#usually my hands twitching randomly or unexpected Animal

[fruitypiestims]

I never ever post these but final gif vs failed attempt

[daredevile]

Noir

Summary: No matter how much he longed for his own man’s best friend, Bucky knew that he will never be able to care for one—till he receives a request from an old friend.

A/N: As much as I love angsty fics, you gotta come back to some fluff once in a while. This is the result of me seeing the cutest Samoyed puppy in my life.

Hope you enjoy and feedback is always welcome

Just like an immediate reflex, Bucky checked his antique watch—one that had stopped ticking long ago—as he made his way through the crowded streets. Head tucked in and a hand stuffed into a fuzzy pocket, he entered the distinct-smelling store. Stanley’s Pet Shop.

“Good evening, Mr Barnes,” Irene teased him with an enthusiastic smile as Bucky dropped a large bag on the tarnished desk. Her usual prolonged stares always made him shift between his feet. She chuckled, taking note of Bucky’s obliviousness.

Bucky raised his eyebrows as he looked around the usually energetic room, now barren, “Where are they?”

Irene’s expression morphed into one of sympathy before tenderly shaking her head, “Stan’s waiting for you.”

Minutely nodding, Bucky made his way to the back room, side-stepping several cardboard boxes and empty kennels. A sense of doubt seeped through his thoughts as he absentmindedly navigated through the familiar hallway. Bucky smiled seeing Stan, the two old souls who had instantly connected during their first encounter.

“I was getting worried you wouldn’t show up, son,” Stan sighed in relief, seeing the kind-hearted brunette. Leaning back into the rocking chair, he hooked his glasses onto the checked shirt.

“Never,” Bucky asserted, taking a seat opposite Stan, “Irene said you wanted to speak to me.”

“Son, you ever get that feeling where you just have to accept all the cards life has dealt you?” Stan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath while Bucky gave him his undivided attention, “I’m barely hanging onto the ropes.”

“I don’t understand,” Bucky moved to the edge of the seat, reaching for the white file on the desk. 

“Listen, son—” Stan let out a string of deep coughs, making Bucky wince at the sounds. Bucky understood the circumstance, reading the precise words in bold.

“How long?” Bucky gently passed a glass of water, shutting the file close.

“Months maybe weeks,” Stan sighed, “Terminal illness they said,” letting out a short laugh, “They’re stowing me away in the ICU soon which means the shop’s gone.”

Bucky creased his eyebrows, realising that his only place of serenity will vanish. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden patter of paws on the wooden floor grabbed his attention. The snow-white coated creature leapt onto Stan, licking his face in excitement. The metal armed man froze, not wanting his presence to damage the purity of the scene.

“And, that leads me to this,” Stan grabbed the dog’s front paws and wiggled them humorously, “Someone needs to take care of my Noir and that someone is you, son.”

“I can’t,” Bucky backed up into the chair, he was absolutely certain he could not take care of himself let alone another living creature. Every time Bucky used to play with the animals, he longed to eventually take one home. But, in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn’t ready. That he’ll never be ready.

“Son, you are the only one I trust to take care of someone who means everything to me. I know a good man when I see one,” Stan assured him, eyes glistening as he spoke.

Bucky’s eyes flitted around as he looked at the mess of an apartment. Mentally checking to make sure no hazardous objects littered his home. An unexpected jolt of fear rose at the thought of him harming Noir by accident. After all, dogs can’t speak or lingually emote. Looking at his frozen watch—a reflex out of nervousness—Bucky paced around.

“Mr Barnes?” Followed by a knock on the door, shook him out of his trance. Irene’s signature smile gave him a tiny speck of hope as she handed him the dog carrier, “Don’t worry, Stan is never wrong.”

Bucky waited. He waited for Noir to finish sniffing every single object he could. He was starting to get impatient and insisted Noir to come at least somewhat near him. An idea sprouted in his mind and he retrieved a bag full of colourful toys Irene had asked him to buy. Much to his dismay, Noir remained in his corner despite noticing the enticing objects in Bucky’s hands. Bucky had had enough, he began walking towards the dog, who crept further into the corner.

