#wasn't kidding when I was talking about having a constant continuity for my characters (besides like doing verses you know)

[dyavol]

[todorokis-girl]

All on up Stream - Kenma Kosume

Part of my Haikyuu confession series!

Masterlist

Kenma's fingers moved with practiced ease across the keyboard, navigating his character through the intricate virtual world of his latest streaming session. The soft glow of his monitor illuminated his focused expression, a stark contrast to the chaos of the chat scrolling endlessly beside the gameplay footage. His audience was lively tonight, sending a constant stream of comments and questions that he occasionally glanced at between intense moments in the game.

Amidst the flurry of interactions, a familiar username caught his eye: "LoveStruckFan123". A donation accompanied the message: "Hey Kenma, do you have a special someone in your life? 😏"

Kenma's cheeks flushed faintly, his fingers momentarily faltering on the keys. He wasn't used to such direct inquiries about his personal life during streams. He chuckled nervously, trying to deflect the question while keeping his composure. "Uh, well, that's a pretty personal question," he muttered, refocusing on the game to distract himself.

But the chat was relentless, and more curious comments flooded in, pushing him to address the topic. "Okay, okay, I'll answer. But just this once," he relented with a soft sigh, his voice barely audible over the game's soundtrack.

"There's... someone I've liked for a really long time," Kenma admitted, his tone softening with introspection. He glanced briefly at the chat, seeing the flood of emoticons and excited messages. "Since we were kids, actually."

The chat exploded with curiosity and excitement, words scrolling so quickly that Kenma struggled to keep up. Despite his initial discomfort, he found himself smiling faintly as he thought about Y/N. They had been a constant presence in his life, a source of comfort and understanding that went beyond mere friendship.

"They've always been there for me, you know?" Kenma continued, his voice growing more contemplative. "Through everything. They're amazing, and I've... I've been in love with y/n the entire time"

The confession hung in the air, the weight of his words sinking in as he realized what he had just revealed to thousands of viewers.

The before the realization settled he saw the screen of his phone light up, notifications had been muted for stream. ‘Y/n 🥰’ the only thing he could see. When the screen when dark, it happened again, and one last time.

Panic surged through him like an electric shock, and he instinctively reached for the mouse, fingers trembling as he struggled to regain control of the situation.

"Uh, I—I think that's enough for today," Kenma muttered hurriedly, his voice betraying his anxiety. "Thanks for watching, everyone. See you next time."

With a quick, frantic click, he ended the stream, the screen fading to black. Kenma slumped back in his chair, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared blankly at the now-dark monitor. He couldn't believe he had let slip such a personal revelation in such a public forum.

Moments later, his phone buzzed yet again with a notification. He glanced down, feeling a jolt of nerves as he saw a message from Y/N.

‘Ken’

‘Ken, are you serious?’

‘Ken’

‘Please… can we talk…?’

He swallowed hard, his fingers hovering over the screen before typing a shaky reply. "Sure. When?"

‘Now… 5 minutes’

A few minutes later, Kenma found himself standing outside in the cool evening air, his thoughts racing faster than his footsteps could carry him. When Y/N arrived, their presence was a grounding force amidst the whirlwind of emotions.

"Kenma," Y/N began softly, her voice filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity as they stepped closer. "Did you really mean what you said? Was it an accident?”

He nodded slowly, unable to meet their gaze at first. "Yeah. I did, it was an accident, yeah, but I mean it.” he admitted quietly, a mix of embarrassment and relief coloring his tone. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

To his surprise, the reaction he got was not the one he expected. He felt her warmth all over his body and he could feel her lips against his neck, pulling herself even closer to him, tightening the hug. “Me too dummy”

Kenma's breath caught in his throat, disbelief mingling with a joy so profound it left him momentarily speechless. He wrapped his hands around her, and angled himself to attempt and make eye contact, you allowed her pulling her face away, meeting Y/N's eyes, seeing the sincerity and affection reflected back at him.

"Really?" he managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Really," Y/N confirmed with a nod,

Lacking restraint he grabbed both sides of her face and stared into her eyes, giving her a second to pull away if she needed; when she didn’t, he pulled her closer crashing his lips into hers; years of love present in the interaction, escaping through every nook and cranny of their souls as if a flood had opened.

