sleep for a little while

Sometimes he'll wake up gently and find you peacefully asleep beside him

And he'll kiss your cheek, cover you up and lay back down

Cause knowing your still safe is enough to help him sleep too!

11: bathing/ showering

I don't think ash would get or understand the want and need for a bath

But if you can convince him to take at least one with you

Boom

Thats all he'll ever wanna do

Man has never once in his life had time to sit and relax

But this is something else

To have you with him to

Either sitting across him

Or laying against him makes it Much more enjoyable

Baths are very rare very special occasion things though

Showering is a more often occurance and also a spontaneous thing

And its a plus cause its not Always a sex thing with him

It can be a nice and romantic thing as well

Especially on rough days when he wants to relax in the shower but also talk

Your there to keep him company

12: First time

Honestly the first time was well into your relationship with each other

And it happened in the Delta

It wasn't like rough, extremely passionate or even a serious matter

It was More fun and... vanilla with lots of laughter

It was sweet

The purest form of sex honestly is when you can laugh and or talk during it

And you two being the two people you are

Plus car sex being a horrible idea to begin with

Made it all the funnier but better

I don't think ash ever knew you could actually have like legitamie fun doing it

Just another thing you helped him realize

His heart like seriously skipped a beat hearing you laugh the way you had that night

Yet another reason he knew he loved you

13: soft spot/ weakness

Ash's soft spots include

Tummy

Hips

Neck

Jaw

And that lil spot behind the ear but just under it

Kiss him there and hes Tapped out

Ashes weaknesses are

His partner just in general

If you've been with him this long

He warships you

Definitely an ass/leg guy though

Wear something reveling enough tonshow case both ass and leg

K.o.

14:Pregnancy/ Birth

You wouldn't ever have to worry about ash not wanti g to be a dad or not

So you'd tell him almost right away

Ash is gonna get teary eyed

He'll make some jokes

But he will get watery eyes

And you know how happy new dads get when they find out they are gonna be a dad?

That whole "I'm gonna be a dad!? I'M GONNA BE A DAD!"

Yea 100% ash

Hes lifting you off the floor and spinning you around cheering

About how theres gonna be a lilttle Ash jr. Running around

Hes definitely the kinda guy who likes to talk to the mommy tummy all the time

Bump or not

Everything is suddenly about the baby

Hes always on the look out for baby things

Buys everything

Hes probably the dad who wants to mix the parents names together and name the baby that

Which is kinda gid awful and you tell him that

If its a girl you agree to name her Cheryl after his sister

Which lowkey makes him teary eyes again

You agree to let him pick the boy name though

He jokes about picking names like...idk hulk or something

But you picked a meaningful name he wants to do the same

You can trust him with that much

When the baby is born

He almost refuses to let it go

Hes got that new dad worry/ slash haze

"Where are they taking them?"

"Are they ok!?"

Loses his shit when the baby does grabby hands and holds his prosthetic finger

Hes so proud of his new kick ass family

15:Touching

When ash touches you its usually soft, slow and gentle

No matter what

That’s it

He lets his fingers gently run across your skin

Mainly because 👏he 👏worships👏you👏

And you deserve to be treated like the holy entity he sees you as

He hold your hand firmly though as not to lose you

16 : Undressing:

Its either slowly piece by piece

Taking his time to do so

Or extremely fast

17 what “turns them on” :

ash is horny by nature 

do anything around him when hes in the right mood easy enough 

but other than that ash likes being in control of situations 

makes him feel powerful 

so give that man even the slightest bit of power and hes ready 

he also finds it supper attractive when you are in charge and calling all the shots 

18 domestic life 

once everything with deadits is finally over and is at peace 

the first thing ash does is marry you 

then moves you to Jacksonville Florida likes hes always wanted 

then thats where you would have your baby 

the both of you get good jobs 

send your kid(s) to good schools 

all of yours childrens friends love being around ash and hearing him tell stories 

19 farewell/ how they say goodbye 

he always gives you a good solid kiss 

before softly telling you to have a good day and to not miss him to much 

hes always extra careful to throw in one last quick peck on the lips or cheek before you leave 

[queenof-literature]

Could you please do a story on Ao3 about Warriors going through reliving the same day over and over again? Kinda like a Happy Death Day thing.

Hi all! I know that my poll had my Hero of Wild series next, but it has been so long since I updated a request and I feel so bad about that I just didn’t want to write any requests in the middle of moving so it didn’t feel I was putting less effort in. But now I’m sick so I have a little time. 

IMPORTANT: I’ve decided to put a new section on my Tumblr masterlist specifically for requests that will not be in my personal LU storyline. I love all of my requests y’all are so creative! I just enjoy putting my fics into my own personal timeline on my Masterlist when possible, and some requests aren’t going to naturally fit in. And that’s perfectly fine! I’m just going to put it in a different section :)

This one is shorter than usual so I’m sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy!

Thank you for the request anon! Here’s the link https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368114

Another day another brawl with infected monsters allied with eight other versions of himself. 

No Link even knew what timeline they were in, no one had claimed this one as their own. But something just felt… off. Sure it was a strange Hyrule, but no other Hyrule felt quite like this. It felt as if they were in some sort of limbo. As if time itself was molasses. 

Warriors absolutely hated this feeling. As a captain he was used to being on a constant move, going where he was needed from morning to late at night. It could be exhausting, but it was simply the life Warriors lived as a captain. He had to admit, relaxing with the other Links was actually enjoyable. There was just a calm aura that helped even Warriors relax. But this wasn’t calm, this Hyrule set the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. When he brought it up, the other Links had confirmed that they usually felt that way in a strange Hyrule. Warriors couldn’t explain that this was different, it wasn’t like other Hyrules, there was something utterly wrong. 

The woods resembled the Lost Woods of Wild’s and Time’s Hyrules. Although it was far less foggy, there was a mysterious mist that permeated the area. The leader in Warriors wanted to do something, anything, other than simply walk through looking for the answers to why they were here. But no matter where they turned, the woods never seemed to end. Warriors certainly didn’t appreciate that Legend and Hyrule were completely unfazed. Just what in seven hells have those two been through that this shit was normal?

Back to the matter at hand. Hylia was this fog in Warriors’ brain too? The monsters here were unnerving as well. Not exactly horrifying just… distorted. Everytime he glanced back at one their faces seemed to have shifted slightly. Everything in this Hyrule was simply off. And Warriors wanted to leave more than anything. 

