#to be fair heating vents always scare the shit out of me

[cobrakiin]

Cojeel for #7?

It was a little, sudden bounce on the mattress that woke Gajeel. It could only mean that it was 1:37 in the morning and his bedmate had been spooked awake by the same thing as always.

It was confirmed as Cobra, in a very tired and body-is-awake-but-head-is-not voice asked: “Did you hear that?”

“I’m tellin' you, I’m haunted,” Gajeel rumbled, half-asleep. “‘S just the ghosts again.”

Gajeel didn’t need to be facing Cobra know that it was an unamused and exhausted look that he felt on the back of his head.

“It’s the heating vent,” Gajeel said with a yawn. It was always the heating vent. He rolled over and hooked an arm around Cobra, pulling him back down under the covers. “Yer always so jumpy.”

Eventually Cobra settled, his frame relaxing. “You’d sleep through the house being on fire.”

[baroquebucky]

symphony

in which bucky realizes the light you’ve brought into his life

word count: 2.3k of pure fluff

masterlist

a/n: hi bffs !! hope u all enjoy this fluff as reparations for the amount of angst I’ve been writing <333 let me know what you guys think !! inspired by this song :] sorry for any typos !!

Life felt monotonous for bucky. Everyday he would wake up, go for a walk, sometimes go out for dinner with his neighbor other times he would just stay in. Then he would go to therapy, suffer there for a while before coming back and doing nothing. Throughout the week he would go to the compound or the gym and train to get his mind off things.

“I just feel like I’m stuck in a loop and i can’t get out of it, it’s like a boring song that everyone’s playing on repreat” bucky grumbled, sam nodded, listening to bucky as he vented.

“i think you need something new in your life, something to spice it up” Sam spoke gently, thinking for a bit before a smile appeared on his face, “i know just the thing!” He cheered.

“how is coffee gonna help me” bucky huffed, sam just rolled his eyes, dragging the super soldier along to his favorite coffee shop.

“no trust me, this coffee is amazing, they have all these other drinks too and the person who always takes my order is amazing” Sam cheered, a smile on his face as he rounded the corner and saw you through the glass.

“that’s them!” He smiled, turning to look at bucky, he stopped in his tracks.

“you aren’t trying to set me up on a date right now, right?” Bucky looked at Sam wide eyed and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head and grabbing Buckys wrist.

“if this was a date i would’ve made you dress better” Sam shot back, bucky frowned looking down at his clothes. What was so wrong with his clothes?

“this is my favorite jacket” bucky pouted and Sam rolled his eyes, as the door opened a small chime went off.

“good evening sam!” You called out, a bright smile on your face as you finished taking someone’s order. Sam and Bucky stood in line, waiting only a couple minutes before you helped them.

“your usual?” you beamed and Sam smiled, you wrote it down quickly, turning to bucky with a smile, “what can i get for you?” Bucky blushed a bit, avoiding eye contact with you and glancing at the menu.

“i- well uh i don’t know actually” bucky hesitated, sam cringed at his friend, elbowing him slightly.

“what do you recommend?” he asked quickly, and you turned to look down at the menu as if you didn’t have it memorized.

“hmm, well i really the special we have right now, if you’re not into sweet then i recommend that one” you pointed out with your pen a smile still on your face.

“whatever your favorite is” He spoke, heart beating in his chest as the words tumbled out. You felt your face heat up at his words, nodding quickly. Bucky paid and went to go sit next to Sam, ears red and face hot.

Sam simply chuckled at him, waiting patiently for you to call out their order numbers. Bucky kept glancing up, stealing glances at you and marveling at how pretty you were. The way you moved so easily and kept a smile on your face anytime someone looked your way.

Buckys heart sunk a bit. He wished he could be like that, all smiles and rainbows, like the way he used to be. He thought about how brooding he was and the way sam always commented on the way he stared too much. He tore his eyes away from you and focused on the decoration in the cafe.

“57 and 58!” You called out, setting the drinks on the counter looking out for Sam and bucky, smiling when you saw the two men getting up and walking towards you.

“thank you y/n!” Sam smiled and you nodded, eyes moving to bucky, he gave you a tight lipped smile before walking out. “that wasn’t so bad was it” Sam smirked and bucky rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his drink.

“oh wow this is really good” bucky mumbled, drinking some more and furrowing his brows, sam smiled at him, nodding in agreement.

The two men returned a couple times every week, you smiling at them and saying hello, giving bucky a new drink to try every time he came. The two of you stealing glances anytime you looked over while making the drink, heart rate spiking when your eyes met.

Bucky was giddy to see you, wondering what you would give him today. Sam frowned when your coworker greeted them instead of you.

“wheres y/n?” Sam asked, you coworker frowned at the mention of you before replying.

“oh they quit, our boss kept giving them shit” she sighed, “between you and i, they only stayed this long because you guys kept coming back” she smiled, her eyes moving to bucky, “specially you.”

As the two men were leaving your coworker called out for them, handing them a piece of paper. “she told me to give you guys this, have a good day!”

They looked at each other before unrolling the paper, you handwriting on it along with your phone number.

“text me when you want bird boy” Sam read, laughing a little, he turned to bucky, craning his neck to read his, “what’s your say” Bucky had a bashful smile on his face.

“oh just to text them whenever” bucky cleared his throat, shoving the piece of paper in his pocket.

i really hope we can hang out properly soon :) the paper read, scribbled under was a list of drinks you wanted him to try. Buckys heart fluttered at the action, the whole time he was with Sam you were the only thing he was thinking about.

When he finally got back to his apartment bucky texted you, heart racing as he sent the text.

hi it’s bucky, i got your note let me know when you’re free :-)

Your heart jumped at the message, the biggest smile on your face as you read the text over again, giggling as you replied.

hi buck!! I’m free this weekend actually :]

The two of you made plans quickly, excited for a proper date and not just stealing glances and making small talk when he ordered his drink or picked it up from the counter.

When Saturday evening came bucky was frantic, texting sam and asking what clothes he should wear, recalling the time he made fun of his clothes before he met you the first time.

You were nervous as you got ready, hands shaking slightly as you changed into some nice clothing. You checked yourself out in the mirror and smiled, fixing your hair a bit.

The doorbell rang and you jumped, heart racing as you walked to the door, opening it with a smile.

Bucky stood there with roses in his hands, a bright smile on his face. He chocked on his breath a little as he took you in, it was the first time he’d seen you out of uniform and god you were perfect.

“oh thank you!” You blushed, smiling as you took the flowers from him, “come in I’ll just put these in water” you smiled, letting him in and quickly moving to put the flowers in a vase.

Your apartment was so comforting, bucky felt like he was safe there, he felt so at peace despite his heart racing in his chest.

“ready?” You asked and bucky smiled, he could hear the way your heart raced after you not so secretly checked him out. He was wearing a dark blue t shirt and a leather jacket along with some black pants.

“so where are we going?” You questioned and bucky smiled, turning to look at you nervously before focusing on the road again.

“is the fair okay? I know there’s one in town and I’ve been wanting to go but-” he rambled and you cut him off excitedly.

“i love the fair! I’m really good at those shooting games y’know” you bragged and bucky smiled, excited to see how skilled you were. “however i will not compete against you” you added quickly, making bucky frown.

“too scared I’ll beat you doll?” Bucky smirked and your heart raced at the nickname, your comeback dying on your lips. Bucky smiled as you sat there with your mouth open, looking away quickly before changing the subject.

As the two of you arrived bucky immediately knew he made the right choice, the way you had the widest smile on your face as you pointed everything out to him, eyes wide as you saw the giant dinosaur plush.

“you have a metal arm dont you?” You whispered and bucky smiled, nodding his head. “would it be, i don’t know, immoral for you to use it to get that dinosaur plush?” You blushed, giggling as bucky gasped at you.

“i cant believe you!” He teased and you frowned, bucky smiled at you, taking your hand in his and walking towards the game. He handed the man the tickets to play and held the heavy ball in his hands.

“you just have to knock all three cups over” the man spoke and bucky nodded, placing the ball in his right hand before throwing it, easily knocking the cups down.

“yay!” You cheered, running next to bucky and hugging him, the man handed you the giant plush and you smiled, staring at bucky with starry eyes.

“didn’t even use your metal arms sergeant” you teased and Buckys heart lurched at the titles. His heart was in frenzy as you smirked up at him.

“I’m a super soldier doll” he smiled at your face turned into one of realization, nodding your head.

“right, i forgot about that” you mumbled, struggling to keep the dinosaur plush from touching the ground, bucky smiled at you before he took it from your hands, easily tucking it under his arm.

“thanks” you blushed and bucky nodded, a smile on his face as he replied.

“cant have my best girl struggling on our first date can we” you blushed at his words, looking at him with a bright smile.

“first? as in more to come?” You questioned, a smile on your face as you stopped in your tracks, the lights from some ride illuminating your face in reds and pinks. Bucky nodded, suddenly his confidence was sizzling away.

“I mean unless you don’t want to that’s fine too i just- i mean” bucky rambled and you watched him struggle for a bit, biting your bottom lip before stopping him.

“I’d love to go on more dates” you spoke up, bucky smiled at you, letting out a small breath, “now let’s go to the Ferris wheel!” You easily slipping your hand in his.

Everything felt so easy with bucky, it never felt forced. The two of you constantly texting and calling when you weren’t together and grabbing dinner and going on dates more and more often. It was only a matter of time before bucky asked you out, everything falling into place for the two of you.

The two of you were in bed, you were cuddled up into his side as you watched a documentary on some lions. Bucky ran his fingers through your hair and you sighed, relaxing into his touch. It had been almost two years since the two of you went on your first date, but to bucky it felt like yesterday.

“you know i love you, right doll” he spoke suddenly and you looked at him, confused before nodding.

“i love you too loverboy” you replied, sitting up and kissing his cheek.

“don’t know where I’d be without you” he spoke softly, his blue eyes meeting yours, he smiled softly. “I used to think i was broken and no one would want me” he mumbled and you frowned, letting him continue.

“the only reason sam took me to that cafe was because i was stuck in this loop and i was going crazy” he laughed softly, “i thought i was never gonna get out of this funk but then” he stopped.

You looked at him, confused as he smiled at you, peppering kissing all over your face before caressing your cheek and kissing your forehead.

“then what?” You whispered, a smile on your face when you realized what he was going to say.

“then you came along” he replied, smiling at the way you wiggled to face him.

“you took me and you made me into a better person, you made my life so much better and now it’s like there’s a symphony playing anytime in with you” he spoke, a smile on his face when you reached your hand out and ran your fingers through his hair. You stopped your hand at the nape of his neck, pushing him towards you and crashing your lips onto his.

It was sloppy and passionate, but it was sweet. The two of you smiling into the kiss before giving him one last peck and pulling away.

“oh lovebug, that songs always been inside you, just needed a little tuning to get it right” you replied, taking him into your arms as he laid down on your chest.

For once, bucky was grateful sam had forced him to go out, he was grateful that you were working that day and you recommend him a drink. He was grateful that you went to the fair with him and you liked him enough to go on another date.

Bucky no longer wished to be like you, he didn’t long for the person he was in the 40s. He didn’t wish he could change into someone else anymore.

He didn’t because he was more himself than he had ever been. He was happy and he was at peace, he was who he had always wanted to become. He didn’t feel like he was stuck in the shadows in a constant loop.

Bucky smiled as you placed a gentle kiss on top of his head, mumbling a soft ‘i love you.’

Bucky felt happy, he felt at home and he felt in love. He was finally at peace with his life now that you were in it. You helped him become who he was, pushed him to be better and to change into who he wanted to be.

[blossom-hwa]

so I joined an ateez collab yesterday and was yelling to mai about a possible elemental kingdom au kind of like avatar but also not really anyway it doesn’t fucking matter mai was yelling back and now we have this. you have been warned

(I have bigger plans for seonghwa mostly because he’s the one I'm writing for this collab.............. seonghwa brainrot commence)

tagging: @applejongho @mangomingki @wingkkun because all of you need to see this SUFFER

anyway without further ado

ATEEZ ELEMENTAL KINGDOM AU OR WHATEVER IDK WHAT TO CALL THIS

tw: cursing

seonghwa

magma prince, born of an earth/water dalliance gone too far :/

lives in the water but is an outcast, so he’s forced to live on his own by the underwater volcanoes except when he has to come to the palace for ceremonies and such

doesn’t really manipulate water specifically but can control magma hence why I'm calling him a magma prince

he’s a prince because his mom was ocean royalty, anyway she disowned him so we don’t really care about her (fuck everyone who made seonghwa feel like an outcast :/)

has scales on parts of his body like the rest of the ocean dwellers because they descended from sea serpents, his range from black to deep royal blue which INFURIATES the court because those colors are the purest meant for ROYALTY like even his mom’s scales aren’t as deep/pure as seonghwa’s so ha in your FACE

except seonghwa isn’t a fan of the scales because it just makes him feel even more like he doesn’t belong in his own skin :///

friends with fire prince hongjoong and ocean prince san, both of whom are some of the few who treat seonghwa like an actual person and not just an outcast :/

takes very good care of the animals who live around the volcanic vents! a lot of the other ocean dwellers are scared of them because they look so different but seonghwa knows what it’s like to be an outcast so he keeps his little area as clean and welcoming as possible :)

it gets lonely around the volcanoes but honestly seonghwa prefers that over when he has to be at court for ceremonies n stuff. like yeah there might be water snakes around his place but they’re nothing compared to the snakes in the palace badum tss

hongjoong

fire prince of the dragon clan

there are two clans of the fire kingdom, one descended from dragons and the other descended from phoenixes, and they’re Rivals

dragon clan is allied with the ocean dwellers since sea serpents are related to dragons, phoenix clan is allied with the air dwellers because they all can fly n stuff

but anyway more on phoenix stuff in mingi’s part

has scales too, though his are more on the neck while seonghwa’s around around his ribs/waist, also they’re bright red/orange not blue

can produce and control dragon fire, which is destructive and primarily used for offense, so hongjoong’s been trained for an early age how to use it for max power/destruction

meets seonghwa on one of the few times hwa comes to the surface to chill in the sun and he’d just accidentally set fire to a small part of the beach and when he sees hwa he’s like HELP ME PUT THIS OUT

except hwa can’t control water he can only do magma so. yeah

san was nearby though and helped deal with it and later joong was like what the fuck kind of ocean dweller can’t control water and seonghwa was like. I'm half you dickwad

obviously they become friends after that. if they didn’t I'd give you permission to slap my face

but also after that hongjoong learns to keep a much tighter rein on his powers, like yes he’s being trained for destruction but he has masterful control over his abilities

could be considered a fire prodigy in all honesty

yunho

earth boy!! very powerful earth bender

can definitely do a lot of destruction with his powers but prefers to help things grow instead! talks to his garden and swears up and down that his plants grow bigger and taller when he does

good friends with both mingi of the phoenix clan and hongjoong of the dragon clan

earth dwellers aren’t allied with any side of the fire rivalry so they serve as the arbiters/judges when disputes come into place which is fair because earth is solid and stable and just (most of the time)

which is why yunho is able to balance this sort of friendship between the two boys :) does NOT meet with them together though that would be a recipe for disaster (not necessarily because of hongjoong/mingi themselves, they know how to behave, but the neurotic clan elders would throw a hissy fit)

runs a small restaurant in the capital that mostly caters to the working class, people always ask why yunho doesn’t try to do “more” with himself, that he’s wasted potential running a restaurant when he could potentially be a general or something in the army because of his earth bending prowess

but yunho doesn’t care, he’s happy where he is and he develops his bending as a way to protect and help himself and others, and from his friendship with hongjoong/mingi he’s pretty sure he wants to avoid clashing with earth royalty at all costs ksjndksjh

yeosang

air prince :) also he’s blond in this au you can’t change my mind

not particularly one of the strongest benders, but he’s very intelligent and wise which people value a little less than they should but yeosang doesn’t really care, he’s just going with it

imagine! yeosang in flows white robes!! floating on the wind!!!