As they stood together under the fading light of the evening sky, Kenma felt a weight lift off his shoulders. This unexpected turn of events had brought them closer together in a way he hadn't dared to hope for. It was the ending of their friendship, but the start of their future.

[dxfiedfxte]

Pretty sure it was moved to the beta editor But Tumblr doesn't seem to think it was, so...

Thread move/continuation from: this post || @hxpelessnurse ||

🩹 - Mikan

Mikan felt a sigh of relief leave her as he told her not to apologize. “Most of m-my friends are single still too,” She added. “I definitely th-think M-Mioda could use someone to… calm her down a little.” The rocker was a rather wild one, and considering her rise to fame in the underground idol world, she was quite popular with both men and women alike. Still, Ibuki seemed far too distracted with causing chaos and making music to settle down. Mahiru and Hiyoko were on their own. They seemed quite happy together and Mikan had no intentions of breaking that apart. And as for her other friends? They were all off doing other things or working in the hospitals alongside her. She could probably gather a handful of friends who would be interested in a mixer party. But she’d think about that later. Mikan listened to him talk, her eyes lighting up as he explained he’d visited Seoul before. “L-Lucky! I’ve only been wh-when I was really little,” she replied. “I b-barely remember my trip with my g-grandmother.”

“I g-guess… people with older ideologies tend to shun those who d-don’t quite fit the molds that they think s-society should have… I’m n-not upset over it. I’ve lived my whole life with p-people telling m-me I’m not fully Japanese. It doesn’t offend me like people think it should.” There were far worse things she could get upset over. He was right about people coming from different backgrounds being more interesting though. She always found patients who came from other places to have the best stories to tell. “Really? I would have n-never guessed!” She exclaimed, taking a sip of her drink. “I know how you feel. K-Kids can be really cruel for no reason. But I don’t b-blame them. They don’t know any better.” Mikan leaned back in her seat, a genuine sense of connection forming between them. Part of her wanted to ask him home with her - a bad habit she had desperately tried to rid when she was younger - but she wanted to take this a little slower than her past relationships. Minato seemed too good to be true and she wasn’t about to let it go sour so early on. “Eh… so… I know this is b-being a little forward. But I f-figured since I’d already mentioned it before… I’d really like to do this again w-with you.”

[{ 🦋 }] - "Sounds like this Mioda friend of yours has a lot of energy, A little too much. Kind of reminds me of my best friend Junpei, that guy can always bring the hype, and make any moment more vibrant with his energy."

A soft chuckle as he thinks of a few times his best buddy did what he does best, be the same outgoing dude he was known for being. There was never a dull moment with his best friend Junpei Iori around. If his buddy agreed to come, he would more than likely just come for the party to meet new friends, as Junpei was in a relationship with Chidori Yoshino, and he honestly couldn't be any happier for those two.

For some reason, Minato felt like that name sounded very familiar, he didn't know anyone with that name personally, but he could have sworn he heard it somewhere before, he just couldn't remember. Either way, this person sounded a bit overly energetic, It made him curious about her other friends she has, especially since this Mioda character sounded very happy-go-lucky, and that wasn't a bad thing either.

When they further spoke about Korean food, Minato brought up his most recent visit to Seoul, a travel experience that he thoroughly enjoyed, not just for the wonderful food, but also because of the location he was investigating at the time, good food, and constant communication with spirits was a perfect recipe for a very good trip if he ever went to Seoul again, he would definitely have to invite Mikan to join him, especially if she hadn't been there for a long time, and besides, not only did he enjoy her company, it would also be a very nice switch since he had been there only with his coworkers, it would be especially enjoyable with Mikan Tsumiki right by his side.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Really? Hmm, in that case, the next time I go to Seoul, maybe can come along? I'd be happy to have you with me on that trip."

Hearing her state something so boldly that she lived her life being cast aside due to the slight difference, it kind of amazed him. On the outside, Mikan appeared so weak and frail, but never did he think that she would be so strong after living through that for such a long time.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, I think so too. But, wow... you're much stronger than I thought, I am very glad.. I admire that about you Mikan."