“Wind!” Warriors heard Four scream. Scream. Four never screamed. Much to his absolute horror, Warriors now understood why. Some monster, Warriors couldn’t even call it its name it was so warped, had cornered Wind completely. His little brother, shield and sword tossed too far for him to reach, warped and disgusting creatures looming over him. No no no. Not Wind, Wind didn’t deserve to die like this. None of his brothers did. Hylia can’t do this. She can’t do this! Not Wind, not the little pirate. He was such a little shit, a tornado of foul language, innocent questions and bright outlooks. He was Warriors’ little pirate and he couldn’t die. Not here, not now. Warriors needed to protect all of them. He wouldn’t fail. He couldn’t!

“Wind!” Warriors yelled, the last thing he saw was Wind’s wide and terrified eyes, claws just above his heart. 

Another day another brawl with infected monsters allied with eight other versions of himself. 

Warriors didn’t know what was off about this Hyrule but he didn’t like it. It sent a chill up his spin, an uncomfortable reminder that something was off. He didn’t know why, and he also didn’t know why he was so concerned for Wind. Sure he always was, the kid was a talented fighter and a hell of a force to be reckoned with, but he was still a kid that Warriors appointed himself to look after. He needed to protect all of his brothers-in-arms. He needed to make sure they all made it back to their Hyrules, their homes, even if some didn’t have a home, they still needed to make it back to their Hyrules. 

But there was something about this place that made Warriors stay as close to Wind as possible without raising too many questions. Wind knew something was going on, and would most likely ask for an explanation later. Too bad Warriors didn’t have one. 

“Monsters!” Warriors heard a sharp call from Twilight. How had he not heard or seen anything!? Hylia this place was messing with his head. Warriors unsheathed his sword just as hulking creatures rushed in from the trees. Warriors kept a cautious eye on Wind as he rolled under the first to reach him, springing up and cutting his sword through the monster's back. These monsters were different, warped and shifting almost constantly. 

Warriors kept himself near Wind as much as possible. Something was wrong and it involved Wind. Warriors didn’t have time to question his instincts, he had learned that the hard way. The kid was doing fine on his own, but Warriors kept his eye on him while slashing through the pack that had decided to attack. 

“Hyrule!” Legend yelled, dashing towards the boy who had been disarmed. Just like that, it all came crashing down. This was familiar, this had happened. Warriors couldn’t breathe, what was going on? He failed, but he hadn’t failed yet. Why did he feel like he failed? His vision went black, the last sight he saw this time was Hyrule’s flickering magic. Wait… this time?

Another day another brawl with… oh shit. Warriors hated that odd feeling of remembrance that seemed to hit Hylians at odd times. No, it wasn’t just a feeling. This had happened? Warriors glanced around at his fellow Links walking down the road. Hyrule chatting with Legend, the older hiding a small smile at the other coming out of his shell more and more. Wild with Four, the two having a quiet conversation Warriors couldn’t hear. Sky and Time discussing strategy for their current situation. Twilight telling Wind about Epona, the young boy didn’t have horses in his Hyrule and Twilight was always happy to discuss animals. 

Everything seemed fine with them, besides the creepy Hyrule they were in. But Warriors knew something was wrong. What was wrong? 

“Monsters!” It was Sky who noticed this time. This time? The group all prepared their weapons, the trees shook as monsters came from the gaps. Warriors could only describe their faces as distorted. Where had he seen that before? There weren’t monsters like that in his Hyrule. Warriors charged forward, slashing across what he assumed to be the lead monster’s chest. Glancing over it seemed there were eight more monsters, one for each hero. A coincidence? Or something more sinister. A yelp rang through the battle and Warriors whipped around from above the monster’s corpse. There was Legend, a warped monster standing tall above him, sword raised. 

“Legend!” Warriors yelled.

“What?” Legend snarked. Warriors stumbled back, surrounded by the misty forest, and eight worried Links. 

“I-what? The monsters?” Warriors stuttered out.

“What? Monsters? Where?” Wind asked looking around, and a flash of big blue eyes looking above him in fear. Oh, Hylia! Wind had been cornered! And Hyrule!

“Wind! Hyrule! Are you guys okay?” Warriors asked frantically.

“What? I’m fine?” Wind reassured, Hyrule nodding along with him, Wind didn’t look defensive, he looked concerned. They all did, they were all concerned. Warriors was surrounded by worry and it was absolutely suffocating him. He shouldn’t worry them, he was a captain it was his job to take care of them!

“Warriors? What’s wrong?” Wild asked softly. Warriors sort of looked like him after a memory. 

“I don’t know!” Warriors shouted, not at Wild but at himself.

“Let’s take a break.” Time placated.

“No! They’ll get to us!” Warriors’ wide eyes turned to Time, and the Old Man could see how tormented Warriors was in that moment. Time had his back turned for a minute, what had happened?

“Who War?” Legend asked, concerned. 

“Monsters! They keep coming.” Warriors tried to explain but nothing solid was coming out. How could he? Would the other Links even believe him? Just as the group tried to continue questioning Warriors, a stick snapped. “They’re here!” Warriors called, unsheathing his sword, the others raced to follow his lead. But apparently, this battle was only the beginning. This time, it was Time, somehow his Biggoron sword had been launched across the clearing.

Next it was Twilight, throwing himself in front of Time. That would have been the second round of Time dy- of Time being defeated if Twilight hadn’t stepped in. It killed Warriors to see the shock and horror on Time’s face. 

Next it was Four, his bright eyes shifting through colors as the monster’s steel came down upon him. Whatever was dragging Warriors around through time like a ragdoll never let him stick around enough to let him actually see them die, or to even try and defend them. It just yanked him away, each time with more memories to use to try and protect his brothers the next time. Warriors stopped questioning it, he just wanted it to be over.  

The next time it was Hyrule again, he had healed Legend and had been too tired to completely defend himself.

After that was Wild, the boy had been surrounded by four monsters in one blink of an eye. 

Next was Sky, not even his expert swordsmanship could save him when he was surrounded by those things. 

Four again.

Twilight again.

Sky again.

Then it was Warriors’ turn. A million thoughts raced through his head in the moment he felt a dark presence behind him. Would this finally be over now that it wasn’t the others who were about to perish? Did Hyia not care enough for him? Warriors didn’t want to die, not here, not after all this. But it was better him than the others. They needed to make it back. The monster screamed and Warriors tensed, but felt nothing. Turning around just in time to see the monster vanish in a puff of smoke, whipping around Warriors eyes met Time’s. And for the first time since this whole thing began, Warriors saw complete understanding in Time’s eyes. 