yes air dwellers can fly sobs because they control the wind

and while yeosang isn’t necessarily the greatest at using his powers for fighting or whatever, he’s very good at flying and has a lot of fun with it along with air noble wooyoung

best friends with wooyoung by the way, no one really gets it because yeosang is quieter and doesn’t yell as much while wooyoung is the definition of Chaos

but wooyoung brings out the rowdy side in yeosang and their screams/yells echo in the air when they get together

a little wary of wooyoung’s friendship with san mostly because he’s a prince and understands the consequences of wooyoung, an air noble, being friends with the allies of their supposed enemy (water is allied with the dragon clan)

(maybe he’s a little jealous too)

but in the end it’s always still woo + yeosang against the world, floating in the sky and doing what they can for their people <3

san

WATER PRINCE WATER PRINCE WATER PRINCE

he’s actually the reason I birthed this au I couldn’t get ocean prince san out of my mind

flowy clothes and a crown of shells and pearls! likes shiny things and will trade with earth dweller merchants for new bits of crystal and jewelry!! tell me he isn’t a dream!!!

one of the beloved princes of the ocean, honestly probably the most loved because he’s so smiley and handsome and all around a very good boy until it’s his turn to perform the ceremonial dances and he turns into a demon

the brightest blue scales run up from his waist to his ribs, another one of the purest colors of royalty

uses his status to get away with being friends with seonghwa (aka people won’t yell at him if it’s obvious he disappeared for a while to the volcanic vents) but keeps their friendship kind of under wraps because hwa is afraid of retaliation when he has to visit the court :/

truly does not give a shit about hwa being half earth, if anything kind of envies it because he’s always curious to explore the volcanic trenches but as a normal ocean dweller the heat would be too much for him if he stayed too long

kinda scared of the animals near the trenches but he warms up to them after some periodic visits

friends with air noble wooyoung! even though it’s kind of (?) breaking alliances but neither of them really cares because they’re so much fun together :D

mingi

phoenix nobility, not quite a prince but close 

phoenix fire has defensive and healing properties, so it can’t actually burn people but it can heal and protect from dragon fire/regular fire!

mingi is well-versed in the art of healing even though he’s a little clumsy sometimes :/ luckily phoenix fire doesn’t burn or there’d be major issues skjnsdkjh

can fly! phoenix descendants have a limited ability to fly, not as much as the air dwellers who can literally control the wind to help them, but it’s often enough to get them out of tight spots

only problem is mingi doesn’t like to fly very much skjndgjhn heights kinda suck

but when he does it’s fucking majestic, these orange flaming wings extending from his arms that clash beautifully with his red/orange hair

imagine seeing it at sunset oh my god that’s a dream

the phoenix and dragon clans are in negotiation with each other most of the time because ~hostilities~ but mingi doesn’t often participate in the direct talking because he’s better at working behind the scenes

ridiculously smart and likes to debate with yunho over things because seeing issues from a neutral perspective is very helpful and something mingi doesn’t think people do enough

what he’d really love to do is talk to hongjoong because an opposite perspective would be even better, but people don’t like that happening :/

secretly admires dragon fire because it’s so cool how dragon descendants can control so much destructive power with such ease

(he doesn’t know it but hongjoong admires phoenix fire just as much because god damn sometimes he wishes he was born to heal rather than destroy)

wooyoung

air noble!!!!! bitch if you thought I was making this man ANYTHING but an air dweller you do not know me

likes to watch the sunrise from his vantage point in the mountains :) sometimes wakes yeosang up to watch with him but only when he’s certain yeo won’t cut off a limb if he does skndjsgh

if yeosang is like the soft sea breeze against your face in the summer, wooyoung is the biting, almost playful nip of wind against your nose and cheeks in the winter

very playful! loves to make collect friends!!

can play the flute and absolutely 100% uses it to annoy said friends

you can often hear his screeching laughter and the yells of yeosang + others bouncing off the mountains skjdnsgk

is always on duty for patrolling the mountains because he’s one of the best at flying, but it’s fine because wooyoung enjoys being able to make his rounds and talk to people along the way

sometimes gets a little sidetracked with talking (and maybe eating the food people sometimes give him) but wooyoung is a lovable person no one can get mad at him for too long (which is a problem because he knows it)

thinks the rivalries between elements is dumb af, is literally friends with ocean prince san and earth dwellers 2ho and would like to make friends with mingi (yunho has mentioned him before) if he could just stop being in twenty places all at once

(mingi’s a busy guy wooyoung give him a break)

almost lost his shit when san told him he knew a magma controller, but hasn’t met seonghwa yet because hwa is shy and not very open to strangers

anyway I just think wooyoung air noble who has a personal mission to make as many inter-elemental friends as possible. shrugs

jongho

IF YOU TRY AND TELL ME THIS BOY ISN’T EARTH I WILL CLOCK YOU

earth boy and a prodigy at that! his bending is more advanced than some people twice his age

originally got stuck in training for the army because his bending was just that good, however he really hated having to use his powers solely for fighting so he left and became a blacksmith instead

why a blacksmith? here’s a secret

jongho can metalbend

which is why he sort of has this very good touch with metals and which types to use with which sorts of crafts

in very high demand for weapons like swords and such, but also makes jewelry and toys and pots and pans for regular day to day life

he also gets the “wasted potential” thing that yunho deals with a lot, but jongho has thick skin and those sorts of comments roll of his (broad) shoulders very quickly

LOATHES IT when generals and officials come to him with commissions and expect them to be done first and foremost like jongho doesn’t have around ten other projects hanging out in the background, but he just has to receive them with a smile

(maybe leaves a tiny unnoticeable dent in a general’s sword or something bc even if it’s unnoticeable, jongho knows it’s there and there’s some satisfaction in that)

friends with air noble wooyoung mostly because he is able to deal with woo’s bs, air prince yeosang is always asking for tips

meets yunho through wooyoung and 2ho strike up a nice friendship!

really just jongho stronk boy who can move the earth and will not hesitate to cause a subtle earthquake if some official gets uppity with him <3

[alleycat97]

Veronica×mc where they make out in Veronica's home for the request? I honestly love your writing! Thank you very much ❣️

Sorry it’s late but yes💅🏻

Kinda dirty, little bit of language but that’s what makes it good right?

MC(Bea) x Veronica

...

Christmas Break had arrived for the Belvoire students and that meant one month away from that hell hole. No more rankings, no more kissing ass, one month to be yourself, but that was never really easy if you were in the top 10. Someone was always watching you. But Bea tried to push past that thought as for the first time ever, she was going to Massachusetts to spend some holiday time with her girlfriend Veronica.

“You live here?” Bea said in awe as Veronica pulled into the driveway.

“No I just show up and raid the house on special occasions...of course I live here.” Veronica teased.

“I was just asking jeez.” Bea started pouting.

“Oh here let me fix that.” Veronica tried to kiss her girl all better but Bea noticed the front door open and she wanted to show a good example so she pulled away.

The two girls were met by Veronica’s parents, Thomas and Cecily. Bea could tell immediately where V got her looks from, she looked identical to her mother.

“Hello darling welcome home.” Her parents greeted, “Ah, you must be Bea, Veronica has spoken a lot about you.”

“Hopefully it was all good things, but yes I am Bea. Thank you for having me. You have a gorgeous home.”

“Very respectful and has a great taste, she’s a keeper V.” Thomas teased ushering the girls in.

“I know you aren’t here long Bea, but we’ve managed to clear out a guest room just for you.” Cecily spoke motioning for the butler to gather their stuff.

“It’s rather odd I know, a house with 11 bedrooms, you would think we wouldn’t have to clean out the spare storage room. But we have a large family joining us for Christmas you see.” Thomas said striding over to his mini bar.

“Oh guys you didn’t have to do that. Bea can sleep with me.” Veronica said knowing it would fall on deaf ears.

“We thought about that. And we do trust you sweetie, but you know how your grandparents are. They aren’t as accepting as we are. If they knew you two were sharing a room as a couple...”

“Mom Jesus it’s not that big of a deal. It’s 2020 not 1920. Nonna and Nonno can just deal when they get here.” Veronica protested.

“Absolutely not, now run along with Edward and you two wash up for dinner.” Cecily added turning her attention to the drink Thomas made for her.

Veronica bypassed her room and went to check out the room her parents setup for Bea.

“This is outrageous! It’s nothing but a broom closet with a bed. You don’t even have good WiFi in here! How are you supposed to watch my streams in here?” Veronica hissed.

“It’s ok babe. All I’m doing is sleeping in here. Plenty of room for that.” Bea said trying to find the silverlining.

“Yeah but not much else!”

“Well I figured since it’s balls ass cold outside we won’t be out much, so I figured we would be in your room most of the time.” Bea started. Veronica starting to smirk.

“Mmmhm and that makes you fair game.”

“V we talked about this. I don’t wanna get caught doing that the first time meeting your family. Especially under their roof.”

“Blah blah always so formal with you.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Obviously not you.” V replied. “Before you leave for Iowa. I. Will. Fuck. You. Brainless.”

Bea swallowed hard. She knew that tone. Veronica was harmless, but when she wasn’t getting what she wanted, she would ruin anything to get it. And that anything was Bea.

“Now come on. Nonna and Nonno will be here any minute. And the rest of the Lombardi clan. Pick out something hella cute and here, you’ll need this.”

“Where the hell did you get this glass of wine?” Bea asked perplexed.

“I’m Italian, always gotta stay ready.

...

Dinner came and went without much issue. Veronica’s grandparents were sweet, old school Italians but they were nice to her.

Apparently no one else knew that Bea was Veronica’s girlfriend. Her younger brother kept complaining about how much hotter her other friends are and the fact that he was indeed marrying Chloe when he got old enough. Bea didn’t mind, she just figured Veronica wasn’t ready to fully come out to everyone.

It was late and mostly everyone went to their rooms. Bea slipped into her broom closet and changed into her usual sleep attire. Well lets just say it wasn’t enough. The little room had no vent for the heat to get into so it was teeth chattering cold. And to make it worse, Veronica was in her room live-streaming dropping hints to her Veronicats about Bea and how she could use some “play time.”

Veronica could be a sex nympho and Bea knew she better please her woman or else she would be dead by daylight. Her phone began to go off, it was V.

“Hello?”

“Get your ass in my bed now. You have 4 minutes or I’m coming to get you and you won’t get to cum this time.”

“Dudeee that’s not fair! Your grandma is sitting in the hallway sewing! She will know.” Bea protested.

“Get creative Winchester, you have 3 minutes.” Veronica ended the call. Bea was in some shit because Veronica would hold true to her word. She would get fucked real good but she wouldn’t let her release. So unfair.

Bea eased out into the dim lit hall and made it close to Veronica’s door.

“The bathroom is down the hall and on the right.” Veronica’s grandma called out in rough English, scaring the shit out of Bea.

“Oh! Well thank you!” She replied shakily. “Fuck I’m screwed!” She whispered.

Her phone vibrated, “2 minutes.”

Bea stepped into the bathroom and began to panic, “Think Bea!” She looked around the bathroom and saw a small window above the sink, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Bea opened the window and started to squeeze out onto the roof. Her hips and butt we’re giving her a test, “Come on Bea you cow! I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that extra piece of cake.” Bea finally squeezed through and fell onto the snow covered roof. It was freezing outside.

Her little booty shorts and crop top weren’t doing anything for her. She quickly closed the window a bit and carefully treaded down the roof line and made it to the right window.

To her surprise it was unlocked and she flopped into Veronica’s room like a fresh caught tuna flopping around on the deck.

“Fuck it’s cold!” Bea said shivering trying to get warm. She turned her attention to a very clothless Veronica waiting on the bed, “You’re late.”

Bea internally shattered. It wasn’t fair. “Babe look, it wasn’t....”

“Save it, get over here and please me.”

Unfair or not, Dom Veronica was so fucking hot. Bea would gladly be a puddle of goo for her.

Bea climbed on top of Veronica and began kissing around on her. Their mouths meeting frequently and their tongues fought for dominance. Bea was quickly warming back up.

A little time had passed and Veronica’s grandmother decided to go and check on Bea. She knocked a few times and received no reply. Worried, she shuffled down to Veronica’s room and lightly knocked before entering.

Veronica and Bea, too busy tongue dancing and touching each other to hear the knock, didn’t notice her enter. It didn’t take much however to hear the shriek of Italian coming from the older woman.

“Veronica! Cosa diamine stai facendo?!” (What the heck are you doing?)

The two girls pulled apart and covered themselves up. Not daring to meet the older woman’s gaze.

“Nonna! It’s no big deal!” Veronica pleaded.

“Sto cercando i tuoi genitori!” (I’m getting your parents!)

Oh shit. They both thought, the girls quickly threw what clothes on they could find and Veronica tucked herself back in, Bea giving her a goodnight kiss before booking it back to her broom closet.

Veronica’s parents made it to her room and of course her grandmother barged back in shouting.

Veronica acted like the intrusion woke her up, she sat up rubbing her eyes in confusion.

“Mama, calm down. There’s no one here?” Cecily answered.

Her grandmother was determined to convince her daughter about what had happened but Cecily played it off. “Mama I told you that medication was messing with your head. Let’s go get you in bed. Sorry V, sweet dreams.” Her mother said with a knowing wink.

Yep, Veronica had a badass mom. Sure, she would have to answer for this fiasco in the morning, but she was saved this time.

She shot a quick text to Bea, “I’m not finished with you yet. Double or nothing, 2 minutes, my room.”

Veronica could literally hear Bea hit the floor trying to hurry back, “God I love her.”

[g0dspeeed]

Unconditional Positive Regard, 5

I’m thinking of not posting fic updates anymore on here, but I will be updating this Smasher/OC fic on ao3!

=========================================

Assessment

A faint whisper.

Soft.

Barely there.

The only noise in the Arasaka gym facility was its overhead air vent, but Adam felt absolutely annoyed by it all the same.

Silent and brooding, the mercenary stood in the middle of the gym mats with arms crossed and his red eyes staring heavily on the entrance. No doubt he was ready to lay into her, practically frothing for Lumen to feel how intensely pissed off he was at her lateness, at how she kept him waiting around like a fool.

Even before his days in the military, Adam was punctual. Or incredibly early. Had to be. As a hardened resident of NYC’s underworld, he could never predict what mob boss would lose his absolute shit over Adam’s ass being late, job fulfilled or not. Such a life seldom provided a second chance, and after watching many a comrade receive their due punishment for inconveniencing some trigger-hungry gang leader, Adam knew better than to press his luck. Though tucked back several decades into his past, the lessons learned in the streets of New York prepared him well in all their cruelty.

Other Arasaka staff wandered near the mats, completely oblivious to Adam until their eyes locked. Without a word, the staff members scurried out of sight.

A growl hummed past his lips. He checked the digital clock above the room for the sixth time in the last ten minutes. His jaw tightened.

Damn her.

Damn that fucking bitch and her bullshit contract.

Just as Adam was about to rip into her via holo, the rushed sounds of pattering feet echoed into the space. Lumen at last made her appearance, jogging through the entrance dressed in a grey tank top, black leggings, and tennis shoes. If anything, she looked prepared for Adam’s physical assessment.

Though her focus, Adam quickly observed, was clearly elsewhere.

As if not even noticing him, Lumen had tossed a small gym bag at the edge of the mats and quickly made work of her dark hair, her fingers running themselves frantically through its tangles in a vain effort to tie them back. Stray hairs stuck to the sticky sheen on her forehead as she struggled to compose herself.

Adam caught Lumen peeking over her shoulder near the entrance, gold eyes wide with anticipation.

Alit brilliant red, his own eyes shined as Adam conducted a quick scan of her vitals. Just as expected, the results read all racing pulse and rising body heat.

He frowned.

The woman was scared.

That force of rage soothed into a dull static. Still pissed? Absolutely, but his curiosity for her anxious state outweighed the anger, especially since the woman at this point seemed unable to experience anything resembling fear. She had stood brave in the face of his wrath before, multiple times even. Not budging, not wavering despite his powerful presence, despite the tight grip he had on her arm in the office.

If not terrified of him, Adam Smasher, what the hell could cause her to be so flustered?

