#this was actually gonna be a spiderman edit? as in like a poster for the new spiderman (which is mark)

[jell0buss-37]

you are doing gods work with all of this peter b. parker content, thank you for your service!

can I request peter b. parker headcanons on how he deals with having a crush on the reader? a human disaster basically.

Thank you so much for liking my stories! I love this idea, and rather than my usual friends to lovers approach for Peter B, I decided to make it more of a celebrity crush 😉

Part 1, Part 2

Reporter!Peter B having a crush on Actress!Reader!

He's such a cutie patootie

As an avid horror movie fan, of course he knew about you

You were one of the top scream queens in some of the most iconic slasher, monster, paranormal, etc. Films

It was always a secret dream of his when he joined the Daily Bugle to one day do an interview with any actor

As a man who can't act at all himself, he's always been envious of those who can

Putting on a mask was the closest he ever got to being someone else

He totally has a Pinterest board of your different characters

Totally doesn't have a poster he commissioned of your role in a zombie movie sitting in his room

Is totally the type to have a bunch of edits of you saved in his phone

For one birthday his buddy Ned got him this joke shirt with your face on it saying "I love Lana Del Rey" with pictures of you on it (I have a shirt of Pedro Pascal that says "I love Timothee Chalamet" on it)

Always joked that if he ever met you, he'd cry

That was until he got the chance to actually interview

He has never volunteered quicker to handle a report about someone that wasn't spiderman

Bro went on a whole makeover day immediately to get himself looking spic and span for you

Fresh new cut, clean shaved, new suit, new cologne

Plus a pedicure but he'll never admit that

He binged all of your best roles and wrote down so many different questions for the interview and quizzed himself on trivia

Has a bunch of questions from "fans" on note cards

"Peter... Are you fans?"

The interview is basically over your career and what's next for you and some of your personal life

On the day of the interview he was so excited and nervous

He's thought of a million different scenarios that could happen, one of them being that you'd fall madly in love with him

He was also scared you'd be snotty and mean

No matter what, he was a big fan and honored to do this interview for you

The interview was basically in a coffee shop. It wasn't anything that was gonna be recorded or anything, so he didn't have to worry about looking all macho in front of a camera. That and this way he can ask even more questions

He planned to get there at least an hour early, way too excited. And he didn't want you to wait

Was beyond shocked and thrown off by you already being there, waiting before ordering

Had he gotten the wrong time???

Had he been late???

How long were you waiting!?

Yet all he could do was stand frozen in front of the entrance, his mouth hung open, staring at you with wide eyes

You were reading a book, looking so peaceful and patient

He was scared that he had built up this image of you in his mind, and that reality wouldn't add up to his fantasy

But seeing you right there, who could blame him for getting his hopes up

You feel eyes on you, and look up to see a man standing there and staring

You never understood why people would put you on this high pedestal, seeing you as some sort of savior, too scared to touch you

But you were always so grateful for your fans, hell, they were the reason you were where you were today

And so rather than getting uncomfortable, you simply smile, setting your book down, walking over to the door

Might as well make the first move

FUCK

Fuck fuck fuck

You were walking over oh god

His knees became weak, his palms suddenly sweaty

Before he could run away though, you had cracked the door open, peaking out at him

"Yes? Who is it?" You joked

It was so simple, but it felt like he had been slapped in the face. It was so... Cute

You opened the door all the way, holding a hand out to him in greeting

"You must be Peter B. Parker from the Bugle! I'm (Y/n)!"

".... U-uh hello name my Peter-"

WHAT

HUH

'nAmE mY pEtEr!??'

But you just laughed. Not at him, but you thought it was charming

Thank God

You explain that you'd been in the area searching for a book, and decided to sit in the shop and read it until he got there

You also noticed he was early, but didn't mention it

All he did was nod, keeping his mouth shut in gear he'd say something stupid again

You both go up to the counter, a teenager taking your order

You had placed your order, just a (favorite drink) and (favorite snack)

He commits it to memory

You give his arm a squeeze, telling him you'll wait at the table you got for you guys

Holy shit she's touching him-

He swallows thickly, nodding and smiling at you

"You good dude? I wouldn't worry. All first dates are awkward." The teen tells him

His heart skips at the thought of this being a date, his face going red

He places his order, and the teen gasses him up, being a hype man

"You got this dude!!"

Thank you kid

He shakes off his previous nervousness, his nerve and confidence coming back to him

He finds that your actually a lot more nice and quiet than he thought

You always played confident, loud characters, occasionally a dumb bimbo, and only sometimes were you the quiet character

He always liked those roles the most. They felt more real

You told him everything, listening to all of his questions carefully, indulging in his geeky theories

"You know, I've never told anyone this, but I actually love reading the fanfiction that my fans make for me."

His face lights up at this, and he promises to keep that out of the interview

You even ask him questions about himself, to which he tells you, albeit a bit shyly

But you listen with so much intent, his heart skips a beat again

By the end of the interview, it felt like you two had known eachother forever

He didn't even get to bust out his note cards of nerdy questions, but he wasn't complaining

"Wow, we got that done so fast! Honestly, it'd be a shame to waste the evening. Would you maybe wanna go get a bite to eat?"

It's as if one of his enemies had thrown him against a wall and knocked the wind from his lungs

YOU??? Asking HIM out!??

"Ha- I, uh, food good yes-"

PETER-

"O-oh! Great! I know this great Italian restaurant a couple blocks that way, I just know it'll blow your socks off!"

He was fangirling so hard right now

Let's just hope you don't wanna go back to his place afterwards though. He'd die of embarrassment at all of the memorabilia he has

[amousewithnocheese]

i also like spiderman (probably not to the extent that you do) and i saw that there were spiderman stickers at five below when i went last time idk if you live where a five below is but if you do then yeah!!! i when it comes to my special interests i throw them on EVERYTHING (my shark stuff for example) but its like my room has so many posters and even i make stuff myself sometimes for my decor and like i really enjoy surrounding myself with my special interests its like ‘hey everyone!! i love this thing and it makes me so happy!!!’ and i think its great

yeah i am so very happy to meet people who are like me because i have struggled with making friends for so long /nav and to finally belong feels so awesome and amazing!!!

i like that idea of using the emojis as names i think thats neat

also yes we do both like cartoons!! i like stuff aimed towards kids (bluey, steven universe, gravity falls) and she likes like, stuff geared to an older audience (family guy, american dad, south park) so yes i think that cartoon reccommendations would be super awesome!!

also it makes me happy also to talk to people through asks so yay :D i will probably go to bed soon tho since its around the time i start to like set up my backpack and all that also random but like youre very good at holding conversations im noticing like you ask lots of questions and it keeps people engaged and i think that is great and cool 👍🏼 its around night time so ill say good night but if its not night for you then have a good rest of ur day!!

