#the way it took me a whole few secs to realize the reporter was talking about facial hair

[frogaroundandfindout]

Gotham Knights #11

[fichtner-fics]

More Than This (Alex Mahone)

Request: Could you do a Alex Mahone x Reader love/hate relationship? And a angst/fluff? (They end together)

Warnings: swearing, argue, mention of blood and death

A/N: I got my first request for a story, yay! Thank you so much, dear anon!! To be honest, I have NEVER written fighting/arguing scene in my life, I guess because basically I’m a conflict-avoiding type-o-person. I hope it’s not that terrible, and you had something like this in mind. 🥺 Tell me what you think. ✨💕 [well this came out longer than I expected, sorry😂 ; GIF’s not mine]

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - 

We were working on a long and difficult case in the office. It started for 3 weeks now, and though we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the great breakthrough, the final piece, the last clue was missing. We got that on one afternoon, to be exact, a phone call came in to Alex Mahone’s office, who was the leader of our team.

To be honest, I had no clue where we were with him. We had the potential to fight even about the tiniest details, but we shared some great laughs and kind moments as well. These few times were just enough for me to completely fall for him. His beautiful blue eyes mesmerized me, his smile (when he smiled at least) was wide and honest, and he looked just breathtaking in his sunglasses. I was his inferior for three years now, just enough time for develop strong and desperate feelings. This was the reason why our arguments broke me every single time.

When the call came in, Mahone immediately gathered us in the common room to give us some vision how the raid was going to take place. Everybody got their tasks in order, and I wasn’t too nervous when he left me for last. Much more when it turned out why he did that. Alex asked me to stay in the office just to hold the fort, as he said. I got some pity tasks like follow them on the radar, stay in touch with the center, but come on, they were going to the field. At first I hadn’t found my words, and when I was ready to reply angrily, they were far gone and I was left alone – for about the seventh time in the past one-and-half or two years. Alex just didn’t let me go to the field – and this was one of the main reasons why we were fighting about the most.

Today was the moment when I got enough. I took the keys of my car, got in and headed straight forward to the abandoned storage where they were assuming the location of our suspect. After my arrival and check-in, things happened fast. At the first moment I was walking quietly in the subdued light of a corridor, and at the next I suddenly heard Alex’s scream, then he jumped, pushed me to the ground and some shots were fired too. I realized only several moments later, when he asked for ambulance in the built-in microphone of his vest, that he saved me from the bullet of the killer. He didn’t left me alone but he didn’t talk to me either as we walked down the corridor. My hands were shaking, my shoulder on which I landed was on fire, and he gave a shit about me. Halfway we met the medical team. Alex told them in a few words what happened, then he left us alone – and me, broken.

  After being showed out by some medical technicians, I was given a huge aluminium foil against the cold and the potential shock. They checked my blood pressure, my pupils, and an ambulance man examined my shoulder too. I couldn’t really move my left arm, but at the time that was the last thing I cared.

My eyes were following Mahone as he walked up and down in the parking lot, while speaking on the phone. My heart was aching even more than my shoulder. I cursed myself for all the things I felt for that man, and at the moment I hated everything. I hated the way he could weaken me so that I’d give anything for him, his shiny, beautiful ocean-blue eyes, that could see right through anybody, that could burn in anger and even laugh sincerely when his lips were laughing too.

I thought if I follow them, though I act controversary his demand, the help would be greater, that nothing matters what were before – who the hell would have thought that it could turn out this bad.

When Alex finished his conversation, my heart jumped. I truly hoped he cared enough to come and check on me, but that didn’t happened. I got enough, stood up and walked to him.

  “I don’t want to talk to you” he said coldly when he saw me, not even looking into my eyes. I literally froze.

“Excuse me?” I asked back, but I was too late. “Alex, for God’s sake, would you listen to me for just one time? Please?” I yelled firmly as he turned his back on me, as he did for millions of times. He stopped for a sec, and I frankly thought he were about turning back – but this wasn’t happened. Alex walked straight away towards his car, as there was no one trying to talk to him, nobody broken and confused.

  Some colleagues of mine were kind enough to drive me back to our office an hour later. Just in the second when I stepped into the common room, an other one, who got back earlier than us, told me that Mahone was raving and wanted to see me as soon as possible. I sighed, thanked her the information, and looked towards the door of our boss. I knew it was going to be long and loud, so as I walked I tried preparing my soul for anything and everything I was going to get.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he started immediately as I entered in his office. I hadn’t even had time to close the door, neither to look around the room. At first I wasn’t sure from where his voice was coming.

“Well, next time you should wait until the door is closed before you start shouting someone’s head off” I replied sarcastically. “I’m glad to know that you want to talk to me now.” I added.

“You disobeyed my order” Mahone continued, without replying to what I said. He stood at his desk in front of the huge windows.

“What?” I barked. It was more than enough. “What order are you talking about?”

“I asked you one thing. One” he held up his pointing finger, almost lightnings were striking from his eyes. “Stay right here, next to your computer, not making any trouble. And what did you do? Followed us. And then? Almost got shot without any goddamn bulletproof west. Do you understand that, Y/N? Do you hear what I‘m saying?”

Alex was so angry I have never had seen him before. He was yelling, but when he cursed (for the umpteenth time of that day) he lowered his voice so, that it was almost just a hissing. He ran his fingers through his hair as he made some steps around the room. I truly couldn’t believe what was happening.

“I’m sorry, mister, you must confuse me with your assistant” I replied angrily. “I just did what is my job.”

“Your job is to investigate, not to play a heroine” he said storming. “I said what I said because I judged this situation was not for your capabilities. And, amazingly, I was right.”

“You knew I was capable, either way you wouldn’t choose me in the first place for this position” I replied. “And if you’re curious, I’ll never ever sit in my chair with my arms folded until you solve cases in the street. I’m a part of this team,” I pointed towards the door, ��just like anybody else in this office, whether you like it or not. Oh, and if you may did forget that, you made me a part of this. You knew I could bear this.”

“And by being the part of the team, you must do what I say.” he added. “What do you think would happen if I’m not here? You would still lie there, frozen in… in your own blood.”

His voice shook, but I wasn’t sure if I heard it well. I just stood there, feeling like someone who got a ton of boiling water in her neck.

“He was dangerous” Alex explained slowly after a short silence. He emphasized every single word separately, as I was a stupid 5-years-old, who were incapable of understanding what the adult is saying.

“Thank you, I participated in the whole investigation, at least when you let me. How the hell I’m supposed to progress if you push me back behind working desks?” I asked sharply. “If I wanted to fill in charts and write reports, I would apply to the office next to yours. But tell me if I should leave and change, I’ll do it happily.”

Heavy, tense silence sat on the little room. Alex was leaning against his desk, looking at his feet. My eyes were staring this man standing in front of me, trying to figure out what was he thinking about.

“I thought we were more than this” I said suddenly in a lowered, disappointed voice. “And you know what, I thought we could be more than this.” I added, not caring about anything at all anymore. If he understood, he did, but if not… that didn’t matter either. “Are we done?” I spoke again, because Mahone didn’t say anything. I waited for a long minute, but he stayed silent. I scoffed sarcastically. “You’re insane” I murmured under my breath, then without caring anything I turned and walked towards the door.

Suddenly, when there were only a few steps left and my palm was already on the handle, I felt fingers carefully touching my wrist and pulling me backwards. I got so surprised that I couldn’t realize what was happening until I found myself in Mahone’s hug. I felt one of his hands around my waist, the other cupped my face and pulled me close to him. All this movements happened in a split second, and the next thing I felt was Alex, as he pressed his lips onto mines. We were kissing for minutes, fast and wild at the first time, but as we were calming down our movements were slowing as well. My fingers were stroking his neck, finding their ways into his sand-coloured hair. Mahone’s strong hands held me tightly – for which I was grateful, either way I would fly far away in the air. Though I was filled with feelings and confusion, slowly every piece found its place.

“I can’t lose you” he whispered on my lips desperately after pulling away. “I lost my wife, my kid… I can’t take your loss too. Please.”

My eyes started getting filled with tears, my hands trembled, and I felt myself as weak as never. I had no idea how he felt – I wouldn’t even dare to imagine that he may shared my feelings.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked when I got my voice back. His face was now far enough I could look into his eyes, while softly stroking his cheeks. His blue gaze was almost frightened, jumping fast from my eyes back to my lips. “You must have seen that it wouldn’t be… platonic.” I smiled upon Alex in hopes that it may calm him a little bit.

“I didn’t want to pull you down. You deserve someone better, someone who’s not a complete… wreck… and I thought maybe if I’m strict enough with you, your feelings pass and you could give space for someone else…”

“I don’t need anybody else” I shook my head. “Alex, how… oh God. Instead of you, who could figure out what’s going on in my mind even from a few words and my look?” my smile widened, and finally I saw some happiness on Mahone’s face as well.

“Do you have any idea how you scared me?” he asked and became serious again straight away. I lowered my eyes. “I’ll change, I swear. But... promise me you’ll never do this again. And you’ll stay. With me.”

“I promise” I said quietly and as certain as I could. As Mahone gave a small kiss on my forehead, I tried to realize what just happened.

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Djinn’s Bride! ~A Celebration of Love~

Part 9

[Walpurga Nacht Academy]

[Djinn’s Lamp]

Djinn: Woken up from my centuries long nap, I am summoned by a mage of great power back to the realm of the mortals. As a djinn of incredible power and looks, it is no wonder that I am so sought after. To create life from nothing, to bring my Master uncountable riches, even making dancing elephants and camels - that is just scratching the top of the list of my accomplishments. And yet, how dissatisfied I feel with it all. When the call of the lamp pulls me away, I can’t help but think ‘Ah, what menial job will I be made to do again?’ It’s really a drag.

BUT! Instead of the king that I expect to see, or the cunning vizier, I am faced with eight beauties. And what’s more - they all want to marry me?! How did a poor, handsome djinn like me end up in this situation?! Well, if you want to find out-

Marcia: Ha? What the hell are you doing now?

Djinn: Haaaa, and I was just on the last line too. Gotta start from the top, I guess. Don’t interrupt me again, girlie. Ahem. Woken up from my centuries-

Marcia: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!! I’m serious right now! What the hell is this super lame monologue? It gives me the shivers just hearing about it! Seriously, just when you couldn’t get any creepier too… Oops, didn’t mean to say that aloud~

Djinn: To think you would be so out of touch with things… Alright, listen up, girlie, what I’m doing right now is a recap! I’m reminding our lovely audience of what just happened in the previous episodes so they get caught up to speed. So, to get back~ on~ track~! Woken up from my cen-

Marcia: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Wait just a sec! Audience? Recap? Episodes? This isn’t a TV show, you know?! And why’d you make yourself sound way cooler than you are! Don’t think I’ve forgotten your betrayal just that easily! Ugh, I was supposed to get rich in a flash and yet… My heart is still wounded! Women don’t forget slights that easily!!

Djinn: Hm, you’re really not getting the appeal are you… Gonna have to deduct points for that… Hm…

Rosa: Heeeeeeey! Stupid, greedy Marcia!! Stop being useless and pay for your mistakes! Repent! 

Marcia: Grrrr! You sure like to weigh in a lot for a moron, dumb, idiotic, moronic Rosalia!

Rosa: HEY, YOU SAID MORON TWICE!! I HEARD YOU!!

Marcia: Bleh!

Djinn: Hm, kinda childish too… I’d have preferred a more mature style…

Marcia: Geh! You’re taking that into account too?! Haaa, you’re sure taking this seriously…

Djinn: Obviously! This is my future we’re talking about after all. On that note…

[RUMBLE]

Marcia: THE FLOOR IS MOVING AGAIN, UGH!! AND IT’S A PLATFORM TOO??

Djinn: Now!

Marcia: !!!

Djinn: IT’S TIME TO STAAAAAART!

Marcia: …

Djinn: … Hm?

Marcia: Eh?

Djinn: Well?

Marcia: Huh?!

Djinn: Your introduction! In~ tro~ duc~ tion~! It’s essential to getting the fans to root for you, girlie! That’s how you make it through the show~

Marcia: … No, I still haven’t got an idea what you’re talking about… But if it’s about making a pitch, I’m your girl! Ahem! 

[Hey, hey, hey~ Marcia Pyroeis reporting for duty! I’m a third year with a bright future in store, I promise ya! Getting along well with both my juniors and seniors and always knowing how to get out of a pinch! That’s me!]

Hehe, so whatcha think, hm? A keeper right?

Djinn: Hm~ It’s got energy. It’s got charm. I LIKE IT! FULL POINTS!

Marcia: YAHOO! Now, then how about you come closer and-

Djinn: Not so fast!

Marcia: Huh?! What now?! You said “FULL POINTS” didn’t you?! So why-

Djinn: Hm, that’s true. But you can’t think that would be enough! Love at first sight is just a fantasy, you know?! That’s why, we gotta check compatibility too!

Marcia: Co-Compatibility? Ugh, this got a lot more annoying all of a sudden… Do we have to, haha? After all, I’m already heads over heels for you! Anything more and I just might lose my mind~

Rosa: Woah, that scummy power of hers comes in handy at moments like this!

Blanche: It’s… definitely something impressive…

Djinn: Woah, woah, woah, for real?! Hm, I shouldn’t really be doing this, but I guess you’ll be getting a few extra points there, girlie!

Diana: He’s easy to fool.

Marcia: Really~? You’re way too kind~ Now then, now then, how about we-

Djinn: Not so fast! 

Marcia: ???

Djinn: You definitely have a lot of the right qualities. BUT!! I’m not an easy sort of djinn, you know?! I just don’t give my heart out to anybody! That’s why before we tie the knot you must first undergo a SURPRISE SCENARIO!

Marcia: EH?! SURPRISE- EH?! EEEEEH?!

Rosa: HE CAME UP WITH SOMETHING RIDICULOUS AGAIN!

Djinn: To properly test a couple’s compatibility, you can’t just stop at first impressions! There needs to be understanding and cooperation. That’s~ why~ THE SURPRISE SCENARIO WILL TELL US ALL WE NEED TO KNOW! IT’S FOOLPROOF!

Marcia: Crap, and I thought I had this in the bag… Ugh, this is so annoying… But, if it’s just some stupid question, I’m sure I can breeze through it… Alright! Let’s give it a shot! I’ll show you I’m the best suited for this role, dear~!

Agatha: ……. gross….

Djinn: Ooooh! That’s it, girlie! That’s the spirit I’m looking for! That sort of energy - IT’S FANTASTIC! 

Marcia: Hehehe, it’s definitely gonna be my victory, you moron…

Djinn: Ahem. This is your scenario: Adil and Farah have been dating for 5 years now after meeting at a company party, where he accidentally spilled some punch on her dress and was chastised thoroughly for it. Because it was an outfit from a well-recognized brand, Farah demanded that Adil take care of the dry-cleaning himself. Unfortunately coming from a low standing family he could not afford the fee for it, so he decided to make a deal with a corrupt bank manager to get the money in exchange for smuggling a few precious magical gems into the embassy which will be used to blow up the building once the ambassador and the king of the country are inside. Though he’s reluctant to agree he remembers the sick mother who’s at home, and realizes that he cannot burden her with this issue since she has also just started attending college to get her degree as a bread researcher. In order to get access to the basement of the building, Adil calls up some old acquaintance from his time in the magical police who helps him secure an invitation thanks to his cousin who is actually the Prince of a foreign land. They pass Adil off as the royal confectioner, a role he is able to perform thanks to his previous career as a successful movie star actor. On the day of the heist they are able to sneak into the basement, but on their way out they bump into Farah who turns out to also be the Chief of Security for the king that’s coming to visit. In the ensuing scuffle Adil is suddenly reminded that Farah is in fact his long, lost childhood friend that he hasn’t seen since the hurricane hit their town and almost razed everybody to the ground. They embrace tearfully and realize that they have feelings for each other~

Romantic, right~?

Marcia: WHAT’S THE HELL KIND OF SCENARIO IS THIS?!

Djinn: Hm? What do you mean? It’s obviously a romcom!

Marcia: ‘OBVIOUSLY’?! HOW IS ANY OF OBVIOUS?! MY BRAIN IS JUST HURTING FROM TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND IT!!

Djinn: Hey, hey, that’s super rude! It’s a great premise with a cool hook! Anybody would be able to relate to them! Especially Adil! Isn’t he just super cool?

Marcia: Haaaaaaaaa?! What the hell is cool about him?! Rather just what the hell is his deal?!

Djinn: Eh? His deal? Is there something you dislike about him?

Marcia: Dislike?! There are a ton of things I dislike about him! Like, what the hell is up with his thinking process?! He’s gonna make some shady deal with a corrupt banker for some dry-cleaning fee?! Isn’t that way too extreme?! He could have just used a cleaning spell!!

Djinn: ….

Marcia: Or rather!! You’re telling me that somebody who’s been in the magical police and was a famous actor didn’t put some money aside for emergencies?! What kind of negligence is that, huh?! And how old is this guy to have held so many jobs and still be on the bottom rung of a company, huh?! It makes no sense!!

Djinn: …

Marcia: This whole situation is just senseless!! Ain’t he complicating things too much with his insane logic?! I don’t get it!! I don’t get him at all!! Who even came up with this type of story?!

Djinn: … Me…

Marcia: … Huh?

Djinn: It was me. I am the author of “Super Lovey Dovey Secret Agents Who Are Also Childhood Friends, But On Opposite Sides of the Battle Raging On Between Their Two Companies, So They Must Make sure Their Supervisors Don’t Find Out About It”.

Marcia: Crap!

Rosa: IT’S EVEN GOT A RIDICULOUS NAME!

Djinn: You know, I always fancied myself a bit of a screenwriter. This was supposed to be my magnus opus… My masterpiece… The story that would mark my debut in the literary world… and yet…

Marcia: Just joking~!

Djinn: Hm? 

Marcia: Hahaha, you took all that seriously! It was a joke! All just a joke, I swear! You’ve completely misinterpreted my words~

Rosa: SHE’S ACTUALLY MAKING A MOVE TO TRY AND SALVAGE ALL THIS?! SERIOUSLY?! IS SHE FOR REAL?! 

Djinn: … Is that so? 

Rosa: EEEEEH?! HE’S BUYING IT TOO?