Adam waited as she at last noticed him watching her, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“I’m late,” Lumen stated sheepishly. “I know that.”

Eyes narrowing, Adam didn’t grace her with a response.

A sigh.

“It won’t happen again,” she continued. “I promise.”

He wholly expected a flood of excuses, but Lumen offered not a single one. Instead, she casually approached him, giving one final look over her shoulder towards the opening of the gym.

“Expecting someone?” he questioned.

She turned away.

“Hm?”

At that, Adam snapped.

“You’re not a stupid bitch so stop fucking acting like one!”

Lumen flinched at the sudden harshness in his voice, at how he somehow managed to make himself larger as he loomed over her frozen form.

However, much to Adam’s annoyance, she then squared her shoulders. In a showing of grace, Lumen chose to maintain her ignorance.

“It’s nothing,” she quipped. “Let’s just get started, yeah?”

A tense pause filled the air while the pair refused to break eye contact with one another, too stubborn and too prideful to back down first.

Adam rolled his eyes. So be it. He didn’t really give a fuck anyway. Temper steaming, he conceded, allowing the moment to pass so they could finally start his assessment.

“Stretch,” he ordered. “Then I’ll give you some exercises-”

“What kind?”

“Physical ones,” he replied sharply. “Just do what I fucking tell you. You’ve already wasted enough of my time tonight.”

It was then did she truly regard him. Amusement soon touched her features as she scrutinized his attire. Gone was his large Arasaka jacket, replaced with a gray tank of his own that clung to his large frame. More of his implants could be seen under the bright lights of the gym, and without the jacket’s neck guard Lumen was able to appraise the thick, black cables that snaked down his neck and shoulders, as well as the sharp jawline from the implant on his chin. He still wore his black cargo pants and military-grade boots, but seeing more of his broad shoulders and some RealSkin was a nice change for the good doctor. In a strange way the look humanized him.

“Gawk at me all you want,” stated Adam. “But don’t start anything you can’t finish, sweetheart.”

Her lips twisted into a scowl, but Lumen began stretching as he had told her to. Adam felt pleased at her obedience, eyes lingering on her body as she bent over to tap the mats. Her toned physique curved deliciously at her hips, ass, and breasts, and he blatantly allowed himself an eye full.

Denial served him no good. Adam knew that he was physically attracted to the woman. Knew since they first met in the lobby, her beauty and confidence stalling him in his tracks. Always more drawn to the feminine figure, Lumen’s body lacked any qualities that suggested any weakness. Her legs were lined with muscle, arms, too, showing evidence of some athleticism.

How unfortunate that she was the client, he thought. Might’ve be fun to-

“You good?”

Gold eyes pierced him like knives as her hands gripped her shins.

Adam smirked. No guilt filled him. No shame forced his eyes to avert. Instead, he held her stare in a welcomed challenge.

“Never better,” he responded.

Lumen scoffed.

“To start,” continued Adam. “I need to know what implants you’re outfitted with.”

The annoyance on her face melted away into a blank stare.

“Just my eyes,” she answered. “Kiroshis-”

“I’m not stupid. No one has eyes like yours.”

That last comment spilled out of him before he could stop it. Another pause followed. Adam pushed through the awkwardness, ignoring her quirked brow.

“What other cyberware?”

Her shoulders rose.

“That’s it. I don’t have-”

“There’s no use lying to me-”

“I know. I’m telling the truth. I don’t have anything else.”

His teeth grit.

Of course.

Of course that’s all she had.

His latest security job is an organic meatbag with a savior complex, and his future career with one of the leading corporations in Night City is hinging on her survival.

Lumen frowned as if sensing his disapproval, but he asked nothing more. Instead, Adam led her to an indoor track in the facility and commanded she run a mile. The woman did as she was asked, again stirring a sense of pleasure in the mercenary as he openly lusted at her body while she bounded away.

Meatbag or not, Adam planned to push her. To break her in. To see what she looked like when she crumbled, when her body gave out. To see how she handled pain. Eyes lingered on her ass as she lapped him, his mind forcibly ignoring how his body twitched.

The evening drawled on in a slower pace than what Adam preferred. True, Lumen did all that he asked when it came to assessing her physical prowess. She ran, lifted, pushed, pulled, twisted, and carried whatever weight, time, or distance that Adam commanded. She scored high in each test, even as patches of sweat darkened her top. Her stats mildly impressed him though he would never admit that. It was a small relief that he wouldn’t have to drag her ass through the field as he might the lazy corpos from past security details, their bodies clammy and panting from mild exercise. Though her body was strong, her understanding about defense tactics was certainly not. That’s what made time drag on, the hours stretching with each new technique and modeling of skill. Each drill was met with more questions and coupled with Lumen’s furrowed brow as she tried to learn proper stance and follow-through. She stumbled. She forgot where her hands were supposed to rest. He had to repeat himself, sometimes three or four times until she got it right. To be fair, her opponent stood more than a foot taller than her, his body broad, heavy, and hard. The average citizen of Night City wouldn’t have the same build, but Adam saw value in testing her all the same. No complaints left Lumen, though as time pressed on, Adam could sense her fatigue.

If asked, he would ignore any implications that he enjoyed testing her. The woman was surprisingly open and attentive to his teachings, even when bested by the merc or met with criticism. Adam caught her off guard multiple times to challenge her reflexes, shoulder checking or roughly shoving her back onto the cushioned mats. Frustration was evident whenever she made a mistake, usually in the form of a sharp exhale or her teeth worrying her bottom lip, but Lumen did not allow any self-pity. Instead, she quickly rose from the mat to try again. Such persistence and the true power he felt behind every blocked blow loosened Adam up. Perhaps he lingered in his holds a little longer than necessary. Perhaps he savored how his body was pressed against hers, the heady scent of her perfume and sweat intoxicating him. Maybe he enjoyed her shit-eating grin whenever she felt that she bested him. Or when he let her land some hits just to see her golden eyes light up in pride. Or Adam gave a short ‘good’ whenever she seemed to master a concept, the closest thing to praise that he ever gave anyone.

Denial served him no good. But he would deny to anyone watching them spar that night that he permitted himself a smile.

For his own amusement, Adam dodged her attempt to strike him in the face, side stepping and immediately wrapping an arm around her waist. A shriek escaped Lumen as he lifted her from the floor with ease and tossed her a few yards away, her body landing hard on the mats and rolling before she settled with a groan.

“Again,” Adam repeated for likely the hundredth time.

When Lumen spoke, her face was still turned away, muffled and listless.

“Does this gym not have a closing time-”

“No.”

A heavy breath left her, her body deflating from exhaustion.

“We’ve been doing this for like, six hours, Adam. I think I’m done for the day.”

“You’ll be done when I say you’re done. Get up-”

“Nah.”

She heard his steps and could practically feel the challenge rolling off of him in waves.

“I know that your little assessment is over,” she chided with the same amount of liveliness. “Safe to say that you like tossing me around.”

A sneer spread across Adam’s lips.

“Maybe I do,” he agreed. “Or I just like the view of you on your back.”

A laugh. Weak, but genuine all the same.

“Preem. Glad to know I’m not losing my mind.”

Rolling over, Lumen dared to look into his red eyes. Never got old, the way her eyes shined. The directness set him back.

“Did I pass?” she asked. “Are you willing to babysit me now?”

“Willing? Never.”

Her eyes rolled.

“But do I pass?”

“It’ll take years before you’re passable, but for one day a week I guess it’ll do.”

Lumen chuckled as she pulled herself to her feet. Every muscle and joint ached at the effort, a silent scream retching from her body after all the work that he put her through. She knew that the intensity and duration was all unnecessary, but she chose to humor him all the same with how he conducted his assessment. Especially after catching how Adam watched her, glimmers of his suppressed amazement glowing each time Lumen completed an exercise well ahead of her expected time.

“Holy shit, it’s midnight,” she breathed.

Adam said not a word, choosing to watch her stretch and pack her things in silence. Lumen’s gray tank top was soaked all the way through, evidence of her labor practically dripping off her face. The woman was still standing after all the hell he pushed her through, even smiling to herself as she took off her tank and slipped on a windbreaker. Wasn’t shy, not one bit. His eyes drank her in, committing her curves to memory. Just below the band of her sports bra, Adam saw the beginning of a black tattoo.

“Are you above fraternizing?”

The words took a moment to register, his mind wondering more so about the hidden ink.

Lumen’s smile weakened, feeling the sting of rejection in his lack of response.

“Hey,” she tried again in a new, soft voice. The change snapped Adam back into focus, suspicion filling him immediately.

“I’m sorry about how I treated you back at my office,” continued the woman. “That last time, you know, with my client?”

Her tongue wet her lips.

“She’s just a child,” continued Lumen. “And, well, I guess tantrums match the level of body modifications? I don’t know. Anyway, it wasn’t right that I took out my frustration on you. You just tried to help, and I’m sorry that I was…”

And just like that, her warm smile and how deeply she looked into his eyes captivated him. He froze at her authenticity, at how brazen she was with her vulnerable emotions. A whim that Adam seldom allowed himself to have, lest it maintain a sense of control.

“I was a bitch,” she concluded. “And I’m sorry.”

Adam wasn’t quite sure what to do next. No one had really apologized to him before, not out of anything other than pure fear anyway, and he was so taken aback by the genuine sincerity of it all that he found himself staring off towards the far side of the gym to avoid the intimacy of her gaze.

“I don’t give a shit,” he stated coolly. “You’re just part of the agreement with Arasaka, a means to an end unfortunately. Even if you were being a total cunt.”

Hoping that she would do something predictable like maybe argue or insult him, Adam dared his eyes to venture back to the woman. Lumen appeared not to take offense at his latest label. She laughed heartily.

“I guess I was being a cunt,” she mused. “That’s fair.”

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Lumen approached the door. She gave a small wave from over her shoulder. Adam was left speechless.

Before leaving the building himself, the merc took an elevator to one of the other lower floors. Too preoccupied by what occurred that evening, he nearly forgot to retrieve a finishing touch from the Weapons Department. He didn’t typically find much use for this particular item, the other contracts either not important enough or Adam not giving a shit either way, but in this case he thought it wise to play it safer rather than risk any unnecessary setbacks to his missions with Lumen. The check-out process was easy enough, especially with his level of clearance. Item in hand, Adam was lost in thought as he travelled down to the parking garage of Arasaka headquarters. The woman had asked him about fraternization.

Why?

To what end?

Did she expect him to want to have a drink with her? Dinner?

As if they were friendly?

As if he was interested in learning anything about her that didn’t have to do with their contract?

Enigmatic. That would be a great word to describe Lumen or at least one that satisfied Adam in that moment. Each time they met she surprised him. Each time she challenged his assumptions about how she’d respond, react, treat him, even in the face of an insult or threat. What bothered Adam more was how unbothered he was becoming to her defiance. He allowed her to roll her eyes, to argue, to bait him, to tease. Not once had he laid a hand on her with intent to harm. Unlike her colleague, Lumen walked away from their conversations unscathed, or more honestly, he felt the need to walk away from her due to how off kilter she made Adam feel with that smile and gentle touches of the hand. He shivered at the memory of her warmth, at how deeply she looked into his eyes with her palm pressed to his cheek. Couldn’t recall the last time someone held him like that, even if she was only doing it to distract him from his rage.

A scoff.

That’s the only reason she did such an intimate thing. To survive. To fend off her imminent demise at his hand. She must recognize how tentative her role is, that the moment Arasaka deemed their contact over all reserve and patience went out the window. That must be why he staved his anger, why he showed her such undeserved mercy even though she was such a festering pain in his ass.

And yet.

Preem. That’s what she had said with that classic smile. That’s what she said at their shared acknowledgment of his attraction to her.

Preem.

Almost flirtatious.

The elevator doors opened and let in the cool air of the parking garage. It smelled of oil and exhaust, coupled with the strong urban smells of the city street. Something about a city at night stirred within Adam a sense of belonging. Of home. Maybe it was the kind of people who roamed freely at night, who clubbed, drank, and drugged themselves to excess in primal escapism. The kind who found comfort in the shadows as he did, who took refuge in the lapse in reality that Night City’s underbelly provided.

He breathed it in to feel the taste on his tongue, already debating on how to spend one of his rare, free nights off.

Just as Adam was about to leave the garage, a far-off figure captured his attention.

She stood in heavy contemplation by the opening of the garage, her attention completely void of Adam’s presence. That plump bottom lip of hers were tugged in her teeth with her fingers also pinching the skin as she thought on, clearly weighing upon an important decision.

Adam frowned at seeing Lumen still lingering around the corporate building. Their time had concluded half an hour ago, yet there she was. Stance rigid, Adam took note in how uncomfortable she appeared, recalling how strangely she had entered the gym earlier in the night. He scanned her, not surprised to see her heart rate was elevated and breathing slightly labored.

Fear.

Textbook fear, but why?

Following her stare, Adam quickly understood.

Down the street stood a small group of young men. They stood huddled amongst each other near the hood of some beat up car, their scrappy clothes alit by streetlight. They smoked and talked to one another in hushed voices, but even in their best efforts to appear nonchalant, Adam was aware at how each one would periodically stare in Lumen’s direction. Eyes hooded and with a hint of a smile, one man even nodded towards her. Lumen flinched.

No one was aware of Adam. No one knew he lingered in the shadows, how he was privy to all who were involved. How he had access to their bounties and criminal charges in seconds, how his temper blistered at seeing the nature of their offenses.

With a heavy hand, Adam reached out from the darkness and placed his palm on the base of her neck. Lumen jumped instantly, a scream catching in her throat.

“Do you know them?”

His voice was stern, though unreadable. Beneath his touch, he could feel her body relaxing, at how calm she became at hearing his voice.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she muttered. “Why the fuck would you do that-”

“Do you know those men?”

She swallowed.

“No.”

Adam stepped out from beneath the shadows of the parking garage, his grip still on the back of Lumen’s neck.

When he spoke again, his voice was louder and held a sort of lethality in its tone.

“Go home,” he commanded.

Before she could respond, his other hand left his side to reveal the item he took from the Weapons Department. She frowned in confusion as he held up a large white ring, the device clearly some form of modification. Without asking, Adam moved the device over her head and hung it around her neck.

“What is this?” asked Lumen.

“A Halo.”

Adam’s red eyes glowed an amber color, the device then chiming to life. Lumen felt a dull vibration coming from the ring as it activated and synced with the mercenary, her anxiety bubbling even more. It shined a bright white, the color illuminating her face in a faint glow. Adam gave her neck a squeeze.

“What, what does it do?” she asked him.

“Stops anyone from hacking in, even if its just your optics and processor. Tells me where you are at all times and any irregularities in your vitals. Also has a panic feature. Not that you’ll need it.”

That last part was said while Adam gave his coldest stare to the men on the opposite end of the street. He knew they could hear him, knew they recognized who he was, his name falling off their lips the moment he revealed himself. Adam reveled in how quickly they avoided his gaze, at how fast they scrambled.

Turning back to Lumen, he caught her letting out a sigh of relief.

“Go home,” he commanded again. “Turn this off when you get there.”

She nodded slowly.

Adam’s eyes lingered on her face a moment longer, taking in the redness of her cheeks and how quickly her pulse raced, his thumb feeling its drumming beneath his touch.

He let her go and turned down the sidewalk, not bothering to look at her again.

Just as Adam thought that he finally had the final word, a faint ‘thank you’ was whispered from behind.