A soft chuckle after Minato revealed his other ethnic origin, something that was often hard to believe when it came to it, Thankfully, just like he thought, she understood how it felt too.

[{ 🦋 }] - "Yeah, it's hard to tell sometimes, and people these days can definitely be that way. Some kids can definitely be cruel, but they'll learn eventually."

Minato was a little surprised when she asked for a second date, he honestly didn't think it would happen, so evidently, but he wasn't complaining this time it didn't take him long to have an answer, because he also wanted to have another date with her, so he smiles.

[{ 🦋 }] - "You're not being too forward, in fact, I would be more than happy to go on a second date with you Mikan, I'm really enjoying this time we're spending together, and I'm looking forward to more." He says with a smile.

[sincerelyasomebody]

Mama || Leticia "Letty" Cruz

(GIF: @angels-reyes)

A/N: This was created because I've seen some speculation that Letty may not make it to the end of Season 3 (😭🥺). My mind needed something fluffy to combat this and so this piece came about. Apologises for grammatical errors and please let me know if the Spanish translation needs correcting.

Characters/Pairing(s): Letty x Reader (mother-daughter relationship) ▪︎ Coco x Reader (mention) ☆ Mayans MC (brief mention) ▪︎ OCs (receptionist, mother and son duo) 

Summary: Just a mother protecting her daughter. 

Warnings: brief mention of altercation (male and female), description of injuries, fluff, language, nicknames, painkillers (reference to injury) 

Word Count: 1755

- ♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ -

(Y/N) couldn't believe how busy the roads leading to the local high school were. It was a Wednesday, a little after ten and the streets were just packed with cars. She thought it was ridiculous considering people were usually at their jobs and children were in their age appropriate schools. There was no reason for people to be out and about. 

"The light's been green for five seconds!" she yelled and honked her horn, "move!" The driver in front gave her the finger before taking off, "you're so fucking lucky I've got somewhere to be, asshole!" she called out as she drove in the opposite direction. 

When her phone rang during her break, the last person (Y/N) expected to hear from was the receptionist for Santo Padre High School. According to the woman, Leticia (Letty as she was mostly referred to) had been in an altercation with another student and her parents or caregivers were requested to come and meet with the principal. Rachel, the receptionist, mentioned trying to reach her father but going straight to voicemail. With (Y/N) being listed as an emergency contact she was called. 

(Y/N) immediately asked about Letty, but was told that specific details couldn't be discussed over the phone. She found that odd, but accepted it (for the time being) and informed Rachel that she would be there as quickly as she could. After hanging up, she grabbed her belongings and told her manager she had a family emergency to attend to. She was cleared and (Y/N) informed him that she would be taking a week off as well and would keep them updated on her situation. 

From the moment she received the call to the time she pulled up in front of the high school, her thoughts revolved around Letty. Being with Coco for several years allowed (Y/N) to gain some insight to the type of life he had been subjected to. Through a lot of tears, constant reassurance and love (Y/N) was able to break through his tough exterior and get him to believe she was in it for the long haul. When (Y/N) was told by him about his daughter being in a similar environment to what he was in growing up, she demanded him to bring her home.

The second she laid eyes on Letty she saw Coco's features and personality shine through. (Y/N) didn't expect the teenager to respect or trust her right off the bat, but she made sure to let her know that she was here if she needed someone to talk to and gave her space. With every door slam, harsh comment and glare sent her way, (Y/N) continued being herself and showed Letty she wasn't a threat. It was challenging, especially when Coco left on runs, but she pushed through. Eventually the teenager began to accept her father's girlfriend without second guessing her. 

(Y/N) stepped into the main office and found a woman standing beside a teenage boy, who held some paper towels to his nose and had a couple of scratches on his face. She moved closer and realised the pair were towering over Letty who sat in the corner and was looking down at her lap. Clenching her jaw, she strode over to the trio. 

"Get the fuck away from my daughter!" she glared at the duo and turned around to Letty, who was now standing, "mi niña, are you okay?" she kissed her forehead and cupped her cheeks, "Leticia?" 