-🐶

im gonna say goodnight to you too then! (it’s nighttime here too but im doing homework auughgh) however I’ll edit this response when i have a bit more brainspace!! I hope you sleep so comfy, 🐶

yippee~

edited:

okay im well rested and prepared to answer this😎

yes, i am the ultimate spiderman fan (i have a friend that loves it more than me actually!) and yessss i know five below; i don’t know of one nearby (just recently moved, college, bleh) but ill look for one/when i visit home ill go to one!

i also really love surrounding myself with my special interests!

ive also struggled with making friends before, so i understand how happy you are!!! wahooo!!!

i will continue to do it then😎😎 hehe~

i also liked cartoons aimed towards kids (the owl house, gravity falls, bluey) but ive also watched some older ones as well, i just don’t like them as much🤭but im really into series’ right nowwww

yay!!! im so honored ahdkwbdke i try to be better at holding conversations ‘cause sometimes when i try with people irl its super dry ‘cause i dunno what to say so 🥰🥰a little guide i have to questions is that if all else fails and you’re struggling to think of something to say, ask people about themselves! most of the time they like to yap :3 (but yes i do love hearing about people as well)

[tvonq]

MARK LEE: HOT SAUCE

[aspiestvmusings]

MCU & SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME SPOILERY REVIEW

This is my first, initial “review” of the latest MCU movie - “Spiderman. Far from Home” 

SPOILERS, BEWARE! for “SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME”

“Everywhere I go/look, I see his face/I am reminded of Tony”

The memorial video made by Peter’s HS friends. The comic cans, the online/getty pics used, the editing, the music choice “Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you” … from “The Bodyguard” by Whitney Houston” & images of Tony, Steve, Nat, Vision… Tony…

all the Ironman drawings/art on the classroom wall in Peters school (as he & Ned talk about the vacation plan)

the Ironman mural on the building wall… when Peter escapes to the roof… from the “press conference”

the film/video choices on the plane from Americas to Europe  (next to: “Nova: Einstein Rosen Bridges” &  “The Snap,” & “Finding Wakanda,” & “Hunting Hydra.”) is a 114 minute long Tony/Ironman docu/film… story

I am pretty sure there are also some pictures/posters/images on wall/screen at the airport, when they arrive in Europe... but I need to go watch it again (3rd time) to be sure. I think I saw it, but am not certain....

The murals (with flowers & lit candles) in Europe (Prague)…

Tony’s tech… everywhere

The EDITH integrated in Tony’s glasses...that are now Peter’s. He’s the next Tony Stark. He is the only one who can be trusted with the power - everyone else would just use it for their own good. The Tony glasses being basically a supporting character in the film... central in many scenes. 

Tony’s friends & “enemies” (people, who remember/mourn him & people, who are jealous of him)

Things I noticed/The little things:  

The BLIP “in memoriam” video edit made by Peter’s HS kids: The font was comic sans! The song choice was “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston from the film “The Bodyguard” (original: Dolly Parton), and the “in memoriam” part included images of Tony Stark... twice (first & last), Nat, Steve, VISION...and also others.... And biggest question here is... does this mean that Cap is considered dead? Does this mean his time travel shenanigans lead to him/the team listing him as one of the casualties... to not reveal the details of what really happened & to keep the time travel & other things... a secret? 

BOH! MJs new favorite word. I loved how Peter used it back at MJ... when he doesn’t want to reveal what’s in the bag/box. 

That “cat” in that one scene kinda looked like GOOSE, but only  a little bit, so was it a random cat, or was it a “relative” of Goose? Maybe another flerken?

I absolutely loved how happy & excited Peter got when he was told that the multiverse is real, not just a theory (anymore). I’m kinda sad that it turned out to not be true... for now. (he’d love to learn about the multiverse, just like he’s now studying Thor, who was a myth before, in his physics class)

When Peter was betrayed by someone he trusted & had no one to turn to, who did he call...from Netherlands? Happy. He was the one person, who knew, knew him & could be trusted, and could help him. I’m glad he had that option...someone to turn to. 

That tulip field in Netherlands was beautiful and all, but I was kinda sad to see that plane land there... and then hover above it..for a while... 

Speaking of the plane: The Avengers Tower was sold & is now being re-built by someone else, The Avengers Headquarters was destroyed in Endgame & since Tony is gone (and everyone else ran  away/went to hiding), I am not sure it’ll be re-built (we saw that the clan-up after the battle was happening... in the background...during the Endgame end scene where they set up the time travel platform by the lake). And now the airplane was destroyed in FFH. So lots of Tony’s tech (suit making machines & other tech) is destroyed now. And even though  the introduction of EDITH suggests that he had many other labs & tech set up, “secretly” everywhere... still... it keeps getting destroyed. and since he’s not here to create anything new, all his work will soon be destroyed/gone if this keeps happening. 

Peter stripped not once...but twice...in front of someone... a girl: first the SHIELD European agent, who made him the new (black) secret european “Night Monkey” suit (pants) & later in front of the girl he really likes... MJ (shirt). 

Mysterio’s illusions: all those scenes were visually amazing/brilliant! The Prague fire monster, the bar scene illusions after Peter leaves - the twist!, the German “safe house” illusions  that ended with the train & then the London Tower bridge illusions. 

The bar scene “turn of events” twist moment was brilliantly scary: it showed just how “crazy” Mysterio was. That, together with the “illusion rehearsal” scene, when he learns about the missing projector...and threatens his whole team... that was same level brilliantly scary. 

“Appearances can be deceiving”  hahaha Oh, how it hinted at the end credits scene reveal. It was not just Happy trying to tells “Fury” about Mysterio and his deception, but... also how Fury & Maria Hill are actually... skrulls, who work for Fury, while he (and Hill?) are elsewhere, working on other projects. 

Skrull sleeper cells... mentioned by “Fury”... a reference to Captain Marvel & comics.... 

Happy throwing a shield...at the drone... His cap moment. And his comment about how heavy it is/hard it is, and he doesn’t know how Cap does it hahaha

Michelle and the medieval weapon..that she borrows from the museum vault... 

There are many artifacts in the Tower of London museum vault - the crown jewels, all kinds of medieval tools & weapons, and also... “IRON MAN” - medieval iron knight armor!

Peter taking a selfie as he swings in NYC...in the end. He’s swinging & reading texts/texting & taking selfies... 

The text/line on the fence on the street/in front of “construction site”.... when Peter/Spiderman is swinging to MJ in the end scene..on NYC streets... (Madison Square Garden) say:   “We’re excited  to show you what comes next. And there are numbers 1, 2, 3 & a ? (instead of number 4) under the text. This has many meanings: a) the people in the MCU/FFH universe  are excited to show the citizens what they’re building there. b) the MCU creators are excited to show/tell us/viewers/fans what’s to come next...both in Spiderman films & MCU in general (Phase 4). c) Also..according to fans, who know more, it’s also a reference to the “Fantastic 4″.  

The initials B.F.P. on the suitcase he takes to Europe aka the suitcase belonged to Peters uncle Ben (May’s husband). Too bad it, too,  along many other things & places...got destroyed..in this film. 

LOL at everyone knocking on Peter & Ned’s rooms door at the hotel theyäre staying in in Venice. Interrupting “Fury” (and Peter) & Fury’s reaction... (he is so done with being interrupted...every 5 seconds)

All the “upgrades” to the class trip in Europe & all the changes in itinerary... #IfTheyOnlyKnewWhyThePlansWeereChanged

The “Peter tingle” (aka The Spidey Sense) 

“What happens in London/Europe, stays in London/Europe?” Peter, who is/has been keen to keep his identity a secret, behaved strangely & boldly in Europe & especially at the end of the big “battle” in London...where he just stands on the bridge...without his mask & talks to & kisses MJ. In the middle of the bridge, at the center of big event... Are there no video/traffic 8etc) cams in Europe/LOndon in 2023/2024 MCu? Are there no cameras/smartphones that people use to take pics & vids of every big event they see... in 2023/2024 MCU? I found that surprising... based on all the attempts he made until now & in this film..to keep his identity a secret. 

Pepper Potts signing the big (in both size & sum) check from Stark Fund to May’s charity event. But not being able to attend the event herself. Most likely cause the actress is done with MCU, but... otherwise...interesting... to mention her like that & specify that she was unable to attend in person...