[tfw-no-tennis]

mtmte liveblog issues 4&5

its delphi time babey

I'm sorry but drift & co look like such fuckin nerds on their scooter things on the cover lmaooo

oh god. seeing the first page just reminded me of how horribly confused i was for this whole little arc the first time i read it. i was like ok, who are all these new characters, and also why does everyone look so similar

anyways now i now what's going on. i love first aid

love the running continuity of rung being the literal only psychologist on cybertron (except for fr*id but that's later). no wonder everyone's fucked up they all have to share a single therapist 

ok i find it extremely funny that first aid was demoted from doctor to nurse, as if that's a thing that happens EVER - I mean it'd be one thing if first aid was a nurse practitioner (which i doubt is a position that exists here), at least that demotion would make sense, but like...the doctors i work with don't know how to do most nurse stuff (like BP, cathing, vaccinations, hell even using some of the thermometers - that's all stuff nurses/etc do), so demoting one to a nurse would be a disaster (just like promoting a really good nurse to a doctor would be a bad idea). anyways i know I'm being pedantic but it Be like that when you work in the medical field and read something that has medicine-related stuff in it

i love swerve giving ratchet the tiniest free drink ever lmaooo

is that skids being a rowdy drunk in the bg lmaoooo

unironically i love medical statistics. keep it comin

i love magnus’s giant sternal chestpiece thing. its like a bird’s sternum but without the massive pec muscles attached 

i love magnus and rodimus’s dynamic so much

oh pipes....im so sorry but this fun space adventure is going to be not so much fun for you

ratchets ideologies are certainly interesting, and i liked seeing how they changed over the course of the story

drift: why would i be SCARED of the DJD, I've got a SWORD, two swords even,

hvbhajkhfbsdjkf pipes really said ‘oi, you two - what's this, then?’ that's the most british fucking thing, that's literally something i say when I'm doing an overexaggerated british accent, oh my god,

PIPES IS SUCH A TINY DUMBASS. ILY SIR BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING

aaaand now you're covered in dead bodies, pipes. look at your life, look at your choices

drift epic sword moments

drift confirmed for the kinda weird guy who has katanas that he uses to like, cut up fruit and water bottles in his backyard while rodimus films him

‘i thought i heard...bickering’ lmaooooo

ah, so its covid

this arc is how i feel working in healthcare lmaooo especially now that i probably have covid 

so rewind condensed the entire war into an 11 second long cringe compilation. nice

seeing the mechanical stuff past tailgate’s visor is so cool

poor tailgate, this guy is getting slammed with history from multiple sides. and like, bias is inevitable in ANY sort of recounting of events, especially controversial historical events, so poor tg just kinda has to take it all in and decide who to listen to 

that’s...not really how immunity works, guys. also, you shouldn't be exposed to so much disease with proper ppe usage

is there even such thing as ppe in the transformers universe?? there are fluid- and contact-transmitted illnesses, so there SHOULD be

is there even OSHA in this universe??????? unbelievable 

first aid, holding a giant fucking claw clamp: we haven't tried EVERYTHING............

first aid read a human wikihow article on how to jumpstart a car and took notes 

i love tailgate’s ‘mom says its my turn on the xbox’ pose 

tailgate has a point - he’s from pre-war times, where things weren't as grey so of course he would try to divide the two sides into ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’

CYCLONUS BE NICE DONT HIT UR FUTURE HUSBAND

go get some character development and then maybe you'll feel better

seeing the word quarantine is making me twitchy w/my possible month-long complete isolation quarantine on the horizon

drift pulling his swords on pipes and ratchet pushing down drift’s arms...lmao

poor pipes...even tho this is completely his fault, its still rough

also jesus, pharma and ratchet look so goddamn similar, reading this was so confusing the first time around 

drifts idea of subduing pipes involves turning into a cool car and also posing with his sword

also. never gonna be over drift’s massive thighs. jesus man

ooof now drift has the rona. ouch 

poor drift, his covid realization is getting overshadowed by pharma being flung around

first aid bustin thru w/the epic medical nipple clamps and some Big Boi Backup

ok that's an epic pre-beatdown speech from fort max right there, daym 

im just gonna continue on w/issue 5 now for continuity’s sake. yay!

the cover of tailgate in magnus’s autobot school is so cute

and we open with an incredible shot of fort max str8 up ripping a guy in half. i mean, to be fair, he DID just give an epic speech about how much he was gonna do that, and he certainly followed thru

yeahhhhh, fort max is not doing so well atm

when he puts that dudes head in his chest vent thing and then snaps it shut....man 

also i fucking LOVE when their faces are shaded all in black w/only the eyes/mouth fully drawn...fantastic stuff

ratchet: phew i am not equipped to deal w/this level of Fucked Up Mental Trauma. u good m8?

ratchet is already writing up a referral to rung for fort max as this is happening

drift is just laying on the ground dying like, oh hey yeahh I'm still here too 

i fucking love when punctuation is drawn in story - like here where first aid has a little ? over his head....fav

ratchet holding drifts hand ;_; 

ok tbh ambulon having switched sides 10 yrs ago is wild bc like, 10 years is barely any time for these guys, especially in a war that lasted 4 million years. that would be like a human switching sides in a war like, 3 months before it ends. probably. i sense some math bs, I'm just extrapolating here

all that mexican standoff shit is going down and first aid is just like But That's None Of My Business

ah so ambulon is an asymptomatic carrier 

and there's first aid with the save! iconic

pharma calling ratchet ‘buddy’ hbvakjdsbfhkasdf

ooooh i love that they figured it out - and i love that twist, that transforming is what triggers the start of symptoms. remember when drift turned into a cool car? yep

s/o to Ambulon Transformers for helping me in my medical terminology courses, bc now ill always remember: Leg(tm)

also this explanation makes a ton more sense (in universe, at least) than the whole ‘i guess we as medical staff have been exposed to enough Germz that we’re more immune to this or something’ theory 

ah, i love the meaningless (to me) alien robot medical jargon 

drift and ratchet hhhhhhhhh

‘I'm too wide’ fort max L O R G E

also once again drift is forgotten in favor of a bunch of other dramatic stuff happening vbhjksdfbjhskdf

godddd i love tailgates little flashbacks where we see how Important and Special he is, complete with his ‘bomb disposal’ arm label...augh its so good! 

and tailgate’s autopedia page even reflects his lies! like, did tailgate go edit that first thing upon waking up??? seriously, I'm fascinated by tailgate’s meticulous dedication to his fake life

also the fact that ultra magnus believes everything he read on autopedia is amazing lmao

ultra magnus: you think somebody would just go on the internet and tell lies? 

fuckgin love magnus’s long ass name/title placard 

tailgate hvbahjkdfbjhaskf i mean, he’s gotten the abridged version of everything else, of course he would assume that’d be the case here too...but not on magnus’s watch

magnus cant even say ‘fun’ hvukdasdbjfkjsadf i love my uptight law dad

love rung implying that upon questioning, he would easily divulge a patient’s name and maybe even information about said patient’s treatment while under him....love the disregard for patient confidentiality and hipaa in general 

not that hipaa seems to exist here, at least not in a fully realized form 

also i mean the above genuinely, i think rung’s tendency towards at least slight malpractice is very interesting 

poor red alert....super bad luck that HE was the guy to get roped up in that overlord business 

I'm glad that, at the very least, red alert was able to prove that he was Actually hearing something to rung, rather than get brushed off completely 

god magnus and tailgate’s interactions are golden 

also tg is much more sarcastic/quippy than anyone gives him credit for tbh

‘thought warfare,’ ultra magnus says with complete seriousness. god i fucking love this comic

now i can tell pharma apart from ratchet bc pharma has let his true Petty Bitch nature emerge and you can see it in his expressions

the whole ‘tarn is addicted to transforming’ thing didn't really go anywhere, right? i feel like i noticed that on my second readthru as well 

also pharma is such an interesting character given the context of him like, trying to strike a bargain w/the djd to keep them from destroying delphi, but that arrangement inevitably kinda making him lose it as the situation escalates. he’s also just really entertaining bc i feel like he kins the joker or st and probably gets into really heated arguments w/people on twitter about just abt anything

‘sound bomb’ i love this comic

another important facet of pharma’s character becomes clear around this time as well - how he’s really into ratchet. i also choose to read them as awful exes tbh, it makes their dynamic even more entertaining

‘killmaster, with the wand’ is one of my favorite running remarks lmao

also, was killmaster even a character before mtmte? or, if he was, was he an important one? it would crack me up the most if he literally didn't exist at all, but any way you spin it is still funny 

ratchet’s tiny humansona facing off against pharma is wild

‘I'm miles from anyone i truly care about’ brutal, ratchet, drift is dying like 2 floors away (im p sure)

SUDDENLY DRIFT IS HERE, ACTUALLY 

oh don't worry first aid, that sure isn't the last we’ll be seeing of pharma 

so like, did first aid save everyone by posting that data log to his wreckers fan blog or something? lmao love it 

i love the pretty fucked up reveal of ratchet having stolen pharma’s hands. like, damn dude. 

and that wraps up the delphi arc! our first true ‘arc’ of mtmte, and a fantastic one at that. short and snappy and fresh, with some very clever writing and cool new characters, and a lot of great plot threads to be picked up later. plus, we got to see the beginnings of drift and ratchet’s whole thing (and ratchet and pharmas whole thing). and the lost light gets some much needed extra medical staff, so everyone wins! 

well, we’ll see how fort max feels about this all pretty soon.....

[h-styles-babes]

SIX

Despite the air conditioning that kept the house cool against the muggy heat of the day, the vents pumping air into the studio didn’t seem to work quite as well as everywhere else. While Sia typically liked to wear something cozy and relaxed while she was sat down at the board and recording with an artist, it was far too hot to be in her joggers and a tee. Instead, she stayed in the cut off shorts and cropped halter top she’d been wearing throughout the rest of the day. She’d gone into town earlier on one of the bikes in order to get herself a smoothie, brining back one for Alex, since he’d so kindly asked. Carrying two cups on her ride back hadn’t been the most easy thing she’d done, but she’d done it without any mishaps.

When she arrived back at the house, there were four extra people milling about, as well as some fancy-looking cameras that probably cost more than Sia would make this year. She’d nearly forgotten Jeff’s warning that there would probably be a camera crew following the recording process, since Ben Winston wanted to document the whole thing for a short film. Sia knew Ben really well, considering she’d been just as acquainted with him as Harry had while they were still together. Ben was one of the few famous people in Harry’s life that she actually liked, because he was so much of an older brother and best friend to Harry. So seeing him hanging out and laughing with Alex brightened her mood, but also put a bit of a damper on it when she realized she hadn’t seen him since she and Harry had ended things. Which, of course, put a sour twinge to her mood.

“Ah, Sia! You’re back,“ Alex acknowledged, watching her set down her bag and push her sunglasses off her nose and up onto her head. “Thanks, hon,” he mumbled as Sia handed him his smoothie. “This is Ben Winston, the director and producer that’s working to film this whole thing.”

“We’re familiar,” Sia mumbled, glancing over at Ben as she took a sip of her own drink. The sweet strawberries and tangy kiwis suddenly tasted like ash in her mouth. She rued the day Harry Styles’ fuck up tainted every aspect of her life.

“Sia, yeh look good,” Ben acknowledged, not hesitating to pull her into a hug. Sia couldn’t help but wrap her free arm around Ben’s waist and grip onto his t-shirt. His hugs were nearly as comforting as Harry’s once were. He smelled just like he always had, and she found comfort in the slow rising and lowering of his chest as he breathed.

“How yeh doin’, Ben? How’s Mer?”

“Pregnant,” he chuckled. Sia’s face lit up with the news, congratulating him. “She’s due in December.”

“Oh, god. How excitin’!” Sia cheered, forgetting her much-wanted smoothie on the counter. She pulled Ben into another, more enthusiastic hug. “You’re gonna be a dad! Holy shit!”

She honestly couldn’t believe it, but it was something that she could see Ben was going to be good at. He’d always been the responsible, sensible—yet fun and easy-going—one in their little gaggle of friends. She could see him smashing it as a father, and she was honestly so excited for them. Meredith was going to make a great mother, as well. She’d always been one of the people Sia turned to when she needed comfort and some sound advice.

The announcement of the pregnancy also sent a twinge through Sia, but she pushed it away and focused in on her excitement instead. This was a good thing for some of the most generous, lovely people she knew in the business. They deserved the best wishes when it came to the rest of the pregnancy and their impending parenthood.

“I know, crazy, right?” Ben chuckled, returning her embrace. “Figure I’ve gotten enough practice with Harry over the last few years, though.”

The joke made Sia want to laugh and cry at the same time. There was an instant flash of nostalgia and longing for the way that her and Harry used to be. They were the couple that was always having fun and being the most true to themselves they could possibly be. Harry had always told her that she kept him grounded when it would have been so easy to let the lifestyle he found himself in carry him away and make him someone he wasn’t. But she was always there to make sure he didn’t grow up faster than necessary, and she was a lot of the reason why he was able to still be obnoxious and goofy when he was a teenager, instead of the sophisticated adult everyone always expected him to be.

“He’s definitely a handful sometimes,” Sia agreed, instead of letting herself get choked up with emotion.

Ben’s shoulders sagged a bit and his smile turned somber. “We miss you, Sia. He misses you.”

Sia’s lip curled. “He’s sure got a funny way of showin’ it. Somehow, hands on the arse and tongue in the mouth of some wannabe model don’t really scream ‘I miss yeh, Sia.’ Call me crazy.”

Ben pouted. “That’s not fair.”

“Save it, Ben,” she snapped. “He’s a grown man. He doesn’t need you or anyone else explainin’ his actions.”

Alex cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m not sure what’s going on, really, but I just got a text from Harry saying he’s ready whenever we are.”

Both Ben and Sia sighed in unison, releasing the tension that had built around them. Leave it to Harry Styles to create an awkward standoff between his ex-girlfriend and one of the only men in his friend group that she actually liked. This was not the way she wanted this whole thing to go.

As Alex walked away, Sia turned to Ben. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at yeh. Harry’s still just a sore subject, yeh know?”

“I know, babe,” Ben agreed, reaching out to rub a comforting hand along her shoulder. “I promise not to butt in anymore. Let’s go make the lad more money, shall we?”

Sia barked out a laugh as she followed Ben into the studio.

~*~*~*~

After what everyone could deem a successful first day of recording—Sia had avoided being snippy with or yelling at Harry, and Harry didn’t address her unless absolutely necessary—, Sia crashed into bed, not to be woken until nearly eight the next morning. There was the soft sound of Fleetwood Mac coming from the kitchen, and Sia followed it out, padding with bare feet on the hardwood floors.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw Mitch standing at the stove, what smelled like eggs and sausage sizzling in a pan. There was also fresh coffee in the pot, a bottle of creamer and a jar of sugar already sat out beside it.

“Mornin’ Mitch,” Sia greeted, heading straight for the coffee.

She pulled down a mug as the man responded in kind, glancing over his shoulder at her and blushing slightly when he saw that she was only wearing very snug sleep shorts and a t-shirt that was cut down the sides, exposing part of the side of her breast. Mitch was sure the display wasn’t purposeful, but he still looked away quickly to avoid being caught staring. Both out of respect to Sia and to whatever weird relationship Harry and Sia had. He didn’t know any of the details, except for what Sia had told him about knowing Harry for awhile, and the weird dynamic they had in the studio the day before. It hadn’t hindered the recording process at all, but the tension between the two was palpable, and only Ben seemed to be privy to it. Mitch was curious, but he was never going to ask outright. He figured someone would clue him in eventually, but if not, he’d just brush aside his curiosity.

Sia took a seat at the bar stool across from where Mitch was making his breakfast. “How’s it goin’, Mitchell?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee. “Enjoyin’ recordin’ yet?”

“I just have to play a guitar all day,” he shrugged, flipping his omelet so that it folded in half. “What’s there not to like? And everyone’s nice.”

“Well, we try,” Sia chuckled. “Don’t wanna scare away the newbies.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“I’m fresh out of uni, so only about a year. I’ve been working for Jeff since March, though. How long have yeh been playin’?”

“Pretty much since I could hold a guitar.”

And that’s how Mitch and Sia started off their friendship. They talked through Mitch giving the omelet he already made to Sia, who protested until Mitch just set it in front of her and proceeded to make another one for himself. They talked about their experiences in the music industry thus far and how they were liking it in Jamaica so far. Mitch mentioned not having been around the island much yet, and Sia offered to take him around, since she had had the extra days to explore a bit. They spent the morning joking and telling stories over their breakfasts, greeting everyone else when they woke and started filling out the house.