“Come on buddy, I’m new at this,” He begged softly, remembering Stan’s plea. Receiving no change in demeanour, Bucky sighed, wanting to divert his mind for a while. 

Tossing his old clothes and towel in the laundry basket, he threw on a hoodie and tracks. Secretly hoping his change in appearance would somehow ease the reserved dog. Well, Noir definitely behaved differently—he was chewing on the corner wall. But, what had startled Bucky the most was that his beloved fuzzy pillow was strewn all over the floor.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Bucky slapped his hands on his face, slowly dragging them down. Noir paused what he was doing, tiny ears perked and Bucky would have sworn he saw the dog smiling, “You punk,” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“All right, g’ night buddy,” Feigning defeat, Bucky set down two bowls next to Noir’s bed, food and water, in case, Noir was remotely like him and often got up in the middle of the night seeking comfort. Before entering his bedroom, Bucky glanced at Noir stuffing his face into the pet food. That brought a smile onto his face.

Sleepless nights were common to Bucky. Usually, he whiled away the night by severely contemplating his past actions. So, naturally, a new living and breathing addition to his lifestyle scared him to his core. Not only was he burdened by Stan’s faith in him but also his own conscience. Just as he was about to slip back into his routine thoughts, soft whimpers filled the quiet apartment. Bucky perked up at the sounds, immediately recognising the source.

Laying on his side on the soft quilt, Noir’s paws twitched randomly and quiet howls left his mouth. Bucky’s heart ached, watching him suffer through his nightmares, sighing at the unfortunate similarity between them. He approached the poor dog cautiously and reached his flesh hand out. Eyes closing as he brushed through the soft, white fur, giving not only Noir but himself a sense of relief. 

“It’s ok buddy,” Bucky whispered, delicately holding a paw, “I’m here,” Bucky picked up the distressed dog and brought him to his bed, laying his blanket over the both of them. An arm stretched over the fur, making tiny circles which seemed to be silently appreciated.

A few weeks had passed and Noir had returned back to his usual jovial self. Ever since Bucky had calmed him, Noir began resembling Stan’s detailed descriptions of him which the old man often gushed about to any listeners. Bucky realised how he had adapted to having Noir in his life. His nights were rarely interrupted by nightmares or his strong feelings of guilt. In fact, Noir had gotten him to socialise with strangers who wished to pet the dog. His weeks were filled with frequent trips to the nearby park, where they ended up watching the dusk after an intense game of ultimate frisbee.

However, Bucky always had an inkling that all good things came to an end. Dreadful nightmares infected his dreamless sleep, reducing him into a puddle of sweat and tears. Heavy breaths resonated through the apartment, loud enough for the pawed creature to sense his obvious anguish. 

Noir pushed his arm, intently watching Bucky violently thrash around in his sleep. Moments later, Bucky followed the wagging tail to Noir’s bed. Fluffy, white paws lightly pushed his chest to lay down on the obviously tiny quilt. Bucky chuckled through the tears, realising what Noir was doing. Noir snuggled into Bucky’s side, with his paw across Bucky’s stomach. Though his furry counterpart had fallen asleep, Bucky remained awake for the rest of the night, mindlessly brushing the fur, listening to the crackling sounds of firewood. Overwhelmed with emotions, he decided to get some fresh air. Stealing a long look at the warmth that surrounded Noir, he left the apartment. 

Nightfall was Bucky’s favourite time of day. The dark and bare streets pleased him as he walked without care. He couldn’t remember the last time he was desperate enough to relieve his mind from the bad thoughts. But now, Bucky only intended to appreciate all he was dealt with. A messy home. Plums. Stan. Noir. 

Bucky returned a couple hours later. Both arms clad with bags and bags of things just for Noir, ones he had eyed on their walks or visits to the supermarket. Bucky unlocked the door and let out a laugh, beaming from ear to ear. Noir had moved from his bed to sleep by the door, eagerly waiting for his return. Crouching down, Bucky stroked the pristine fur, speaking the only words to express his gratitude, “I love you, Noir.”

finis.