The teenager nodded, "uh… y-yeah, I'm fine," she went to move (Y/N)'s hands but winced, "completely fine." 

(Y/N)'s eyes widened at the state of Letty's hands. They were most likely bruised and what shocked her even more was that there was no ice-pack beside her seat. The boy clearly had been given assistance, but her baby girl hadn't and that pissed her off.

"Rachel!" she called out and a woman appeared around the corner, "you're the one who called me right?" 

"Yes." 

"And, you said you couldn't go over specific details of what happened over the phone?" 

"That's correct." 

(Y/N) nodded and gestured towards Letty's hands, "well I'm here now and would like an explanation on why my daughter hasn't been treated and that young man has?" When the mother tried to give a reason, she raised a hand in her face, "this doesn't concern you, this conversation is between Rachel and I." 

Rachel gulped and could feel the anger radiating off of (Y/N), "well… uh, he was bleeding and –"

"Were there other staff members present?" she asked and when she was given a nod, she continued, "why couldn't they have provided medical assistance to my daughter?" 

"She… didn't tell us she was hurt, ma'am, she said she was fine so –"

"Bitch do her hands look fine to you?" 

The mother scoffed, "at least we know where your daughter gets her attitude from." 

(Y/N) turned to her, "shut up, nobody asked for your ass to speak," she gestured towards her son, "the reason your son's looking like a fucked up tomato is completely justified I can vouch for that." 

"Are you kidding me?" She shrieked and pointed to his face, "he's most likely got a broken nose and there's scratches on his face!"

"Exactly, be glad my daughter didn't have a screwdriver on her." (Y/N) replied and almost laughed at the disbelief on the woman's face, "your son deserved every scratch, bruise and possible broken bone."

"Excuse me!?" 

(Y/N) ignored her and turned back around to face Rachel, "Letty and I will be leaving now."

"Mrs Fraser hasn't seen –" 

"My main concern right now is my daughter's well-being," she told her, "and you've got my details on file so I'm sure Mrs Fraser can contact me at a later date." 

Rachel spoke again, "please if you'd just –"

"No." 

(Y/N) picked up Letty's bag and walked over to the desk, with Letty trailing behind her. She quickly signed out on the tablet and the pair walked out of the building. Reaching her car, (Y/N) unlocked it and helped Letty into the passenger seat. Closing her door, she rushed to the driver's side and got in. 

She helped Letty buckle up, before buckling herself in, "everything okay, sweets?" 

"Yeah… uh, thanks." was the response she received, before she started up the car and pulled out of the school parking lot while explaining where they were off to next. 

-- ♡ -- ◇ -- 

"He's always talking shit," Letty explained to (Y/N) about the guy in the office, "it was about time someone shut him up." 

"And you were the person to do so?" 

She shrugged her shoulders, "he ran his mouth and then touched me, so I beat his ass." 

"Two for one special?" 

"Pretty much." 

(Y/N) chuckled, "when your hands heal up, we'll ask one of the guys to teach you a few moves in the ring, thankfully your hands are just bruised and not broken." 

"They still hurt like a bitch." 

"You've got another two hours before you can drink some more painkillers." 

"What would've happened if Coco answered the phone?" Letty questioned.

(Y/N) shook her head, "honey, I don't even think I wanna know what would've happened," she noticed the teen wince, "are you okay?" 

"Yes." 

"Are you sure?"

She huffed, "I'm fine, okay? I was fine when you picked me up. I was fine when we went to the doctor's office. I was fine at the grocery store and I was fine the last time you asked me." 

(Y/N) nodded and pulled into their driveway, putting the car in park, "I'm not gonna apologise about asking how you're feeling. I'm just – I just want to make sure you're okay. But, now I'll stop because I can see I'm annoying you." 

"Yeah, you are." 

She chuckled, "okay, I'll stop, but you'll tell –" 

Letty sighed, "yes, I'll tell you. You really take this parenting thing seriously. I mean… you've been referring to me as your daughter all day and I–I'm not. But you defended me –" 

"And I always will." 

" – against Kyle, his mum and even the receptionist. I–I've never had that before. And, even at the doctor's office you made sure I was seen by a female because you knew it'd make me more comfortable." 