Harry was the last in the kitchen, but it was obvious he’d been up much longer. He looked freshly showered, and Sia was sure he’d been out for a run earlier in the morning, possibly also a work out. Harry tried to start his days off with a run and a work out. It’d been his thing since he was about eighteen years old. It was a way that he was able to keep a sort of routine while he’d travelled so much. Looks like some things never changed.

“Mornin’ everyone,” he greeted chirpily. Everyone greeted him just as happily, and Sia forced a smile on her face, more for everyone else’s sake than her own. She didn’t want anyone else to be privy to the weird tension that lingered between her and Harry. Whether or not they were aware of their past relationship—not including Ben—, none of them seemed to be the wiser about the fiery end to their relationship, and she’d like to keep it that way.

The rest of the morning goes smoothly, and they all have plans to be back in the studio by eleven, so everyone goes about their morning routines before reconvening in the studio. Ellen called Sia just a half hour before she’s due back in the studio. It was the mid-afternoon in London, so Sia wasn’t surprised by the time of the call. She was sure her friend was either on a break from work or had headed in early. She did that sometimes, seeing as her work could be done just as well at home as in the office. Being an assistant editor had its perks sometimes, she supposed.

Ellen and Sia hadn’t spoken since the day Sia had arrived on the island. Between being surprised by Harry’s appearance in her life—yet again—and being busy with the actual job she was sent there to do, she hadn’t had much time to vent to her best friend. So the call was very welcome, and she let out the biggest sigh as soon as she answered.

“El, yeh won’t believe my fuckin’ luck!” she groaned.

“Well, hello to you, too, Anastasia dear,” Ellen joked, a tutting to her voice.

“Yes, hello, Ellen love. Good afternoon.”

“Good morning. Now, tell me about your fuckin’ luck.”

“Guess who’s the mysterious artist that I’ve got to be working with for the next several weeks? And yeh can’t tell anybody when I tell yeh, ‘cause I don’t think I’m supposed to be lettin’ this out.”

“Who the fuck am I gonna tell? Dear Mrs. Jones, the seventy year old that I work for, who listens to Dolly Parton every damn minute of the day? Or my mostly male colleagues that look like they strictly listen to fifties classics or classical music?” El scoffed.

“Point taken,” Sia agreed. “Anyway! Do yeh want to know?”

“Of course I want to know, yeh donut! Tell me! I’m dying from curiosity—oi! Wanker! Fuckin’ watch where you’re goin’, will yeh? Jesus.” Sia couldn’t help but chuckle at her obvious tirade against someone that probably nearly ran into her on the sidewalk or something. “Nobody fuckin’ pays attention to pedestrians here, I swear. Anyway! Tell me, Sia!”

“It’s Harry,” Sia blurted, unable to keep it under wraps any longer. She needed her best friend to sympathize with her and to be able to vent to her and just let it all out. She’d been going a bit stir crazy having to keep all her emotions toward being around Harry to herself. While she could vent a bit to Ben, there was always the possibility that it would get back to Harry. And though Harry had to know about how she felt toward him, he didn’t need to know it in detail when they were both working towards avoiding to each other as much as possible.

“You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding,” Ellen gawped. “I was just jokin’ about that. I didn’t know I was gonna jinx it!”

“I know. I couldn’t believe it, either,” Sia agreed with a deep sigh. “I came back to the house after going into town, and none other than Harry fucking Styles was stood in the living room, only in a towel, fresh from the shower!”

“He’s still attractive, isn’t he?” El cringed.

“He is! The fuckin’ wanker. Even more so since he’s all filled out from workin’ on that bloody movie. Can’t fuckin’ stand it.” Sia really was upset about how good the man looked. It was like he was trying to make her so turned on that it was upsetting her. Because despite how much animosity Sia still had toward him for what he did to her, she couldn’t deny that he was still the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. That innate part of her that found Harry to be absolutely stunning paid no mind to the other part of her that rationally knew that she shouldn’t be attracted to him anymore. And that part of her was a bitch.

“How’s it goin’ so far?” Ellen asked, genuinely concerned that Sia had possibly shouted at him in front of the others already. She may dislike Harry, but she’d positively hate it if she ever embarrassed either of them in front of work associates like that.

“Alright,” Sia said, shrugging, even though El couldn’t see it. She almost wished they were FaceTiming. “He tried talkin’ to me when we first ran into each other, but I couldn’t really stand it. We’re steering clear of each other aside from when we’re workin’. It’s only day two of recordin’, so time will tell.”

“I believe in yeh,” El said with a definitive nod. “Just get through these few weeks, get your name on that album, and get the hell out of Dodge. You’ll thank yourself for it in the end.”

“I know. I’m just gonna stay out of his way as much as possible, and hopefully he extends the same courtesy from now on.”

“That’s all we can hope for. Make him a kick arse album and be done with him. I can hear how stressed out yeh are already.”

“I think I spotted a grey after my shower yesterday,” Sia joked.

“Shut up,” El laughed. “Call me tomorrow before yeh start recordin’. I expect daily updates from now on.”

“Promise. Talk to yeh later, babes.”

“Bye bye, love.”

[chain-unchained]

September 6

Another Friday, another long trip into Zuzu City. It really wasn’t that bad if Shane was having a good day, or even a decent one, but the trip was hell if he was struggling. This was especially true for today; the whole night, his back had been repeatedly and painfully spasming, meaning sleep was pretty much out of the picture. When he mentioned it to his therapist, they suggested that it was possibly due to his depression, and said that if it continued or got any worse to call and they’d work on either upping the dosage on his medication or trying a different one to see if that helped.

But that didn’t really do anything for him now, and he was really dragging his feet along as he finally got back into town. ‘Ugh, I just want to go to bed.’He thought, rubbing his face with a yawn. Stepping onto the path that lead both to Ashe’s farm and towards town, he paused. ‘… I know I should at least drop by and say hey to him, but I don’t know if I’ve got it in me…’

After some intense contemplation, he moved his hands to the small of his back and pressed against it as he arched backwards, trying to pop his spine in the hopes that it would ease the pain a little. As much as he didn’t feel up to it, and as much as he could hear his bed calling to him all the way from home, Ashe deserved at least a little bit of his time that day. It wouldn’t be fair to him otherwise, and there was a good chance that just being around that happy go lucky doofus would put Shane in a slightly better mood.

It was frustrating that such simple things as visiting his cute as fuck boyfriend still took so much effort. Some days it felt like he was really getting his life together, and then he’d have a shitty day like this one and it felt like he was back to square one. At the very least, he hadn’t had another relapse; that had to account for something, surely.

 “Brush, brush, brush the knots out~” Ashe sang cheerily, running a coarse-haired brush through the mane of his newest family member—a beautiful bay gelding he’d named Silva. “Who has the prettiest mane in the valley? You do~”

Silva snorted and stamped her front right hoof into the dirt with a flick of her tail. She was still a young mare, full of energy and plenty of attitude, and she hadn’t quite decided if she liked Ashe or not yet.

“C’mon, don’t you snort at me like that.” Ashe moved to brush her tail, and as if to test his reaction, Silva kicked one of her hind legs as he got near them. “Whoa—hey now, was that really necessary?” He looked to her face, and she innocently turned away with a flick of her head and a whinny. “I know getting your hair brushed isn’t fun, but you don’t want to get mats, do you? So just settle down and—”

He went to brush her again, very narrowly avoiding another kick from the fiesty mare. “Jeez! That one almost got me!” He fumed, puffing his cheeks out as planted his hands on his hips. “What’s gotten into you? Are you just in a bad mood today?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say I am.” Shane joked, making Ashe jump a little from the unexpected sound of his voice. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“You scared me…” Ashe let out a breath as he turned to face the taller man, smiling happily despite his racing heart. “I’m happy you came to see me though~” After a moment, the smile began to fade. “Are you having a rough day?”

Shane sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah… it’s just one of those days. My back was killing me last night so I didn’t get any sleep, and it hasn’t stopped hurting all day. In fact, it’s probably gotten worse…”

Slowly he reached out to Ashe, gently taking hold of his upper arms as he rested his forehead against the shorter teen’s shoulder. “Are things always gonna be this hard…?” He murmured, asking no one in particular, squeezing Ashe’s arms slightly in frustration. “…. Sorry… I’m just… so tired of having to try so hard just to function like a normal person. It’s exhausting.”

Seeing Shane like that, it was all Ashe could do to bring his hands up and slowly run his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. “I’m sorry that today’s been so hard.” He said softly, wanting to offer at least some small comfort to him. “… Would a massage help at all?”

���Nah… I’ll be alright. I just needed to vent a little—” As Shane spoke, he attempted to straighten up, and a pain sharp enough to steal his breath away shot up his back; agonized, his hands unconsciously gripped Ashe’s arms tight enough to hurt, though just for a moment. “… Actually, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Smiling sympathetically, Ashe slid his hands down Shane’s arms and took hold of his, gently pulling him towards the porch; he sat his boyfriend down on the steps and moved to sit behind him, ever so slightly nervous since he’d never really given a massage to anyone before, much less the person he was dating. Unsure of how much pressure he should use, but having seen just how much Shane’s back was bothering him, he went in rather forcefully, pushing his fingers into the muscles in Shane’s back. Instantly, Shane went rigid, letting out a sharp hiss of pain, and Ashe immediately pulled his hands back, eyes wide. “Ah—s-sorry! That… that hurt a lot, didn’t it?”

“I-It’s fine…” Shane hunched over and planted his hands on his knees for support, trying to get his breath back; after a few seconds, he looked over his shoulder to Ashe with a pained half-grin. “Maybe just a little gentler this time, chikadee.”

‘Ch… chikadee…?’ Ashe felt his cheeks heat up at the nickname. “O-Okay.” He shifted closer and put his hands on Shane’s back again, this time using much less pressure as he worked his fingers in a circular sort of motion. The muscles in his back were so tense and rigid that the pressure still drew a hiss from Shane, and he paused again, his brows furrowing together; glancing back at him, Shane shook his head and gave him a feeble thumbs up to continue this time, turning back around and letting out a sigh as Ashe began to move his hands again.  “D-Does it still hurt?”

“Only a bit.” Shane closed his eyes and let his head droop forward. “… Hey, chikadee? Can you go a little lower?” He asked, and of course Ashe was happy to do so. “…. Little lower…. Liiiittle lower…”  He visibly jolted as Ashe’s fingers started kneading that ‘magic’ spot. It was the spot on his back that was easily the most tense, and Ashe could feel the knot in the muscles. “Fffff… stay right there.”

For several minutes, Ashe steadily worked away at that one spot, slowly feeling it loosen beneath his fingertips; he kind of wondered if this actually felt good or not, but Shane had stopped making those little winces and hisses of pain, so at least it seemed like it didn’t hurt—at least not as much, anyway. “Is this helping at all?” He asked hesitantly. “….. Shane?”

“ZzzzZZzzz….” It had helped more than he’d realized; Shane was out like a light, finally at ease enough for his exhaustion to win him over.

“….” Ashe smiled and shifted closer, gently pulling the snoozing man back to rest against him and folding his arms around him. “You dork…” He murmured, pressing a shy kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “Sleep as long as you want….”

 It was only ten or fifteen minutes before Shane came to with a quiet snort, forcing his eyes open with no small amount of difficulty to find himself gazing up at Ashe’s smiling face. “Ah, shit… sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off like that.” He apologized, embarrassed. “I… wasn’t out for too long, was I?”

“Mm, not really.” Ashe loosely wrapped his arms around Shane’s neck, his hands resting against the man’s chest. “Probably fifteen minutes or so. I guess the massage helped~”

“Yeah, it did.” Shane moved his hands to gently hold onto Ashe’s arms. He was always surprised by how stick-thin they were, even with all the strenuous farmwork that Ashe did day in and day out. But it still felt nice to be held by them like this, to feel the warmth of his boyfriend against him. “… Hey. C’mere for a sec.”

“Hm?” Curious, Ashe leaned down a bit; Shane reached his hand up to gently cup his face, shifting to sit up enough to press their lips together. It was only the second time they’d kissed like this, and Ashe could feel his heart skipping several beats in his chest as he closed his eyes and pressed into it. With the same ease as the first time, Shane’s tongue slipped into his mouth, gently rubbing against his and eliciting a faint shudder from the farmer. Back in Shane’s hey-day as a gridball player, he’d gotten around quite a few times, and even though it had been years and years since he’d last been with someone, he still remembered a few tricks he’d learned in those days.

He remembered also not to overdo it for the sake of romance, pulling back after just a few short seconds to gaze up at Ashe’s flushed face. “Thank you, Ashe.” He murmured, brushing his thumb against those pink-tinted cheeks. “Not just for the massage, but just… for everything.” In that moment, he was glad that he decided to suck it up and come say hello. “…. I really need to get going. Jas and Marnie are probably wondering where my ass is.”

“Oh!” As Shane reluctantly got to his feet, Ashe clapped his hands together excitedly. “I can give you a ride there if you want. Just let me get the cart hooked up to Silva and—”

Shane glanced over to the fiesty mare, who had wandered over to some of the bushes surrounding the farm and was contentedly munching away on one. “Chikadee, I dunno how I feel about you riding her just yet.” He admitted, a knot of anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Ashe getting bucked off. He’d had his reservations about Marnie selling her to him in the first place, since even Marnie—who in her youth had won more than a few horseback riding competitions—had trouble dealing with her. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I can handle walking. You don’t mind me cutting through your farm though, right?”

“Ah, no that’s fine, but…” Ashe’s brows knitted together. “Are you sure?”

“Ashe,” Shane turned to face him with a serious expression on his face, “when I got here, that horse nearly kicked you. I’m not hurting that bad that I’d want to risk your safety like that.” He could tell that even despite what he was saying, Ashe simply didn’t get that Silva’s behavior was dangerous. “…. Promise me that you won’t try to ride her until she mellows out. Okay?”

That wasn’t something that Ashe was excited to hear; he’d gotten Silva so that he could ride her, after all. “…. Okay.” He conceded reluctantly, even though he really felt in his heart that Silva wouldn’t ever actually hurt him. “I promise.”

“Thank you.” Shane leaned close and pressed a kiss to the top of Ashe’s head. “I’ll see you tomorrow... Oh, before I forget. Make sure you don’t make any plans for the 21st next month.”

It was such an odd request out of nowhere. “Oh-kay…. Why though?”

“You’ll figure it out.” For some reason, Shane wasn’t even surprised that Ashe didn’t remember what the 21st was. “Okay, I’m going. For real this time.” He made his tired legs carry him towards home, before he could think of another reason to linger at Ashe’s side; as much as he enjoyed being there, he was so tired…

  It was a sign of the passing seasons that by the time he’d gotten back to the ranch, the sun was already halfway hidden below the horizon. During the summer when he’d come home from therapy, it had barely even started its descent, and there were still several hours of daylight left. But now it was already becoming dark out, which meant that soon his walks to and from the ranch, both to work and to therapy, were going to start to suck. Especially if it was raining… He groaned just thinking about it.

“I’m home…” He called as he let himself in. The plan was to spend a good… five minutes or so with Jas, or however long he could manage, then go and sit in the shower for however long the hot water lasted, and then go to bed and fucking pray that he could actually get some sleep that night.

He heard the rapid pitter-patter of Jas’ shoes against the floor as the girl raced from her bedroom. “Shaaaaane!” She cried out happily, jumping up and tightly hugging him with no knowledge of his sore back. “I missed you!”

“Oof—” Using every ounce of willpower he had to repress the yelp of pain that rose up in his throat, Shane caught his goddaughter so she didn’t fall. “Hey there, squirt. I missed you too.” Honestly, he should have expected that kind of greeting, since it was how she’d reacted to him coming home for the last week or so. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t going to complain.

“Guess what, guess what!” Jas bounced up and down in his arms, barely able to contain her excitement. She didn’t even give him a chance to answer before she proudly told him ‘what’. “My report card came today, and I got straight A’s again!”