How many “vacations” has Fury taken over the MCU history? While I mostly think that this was the first... after Fury & CM were “reunited” during the Endgame events (BLIP) & the plan was formed after Tony was gone (they were both at his memorial service) & the returned Fury who had no more team on this planet, was kinda lost...) But I also kinda think he might’ve used the skrulls before to take vacations. I am pretty certain that we saw the real Fury in Captain Marvel, in Iron Man films...  and I am also pretty certain that he was himself in Infinity War/Endgame...because as he’s “dying” aka turning into dust he doesn’t turn into skrull.Though it is possible that the dusting doesn't count & the skull face is only revealed if a character actually dies. (this is why we can be certain Tony was Tony & Nat was Nat in Endgame) 

ETA

What I LOVED the most 

My absolute favourite scene(s) is the Peter & Happy at the Holland/Netherland  tulip field & on the plane, hovering above the tulip field scene(s) -  their “talk” as Happy patched up Peter’s wounds. Talking about being a superhero and making mistakes, about Tony...and more... 

That scene...to me...sums up...hopefully... what’s to come. It confirms what I thought would be the case. Tony was/is Iron Man and no one can & should replace him as Iron Man. So everyone asking Peter if he’s gonna be the next IM... everyone looking for the next mightiest protector of the earth... and looking at SM...cause everyone else seems to have disappeared... are just putting too much pressure on him. He’s not the next Iron Man. He is Peter. He is Spider Man. (though after that end twist... who knows... maybe he will put on an iron suit for a while...since he can’t be the unknown neighborhood hero anymore...now that everyone knows...) But to me it summed up peters journey in this film & sets up what’s to come. He needed some guidance & Happy provided it... he needed to realize that he’s he’s own person & his own superhero & he’s not there to replace Tony/IM or any other superhero

But yeah... I loved how Happy said it. When others pressured him & manipulated with him (Beck purposely making him feel inadequate by saying things like “if you would've done better, he might’ve not died”), the now Pilot was his best friend & the one person he could really talk superhero things with...the one person, who IMO helped him the most with his grief over Tony & all the feelings he had regarding that & the pressure he felt to be his successor. 

Peter is likely the person, who will take over Tony’s role..somewhat...with the tech and such, but he is Peter, not Tony. 

And the end scene in Endgame with Happy & Morgan..talking about cheeseburgers & now this scene in FFH with Happy & Peter talking superheroes, responsibility, Tony...and more... tells me that Happy is now the mentor-uncle to these kids now...kinda. 

...and when Peter, excitedly, yells “I love Led Zeppelin” when the iconic IM song “Back in Black” by AC/DC starts to play... haha... awesome

What I hoped would’ve been (will be explored in future films) explored/shown in more detail: 

THE BLIP & how it affected regular people. We only saw the comial bits/parts - the marching band of Peter’s school disappearing & reappearing & Aunt May reappearing in her apartment..that was no longer hers...as someone else had moved in (a family). When in reality... this film confirms my “theory/suspicion” that Avengers 3 & Avengers 4 - the Thanos snap & the Hulk (un)snap both created chaos everywhere. Both emotional, and legal..and other issues. 

The fact that the world is not in chaos... makes no sense. But then again... since NYC & several other places on Earth being battlefields during the Avengers vs Bad guys/aliens battles...in the past films...and being re-built really fast & people seemingly not panicking or having PTSD after the events... is a thing... then I guess only the main characters will remember & suffer after living through such events...everyone else seems to go on with their normal lives in a week or so... 

It did bother me a bit (even though I know this is a blockbuster film..and those don’t deal with such things...) that the very real repercussions of the snap & re-snap were not really shown or told. Just the funny Blip-video. And then the little bit we saw from the Aunt May held charity event for the homeless. That was the only real hint about the seriousness of those events in the fictional universe (even though she also made a joke about it on stage...but the cause itself is serious)

Things that bothered me

How no one seems to do any background checks in this universe. How no one seems to use any security measures. Like... no one checking up on Mysterio’s backstory (and yes, I know...his team helped create such amazing backstory & provided such great “proof”...that it fooled even “Fury” & SHIELD -- probably would not have fooled the real man, but... that’s the point...) but still... 

Also... Tony’s glasses not having any other safety measures & it being so easy to transfer over the power to someone else. And...despite Peter being vulnerable & trusting what others tell him (he probably thought Fury had checked up on Beck, but still... how & why did EDITH/the glasses not “scan” Beck...and reveal he’s a fraud? I know... that the only time when he’s looking at the illusionist when wearing the glasses is in the bar scene & they seem to be not “on”... still... why is the tech not scanning everything nonetheless? Though yeah... I know that the idea is that because of the characters emotional state they are vulnerable & easy to manipulate, and hence not thinking of checking “twice”...

MCU using the same backstory for yet another villain. Thats old. It’s done. Time to move on. I'm talking about Mysterio & how his backstory is that because he feels personally attacked by Tony Stark then that’s a reason (which justifies..in his mind, when it does not...and has not for any other past MCU villain, who thinks the same twisted way) his actions - destroying historical sights/cities & leaving behind casualties... not caring if there are innocent bystanders getting hurt. I will allow it this time, because Tony was in the center of this film, but this had to be the last time MCU uses the same “Tony hate” as the villains motivator. Also... I don’t trust Beck’s version of the story, so I would not be sure if he’s telling it as it was. He might be, but he might be not. (maybe he did come up with the idea, but perhaps his work contact stated that all creations during working for SI belong to the company, so he has no right to claim the tech as his own..no matter how much he regrets it after. Or perhaps he did (co)create it, but since his idea was weapons-based (destruction) & SI didn’t do weapons anymore, the tech was redesigned by Tony. But until MCU makes a stronger case... I’m not gonna blame Tony for “stealing” becks tech & claiming it as his ow. Also because I do not think Tony ever claimed in past films that he made the tech. He says it cost him a certain sum...though... So it’s even possible he “bought” the idea from Beck...and turned the weapon into therapy sessions... But even if mr. Beck was telling the whole truth and he was the sole creator of the tech & Tony “stole” it... none of it justifies his actions of purposely hurting innocent bystanders & destroying places. ) 

And I cannot believe how anyone can see Mysterio as the good guy, or sympathetic to Peter.  I might be wrong, but IMO all his “friendliness” in the beginning was a trick... part of the plan to earn Peter’s trust. It was part of the “illusion”, so even though I appreciate his comment “never apologize for being the smartest one in the room”, I don’t see it as anything other than fakeness. And I know I might be wrong & he might’ve really liked the kid & try to be friendly & appreciate him... up until “his team messed up & he had no other option than to get rid of all the loose threads”) 

Things I did not see coming: 

The train! I mean... at first I did not suspect that it was actually Beck, not Fury in Germany, but I became suspicious before it was revealed. And then I suspected that the illusion was not over yet, but... what I did not see coming was that train...moment. 

Also...during the London Tower bridge scene... I had a hunch that he’s pulling a double again..and the dying Mysterio on the ground was fake, but I did not see it coming that in reality he was standing right next to spidey, while pointing a gun at the kid. I had thought he was “hiding” somewhere instead. So that kinda surprised me...

What surprised/confused me

What surprised me a bit was seeing THAT character (William) from IM1 being on Team Mysterio. Yes, he was one of Tony Stark’s Stark Industries previous employees, but  it confused me a bit that he blames Tony, when he should've seen Obadiah Stane (who yelled at him for not being Tony Stark & not being able to create a miniature arc reactor, when Tony could do it in cave...with no high tech..using just a box of scraps) as the one to blame -- his anger should’ve been directed at (based on what has been shown on screen so far) at the man who yelled at him in IM1. 