“I know. It’s over now.” Time reassured, placing a hand on Warriors’ shoulder. Time wasn’t just talking about the battle, Time somehow knew something of what Warriors had been through. The man just seemed to get more mysterious everyday, but right now Warriors didn’t even question it. He was just relieved. He desperately hoped it was truly over. Warriors ignored the others calling his name and asking if he was alright, he just looked at Time. 

“Why? Why did it happen?” Warriors held back tears, the looks of desperation and fear on his brother’s faces wouldn’t stop flashing in his mind.

“I don’t know.” It was the first time Warriors had ever heard time sound so lost.

[littlesliceofmarvel]

That’s My Sister

 Request: Imagine request of being Tony's sister who is sarcastic brilliant way &who is a scientist who almost always has her head in a book when she isn't working or making fun of Tony and Steve develops a crush on her which Natasha and Bucky make fun of him for & want him to confess. And the reader get kidnapped & the Avengers go to save her since they have grown to love her, only to find out she saved herself since she is trained fighter & everyone is impressed but she's like 'i told you i was badass'?

Warnings: Mentions of blood

Pairings: Stark!Reader x Steve

A/N: It’s long, but like, Stark reader is the best, what can I say?

“You know, you really don’t need to doll me up, Nat,” you rolled your eyes at your red-haired best friend who was trying her best to do your makeup for one of your brother’s infamous Stark parties. You were pretty much opposite to your brother in every possible way. He was an extrovert in every sense of the term, and was constantly looking for an excuse to be around as many people as possible. You, on the other hand, loved nothing more than sitting on the couch, a good movie on the screen and a blanket keeping you warm. You loved your brother to no end, but sometimes he could be much.

“I mean, I don’t because you’re naturally gorgeous, but let me do it,” she smirked at you, placing a little bit of blush on your cheeks, looking a little proud of the work she did on your face. 

“I don’t even want to go,” you whined, sulking your shoulders slightly.

Natasha grinned at you, “Come on, don’t be boring, I need you as my wing-woman.”

You laughed, turning to face her, “You don’t need a wing-woman if you know he’s already interested in you,” she blushed slightly at your comment. Nat and Bruce had been getting close lately and you saw how much of a positive toll it was taking on the woman who had a hard exterior, softening her up quite a bit. She instantly became mushy and cute around him, and it made you so happy to see your best friend like that. 

“Whatever, let’s go,” she grinned, standing up, adjusting her silver knee length dress, pushing up her curls slightly before you stood up as well, checking yourself out in the mirror. Your hair was straightened and the black dress you wore really changed up your appearance from your usual jeans and t-shirt look. 

The two of you made your way to the top floor of the building, already slightly overwhelmed by the loud music and the amount of bodies surrounding you wherever you went. 

“Hey, you decided to get your butt out of sweatpants and actually be around people,” Tony’s voice sounded from behind you, making you spin around and face your brother.

“Hey, you decided to be a narcissist again and invite people over to make you feel better about yourself,” you smirked as he looked slightly taken aback, lowering his sunglasses even though we were indoors. At night.

“I don’t need your bullying at my party, (y/n),” Tony shrugged, walking away as you rolled your eyes, hearing a chuckle from beside you. You turned around and came face to face with Steve, who held a smile on his face.

“You know, we’d need your around more when Tony starts being too much to handle, you seem to be the only one who can knock him down a notch,” the blond grinned at you, making you chuckle slightly.

“I’d love to be around to deflate his ego every now and then,” you looked over your shoulder at your brother, who you did love dearly, but your little bickering contests with him were the best.

“It’s the first time I see you at one of these parties, what changed your mind about coming this time?” Steve asked, his eyes scanning over your face. If you were being honest, he made you a little nervous. Not in a bad way, but because he was so gorgeous and slightly intimidating. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue, and they really pierced right into yours when he talked to you.

“I’m Nat’s wing-woman, but she disappeared as soon as we walked in the doors, so I’m kind of useless,” you shrugged and Steve laughed, eyes scanning the room for the red head. 

“Well, I’m glad you showed up,” Steve smiled down at you, making your heart jump slightly.

The rest of the evening went alright, you didn’t stay too late, but you enjoyed the time you spent with Steve. The two of you talked about quite a bit and got the chance to bond over small things like history and your passion of the outdoors. You had become close to Steve in your time of moving back to New York four months ago, and you were glad that the two of you hit it off so well. You had Natasha, of course, and you loved her to bits, but being around Steve was such a sense of comfort. He was honestly part of the reason you attended that party in the first place, and now, two days later, you still thought back to the way he seemed to not notice anyone else in the room when the two of you spoke.

You were cut out of your thoughts when voices were heard down the hall of the tower as you sat on the couch, reading your favorite book for the hundredth time. One by one, the team piled in after returning from a day long mission, all looking slightly beat up but in good spirits, which gave you the feeling that things went right.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re in the same position as when we left?” Tony sassed at you, putting his sunglasses down on the table as Steve, Nat, Clint, Bucky and Bruce walked in, all grabbing something to drink.

“I wish I could say you look the same, but you look like you got your ass kicked, Iron Man,” you responded, looking back down to your book as you heard a low chuckle from a couple of the Avengers.

“Hey, um, (y/n), I could use your help for a quick second, actually, if you don’t mind,” Bruce smiled at you and you tilted your head to the side. You hadn’t been around Bruce all that much except for if you worked in the lab together. You had helped him improve some of the team’s technology and equipment, and it was something you loved doing. 

You stuck your bookmark in your place and closed your book, placing it on the coffee table and throwing the blanket off of you, getting off of the couch and shooting Steve a smile as you passed him, following Bruce to the lab. When you stepped in, he explained to you that he needed your help with his ‘stress-relieving potion’ which he called it. You had developed something for Bruce when the team was away once because he had trouble controlling his emotions to keep the Hulk at bay.

“I’m running low, so I was wondering if you could re mix some up for me,” he smiled shyly and you smiled, nodding your head. He sat down at a computer and got to work on something as you gathered what you needed, sitting down at a large table and slowly putting things together, the ingredients mixing together to form a liquid in which Bruce injected himself with when he needed to calm down.

THIRD PERSON POV 

"Well, I’m going to shower,” a grumpy Clint stated once he finished his glass of whiskey, his celebratory drink. The rest of the team agreed and one by one, they fled the kitchen, leaving Nat, Buck and Steve standing around decently bruised up. Steve filled up another glass of water, chugging it instantly as Nat chuckled at something Bucky said, the two looking over at him

“What?” Steve questioned, placing his glass down on the marble counter louder than intended. 