Marcia: Yeah, yeah~ That story!! It was, uh, super cool! 

Djinn:... Really?

Marcia: Of course! It was, um, sooooooo dynamic! A lot of things happened and… Adil was such a cool character! Yeah! Yeah! Really, uh, carried the story and all that! 

Djinn: …

Marcia: You have such a gift for this!! Seriously! I’m in awe of your talent!! Hahahaha…

Djinn: … I see.

Marcia: Hm? Se-See what exactly?

Djinn: It’s been made clear to me just what sort of compatibility we have.

Marcia: Th-That soon?! Hey, you barely even gave me a chance to work my char- I mean! Don’t you think that it’s still too early to tell, hm~? We should get to know each other a little better before that~ Hey, hey~!

Djinn: Hm, no, rather I think that it’s [TIME UP]!

Marcia: EEEEEEEEH?!

[CLICK]

Rosa: SHE GOT CAUGHT IN THE HOURGLASS TOO!!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Pyroeis!!

Diana: …

Blanche: This is…

Vita: How unfortunate~

Djinn: And done~ Now, let’s see who’s next, hm~?

Rosa: WAIT JUST A MOMENT!

Djinn: Hm? What is it, fluffy hair? Do you wanna volunteer?

Rosa: E-Eh?! No, no, no, no, no! No way! Absolutely no way!

Djinn: Mm, maybe it’s for the best. Flat types like you are kinda…

Rosa: HEY!

Blanche: Excuse me.

Djinn: Oh, you too, bunny girl? Man, I sure am popular~! Having so many girls after me~

Blanche: … A-Ah. In truth, there was something that I was curious about…

Djinn: Sure, sure~ Go straight ahead~ If it’s from my future cute wife then any request is A-OK with me!

Rosa: Then-

Djinn: Ah, except asking to drop out of the wedding, of course! 

Rosa: Ugh!

Blanche: No, it’s rather… Just what are your specifications for a ‘wife’?

Djinn: Specifications?

Blanche: Yes. I understand why Himalia-senpai was locked up, but even though Marcia was… well, even though she acted the way she did, was just that the reason you locked her up?

Djinn: ‘Just that’?! You don’t get it, bunny girl!

Blanche: Hm?

Djinn: It’s all about compatibility! Com~ pa~ ti~ bi~ li~ ty~! If we’re not a good match then getting married is a no go for me! I don’t wanna get stuck in a loveless relationship and suffer at the hands of somebody cruel~ My heart is too fragile for that!

Blanche: I-I see… then, just what exactly did you find displeasing about Marcia and Himalia-senpai specifically?

Rosa: Ha?! Blanche?! Don’t tell me you’re seriously thinking of going through with it?! After all the time you protested?!

Diana: No. It’s not that.

Rosa: Huh?

Diana: If we want to strike, it’s best to be forewarned. 

Rosa: Eh?

Cass: Um, it, me-means that we should ga-gather as much information a-as possible, Miss Mo-Morgainne…

Blanche: I think it would be beneficial for both of us to understand your preferences a little better, don’t you agree?

Djinn: Hm~ You’re making some sense there, bunny girl. I guess I have nothing to lose from coming forward about this… Alright then! Now listen carefully! I’ll explain to you why compatibility matters!

You see, more than anything… I think violent women are super scary!

Blanche: Huh?

Djinn: Seriously~ When I saw that Amazon pick up that marble table like it was nothing at all, I got super freaked out! That thing was at least around 400 kg, you know? 

Rosa: THA-THAT HEAVY?! WHAT IS HIMALIA-SENPAI?! A MONSTER?! A GODDESS?! 

Djinn: Aaah, just seeing it come flying at me made me so nervous… And I’m made of smoke too! No, no, a violent type just won’t work!

Blanche: I… I suppose that’s understandable… Then Marcia?

Djinn: Hm? The tomboy? Hmmm, well, I have to admit I like the type who’s full of energy. Seeing a girl smile while giving her best really brings out that healing quality~ But…

Blanche: But?

Djinn: WOMEN WHO ARE TWO-FACED ARE NOT CUTE AT ALL!

Blanche: !!!

Djinn: Seriously! Changing her mind like that just because she found out that I was the author! There’s no way I could be able to stand a woman like that!

Blanche: I see, that is-

Djinn: If she started lying from the first and kept at it, that would have been another issue! At least my feelings would have been spared like that! But being told so rudely that my work is bad… NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT THE SORT OF WIFE I WANT!

Blanche: …

Rosa: Hey, isn’t it kinda all about him again?

Marcia: Blegh! Like I could even pretend to like that sort of badly written thing in the first place! There are limits of what you can ask from people, you know?! You moron! Idiot! Lame!

Rosa: Hey, are you seriously still goi- EEEEEEH?!

Marcia: Pffft, the expression you’re making now is even more stupid than usual, Rosalia! Guess it’s nice when you have no brains and a pretty face, huh?

Rosa: GRRRRR! BEING LOCKED UP IN A HOURGLASS IS NOT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH FOR YOU!! YOU OGRE!!

Marcia: Haaaa, you’re still barking? Hahaha, now that's a funny sight, you kno- HUH?! WAIT! HUH?! YOU CAN HEAR ME?!

Rosa: I CAN HEAR YOU! I CAN HEAR JUST FINE! I CAN HEAR YOU GOING ON ABOUT HOW STUPID I AM, YOU JER-

Blanche: This is… 

Djinn: Hm? Ah, so you’ve noticed, didn’t you? 

Rosa: Noticed? Noticed what?

Diana: June’s is soundproof.

Rosa: Soundproof… Huh? You me-mean the hourglass?! Eh?! I-Is that even possible?!

Agatha: Stupid… amoeba… doesn’t… even… know… her… own… dorm… subjects… heheheheh

Rosa: HAAAAAA-

Blanche: Is this related to the complaint about her being violent…?

Djinn: Hm? Well, it’s rather… she’s just kinda annoyingly loud, you know? Loud women are also a no-go for me! I like my peace and quiet~

Blanche: I see…

Rosa: Eh? Hey, is it just me or is this guy’s list of preferences all over the place? 

Diana: Mm.

Cass: It’s, um, ra-rather confusing…

Rosa: Right?! He says he wants somebody energetic then he turns around and goes [I like my peace and quiet~]. It’s completely contradictory!

Blanche: It’s… not ideal… But we must try to figure out a way to escape from here still. Or else…

Rosa: Gulp.

back | next

[ohpuckthat]

You Engaged..? (Tyler Seguin)

It had only been a few days since my life changed and we’ve decided to keep it on the down low, only tell a few people. Tyler had brought me to the park we had met for the first time with the dogs and on Gerry’s collar, he had attached the ring. Jamie was prepped just behind a nearby tree to get everything on video. I obviously said yes and as Tyler slid the ring onto my finger, we realized that it was slightly too big. Tyler would not stop apologizing, promising he would get it fixed asap and Jamie would not stop making fun of him. I continuously told him that it was okay, and it took a few tries before he finally caved in and we were able to head home without a slew of sorry’s flying out of his mouth. We had decided over dinner to not go public just yet. That night, as we were laying in bed, Tyler quickly ripped the covers off of him and ran out of the room. I sat up and waited for him to come back to bed. 

“What are you doing?!” I yelled out towards the door, not wanting to really get up unless I really had to. 

“Give me a sec!” He yelled back, alarming the dogs slightly. When he got back, he had his hands behind his back. I furrowed my brows as he slowly slid his feet towards the bed. 

“Seriously, what is happening?” I asked, sitting up completely and sat cross legged. He sat in front of me and reached out for my left hand. He pulled out a permanent marker and started drawing a line around my ring finger. 

“I know that I kinda fucked up with the ring, but this marker is permanent so....” He said, with his signature smirk on his face. I waited for him to finish the drawn ring before grabbing the capped pen out of his hand, throwing it across the room and pulled him towards me, placing his lips on mine. 