[arteacactus]

Logic x Anxiety - Under the Stars

Warnings: None Pairing: Analogical - Romantic Prompt:  the others all have their own dreamscapes/mind palace areas, where they can manipulate the space into whatever they like, but no one’s ever seen Virgil’s, until the other sides stumble upon it and are amazed/surprised at what they find. Prompt by @a-blog-just-for-sanders

Each Side has their own specific room in the mind palace.

Usually, their rooms fit their traits, and they didn't get the chance to design it themselves.

Misleading Compliments, Pranks, and Imagination were all minor traits; they were important, yes, but they were not one of the main traits, they were not heavily featured or thought of often, therefore their rooms were made for them. Compliments had an oddly blank room; it resembled a hotel bedroom.

Pranks had a room mainly consisting of Disney things, and in the form of a child's bedroom. He was rather childish therefore his room matched that.

Imagination's room changed randomly; one day it's a room that resembled a castle, and the next it looks like a pirate ship. His outfit always changed depending on the style of his room.

However, for the four main traits, they had stronger power and therefore could design their rooms however they please.

Logan's room was clean and sophisticated. There were bookshelves that covered an entire wall, a large, clean bed, and a neat, uncluttered desk.

There was a secret door in the bookshelf, as well. If you pulled on a specific book, it swung open and revealed an even larger library on the inside.

It was a two-story library, with a fireplace, sitting area, and coffee maker on the first floor, as well as a grand piano.

On the second floor were more chairs, a chess set, and a violin.

While it was surprising, Logan was quite musical.

Patton's room was surprisingly... adult-like.

Of course, it still had some childish tones to it (His door was covered in dog stickers), but it had a shocking amount of maturity to it.

There were also dogs inside of the room, to the surprise of no one.

Roman's room was like Imagination's. It changed, but Roman controlled how it changed.

Right now, his room was like the grand bedroom in a castle, and he had a small, indoor garden next to a huge window that showed a sunny sky. He had various Disney posters all over the walls, and a massive television with stacks of Disney movies and games.

But.. Virgil's room?

No one knew.

Virgil never really.. let them inside of his room.

Of course, they went to his "room" when they were with Thomas, but he had an actual bedroom inside of the mind palace where he spent most of his time, and he never let anybody inside.

So.. no one really knew what his room looked like.

It saddened them (them, meaning Patton), because didn't Virgil trust them? "I'm sure your room is amazing!" Patton had told Virgil after the Anxious trait had told him "no" after asking if he could see his bedroom, but it didn't work.

No one knew why Virgil disliked talking about his room.

No one knew why Virgil never let anyone in.

No one knew why Virgil got so upset when they asked.

Well.. That's not entirely true.

Logan knew what Virgil's room looked like.

Logan and Virgil often could be seen going into each other's bedrooms to hang out.

It made the other traits envious of Logan. He could walk into Virgil's room without knocking first if he so pleased and Virgil wouldn't even care. Why did he get to see his room and they didn't?

Well, Patton and Roman knew, but the others didn't.

Logan and Virgil were romantically involved, so of course they would trust each other to have free roam of each other's rooms and belongings.

It made Patton happy because they were trusting of each other, but shouldn't Virgil trust all of them? They all love him, too, just not in a romantic sense.

Eventually, they dropped it, not bothering to ask Virgil about it anymore, because they knew the answer would be "no", regardless of how good of a mood he was in.

"Virge," Logan spoke up suddenly, sitting in his own bedroom in the library, in one of the comfy chairs, reading a thick book, Virgil sitting next to him with a comic book in hand.

"Yeah, Lo?" Virgil hummed, eyes still glued to the comic book, fully aware of the fact that Logan was staring at him.

"Why won't you let anyone but me into your room?" He asked curiously.

Virgil visibly tensed. He was afraid of that question.

"You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable," Logan quickly assured when he saw how tense the other got, "I was just curious."