“Wha—no way.” Shane pretended to be staggered by the announcement. “Again? I guess that means I owe you 50g, huh?” He set the girl on her feet and made a big show of pulling out his wallet to pull out her ‘good grade allowance’, his fatigue and discomfort eased a little by the pride he felt at her repeated accomplishments, and the fact that he actually could save up now to give it to her. “That was the real reason you were excited that I’m home, isn’t it?”

“Nooooo!” Jas giggled and held out her hand expectantly as Shane plonked five shiny gold coins onto it. “I was excited because I love you~”

Shane paused as she gave him that heart-melting smile of hers; after several seconds, he pulled out two more and added them to the others. “I love you too, squirt.” He answered with a smile as she hugged him again. He kind of both loved and hated that she knew how to play him like that. His back throbbed painfully a moment later, reminding him that as much as he wanted to spend the evening with her, it just wasn’t something he was up to doing that night. “Hey, Jas? I know we always have our special time together when I come home, but… do you remember what I told you, about me sometimes needing to be alone for a little while?”

Hearing that, Jas was immediately distracted from the shiny coins in her hand. “Are you having a bad day?” She asked, looking up to her godfather with worry written on her face.  

“Kind of.” Shane put his hand on top of her head. “I think tonight, I just need to be by myself. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, though. Okay?”

He expected to see her little face fall with disappointment at those words, but to his surprise, Jas just nodded her head in understanding. “Okay~” She agreed with a smile. “I hope you feel better.” She gave him another hug and headed back to her room to play with her dolls. “Night night~”

“Uh…. Night, kiddo.” Shane watched her go off, slowly rubbing the back of his neck. Jas had taken that way better than he’d expected her to. ‘Yoba, she’s growing up so fast.’ He thought, letting out a slow breath as he stiffly made his way to his room. ‘I’m just glad that I’m not missing any of it now…’

[assdiscourse]

IronDad Bingo (1): Hibernation

Note: I saw this challenge and decided to do it but idk who made it or like if I’m supposed to credit someone for the board cause I just chose a random one so lemme know whuddup with that and ENJOY! (also this isn’t beta read because im 19 nd dunno how to fukin read)

Peter didn’t realise how screwed he was until he tried to stand up from the couch to go grab his phone from his backpack, which he had haphazardly thrown aside somewhere near the entrance of the penthouse along with his jacket upon arrival, and then just- couldn’t.

Come to think of it, he had been steadily feeling more and more worn out the closer he got to the Tower. The minute he stepped in, it was almost as if the air was heavier, weighing him down and making it harder to walk. He had just chalked that up to being drained from school; after three tests, having to listen to all the chatter about the Winter Formal coming up, and of course, Flash being Flash, it had seemed reasonable to believe that it was just all of that catching up to him.

But then again, the tests had been really easy considering how far ahead he was from the school’s curriculum thanks to Mr. Stark’s vast collection of books on almost every topic Peter has ever been curious about, and his generosity in letting Peter ‘borrow’ them whenever he wanted and annotate the hell out of them until they just about doubled in width with the amount of sticky notes he stuffed in there and found a home on his desk back at the apartment rather than untouched in Mr. Stark’s library since he preferred the convenience of reading on his screens, unlike Peter, who loved the heavy weight of a book in his hands.

The Winter Formal was another potential stressor but honestly, ever since the Homecoming fiasco, Peter has felt pretty much unattached to school dances. He would go if Ned or MJ wanted to go, although the latter was less likely, but otherwise he couldn’t care less. Maybe it was because he was prone to ditching school events, which Liz could corroborate for him if she wasn’t all the way in Oregon (which, by the way, his fault. He knows he made the right choice that night but that doesn’t do anything to lessen the guilt of being the reason her whole life got uprooted), but also because school dances pretty much revolved around dating and asking someone out or getting asked out, and Peter was beyond dating, at least for now when he had so many other exciting things to focus on that his brain doesn’t even entertain the idea of it.

Flash was the only remaining factor but Peter had pretty much gotten used to his mocking and PG version of violence compared to what he faced out in the streets, so it almost faded into the background now. (Almost)

So logically, Peter should have known that something wasn’t right when his vision started fading in and out as he tried to focus on Karamo’s wise words on self-love, which apparently never sunk in even after binge-watching the entire first season of Queer Eye in one day, because he ignored all the signs screaming ‘SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT!’ and now he’s stuck on Mr. Stark’s couch whilst he and Ms. Potts are in a meeting for another hour.

In all fairness, having an IQ of 180 didn’t mean Peter was actually smart because, as his friends will verify, he was a dumb shit with no sense of self-preservation and apparently zero (0) common sense.

“Friday,” He managed to squeeze out, but it wasn’t loud enough to alert the AI, barely a whisper because he’s pretty sure he’s being strangled or something.

Tears started to leak from his eyes from the frustration of not being able to move or call for help. (and also being terrified)

“Hhhel—”

“Fri–”

“please–”

He could feel his lips move, but no sound was coming out. Vision hazy, unable to breathe, his limbs weighed down, and a scared plea for help on his lips were the last things he felt before the world went black.

_______

Waking up after sustaining an injury whilst out as Spiderman and losing consciousness was always weird. He would always have to fight through the fog left behind by the sedatives and the first of his senses he got back was always his hearing, and then slowly came the rest.

He would hear the steady beeps of the heart monitor, and Mr. Stark usually pacing around the room. He would hear the small sniffles Aunt May tried to hide as she cried tears of frustration and worry, sitting beside his bed.

This was different.

When he reached consciousness, the first thing he did was feel, and he felt warm. He could feel a heaviness on top of him but instead of a boulder crushing him down, it felt like soft blankets enveloping him. He could feel warm air rushing around him as if the air vents were right next to his face. And most importantly, he could feel two warm bodies on either side of him.

All in all, he felt warm.

And soon, confused.

He sluggishly blinked his eyes open, and turned his head only to be met with the sight of Ms. Potts- THE Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, Powerhouse, his mentor’s fiance, and his kinda mother-figure (although he would never admit it), curled up asleep next to him.

His eyes widened, and his confusion grew astronomically, as he whipped his head to the other side only to be met with a mouthful full of fabric and a light in his eyes.

Mortified, he realised he was tucked under Mr. Stark’s chin, currently very much cuddling his mentor, the same man whose idea of affection was limited to ruffling his hair, putting an arm around his shoulders, or only in the rare cases, usually when Peter read a social cue wrong, hugs.

He tried scrambling out of what he now registered as Mr. Stark and Ms. Pott’s bed, in their ROOM HOLY SHI- but just sitting up had made his head spin horribly and he couldn’t really leave without disturbing them both.

He tried to calm down, slow down his now heaving breaths because he was panicking okay?

Cuddling with Ms. Pott’s was okay because she has always been physically affectionate, from kissing his forehead, to hugs before he left, and even occasionally, falling asleep on her whilst the three of them watched movies in the lounge, so he didn’t think she would mind.

But Mr. Stark?

Mr. Stark wasn’t one for physical affection, and although he must have ended up in their bed by their own volition considering the last thing he remembered was feeling faint whilst watching Queer Eye on the couch outside in the lounge, but it didn’t mean Mr. Stark would be comfortable with him cosying up to him in his own bed.

Which - huh. In his panicking, he had forgotten his confusion, which came back full force now, because? Why was he in their bed anyway?

“Kid?”

He looked back to see Mr. Stark blinking awake.

Peter, of course, immediately started awkwardly rambling, “Mr. Stark! Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I was trying really hard not to but then I couldn’t leave the bed as well and I’m confused I don’t really know why I’m here and sorry for getting spit on your shirt-”

“Kid, calm down. How’re you feeling?”

“Fine? A little tired, but nothing I can’t handle.” Which- not entirely the truth, cause his body feels sore all over, but it’s not the worst he’s ever felt so.

Mr. Stark closes his eyes for a bit and breathes out a sigh of relief. He doesn’t say anything else, so the only thing Peter can hear is Ms. Potts’ light snoring, which confuses him even more, because isn’t this weird? Why is Mr. Stark acting like this is no big deal?

“Uh, Mr. stark, can I ask, um, why am I here?”

“What do you mean kid?” Mr Stark said, sitting up a little against the headboard, and reaching for a glass of water on his side table, taking a sip and then handing the rest to Peter, who swigged it down in three big gulps, cause wow he didn’t realise how thirsty he was, before answering, “Like, well, here. Asleep. In your bed.”

“You don’t remember?” Mr. Stark asked looking a little concerned, but not alarmed so it couldn’t have been that bad, right?

“Um no..?”

“Kid, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “I remember being on the couch and watching tv and oh! I tried to get my phone but I couldn’t get up-”

And then it all came back to Peter - realising he could barely move, feeling scared but unable to call for help or do much of anything, the helplessness.

“I got an alert from Friday saying your heartbeat had dropped dangerously low, so Pepper and I rushed home, only to find you looking catatonic on the couch.” Mr. Stark shuddered, the lines around his mouth looked deeper as they held a frown, his eyes a bit scared as he recalled, “You were apparently going into hibernation which, I know we hypothesized the possibility of it, but at the moment I didn’t think-

Anyway, the heating had been shut off for maintenance so the penthouse temperature had fallen to around forty-two, and fuck kid, you didn’t even have a jacket on, being exposed to that temperature for such a long time caused your body to start shutting down, you were damn near hypothermic. I called Bruce, and he said everything should be fine as long as we got you warm and kept an eye on you, so Pepper suggested we bring you here. You’ve woken up twice since but this is the most coherent you’ve been so far, so that’s good.”

“But I didn’t even feel cold?” Peter was confused because he knows his spider DNA makes him unable to thermoregulate properly but on his walk back from school he felt normal, not cold at all!

Which… was not normal, dammit! How had he not realised something was wrong when he didn’t feel cold. In January. In New York. With snow on the ground!

“We’ll definitely have to run some tests for that, but chances are since your body was preparing to hibernate, it’s probable that your brain stopped processing external stimuli.”

“Huh yeah, I guess I didn’t really notice much but my vision was going all wonky," he paused for moment, scrunching up his nose absentmindedly, "but um anyway I guess I’ll leave now then and we can- tomorrow we’ll uh yeah but uh thank you for taking care of me.”

Mr. Stark looked like he was about to protest as he made to get up - or try to get up, because honestly, he didn’t think he could stand up properly yet, still feeling weak but he’ll cross that bridge when he got to it, so like 10 seconds from now - but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back to see Pepper awake and looking over at him concerned.

Suddenly he was being pulled back into a hug, which he immediately melted into because that’s the feeling Pepper brought, contentment. Comfort.

What surprised him is that Mr. Stark joined in, hugging them both so tight, he almost couldn’t breathe.

Pulling back, Peter saw both their faces and, clearly, how they found him must have looked much scarier than Mr. Stark described because both of them look shaken, scared, with so much love and worry in their eyes that Peter dove back in for another hug, and started to cry.

He had been so so scared on that couch, unable to do anything, feeling almost as if he was about to go to sleep and never wake up. So yeah, he took the comfort that his family was so ready to provide.

He didn’t object when Mr. Stark laid back and pulled him in to lay his head on his chest, nor when Pepper started running her hand through his hair.

He wriggled his toes a couple times to make sure he still could, only kinda scared of freezing up again, but he knew no matter what happened he would be okay because he was with two of the three people he loved most in the world. He let himself relax into their touch, knowing he’s safe here and fell asleep.

[rhysie-cakes314]

Day 14- Revenge

This one is just a silly crack fic to break up all the chapters of hurt and deep stuff.

Clint and Tony had a Halloween tradition. Every year, they attempted to pull a prank that got the other to scream. The first of October all the way through the 31st was all fair game. Whoever screamed first lost. To make things fair, Tony always let Clint have full access to his credit cards and JARVIS kept their plans from each other equally. Last year, Clint had got Tony good. Tony tried to blame it on being sleep deprived, but they all knew the truth. Clint had used Tony’s high-pitched scream as a ringtone for months. In fact, Clint had won three years in a row now.

This year, it was time for Tony’s revenge. He was going to make Clint have nightmares with his prank. Everyone but Thor was on his side this time, or at least they claimed to be. It was common for one of the other Avengers to double-cross the pranksters in the October games. To make sure he wasn’t screwed over by a last minute double cross, Tony had told them all one plan, but had a different plan going on his own as backup. He’d be lying if he said he put any faith at all in the plan that included the others. Trusting Natasha or Phil to work against Clint would be stupid of him, although Phil always claimed to be staying out of it.

So as far as his co-conspirators knew, the plan was to feed Clint a drug laced pumpkin pie, then when he was tripping, scare the shit out of him with an air horn and strobe lights (in case Clint wasn’t wearing his hearing aids). It was nice and simple. Clint usually ate a whole pie himself, so it wasn’t even unusual to make several different pies. When the rest of them were eating pie around him, it would hopefully help the archer disregard any suspicion.

The real plan, as Tony was calling it in his head, was much more complicated. Tony had started planning it in April. It hinged entirely on how observant Clint was. Tony knew the man was acutely aware of even the most useless details of his everyday life the same way Natasha and Phil were. He figured it must be a habit one picks up at SHIELD. So back six months ago, Tony began making sure the tower was only stocked with the same toothpaste brand every time. If someone went shopping on their own and bought the wrong brand, Tony replaced it with the correct one.

Which leads into October. At midnight last night, Tony replaced all toothpaste in the tower with a different brand. Clint would naturally be suspicious, and instead of risking it, he’d go to his emergency disappearance bag that he thought Tony didn’t know about. It was honestly silly that anyone in the tower thought they could own something and Tony wouldn’t know about it. His personal AI ran the tower! Natasha had her own bag as well. They were well stocked with everything one might need if they suddenly needed to go off the grid. It was a good idea to have, and finding Clint’s had made him consider packing his own. He decided against it, deciding that he would be useless without being able to use any traceable tech, so going off grid would never be an option for him. Plus, he was much harder to disguise than Clint or Natasha. His face had been in the news his whole life.

So when Clint this morning went to brush his teeth, the plan was for him to go get his bag out of its hiding spot in the vents. What Clint didn’t know was that Tony had placed a trap for him there, that was motion sensitive. Clint wouldn’t know what hit him when the flex cage Tony had designed suddenly wraps around his body. If he managed to not scream as he was trapped, there was still more to the plan. Clint was afraid of spiders. It was a weakness Tony hadn’t taken advantage of in previous years because it felt like cheating, but after last year’s loss where Clint had used his fear of water against him, Tony was finished with mercy. The archer thought he hid the fear well, but he tensed up ever so slightly at the sight of a spider, and Tony had found footage from a CCTV camera outside a grocery store that showed the man screaming and freaking out when a spider landed on his arm. If Clint didn’t scream from the trap, Tony could activate a small door built into the wall of the vent where several spiders were currently very crowded in a tiny space. They would crawl out any chance they got.

Tony now sat one room over from the vent he knew Clint would go to. He smiled when he heard the archer shuffle through the hallway towards the room. This was going to be epic. Tony heard Clint move the furniture covering the vent out of the way and pull the metal grate off. It would be any minute now.

The unmistakable sound of the flex cage bounding around someone was loud enough through the wall and Tony held his breath. All that accompanied the sound was a muffled “mph!” from the archer. Tony sighed. Time for plan B. He tapped the small icon on his phone that would activate the spiders. This had to work, it was full proof!

Nothing. Tony wanted to pull his hair out. He didn’t even hear an ‘ew’! Not a single reaction out of his victim. Right, there was no choice but to investigate what had gone wrong. At least the pie plan would still happen next week. There was time to come up with more schemes before time was up. Tony crept around the corner, peering into the library. From the doorway, he could see Clint’s feet with his stupid purple socks, but not the rest of his prone body. The room was silent. Tony jumped into the room, maybe he’d get lucky and startle Clint himself.

“What the-” the genius growled. The flex cage had apparently attacked a lamp. A lamp that was somehow attached to faux feet covered in purple socks. How the fuck had the man seen through his plan? Or avoided the spiders? Even though Clint clearly set off the trap on purpose with the lamp, the spiders should still have frightened him. Where was the birdbrain anyway?

An air horn sounded just behind him and to the right. Tony couldn’t possibly have been ready to stifle his startled scream. “Hnyaaargh!” He flailed around stupidly before he fell on his ass.