“Nothing,” Bucky said, hiding his face in his hair slightly to avoid the captain’s gaze. 

“C’mon, guys,” He pressed and Nat rolled her eyes.

“Bucky asked me if I thought you were going to take (y/n) out to dinner tonight to celebrate our mission, but I found that funny because you’re a coward,” she shrugged, picking up an apple off the counter. Steve could feel his face heat up but he didn’t show it, keeping his face neutral.

“Really? First of all, I’m not a coward,” Steve stated matter-of-factly, keeping his eyes on the smirking assassins. 

“You totally are,” Bucky laughed.

“Am not,” Steve crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his back against the counter behind him. 

“Then ask her out,” Nat shrugged, biting into the apple and looking over at the super soldier.

Steve had liked Stark’s sister for quite a while, but never made a move on her because of all the self-doubt and trouble he was filled it, wanting to keep that away from her. He also didn’t want to fight Tony. Again.

“No,” Steve protested, shaking his head. Of course he wanted to ask her out, more than anything. But to him, she was way out of his league and he feared losing her friendship if he crossed some sort of boundary. He didn’t want to ruin anything.

“Coward,” Nat pointed out, proud she proved a point.

“Fine,” Steve surprised himself by saying, his heart picking up it’s pace, “I’ll ask her out.”

YOUR POV

You were caught off guard when a hand was placed on you shoulder, causing you to jump and almost knock your beaker over.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Steve’s voice said softly.

You shook your head, “No, no, it’s alright,” you looked up at him and noticed a dark bruise under his chin and a decent sized cut above his eyebrow. He noticed you looking and gave you a smile to say ‘it’s alright.’

“So, what are you working on?” he nodded his head in the direction of the beaker you were working on, making you turn your attention back to it as well.

“Oh, um, I developed this serum for Banner to help keep his cool, I’m just topping it off,” you smiled, turning back to add a couple more drops to your mixture.

“How did you discover that?” he seemed genuinely interested, making you smirk, not taking your eye off of what you were doing.

“I know my chemicals and how they affect the body, so I figured it was worth a shot,” you turned back to face him and he nodded.

“She’s trying to be like her brother, obviously,” Tony’s voice broke your little moment with Steve as you turned to face him, noticing he also seemed pretty beat up. A black eye laid over the left side of his face as a busted lip made him grimace after speaking.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the one trying to be like me, I am the smarter one and the bigger badass, after all,” you smirked at your brother, causing him to squint his eyes at you.

“You only think that becau-”

He was cut off by the sound of gunshots firing through the building. Steve’s arm swung around you as the two of you ducked down, knocking the serum over, making you slightly upset. More gunshots were heard as the two men rushed out of the room to follow where the action was taking place. Bruce rushed over to you, eyes wide.

“You need to get out of here,” he shouted, eyebrows furrowed as he too ran out of the room. Your heartbeat picked up speed as this was your first time being thrown into a position of danger like this. You crawled along the floor, shots getting louder. You scurried, trying to find a place to hide. The windows of the lab shattered, causing you to freeze. 

“That’s the one, take her,” a voice spoke with an accent and before you could do anything, you felt hands grab your ankles and drag you across the floor. You felt the broken glass cutting you all over your body as you tried to kick your way out of this man’s grasp. His face had a mask on and his grip was incredibly strong, making you panic even more than you already were. 

Another man came up and lifted you by your shoulders, throwing a bag over your head and pulling you off the ground and over his shoulder. You lifted your knee and hit him in the stomach, causing him to kneel over slightly as you threw your balance to your upper body, causing you to tumble off of him and land on a piece of glass, feeling it slice through your thigh. You groaned and tried to lift yourself up, but before you knew it, you had been hit over the head and your vision went black.

-

Your eyes fought to open, your head pounding like crazy. You could feel the bruises forming on your body as you regained consciousness, realizing you had no idea where you were. You noticed the brick walls around you seemed to be falling apart, the cement floor covered in gross stains, making you feel like you were in some sort of abandoned factory. The smell of mold filled your nose and you held back a gag.

“Ah, she’s awake,” the same voice that threw a bag over your head spoke, causing you to spin your head and face the man behind the mask. Dark greasy hair and dark brown eyes caught your attention and you recognized his face from a picture Fury had showed the team about the mission they just went on.

“Yeah, I am, thanks for knocking me out,” you smiled sarcastically, fed up with the situation. You weren’t going to let these men know how nervous you were, wondering if your brother and the team were looking for you at the moment.

“You have your brother’s sass,” he spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice, making you grimace at his enjoyment of the situation.

Another blond man came up behind you and unstrapped your arms from the chair. You immediately felt the blood rush back to your fingers as you rubbed your wrists, dark bruises lining your skin.

“So, mind telling me what this is about, fellas?” You questioned, not wanting to dance around with the two greasy men in front of you.

The blond man laughed, “We don’t want you, we want your brother, we know he’ll come after you, and we want revenge.”

You rolled your eyes, suppressing a laugh, “Wow, of course, Tony’s the guy everyone wants but no one gets. You guys won’t get what you want, you’re a bunch of nobodies.”

Clearly, that comment pissed them off and you received a punch to the stomach, causing you to lean over and groan, struggling to catch your breath as you looked down, noticing the dark red patch of blood on your thigh from the glass, the feeling making you nauseous. You realized these guys only wanted to get to Tony and were clearly focused on waiting for his arrival, so you figured you were going to take a risk.

“Fine, if that’s how we’re going to do it, let’s do it,” you stood up off the chair and the two guys started launching themselves at you. You kneed the dark haired man in the stomach, elbowing the blond in the face as he came up behind you. You grabbed the gun from the blond one as he leaned back to hold his face, blood starting to trickle down from his nose. You turned to face the other man again, putting your hands behind his head and pulling his face down to meet your knee, grabbing hold of the gun and pulling the trigger, shooting him in the foot to which he let out a loud cry.

The blond grabbed you by the neck and leaned you over to deliver a blow to your face, but you twisted yourself around and grabbed him by the gross hair, pulling his head back, causing him to release his chokehold. You took the opportunity to kick him in a private area, taking the gun and pulling the trigger once again, hitting him in the abdomen as blood gushed out, resulting in him falling over on the ground with a painful yell. 

You turned your attention back to the other and fired the weapon once again, hitting him in the stomach. Your arms shook slightly from the backfire, but you looked down at the two men, bleeding out on the ground as the smell of iron replaced the smell of the mold.