There was silence for a minute, and Logan thought the conversation was dropped as soon as it began, but then Virgil spoke.

"It's because.. I don't know, I just.. I'm worried they won't like it, Lo. It's just.. super nerdy and I don't think they'll like it."

"My room is literally full of books."

"Yeah, but, that's expected of you. I mean, you're Logic." Virgil sighed, closing his book and putting it on the coffee table in front of them, "But I'm.. Anxiety. They probably expect something completely different and they won't like it because it's unexpected."

"Patton's room is unexpected," Logan pointed out, "You still like his room, don't you?"

"Well, yeah.." Virgil frowned, biting his lip. "But.."

"I know for a fact everyone will adore it, Virgil. It's a gorgeous room, belonging to a gorgeous Side."

Virgil flushed and covered his face. "We have the same face!"

Logan laughed, a grin breaking out on Virgil's face. Maybe.. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

"Hey, Patton, Roman?" Virgil asked, sitting in the commons with the other three main Sides.

"Yeah, kiddo?" Patton replied, Roman just looking over at him curiously.

".. You guys wanna see my room?"

"YES!" Patton immediately screeched, while Roman just stared in shock, having never expected Virgil to actually offer.

Logan's lips twitched.

"Have you been thinking over what I said, Virge?"

"Shut up, Lo, this has nothing to do with you and being right all the time." Virgil snapped with a blush, making Logan laugh.

"Can we go see it now, kiddo?" Patton asked eagerly, hands clasped together pleadingly.

Virgil nodded, getting up from the couch and helping Logan get up, holding the Logical trait's hand as he led Patton and Roman down the hall to his room.

He was shaking lightly, biting his lip, clearly still a nervous wreck.

Logan squeezed Virgil's hand lightly, interlocking their fingers, silently reassuring him that it'll be fine.

Virgil didn't hesitate before opening his door and walking inside.

It looked like a typical angsty teenager's bedroom, with black walls and black bedsheets, black ceiling, black floor- black everything. There was a black wardrobe and black guitar, as well as a black desk, various band and anime posters on the walls.

Virgil let go of Logan's hand and they moved to the two windows, closing the black-out curtains, nodding at Logan to turn off the lights.

"My room is really plain and boring, but the stars won't show up well on white walls." Virgil stated, and as soon as the lights came off, the entire room was suddenly a galaxy.

The stars moved and swirled all over the ceiling and walls, and the furniture was almost invisible, so it looked like a genuine galaxy.

Virgil bit his lip and glanced over at Patton and Roman, who stared in awe at all the gorgeous stars.

"This.. is so... beautiful!" Roman gasped, "Virgil, this is amazing!"

"Look! You can see a puppy in the stars!" Patton excitedly pointed.

"The stars take shape of whatever you want." Virgil mumbled, "If you want, you can draw constellations." He reached up, finger pointing at the ceiling, and started moving it, the stars moving and shifting to follow his finger, drawing a heart in the galaxies.

Patton squealed some more, copying Virgil's movement, making even more puppies in the stars. "Hey, Virgil, what's an astronaut's favorite place on the computer?"

Virgil sighed, preparing himself for the pun. "What?"

"The space bar!"

Virgil groaned, ignoring Patton's giggles.

"What did the librarian say to the astronaut? Find space for a book!"

"That one fits wonderfully for Logan and Virgil," Roman grinned.

"Falsehood," Virgil grumbled.

"You're even starting to talk like him!" Patton giggled.

Logan grinned at Virgil. "You are picking up some habits from me, it seems."

"Yeah, and you're being more emotional, too. Looks like we both got some things from each other." Virgil huffed, grabbing Logan by the tie and pulling him into a kiss, again, ignoring Patton getting over-excited and going into a coughing fit.

Virgil pulled apart from Logan with a heavy blush, noting with pride how Logan was also a bit red in the face.

Patton grabbed Virgil and hugged him, swinging him around in circles. "You're so cute!"

Roman just shook his head with a grin, too distracted with drawing in the stars to make an actual comment.

Showing them his room wasn't so bad after all.