But I guess there’s either a bigger story there after that that the MCU writers/directors decided to not reveal just yet (as we saw him take that thumbdrive after the download was completed at the end of FFH) or Mysterio simply was able to manipulate people so well & rallied them against their former boss, making everyone see him as the bad guy & the source of all their problems. 

THEORIES: 

WHAT IF... the NYC “fake news broadcast” was an illusion created by Mysterio/histeam? This would make it much easier for Marvel to have several other movies released in the next few years...before the next Spiderman & go easier on Spiderman? This way we would not miss a lot of time & there’d be no need to clear his name. they could just have the movie take place right after Far from Home (and prior to the coming movies events)...or they could start with a flashback to the end of this film & the  fade to “2 years later” or something. The last bit is also how they can still release the next Spidery film in a few years, while having several otehr films events happen in between... use a time jump early in the film... after a “flashback”...to the time Peter was considered a villain

[steves-on-a-plane]

That’s not a Spaceship

Words: 906 Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Guest Staring: Peter Parker & Steve Rogers  INFINITY WAR CHALLENGE Requested by: @vxidnik Prompt: Bucky Barnes & #7 “What’s the matter with you kids? You’ve never seen a spaceship before?”    A/N: So I tried to see what happened if Bucky Barnes turned out to be a huge Star Wars fan and this was the result. :D

“Hey, [Y/N], you like Star Wars, right?” Bucky approached you one morning while you were eating your breakfast. You looked at the box of cereal that was sat next to your elbow. It had Yoda printed on the box and marshmallows shaped like lightsabers.

“Yes.” You nodded. Before eating a spoonful of the cereal. “This stuff turns the milk blue.” You pointed at the bowl with your spoon.

“So, the new Star Wars just came out.” Bucky observed, sipping from his coffee cup.

“That it did, Buck.” You finished the last of your cereal and drank down the last of the blue milk. “Have you seen it yet?”

“Well, actually I was hoping you’d like to watch it with me.” He confessed. “No one else we know likes Star Wars as much as you do. I had a lot of fun watching The Force Awakens with you last time. I’ve invited Peter Parker and Rogers to watch it with us too, but I think it’d be more fun with you there.”

“Sure.” You smiled. “That sounds great. Name the time and I’ll be there.”

At seven o’clock that night you met with Steve and Peter outside of Bucky’s dorm in the Avenger’s Compound. It was the first time you’d even been to Bucky’s room. For the most part the Winter Solider kept to himself, and he very rarely invited anyone besides Steve to his room.

“You know, I’m feeling slightly underdressed for the occasion.” Steve indicated his plain blue t-shirt and jeans before looking over at you and Peter.

Peter was wearing a onesie that was screen printed to look like a rebel pilot’s jumpsuit. You were wearing a skater dress designed after everyone’s favorite droid, R2D2. Now that everyone had arrived, Steve knocked on Bucky’s door and waited for him to answer. You were completely surprised by Bucky’s get up when he answered the door. He was dressed from head to toe as a jedi. He was wearing brown pants, a tan tunic and a long brown robe.

“Now I really feel underdressed.” Steve remarked stepping passed Bucky. You and Peter shrugged before following in after him.

“Holy force!” You exclaimed when you finally cast your eyes on the inside of the dorm for the first time. Bucky’s bed was covered in a bright colorful Star Wars bedspread. The walls were plastered with posters and images from all eight movies. There was a Death Star lamp mounted on the wall, and a custom made coffee table that looked like a Tie fighter tipped on it’s side, but none of that compared to what was tucked away in one corner of the room.

“Is that a landspeeder?” Peter exclaimed, sprinting over to the object in question. “That’s so cool!”

“No way!” You chased after Peter. “That’s one of those limited-edition ride-on ones!” The craft was small and obviously meant for children. It probably didn’t go faster than 5MPH, but it was still one of the coolest things you’d ever seen in someone’s room.

“What’s the matter with you kids?” Bucky laughed, trying to sound casual about the situation. “You’ve never seen a spaceship before?”

“Peter might be new at this job,” You jabbed a thumb in the young boy’s direction. “But you know for a fact that I’ve seen multiple real spaceships. And that is technically not a spaceship.” You folded your arms across your chest and offered a playful pout. “besides I’m not a kid!”

“When you’re a hundred-year-old man, everyone is a kid to you.” Bucky smirked.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” You rolled your eyes. “You’re only seventy-five years older than me.”

“Well, maybe this old man can teach you a thing or two.” You and Bucky had been playing this sort of game for as long as you knew each other. You never quite flirted, but always danced around the edges of it. One of these days you hoped one of you finally made good on the teasing.

“Hey, I don’t really want to ruin the moment you’re having over there…” Peter said, climbing into Bucky’s landspeeder. “But does this thing have like sound effects and everything?” Without waiting for a response, he began pushing buttons on the plastic vehicle.

“I want one of these!” You decided, wedging yourself in the landspeeder next to Peter. The pair of you barely fit in it together, but you made it work.

“Are you two gonna sit in that ridiculous thing all night?” Steve asked with a soft, hearty chuckle.

“We might!” You snapped with a smile of your own.

“Hell yeah!” Peter replied at the same time.

“It can’t be comfortable, sitting like that with your knees up to your chin.” Bucky pointed at Peter, who really could rest his chin on his kneecaps, he was scrunched so tight. The Spiderman paid no attention to his position, and instead continued to turn the yoke of the speeder left and right. You had opted to let your legs dangle off the sides of the speeder, giving you plenty of room.

“Oh, Buck are you jealous?” You winked up at him. “Don’t worry, Soldier. You’re the obi-wan for me.”

“Hey, I may not look like much, but I’ve got it where it counts, kid.” Bucky smirked at you and offered you a hand to help climb back out of the plastic speeder.

“Would you two just kiss already?!” Peter begged from his seat next to you.

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2rbzwhk

Whether we mean to or not, we probably all spend way too much time looking at and reading about viral pictures on the internet. We’ll be sitting at our desks and relaxing on our lunch breaks and decide to take out our phones and look at our Facebook and Twitter accounts — “just for a minute,” we all tell ourselves (as we bold-facedly lie to ourselves). Then we see some outrageous picture and cannot manage to rip our eyes from it. “Is that Bigfoot?” “Who is that with Marilyn Monroe?” “THERE IS NO WAY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CATCH THAT BEAR!” Much to our annoyance (and sometimes displeasure, or relief, or frustration), many of these pictures are fakes. They’re often real pictures that have been doctored in some way, filters or angles making things look more real than they truly were, or digital editing software making us all the butt end of a practical joke. Over the years of phony photos populating our social media accounts, some of us have come to believe that any picture we scroll through — unless it has our close friends in it — is probably a fake. But that’s not fair either because many of the pictures we’re seeing are incredibly real; we’re just too skeptical to believe that an awesome photographer caught the perfect picture at just the right moment. So let’s clear some of the fog and call them out, once and for all. Here are 20 popular viral photos, both the fake and the real:

#1 REAL This picture is very real, and we love that it went viral. It’s a picture of a window washer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital giving a little fist bump to a kid that certainly needs it, no matter what’s gotten him stuck inside. These photos started going viral a few years ago when a window washer dressed up for Halloween and gave all the kids inside a magical experience. Ever since then, window washers have been teaming up to make lives a little bit brighter for children stuck in hospital rooms. How cool is it to see Spiderman or Captain America or Superman just outside your window? Even if you were mortally ill, you couldn’t help but smile a bit at these ordinary heroes! Here’s to the window washers all over the world who’ve become copycats to the original superhero window washer, making children smile one hospital room window at a time.