“See, no one gets to him,” you shrugged and opened the firearm, dropping the remaining bullets, kicking them away and walking up behind the blond, the only one still conscious, and knocked him over the head with it, knocking him out cold. You dropped the gun and turned back to the large metal door on the other side of the room, and it was forcefully kicked down and you relaxed immediately when you noticed Nat and Tony enter the room, eyes wide.

“Took you guys long enough,” you shrugged, walking over to Tony who engulfed you in a massive hug, pulling away and freaking out when seeing the blood on your body.

“How... the hell,” Nat stuttered looking behind you at the two men on the ground, covered in blood. You gave her a wink as the rest of the team rushed in, sighing in relief when they noticed you safe and sound. You smiled at them, shrugging when they asked how you managed to fight these two men off.

“I told you I was a badass,” you winked at Tony who only nodded in response, eyes still wide.

“That’s my sister!”

The team helped you walk out of the building and you reached an emergency vehicle, letting them help you out with your wounds. Now that your adrenaline started wearing off, you were in a decent amount of pain and you were waiting for the drugs to kick in. You sat there alone until Steve walked over, taking a seat next to you, looking clearly flustered.

“Ok, I know this is a horrible time to do this considering the situation, but I need to ask you something,” Steve asked, sitting next to you at the edge of the ambulance as a nurse bandaged your leg up. 

“I have these feelings for you, and after today it made me realize that there’s a chance I could lose you, and I was worried sick and I want to protect you, and I just... want to know if you’d like to go for dinner sometime?” Steve rambled on, making you break out into a blush, trying to keep your heart calm.

“Of course, I’d love to.”

[flowerfan2]

Somewhere Only We Know - Complete

Bucky/Bruce, 9.5k, A03

Hope you have enjoyed my side trip into rare pair land.  If you’d rather read a Stucky fic, try this one:  Winds of Change (Bucky recovers… and runs into Steve in the last place he thought he’d find Avengers).

Even if this pairing isn’t your cup of tea, please reblog - maybe it will find its way to the small group of fans who want to read anything with Bucky in it (um, yeah, that would include me!)  (And this has a sweet letter to Steve at the end…)

Chapter Four (read from the beginning here)

Thankfully Sam and Natasha inform them that night that they’re taking off on another mission, and so Bucky doesn’t have to face Natasha’s know it all gloating.  He’s glad she was right about how Bruce feels about him, but he doesn’t need her to know it quite so soon.

 For the next few days, Bucky feels like he’s in a dream, or a rom-com montage.  Their daily routine doesn’t change much, but now when Bucky finishes his morning workout and finds Bruce for lunch, he’s greeted with a warm embrace. It’s amazing how it changes Bucky’s mood, knowing that Bruce welcomes his touch, whether it be a hand on his cheek as they kiss, or an arm around his waist as they walk down the street. They sit together on the couch to watch movies at night, Bruce massaging Bucky’s back, or cuddled up with Bucky’s head on Bruce’s chest, bare feet tangled together.  

 At night they still go to their respective bedrooms, usually after a make-out session that lasts just long enough to keep them both wanting more.  And oh, how Bucky wants… he’s dying to get his hands all over Bruce and tease that shy smile off his face.  But for now, this is perfect.

 The one morning Bucky comes out into their living area and finds Bruce perched on the edge of the couch, clearly waiting for him.  By the look on his face, he isn’t there to suggest a flirty coffee date.

 "Dr. Mubaru called,“ Bruce says.  "He wanted to know why you haven’t returned his messages.”

 Bucky stiffens.  "What did you tell him?“

 "I told him he’d have to ask you." 

"Oh.”  Bucky tries to make himself relax.  He has been avoiding Dr. Mubaru, no question, but he had hoped to continue avoiding him for the foreseeable future.  And the last thing he wants to do is talk to Bruce about it.

Bruce stands and rubs the back of his neck.  "I’m sorry.  It’s, um, a little awkward, him calling me as your doctor when we’re…“  

"It’s fine.”  It’s not.  It’s weird, but he still doesn’t want to talk about it.  Bucky searches for the right words to get him out of this, but all he comes up with is a lame “I’m late for P.T.”  He tries not to see the hurt on Bruce’s face as he books it out the door.

Needless to say, P.T. is less than productive.  Bucky goes at it too hard, pulls a muscle in his side, and his therapist ends their session early, frowning and sending him to take a hot bath.  Bucky pouts all the way back to his room, where he promptly throws himself face down on the bed and pouts some more.  After a few minutes he gets tired of smelling his own sweat and gets up to shower, but he can’t unscrew the cap of his new bottle of shampoo with one hand.  Turns out slamming it into the side of the shower head doesn’t work so well, either.

Twenty minutes later, he’s dripping on the floor of their little kitchen, glaring at the coffee machine with his towel around his waist, when Bruce comes in.  Bucky immediately hustles back into his bedroom, muttering something about needing to get dressed.  He takes as long as he can reasonably spend finding a clean tank and wrestling on some jeans, then pads back out into the living room to face the music, feeling lousy.

Bruce is at the kitchen table, two cups of black coffee in front of him.  His hair is disheveled, like he’s been running his fingers through it.  Bucky grimaces and sits down next to him.  This isn’t going to get any easier.

“You know why Dr. Mubaru wants to talk to me,” Bucky says.  It’s not really a question.

“I assume it has to do with your arm.”  Bruce is calmer than he has any right to be, and it makes Bucky wince.  It’s not great when you feel like you have the emotional capacity of a toddler compared to the man you’re crushing on.

“Look, I’m really sorry about before,” Bucky says, although he can hear that his tone isn’t quite sincere.

“Obviously this is a source of anxiety for you.”

No shit.  "Could you maybe act a little less like my doctor, here?“

"How would you like me to act?  Like the guy who you stormed out on this morning?”  Bruce’s voice is still calm, and it’s pissing Bucky off.

“Maybe that would be a little more honest, yeah.”

“If you’re waiting for me to get angry, to justify getting angry back and shutting me out, it’s not going to happen.”  Bruce puts a spoonful of some natural sweetener that Bucky has discovered doesn’t taste at all like sugar in his coffee and stirs it.  "I can’t get angry.  And I certainly am not going to get angry at you for acting less than politely when challenged about a stressful situation.  But it would be nice if you could remember that I’m on your side, here.“

Bucky simultaneously feels like he wants to throw a chair through the window and like he’s about to cry.  He turns to Bruce, ready to toss a snappy retort back at him, when something in Bruce’s face shifts.  Before he knows it, Bruce’s arms are around him, holding him close.