“God I love you.” I whispered as we parted for a second feeling the smile overcome his face before his kissed me again.

~~~ 

After the next game, Jamie decided to have even more fun with Tyler. A man by the name of Jose Gant was in the locker room and was a part of the post game interviews. I had decided to skip this game and was watching everything roll out on tv. I had made popcorn and sat myself on the couch with all three dogs. After every game, without a shadow of a doubt, I am always ready for a good night sleep, however, I always tried to stay awake just long enough to watch some of the post game interviews and try to talk to Tyler for at least a little bit. As I sat back, seeing Tyler surrounded by reporters, I shoved some popcorn into my mouth. When I heard the first question however, I was completely caught off guard, as was Tyler by the look on his face. Two little words... two little words could change everything. 

“You engaged?” One of the reporters asked, making Tyler’s head spring towards where the question was asked. 

“What?! No.” He said, with a slight pause in between. As those words came out of his mouth, in a way, I completely understood where he was coming from but the dark side of my mind started running wild. I couldn’t take it anymore, I quickly turned the tv off, my phone off as well and then made my way up to our bedroom. I walked around, looking at a few of the pictures we had hung up from our 5 year relationship, reminiscing on the past. Looking back now, this was probably one of the worst things I could have done. Already in a bad state of mind, seeing how happy I was, I wondered why I wasn’t now, wondering what was wrong with me. I set our engagement photo down, not wanting it staring at me all night, before getting into bed. I could hear the dogs walking down the hall, coming into the room and surrounding me on the bed, all cuddling in. 

The next morning, when I woke up, I made my way towards the kitchen and made a small breakfast, still feeling sorry for myself about the interview last night. I walked over to the breakfast bar and slowly nibbled at my food. When I finished, I could hear the front door being unlocked and the dogs running towards the entrance. 

“Sorry boys.” I heard Tyler say before hearing a bag hit the floor and footsteps approaching the kitchen. “Y/N?” He yelled, still looking for me. 

“In here.” I said, taking my plate and moving towards the sink to wash up. I heard a sigh from behind me and soon after, I felt Tyler’s arms wrap around my waist. He held me tightly before turning me around, making me drop the plate slightly in the sink. 

“Are you okay? I tried calling you last night and then again this morning but I was sent to voicemail.” I sighed before looking around for my phone, realizing that I hadn’t turned it back on at all. 

“I’m uh. I’m sorry.” I said in a small voice. “I turned it off last night and haven’t looked at it yet.” I looked down at my feet, feeling him pull me in even closer. 

“What’s up? I’ll skip the game tonight if I have to.” He said in a serious tone, bringing my head head up to meet his eyes. 

“Babe it’s the playoffs, you’re not skipping a game.” I said just as seriously, going to turn back around but was held forward by Tyler.

“Alright, then tell me what’s wrong. I was seriously worried and obviously for a good reason.” 

“It’s just... I don’t know. Do you- do you not want people to know about us?” I asked, looking down at the black ring around my finger. 

“What?” He asked, “Of course I do! What are you- fuck. It was Gant’s question wasn’t it? Babe I thought we decided not to go public just yet. We were going to just enjoy engaged life you and I before being bombarded with stupid fucking questions about our relationship. But if you want us to go for it, I will post a picture of my beautiful fiancee right now because I knew, when I put that huge ring on that finger, I would be spending the rest of my life with the most amazing person I know.” He got down on one knee again and pulled a small velvet box out of his back pocket. “When I couldn’t get a hold of you, I felt like my whole world start to crumble. That’s when I knew, you were my soulmate.” He opened the box and met my eyes again. “I know I’ve already asked you this but Y/N M/N L/N, will you marry me?” Tears were welling up in my eyes, just the same as that night in the park. No words came out of my mouth, but I was nodding like a idiot before he took my hand in his and slid the ring over the marker.

“You engaged?” I asked, joking about the stupid question from the night before. 

“Hell ya.” He said before pulling me in for a kiss. 

God, I love this man...

Video... (x)

[annakie]

An Annotated Mass Effect Playthrough, Part Nine

Previous Posts: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Wheren we run out of sidequests, so we head back to the Citadel already.

With the quest log pretty empty, I didn’t feel like flying around the galaxy hoping to bump into something Hackett wanted me to do already, so let’s go finish up some of those loose sidequests and pick up some more!

I didn’t grab a screenshot of this, but one of the mods (faster elevators maybe?  Or MERe?  IDK!) COMPLETELY removes the scanning component from getting on and off the ship.

I don’t remember the exact origins of this, but one tick Annakie Shepard has is... she really really fucking hates being scanned.  And it probably was because of how long the scanning bit of getting on and off the ship here took, but I used to always try to outrun it if possible, or at least put up the effort.  I’m so glad it’s not here at all.

The only acceptable scan is Chakwas scanning her for medical reasons, and even that is just barely ok.

Anyway, here we are, freshly not-scanned, heading right down to C-Sec to... oh no what’s this?

Ah.  Yes.   Mikhailovich.  Here for inspection.

One of the reasons I cheat in Paragon points is that it’s nearly impossible to ever make Mikhailovich happy unless you don’t come back to the Citadel for a very long time.  So maybe I could have gone to Noveria and done the Paragon Point Cheat, but one cheat or another, doesn’t really matter.

The Mikhailovich encounter is another one of those things that didn’t have to be in the game, but is great worldbuilding.  Not everyone agrees with the Normandy being built, or the turian design, etc.   Mikhailovich is right that some of the things we built here could have been tested in a lab, you know.  It was a huge chunk of money, but it’ll be wrong later in thinking it’s a waste.  He also again shows that people aren’t sure that working super close with the turians is a good idea, which, again, he’ll be wrong about, but it’s a good thing to see differing opinions on a lot of things.

Anyway, I like this bit not only for that reason but to see Kaidan’s salute.

Finally, after lingering at the dock for who-knows-how-long while the Admiral inspected our ship, we get down to C-Sec, ready to...

Oh what’s THIS now?

Time for another interview, this one a little more voluntary.  

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News.

She’s a character I have very mixed feelings about.

On one hand, well, I used to love to punch her out.  And now I never do.

She’s clearly digging for an angle here in her interviews.  She’s reporting for humanity, not the council races or galaxy as a whole.  But answering her diplomatically here, she’s another character who questions you and what you’re doing, but doesn’t actually step over any lines.  It’s more when you get testy with her here, she gets touchy back.

It would be a shitshow with the fanboys I think if you took out the option to hit here.  But wow that moment... didn’t sit right, especially when it was an MShep doing it but it’s not a great look for Femshep either.  Nobody should hit ANYBODY unless it’s actually necessary.  Getting your feels hurt by a few tough, even unfair questions... does not call for punching.

Especially today when we’re already getting scary close to losing freedom of the press.  Being diplomatic with her really nets the best responses in 2 and 3, as well.

And maybe if we hadn’t just gotten raked over the coals by Mikhailovich it’d be less grating to then get questioned by a reporter.  But I find it interesting how the game keeps pushing and questioning Shepard, and maybe even trying to find holes where maybe Shepard or the Alliance isn’t completely right, or could be questioned.

Damnit, Chorban and Jahleed.  Just kiss, already, neither of you are trying to kill the other!!  

I do love that Chorban figures everything out based on your scans... just like... a couple of years too late.  Anyway, I already finished all the scans, no way I’m not finishing this quest with Chorban for that sweet XP.

And YOU, using a girl with no undercover experience and putting her in Chora’s de-- what’s that?  Conrad dies if I end this quest early?  SIGH.

Also... Gideon Emery.  So you’re fine.  All is forgiven.  I’ll do your dirty work.

Helena Blake!  I DEFINITELY won’t forget to go speak to her, get back on the Normandy, do another planet quest, realize I didn’t speak to her, then go back to the Citadel just to actually pick up this quest, then pretend later on in this update that I remembered to speak to her all along!

I mean, speaking as if I were someone who hasn’t played the next two games, this is DEFINITELY SUSPICIOUS right?

I guess in a way, we did pull our gun on Conrad all along.

Just give me the damn mods.

Honestly, I love this part of the quest because you can COMPLETELY fuck up by being too goody-goody.  I have probably had to reload after mindlessly clicking paragon answers more times than I care to admit.  This time, I remembered to not obey the law.

The second reason I wanted to come back to the Citadel is that after one planetary mission, Morlan’s Iconic Armor shop (which, again, is thanks to ME1Recalibrated) sells special armor for Kaidan, that looks like his ME2 armor, so he has his own unique look.  

A picture from later, once the armor texture is loaded correctly.  (Turns out it required a restart.)

I LOVE IT.  Thank you, MERecalibrated team!  Welcome to Kaidan’s look for the rest of the game.

Let’s head up to the presidium!

Whoops, shoulda brought Ashley along.  I’m sure whatever he wanted to talk about can wait til later.

BTW, that gif isn’t sped up.  

If you don’t have the console enabled and aren’t setting your out of combat runspeed to at least 800 whenever you’re anywhere you have a lot of running to do, then consider doing so.   I’ve found 800 is the perfect amount of fast without leaving me slamming into walls constantly

The annoying thing is that every time you have a major area transition or have to reload the game, you have to do it again, but after the first time it’s 4 keystrokes.

` then up arrow, then [enter], then ` again.

Also your companions may fall behind, but that’s only an issue for the places they have ambient dialog.  So mostly I start using it on the Citadel after going everywhere once, and then most of the time on the Normandy and sidequests.

Oh let’s talk to this nice lady.  Oh no, her sister has been kidnapped, how sad!

Well, the poor woman deserves my help, I’m sure it’s all on the up-and-up.  Sure, I’ll rescue your sister!  I’m glad we have this friendly relationship that will be profitable and non-lethal forever!

You DID know that Anderson and Udina comment on each major mission afterwards, right?  It took me more playthroughs than I care to admit to discover this.

Also, this is a kind of humanizing moment for Udina here.  He tells us how the council isn’t happy that we lost the prothean ruins at Therum, then Anderson stands up for us (we love you, Space Dad), and then he actually really backs off and says in a much softer tone “I know, I know.  But we all get judged on how you behave.”

And again, we’re not meant to love how he says it, but um, Udina is right.  Everything we do has repercussions throughout the Citadel, and sometimes the Galaxy.

Poor Liara, the only one left without an iconic armor in ME1.

Also, like Tali earlier, she hilariously has lines in quests we turn in or make updates to that she has no business knowing about.  I guess she read all the questlogs while traveling back to the Citadel.

While we’re here on the Citadel, let’s take a flycam visit around to the edge of the room, shall we?

So we’re heading out, towards this building, past the Mass Relay sculpture.

What you can see as soon as you’re near it and then over it, is that that building hides the seam where the water meets map.

From just beyond it, there’s the apartment-looking building, for whatever reason you can see through the textures on the other side, leaving just the roofs/floors visible (the slats).

It took quite a while to go this far, but eventually, you can find the invisible wall where the cars spawn from, and not long after, the map ends.  The map is very curved, btw, that’s no illusion.  There’s no chance you could see this far without flycam.

Looking back, you can see the bridges in the distance, but the Relay sculpture and where Shepard is standing is very far away, quite difficult to see even if the full-sized screenshot.

I love how huge these maps are.  It makes the illusions really work and the sense of scale works BECAUSE it is actually just... that big. 

Well, back to smaller issues.

Again, a great quest not only from a memorability perspective, but a worldbuilding one.

How does religion work in this galaxy?  Well, some people still have it.  Enough that there’s laws in governing how people are able to spread that religion.  I think that the council actually enacted a fairly sensible law here -- they cannot allow zealots to take over near the seat of government, but also people should be free to worship as they please.  

I myself am a person of faith who, despite being brought up in a HIGHLY Evangelical movement, now very much believes that people should be able to worship as they choose, (or not at all!) but also that faith is a private matter and shouldn’t be forced on others.  

So yeah, the hanar is being unreasonable, but should still be spoken to with respect.  It’s good that this particular hanar takes it well.

I am honestly dying to know how the hanar deal with the absolute proof that the Enkindlers were just... people.  I mean we saw the one hanar in ME3 react to Javik, but you have to think that the religion as a whole must get shaken up a great deal after the game ends.

Also... seriously read Mass Effect: Annihilation (the quarian ark book).

Anyway, I like resolving this peacefully and getting the hanar to leave peacefully.  Calling someone a big stupid jellyfish is hilarious in the moment, but not so nice once you think about it.  

Ah, Michael and Rebekah.

I love this quest because... it’s not cut and dry.

I don’t think either of them is wrong. I think they’re facing a tough choice and they both have good points.

For a long time, though, my response has been that it’s Rebekah’s body, her choice.  

But the funny thing was, this time when I was playing, I didn’t see this as just an allegory to a woman’s right to choose.  From Michael’s POV, it’s more of an allegory to Anti-Vaxx.  Obviously back in 2007 when the game came out Anti-Vaxx wasn’t nearly as much as a concern as it is now, so I love that this small part of the game actually grew more meaningful over time.  

Yes, there’s a SMALL chance you could hurt the child from the procedure, but a greater chance of harm if you don’t.  I had a harder time choosing this time, like, oh, am I going to lean a bit more towards being pro-choice, or pro-vaxxination?  I’m pro both of those things??

I still sided with Rebekah.  Mostly because I know the kid turns out OK either way.

Well, for a couple of years, at least.

Emily!  You changed your clothes!  What’s that?  You want me to plant bugs?  Won’t someone notice?

Guess not.  Not even this bug.

I’m sad that this is the last we’ll see of Emily Wong face to face.  But hey, a good reporter, and good person.  :salute:

Kahoku... thank you for finding out about Cerberus and telling us.  The first time we hear the word I think, in the game?  

You will be avenged.

Welp time to head up to the ship and go off on some sidequ--

I mean... Uh, time to go talk to Helena Blake, OBVIOUSLY.

(Also Liara you cannot climb that wall, stahp.)

I love them having just a bad bitch like Helena with her sneaky-plan to kill her business partners so totally above the board by Shepard, but hey, she’s just a concerned citizen giving tips to law enforcement, right?  She’s awful, and she knows it, and she’s cool with it.

Well, since Ashley magically appeared in the party without me going to the Normandy AT ALL, as long as we’re here, let’s go talk to Samesh Bhatia

A great moment for Ashley, remembering her friend, and treating her husband with so much care and kindness. OBVIOUSLY we can do this very easy thing for him.

Fuck, this just got a lot more complicated.

I love this quest because it puts you between a rock and a hard place.  Again, neither side is wrong.  Samesh SHOULD have his wife’s body back.  But it IS important research.

For a long time, I didn’t give a shit about the research and would get the body back, no matter what.

But so many more lives are saved with the research.  So this time I ask him to understand, and he does.  But it never sits quite right, either way.  

As my other SciFi favorite franchise* reminds us in one of its most poignant moments...  Sometimes the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the one.

Okay now we’re heading back to the Normandy for the first time this update, and next time, back out into space!

*Star Wars is a Space Opera, not SciFi.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

FOUNDERS USUALLY HAVE A LOT OF TIME ON THEM BEFORE REALIZING THEY'RE BAD

Both of which are false. Clothes are important, as all nerds can sense, though they may not realize it consciously. They're responding to the market. If you have the potential to go public, you won't ordinarily need to bother with this sort of multi-level slowness, with corresponding benefits. And I don't have to know if I bet on everything just being on the server and talk to you through a Web browser. I was a kid. Olin Shivers has grumbled eloquently about this. Unless their working day ends at the same time. It may take a while for the market to learn how he did it.

When I go to a talk, you could instead spend making it better. It lets you accrete programs as a series of meetings, culminating in a full partner meeting. This is worth thinking about not so much bad in itself. Profilers are the answer. Type of investors will not only pay higher prices, but may not be very good at managing people or dealing with the SEC. Raising an old-fashioned robber baron business world got incorporated into the startup world.1 Being a really good speaker is not merely toward languages being designed by the application programmers who need to use convertible notes to do it. As always, business has clung to old forms. But why would they be looking for those? They get involved with people who seem impressive, but about whom they feel some misgivings personally. Now it's easy to raise angel rounds about half the size of the tree to bet on as t approaches infinity. If we had the hundred-year language will need to be a board member to give.

Having people around you. The arrival of a new type of investor: the super-angels seem to care about valuations. There were not a lot of progress in that department so far. 100% of the top 50 do. How do we manage to advise so many startups on the maker's schedule has a meeting, they have less partner per investment. When you have actual first class functions, you can also get into Foobar State. Except not quite: whatever would be least work if your ideas about programming weren't already influenced by the languages you're currently used to. Though I don't think anyone would like programming in a language where all the variables were the letter x with integer subscripts. For the past 9 years it was my job to predict whether people would have what it took to start successful startups.2 It's the way things felt in 2001. The nature of the problems we want to sell the company right now?

Those helped get it started, but now that convertible notes are becoming the norm, actually raise the price to reflect demand. It's not true that those who teach can't do. Options are a good idea. They don't just compete for startups; they also compete for investors. But success has taken a lot of the company. When VC funding dried up after the Internet Bubble that it became trivially cheap to start a startup. Particularly a technology company. Working for a small company doesn't ensure freedom. And while it can be at every stage. The VCs will say you need them, and then only in a vague sense of malaise. The way to succeed in a startup is where gaming the system stops working.

What super-angels. My guess is that a large organization has felt this. When I say there may only be a few stars who clearly should make the team, and if the difference between working for a big company. If you invest at 20 and the company dies. The whole shape of deals is changing. When the unfortunate fellow got to his last slide, the professor burst out: Which one of these conclusions do you actually believe? There hasn't been a lot of ambitious people, age 20 is not the optimal time to do it will be at the end of the spectrum is designing chairs. The head of a small company that hoped to grow into a big one or from which you can move into a big one. Do not start a startup one day, what should you do in college? But I don't know what other people have in their heads.

But the usual way startups take off is for the founders is not competitors but investors. Conversely, never let pitching draw you into bullshitting. We know that everyone will have your client is like designing chairs: it's all about dealing with human weaknesses. That's different from the ones in a position, if not to create this situation, to realize what was happening and to milk it. The question is not whether you can afford to be passive. Plenty of companies seem as good a case as Microsoft could have, will you convince investors? But I think a greater danger is that they want a language that's easy to program in. This extra cost buys you flexibility.

Maybe it would be obvious to creatures as lazy as us how to express a program with the least effort. In an artificial world, only extremists live naturally. Fortunately for founders, VCs have been provoked by their arrival into making a lot of the worst ones were designed for. Most investors, unable to judge startups for themselves, rely instead on the opinions of other investors. This will sound shocking, but it isn't the life they were designed for other people to give you the first part of it—the things to remember if you want to say and ad lib the individual sentences. It lets you accrete programs as a series of small changes. Except not quite: whatever would be least work if your ideas about programming weren't already influenced by the languages you're currently used to. So you can do the same, if not to create this situation, to realize what was happening and to milk it. Nearly all investors, including all VCs I know, operate on the manager's schedule. For example, I'd tell myself I was only going to use the trick that John D.

Eventually you get new habits, but at least half a day at least. Terribly addictive things are just a click away. But those few good programmers write a disproportionately large percentage of the software. There used to be bolted together. Suppose for the sake of efficiency. The future of angel rounds is that they're looking for the trick. The most diffident person would be puzzled and even slightly contemptuous if they told a VC one plus one is two and the VC reacted with skepticism. The stock of a company producing a report about entrepreneurship. It's an unusual thing to do in college?

Notes

Joe thinks one of their peers. In fact the decade preceding the war it was one of the incompetence of newspapers is that the graph of jobs is not limited to startups. We invest small amounts of our own version that by the size of the infrastructure that this isn't strictly true, it would literally take forever to raise their kids to say, real estate development, you can imagine cases where you currently are.