"Letty?" 

"You treat me like I'm yours and you called me your daughter and I… I don't know, I just," she took a deep breath, shook her head and looked out of the window.

(Y/N) waited for her to continue, but she didn't. Thinking back on today's events, she realised she had referred to Letty as her own. She had been doing it in her mind for so long and didn't realise she had said it out in the open. Letty had heard her reference and it seemed to make her uncomfortable and that was something she vowed she wouldn't do. 

"When I started dating your dad he told me about the kids he had. He told me that he wasn't involved in their lives because being away from them was for the best. I asked him what would happen if one day a kid reached out and his response was "if they do, they do. I ain't gonna turn them away", (Y/N) spoke up, "and then you reached out, sweetums. You reached out and your dad took that as a sign. From the moment you entered our lives, it's been a whirlwind of emotions. We're not this picture perfect family, but we're our own version. Despite being almost an adult, Coco still views you as his baby girl. And, honestly, I've been viewing you the same way."

Letty sniffed and looked up, "really?" 

"Absolutely, gorgeous. The moment you stepped through that door you became mine as well," (Y/N) pointed at the front door of their home, before turning to her, "but that doesn't matter if you're not okay with it. I'm not trying to force you to be –" 

"I'm Coco's daughter," she cut in and smiled at (Y/N), "and now I'm yours too." 

(Y/N) beamed with joy and unbuckled her seatbelt, and Letty's, reaching over the middle console to bring the teen into her arms. Letty wrapped her arms around (Y/N), breathing in her (scent). The woman chuckled and kissed her cheek, "I love you, baby girl." 

Letty pulled her closer, "I love you too, mama." 

-♤ - ♡ - ◇ - ♧ - 

Spanish Translations: 

Mi niña - my girl / baby girl

[starlyte-writes]

My Sincerest Apologies

I thought about those Dream SMP one shots I linked in an earlier post and just decided to put them on here. Seeing as this account is just spam and one shots, it makes sense lol

Anyway, this one is about c!Tommy and c!Sam, so keep in mind that I wrote this when things were... better. (This fic was originally written on March 2nd, so, y'know.)

Needless to say this aged poorly but oh well, take it anyway.

Reminder this fic is based off of the Dream SMP, which is a role-play. I'm writing about the characters, not the people! Just don't want you to think I'm talking about real Dream (who is wonderful) when I'm talking about character Dream (who's a dick).

Trigger Warnings: Crying, Mental Breakdown, References of a past toxic friendship, Mentions of Mental/Emotional abuse, Yelling, Fighting, Swearing (it is Tommy), Mentions of Manipulation

Word Count: 3,407

Stay safe and enjoy!

-

It had been a good day.

The SMP was quiet. Calm. Even with the weird "egg vines" that had been sprouting about, there was no feeling of terror. No continuous rush of adrenaline. No constant thoughts of how death was around every corner.

It was just Tommy and everyone else. Him and the SMP. He was happy. He wasn't alone anymore.

It was a good day.

Well, it had been a good day.

He's just not allowed to have those, is he?

"Hello again, TommyInnit!" a familiar voice called out, sounding cartoonish and a pitch just a tad too high.

"Hey, Sam Nook!" It was just Sam, Tommy knew that. He wasn't an idiot. But, on his first day making the Big Innit Hotel (name made by yours truly), Sam had jokingly started talking in that voice. And, well, it was too stupid to not laugh at it.

Besides, when was the last time he really laughed? It almost made him feel like a kid again. Or at least remind him that he still is one.

He'd been forgetting about that a lot lately.

"The progress of the hotel is going along well!" Sam chirped, smiling down proudly. "You seem to be in a good mood, TommyInnit."

"I am!" It wasn't a lie. His chest was puffed up, face that proud and shameless smile he hadn't worn in months. Apparently hanging out with Tubbo and vandalizing shit with Ranboo and Charlie can make you feel like that. "It's been a good day, for once." He let out a light scoff, but there was a hidden bitterness to it.

If Sam noticed, he didn't comment. "That is good to hear! I hope you were able to obtain the four stacks of cobblestone I asked for. The hotel can't continue to be built without it!"