Standing above him, smirking, was Clint. “How!?” Tony yelled. “You’re impossible!”

Clint, the rotten bastard, didn’t answer him. He merely held up his cell phone and pressed play. Tony could see himself scram and fall on the tiny screen. “I win again!” Clint sang happily. He left the room shouting “We are the champions, my friends,” to the tower, effectively waking up any Avenger who wasn’t already up. Tony just remained sitting on the floor, gaping at the doorway where Clint had left.

“JARVIS, what the hell just happened?”

“I believe you just lost for the fourth year in a row, sir,” JARVIS sounded pitying. Tony picked up the lamp that was wrapped in his stupid invention, a rubbery self adhesive that sought heat so it’d curve around bodies to get to their body-heat, the ‘flex cage’ he had been so proud of only moments ago. He hurled the lamp across the room, where it shattered against the wall. He had been so certain of his revenge this year! Then he had been taken down by an air horn. What kind of a genius couldn’t out plan Clint Barton?

The sound of shattering porcelain and glass brought Steve running there. “Tony! Are you okay?” Steve looked at the scene in the library. The confusion slid away after a moment. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I really thought you had it this year.”

Tony let his boyfriend help him up but dodged the pity hug. He didn’t feel like getting Steve’s comfort right now. “Yeah, me too,” his voice monotone. This was a stupid contest, he shouldn’t be this upset about it. Stupid Tony Stark being oversensitive when he loses a stupid game because his plans are stupid. And the world called him a genius? Boy, had he fooled everyone. He was never going to get revenge on Clint.

Steve followed the man silently to the kitchen. His frown deepened when Tony poured some Bailey’s in his coffee at six in the morning. “Tony,” he tried gently, but his mouth snapped shut when Tony shot him a vicious glare.

“Don’t,” Tony bit out. “It’s just a game, I’m fine.” He downed the drink, made another, and quickly drank it as well. He kept the third mug full alcohol-free, and waltzed past the worried blond to go to his lab. He could feel Steve following him like a shadow, but ignored the man. Maybe he would just give up and go away.

Tony had no such luck. Steve was nearly as stubborn as he was. “When did you start drinking in the morning?” Steve finally broke the tense silence fifteen minutes later.

Tony ground his teeth and closed the file he was working out. “Don’t read too much into it, it was just a little something to take the edge off.” Tony forced his voice to sound more calm with each word. “Plus, I didn’t sleep last night, so it’s basically not even morning for me.” Tony threw him a Stark patent smirk to complete the effect.

Steve gave up. “Fine, let me know if you feel like being honest again,” he snapped. Tony watched him leave with a perverse satisfaction. At least he always succeeded at pushing people who wanted to help away. It was his best talent.

“JARVIS, pull up the footage of the library from when Clint entered this morning.” Tony watched as the archer lightly pushed the lamp into the vent, standing back when the trap activated. Then he saw the archer reach in and pull his arm out with a smile, looking at the crawling black dots on his arm. Before Tony saw himself walk in, Clint gently brushed off the spiders, and walked over to hide beside the doorway.

The man wasn’t even afraid of spiders! What the actual fuck!? He swept the screen away with a scowl. Maybe Clint had fooled them all. He was actually more of a genius than Tony and just played a dimmer character all these years. If Clint was actually a genius, the only use Tony really was was his money. “I just wanted revenge! Is that too much to ask?” He asked the silent lab.

“Apparently so,” JARVIS answered him sarcastically. Tony should never have given him an attitude.

“Shut up, JARVIS.” Tony felt like his head was splitting open, and he bent over, holding it between his legs. “I don’t even know my own friends,” he told himself miserably. He could hear Howard in his head reminding him how much he sucked. No one will ever actually like you. They will pretend so they can use you, sure, but who could like that? He would say, gesturing at all of Tony with a look of disgust on his face. God, Tony was pathetic. He still let his dead father ruin things and effect his reactions to silly pranks after all these years.

Tony heard the lab open, but had no interest in lifting his head off his work table to see the intruder. “What,” he asked tiredly. Clint invaded his vision, appearing beside him on the bench. Tony sighed, sitting up. “Come to gloat?”

“Nope,” Clint made a loud pop on the ‘p’ sound. “Came to tell you the plan was actually brilliant. You totally would’ve got me if I hadn’t been faking arachnophobia for the last ten years of my life. I was waiting for it to finally pay off, so thanks for that.” He grinned at Tony.

Faking arachnophobia? Clint hadn’t been trying to hide his reactions to spiders, he had been pretending to hide a fake reaction. He screamed and reacted even when alone just to be sure. It was the most intense double-bluff Tony had ever seen. “But why?” he blurted out. It was utterly insane. Of course Tony hadn’t thought of that! The fake phobia had been going on before they had even started the prank competitions. He suddenly felt much better about the whole thing. His observation skills and planning wasn’t at fault, Clint was just insane.

Clint shrugged. “Needed a long con to keep me entertained.” He met Tony’s horrified gaze. “Wonder what con will play out next,” he teased.

“Do we even know you?”

Clint laughed like an evil madman. “Does anyone really know anyone?” he asked like some sphinx in a story. He dodged the wrench Tony threw at him as he continued his loud cackling and left the lab. Tony’s thirst for revenge was completely rekindled. He was going to start planning for next year right now.

[aggressivetapdancing]

Matchmaker

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Requested: @partylikeits1899

“Okay okay okay so I saw your post about writing for other fandoms and I have a Steve request (from Stranger things) okay so like Steve has a crush on the reader and the reader has a crush on Steve and they’re too shy to admit it so Dustin and/or Jonathan tries to set them up and stuff and yeah I just love my boy”

A/N:  This is my first time writing anything stranger things so i really hope i did this right and it’s not complete shit + I love my boi too and I loved writing this!! I’m not dead and i have risen from my seemingly eternal slumber of writer’s block!! Wow!! + Steve isn’t dating Nancy (and never did) in this fic just a heads up

A/A/N: This is season 2 Steve btw (If you haven’t watched season 2 yet then there might be some spoilers alright?) Alright let’s go.

Warnings: Swearing??

Words: 2432

“Do you wanna kill a monster with us?”

Steve Harrington was at your doorstep, iconic baseball bat in hand, asking you to go monster hunting.

Totally Normal.

“Are you kidding me?” Was your first response. Ever since you wound up at the Byers place on that fateful night of the demogorgon, you haven’t been able to go outside alone since. The way the lights flickered still sent you goosebumps, and the thought of seeing another monster didn’t make you think twice about your answer: No

Steve just pouted at you, in attempt of trying to persuade you to go with him and- Dustin, who appeared to be waiting in his car.

“C’mon Y/N, monster hunting is fun!” The brunette pushed, waving his nail-spiked bat slowly, inches from your face. You shook your head No again, only to be frowned at before getting dragged into his car.

“Steve! No!” You protested, giggling as he tickled you while attempting to carry you with his free arm into the back seat. He smirked, amused at how squirmish you were, then dropped his bat and targeted at your sides. Steve laughed at how you tried to dodge his incoming fingers; Smile, ever growing on your face; the corners of your eyes, crinkling with joy.

Steve would never admit it, but his heart had been pining for you for quite a while now. There was something about you that made him feel different. It was sometimes warm and fuzzy- like now; and sometimes it’d be hot, heavy and burning. He wouldn’t normally get these feelings when he went out with girls like Becky- or Amy. Something about you made you different from all the other girls- the only problem was, Steve couldn’t exactly pinpoint what.

Now, you had a crush on the brunette as well. He had quite the reputation and Hawkin’s High and you knew all about it. But you saw kindness in him no one has seen before. The way he’d stood up for Nancy when his so called “friends” mocked her- or the way he helped clean up the graffiti they left on the theater- To you, Steve Harrington was more that just a jock with good hair. Steve Harrington had a heart. Something you thought was impossible until he started hanging out with you.

You were now on your knees, curled up in a ball of defense as Steve’s fingers attacked your sides.

“Steve! Ah! Stop! I-can’t breathe!” You say between fits of laughter. The boy only addresses you with a smirk before going “Only if you come monster hunting!”

You nodded quickly, sighing in relief as his hands backed away, looking up to see him looking down at you with a smug smirk on his face.

“Wipe that smirk off before I whack it off your face, Harrington.”

The brunette only brought his face daringly closer to yours, smirk still evident on his face.

“Make me.” He taunted.

You raised an eyebrow, opening your mouth for a comeback before Dustin honked the car horn and eyed you two with a look of unamusement.

“Stop flirting shitheads, and let’s just kill this monster!” He complained, honking the car horn once more.

Steve and you blushed slightly before you both hopped in the vehicle, revving off to go kill whatever the two boys had planned.

Dustin was no love expert, but he knew you and Steve had this connection in a heartbeat.

Well, to be fair- anyone who had a brain could figure out at least one of you had something going on for the other. The little glances they’d take at the other when they thought no one was looking; or the how the hugs between the two of them were always a split second longer than they needed to be.

Maybe Dustin was some sort of love expert- at least he thought he was. He could tell if one liked another. He could also tell that you and Steve were hopeless without a “little push”.

So that’s why the curly haired little boy, had a brilliant idea- and decided to play matchmaker.

It started off as subtle actions: Making sure you and Steve were paired up when checking out his “pet” in the cellar was the first.

Dustin knew you had quite the phobia of all things- well.. Monster, So putting you down the cellar with Steve, was a must.

Now Dustin has had his fair share of romcoms and horrors, and if there’s one thing he knew about girls and horror, was that the girl would always cling to the guy if they were scared. (Well, that’s what he noticed anyways) And that’s what Dustin was aiming to do. Get you scared. -for matchmaking purposes of course.

“See anything down there guys?” he called, waiting for a response. When he didn’t get one, the curly locked boy peered down into the cellar, only to be met with a blinding light coming from the flashlight you were holding, and an unamused frown from Steve, who happened to be carrying some sort of skin.

“We found your pet’s- whatever this is.” You informed Dustin as you climbed up the stairs to meet him on the surface. “I think it’s skin or some shit- I don’t know.”

Steve followed behind you, bat in hand and handed Dustin the piece of skin his monster, apparently named Dart, had managed to shed off.

“Now what?”

“We find the stupid thing, obviously.”

Subtle actions did not work. You and Steve needed a bigger push than that.

So, when you had decided to play bench for a day, Dustin took this as his opportunity to get Steve to open up about you - or, girls at least.

The two of them were walking alongside the tracks of a railway by the forest, throwing scraps of meat in attempt to lure Dart, when Dustin stated his “Problem”.

He’d pretend he needed girl advice (to be honest, he did) and he was hoping the conversation topic of you would somehow come into play.

“The key to girls is acting like you don’t care.” Steve explained when Dustin had brought up his topic.

“Even if you do?” He had replied, throwing another piece of meat behind him, before turning back at the brunette. Steve nodded and told Dustin that “It drives them nuts”, which was a really shitty piece of advice, but Dustin took it anyway.

“Then what?”

Steve sighed, before going “You just wait, until you feel it.”

He threw down another piece of meat, wrinkling his nose in disgust, then explaining that Dustin needed to feel this sort of “electricity”.

“When you feel the electricity, that’s when you make your move.”

Who was Steve kidding when he told Dustin that.

Steve always felt electricity whenever he was around you. The mere action of brushing hands against each others brought sparks up his arm. How soft your hands were made him want to hold them- not just that that though, he wanted to not only hold them, but wanted to know that they were his to hold; that you were his.

And what did he do about it?

Absolutely nothing.

He didn’t make a move, fuck- he didn’t even address these feelings. Steve made it look like he genuinely didn’t care. But he did. He cared so much about you- the way he talked to you, how he acted around you- Steve even started to get a little bit self-conscious when that Billy boy came to town. He didn’t want Billy to take you away from him. He didn’t want to lose you to some sort of buff asshole- but yet, he did nothing. He did absolutely fucking nothing.

“Steve? Steve!”

Steve’s thoughts were interrupted by the whining of his curly haired companion, and he turned around to face him.

“What?”

“After I feel the electricity- is that when I kiss her?”

“No-no woah, slow down Romeo… you see- some girls want you to be aggressive…strong, hot and heavy- like a lion.” Steve began, throwing another scrap behind him. “But with others, you got to be slow.. Stealthy. Like a ninja.”

“What type is Y/N?”

Steve stopped in his tracks and felt the heat rise up to his cheeks. He was most definitely blushing now.

“She’s- she’s different.” He answered.

Dustin could see the blush spreading on the brunette’s face and gave him a knowing grin. His plan was working.

“In what way?”

“What?”

“In what way is she different? What makes her so special from all the other girls?” Dustin asked curiously.

Steve fell silent. He knew damn well what made you special: Everything. None of the girls made him smile more than you did. None of the girls made his knees weak, or his heart pound- none of the girls were you.

“She- she well… she-” The brunette fumbled with his words, wanting to just vent out everything he loved about you- but he wasn’t ‘supposed to care’. Dustin only stared at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for a response from his so called ‘mentor’.

“You love her don’t you.” Dustin said quietly, grin suddenly spreading on his face when he realized how truly quiet Steve had become.

“You love her!” He repeated again, this time louder and filled with more energy. “You love Y/N and you’re too shy to tell her and you’re just trying to cover up your feelings by being this cool dude who supposedly doesn’t care!”

“Hey- hey! Shut up will you?” Steve complained, afraid that you might hear, even though your house was practically miles from where they were. Dustin’s grin only grew wider as he noticed Steve’s change of attitude.

“You didn’t deny it.” Dustin pointed out, before throwing another scrap on the ground. His gaze was focused on Steve’s expression of realization and he smiled before going “She loves you too.”

“How are you supposed to know?” Steve complained, setting down his now empty bucket and pulling off his rubber gloves. “It’s not like she told you.”

Dustin did the same, fixing his cap in the process. “I’ve been to Mike Wheeler’s house, Steve. You know Nancy Wheeler and Y/N are good friends right?”

Steve only gave the boy a look of confusion. “What does that have to do with her being in love with me?”

“I can hear their conversations from the basement.”

“Nance, I’m telling you. He’s not as much as an asshole as you think! He’s so nice! His hair looks so soft! He looks so good in that jacket!” Dustin mimicked you, smirking at Steve’s reaction.

“She thinks I look good in this jacket?” Steve said to himself, smirking slightly at the thought of you swooning over him. “Well, shit- if she really said that, I should wear this jacket more often.”

Dustin gave him a toothy grin before nodding. “Uh huh. You know what she’d like more though?”

“What?”

“If you were to ask her out, dipshit.”

The brunette scoffed, then shot Dustin a look. “I didn’t know you were playing matchmaker now, Henderson.”

“Been playing matchmaker ever since you invited Y/N to this little escapade we’ve been going on.”

“And why is that?”

“It’s annoying seeing you two do all this couple shit together- yet still not be a couple.” The little boy stated. “And that Billy dude? He could steal your girl in a second.”

“Hey-wait.. How do you know about Billy?”

“Doesn’t matter. Now get your ass to it and ask Y/N out!”

Steve didn’t know how, or why he was following a kid’s advice, but he did it anyway. Dustin had a point- Steve did love Y/N. He could never bear to see her with someone else.

Besides, if he told her how he really felt, what did he have to lose?

It was now dark. The quiet little street you house resided in was empty, you being the only person in there. The lights were dim, and you were sprawled out on the couch, bowl of popcorn in hand, watching your favorite movie for the billionth time. As you lay down, heavily invested in the current scene, you were interrupted by a loud rapping at the door.

Groaning, you lazily got off the couch, bowl of popcorn still in hand. “Coming!”

You reached the doorknob and opened in up to see a nervous Steve, running his hand through his hair.

“Harrington? Here to ask me to go monster hunting again?” You teased, taking a handful of popcorn then popping it in your mouth.

“Uh.. no- I actually came to tell you something else..” Steve said, his sentence trailing off at the end.

“Mm- Then what are you doing inside, come on in. You can tell me while we’re watching the movie.” You invited, bowl of popcorn in one hand, the other grabbing at Steve’s wrist while dragging him over to the couch.  