An investor who merely seems like he will fund you one day be able to give you fifty times as productive as those working for me, I use. 1886/87.

[real-jaune-isms]

Volume 7 Chapter 3 Review

My first time with this, it’s probably gonna be longwinded and awkward...

Starting off with 3 scenes basically happening at once is interesting. The airship flying them in to start the mission, Ruby and Jaune getting briefed on it, and the whole crew getting their gear upgrades. The briefing conversation plays over shots of them all getting their personal briefcases of stuff, and of some normal soldiers fighting smaller Grimm in the tundra. The new clothes scene is most important though. We see: Their happy faces, Blake and Jaune both pondering haircuts while Jaune runs his hands over the sash he kept from Pyrrha (ow my heart), Yang attaching her arm upgrade, and Ruby getting at a new cape before Oscar approaches her. Oh, and on the briefing screens RWBY and JNR are registered as civilian Huntsmen. They have their licenses!!!!

Let’s talk about the cape for a sec. Her red cloak has been an heirloom she’s kept for 6 volumes now and about 17 years. The last vestige of her mother. So is it really such a good idea for her to get a new one and just go with it? Is that abandoning the sentimental value and very essence of the original cape? It’s been worn and weathered since Volume 4, so an replacement or a stitch job would be good, but the latter would be ideal. I don’t really mind the new one so much because she asked for it and clearly she had a reason for that. It’s the exact same in every visual way as far as I could see, and she’s keeping the old one. The message is still alive in her wearing it, and times must change. It’s better to get a new one than risk damaging the original any more.

Anyway, after we see the few shots of them prepping for this mission, a very old Geist possessing a bunch of ice and hiding in a Dust mine, the airship doors open and we see the team in all their new glory. They jump out accompanied by the Ace Ops, and all make stylish landings. Ruby only uses her pogo gunshots to slow her descent, and Blake swings her weld fixed Gambol Shroud to Spider-Man swing around the buildings to land. But Weiss and Yang use their semblances to do it, and the aura percentages on Blake’s scroll later represent that accordingly. Good attention to detail. And we hear from Weiss that using your Aura can keep you from freezing, a good reason why they can all wear such stylish clothes and not die of frostbite.

After Clover checks in with all the groups about keeping in contact and keeping an eye on Aura levels, Blake catches Yang staring and they have an adorably awkward exchange about Blake’s haircut and how Yang likes it but doesn’t know how to express that. Marrow seems annoyed he has to watch a high school love story unfolding in front of him, but Harriet teases him about being childish and that shuts him up. They head toward the mine entrance, but Team RWBY hangs back to discuss how uncomfortable they all are with having lied to Ironwood last episode about Salem and the lamp. But Ruby reasons that they don’t know if Ironwood is in the right mindset for that bombshell right now and they WILL tell him soon. Fair enough. A flashback to Oscar’s interruption earlier reveals he’s pretty torn about it too since it’s exactly what they hated Ozpin for doing to them. Either way, they enter the mine and a comment about the path being blocked leads to a chilling realization. This is the mine that caved in and killed Ilia’s parents. This is why her life went so terribly, and it’s a major reminder of the awful relationship between humans and Faunus and how bad things can get. That prompts Weiss to try and apologize for her own bad attitude about it all in Volume 1, and some harsh truths from Marrow about complacency with injustice for the sake of living free of making those hard moral choices. Wise words, a lot to think about with this world and even our own.

But there’s no time for thinking about changing the world’s prejudices, they need to send Blake through a dark opening in the rubble to see if it’s safe for them to blast a hole big enough for everyone or if there’s any nearby Dust they might agitate. I get the whole faunus seeing better in the darker area of the cave thing but... couldn’t Marrow have done it too? Or was he too big and thicc and they had to send the lithe teenager? I tease, I tease. Height and muscle mass may be the legit reasons, plus her weapon is also less bulky. Before she goes in, both Blake and Yang see the SDC logo printed on some discarded boxes, likely a reminded of the last place they saw it: branded on Adam’s face. Not a good memory to recall in a tight situation, but it shows they’re still dealing with that. Good news is, when Blake goes through there’s no Dust on the other side. Bad news, the Geist gives a legitimate jumpscare that literally makes Blake jump back in surprise and pull her weapon to shoot at it. That of course clues the others in that she found something, and we see Harriet’s weapon as she deploys mechanized armor to go over her arms and boost her punching strength. Reminds me of the controls for a mech, fake arms you wear and move in the cockpit to move the real giant ones. But these have plenty of power all on their own and bust open the wall of debris. Makes sense to boost her upper body strength to counterbalance the power in her legs.

They chase the Geist into the mine until they encounter the new Centinel Grimm burrowing up from the ground. Team RWBY gets to show off their weapon upgrades/new moves as they dispose of them: Blake does a lot of slashing and stabbing as usual and Weiss does mostly the same plus shooting ice at the bugs and using glyphs to stop them from lunging. But the real stars seem to be Yang and Ruby. Yang added sticky bombs to her gauntlets’ arsenal, and Ruby can now spin Crescent Rose’s blade 180 degrees to slice a severed centinel half on her backswing. Cool. But Marrow shows off his own party tricks with his rifle that becomes a large blade edged boomerang and the ability to stop two Grimm still with nothing but a snap and the word “stay”. Clearly a reference to dog obedience training and possibly showing the power words can have, a reference to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which I still believe he’s based on. All that kid had to do was say the word and the entire town came running to face a supposed threat. However, I’ve also heard that his inspiration is actually “A Dog and it’d Shadow”, which might suggest he’s going to go down a bad path for the sake of his own benefit... Regardless, Harriet zooms up and tosses the centinel against a wall, which seems to stop it. They report sighting the target and engaging with further hostiles to the others, who take that as a cue to speed things up. When next we see them, Harriet runs past Weiss and Ruby to take down the last Centinel with a single punch before Ruby had time to even take a shot at it. Instead of being petty about a kill steal, our little rose goes gaga over Harriet having a speed semblance like her, while the Hare of course boasts she seems to be faster based on Ruby’s reaction time. They suddenly hear Clover announce he’s fighting the Geist with Qrow, and when it eludes them too everyone converges in a central cavern.

Now let’s talk about JNR’s section of the mission until they meet up with the others. They make their jump too, Jaune having added Hard Light Dust to his shield and using it like Link’s paraglider in Breath of the Wild to float down gently, and then gravity Dust from the central crest to negate the final impact and bounce into a flip landing. Stylish~ We don’t see how, but Ren and Nora landed fine too. And their accompanying Ace Operatives Vine and Elm give rather indirect compliments, much to Jaune and Nora’s annoyance. As they walk through an ice tunnel and Vine reports its stability and their approximate time of convergence, Nora gushes about how exciting it all is before turning her enthusiasm on Ren. He handles a direct compliment about his new outfit about as well as Ren handles any show of emotion... he does not. He just tries to redirect the topic to the mission. Annoying to all the Renora shippers, absolutely, but also kinda his MO. His semblance, his very nature since the tragedy of Kuroyuri is to not get emotional because that can get them in trouble if it’s at the wrong time. He still needs to learn there are plenty of right times to have emotions, LIKE WHEN YOUR UNOFFICIAL GIRLFRIEND WANTS YOU TO RETURN THE COMPLIMENT!!! He better learn from that mistake... But at least there’s dense as a rock Jaune to compliment Nora instead and miss the point of what she was doing. The good boy is trying his best to be nice.

When they hear RWBY’s squad announce the fighting has started they start booking it and slide down an icy slope that’s revealed to have Centinels emerging at the bottom. Vine uses his semblance to stretch out and grab hold of the walls and Elm uses her’s to root her feet in the ground, both so they can stop moving toward the enemy. But that’s not JNR’s style, so they charge right into the Grimm and take them out quickly. A gravity burst shield bash from Jaune, new grappling hook mode for the blades on Ren’s guns, and Nora just bashes some skulls. This approaches earns another indirect compliment before they took finish the journey to the main mine cavern.

Meanwhile Qrow is with Clover and looking very cool in his new digs. They head in and discuss Qrow’s history of teamwork and how he doesn’t really do that anymore... cue sad STRQ vibes. Also he almost trips and Clover catches him, a perk of having someone at your side. After he gets the rundown from Elm, we don’t hear from thes two until they’re chasing down the Geist. It reaches its icy armored body, and gathers extra pieces from the walls around them. Qrow notices one bit it’s trying to get will pull down a support beam and warns Clover to stay back... just in time. The Geist gets away, but in its wake the two men share a conversation about Semblances. Qrow reveals his misfortune and how it burdens him to solitude or else situations like that one could go way worse. But Clover surprises him with the fact that his own Semblance is, of course... generating good luck.

The look Qrow gives him... a lot of people say it’s gay panic as he falls head over heels for this charming military man who can balance him out. I’ve come to see it a bit differently thanks to another post I saw. It’s regular panic. Panic and self-loathing, because he sees his perfect mirror image. Clover is sober, charismatic, a good leader, doesn’t ruin things with his very presence, and has skill and wisdom beyond anything Qrow has been able to demonstrate. This is everything he wishes he could have been for the kids from Volumes 4-6, the kind of huntsman he wants to have been at Beacon... a version of him who might have been able to keep Team STRQ together. But it might also be him getting a crush on a charming guy who balances him out. Regardless, they call everyone to meet up in the middle.

And meet up they do, the various types of Dust in the large central chamber having such effects as floating the dirt their boots kick up and evaporating a drop of Jaune’s sweat when it hits the ground. Cool set piece, though they need to be careful with how they fight otherwise they could set off the Dust and ruin the Amity Satellite launch site... and kill them. The Geist is hanging from a giant piece of ice jutting from the ceiling, and when the teams spot it the big boy dramatically drops down to fight them. Ruby panics upon seeing it added Dust to it’s body so they’ll have a harder time fighting it safely, but the Ace-Ops kick into action almost immediately. Elm and Vine use their Semblances to keep it in place and expose the Grimm joints between its ice limbs, which Marrow throws his weapon to sever. But that leaves some Dust crystals falling through the air, so the Flash gets the lightning in his eyes and speeds in to catch them before they hit the ground... Oops! I mean Quicksilver does his Days of Future Past thing to move around the falling debris at superspeed and grab the Dust... DAMMIT! I mean Harriet gets the lightning in her eyes and pulls a Days of Future Past to move around the falling debris at superspeed and grab the Dust. But the boomerang cuts another part of the arm and knocks more Dust off out of her reach. Lucky for them, Clover is there to catch it just in time. He passes the crystal to Qrow and jumps into the action.

The Ace-Ops continue to run around the Geist and to distract and disorient it, and they get the other arm off. With a flick of his lucky charm, Clover jumps up and loops his fishing line around the Geist’s mask face, and it actually hooks. What comes next brings a look of astonishment to Team RWBY’s faces. He pulls the Geist out of the ice by its face, and Harriet runs up its torso to give a jumping Shoryuken with her mech fists to kill the Grimm. But that leaves a lot of Dust crystals falling through the air, and the Ace Ops scramble to grab all of them. One remains and Harriet runs to get it... it’s a close call... and Ruby beats her to it. Who’s faster now?~ But much to Ruby’s surprise, upon seeing her in action Harriet claims Ruby’s Semblance is unlike any speed Semblance she’s ever seen, that there’s probably more to it than she realizes... or we do for that matter~ I can’t wait to see what they do with that. Yang points out that Ruby has an awful lot more going on in terms of power than Harriet realizes, earning a grin from Weiss and a very cute giggle from Blake. Regardless, mission accomplished and Qrow and Clover have a little banter over if Ruby’s catch was luck or talent. Glad to see the Atlas MVP’s acknowledge our Team has some skill of their own. Even happier to see Elm effortlessly put Ruby on her shoulder and carry her around to celebrate while Yang and Nora start dancing.

Next thing we know we’re back in Mantle as the police ship drops Forest off. He goes into an alley, where Tyrian suddenly appears under a flickering light to creep us all out and kill a short lived fan favorite character. RIP, good good protest boy. 

And that’s pretty much it. Sorry it took a while.

[your-worst-knightmare]

Red: Pt. 10

Masterlist here

Jason’s whole morning was a mess of bleary-eyed madness. Louis had left the safehouse with Bizarro long before Alfred had arrived in a limo to pick Artemis and Jason up. Both of them didn’t have many belongings save for weapons, which Alfred insisted that they let him take care of. 

“Master Jason, it’s wonderful you and Miss Artemis are able to visit this time of year. Your stay will be busy, I must warn you, but everyone will be there.”

“Wait, what’s happening?” Jason asked, trying to shake the weariness from his brain. 

“Have you really forgotten, Master Jason?  The annual Wayne charity gala is tomorrow.”

“Well it seems that you won’t have to call the rest of your family now,” Artemis remarked. 

Jason could only slap his forehead. “Alf, i came for business, not to party. We’re all in danger. I mean, we don’t know for sure, but–”

“Then it seems suitable that you wait until at least the gala is over. Most of the family hasn’t arrived yet anyhow. Oh, and Miss Stephanie has arranged a shopping trip for the two of you. She assumes you both hadn’t brought adequate clothing in advance.”

“Aw, Alfred–” he was swiftly cut off by a jab to the side. 

“Thank you Alfred. I’m sure Jason can enjoy some time with his family without any talk of business.” Artemis gave Jason a look, and he knew better than to oppose both her and Alfred.

The old man chuckled to himself as he pulled up to Wayne Manor. A full house was always nice, if not a bit of a handful. “I’m sure he can, Miss Artemis, I’m sure he can. Try to enjoy yourselves for a while. In the meantime, let me show you to your rooms.”

In short, Jason was not enjoying himself in the least. He was hungry and tired, and of course stupid Stephanie Brown made him go shopping. And Replacement would never let Damian hear the end of it if Jason dared complain. He would get his revenge. Somehow. 

The one person Jason wouldn’t mind seeing wasn’t even in the city. Yeah, because Damian’s got friends now. Like Jason wasn’t the first friend Damian ever had. The little brat left him a note apologizing for his absence, but its formality only made Jason laugh. The kid should be with his friends, maybe learning how to talk like a normal ten-year-old. 

Naturally, Steph wouldn’t make Damian go shopping. It was dreadful, with Steph practically hijacking Artemis and leaving Jason and Replacement (Tim)  stranded in high end stores suspended in utter confusion. It wasn’t that Jason didn’t know how to shop, it was that stupid Brown wouldn’t let him touch anything without her approval of the item first. That left very few items in the store left for Jason to choose from. 

It was simply maddening. Steph finally brought him a green suit and insisted that it was the one. “It’s viridian. It’s so in Jason,” he mocked when she asked to see it on him. He didn’t even get to see what she had gotten Artemis. 

He didn’t have to try it on. And hallelujah, he got to go home. Much to nobody’s surprise, he didn’t get much rest when he got back to Wayne Manor either. Jason had scarcely returned to his room when he was tacked by a ten-year old whirlwind. Damian. The boy greeted him in the formal dialect of the League, a habit not yet broken. “Akhi! You came back!”

“Well that’s obvious, isn’t it? Woah, okay, let me breathe here Damian.” The boy obeyed and sat on the bed. He clearly wasn’t ready to leave anytime soon.

“Where have you been?” he asked, crossing his arms.” You haven't visited most– if any of your safehouses lately. I… I’ve been worried.”

Well the kid had changed then. Jason had to give the little prince some credit. The kid would never have said that in his right mind had he still been with the League. 

“I’ve been busy.”

“Too busy to not even go on patrol? To not answer any messages? You practically disappeared, Todd.” Damian wasn’t buying it. One thing hadn’t changed, that was for sure. The prince would get the truth out of him one way or another. Honestly, Jason was a little (okay, maybe a lot) embarrassed to tell Damian that he’d been caught and in custody for two months. He hadn’t even tried, really tried to get out. 

But, Jason figured it was better to be up front. Especially with a family of detectives with a notorious history of using secrets as blackmail.

Damian only scoffed in response.” Tt’. Really, akhi? You’re getting soft.” 

“Speak for yourself, brat. Now let me sleep. I’m tired.” He flopped onto the bed, with no regard for the assassin prince still sitting there. 

Instead of leaving, Damian snuggled up into the crook of Jason’s arm and soon fell asleep listening to the rhythmic beating of his brother’s heart. 

Jason’s next interruption (named Artemis) came too early into the next morning. Damian was still where he had fallen asleep, dozing softly. At the sound of a knock, Jason regrettably blinked himself awake. “Come in,” he yawned.

“I see you’ve been able to rest. I was going to ask if you wanted to come train with me.” Artemis raised an eyebrow at the scene. “ It seems that you can tolerate at least one of your brothers' presence.”

“It’s a love-hate relationship.”

The Amazon snorted. “So are you going to take me up on my offer or not?”

“Yeah, I’m coming Red.” He carefully shifted Damian off of himself. Thankfully, the kid’s eyes remained closed. “Wait, before you go can you help me with my shoulder?”

“Are you not capable?” she asked, nevertheless sitting down beside him. Jason pulled off his shirt to let her inspect the wound. Most of his torso was covered in bandages as well as his shoulder. Peeling them back to see how the wound healed was a tedious task. Enhanced healing made it even more annoying on account of never knowing what to expect. 

“Ow. Easy, Arty.”

“ Oh, be quiet. You should be fine by tomorrow. Just keep the gauze on for compression,” Artemis said, starting to re-wrap the bandages. 

Jason closed his eyes with a small sigh, glad to sit there and do nothing. Relaxing was a weird way to put it, but he couldn’t find any other way to describe it. The tips of her hair brushed his face, surrounding him the scent of her shampoo. For the first time in months, he felt… calm. 

“I assume you’ll be able to take care of yourself from here. Meet me downstairs in five.” 

“Thanks Princess!” he called after her.

As soon as Artemis left, Damian’s eyes flew open. Jason groaned.”You’ve been awake this whole time?”

Damian nodded, grinning devilishly. “You’re getting soft akhi,” he piped, poking his brother in the ribs. 

“And I’m going to kill you if another word comes out of your mouth.” Jason pulled on some suitable clothes for training and shooed Damian out before going to join Artemis. 

Surprisingly, the training room was empty. That was especially unusual for this time in the morning with the Bats. Then Jason realized that everyone was probably helping out Alfred downstairs for that night. Not that training was easy work either. But he’d go help after. 

“Took you long enough.” Artemis said, smirking. “Warm up and then we spar.”

She was going to kick his butt. He knew it. But he wasn’t going to argue. “Yes ma'am.”

Jason had half a mind to say that being an Amazon was plain cheating. Yeah, he held his own, but barely. The strength of the Lazarus wasn’t always on his side. Then again, Jason didn’t always have the privilege of fighting people his own size. 

“Another round?”” Artemis asked, helping him up from the floor. 

“Yeah, give me a sec,” he huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his shirt. “Next round, I pick the weapon though.”

By the time Artemis was satisfied with the amount of training done, Jason felt like he was going to drop dead on the spot. Which–in a weird way– reminded him of how much he’d missed training with her. She didn’t let anyone get away with slacking off. Neither did Alfred, for that matter, which was why Jason needed to hurry up in the showers or else face the wrath of an all-powerful butler. A butler much too tired to deal with any kind of nonsense. 

The evening came faster than Jason had anticipated. He examined his appearance in the mirror, doing his best at looking presentable. At first, he hadn’t been sure of Steph’s choice of colour, but he was surprised to say that he actually looked… good? Fingering the cuffs of his jacket, he eyed the ‘finishing touch’ that Bruce insisted he wear. A Rolex– one that Bruce had originally got Jason for his sixteenth birthday. He’d never gotten to wear it. Death tended to preoccupy a person. 

 After staring at the timepiece for at least five minutes, he finally made the decision to put it on. He headed downstairs, where a few of Bruce’s close friends  as well as the boys were already present. The girls were soon to arrive, fashionably late, as Alfred had put it. 

As if on cue, the doors to the hall were thrown open (a bit dramatically if Jason had anything to say about it). And Jason stopped. Wow. The girls all looked supermodel gorgeous. And Artemis– Just woah. 

Her dress was clearly made to match his own outfit. Steph had clearly outdone herself there. It was green, high-necked and sleeveless, which flowed elegantly to her shins. Her red hair was pulled back, keeping the delicate curls out of her face and making the designs etched into her side-shave all the more striking. A gold armband circled her bicep, emphasizing her muscular physique. 

“Good evening, Jason,” she said coolly, practically gliding across the floor.”Tell me, when did you decide to fulfill your dreams of being a statue?”

“This? Oh, this is a technique used to evade the reporters. You should try it sometime. Works wonders.”

The Amazon’s lips curled upward in amusement. “I see.” She reached across the table to steal an untouched patry from Jason’s plate.

“Hey! I was going to eat that.”