#2 FAKE Just as a blanket statement: you aren’t going to be seeing a whole lot of new pictures of Marilyn Monroe. In case you didn’t know, Marilyn’s not really modeling anymore — mostly because she died a long time ago. Most of her work has been out there for years and seen by millions over and over again. So if you’re seeing a new picture of Marilyn Monroe for the very first time, odds are that it’s fake. Same goes for Elvis Presley. So when everyone saw this picture of the two together, chilling on a rooftop, they should have immediately questioned its authenticity. Two photos were mashed together in a good, but not overwhelmingly believable composition, though it would be really cool to think of the two of these crazy kids just savoring the city air and kicking back between living the high life. Just because it’s in black and white doesn’t mean it’s real!

#3 REAL Yes. That is indeed a bear falling from a tree. When the picture was released, everyone immediately thought that it was a fake. To be fair, it did look like someone just photoshopped a picture of a bear into a normal shot of police officers standing around and looking at something. A really lazy photoshopper, too — it looks like there was a picture of a bear standing upright that was shrunken down and tilted diagonally. Well, sadly, this is a real picture! A wild bear had wandered into the suburbs and animal control was called in, shortly followed by police. The bear had retreated into a tree because it was scared, but of course, they couldn’t allow it to stay there. Animal control shot a tranquilizer at the bear and, when he could no longer resist sleep, he fell from the tree onto a giant mat. The bear was taken back into the wilderness and lived on to grumble about us lousy humans.

#4 FAKE Really, guys? Did you not know that this one was a fake? To be fair, the picture itself is real. To the keen eye, it kind of looks like the picture was photoshopped and like the image on the left side of the sign was conveniently pressed up against the image on the right side, just well enough to match the body up at the waist. But the picture is real! However, it was crazy staged! It was taken to commemorate the many criminals who have met this sort of fate. The picture was taken long ago, back in 1939 — way before people were talking about building giant walls and making those we were keeping out pay for it. It was also taken to discuss how problematic the border is between El Paso and Juarez. Imagine how much more problematic that border will be if we have an 18-foot high wall separating the United States from Mexico…

#5 REAL This adorably sad picture is, to our disappointment, real. It’s a picture that a nanny took one sad day when she wanted to take one of her toddlers to the zoo. Back in 2013, we suffered a government shutdown that really gave a scare to almost everyone in the United States. Everything closed, from post offices to museums to zoos. This nanny wasn’t aware of the closures, and this child was so horribly disappointed that he climbed onto the gates of the Smithsonian zoo and hoped that maybe, just maybe, if he looked pitiful enough, someone would come and let him in. No one did, and the picture caught fire and spread around the internet with people asking to “please open the government again.” Funny how people value government so much, but only when it goes away or stops providing their many services.

#6 REAL Teeheehee. It would be a darn shame if this picture weren’t real. It’s just so cute and innocent and ridiculous that it would have been such a grand disappointment if someone had just messed with the child’s face! But NOPE! This picture is of a mega-excited little girl who has just spent so much time blowing bubbles and is overwhelmingly excited to move on to the next thing. The picture caught fire on the internet for no good reason. She’s just so adorably excited, and her little chubby grin is too much to resist. The picture quickly became a target of memes everywhere for all trollers, with captions running across it like “GOTTA GET BREAD AND MILK, IT’S GONNA SNOW,” “IT’S BLACK FRIDAY, I NEED PRINGLES,” “DALLAS COWBOYS BE LIKE RUN, THE EAGLES ARE COMING,” “REALIZING THERE ARE MORE TOASTER STRUDELS,” and our current personal favorite, “BETTER RUN, HERE COMES JOSH DUGGAR!”

#7 FAKE Okay. We need to talk about this one. For a lot of reasons. Alan Rickman, who played Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movie series, passed away not too long ago. He was such a beloved member of the cast and of the series that his death hit all of his fans hard. If you were a fan of either the books or movies, you likely remember these quotes, and you might want to tear up at how sweet and beautiful they are. But don’t. Because Alan never said this. A Tumblr user, mypatronusisyou123437597309, actually posted a variation of the quote in July of 2010, and in 2016, when the supposed Rickman quote went viral, she clarified that she really was the source of the quote. That Rickman said it is a load of crap.

#8 FAKE What did we say about Marilyn Monroe pictures? If you’ve never seen it before, that’s probably because it’s a new picture — and if it’s a new picture, it’s a fake picture. This photo was edited in the exact same way that the last photo featuring Marilyn Monroe with Elvis Presley was, and it, hilariously enough, even used a picture from the same series of those taken of Marilyn that the last fake photo poster used! SHE’S WEARING THE SAME DRESS! This doctor of photography was even lazier than the last, simply pasting a picture of James Dean from East of Eden over Marilyn’s original photo. Cute to think that these young troubled souls were smoking and drinking away their problems atop skyscrapers in The Big Apple together, and maybe they were, but this picture is certainly no evidence of that. You can never trust an unfamiliar Marilyn Monroe picture…

#9 REAL Yes, this absolutely hilarious picture of a dog playing underwater is real! Photographer Seth Casteel is a real dog lover and has already made a living for himself taking pictures of pups and other animals and pets. But he had an extra special creative idea: to wait underwater while dogs jumped into swimming pools, chasing after toys or treats or just excited to take a dip, then to take snapshots of the goobers upon entry to the water. And the reactions he got were priceless! He released a book containing the photo series called Underwater Dogs and has gotten even more money since the series went absolutely viral. There were some adorably hilarious pups that he managed to capture on camera, and for that, we thank him, his underwater camera, and his impeccable timing. But someone get this dog a towel and a big treat for his hard day of work!

#10 FAKE Not so real: this gentleman’s guide to amputation. This viral picture of an 1800s poster was released not too long ago when the craze of gentlemanly behavior (including ridiculous mustaches, odd facial hair, and weird facial hair care products were blowing up the market) was just getting going. The picture depicts a step by step guide on how to amputate a limb, including two calm gentlemen sawing off an arm like it’s just another day at work. After the men finish severing the limb from one man’s body, the two share a glass of brandy in celebration of their accomplishment. Well, of course, the poster is fake. Turns out, it was someone’s school project (what kind of school are they going to?), and someone spread it around as if it were authentically from the civil war era. Though we’re relieved to hear it’s a joke, we also kind of want to hang it in every doctor’s office…

#11 REAL This viral picture went all over the internet shortly after one of the biggest missions of the Obama Administration was completed: the takedown of Osama Bin Laden. Some people guessed that the photo was a fake when they initially saw it because rarely are the president, the vice president, and the secretary of state all in the same room — what if something were to happen that took all three out of commission? Fortunately, nothing of that nature happened, and we all had huge reasons to celebrate that evening. However, before we were parading through the streets with American flags waving and cheers abounding, these White House officials were all crowding around a table, awaiting what would either be a wonderful evening of victory or a tragic failure of the administration. The victory was one of the proudest moments of the Obama administration, alongside the passing of the affordable care act and all of the wonderful advancements made on addressing pollution and global climate change.

#12 FAKE Obama’s administration has been succeeded by the Trump administration — though we’ve got our strong opinions on the matter, we’ll just say that the two administrations are VERY different. When Trump was running for office against Hillary Clinton, America was very divided (edit: America is still divided over the issue to this day). There were rallies in support of candidates and against others, and many times, these rallying groups collided, and things got a little physical. One Trump supporter posted this picture saying that “loving and docile democrats assailed a Trump supporter, causing this damage.” Well, not only was this supporter a liar — he or she was also a lazy and bad liar. This picture is of actress Samara Weaving, who starred in the show Ash vs. Evil Dead and was only taking a picture of herself in makeup for the show. Once the photo was unveiled as a fake, the Trump supporters got harangued for lying, abusing social media, and perpetuating fake news.