Shit.

The world came crashing down on him almost instantly. The bright sun was suddenly unbearable. Tommy's stomach became knotted, filling up with burning dread. Or maybe it was bile. The teen's breath picked up as Tommy became acutely aware of the tall cliff right next to him and Sam.

How could he have been so careless? How could he forget? Sure, he's been on good terms with Sam throughout this ordeal, but that's just because he always did as he was told! Sam had trusted him to do what he asked and Tommy just blatantly ignored him.

But surely Sam will know it was an accident. He hadn’t meant to get distracted, it was a mistake. They were friends, weren’t they?

“I thought we were friends, Tommy.”

No.

“Friends don’t lie to each other.”

No no no no no no.

This was Sam, not Dream. Dream was in prison. He was supposed to be over this by now. It’s fine, it’s fine, just let him know he’s sorry.

“Sam, I am so so sorry,” Tommy choked out. His throat felt as if it was closing in on itself. He was out in the open but everything felt so tight.

The creeper seemed to hesitate, his smile slipping ever so slightly. “Ah… about what, TommyInnit?” he asked, though the bounce in his voice was gone.

He’s mad.

He’s gonna be so upset with him.

The teenager put his hands up slowly as if dealing with a wild animal. His brow was suddenly thick with sweat and his eyes flew about their surroundings. No one else was around. No one would know if he lost his last life.

“I trusted you, Tommy.”

“I swear, I was going to get the cobblestone, I really was! In fact, I-here’s proof, I have some-” He fumbled over his own words as he struggled to pull half a stack of cobblestone from his bag. “See! I was doing it, I promise.”

He held out the cobblestone like an offering, but when he looked at Sam the man was no longer smiling.

“Put it in the pit, Tommy.”

Tommy clung onto his bag tightly. He didn’t want to lose his stuff. Not again. He had been trying so hard to get some good stuff again, on his own this time!

What if Sam blew up his house?

What if Sam blew up the hotel?

He couldn’t build it himself, that was the point of hiring him in the first place! What if he chased him out of the SMP? What if he had to leave again, with nothing, again, be alone again.

“Tommy!” He flinched violently as Sam grabbed his shoulders. He’s mad, he’s mad, oh he’s so mad.

“Sam, really, I’m so sorry. Tubbo was helping me get it and then Ranboo and Charlie came by and I forgot. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I can go get it right now, I promise-”

“Tommy, look at me, please!”

“I can even double it, if you need more! Just please don’t take my things away. Please, I really like my stuff. Please, please, I swear I’m sorry, I really am-”

“Tommy, it’s okay!”

The world went quiet.

When Tommy looked up at Sam, the creeper looked blurry. With a blink, he realized he had started crying. Fuck.

At once he went to rub at his eyes, looking down with a red face. He felt Sam’s hands flinch, as if he was going to grab his hands but hesitated.

The two sat in silence for a moment, the teen uncomfortably sniffing from time to time. Everything still felt so closed in, despite being outside, and there was a constant buzzing in his head.

Why didn’t you listen, he’s your only friend, you’ll be alone again alone you’re alone alonealonealone-

“Tommy.” It was softer, but tough enough that he still flinched. Slowly, but surely, Tommy met Sam’s eyes and was shocked to find they were… concerned? “I’m not upset with you. At all.”

Oh, so he was going with that tactic.

The boy closed in on himself slightly, looking down once more. “Sam, you don’t have to lie to me. I’m sorry, I truly am, just let me fix it, please.” Sam squeezed his shoulders gently.

“I’m not lying. You did nothing wrong.”

“But I did! I promised you cobblestone and I didn’t do it. I’m, I’m a bad-”

“You’re not a bad friend, Tommy, I-”

“I am! I had a simple task, one task! And I didn’t listen.”

“You never listen, Tommy! I asked you to do one thing, one thing! And you couldn’t!”

“Tommy, it’s alright, you aren’t-”

“Stop lying to me!” Tommy flinched at his own voice. He wanted Sam to let go of him. He wanted to run away. He wanted to leave, to never return, to get out, get out, get out-

Breathe, a voice that sounded distinctly like his long gone brother said. Though he hesitated, he listened.