“It can’t possibly be that hard to get another,” she said, taking a bite. “Besides, you weren’t eating it.”

He gave her a look. Artemis shrugged, mouth full. “Ah, it’s fine. I’ll steal another one from the kitchen. Bruce wants us there for a briefing anyway.”

“Briefing?”

“Yeah, so the press doesn’t find anything fishy with us.” It sounded like a weird thing to do, but even when he was a kid, Jason had pre-gala briefings. What to say to the reporters, how to act (well mostly) what impression to give off. There was a whole science to it. Alfred didn’t teach the Bats  drama in vain. 

The kitchen, which seemed colossal while empty, slowly shrank as more and more people shuffled inside. Bruce quizzed each of them of their roles, and things they were not to do. Jason, for example, was not to get drunk and cuss out the press. Much to his own chagrin, Jason was expected to actually talk to some of the guests, and give off a good impression.

“Remember, you are all representing the Wayne name, even if you don’t bear it. Please act accordingly.” 

On the bright side, Jason was able to sneak another pastry out. Man, he’d missed Alfred’s cooking. For all of his redeemable traits, Louis hadn’t been the best chef. It was a step up from the cooking at the correctional facility, but Alfred’s skillset was simply legendary. 

The flash of cameras and clamouring reporters soon arrived to the manor. Limos that looked long enough to fit thirty people pulled up one after the other. He remembered watching them as a kid, in awe of the lavish use of their money. He remembered smiling so much at the cameras that his cheeks hurt. He remembered eating so much food that he felt sick afterwards- thereafter getting to wait the rest of the party out in his room. There was something satisfying about knowing there was a party downstairs and choosing not to be a part of it. 

Jason was relieved once the guests settled into the hall and calmed down. Because he spent so little time with his own family, he felt like more of a guest himself. His brothers were busy talking to the elite, making small talk about whatever rich people were interested in. Artemis didn’t have much care to mingle, which was a small comfort to Jason. At least he could talk to her and not seem like a total loner. 

“Bruce said I have to talk to some people this time.”

“Do you really plan to?”

“Well I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”

“Oh quit your blather Jason. What’s on your mind?”

He leaned an arm on the table, sighing. There were so many things. Coming back to Wayne Manor made him enough of a trainwreck as it was. Add onto that the threat of lurking Owls and the thought of Biz and Louis by themselves didn’t help. And the gala? All of that was the perfect recipe for something to go wrong. Artemis was the one thing that kept him from losing his mind. Well, partially. 

“So many things Arty. Everything just piles up, you know?” She nodded solemnly, silently telling him to continue. “And I just…” he stopped, shaking his head, his entire vocabulary ceasing to exist. 

She took his hand and looked him in the eye. “I know. It really does happen at the worst times. Family is a difficult thing, Jason, but it’s better to keep them in your life, despite how much you may want to drop-kick some of them off a roof.” 

He laughed dryly. “How are you so perfect with everything Princess?”

“Perfect? I’m far from it. But you may keep believing that if you like,” she smiled.

 Oh, he was so glad she was back. Her presence alone was strangely soothing. She could say nothing and deliver a whole conversation. He hoped she understood his mess of a mind. Words alone couldn’t convey his thoughts. Life was hard, feelings more so. He’d have to unwind all of that later. Public settings weren’t the place to get emotional. 

“How do you think Biz and Louis are doing?” Jason asked, taking a sip of whatever carbonated drink the waiter had given him. 

“I’m sure they’re getting along. Louis seems likable enough.”

“I thought you two didn’t get along?”

“Yes, we may not see eye to eye, but I know a sincere man when I see one. He’s dedicated to doing right, and I respect that.”

Jason gave her a small round of applause, making the Amazon roll her eyes. “So glad to see my favorite people getting along.” He raised his glass. “To the reunion of the Outlaws, and you being friendly,”Jason toasted and drained the rest of his drink without another word. Artemis gave him an exasperated look before following suit. 

Tipping his glass to the light, he could’ve sworn he saw something. Was that… an owl? There was too much evidence of the Court following them for it not to be. What did they put in his drink? Upon placing the glass down, he nudged Artemis, motioning to his drink. Thankfully, she got his message. 

She swirled her own glass around in her hand, watching the last sips slosh around. Finally, she set it on the table. “We really must ask the waiter what mystery drink he is giving out. I simply must have some more,” Artemis said, throwing a little too much enthusiasm into her last sentence. 

The guests started to file to the middle of the hall. What the elite of Gotham had with waltzes, Jason would never know. But it seemed like a good way to pass information around the room discreetly. Jason got up, offering a hand to Artemis. “A dance, m’lady?” 

“Sounds wonderful.” The pair glided across the floor, Jason grateful for Alfred’s training in this type of thing. He leaned close to Artemis’ ear, scarcely daring to whisper. “We need to tell someone they’re here.”

“We’ll split up,” she breathed. “Find Barbara. I’ll find Dick.”

 “‘Kay.”

Jason was just about to hand her off to another partner when Artemis winced. “You okay?”

“Yes, it’s just… my head.” She brought a hand to her temple, grimacing. “I’ve got to go.”

Jason nodded. He could tell Dick himself. “Go on, I’ll meet you later.” He saw her off, and sat down in the corner, trying to locate Dick. He managed to catch his attention, only– his head started to pound too.

 “You okay, Jay? You look terrible.”

Jason sucked in a breath. “Some’n messed with–” his tongue felt like lead. Nope nope nope. He needed to leave. “–drink.” he managed, dashing out the door and to the nearest washroom.  

[the-truest-sentence-i-know]

Shared Life Experiences

Chapter One: Coming Out

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Pairing: Steve Rogers x James “Bucky” Buchanan Barnes (Stucky)

Summary:  So much has changed in the seventy years that Steve was under, and now, in the 21st century, he realizes that he no longer has to hide those parts of himself that he used to.

But it isn't that easy, because when Bucky comes back into his life, he remembers all those feelings they’d had to hide back then that they wouldn’t have to now. But he isn't sure if that’s what Bucky wants - because it's been a while and feelings may have changed.

ao3 || ff.net || wattpad

The future was different.

Steve knew that that wasn’t exactly a profound statement, but the difference hit him every day. Many were positive, some negative – thought more in a nostalgic than objective way.

One night, not too long after the Battle of New York, they’d all been lounging in the tv room of Avengers tower, half-watching some drama or other. He hadn’t really been paying attention, and when he glanced over at the screen, he saw what looked like to be two men on a date.

His first thought was that this must be a parody of some kind. But as the scene went on, the romantic tone never wavered.

He was so enthralled by this couple, these two men in love, on the screen, that he didn’t notice the others watching him carefully.

Tony, Natasha, and Bruce watched him cautiously, uncertain of how he’d react. Of course, they hoped for the best, after all, Steve was a very decent guy, and he hadn’t been weird about women or people of colour at all so far. But, on the other hand, he had grown up in the thirties.

On the screen, the blond one knelt down and reached into his coat for a ring box. Steve inhaled sharply, eyes stinging, as the other man nodded tearfully. The two embraced, laughing as they lost their balance and tumbled to the floor.

Steve became aware of the others watching him and rose quickly. “Uh, bathroom,” he muttered before rushing out of the room. He knew how it looked, what the others must be thinking, but he didn’t want to be seen having such a strong emotional reaction to a damned soap opera of all things.

He made his way down to an empty hallway and leaned against the wall, eyes closed. He took a few shaky breaths, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Flashes of memory plagued his mind. Sneers. Hurtful words thrown like punches. Hiding in dark places from actual punches. Better memories accompanied them. Laughing blue eyes. Knowing smiles. Kisses in dark hiding places. Small cots and tangled limbs.

But always in secret.

“Steve?” a quiet voice asked.

Steve nearly jumped and quietly turned away to wipe any trace of tears from his eyes. When he turned back, Natasha stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, looking concerned.

“Hey, Nat,” he said, grimacing at the hoarseness of his voice.

“You good?” she asked, and, as Steve was starting to realize with her, she really wanted to know. And he didn’t know what to say.

To say something out loud that has always been a secret between two people, never vocalized in a voice above a whisper, something that’s never been seen in full sunlight, is a feat nigh herculean.

So he just shook his head.

Nat simply pursed her lips, nodded and pulled him into a hug.

 LGBT history was added to his list of research topics an important category on its own. He made his way tearfully through documentaries about Stonewall with Nat at his side. He watched his first pride parade from a distance, not quite ready yet to participate.

Finally, when Steve had once again pulled Nat out of the room to tell her this new thing he’d learned about (Elton John!), she’d said, “Look, man, I don’t want to pressure you or anything, but have you thought of coming out to the others? I promise that they’d be super chill about it.”

Steve looked at her uncertainly. “Are you sure, I mean, I like them and all, but…”

“100% sure,” she said. “They know I’m pan and, hell, I’m pretty sure there’s something going on between Tony and Bruce, with all that tension.”

 The benefit of the internet was that research was so much easier – not just academic research, but research into how people did things, their stories and experiences. Steve read nearly every article about how to come out to one’s friends. But, no matter how much research he did, he didn’t feel quite ready.

That was, until one day, as he was about to head out for a run, he heard his name on the news that played almost perpetually on the tv. He leaned into the room to see what it was about.

A politician who looked vaguely familiar was on the screen – white hair, clean-cut – “… he’s the kind of hero we need as a role model, you see. A traditional man, from a simpler time. I would much prefer my sons to look up to Captain America than Iron Man – who drinks excessively and has a new woman on his arm every time you see him.”

“I’ll have you know that Pepper and I are going steady!” Tony called from the kitchen. “Although we do have an agreement.” He winked at Bruce, who rolled his eyes.

The news host came back on the screen. “That was Senator Johnson at a press earlier today is leading a small faction of senators against L-17, the proposed nation-wide ban of conversion therapy for minors.”

“Obviously, I support the LGBT+ community,” Johnson said a bit awkwardly. “But I also support parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit. This law is an infringement of people’s freedom of religion.”

Steve’s jaw clenched. He had definitely heard of this guy before – notoriously homophobic, but tried to keep up the nice, reasonable guy routine.

“Hey, Tony,” he said. “How long does it take to set up a charitable organization?”

 Not very long at all, apparently. After a week of meetings and long hours, Steve found himself with a door between him and a crowd of reporters.

Tony came in a grinned. “Don’t know how you did it, but here are more reporters in there than there were when I announced I was Iron Man.”

“Well, Captain America doesn’t hold a lot of press conferences,” Nat said. “So, they know it’s big.”

Steve smiled, trying to look confident. He’d never liked talking to the press, even back in the day. Then he’d just had to talk about beating the Nazis and try to keep up morale. Now he was about to say something to the whole country that he’d never really said out loud before. He hadn’t really had to come out to the rest of the gang per se. They had kind of figured it out through his determination to get this done as quickly as possible. A kind of silent understanding.

But this had to be him. and maybe he was doing it out of spite – he did wish he could see X’s face – but the more he thought about it, he knew it was bigger than that.

He wanted to make sure that no one in this country had to grow up like he did – hiding.

So, with one last deep breath, a reassuring nod from Bruce, a smile from Nat, and a slap on the back from Tony, he stepped through the door and out in front of the crowd.

Questions exploded at him and he quickly walked over to the mic. “Hey, everyone. Glad you could make it. Uh, I’ll take questions in just a sec.”

The crowd quieted down, and Steve took a moment to clear his head and slow his racing heart. “I am here today to announce the launch of my charitable organization, In the Light. And it will be for the support of LGBT+ teens across the country.

The reporters clamoured with questions again. Steve was sure he heard Johnson’s name thrown around. He gestured for them to quiet and continued. “This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but certain recent events have made me realize that I am sometimes associated with, well, ideas and values I disagree with a lot.” He paused. “Those who yearn for a simpler time, when things were more traditional, must remember that people have always been gay, bi, pan, nonbinary, asexual, all the things people are now. And I’d know, because, well, I’m living proof.” Mutters grew. “I was born in 1914, and,” he paused for a fraction of a second. “I am gay.” 

He stopped again as the crowd burst out with questions and waited patiently for them to quiet down. “And while I don’t want to dwell up the negatives, I do want to be honest. It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes, it really sucked. Everything had to be secret and hidden – and sure, we found ways around it, but that didn’t improve the circumstances. I want to help make sure that no one has to hide like I did.” His voice shook a little and he took a moment to clear his head. “Cause no kid should be ashamed of who they are.”

Satisfied that he had said enough, Steve took questions from the reporters.

“Are you referring to Senator Johnson’s statements last week?”

“I…” Steve’s diplomatic nature almost took over but remembered all the harm Johnson could do. He was really just another bully. “Hearing him connect me with his homophobic views did encourage me to go public with this earlier than I had intended, and one of the organization’s first focuses will be on the law banning conversion therapy and getting it passed. But this is bigger than one bigoted senator – this is about helping the kids who suffer because of people like him.”

After a couple of questions from other reporters, a much younger reporter from a news source he didn’t recognize, asked. “Just wanna say, love this a lot. We stand with you. Could you say trans rights?”

Steve smiled. “Absolutely. Trans rights.”

The kid – because really, it was a kid – grinned.

“Well, I’d say that’s a perfect conclusion for this,” Steve said. “Thank you all so much. Call your reps and tell them to vote for Bill L-17 and donate if you can. Thank you.”

When he got through the door, he saw Nat, Bruce, and Tony all watching the screen. They looked a little teary-eyed.

“Great job, Cap,” Tony said. “Way to stick it to that son of a bitch Johnson… And help the kids too, of course.”

Bruce merely nodded and smiled.

Nat grinned. “Told you they’d be chill with it.” When Steve shot her a look, she added. “The country, I mean.” She paused. “Well, obviously, you’ll get hate. Like a lot. I would recommend staying off the internet for like two weeks at least.”

Steve noticed that his heart rate had gone back to normal and he looked at them. This was good.

 Time passed and he got used to people knowing. The old panicky feeling in his chest when the topic came up subsided. The organization grew. The bill passed – for which Tony threw a party.

Steve got to travel all around the country, opening up shelters and homes for kids who were kicked out or felt unsafe at home. He helped reps in various states push for LGBT+ inclusive sex-ed curriculum.

And he talked to the kids. That was simultaneously the best and worst part. The best because they were all wonderful, and smart, and funny, and brave, and strong. So strong. The worst because of their stories. The stories his so close to home sometimes that hall he could do was give them a hug and tell hem things would get better as he tried not to cry.

He didn’t realize how emotionally draining it was until one day Bruce came to visit him in his hotel in Miami and found him staring at a wall.

“Y’alright there, Cap?” he asked.

“Mmm?” Steve said, not looking away. “Yeah, I’m fine. Long day.”

It took Bruce a little bit to get the truth out of him, but when he did, he just sighed and said, “If you go on like this, sooner or later, you’re gonna burn out and it’ll take months to get back to normal.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“How long had you been staring at that wall before I came in?”

Steve shrugged. “Not long.” When Bruce raised his eyebrows, he continued. “Like twenty minutes. You’re right. But I can’t stop.”

“You don’t have to stop, just don’t push yourself so hard, okay? It’s not just you, there are other people who work for this organization. Like actual therapists who are trained to deal with this. You don’t have to go full hands-off, just, you know, take a break every so often.”

 As it turned out, the break from In the Light would come in the form of Avengers work. Steve left the organization in the hands of some trustee employees as his whole world turned upside down for a while.

And then Bucky was back. Bucky who had been by his side as long as he could remember before everything happened. Bucky who had shared a bed with him since they were teenagers and he had started living with Bucky’s family.

Bucky, who had kissed him in a dark alleyway at age fourteen. His first kiss. For almost as long as they had known each other, they had been a little more than friends.

Bucky, who would arrange dates with all the gay and bi girls he knew so that they could go out together without suspicion. When they went to the movies with Ruth and Sarah, he and Bucky would sit on either side so the girls could sit together in the middle. Then they would stand guard outside a janitor’s closet afterwards talking loudly about the movie. And if worst came to worst and there was any trouble, they could keep the girls safe.

Bucky, who was now living with them once everything had quieted down. And while they got back into a reasonably familiar rhythm, there was a degree of separation.

Neither of them dared to step across that thin line between the platonic and the romantic. After all, it had been so long. Feelings may have changed.

[sampaii-ca]

Strange and Unusual (Klance fic)

This is for Klance AU Month and the prompt was Historic. I realize that February is over but I'm still riding the Klance train (never getting off really). So choo choo, come take a ride with me!

P.S. I'm obsessed with Roswell, anything surrounding it so I just HAD to make a Klance AU ;)

Summer 1947

The light of the moon combined with the small fires lit up the field of flowers. They glowed a bright violet. They were all Lance could see as he stared out onto the field where the crash was located.

“McClain! Get your head outt’a ya ass and come get your assignment!”

Lance startled and swung around, “Yes sir!

He joined the group and they started to assign people to search different locations of the field. Their assignments were to search and if they found anything “strange and unusual” to shout and whatever was found would be collected. What they were searching for, they didn’t know, or at least weren’t told. That information seemed to be above Lance’s pay grade.

To be honest, the whole situation could be considered “strange and unusual”, at least to Lance. Fellow airmen reported seeing a “flying disc” streaking across the sky over Roswell then crash landing in a field outside of town. If Lance wasn’t here to personally see the wreckage, than he would have thought they were crazy.

What was it? Why did it crash? Where did it come from? Guess that’s what they were here to find out. Popular theory was that is was a plane from an enemy country, sent to spy on the military but then malfunctioned and went down. Others had more “other worldly” theories, claiming it was martians. He secretly kind of hoped it was the latter. As a kid, War of the Worlds was one of his favorite books and he would make his older brother play “save the world from aliens” with him in the backyard. Interest in the cosmos has been with him since he could read. So finding an alien would definitely make his night.

Lance was assigned to the northwest corner of the field along with a few other soldiers. They fanned out looking at the ground for evidence of anything from the crash. He could see scattered debris spread out across the field, what looked like pieces of the craft glinting silver in the moonlight.

A piece of debris lay just in front of him and he picked it up, strangely enough it felt warm. Almost as if it was giving off its own heat. As Lance touched it, an iridescent shine began to glow from within, highlighting symbols and markings that were etched into the material. He looked around to see if any of his superiors were around but didn’t see anyone near, so he put the piece in his satchel to turn in later.

“Hey McClain.” another Private shuffled up to him. He was younger, just joined if Lance could remember correctly and there was sweat on his brow despite the chill night air. “This is crazy right?” He mumbled while chewing on one of his nails. “I mean..it can’t ACTUALLY be aliens...right?”

“Ahh well,” Lance looked down at his name tag “O’Neal, not really sure right now...but I doubt its--” All of a sudden shouting could be heard across the field. Lance and O’Neal glanced in that direction and could see people running around, wonder what they found.

They weren’t being called back so they continued searching their section of the field, collecting little pieces of debris along the way. The cold night air started to make Lance shiver, it had been a few hours of searching and the adrenaline high from the beginning was long gone. Any residual heat from that no longer keeping Lance warm.

A rock outcropping loomed ahead of him and out of the corner of his eye, Lance thought he saw movement. A quick dart of a shadow, but when he looked there was nothing there. O’Neal had wandered off towards a different section, leaving Lance alone for the moment and a shiver ran up his spine.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he walked over towards the grouping of boulders and started to climb. His satchel bouncing against his back as he went. Halfway up, there was a landing and Lance could see the whole field from this view point. He sat down on the ledge and swung his legs over, taking a little break won’t hurt.

The stars were twinkling brightly tonight, Lance hadn’t glanced upward at all since they started the search for debris on the ground. Ursa major and minor could be spotted easily. Jupiter was also out tonight, beaming its presence across the solar system. The gas giant was always Lance’s favorite planet.

Inhaling the cool night air, he took a deep breathe but as he exhaled an acute pain erupted from the middle of his back. He stiffened and could feel something sharp digging in.