It takes Bucky a minute to get with the program, but then he sags against Bruce, breathing in the scent of his herbal shampoo as he presses his face into his neck.  "I’m really sorry,” Bucky mumbles.  "I’m a fucking idiot.“

"You’re not an idiot,” Bruce says, rubbing a hand in circles on Bucky’s back.  "It’s okay.“

"It’s not,” Bucky protests.  He squeezes his eyes tight, and feels his chest hitch.  He wishes he could wrap <i>two</i> arms around Bruce, and the thought just pushes him closer to the edge.  

Bruce threads his fingers through Bucky’s wet hair and doesn’t say anything about how Bucky is struggling not to cry, which Bucky appreciates almost as much as the way Bruce holds him so gently, like he’s something precious rather than a moody former assassin lacking any purpose in life.

“Want to watch a movie?”

Bucky blinks up at Bruce, realizing that he no longer feels like bawling, and that they have apparently been clutching each other at the kitchen table for ten minutes or so.  Not surprisingly, his pulled muscle still hurts.

“A movie?”

“Sure.”

It’s not even lunchtime.“  Bucky realizes the inanity of this argument as the words leave his mouth, but he figures Bruce will get it.  They usually don’t watch tv in the middle of the day - in fact, Bucky should really be heading to the gym about now.

“That’s okay.”

"You don’t want to talk about…?”  Bucky asks, shrugging his metal shoulder.

“If you want,” Bruce says noncommittally.  "Or, movie first, discussion about significant trauma later.“

Bucky snorts out a bitter laugh.  "I’ll snap out of it.  It’s not that big a deal.”

Bruce looks at him like he wants to wrap Bucky up in a blanket and keep him there all day, which, come to think of it, is kind of what he has just suggested.  “What?”

“Bucky, don’t ever let anyone tell you that.  Including yourself.  It is a big deal.”

For a moment it feels like Bruce is staring straight into his battered soul, and Bucky wants to duck and hide.  Because having to make a choice about what to do with his missing metal arm has him paralyzed.  When he thinks about it, his brain spins in circles.

Why should he get a new arm? Is it really necessary?  As Bucky is now, as he’s been since he came out of cryo, he’s still an enhanced warrior.  His skills are undeniable.  And it much as it sucks, not having two arms, he wonders if maybe it’s his due.  If he doesn’t deserve a replacement for the arm that made him into a deadly weapon, especially not the powerful vibranium model Dr. Mubaru has engineered for him.

He can’t imagine why the world would want to give him back such a weapon.

Bucky shakes his head and focuses on Bruce, who is still gazing at him with concern.  “Yeah.  Whatever.” He stands up and inclines his head towards the living area.  “You’re right.  A movie sounds good.”

Bruce nods and holds out his hand.  Bucky lets Bruce lead him over to the couch and pick out a movie, not trusting himself to say anything more.  After a few minutes he lies down with his head on Bruce’s lap.  Bruce pulls a blanket over them both and combs his fingers through Bucky’s hair.  It’s incredibly soothing.  Bucky closes his eyes, focuses on the feeling of safety and comfort, the warmth of Bruce’s leg under his cheek, and falls asleep.

Later, after dinner, in the middle of a conversation about whether to walk down to the new shaved ice place Sam told them about, Bucky suddenly can’t keep it inside any more.  

"I don’t know if I want it.”

Bruce doesn’t ask what he’s talking about, just takes his hand and threads their fingers together.

"I don’t know if I <i>should</i> have it,” Bucky goes on, his voice trembling.

Bruce looks at him with sad understanding.  "You’re not obligated to.“  He puts a hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder, follows it down to the temporary cap.  "You can stay just the way you are.  But don’t say no just to punish yourself.”

“Without the arm… it’s safer.”

“Your arm isn’t responsible for those killings.  Neither are you.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Bruce looks at him steadily, and for a moment Bucky wonders if the Hulk is in there too, weighing in on the question.

“Are we still talking about you?” Bruce asks.

Yup, the Hulk’s in there.

“Is it the same thing, though, you and me?”  Bucky asks.  "‘Cause I don’t think it is.  I’ve got a choice, now.  Shouldn’t I use it?  Shouldn’t I choose not to have a weaponized prosthetic.“

"I don’t think they built lasers or anything into it,” Bruce says, with a touch of humor, before his voice takes a more serious tone.  "The arm isn’t the weapon, and you know that.  And… no, you and I aren’t the same.  Not exactly.  I can’t choose not to have the other guy be a part of me.  I tried, and it didn’t work.  But I can choose to do everything I can to control what he does.  I can choose to stay home, when battles are being fought.  Or I can join in.  Those are the kind of choices that matter.  And you can make them now, however you want.  Having the new arm or not isn’t going to change that.“

Bucky shakes his head. “So you’re saying I’m always going to be the Winter Soldier, no matter what I do?”

Bruce looks pained. “No, Bucky.  You’re not the Winter Soldier at all.  That wasn’t you.”

Bucky taps his metal shoulder.  “Evidence says otherwise.”

“You can get rid of it all, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Bucky feels a tremor run through him.

“The metal.  I studied your scans, came up with a plan, before you woke up.  There’s enough of your body left under the shoulder casing, if you wanted to remove all the metal plating.  It would require several surgeries, some skin grafts… probably result in some weakening of the area, at least at first.  There’d still be significant scarring, but you should retain function, and the muscles can be strengthened with rehab, although not necessarily up to your former strength.  We could actually do better if I got Dr. Cho involved – she could likely rebuild some of the lost skin and tissue and heal some of the scars, but I didn’t want to contact her without your permission.”

Bucky clutches his metal shoulder, flexes his muscles underneath.  Thinks about how it would feel to have skin there, on his chest, too, instead of cold metal.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I gave my results to Dr. Mubaru.  I figured he’d tell you when you talked to him about your options.”  Bruce huffs out a laugh.  “I didn’t realize you were avoiding him.”

“Bruce.”  Bucky stands up and paces around the kitchen.  “Shit.”

“You don’t have to decide now, Buck.”

“I know, but…”  Bucky takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, running his fingers over the metal on his chest.  “I didn’t think…  I could be normal, again.  Less of a monster, or a robot. Less of what Hydra made me.”

Bruce comes over to Bucky and puts his hands on his shoulders.  Bucky stills, thinking about the different way Bruce’s hands feel, on his skin and on the metal.  

“You’re perfect the way you are,” Bruce says softly.  “This-“ Bruce places his palm over the metal on Bucky’s chest, slides his fingers under his tank to touch the edges of it where his skin is thickly scarred, “this doesn’t mean anything.  It’s just surface.  It doesn’t change you.  And you, Bucky… you are strong, and brave, and altogether the most amazing person I know.”