#13 REAL This must be one of the funniest pictures of the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations. In fact, it was SO funny that a lot of us didn’t believe that it could be real at first. The photo was released right after President Obama had a meeting with his soon-to-be-successor, Donald Trump. Obviously, Barack was pulling for Hillary Clinton in the election: he loudly supported her campaign and even trash-talked Trump a bit to try to get his point across. Well… things didn’t work out the way he’d liked. At all. And in this picture, where Obama is pretty much forced to shake the hand of a man he doesn’t trust, doesn’t like, and doesn’t have faith in, Barack could not hide just how much he hated everything. But at least his expression is better than Donald’s — it’s not an arm-wrestling contest, Trump.

#14 FAKE So, we’ll admit — this one is a bit of a cheat. This is one of those pictures that borders on meme because the picture itself means very little — the wording on it says a lot, though. Very recently, this picture surfaced and spread around the internet like wildfire. It’s a quote from Thomas Jefferson saying, “The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” Yeah, okay… except Thomas Jefferson never said that. Actually, Jeffersonian scholars say there’s no record of him ever saying ANYTHING like that and that if this quote were actually from anyone famous, it’s really a loose translation of an Ayn Rand quote!

#15 REAL This is no statue, this is no piece of art, and this is no demonstration — this is a nightmare, a tragedy, and a sadness to anyone with a heart. This is a real live dog from Argentina that was doused in tar by abusive humans. Two young boys found the pitiful pup in this state and took him home, carefully cleaning and scouring the dog until the tar was removed. The dog has indeed been restored to health and is now a proud pet of good owners, but the world shuddered in horror as we saw what sick and horrible people can do to innocent and harmless animals. How could anyone deign to commit such a horrible act to something so kind and small and pure? It was just another example of how cruel this world can be and how people can be cruel in either grand measures or in tiny and seemingly unimportant cases.

#16 FAKE Donald Trump and his supporters are… well, let’s just say that there has never been anyone quite like him. A lot of nasty things have been said at Trump rallies by fans, supporters and the big boss himself. But we have to be honest, and so do you: Trump supporters are humans, too, with consciences and reasons behind their logic and hopes and dreams. Remember when Trump supporters posted that fake picture of a woman getting beaten up by Clinton supporters? Well, this was essentially retaliation from the Clinton side. The third woman from the left was wearing a shirt that said “GREAT,” not “WHITE.” But it was so easy to photoshop the photo that we really are not surprised someone did. Everyone bought the fake picture for a while, but come on — nobody is that cruel, right? Maybe they’re bigots that are thinking that, but no one would get shirts for that…

#17 REAL Could this actually be a picture of two of our all-time heroes talking philosophically, sharing their wisdom and experiences? Or is it just two pictures of these amazing men doctored and brought together like the many pictures of Marilyn Monroe with Elvis Presley and James Dean were? Most people thought that the latter was the more believable response in this case, but this picture is actually real! Leonardo is very passionate about the effects and impacts of climate change, which was one of Barack Obama’s greatest concerns while in office. After Leonardo made an address on the lawn of the White House, the two had long conversations about what had to be done, what could be done, and how soon we could do it. They spent a long time talking about these topics, proving just how amazing both of these guys are.

#18 FAKE Last year (actually, almost exactly a year ago — how crazy is that?), this picture was posted by a man as he was road-tripping through Canada. He was a United States citizen, and even though the U.S. is getting a lot better about cutting down on homophobia, we have a long way to go before LGBTQ+ issues are commonly accepted and not constantly labeled and harassed and attacked. So, as this fellow was driving through the gorgeous Canadian countryside, he paused when he saw a baby moose on the side of the road. Adorable! But also a great photoshop opportunity… he easily pasted a LGBTQ+ Pride flag in the photo, and everyone lost their minds over this adorable baby moose that was concerned about topical social issues. Almost everyone could spot that it was a fake pretty early on, since it was such a simple editing job… but darn it all; it was so dang cute.

#19 REAL What are we even looking at here? A weird statue of a man? Why is his face like that? Is this an ice sculpture in a lake? Forget it, we’re bored and confused. Scroll away, scroll away… Actually, this picture is real, and it’s one of the most gorgeous feats we’ve ever seen. The picture was taken by a photographer named Francois-Xavier Marit, who was waiting underwater as Olympic athletes in Rio were taking their dives into the water. He perfectly caught Britain’s Thomas Daley as he entered the water and began to push the water away from him before reemerging to the surface. Look: his feet haven’t even entered the water yet! Thomas is still probably worried about and focused on his form, not on any photographers that are chilling underwater! This was immaculately timed, and we hope that the artistry encourages more swimmers to consider the art of diving in the future.

Source: TheRichest

[ti-bae-rius]

Kitty College!AU

Reddit fic – SFW edition

Based on the ‘I’m straight…but there’s this guy’ reddit post. Thanks to @tis-is-i-the-sarcastic-fangirl for the idea and I’m tagging @cardansbishh by request too.

This is the SAFE FOR WORK version (though a bit of strong language and implied sexual behaviour). For the NOT SAFE FOR WORK version, click here! The two versions are the exact same story, just with minor details changed, so don’t worry about missing anything (unless you’re worried about missing sexy things in which case you’re probably best reading the NSFW version).

How are things going with your boyfriend?

It wouldn’t have been such a weird question for Tessa to ask, if not for one small point: Kit didn’t have a boyfriend. At least he didn’t think he did. But now more and more people were saying otherwise, and their gaze when he insisted he was straight seemed so pitying, like they knew better. First his roommate, now Tessa – everyone seemed to know Kit’s deal better than he did. And all because of a library book.

 “But why do you need it if you’re doing criminology?”

“Because reading outside the subject is very important.”

Well so is me pirating this textbook to sell online, Kit held back from hissing. “Well I have a deadline and that book has my name on it.”

The boy looked puzzled and turned the book over in his hands, narrowing his eyes. “Huh?” he said, half to himself. Seemingly tired of arguing, the boy handed the book to Kit. “I only need the first chapter on the clinical approach to criminal profiling. If I give you my number, can you send me photos of the pages?”

Kit’s eyebrows went up. “I’m actually looking at how the Barnum effect can apply to criminal profiling. You don’t have any notes on the FBI approach, do you?”

The boy nodded warily, his eyes flicking from the book in Kit’s hand to the poster on the wall advertising dog walking jobs.

“Maybe we could trade then?” Kit suggested. “You can have the chapter and I can see your notes.”

“Sure, where’s your dorm?” The boy was already taking out his phone to make a note of it. “I’ll drop my notes off on my way back from class tomorrow.”

Kit was about to protest, say that photos would be just fine, but a strange force made him stop short, mouth open, on the brink of speech but not quite saying anything. The boy was taller than Kit, and handsome too, with dark hair and serious grey eyes. He looked scholarly but not arrogant, lean but not too skinny. Beneath his shirt, Kit was sure the guy had muscles, sharp and pronounced like his high cheekbones and sloping nose. It took Kit a moment to realise he was staring, mouth still ajar. The boy was blushing, holding his phone out to Kit.

“Put your number in,” he insisted, and Kit took the phone with clumsy hands, willing himself not to drop it. He added the contact, complete with his name, and handed the phone back, turning on his heel and leaving quickly before he could embarrass himself further. He was outside, textbook in hand, when his phone buzzed against his hip. He pulled it from the pocket of his jeans and checked the notification.

‘You never told me your dorm – Ty.’