Someone was talking behind him, Lance could hear them but wasn’t understanding anything they were saying. It sounded like gibberish to him. The object at his back was removed and more gibberish spoken, he turned around, raising his hands in a gesture of uncertainty.

There was a man standing behind him, pointing a very sharp looking sword towards his face. Gesturing with his hand, the man made a motion for Lance to stand up. He scrambled up and away from the ledge he was sitting on. Now that he could see the man fully, he was wearing a deep purple bodysuit and what looked to be armor on the top half of his body. A deep gash had torn through his suit and he was bleeding from his thigh. His hair was shoulder length and disheveled. A strong jaw and high cheekbones adorned his face, but what Lance noticed most were his eyes. They were glowing...and violet. Just like the flowers Lance saw in the field at the beginning of the night.

Inhuman, Lance thought.

The man was talking again.

“I’m sorry...I-I don’t understand you.”

The man sighed with what Lance could guess as frustration and tapped something on the side of his collar. Clicks and clucks started pouring out of his mouth that had Lance scrunching his nose and furrowing his brow in confusion. This was worse than the gibberish before.

More taps to his collar….then, “Now can you understand me?”

Lance’s eyes widen in surprise, “Y-yes.”

The sword came closer to Lance’s throat, “Where is my brother? Who are you? Where am I?”

Lance gulped and glanced down at the blade, “I-I don’t know where your brother is.” His mouth was turning dry but he tried his best to answer the remaining questions.

“My name is Lance. And...you’re in Roswell, New Mexico.”

The man narrowed his eyes and looked to be working something over in his mind. He opened his mouth to speak but at the same time O’Neal shouted to Lance from below.

“McClain! You up there?”

Lance instinctively looked behind him, peering as much as he could over the ledge, momentarily forgetting about the blade at his throat.

After realizing his mistake he turned back to the man but….he wasn’t there. He had vanished, Lance didn’t even hear him run off.

“McClain!” O’Neal shouted again.

“Ya! Ya I’m up here!” Lance staggered to the end of the ledge and gave a small wave towards O’Neal.

“What are you doing up there? Come on, we’re being called back.”

“Ok! I-I’ll be down in a sec!”

Lance made it back down to the ground and they started to make their way towards where the others were gathering.

His mind was running a mile a minute, trying to process what just happened.

Man.

Strange clothes.

Sword.

Gibberish.

Blazing violet eyes.

He stumbled a bit as he walked.

“Hey, are you alright?” O’Neal asked.

“Ya, ya I’m ok. Just tripped on a rock.”

“You sure? You look a little pale...did you find something up there?”

Did Lance find something? No, he found SOMEONE. But..something deep in his gut told him not to tell. To keep this..this..BEING a secret. So he replied with,

“No… nothing was up there.”

[lokis-lady-death]

Doesn’t Play Well With Others Episode 2

Loki x Reader

Lady Death: This is less of a series and more of a few snippets of of stories from Stark Towers in Brazil. Reader is an ice mutant that, when S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded joined the Avengers. Months had passed since the defeat of Thanos and Loki has become a live-in member of the team. The problem? You’ve been put in charge of his training.

Episode 1 (part one has in-heat Jotun!Loki smutt, but this chapter can be read without reading it if that’s not your fancy)

Doesn’t Play Well With Others Episode 2

Paperwork. The bane of anyone's existence. Monotonous, repetitious, boring paperwork.

That was what your Wednesday had become consumed with, more specifically the finalized, typed up, official statement of the Avengers regarding a special mission you, Sam, Nat and Loki had undergone in Russia (codename:Operation MotherLand). The reason you were doing this tedious deed? Because while on the mission, a civilian was caught in the crossfire. Luckily she survived with only a few bumps and bruises, but (as a part of the deal Tony and Steve had made with Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross in construction of the new Sokovia Accords) there must be a detailed report of what caused the civilian to be injured during one of your missions.

It was a hassle, but a necessary one. Just a small price to pay to have the Avengers reinstated and everyone cleared of their past grievances with the legislation.

But the reason you yourself were tasked with this assignment was a bit more complicated: the woman hurt in Russia was injured due to Avenger-in-training Loki, who happened to be under your supervision. His mistakes, it turned out, were your mistakes.  

On Monday:

~”Oh, no, Loki was y/n’s responsibility in Russia,” Sam exclaimed when Ross informed Tony over the speakerphone that there would need to be formal documentation of the entire mission. “I’m not getting stuck with homework all because she couldn’t handle that green diva!”

“No one can handle him, that’s why he was dumped on me in the first place!” you argued. “Nat, come on, you can't agree with him?”

But the Black Widow only shrugged her shoulders. “Im sorry, y/n, but you are technically in charge of him. You knew the risks when you let him come on the mission with us.”

“He has to get experience in the field, you all know that…!”

“All mute points,” Ross interrupted, silencing the room. “I need this event documented or else…”

“Yeah, yeah, or else you’ll have us extradited out of Brazil back to the states and charge us with treason, lock up our loved ones, bla bla bla, evil government jargon. Yes, Rossy. We know the whole spiel, we’ll get you that stuff as soon as… oh no... you’re ….breaking up… Ross-ter?”

“Stark!” echoed in the room before Tony ended the call.

He rolled his eyes and sighed before he turned towards you. “So… about this report?”

“You’re really going to stick me with this? That was an eight month long mission, its going to take me days to write it all up!”

“Then I suggest you get to writing,” the man of iron suggested before patting you on the back. “And next time maybe keep a better eye on our little Shakespeare in the Park. This time someone got a little banged up, but what about next time?” ~

So here you were, writing out a novel’s worth of information to satisfy the governments of the world rather than doing any actual work or training. Which wasn’t too bad, you had to admit. After this past weekend, you could use a break from Loki’s contentious attitude. You hadn’t seen him since the two of you were locked together in the containment box and frankly you didn’t want to.

It had turned out Loki Odinson, declared prince of Asgard, was actually a frost giant. What's more, he had convinced Thor to lie to you while he hid away, going through some type of animalistic heat cycle that ended with the two of sleeping together. Suffice to say, things between you were a tad more complicated. You had an already stressful enough relationship since he had joined the Avengers, so much so that you didn’t need the added complication that would come from talking about what had happened: one time, didn't mean anything, never gonna happen again sex.

You typed away on the computer, trying to push Loki to the back of your mind as you turned up the music on your phone.

He had distracted you since Saturday when the “incident” occured. Afterwards you locked him and Thor in the containment cell to teach them a lesson about lying to you- and partially because you needed a moment to yourself before having to face the brothers Grimm.

You had even threatened to tell Tony about the entire incident just to “put the fear of God” in them. In reality, in the three days since Tony has been back at the tower, you hadn't had the slightest inkling to rat the Odisons out.

And they both knew it, too.

Though you hadn't seen Loki since releasing them from their makeshift jail, Thor had made it a point to find you once he realized you hadn't reported them.

~”I greatly appreciate you keeping this weekend a secret, Lady y/n. It means  lot to my brother and I that you didn't tell Tony Stark… though I know I should tell him myself, but you see…” The god of thunder paused, trying to feel out his words carefully. “You see, I don't know if you've noticed, but Loki staying here has been a bit…”

“Messy, chaotic,” you interrupted, “Dangerous?”

“Yes, admittedly all of those things. It's just that I am all Loki has left. He doesn’t feel accepted by the Asgardians, he doesn’t feel accepted by Midgardians. I know him being here is not ideal and everyone has their doubts,  but I cannot abandon my brother. So you keeping this secret for him, it really means a lot to us both. Even if he won't admit it.”~

There wasn’t much you could say to him at the time, just nod and go on about your day. Truth be told, you were keeping another secret for Loki (the two of you sleeping together) but you weren’t going to be the one to let him know.

“Shit, I’m never going to finish this,” you grumbled when you were STILL dwelling on Loki and things related to him. It wasn’t made easier that the report you were writing was practically about him.

Accepting you weren’t going to get anything done, you looked down at your mug. You didn’t know how long you had been working, but what was left of your coffee had gotten cold and you were starting to get hungry. Saving your work, you closed your laptop and ventured out of your room to the kitchen in your apartment.

You were walking through the hallway when you heard three distinct, short raps at your apartment door.

“Just a sec,” you shouted, peaking in the mirror that hung in the hall. You cursed yourself for not bothering with makeup this morning, less from the dark circles under your eyes and more for the sizable teeth marks embedded in the crook of your neck from where Loki had bitten you. You pulled your hair out of its tie and wrapped it methodically around your shoulders until you were sure it was hidden enough.

When you got to the door, you tapped the special keypad on the side to activate the two-way-mirror feature installed on all the apartment doors that allowed anyone inside to see who was at their door.

Your heart thumped extra hard at the sight of Loki standing with his hands folded behind his back, impatiently shifting from one foot to the other as he stared off down the hall nervously.

You couldn’t help but scoff, “Speak of the devil.”

Closing your eyes you tried to envision what could possibly come of speaking with him, until he knocked again in the same manner.

This time you managed to make out the squareness of his shoulders, the tightness of his lips.

He was in a serious mood, making you all the more apprehensive to answering the door.

You finally swung it open, meeting his grimace with a wide eyed and toothy smile. “Well if it isn’t everyone’s favorite My Chemical Romance backup dancer. Is there something I can help you with?”

He pulled a piece of paper out from behind his back. “We had training. We were scheduled at 0800. It is now 1200,” he told you pointedly. You couldn’t help but quirk you brow, confused that, of all things, this is what he had come to discuss.

“What a surprise. All the times I’ve had to hunt you down and drag you to training and the one day I forgot, you actually hunt ME down?” You took a moment to appreciate the poetic irony of the moment before declaring, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. I’m busy with paperwork. But I appreciate the enthusiasm, keep it up and I’ll be ready to get right on that training as soon as I’m done. Okay bye,” and you tried to shut your door.

Loki shoved his heavy boot in the doorway in time to stop it from closing.

“No, that isn't all. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoiding me. First you didn’t even tell me of the meeting with the man of iron Monday and, counting today, you have missed three training sessions.”

Your eyes narrowed up at him but you didn’t say anything.

What could you say, he wasn’t wrong. Even now, being this close to him, you felt an ache begin to form in the pit of your stomach. An ache you didn’t quite know how to place.

Loki cleared his throat, looking away when he told you, “While I appreciated the peace and quiet at first, now I am quite curious as to whether or not we should discuss what happened…”

You begged your heart to stop pounding in your chest, but failed. “Absolutely not, there’s no reason to do that. We can go back to our regularly scheduled bickering sessions when I’m not knee deep in this report.”

“Report, what report?” There was a height in his tone, perhaps concerned over the linguistics of your report.

“Don’t worry, it’s not on THAT. It’s about the mission in Russia last week.”

“Why?” he asked incredulously. “If I remember correctly, the mission was a success.”

“You realize you caused a woman to get hurt?”

At that Loki let out a scowl, realizing what particular moment you were speaking of. “I diverted a weapon from hitting a teammate- you, actually, if I remember correctly. I thought that’s what Avengers did was save people? Is that not what you heros are always going on about? Saving lives?”

“Not teammates lives, you greased up Link-wannabe, you’re supposed to protect civilians! Not help a building to fall on them!”

In the midst of Operation MotherLand, while coming under heavy fire from several assailants, Sam and Nat were split up from you and Loki. You had instructed Loki to maintain the four civilians with you while you tried to get the upper hand in the situation. You had managed to radio Nat and could make out a clearing to get through behind the shooters. Unbeknownst to you, someone had come up behind you with the intention of ending the stand-off. Loki instinctively grabbed hold of the man and threw him. Fortunately for you, the assailant hadn’t had time to take the shot. Unfortunately for one of the civilians, Loki had thrown the man into a column supporting the roof over your heads, crumbling the the already damaged structure. The building began collapsing around you all and, while all four civilians weren’t killed, one woman’s leg had gotten pinned under some rubble.

“I promise I’m the first one to acknowledge what you did was... helpful. But the fact remains that our job was to secure the terrorists and help any innocents who got in the crossfire. My safety, your safety, anyone else on our team, it all comes after. There is only the mission and ensuring civilians make it out.”

Squaring his jaw, Loki clicked his tongue before responding, “I’m sorry, Lady y/n. Next time I’ll simply allow the enemy to shoot you.”

The two of you locked eyes as you opened the door enough to step up to him. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen up: I didn’t join the Avengers to be saved, Loki. I’m not some damsel in distress. I joined to SAVE lives and while I love every single member on this team, I know, and they know, that if it comes to an innocent or one of us,” you shrugged your shoulders. “It’s called sacrifice. Everytime I go out, or Steve goes out, or Nat, or Sam or even Thor, we know there is always that chance that we may not come back. We do what we can to be smart about it, but the fact of the matter is innocents come first.”

“Oh! Please!” Loki snorted, pressing a finger to your chest and making you step backwards into the apartment as he moved forward. “You expect me to believe you’re so self righteous that you believe sacrifice to be the only way? The midgardian was hurt, but she lived. And you lived. Yes, she may have been worse for ware, but you would have died. I don’t see that as a bad trade.”

“Yep. Self righteous. Okay, Loki, I think that concludes this week’s episode of Days of our Lives, you can leave now,” you strained to say, no longer looking at him. This wasn’t the first time you had this fight. The two of you argued the entire flight home from Russia about this very same thing.

Letting out a sigh, you shook your head. “I’ll pick up our training when I’m done with this report. If you’re so broken up about missing training, you can go play with Tony’s simulators until then.” When he didn’t make a motion to move, you glanced up. “This is the part where you leave.”

You were stunned when, rather than turning to leave you in peace, the god of mischief stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“Loki?” you spoke softly, feeling a rise in your chest. “What are you-”

“Why didn’t you tell Tony or the others?”

The change in subject was unexpected, and honestly you wondered if he was talking about him being a Jotun or the sex you had. “Maybe I did?” you lied.

Loki snickered at the suggestion, tilting his head to show you the smirk on his face. “Please, darling, lying to the prince of lies?” He tsked. “Really. Why didn't you tell them? I know you have all been itching to cast me out, so why ruin a perfectly good opportunity?”

“Cast you out?” you repeated. You backed away, needing some distance and hoping he wouldn’t notice how tense he made you. “We don't want to cast you out, you hard headed asshat. We want you to FOLLOW DIRECTION. And NOT LIE! Two habits that CLEARLY seem to be a foreign concept for you.”

When the god of mischief only  narrowed his eyes, you went on with a sigh. “Look, I already told you I won't tell anyone about you turning into Smurfette and as far as everything else,” despite yourself you blushed thinking about it, “It's really not a big deal. So much so we don't have to mention it. Ever.”

Loki watched you, no longer smiling, but deep in concentration as he mulled over what you said. “So you would keep all of this a secret?”

“What's a secret between teammates?” And in a bold action, you held out your hand. “I'll make you a deal, right now. I won't tell anyone about you being Frosty.” Loki reached out to take your hand, but you retracted it before adding, “BUT you have to promise you won't lie to me anymore cause that shit is getting real old real fast.”

The poker face the god of mischief wore was enough to make you second guess yourself, contemplating just how much risk you were taking in keeping his true Jotun bloodline from the rest of the Avengers. You had never had to keep a secret from your team and the feeling was bitter. You knew after the falling out between Steve and Tony that secrets didn’t make friends, but Loki and Thor were both right: the team didn't care for the raven haired x employee of Thanos. Any reason to discredit him would most likely result in his expulsion from the team.

But if you could train him to not be such a liability on missions, the new development might prove easier to wave off.

Before you changed your mind, Loki took your hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around your hand. “I accept.” He offered you a sly smile that only made you feel more uneasy. You hastily pulled your hand away to reach for the door’s handle.

“So now that's all cleared away, you can go play with the simulators and I can get my report….” as the door clicked out of its lock, Loki reached over your head and pushed the door back shut. You turned, looking up at him as you pressed your back to the door. “I take it there's more?” you tried to say in your normal bemused tone, when really your chest was fluttering. He was so close.

There was a darkness to his face you couldn't quite read, just different enough from his normal brooding manner to make you hold your breath.

It was the same look he had in the containment cell, minus the red eyes.

“Loki, you're sorta freaking me out, you’re not about to tell me frost giants lay eggs that burst out through people's chest right?” It was a half joke half serious concern.

“I haven't slept in days, y/n,” Loki confessed. He pressed a hand against his forehead as he went on, “Ever since I changed back -I cannot explain it- but I haven't felt… myself. Normally once a cycle is complete I feel fine but these past few days...” His eyes left yours just as you felt his hand come up and swipe through your hair. It wasn't until you saw his eyes widen that you realized he was looking at the bite mark he had left on you. “Did I...” His brow creased.

“It’s really no big deal,” you forced out, trying your damnedest to convince him so he would drop it.  

His jaw clenched while he tried to read any hidden messages you may be concealed. “Y/n, are you afraid of me?”

“Excuse me? Don't be ridiculous, of course I'm not-”

“Really?” he pressed, closing the space between you before leaning down into your ear. “Because I can only imagine how terrified you must have been-” His fingers traced up your arms, sending goosebumps all over your body. “-trapped alone in a cage with a monster...”

A hard set of knocks vibrated through your back, instantly making you go quiet even before Loki’s hand came down over your mouth. You didn’t know if he did it out of reflex or because he honestly believed you would scream, but you furrowed your brow at him before smacking his hand away.

“Yes?” you called out, noting the distinctive flaring of Loki’s nostrils as he waited for you to give him away.

“Hey, it’s Nat!”

You backed off the door and shoved Loki to the side, cracking the door just enough to not be rude but also hiding the god of mischief. You smiled at your neighbor from across the hall, beaming, “Sup! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually, I need a favor. I got a call to go back out to run more surveillance in Russia.”

“That job has really become a shit show hasn't it?”

“You don't even know the half of it. We are all due back out after we get a bit more intelligence on the overall operation. Turns out it's a little bigger than we originally thought.”

“Isn't it always?”

She huffed in agreement before asking, “Anyway, d’ya mind feeding Maleficent for me while I’m gone? Should be back in the next day or two.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem. Her food’s in the fridge, right?”

“Yup. Alright, I’ll see you when I get back, keep the satellite phone on hand for when I get bored of listening to Sam and his invincible move on Mortal Kombat.” You were jealous Nat always got paired off with Sam on these missions; he always had the best handheld games to make the time pass.

“Most definitely,” you agreed, leaning through the doorway to hug her shoulders. “See you. And stay safe.”

“I’m so safe my codename should be Safety Nat.” She shot you a look before you began pulling your door closed. You knew when she didn't start walking that she had something else she wanted to say, only opening it back up when she came out with, “Y/n, are you okay? You’ve been kind of quiet since the meeting the with Ross. You missed our wine date.”

“We had a wine date?” you laughed.

“Every weeknight is our wine date. So you've missed two.”

“And here you are, blowing me off for tonight's date. What a terrible pair we are.” Shaking your head with another chuckle, you clarified, “I’m fine, just been working on this stupid report.”

“How much more you got left?” But she didn’t let you answer. Instead, Nat reached out and took your hand in hers. “I’m sorry you’re kinda getting drug through it because of Loki, but it’s just like that with new recruits. Sometimes you luck up and get trainees that want to give it their all, follow the rules, and always know just what to do. But sometimes you get…”

“You get someone who wants to be a solo act and doesn’t understand how to be a team player,” you finished, feeling Loki’s eyes burning on the back of your head. “But it’s fine now. We’re working on some team building skills… ya know, something to help get him ready for our next mission. ”

“Well, I wish you all the luck in the world,” she told you honestly, giving you her signature smolder before waving her fingers at you, finally heading off.

You watched her disappear into the elevator down the hall until suddenly Loki's hand caught the door and pushed it closed, nearly clipping face. “Now, where were we?“