The brunette only sighed before stopping in his tracks, making you do the same.

“Y/N- this is kinda important…”

“Hey- Steve you alright?” Your brows furrowed with concern as you turned to face him. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

He sighed, mumbling incoherently, bringing his head down, gaze down focused on the patterns on your wood floor.

“Steve- hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong Y/N- it’s just.. I-”

You waited in anticipation, bringing the bowl of popcorn down, setting it on a nearby table. Your hand reached for his, holding it, in an attempt of helping him calm down. The brunette’s head shot up, gaze averting from the floor, now trained on you.

“You can tell me anything.” You smiled.

Without warning, his lips landed on yours. Your eyes fluttered closed and you found yourself kissing back. His lips tasted faintly of Coca Cola, and you felt him smile into the kiss. His hands were down at your waist and you found yours in his oh-so-soft hair.

Pulling back, you looked up at him, seeing he had a wide grin, similar to yours, spread across his face.

Your hand had slipped back into his, his smile widening at the mere action. His fingers curled around yours, gripping them softly- but still tight enough to give him reassurance that you wouldn’t go. You could feel the calluses on his fingers, and sighed happily to yourself knowing that his hand was yours to hold.

“So… You think I look good in this jacket?” the brunette smirked, breaking the comfortable silence that had occurred a few seconds before.

“Oh shut up and kiss me again, Harrington.”

“Will do.”

[cfsculselfs]

LET ME LOVE THE LONELY OUT OF YOU

( continued from x. )

WHO: Peter Parker and Raven Roth WHEN: 1-2 Weeks Ago, 2:00pm EST WHAT: In which a lonely boy and a war torn girl decide to let each other in ( they are nowhere near perfect, but they are e n o u g h )  aka spideyrae gets their shit together

@spideyroo

PETER: 

to  say  the  least,  he’s   exhausted.  this  whole   BACK  AND  FORTH   redundancy  between  the  two  of  them  isn’t  beneficial  on  both  parties,  and  they  may  as  well  quit  before  matters  turn  worse.  there’s  no  valid  explanation  as  to  why  his   PERSISTENCE  won’t  shake,  perhaps  all   of  this  will  soon  be  worth   it.  there’s  going  to  be  a  day  where  the  awkward  tension  vanishes,  and  they  can  spend  hours  on  end  sharing  conversations  under  the  stars  again.

peter  wishes  he  can  do  something  to  help,   anything.  it’s  evident  that  she’s  holding  back  a  plethora  of  hidden  feelings,  as  if  there’s  a  pair  of  hands   SUFFOCATING   her  lips  to  suppress  her  true  emotions.  a  half  smile  appears  upon  the  compliment  ———–  that,  he’s  mentally  saving  forever,  and  the  boy  shakily  reaches  over.  carefully,  he  places  his  hand  over  hers,   PRAYING   that  it’ll  have  some  sort  of  positive  effect  in  this  situation.  his  thumb  lightly  runs  over  the  back  of  her  hand  in  repetitive  linear  motions,  with  him  not  leaving  sight  of  what’s  in  front.  

his  heart’s  never  beaten  so  fast.  he’s  never  been  so  out  of  breath,   anxious.    “  i’m  not  asking  for  a  lot,  ”  his  vision  strays  away  for  a  hot  second  from  glancing  down  at  the  carpet,  though  keeps  his  hands  put.  and  he’s  right,  he  isn’t,  he’s  a   SIMPLE  SOUL.  almost  anything  can  make  him  happy,  and  he’s  learned  to  appreciate  what’s  around  rather  than  having  the  constant  feeling  of  dissatisfaction.   “ i  just  want  things  to  go  back  to   NORMAL  between  us.  i  want  to  tell  you  about  my  day,  what  episode  of  star  wars  i  had  a  dream  about  during  my  nap,  i  want  to  tell  you  about  how  i  stole  captain  america’s  shield…  even  if  you’ve  heard  that   STUPID   story  five  hundred  times.  ”  a  laugh.  more  of  a  chuckle,  but  it  feels  good  to  lighten  up. 

  and  he  can  understand  where  she’s  coming  from,  if  anything,  he  can   relate.   he’s  been  in  her  shoes  before.  there  were  many  in  his  life  whom  he  felt  terrified  of,  not  because  of  them,  but  because  of  who   he  was.   INFERIOR.  they  deserved  the  world,  not  some  below  average  guy  who  fails  to  be  taken  seriously  in  any  situation.  up  until  now  with  his  alternate  image  as  the  friendly  neighborhood  spider-man,  peter  parker  still manages  to  drive  by  the  world  as  invisible.   nothing  special.  it’s  a  sad  reality  he  has  to  face,  but  he’s  learned  to  deal.

so  maybe  they  weren’t  so  different  after  all.

“ i  can’t  let  go  of  someone  who  means   THE  WORLD  to  me, ”  the  confession  rolls  out  of  his  tongue  with  pure  ease.  he’s  not  there  to  play  games,  only  to  tell  the  truth.  he  wishes  he  could  grip  her  hand  tighter  to  prove  his  seriousness,  though  he  doesn’t  want  to  push  things  further  than  what’s  already  on  the  table.  throat  dry  and  palms  sweaty,  he  continues  on.   “ and  i  know  your  scared  ———-   jesus,  i’m  terrified  too.  but  i’m  sick  and  tired  of  convincing  myself  that  i  don’t   DESERVE anyone  because  of  how  i  am.  i  can’t  feel  this  lonely  anymore.  not  when  i  know  that  you  make  that  go  away.  i  need  you  ————  we  need   EACH  OTHER  and  you  can’t  deny  that.  ”  taking  a  forceful  exhale,  guilt  begins  to  edge  from  his  previous  vent.  he  takes  a  moment  to  reset,  hoping  to  pick  up  where  it  was  left  off  with  no  hard  feelings  by  sliding  his  fingers  perfectly  within  the  spaces  between  her  fingers.  they  stop,  and  peter  gives  raven  a  look,  if  she’s  comfortable  enough  for  him  to continue  further.   “  c  —  can  i  ?? ”

RAVEN:

  He reaches out for her, and raven fights the urge to flinch. no one touches her, lest they face her fury ( koriand’r and dick are exceptions, people who have torn down her walls brick by brick until only pieces of clay and mortar remained. fools. her dearest friends. )

                She does not receive such affection, does not d e s e r v e the reverence of his touch, the way his thumb ghosts over the back of her hand. As if she were something delicate and holy instead of barbed wire and broken glass.

               “ You don’t know what you’re asking for. “ her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper. She needs him to see how bad this will turn out. She needs for him to willingly walk away before she can cause any more damage ( just because she needs him to do so doesn’t mean she wants him to ) she’s so weak for him, it’s horrible. it’s wonderful. “ It’s too DANGEROUS. All I would do is hurt you. “

                PRIDE.  she is the original sin, she cannot reveal anything that would make her vulnerable to the judgement of those around her. her past, trigon. the monks of azarath, how she brought genocide upon her people because she got too curious. It would be BEST for her to mention it, he would finally listen to REASON if she did. But despite everything, she couldn’t bear for him to finally see her for the monster she actually is. He looks at her with such affection, with such sweetness. To see those features morph into fear or detachment would destroy her.

              I can’t let go of someone who means the world to me. Her eyes S N A P to his: the words for a response don’t come, the emotions coursing through her veins unfamiliar. What was she even supposed to SAY to that ?? raven’s lips part, but whether or  its a gasp of shock or a quest for the air that is having such difficulty reaching her lungs at present is uncertain. perhaps it’s  the slightest bit of both.

                                          “You deserve the world.”

            “You deserve kindness and goodness and all things wonderful.”

                      “You deserve so much more than I could give you.”

              But raven doesn’t S A Y any of this, despite the words dancing on the tip of her tongue. She can’t bring herself to. Not because he doesn’t deserve to hear all of it, but because some force is tightening its grip on her lungs, pushing down her voice until it’s caged to the bottom of her stomach and no amount of effort can draw it out. He’s right, though. To an extent.

               Raven Roth has never NEEDED anyone in her life but god,                                       she WANTS him so much.

              His final question is hesitant, voice stuttering. her own heart SKIPS a beat. he’s trembling- or perhaps that’s her. she can’t tell who is feeling what, feelings filling the air of the room and merging into a single tidal wave, threatening to overtake them both. it’s overwhelming. Raven doesn’t answer- not with words, at least. She doesn’t trust her voice to work, doesn’t know what she even could say in such an instance. Instead, her fingers bend, pulling their palms together until they touch.

              He is sweating: if raven hadn’t been an empath, if she hadn’t already been able to feel his nervousness radiating through the air and mingling with hers. If she wasn’t just as frightened, she would have laughed.

            “I want you.” the words come out. It’s as if the dam has been broken, the words following swiftly, “ I want you more than I’ve wanted anyone else, But if you got hurt because I lost control, I would never forgive myself. ”

PETER:

                    peter    knows  she’s  being  genuine,  but  it  doesn’t  change  the  pain  he  feels  letting  those  words  engrave  his  mind  as  if  it’s  being  slowly  carved  into  his  skin.  she  claims  to  be   DANGEROUS   for  him,  it  stings  rather  terribly,  but  he  honestly  couldn’t  care  less.  in  fact,  the  rather  tenacious  boy  is   MORE  THAN  WILLING  to  take  his  chances  for  what  its  worth,  if  it  means  for  him  —–  for   them  to  be  happy  again.  he’s  gone  through  his  fair  share  of  trials  and  tribulations;  there’s  no  harm  in  the  risk.

                    “ i  know  you  won’t  mean  it  …   hurting me,  ”  brown  hues  glimmer  under  the  light,  expressing  pure  sincerity.  all  he  needs  to  do  is  convince  her  to  take  that  leap  of  faith  too.  if  anything,  he   HIMSELF   will  provide  a  sturdy  support  system  if  things  go  awry.  he’ll  be  more  than  HAPPY  to  catch  her  when  she  falls  helplessly  to  the  floor,  and  will  effortlessly  do  it  again  and  again  until  she’s  able  to   accept.  even  if  it  costs  him  his  own  stability.  

                    so  this  is  what  it  feels  like.  to  care  about  someone  at  a  level  where  in  hurts,  but  in  such  a   GOOD   way.  

                    one  could  say  he’s  a  little  selfish,  but  he’s  craving  for  more.  he’s  craving  for   her.   he  can’t  stop  staring  at  the  way  her  lips  move,  the  way  the  light  breeze  in  the  room  sweeps  strands  of  her  hair  in  a  perfect  manner.  there’s  no  need  for  him  to  get  ahead  of  himself  though,  so  his  mouth  stays  shut.  the  moment  is  savored,  allowing  for  the  two  to  sit  in  silence.  no   AIMLESS  BICKERING  back  and  forth,  only  these  lost  souls  practically  screaming  for  a  sense  of  direction  on  where  to  go  from  here.

                    a  beam  of  hope.  and  suddenly,  amidst  the   darkness,   peter  feels  it.  perhaps  it  was  the  way  their  palms  met,  or  the  way  their  fingers  begin  to  fully  interlock,  he   DOESN’T   feel  so  lost  anymore.  the  void  he  previously  suffered  in  his  chest  is  filled,  simply  by  these  small  yet  MEANINGFUL   gestures.  the  heat  begins  to  place  his  ears,  and  he  shyly  feigns  a  bright   smile,  almost  forgetting  that  she’s  experiencing  front  row  seats  of  a  sweat  show.  starring  eighteen-year-old  peter  parker  —–  also  known  as  nervous  wreck.   CORRECTION:  a  now   buoyant  nervous  wreck.

                   and  the  next  few  words  that  follow  send  him   over  the  moon.   she  feels  the  same  way,  only   TERRIFIED   of  the  consequences  alongside  it.  feelings   are  a  puzzling  concept,  though  from  what  he’s  learned  from  his  aunt  may’s  advice  on  the  topic,  they’re  never  going  to  get  anywhere  without  taking  action.  she’s  made  her  step,  and  now  he  needs  to  take  his.  

                 “ i  want  you  too,  ”  he  almost   laughs,   mainly  because  he  still  can’t  process  what’s  happening  between  them  as  a  part  of  their  reality.  he  feels  like  he’s  a  part  of  some  cheesy,  poorly  made  romance  movie,  and  this  was  the  part  where  they   DISCOVER  their  true  feelings  of  infatuation  towards  one  another.  the  part  that  is  always  sealed  with  some   prolonged  kiss,   and  they  live  happily  from  there.  if  only  it  wasn’t  so  complicated.

                   he  forgets  to  ask  permission  due  to  the  heat  of  the  moment.  slowly,  and  as   STEADILY   as  he  ever  could  with  his  trembling,  he  brings  his  free  hand  up  to  gently  cup  the  side  of  her  face.  “ we  gotta  stop  running  away  from  what’s  there,  ” it’s  almost  in  a  whisper,  though  he  makes  sure  she  can   EASILY  hear  by  closing  the  distance  between  their  faces.  “  we  can’t  be  scared,  okay  ?? i  —–   i  like  you,  and  even  if  i  don’t  know  where  the  hell  to  go  from  here,  it  doesn’t  change  the  fact  that  i  do,  raven.  if  we  have  to  take  things  slow,  we  can  do  without  a  problem.  i  just  want  for  there  to  be  an  US   again.  i  can’t  go  another  day  without  you.  i  really  can’t.  ”

RAVEN

                   “That doesn’t make it any better.” maybe she wants to cry ?? possibly laugh ?? she won’t do either, of course, but the range of emotions she’s experiencing at present is a roller coaster. he’s just so… there’s not even a word to describe peter parker: he doesn’t make ANY sense. he makes PERFECT sense. he’s the personification of confusion in that he’s not confusing in the slightest. he’s remarkably simple to understand, and in this world of heroes and monsters and clowns and fucking government-constructed robots, he’s an oasis, a calm in the storm.

                      his hand moves to her face, and raven finds her breath hitching, throat tightening as her mind attempts to figure out how on EARTH she’s supposed to be feeling right now. she does not read romance novels, she does not watch movies with romantic subplot aside from kori’s forced twilight marathons in their youth. what she’s supposed to say or do is lost in her, and it’s not FAIR to him. this entire situation is unfair to him, actually, and if she were a better person, raven would have rejected him and left.

                      but she’s horribly selfish, isn’t she.

                “I…” god, he deserves so much better than her shitty attempts at feeling like a NORMAL human being. but he wants her. that’s such a  c o n c e p t, another thing she’s not quite sure how to deal with. there is no catch, it’s just him. standing in front of her, his hand on her cheek. asking her to let him in, asking her to let him give her love. FUCK. her mouth opens again- she can’t keep it inside anymore, he needs to hear it. he deserves to, “ I don’t know where to go either. “ she confesses, looking down at their hands. the sight sends her heart fluttering into her throat, and it takes a beat before she can continue, “ But I want that too.” the words come out in a rush, as if they were the last bits of air from a balloon. are her hands shaking? they might be shaking( they are )

                     there’s a moment of silence: it’s good. she gets to take in the curl of his hair, how his eyes look when the sun shines through the window at 2pm. the sound of his breathing, the way he looks at her, how his hand feels pressed against her cheek. the urge to laugh bubbles up again- perhaps it’s the confusion, perhaps it’s disbelief at this situation, but she forces it down regardless.

                  “ I just…don’t.” a breath, “ I don’t know what taking it slow means.” her lip goes between her teeth, pressing until a sharp sting jolts her to continue, “ I would, though. I would…want to try. With you.” she fights the IMPULSE to apologize, face twisting in uncertainty and embarrassment. Her thumb slowly, softly runs across the back of his hand. she can FEEL the blood rushing in her veins- it’s dizzying. it’s a bit intoxicating, if she’s honest. he makes her feel as if she’s floating and falling at the same time.

                   There’s another beat, and she’s suddenly afraid she’s said the wrong thing. But the look on his f a c e. they are messy and young and confused, but the look on his face, the squeeze of their hands. it’s enough. it’s a beginning.