Ty. A name to the face. For a brief moment, he’d wondered whether the guy was thanking him but no; he didn’t seem like the type for acronyms and Ty was such a perfect name for this boy. A name that implied thanks, and Kit couldn’t help but thank the universe for making him procrastinate on his essay this long, to necessitate him going to the library tonight.

‘Carlin,’ Kit texted back. ‘3.14.’

‘Pi,’ the reply came, and Kit smiled. He thought he was the only one to notice. ‘Look up.’

Kit glanced skyward, gaze catching on a study pod by the window, overhead lamp on in a sea of darkened cubicles. It was late, but not too late for someone else like Kit apparently. From the window, Ty waved. By the time Kit got his thoughts collected enough to wave back, Ty had opened his laptop and pulled the blinds closed over the window.

 Aside from the dropping off of notes, the two of them didn’t meet again except for brief encounters passing each other on campus. At least, not until Kit went to the gym earlier than usual one morning when he couldn’t sleep. It was no use laying there in his twin bed until class. He decided not to bother making himself look halfway acceptable, so breakfast and shower could wait. No one would see him at the campus gym at six on a Thursday morning.

No one except one criminology student who apparently never slept.

“Hey.”

Kit turned and almost went straight home when he saw Ty, headphones pushed around his neck. He clicked the button on the treadmill he’d been running on, letting the track slow and then stop altogether. He hopped off and smiled at Kit. His hoodie was tied around his waist and he pushed his hair out of his face, where the black strands were clinging to his sweat-sheened skin. How did he look hot when it was 6:34am and he’d been working out?

“I prefer it early,” Ty said when Kit didn’t reply. He wasn’t even out of breath, the smug prick, Kit thought. Meanwhile, Kit hadn’t even hit a machine yet and he felt a little sweaty and breathless. “It’s quieter. They don’t start playing music until eight, so I can actually hear the podcast I have on. Plus, it’s not as busy.”

Kit nodded, hoping he looked less maniacal than he felt. He had bedhead and was wearing a Spiderman shirt and he’d die before he opened his mouth and breathed morning breath at Ty. Why hadn’t he brushed his teeth or his hair before he came out? Or showered at least? He was pretty sure this shirt wasn’t even fresh and fought the urge to pull the collar over his face and give it a tentative sniff. But then again, why did he care? Sure, Ty was cool and smart and attractive but so what? He didn’t have to like guys to know that. This didn’t have to be weird. It wasn’t weird. Not unless he made it weird and –

“I guess I’ll let you get started. Sorry for bombarding you so early.” With a sheepish smile, Ty put his headphones back on and got back on the treadmill before Kit had even pulled himself together.

And he’d made it weird. Damn.

He turned to Ty, ready to consider explaining why he was being so weird, and froze. Ty. In grey sweatpants. On a treadmill. Kit’s brain malfunctioned and he spun on his heel, heading for the opposite side of the room quickly. What had just happened? Whatever it was, it made Kit glad he hadn’t had breakfast because his stomach was churning with anxiety that felt less like butterflies and more like a swarm of angry locusts. How had he missed the first seven plagues from the Bible? Kit thought, as he sat down on the rowing machine. The end was nigh. Or the beginning.

 The gym visits didn’t get easier from then either. Against his better judgment – and the protestations of his sleep-deprived brain every morning – early workouts had become part of his routine. Ty would wait outside the building and the two would workout side by side, chatting or listening to their music in companionable silence. This was what bros did, Kit told himself. Finally, he felt back in control. Sure, he woke up early to make himself look presentable, but he could fool himself into thinking his breathless fluster was from the exercise and nothing more. As long as he kept his eyeline above Ty’s waist when they hit the treadmills and didn’t watch the way the muscles in his arms flexed when he did sit-ups, Kit could easily convince himself that the way he saw Ty was as a friend, purely and utterly platonic.

Until an early seminar ruined everything.

“Hey, I have a class at eight today,” Ty had told him. “I’m gonna shower here I think.”

“Cool. I’ll finish this set and see you in a bit.”

Kit tried not to feel frustrated. Some days, they headed back to their respective apartments to freshen up and then regrouped for breakfast if they both had classes at nine. Or at least if Ty had them and Kit pretended he hadn’t avoided signing up for any compulsory classes that started before eleven. No breakfast trip today, apparently. After a while, Kit stretched and rolled his shoulders, and he headed into the locker room, looking around for Ty.

“Ty? You there?”

Kit tugged his bag out of his locker and hitched it onto his shoulder, heading into the bathroom. Or so he thought. The steam hit him head on, the air clammy against his already hot skin.

“Oh, sorry I…”

Kit stopped in his tracks, mouth half-open, words dying on his lips. Ty’s shoulder blades protruded as he scrubbed a hand through his hair, rinsing out the last of the shampoo, fingers combing through the humidity-borne curls. The dimples on either side of his spine were perfect and his jutting hipbones were perfect handholds, just asking for Kit’s fingers to nestle there. His eyes trailed down, mapping, memorising, until a worrying but not unfamiliar tension made him tense. Normally, in private, he wouldn’t mind. But here? Now? Absolutely not. Sneakers almost sliding on the wet tiles in his haste, Kit burst out of the showers and into the bathroom, locking himself in a stall in a panic. Even now, where no one could see him, he pulled his gym bag onto his lap. Maybe if he couldn’t see what was happening, he could forget this whole thing. His heart was racing. Why was he here? What the hell? He was straight, right? Right? So why was he here with –

“Kit? You in here?”

At the familiar voice, Kit pulled his knees up, feet resting on the seat. The pressure on his crotch combined with his gym bag was far from ideal, but it could be worse. It could be much, much worse. He just had to wait for Ty to go to class so he could text and say he felt sick and had headed home. Unable to remember whether his phone was on silent, Kit held his breath, fearing Ty would text him from right outside the stall and give the game away, but he didn’t. Eventually, the bathroom door closed, and Kit finally breathed a sigh of relief. That was one problem down, he thought, and peeked past the duffel bag in his lap. One problem down and one problem decidedly not down. He sighed and rested his head on the bag in his lap, lamenting on what cruel universal force had brought him here. I’m straight, Kit reminded himself firmly, though the voice in his head wavered as it spoke.

 Kit had avoided Ty at all costs since that morning. It sucked, but the most contact he’d had with Ty since the shower incident had been stalking his Instagram – not always for entirely pure-hearted reasons. If he was honest, the photos felt inadequate now he had a whole mental album. On the other hand, this all felt so wrong. Not only did he feel guilty for having those kinds of thoughts about Ty, but he also felt his anxiety rising day by day. He was straight but he couldn’t deny that these feelings were seriously messing with him. Not only were they confusing, they were strong and persistent which is why when Ty had invited him over to watch a movie, Kit had accepted without a thought.

Now that he was actually outside the building waiting for Ty to come and let him in though, Kit’s legs felt shaky and weak.

“Hey, Kit.”

Kit turned and beamed. Ty ducked his head, blushing, and pulled the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his hands.

“You, um, wanna head up to my room?” Ty asked, sounding shy. Kit nodded and Ty exhaled like he was expecting Kit might refuse.

The two walked side by side to Ty’s dorm, though it wasn’t like Kit’s accommodation. Kit had a roommate, went down to the cafeteria for meals, had a shared bathroom and an R.A. Ty had his own room, with two housemates across the hall, like a little shared apartment. Each room had its own bathroom, and a boy was sprawled on a sofa in the shared lounge space. He gave the two of them a nod when they came in and turned back to the show he was watching on his laptop when they headed into Ty’s room.

Kit looked around, taking everything in. Fairy lights hung over his bed, blankets draped everywhere, and a rainbow flag took pride of place on the wall. Shelves upon shelves of books lined the room and Kit wondered if Ty had read them all – then realised it was Ty and he, of course, would have.