You pressed your hand to Loki's chest, forcing him against the door, making sure he saw you didn't flinch. “Let me take this opportunity to make this perfectly clear: I am NOT afraid of you. You think just ‘cause you turn blue and have freaky eyes you scare me? Please. I've gone head to head with the Hulk after Bruce flipped out in the middle of a covert mission in Argentina. Blue, green, purple, I dont give a shit what color someone is, i’ll kick anyone’s ass that breaks off from a mission.” Loki inhaled sharply and you could tell you had made your point to the god of mischief: that he, in fact, didn't frighten you in the least.

After a long moment of the two of you trying to stare each other down, you let him go.

“You lied to your friend,” Loki grumbled under his breath while he straightened his cloak,, his eyes never once leaving you. “You said we were working on team skills.”

“We are,” you snapped back, aggravated by his relentlessness. “1800 hours. Meet in training room 7b. And don’t bring this shitty attitude.”

His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed, all while he thought on the suggestion. “Alright. 1800 hours, 7b. I’ll see you then.” Retreating, he glanced over his shoulder at you one last time before closing the door behind him.

Leaning your back against the door and letting your body slide down, you couldn’t help but breath out in relief that he was finally gone. Regardless of how good your straight-face game was from years of training in special ops and concealment, you were beginning to waver. Putting your hand on your chest, you willed yourself to breath, trying to calm down enough to think straight.

How were you going to be able to train with Loki if simply looking at him made your heart race? When touching him made you breathless?

You ran your hands over your face, letting out an UGH as you remembered you still needed to go finish the report.

Like my garbage? Read more of it! Master List

LOKI TAGS: @socialheartbreak @kcd15 @maladaptive-ninja-returns@nephalem67 @jessiejunebug @woodyandbuzz20-01@bambamwolf87   @kitsuneharo12 @yzssie@macbetheliza@lokilvrr @lokixme @li-ssu  @j-u-s-t-4  @letskillthefuhrer

[langblr-o-kebek]

Rant

Omg so we have this new manager at my work. He’s been here since July but one of the other managers (the one I worked mostly with) quit a little over one month ago and so the new guy took over his projects and I have been working almost exclusively with him ever since.

Idk what his job was before this but I can’t imagine it involved a lot of teamwork and project management/delegation because this guy just constantly does stuff without telling me what or why which is a big issue because then either I miss a whole lot or we end up working on the same thing and obviously that messes things up because not only is it inefficient but then we also have to take time to reconcile the differences between the documents.

He also treats me like an intern, constantly asking me to do little tasks while he hogs the other tasks (still a mystery because he never shares what he’s working on or what his game plan is). And willl just message me here and there and leave out important details when necessary and add superfuous details when it’s not. That last thing really gets to me, every time he adds super obvious instructions, I feel insulted, as if I wouldn’t know. Here’s an actual example of something that happened today:

Ex not enough detail Manager: Please calculate a growth rate for me from 2015-2019

Me: Okay. The growth rate of what?

*radio silence* 

I literally got no answer from him even after asking him a second time so I spent way too much time calculating multiple growth rates hoping that one of them was the one he was looking for.

Ex insulting amount of detail Manager: Will you double check and make sure the GDP numbers we used are the most recent? I think they might have released the second quarter for this year

Me: Ok, one sec

Manager: The GDP for Canada

Manager: For this year, so 1st and 2nd quarter

THE REPORT IS ABOUT THE CANADIAN ECONOMY WHAT OTHER MFKING GDP WOULD I USE

Also, I have told him multiple times that I’m a hardcore planner. I am constantly thinking about my to-do list, updating it, prioritizing things, etc. I have a hard time working if I don’t have a sense for what is most important, how long it will take and when is it needed. Plenty of this information I can fill in myself but not all of it and so I ask him all the time if he has a game plan, or if he has an idea for a deadline for this or that, and nothing. I told him that I understand if he doesn’t work that way, but as often as possible if he could try and give me even the roughest estimates when asked, I will be able to work so much better. And he hasn’t done that at all.

Finally, he can absolutely not take criticism. And not only am I very good at giving criticism in a constructive, non judgemental and positive way, a lot of what I have to say is regarding how we do things at the company so it’s more of training/onboarding than anything else. One time we received feedback from the boss, I hadn’t seen the final version of the document my manager handed in, and stylistically it was rough. The feedback didn’t mention the formatting, however, I immediately reached out to my manager and told him that I would take the first pass at the feedback since I would also need to work on the formatting. Then I told him that generally, anything we hand in to the boss has to be “client ready” i.e. formatting has to be perfect, that way, the boss only has to look over the content and if there’s little to change, he can do that right away and send it off. My manager should have said “oh that’s right, thanks for reminding me,” or “Oh I didn’t realize, thanks for letting me know!” Instead, he vehemently defended himself (despite me never commenting negatively on his work or his choices) told me that it shouldn’t matter because it was not a final report and that who cares because the content was all there, looks don’t matter. I calmly told him that it takes a few months to get used to our formatting and that for the time being I would look over all his documents before handing them in to double check the formatting, something that others did for me when I started. I told him that eventually, he’d get used to it and would start to get the formatting done while creating content but until then, I’m here to help. He didn’t respond....

On multiple occasions with me, or other people, when given advice he immediately goes on the defensive, refuses to see things from our point of view and reiterates that he is smart and has experience. It’s exhausting. Today, I lost my cool a little bit and I told him honestly that his tendancy to be closed to advice, to share as little as possible with me and to constantly insist on his own work as being the last word and that I should always just do exactly as he tells me and never stray; that that gives me the impression that he doesn’t value my advice or my intuition. Whether that’s the case or not, that it how it comes off. I told him that I trust his input, but that even though he holds a higher position than I do, he should never discount my input. We are a team, we are supposed to collaborate, I will give him the last word but that does not mean that mine are of no value. 

I’ll probably end up talking to him again, and also our boss....evaluations are coming up. 

Anyway so that’s been my life for the past month and a half. This manager honestly makes me want to quit but I’m going to stick with it because there’s a possibility that things will change once we’re done with this stupid project that he and I are on together.

Fingers crossed

rant over

[jackmaynard23]

#24HourJoe - Joe Sugg Imagine

A/N: I know I’m a little late on this one but it’s really long so I guess that’s my excuse. Basically, this was inspired by the fact that we can’t see the rest of his livestream footage yet. Enjoy!

Word Count: 1.7k

“Alright I’m gonna take a quick break from the livestream here,” Joe was saying to the camera. “And when I get back it’ll just be me so everyone say goodbye to Y/N!”

“Thanks for having me and good luck with the next 15 hours!” You said to Joe, then turned to the camera and waved. “Bye everyone!”

Josh, Joe’s cameraman/tech guy gave the signal that you two were no longer live and you stopped waving.

“Actually though, thanks for coming,” Joe said to you, giving you a kiss on the cheek. Now that you were no longer live there was no need to hide your relationship from anyone. You and Joe had been dating for a few months now but had decided not to tell Joe’s fans, knowing that being open could potentially be detrimental to your new relationship.

“Of course!” You said smiling back at Joe. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” With that you stood up, and stretched. It was 3 in the morning and you were definitely starting to feel tired. “I should really go to bed now though.”

You unfortunately had a meeting tomorrow morning at 9AM. If it were up to you, you would absolutely stay up the whole night, watching Joe’s livestream from behind the scenes (of course the fans would be suspicious if you were the only one of Joe’s friends to spend the entire 24 hours with him). But since you had work to do the next day, you needed to get some sleep.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I spend the night?” You asked Joe. Spending the night at Joe’s place was certainly not new to you, but you were still nervous that the fans would somehow find out that you hadn’t really left.

“Yes of course!” Joe said, reassuring you. “Besides, there’s no way I’m letting you walk home by yourself at 3 in the morning. As long as you don’t walk into the livestream at like 7 AM tomorrow we’ll be fine!“ He joked.

“I think I can handle that.” You said rolling your eyes at him. Joe gave you a kiss goodnight and you headed to bed.

The next morning, you realized you had forgotten your toothbrush in a bag at the front door. You were still wearing the t-shirt Joe had given you to sleep in when you wandered down the stairs. Someone had brought in pigs for Joe to play with on the livestream and as you reached the bottom of the stairs, one of them ran towards his office. Before you could react, Josh panned the camera to follow the pig and accidentally caught you making your way through the house.

You and Joe both froze in place.

Josh immediately realized his mistake and panned back towards Joe, who snapped back into character, trying to cover for the last second of live footage. You quickly grabbed your stuff and scurried back up the stairs, hearing Joe awkwardly try to find a way to cut the stream in the background.

“We’ll uh… be back in just a sec…”

A few seconds passed.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry, I didn’t see her there.” You heard Josh’s voice.

“It’s not your fault mate.” Joe replied. “Did you actually catch her face in it? We may be able to pass it off as someone else.” You realized they must not be live anymore and cautiously started making your way back downstairs.

“I have no idea but since the stream’s been cut, the footage won’t be available until the whole thing is over, maybe even longer. I really am sorry.”

“No it’s my fault.” You said as you entered the living room. “I should have been more careful.  What are people saying in the comments?”

Joe walked over to his laptop and peered at the screen for a few seconds. You chose not to look yourself, nervous that you might see a negative reaction.

“It’s a mix.” He reported back. “Seems like some people caught it and others didn’t.”

“Dammit.” You ran your hands through your hair, a nervous habit of yours. You and Joe had worked so hard over the last few months to keep up the façade of “just friends,” all for you to just toss it away by walking into the livestream.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Joe said, noticing that you were upset, and walked over to rub your back. “We’ll figure it out.” Joe turned back to Josh. “You said the footage isn’t available yet?”

“Definitely not.” Josh replied reassuringly. “We can even go back and delete that bit from the footage that’s going be available on your channel.”

You weren’t sure if that would help or make things worse. Since some of the fans may have already noticed you, it would be very suspicious if that was the only bit of the livestream they couldn’t watch back.

“Well we’ll have to figure it out later.” Joe said, his tone back to business. “I really need to get live again and you have a meeting in twenty minutes.”

You sighed. Work was the last thing you wanted to think about right now but Joe was right. The fans would only get more suspicious for each minute Joe wasn’t live.

“You’re right.” You said, putting on a brave face for Joe. If you thought work was hard to focus on right now, you couldn’t imagine going live for another 8 hours. You kissed Joe goodbye and headed out the door.

When you got back from work later that day, Zoe and Alfie were on the livestream with Joe. You sat well out of view of the livestream this time and watched for a while. You’d always admired the close relationship Joe had with his sister. It was truly a special bond they shared, telling each other nearly everything, and you’d quickly grown close with Zoe yourself.

When they had finished up on the livestream, Zoe and Alfie came over to say hi to you.

“Joe told me what happened with the stream this morning.” Zoe said to you. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Yeah sure!” You replied, and followed her into the guest bedroom where you could talk without worrying about disrupting the livestream.

“What’s up?” You asked once you were both seated comfortably on the bed.

“When Alfie and I started dating, we decided together that we wanted to keep it a secret from our viewers. We were both a little nervous about how people would react and even more nervous about how it would affect our relationship to be public. We were so happy with what we had and we didn’t want anything to mess it up.”

“That’s pretty much exactly how Joe and I feel about the whole thing.” You laughed, just starting to realize how similar your situation was to where Zoe had been just a few years ago.

“Exactly. So when Jim accidentally outed us on that Vidcon vlog, you can imagine we got really, really scared.” Zoe paused. “But being forced to be open with our fans about our relationship was honestly one of the best things that happened to us. We didn’t realize how much our relationship was hurting from having to hide our feelings for each other. Every time we were out in public, every time we were around friends who were vlogging, or when we filmed videos together, we weren’t ourselves. I mean just look at Alfie’s vlogging channel now; it literally couldn’t exist if the fans didn’t know we were dating.”

Zoe paused again and smiled softly at you.

“Now I’m not trying to tell you and Joe what to do here, obviously it’s entirely up to you to decide since this is so personal to your relationship. But, I just wanted to tell you my story, since you’re in such a similar position now, and back then I would have given anything for someone to tell me everything was going to be okay.”

“Wow, thanks.” You said, a little speechless, wondering for the thousandth time how Zoe always knew the right thing to say.

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Zoe said, smiling brightly and giving you a tight hug.

Shortly after that, Zoe and Alfie left, and just an hour later, Joe’s 24 hours of livestreaming were finally done.

“Congratulations!” You said, giving Joe a big hug and a quick kiss once you were finally alone. “I kind of can’t believe you did it.”

“I definitely can’t believe I did it.” Joe replied. Although he hadn’t slept for more than 24 hours, Joe somehow looked better than ever.

“Are you up for deciding what to do about that pesky bit of footage?” You asked.

“Sure, now’s as good a time as any.” He replied.

“Okay…” You took a deep breath.

“I think we should keep the footage.” You said, almost at the exact same time as Joe said:

“I think we should delete the footage.”

“Oh.” You said, kind of surprised by Joe’s stance on the issue.

“For me, it’s not really about whether or not I think our relationship could handle the viewers knowing,” Joe explained. “It’s more about protecting you.”

“What?” You asked, now even more surprised. Joe wasn’t really the over protective type and you definitely never thought of his fans as dangerous.

“I remember what it was like when some of the fans thought Caspar and I were dating. It was crazy, and we were both already used to being in the limelight. And I have no idea if any of them are going to be jealous of you or mean to you. I just don’t want you to get hate from anyone.”

“Joe, your fans have always been so nice to me! And besides, I’ve got thicker skin than you might think!”

Joe still looked a little uneasy so you took a step towards him, wrapping your arms around his waist, and looked into his eyes.

“And, if things ever do get bad I promise I’ll talk to you about it.”

“Are you sure?” Joe asked you. “Once we release the footage, there’s no going back.”

You laughed. “Well then I guess it’s a good thing I don’t want to go back. I’m happy right where I am.”

[winterverses]

Walking Wounded - Deleted Scene #1

This scene wasn’t originally written in sequence with the rest of the story; I had decided to exclude it because it didn’t serve a purpose beyond establishing that Kirk is horrified by the things Anne has to say, which is something that I don’t think we need a whole scene telling us when all of this is still just setting things up and making sure the characters are firmly established (and that I have a decent grip on them!). I only wrote it out later on because I really wanted to write Kirk being pulled in so many directions at once. It doesn’t belong in the main narrative and it doesn’t quite stand on its own, but I liked how it came out and I didn’t want to just trash it. 

Warning: Discussion/non-graphic description of rape.

After some time talking in generalities, Anne had stopped looking like she was about to bolt any second. Even starting in on specifics hadn't shaken her. While she never went into more detail than was necessary, she was thorough in her recounting, and as Kirk had surmised, she had a very good memory. Three whole months on that wreck of a spaceship with that smug, disgusting pirate and his cronies… Kirk sort of wondered how she’d been able to keep herself going. He didn’t really want to ask the questions-- he knew he wouldn’t like the answers-- but there were bits and pieces that would be useful in amidst all the horror, and he couldn’t just throw her into court on her own and expect her to survive it. “Did he ever take you off the ship?” Kirk asked, making a note on his padd. Their talk was being recorded, of course, but he didn’t really want to listen to it again if he forgot something important. It was already bad, and getting worse. It hadn't even been an hour yet.

Those misty grey eyes looked away from him, out the window to where the stars shone. “No. I spent all of my time on the ship, even when they were in port. If there was no one else around, they locked me in that cage.” Anticipating his next question, she smiled slightly. “The ship made port six times while I was aboard, twice every month. Sometimes it was Coridan. Other times, it was… somewhere else. No one ever told me as much, but it seemed like a regular run, and I heard them talking about deliveries and cargo from time to time.”

A run from Coridan to… somewhere. Kirk was starting to get used to the way she paused, the tiny little frown between her brows when she found another hole in her memory. “The ship they took you from?” Kirk asked quietly.

“I believe so. I can’t say for sure.” She shook her head as if shaking away a swarm of flies, the movement discordant with her natural, graceful gestures. “It must have been. But if it was a ship, why would they have been making port there? That’s not the kind of language they used. They talked like it was a planet, or a station.”

“Maybe it wasn’t a ship,” Kirk said. That was his private theory. Nothing they’d been able to determine about the other place had swayed him one way or another. “Let’s leave that be for now. It won’t be useful until after the trial, and by then you may have remembered more.” He paused, glancing over his notes. “You said you were only in that cage sometimes. Were you free to move around the rest of the time?”

“Yes, but I mostly tried to stay unobtrusive. When he noticed me, Tarenn was eager to… to show me off.” Her hands twisted in her lap. “He liked being envied. Until the last few weeks, I… I tried to play to that.”

The thought of what he was asking made him feel a little sick, but if they continued to avoid the subject, this whole thing was pointless. “You tried to pretend you wanted him.”

Her eyes flashed up to look at him, then away. Her expression smoothed, became remote, and her voice firmed. “Succeeded, for the most part. He had no idea how much effort it took to smile and pretend that I was grateful, that he’d rescued me.” A small, wintry smile curved her lips. “He did, in a way. So I tried to make believe that it was a fairer exchange than it was, because it stroked his ego and it kept me sane. He liked the idea that he was so attractive that I had risked myself to be with him, that he was in control and all he had to do was tell me what he wanted and I would do it.”

Might as well say the word and get it out there. “I won’t ask you how many times he raped you. Sounds like it was a regular thing.”

“Every day. More than once, most days.” Anne’s face was still remote, her eyes the grey of winter clouds. “It’s odd. I’m not sure whether it was worse because I used to enjoy sex, or if it would have been worse not to know anything else.”

“Sounds like just two different shades of pure awful to me,” Kirk said before he thought to stop himself.

For some reason, that made her look at him again, and that remoteness fled. She gave him a crooked, hesitant grin. “That’s a good way to put it.” After a moment, she asked quietly, “How much… how many incidents are they going to want details on?” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as she waited for his answer.

Kirk had no idea. This was completely new territory for him, thank god. But it wasn’t as if he was unfamiliar with the courts in general, not after all the times he’d been in trouble. “The best course of action would be to record the details of one of them. This is going to sound awful, but there’s no good way of putting it-- if you can pick an incident that’s characteristic of most of them, that would probably be best. We’ll send it on with my reports, and the Councilors can review the recording before the trial. Hopefully that’ll mean they don’t have to get into it during the trial, but you can never really be sure until it’s over.”

Nodding, Anne shifted in her chair, turning slightly away. “Give me a moment. I need to think.” She looked out the window, her teeth still chewing at her bottom lip.

She kept the lights in here pretty low. Kirk had wondered at first if it was done for medical reasons or something, but after a while he’d realized that this shadowy half-light was just what she was comfortable with. That it softened her angular cheeks and nose and made her hair gleam like it had been polished was a coincidence. He found her interesting to look at, both in stillness and in motion. Those deep-set eyes could damn near speak on their own. As she watched the stars, he wondered if she had problems hiding her thoughts and expressions. She acted as if she didn’t-- in fact, she made references to lies she’d told Tarenn quite often. But he couldn’t reconcile that with those expressive silver eyes of hers.

Whatever was on his face when she looked back, he shoved it away, settling his expression into neutrality. At least watching her had provided a brief respite from the subject matter. “Shall I just jump in?” she asked. She didn’t appear to have noticed anything amiss.

“One sec,” he said, then hit the voice access switch. “Computer, mark this time in the recording as ‘Example Incident’ and note the timestamp and name in the report.” The computer acknowledged him. “All right. Go ahead.”