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut, overwhelmed.

“But if you want to be rid of this, just say the word.  I’ll help you.  Or – if you want the new arm, I’ll be there for that, too.  Whatever you choose, I’ll be there.”

“Will you come with me to see the doctor tomorrow?  I think he’s been looking for me.”

Bruce smiles.  “Sure, I’ll come with you.”

Bucky leans his forehead against Bruce’s, and Bruce’s arms go around his back.  He feels Bruce’s breath puffing against his skin, and shuffles closer, his hand coming up to cup the back of Bruce’s neck.  Bruce tilts his head and brings their lips together, softly at first, then with more intent.

They kiss for what seems like forever, Bucky getting more and more worked up.  He runs his hand down the front of Bruce’s chest, around to his back, and then slides it up under his shirt.  Bruce is doing the same to him, and soon both of them are twisting and pulling off their shirts, then pressing back together, skin on skin – and metal on skin, but Bucky even doesn’t care at this point.  Bruce clearly doesn’t, and Bucky just wants Bruce close any way he can get him.

Bruce finally pulls back, breathing hard.  “Bedroom?”

Bucky grabs his arm and they practically run into Bucky’s room, slamming the door behind them. Bruce climbs up on the bed and pulls Bucky after him, and they land in a pile, arms and legs tangled together.

Bruce squirms away from Bucky for a moment with a laugh, taking his glasses off and placing them more or less carefully on the night table.  Bucky crawls over Bruce while he’s turned away, kissing up his back and nipping at his shoulder.  The position puts Bucky’s hardening cock almost directly over Bruce’s ass, and Bruce rocks up into him, the pressure making Bucky gasp.

Bruce flips on to his back, and the look of pure delight on his face floods Bucky with happiness. “You’re fucking amazing,” Bucky murmurs, peppering his face with kisses.

“What’d I do?”  Bruce slides a hand down to Bucky’s ass and tugs him closer, letting Bucky know he’s not the only one fully committed to this particular activity.

Bucky gets his hand into the waistband of Bruce’s drawstring pants and tugs.  “Off?”  Bruce raises his hips and lets Bucky do the honors, Bucky grinning as he brings Bruce’s boxers off with them.  He kneels on the bed for a moment by Bruce’s feet, enjoying the view.

Bruce squirms a little, shy all of a sudden, and Bucky doesn’t waste any time taking off the rest of his own clothes (somehow this time having just one hand doesn’t slow him down too much) and flopping back down on the bed next to Bruce.  They’re both on their sides, smiling like dopes, and Bucky rubs his nose against Bruce’s.  

“I’m really happy,” Bucky says, filter completely gone.  He runs his hand down Bucky’s side, to the jut of his hipbone, and back up again.  

Bruce doesn’t make a joke about how he can tell just how happy Bucky is, just kisses Bucky, long and deep.  “Me too.” Their kisses turn sloppier, more desperate, and Bucky throws a leg over Bruce’s hip, bringing them even closer.  

Bruce shifts them, pushing Bucky on to his back, and kisses down his neck, stopping to suck and tease, and then drags his mouth down his chest.  When Bruce latches on to a nipple and gives it a little tug, Bucky moans with pleasure.  Bruce keeps it up until Bucky is peaked and hard, then does the same to the other one. Bucky is trembling all over, clutching at Bruce wherever his hand can reach. He feels like he’s soaring.

Bucky wants to explore Bruce everywhere, maybe do the same to Bruce’s chest, but Bruce has other ideas. Bruce rolls them to their sides again and gets his hand around both of them, and Bucky decides he’s going to have to save worshipping Bruce’s body properly for another day.  Bruce gets a rhythm going, stroking over and over, with just the right amount of friction.  His breath is hot and damp as he pants into Bucky’s neck, and he’s making little incredible noises of appreciation.  Bruce’s hand on him is a little dry at first, but not for long, and soon they are both crying out as they go over the edge, one after another.

Turns out Bruce likes to cuddle after sex, too, and isn’t that just the most wonderful thing.  Bucky would think he’s died and gone to heaven, but his past near-death experiences haven’t been anything like this good.

Six months later…

 Dear Steve -

 Sorry if this is a little rushed, T'challa just told me he could get a message through to you if I got it to him in the next twenty minutes.

 First of all, I can’t believe you told Sam to get "the deets” on me and Bruce.  Catching up with the times is one thing, sounding like a frat boy from a bad movie is quite another.  But even though you’re a dork, I’m gonna answer your question.

 Things with Bruce have been, and continue to be, awesome.  He teases me about falling for an older man, although we can’t really agree on which of us is older.  Thanks for helping me get that book on Asgardian meditation practices for his birthday, by the way.  From the look in his eyes you’d think no one ever gave him a decent birthday present.

 In answer to the question you asked in your last letter, I think for now the answer is no.  I’m training and staying in shape, but I’m not ready to commit to fighting any bad guys right now.  T'challa is having me spar with his soldiers to expose them to some different fighting styles, and I’m working with his sharpshooters, but I’m also getting kind of addicted to Wakandan yoga.  And Bruce is enthralled by the research facilities here.  It’s kind of nice to have this time just to be together, without any life threatening events adding unnecessary drama.  Get back to me in a year or so, and we’ll see.  (Of course, if you actually ever really need me, you bet your ass I’ll be there.  Just send an interplanetary pigeon or something.)

 Try and make it home sometime, pal.  I miss you.  And Bruce makes a tofu curry that’ll knock your socks off.  

 Yours always, 

 Bucky

[laughinglistener]

The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat

(The Vampire Chronicles, Book Two) By Anne Rice

Format: Audiobook Narrator: Simon Vance Length: 21 hours & 41 minutes Genres: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural Take a Peek:  Audible  |  Overdrive  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Goodreads

Story Rating: 4 Stars Performance Rating: 5 Stars Overall Rating: 4 Stars ★★★★

My journey into the Vampire Chronicles continues with round two. Man, so far this series has the ability to overwhelm me and push my thoughts towards the existential like no other book ever has. After my intense love affair with Interview With A Vampire a couple weeks ago, I was hesitantly curious about this sequel. I hated Lestat so much the first time around, I wasn’t sure if I could stand a whole novel told from his perspective. To my surprise (though I shouldn’t have been because Anne Rice is a genius) I really loved it and found this prequel/sequel really fascinating.

via GIPHY

THE REHASH

The story begins a decade-ish after the first one ended, in the 1980s. Our favorite vamp has been “sleeping” underground for quite some time, but is stirred at the new sounds of life happening outside. Upon his wake, the obvious progression of civilization overwhelms Lestat and he is curious about everything around him; clothing, music, religion, pop culture, politics, books, philosophy… You get the idea. He loves this new age where people are free to express themselves and everyone accepts it without batting an eye. The societal rules that once held him back no longer apply and he decides to take advantage this, hunting down a rock band he enjoys and confronting them. Lestat reveals what he is and promises to make the band rich if given the chance. They don’t believe him, of course, but compliment the clever choice of name for his little “act.” This only confuses Lestat and he asks what they’re talking about, only to discover that Louis helped write a book that told their history to the public. He’s completely shocked. Without even trying or knowing, Lestat has become the most famous vampire in history—mostly because he was a big douchebag.