“Your place is so nice,” Kit said. “Damn, what do I have to do to get a whole suite?”

“It’s part of a disability independence scheme,” Ty explained. “I’m just glad I don’t have shared showers.”

Kit laughed a little hysterically at the mention, wondering if this was a subtle hint that Ty knew what Kit had seen at the gym. Other than a brief confused glance at Kit, he didn’t seem phased.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Ty told Kit and the two of them settled onto his bed as Ty brought up Netflix on his laptop, looking for something for them to watch.

 They were halfway through an episode of Sherlock by the time Kit finally relaxed. The lights were dimmed, the fey glow of golden fairy lights providing just enough illumination that Ty looked like a greyscale version of himself. He was an illustration drawn in ink, black hair and grey eyes, pale skin and clean curves. His headphones lay abandoned on his desk and it struck Kit that this was the first time he’d seen Ty without them on his person – if you didn’t count the shower incident, which Kit had decided not to because thinking about that now was not an option, not when his thigh was against Ty’s and any bodily betrayal would lead to instant death out of sheer mortification.

“I love this bit,” Ty said, and Kit turned not to watch the screen but to watch Ty.

As Moriarty broke into the Bank of England, all Kit could focus on was Ty’s throat bobbing as he swallowed a sip of soda, the way his slender fingers twitched like they were conducting an orchestra.

“It’s called The Thieving Magpie.”

“Whu…” Kit mumbled, confused, aware he sounded like he’d just woken up from some kind of surgery. Ty glanced across and smiled.

“The music in the background of this scene. It’s an overture by Rossini called ‘La Gazza Ladra,’” Ty explained. “The Thieving Magpie.”

Instead of saying anything he was thinking – ‘that’s brilliant!’ or ‘you’re so fucking cultured’ or ‘you sound really sexy speaking Italian’ – he reached over and took Ty’s hand. Far from the surprise Kit was expecting, Ty just smiled and ran a finger along Kit’s knuckles, making goosebumps prickle up and down his arms.

When the episode ended, Ty glanced across.

“Do you want to put something you like on instead?”

Kit shook his head. “I need to know how he survives that fall.”

“How do you know that he does?” Ty teased.

“Because he’s Sherlock motherfucking Holmes.”

Ty laughed and settled back, his hand still in Kit’s, and let the first episode of season three start playing automatically.

 Kit tried to focus on the episode, kept his eyes forward to the screen so firmly they started to sting. His gaze was aching, trying to see whether Ty was looking at him in his peripheral vision. It took all of ten minutes for Kit to cave and turn to look at Ty. His heart damn near stopped when he saw Ty was looking straight back at him. Slowly, carefully, Ty braced forward on his hand and kissed Kit, light and short. When he pulled back, it was mere inches. He was being tested, Kit sensed. The kiss was Ty letting him know Kit had control, that he could stop this. He didn’t. Instead, Kit closed the tiny distance between them, parting his lips against Ty’s mouth. He startled a little when Ty’s tongue ran along his lips, parting them.

Somewhere, in the very depths of Kit’s mind, he wondered what he was doing and why – but that was leagues deep in the ocean of his brain. At the surface, waves of pleasure rippled, and the ebb and flow of his body pushed him forward into Ty, one hand touching the other boy’s back. He felt Ty’s muscles tense under his fingers, felt Ty’s breath catch in his own mouth, and sat back.

“Sorry,” Ty said softly. “I don’t like having my back touched. I like to…know what’s happening.”

Kit nodded. “Okay. Yeah.”

Ty shifted himself atop Kit, sprawled across his lap, knees either side of Kit, looking down at the other hand, one hand hovering at his jaw.

“Is this okay?” Ty asked and Kit nodded again, feeling a little breathless.

“Yeah,” he said, hating the strain on his voice as he said it. “Yeah, this is okay.”

“Okay,” Ty said softly, and caught Kit’s face in his hands, pulling him towards him. “Keep telling me if what I’m doing is alright.”

Unprepared to bear the weight of them both, Kit flopped back onto the bed, Ty going down with him. They were laughing, even as they started kissing again, giggling and nibbling at each other’s lips, shyly at first, then braver. Ty’s hands edged at the hem of Kit’s shirt.

“Is this…”

“Yes,” Kit said.

“I didn’t finish.”

“I know.”

“I…I need to finish.”

Kit’s mouth curved up in a smile, charmed. “Finish it.”

“Is this okay?”

“Yes.”

The smile this elicited split Ty’s face in half, a geode cracking and revealing entombed crystals. The brief moment where Kit’s shirt blocked his vision as Ty pulled it over his head was an unbearable eclipse, but Ty’s face was a dawning sun when Kit remerged, blindingly beautiful.

 Things had changed since then. Now, when Ty came and brought Kit breakfast after early classes, they kissed in greeting. Kit’s roommate referred to Ty as Kit’s boyfriend regardless of how often Kit corrected him. On Sundays, when Ty went home to see his family in the next town over, Kit came too. At first, it was just convenience – Ty couldn’t drive and Kit didn’t like the thought of him taking such a long bus ride alone – but it was different now. They were different. Winter vacation was coming up and Ty had asked to meet Kit’s family, but that would invite so many questions Kit didn’t have answers for. What was this? What were they?

How’s your boyfriend?

It was the first time Tessa had asked him that. It had been two hours since they’d hung up and Kit was still laid on his bed, phone beside him, frozen. He had to figure this out, if only to calm this anxiety of the unknown, unlabelled, inside his head. He reached for his phone and hit the button to call. After only three rings, it connected.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Can you come over?” Kit asked. “We need to talk.”

“I’ll be there in five,” Ty confirmed, sounding tense, and hung up.

 True to his word, less than five minutes later, Ty knocked on his door and peeked his head in shyly.

“Hi.”

“Hey, come in,” Kit said and Ty did, shutting the door behind him. He sat down on Kit’s bed, knees pulled up to his chest, resting his chin on his hands. He was trying to seem calm and unbothered, Kit sensed, but his legs were bouncing in a way that disturbed the whole bed and his grey eyes couldn’t settle on any one thing. Kit put a hand on Ty’s knee, but pulled back when the touch made him flinch. “Sorry. Are you okay?”

Ty nodded tightly. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked. It sounded like he already knew, and the anxiety in his voice made Kit worried to start the conversation. He had to, though, Kit knew – if only for his own sanity.

“Ty…this…this thing between us…”

“I know,” Ty said, voice tight.

“I’m just so confused,” said Kit, frustrated. “I don’t know what…”

“I know,” Ty repeated. His hands had disappeared into the sleeves of his hoodie, as they often did when he was anxious.

“Are we…dating?”

“I…” Ty’s head jerked up. “Wait…what?”

“Wait, what did you think this was about?” Kit asked.

“I thought you were breaking up with me!”

Kit’s mouth dropped open. “So…we are dating then?”

Ty burst out laughing, shaking, until he slumped back on Kit’s bed, inconsolable.

“Yes!” he finally managed to wheeze out. “Obviously!”

Kit sighed in relief, flopping back onto the mattress beside Ty, who rolled onto his side and nuzzled his nose into Kit’s neck, making him shiver.

“Since we aren’t officially dating,” Ty whispered, causing the hair on the back of Kit’s neck to stand on end, “will you be my boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Kit breathed and smiled as Ty rolled himself atop Kit, one knee either side of Kit’s waist. When their lips met, every anxiety and worry in Kit’s mind about labels and identities melted. All that mattered was them, now, in this moment – and that sounded pretty damn good to Kit.