“Most of the incidents were less complex than this one, but there’s not much to say about them beyond that I was unwilling, and mostly hid it. This time… was clearly against my will from the start. The first time, in fact, that I tried to refuse.” Anne’s smile was thin and sharp. “We were on the bridge. Tarenn preferred me to stand near the doors and wait for him, as if I were an attendant. His other officers were… present, most of them. Tarenn was in a good mood. I believe he’d made a good deal on Coridan; it was just after we’d left. Once we were under way and there was very little left for him to do, he called me over to him. I knew then that something wasn’t right-- he generally ignored me when he was on the bridge.” Anne paused, utterly still for a moment. “He told me to perform fellatio on him. At first, I pretended that I was too shy, but he was insistent. When I refused, he reached up and grabbed me, yanking me down, and told me that if I didn’t do it, he would rape me then and there, with everyone watching.” She smiled again, that cold, wintry smile, and suddenly Kirk realized that those expressive eyes could lie very well indeed. There was no way she could be remembering this with such lack of emotion. “I did what he wanted. Then he decided that humiliating me suited his tastes just then. That’s how he put it, too, when I refused to strip down. He got one of his men to hold my arms while he tore my clothes. That’s why I was wearing that wretched filthy thing when you found me-- he’d ruined my other clothing.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Kirk said, waiting for her nod before he continued. “Can you remember which one of his men held you? We’ll want to know for his trial.”

“Zhereg,” she said. “He was First Officer at the time. He was later demoted.”

Making a note on the padd, Kirk said, “Thank you. I’ll have that charge appended to his list.”

Blinking, Anne watched him, a small but genuine smile growing on her lips, that wintry control pushed aside by his words. “Oh. I… yes, if you like. I hadn’t thought it was worth it.”

That almost hurt to hear, worse than any of the rest. That she had so little faith left in humanity that she might just let something like that go... If he hadn’t known this recording was going to be listened to over and over, he would have tried to persuade her that the universe was a slightly better place than that. Now was not the time. “It is. Trust me. And if anyone else contributed to harming you at any point, let me know about that too and we’ll get it settled.”

She looked… oddly touched, as if he’d actually said what was on his mind. “All right. But I’d better keep talking before I lose my nerve.” He almost saw her pulling her detachment into place. “Tarenn tore my clothes off. I did everything I could think of to change his mind, short of fighting back. I didn’t know how long I was going to be on the ship, and it would have been unwise to escalate to violence when he could just as easily space me if he wanted. So I resisted, but I didn’t fight. And… he did it. Put me on my hands and knees and raped me in front of his whole bridge crew.” Cheeks suddenly coloring, detachment shattered, she looked away. “Sometimes women have orgasms during rape, you know. It’s just a matter of repetitive pressure.”

Kirk took a moment to fill her wine glass, and his own. He wasn’t sure if he was more appalled by the implication, or by her evident embarrassment, as if any of this had been her doing. He kept his voice very neutral. “I’m aware of the concept. It’s unfortunate, because it’s been used to justify rapists’ actions in the past, but it’s a physiological response to stimulation. It doesn’t mean anything and it doesn’t imply anything.”

Relief snuck into her eyes, and she looked back at him. This time it wasn’t one of those darting glances. “Thank you for saying that. I know that it’s true, but it’s good to hear it.” She smiled briefly and froze over again. “Tarenn decided it was proof that I enjoyed myself. After that, it became a favorite pastime when he was bored on the bridge.”

So this hadn’t been a once-off. That would have been too much to hope for. Well, he’d asked for characteristic. “If it was that often, there may be physical evidence.” Punching a few buttons on the padd, he pulled up a layout of the Sorte’s bridge. “If you’ll indicate where it happened, I’ll make sure a scan is done for any medical evidence left behind.” Handing the padd to her, he watched as she made a couple of notations on the screen, then took it back from her. Three different areas had been marked, one near the Captain’s chair, one near the bank of escape pods at the back… and one in front of the viewscreen, where everyone there would have been certain to see it. Kirk couldn't indulge his anger at the thought; he made himself stay calm and continue. “Is there anything else you need to add to your description of the incident?”

“I don’t think so,” she said softly. “I’m afraid I’m more familiar with the peculiarities of trials back in the nineteenth century. Rhetoric played a much larger part back then, and so did misdirection, or concealing the truth. They won’t need me to comment on the specifics of what he did or what it felt like, will they? It’s not as if they’ll be trying to catch me in a lie, not with all the evidence.” She looked worried, despite her words.

Kirk hit the switch on the table again. “Computer, end section called ‘Example Incident’ and note time in the report.” To be honest, he was buying himself time to get over the idea and address it in a reasonable way. “No. They won’t need that. No one needs that. Bad enough that you have to live with the memory.” He didn’t really want to make the offer, but he had to. He couldn't bear not to. “But if you need to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

Anne looked flustered for a moment, as if his words had… not bothered her, not exactly, but as if she didn't quite know what to do with his offer of support. “I…” Her mouth twisted, and she bit her lip so hard that Kirk was worried she might draw blood before she released it to speak. “What would I even say? That it hurt and I hated it and I wanted him to die? You know that without me telling you. Having to hear it would be above and beyond.”

A soft, humorless laugh burst from him before he could stop it. “Ms. Hardesty, you don’t know me very well yet, but above and beyond is sort of what I do.”

She fell silent, then, and looked up from her twisting hands. They stilled. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you, Captain. But I think that’s far enough for one night.”

Pushing her wine glass toward her, Kirk couldn’t help a tiny bit of relief. As it was, he was going to have to hit the gym and work off some aggression after this. If he’d had to hear more, he might have ended up in the brig in front of Tarenn’s cell, and who knew what would have happened then. Not that he would stop her, if she needed to talk. “All right. Computer, end recording and file under evidence.” As she took the glass, he said, “But I think, after all this, you’d better call me Jim.”

Anne’s expression warmed, those eyes of hers smiling more clearly than most people could with their whole damn faces. He could even see the complex currents of irony and relief that ran beneath the surface. “Nice to meet you, Jim. I’m Anne.” That smile suddenly burst into being on her lips, complicated, not exactly happy, but genuine.

[goldenscript]

new beginnings.

2,402 words | fluff ↳ meeting at a coffee shop au + shin hoseok

author’s note: ramen shop owner!wonho is a concept that most definitely needed to be written. and who knows? perhaps i might even take requests for this~ 

It’s a late night at your coffee shop.

Business hours have long since ended but you’re still around as per usual. Your employee and close friend, Hyunwoo has long since gone home after a decent amount of coaxing to send him on his way, and the streets themselves seem to be empty of its usual wanderers and hungry snackers. Not that you can blame them. The weather reports have said that it’s about 30℉ out and showers won’t ease up until well after midnight.

The wind howls right through the soft music you’re still playing from your speakers, and scarily enough, some of it is pressing against your large glass window. If it wasn’t for that horrendous thought, you might’ve actually enjoyed the sight of the rain covering the glass and the sound of the pitter-patter hitting the ground.

Among the sounds, you know that you’re one of the few places still lit up on this predominantly darkened street. It’s only a little comforting considering the prospect of being the only one of this block still present would’ve certainly made you feel paranoid. In downtown spaces like this one, having run-ins with weirdos is far from abnormal, and despite your newbie status to the whole ordeal, you preferred not to have an altercation or interaction with any during a time as late as this one.

You’ve just finished up on sweeping the back where Hyunwoo dropped some coffee beans before he left when you hear a knock at the front door. Someone’s muffled cursing behind the cursed weather as you make your way over with tentative steps.

The perpetrator is large in size with a dim glow of blond locks covering his forehead in slick tendrils, his arms are curled into his, his hands wrapped tightly around his biceps warped with taut muscle, and from the dim lighting of the floor lamp you catch a glimpse of his paling bluish lips. He’s saying something you can hardly hear, and although you’re quite an idiot for letting a possible serial killer into your shop you hardly find room to care as you’re letting him inside, where warmth permeates at high temperatures to battle the roaring cold behind your now closed door.

“T-thank you!” He says as you run over to the backroom to grab a clean towel.

You hand it over to him when you return, “Are you okay?”

Doing this gives you enough time to take a good look at him, his handsome features looking both familiar and little more lively with the help of your heater. It doesn’t even take long for you to recollect where you’ve seen him from considering you’ve seen him on more than one occasion at the ramen shop from across the street. Back when he wasn’t sopping wet on your laminated wooden floors, not that there’s really much of a difference now, his appearance rivalled thought of Adonis.

You actually weren’t clear on what his name was - your customers referred to him between either Hoseok or Wonho (which is also the name of his ramen shop). Many of them were unabashed in discussing just how handsome he was, and now that you’re seeing his looks up close, you’re quite certain of their claims.

“Now I am,” He answers, setting the towel on his head and giving the rough texture a good rub into his semi-dry locks. “Thank you so much… uh, I actually don’t know your name!”

You blink, tilting your head ever-so-slightly, “How would you know my name?”

“I know everyone’s name on the block.” He answers simply, taking a glance around the shop. His dark eyes are filled with wonder at all the knick knacks that adorn the walls - some of artwork you adore, photographs you either took or ones you wanted hanging on your walls, and a few other ornaments to complete the aesthetic you were going for.

“Almost everyone, apparently,” You muse, head straightening as you make your way behind the counter. “Tea or coffee by the way?”

He blinks, turning over to you as you begin to pull out a kettle and a tea packet for your tea. He must’ve noticed this because he soon replies, “Tea.”

He leans against the counter near the cashier, watching you work.

“I’m Hoseok, by the way. I own Wonho’s across the street.”

He beams when you respond, flicking the stove on to boil the water, “The legendary ramen place that all my customers can’t seem to get enough of?”

“Really? They say that?”

His eyes light up as if that’s the one thing he’s only ever wanted to hear, and it causes a smile of your own to curves on your lips.

You nod, turning to him, “They can’t ever get enough of the kimchi or the tonkatsu or you, for that matter.”

The tips of his ears turn a shade of red, his lips are no longer blue and quivering but rather the bottom one is pulled between his teeth as he tries to formulate a response. “I- I mean I’m sure it’s just the ramen?”

You actually laugh, gliding over to the register and leaning against the cool granite marble, “Believe me, I don’t think ramen is supposed to be handsome or charming.”

He raises a brow at you, lip no longer nibbled on as he picks up on the oncoming witty banter. “And how do you know that? I don’t think I’ve seen you at my shop. For all you know my ramen could very well be charming and handsome.”

“You got me there,” You smile, eliciting a grin from him. “I’ll have to make it a goal to try this charming and handsome ramen of yours then.”

“I’ll be expecting you then.” He says in a tone that matches yours. His dark eyes are lit up as they continue to meets your own gaze.

It doesn’t take him long to ask, “And your name is?”

“Y/N.” You reply, turning toward the kettle when it begins to whistle. “Gimme a sec, Hoseok.”

He hums an affirmation, wandering toward the middle of the floor and taking in the rest of the sights your café is offering him. His eyes are bright with curiosity even as you slowly approach a nearby booth and wave him over to taste the warm earl grey.

You both let the mugs cool, watching as the steam billows into the warm area and toward your visages. He appreciates it from the way he releases a content sigh before taking a careful sip. You soon do the same, watching as he holds onto the handle even after setting the cup back onto the table.

“So, tell me, why were you outside in forty degree weather during a rainstorm?” You ask, quirking a brow upward. It’s unclear to you why he’d even be out this late when you’re certain that he closes a little before you do.

His features scrunch together, a deep sigh leaving his mouth as he answers, “So, one of my friends called and told me to go check if they left their mixtape at my shop-” He pauses just to say, ‘don’t ask’ when your own features scrunch together in curiosity, “-And as soon as I got there, I didn’t have my keys… not even the spare I keep nearby.”

“Did your friend prank you for April Fool’s?”

He pauses again, open mouth shutting for the briefest second before his hand makes contact with his forehead.

“…Dammit.”

You laugh, reaching over to pat his dry and quite firm forearm.

“There, there.”

“So, tell me something, Y/N.” He begins, watching as you nod surreptitiously before continuing, “What made you come out here to the city? And just to let ‘cha know, your customers aren’t the only ones talking. Quite a few of mine have been talking about the cute café owner from across the street.”

It seems silly to you, which is why you scrunch your nose with pinkened cheeks, just to inquire him further, “Is that what they really say?”

He mocks your previous tone from earlier, “Believe me, I don’t think coffee is supposed to be cute.”

You can’t help but laugh, reaching over to give his still forearm a smack.

“Well, obviously you haven’t tried my coffee yet!”

He breaks out into fits of laughter, watching your expression light up in feigned rage before holding his hands up in surrender. It’s nothing short of amusing watching him as his eyes light up with specks of excitement and wonder as you continue your little repertoire of nothing too particularly somber.

“Then I’ll make it a goal of mine to try your cute coffee.” He amends, placing his arms on the smooth wooden surface of the table. “If the storm doesn’t let up anytime soon, I might actually order one within the hour.”

You lean in, noting the way his cheeks seem to flare up at the close proximity, “Business hours are actually closed.”

There’s a pause, then there it is…

The fit of laughter that’s actually a lot more contagious than you realized.

Hoseok just has this unwitting way of capturing your attention from the way his features light up or if he’s trying to tell you a story. There are few times he’ll stumble because of his lisp, but he carries on with pink cheeks and a new adventure filling the shrinking empty space of the coffee shop.

You don’t think you expected any of it -not that you really anticipated spending a night with him- while a storm rages on outside the confines of warmth your meager shop can provide. Of course, the best things do tend to come without warning. You learn that the only ramen that can beat his own is his mother’s and his best friend Kihyun’s, but he swears you to secrecy on that fact.

(“I don’t care if we’re the only one’s in this place. You gotta promise me?”

You blink at him, “Is that why you’re sticking your pinky out at me?”

He looks at you incredulously, “Well, how else am I supposed to take your oath? Spit on our hands and shake?”

He’s actually ready to retract his hand and do the deed until you grab onto his warm fingers, clumsily interlocking your pinkies.

“For goodness sake, I pinky promise that stays between us! Just don’t spit okay?”

“Okay,” He smiles, without a word, he thinks to himself, Wow, she’s really cute when she gets flustered like that.)

Fortunately, the rest of the night seems to blend together as hours fly by.

The ceasing of the rain falls on deaf ears as you tell him about your favorites and you his, usually with little teasing quips in between just to rile one another up.

> > >

Knock!

The roaring sound of the rain nearly drowns you out. Your lack of a proper coat is made up by an old newspaper you managed to snag before the tumult of water completely soaked you to the bone.

The sight of dark eyes and the fluff of blond hair is a relieving sight as Hoseok ushers you inside immediately without question.

He grabs your soaked mush of paper and deposits it into the trashcan as he rummages in his office for a few moments. He soon returns with a towel and a blue flannel blanket. He raises a brow as he asks, “What happened?”

He hands you the former, which you reply with gratitude before answering his question, “I got locked out of my shop waiting for my friend to come pick me up… she, uh, well… I lent her my car. I figured she’d be back before the rain started so I locked up before she left.”

As he listens, he takes the towel from you once it appears most of your torso and back is dry, draping the soft blanket around your shoulders before piling the towel onto your head. He makes vigorous motions to dry away the wet tendrils a lot closer than you realize and your heart starts to act funny.   

It’s only been a week since you were last rained in with Hoseok.

Since then, he waves at you from across the street the moment you pull up in your car, smiles curving on both of your lips at the newfound friendship, you return the gesture immediately. It’s nice to have a friend in the little shopping block, especially when they’re as kind as him. Even if he is unabashed to close space, you don’t mind it. If anything, you take it with lowkey happiness.

Something like right now has not been anything far from new though it actually makes you laugh to realize that the roles of been reversed this time.

“What?” He says, halting his actions to look at you. His visage is so close but you can’t help but feel a smile creeping even wider.

“Remember last week?”

He pauses for a moment and leans back, continuing his same ministrations to your hair before he breaks out into a grin of his own.

“This is perfect then.”

You blink, looking up at him, “How?”

“Well, I was gonna ask you when you were coming by for ramen but looks like I can make it for you now. Call it an impromptu date.” He winks at you, earning a small, breathy laugh.

“It’s only been a week, Hoseok. You can’t possibly ask me out in that short amount of time.”

He steps back, admiring his handiwork of your hair. It’s probably a bird’s nest but he says nothing of it. Instead, he sets the towel down onto a nearby table and his warm fingertips are brushing down the flyways. He tucks a particular lock behind your eye, leaning in closer and it’s like your heart just stops from how fast it’s beating. He then says, “Watch me.”

He has you seated at the bar by the open kitchen where he begins to craft his widely- and self-proclaimed ‘amazing’ ramen. He works efficiently yet makes sure each component is handled well, and it isn’t long until the broth is made, veggies are put in, the noodles, and a few pieces of meat, before it’s set in front of you within twenty minutes.

You raise a brow at him, a teasing smile already threatening on your lips, “Is this my handsome and charming ramen then?”

“Call it a thank you for the cute coffee.”

[chan-hii48-blog]

personal rant #1.3

Third and last day report. ( ; - ; )

I am so not ready for this. I wasn’t feeling anything a while ago but as I write this now, I feel myself tearing up. The Japs have left and it kind of took something of me with them???? 

This morning I came across Ran and Mai when I got to school, and I simply greeted them and talked more about Japanese guy groups with Ran bcs I had like 10 secs to think of a topic before the first period bell rang.

So, yeah. They had a bit of dance practice a while ago and I didn’t really see them again until before recess, when we watched their basketball game.

Lmao it was awesome! The japs won and everyone was all sweaty because of the climate here and everyone was cheering for the all the players too :D

Also while my classmates kept fawning over the guys I was chillin’ with the gurls. Okay maybe I was just standing there thinking of what to talk about while the two of them watched the guys.

So I got my notebook and asked Ran to write her name. She giggled when she noticed Kazuma’s name on the same page, then I asked Mai for her twitter and her name too. They write beautifully ( T v T ). 

We chatted a bit about anime (one of my close friends introduced me to the girls because I realized I haven’t even said my name to them yet lmao so I told them that close friend of mine likes anime so I can strike a convo) and prefectures (theyre all from Aichi. YUS. I LOVE~ A~~I~~CHI~~~) and how I loved kansai-ben like I went NANDEYANEEENN and they giggled (ouh mah gei hart esploded)

AND AFTER THAT it was bye bye. ( , __ . ) Or so I thought. When we had Art Class, I ran into them all in our class corridor getting ready to go aND I DIDNT SEE THE GIRLS ANYWHERE SO I WENT TO THE CR AND BOOM I FOUND RAN (I KNOW ITS CREEPY IM SORRY I WANTED TO SEE THEM ONE LAST TIME) FIXING HER HAIR IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR . Mai was most likely changing in a stall.

I groaned, asking them if they really were going, and Ran said yes with a pout. I was like ( Q _ Q ) but then she called my attention and said in full Japanese, “Please, make sure you’ll visit Japan someday.” I nearly cried, oh my frick. She went out of the room to get her stuff right after I saw Mai come out of the stall, and I wished her a safe trip too. 

I got to hug Mai before she left (DO U HEAR MY GAY HEART SOBBING) and I went back to class (albeit nearly late lol).

I was sad for the next few periods. Everyone else was. We all got too used to their presence for the last few days and it just felt sad without them. 

But yes. Eventually, I started having high spirits again, even higher than I’ve ever had. This experience had really impacted me. It helped me boost my confidence more in my Japanese language knowledge and my confidence in opening up and interacting with people. I was known to be that one quiet one who barely talks to people, but now, in a way, I feel different. I feel a whole lot happier, and I actually feel like I can happily talk with anyone now. And heck, for the first time in a while, I actually listened to Math class. 

I’ll definitely cherish this moment for as long as I live. I have no regrets for my last year of encountering Japanese Exchange Students in this school. 

> And that’s the end of my report. I’ll still post some personal rants every now and then whenever I feel like it so yeaaaah. XD Thanks a lot if you read this far. 

sadly i couldnt take pics with them, but you know what? It’s my memories with them that matters anyway ( ; V ; ) im so cheesy im die.

ALSO KAZUMA WAS SO AWESOME PLAYING BASKETBALL A WHILE AGO YOU GO BOI