In response, Lestat immediately starts penning his own novel and we dive head first into his origins. It opens with him Hulking out and killing a pack of wolves that had been terrorizing his village. Everyone is extremely grateful that he had the courage to kill them and even bring gifts in gratitude. One of these gift givers is Nicolas de Lenfent, nicknamed Nicki, who was shunned from his wealthy family when he devoted himself to learning the violin. As a secret aspiring actor, Lestat is immediately intrigued by him and his mother Gabrielle encourages her son to make a new friend. After their first dinner, the two are inseparable and even become lovers. Eventually they decide to hit the road to Paris where they will be free to live out their dreams, but Lestat is hesitant because of his mother’s failing health. Gabrielle knows that she’ll probably be dead soon, but she still tells Lestat to go and be happy and live as much as he can for her. With her blessing, the two go to Paris and create a new life performing with a theater troupe. Lestat is finally happy, so obviously that’s when a random old-man vampire comes to his room and steals him away.

Without much preamble or warning, Lestat gets changed into a vampire. And since the poor guy isn’t confused enough, his maker then immediately kills himself by walking into a fire—So. Not. Cool. He’s left with little instruction or help and relies mainly on his instincts as a guide. Despite being warned to stay away from his loved ones, Lestat can’t seem to help himself and uses his new inherited wealth to shower them with gifts. Gabrielle is ecstatic and happy for her son’s forturne while Nicki is….. not. He doesn’t understand why Lestat left and is very bitter, which is torturous for our narrator. In the end, Lestat can’t stay away and eventually visits his theater troupe friends, including Nicki, who welcome him back with open arms until they realize he’s not quite human anymore. At the same time, Lestat’s mother Gabrielle takes a turn for the worse and surprises her son with a visit to see him one last time. Initially he tries to hide his vampy-ness, but can’t stand the thought of watching her die and offers her eternal life, which she very quickly accepts.

To make a very very very long story short, after Lestat turns Gabrielle and eventually Nicki too, they face great adversity that drives wedges between them all. Armand and his band of religious vamp-followers are not happy with how they’re conducting themselves, and eventually split Lestat’s coven apart. He is completely miserable and hopeless, finding brief relief with an ancient vampire named Marius, before he’s forced to leave him too. This horribly bitter state is how he finds Louis, and the rest we already know.

In the epilogue, we finally get to see Louis and Lestat reunited, giving me warm-fuzzies that I didn’t know I wanted until it was already happening. Plus, we get to see Lestat play a stadium show with his now famous rock band and it quickly turns sour when pissed off vampires decide to attack. Until next time…

THE GOOD

*Opens mouth. Closes it. Opens it again.* ……….Well. Hmmm. A lot to ponder this time around.

If I had told myself at the end of Interview With A Vampire that I would ship Louis and Lestat AND hate Armand’s guts by the end of this one, I would have laughed in my own face. No way. But somehow Anne Rice managed to completely turn my own opinion and I can’t help but like Lestat’s character. I’m not entirely sure when the switch got flipped, but I find myself at the end of a transformation I didn’t even know was occurring. In the first novel I wanted to wring his neck. Now whenever he does anything vaguely evil I laugh like I’m watching a mischievous kitten.

“Oh Lestat! He’s so CUTE when he’s trying to dismantle the entire vampire structure!”

During the first novel, I fell so hard for Louis with his big heart and brooding nature that I hated Lestat for him. To me, it seemed completely logical that Louis and Claudia tried to kill Lestat by setting his ass on fire. So you can imagine my surprise when Lestat manages to undermine the ENTIRE first book in a few short sentences, saying Louis has his own perspective on events and conveniently omitted all the good times they had together. Lestat even goes on to explain some of the horrible things he did, somehow making it okay. It was a brilliant move on Rice’s part that left me completely speechless with a burning need to re-read the first novel again.

And this is a little macabre to discuss in a lighthearted book review, but I would feel remiss not mentioning it. I have never had my own fear of death described quite so accurately before. It struck a chord inside of me. Fear of death is something we all share, but it’s a vast, baser kind of terror that’s hard to grasp or put in words and I think Anne Rice captured that fear amazingly. Somehow, after reading this, I feel like I have a better grasp on myself—like I know that part of me a little better. That’s both good and bad. I think everyone would rather remain in blissful ignorance when it comes to death, but it also made me feel not so alone.

THE UGLY

Similarly to Interview With A Vampire, this book felt looooonnnnnnng since Rice shoves hundreds of years into a few chapters, but it’s lenth was a little more tedious this time around than it was before. Despite the whole being-an-immortal-vampire thing, I can see a lot of myself in Louis, which played a big role in winning me over the first time around and put a positive spin on it’s long length. I was just happy to be spending more time with a character I really cared about. Even after Lestat won me over in this second book, I wasn’t invested and held him at a distance. My attention wasn’t completely captured and tended to drop in between major plot points.

Plus, it didn’t feel like I was reading about the same Lestat. The Lestat in this novel felt completely different than the one I experienced before. Maybe that’s because my feelings for him changed so drastically, or maybe this was done on purpose since the first book is in Louis’s perspective. Whatever the reason, it felt like I was reading a story about some other completely different vampire. It wasn’t until his reunion with Louis at the very end that I connected the two Lestat’s together in my mind. This is probably my problem and no fault of Rice’s and I might solve it for myself by re-reading the first novel, but I wish there had been a better way to bridge the gap between the two.

FINAL WORD

Personally, I just don’t think this book is as strong as the first one, but it’s still a good read. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you think—it has everything! I would definitely give this a try if you loved the Interview With A Vampire as much as I did.

The Vampire Lestat was originally published on Laughing Listener