Letting out a slow and shaky breath, he looked up slightly. He still couldn’t meet Sam in the eyes. “You don’t have to pretend. To, to trick me. I was a bad friend. I’m sorry, Sam.”

Tommy blinked, and when his eyes opened once more they were at eye level with Sam’s. He had crouched down, just barely. The teen jerked back, but Sam kept a steady hold on his shoulders.

“Tommy,” he started, voice soft and delicate and way too caring. “I’m not lying. I’m not mad at you. It’s okay you don’t have the cobblestone. You didn’t have to get it to me right away.”

“But you asked for it. It was a rule. You ask for something, I bring it to you, you build my hotel and be friends with me.” Sam winced at his wording, and Tommy felt his brows furrow. “What?”

“Friendship isn’t part of the contract, Tommy.”

His heart dropped.

If Sam wasn’t friends with him anymore, if he had fucked up that badly, who’s to say everyone else won’t leave? They all did the first time he messed up. No, he couldn’t go back to that, back to being by himself, alone, exiled. Surely he could fix this. They wouldn’t abandon him again, would they?

Would they?

“I’m friends with you because I want to be,” Sam continued. It took a second, but once Tommy registered the words the panic was (momentarily) subsided with confusion.

“What do you mean? I wrote in the contract, ‘you have to be one of my best friends.’ That’s part of the deal.”

Sam let out a chuckle, but it sounded almost pitying, and if Tommy weren’t so stressed he’d probably be irked by the baby face the man was giving him. “Tommy, I want to be your friend because I want to, not cause I have to.”

…

What?

“I...I don’t,” he stuttered, his eyes feeling hot and itchy, but he couldn’t look away from Sam. He looked so genuine. So kind and earnest, like he truly just wanted to see Tommy succeed, to see Tommy happy.

But that’s not how things work. People get annoyed with Tommy. They deal with him if they have to and leave as soon as they can. They use him, they trick him, nobody just wants to suffer through the annoying stubborn prick that he is.

He can’t be serious. He has to be lying.

Sam looked around, noted the open walled hotel, and slowly began to push the boy towards it. “Let’s head somewhere more private, yeah?”

Panic rushed through Tommy once more with full force. He sharply shook his head, to the point where his neck made a small painful pop. Moving somewhere else, he’s taking him somewhere, he doesn’t wanna leave, please don’t kick him out again, no, he’s finally had a home.

“Just over to the hotel, I promise,” the creeper reassures, his hand now barely resting on Tommy’s shoulder.

He hesitated, but after thinking about the fact that there aren’t any walls to stop him from escaping, he shuffles over towards his prized project.

“You broke my trust, so now you have to start from scratch.”

“I don’t want to do this, Tommy, but you left me no choice.”

“I’m messing with you!”

That last one didn’t fit in with the rest. Yet before Tommy could think about where that memory came from because Dream’s my friend, why would he mess with me? Sam had started talking again.

“Let me make this clear, Tommy. You’re not in any trouble. I promise. In fact, I’m glad you’re hanging out with Ranboo and Charlie! With anyone, really.”

Tommy arched a brow, and before he could stop himself he quipped, “You sound like a dad concerned for his lonely-ass kid.” Something seemed to shine in Sam’s eyes at the word “dad”, a word Tommy hadn’t been fond of in a while, but he didn’t comment. He was already pushing it.

Sam seemed to bite something down right before it left his mouth, and instead let out an amused chuckle. “I guess I kinda do. Point is, it’s okay you didn’t get the cobblestone. I’d never get mad at you for something as unimportant as that.”

“But it is important. You can’t continue to build the hotel without it!” Tommy insisted, hugging himself tightly now that the man had let go of him.

Once again, Sam seemed to debate something. Slowly, but surely, he said, “Well, that’s not relatively true. It does help loads, but I could technically still continue building the base structure.”

What.

Something snapped in Tommy, that old stubbornness that he’d been scared of showing for quite a while, and couldn’t stop himself as he yelled, “You’ve been fucking babying me!”

While he held a strong front, the teen was internally terrified he had stepped over some boundary, resisted more than he should’ve.

But Sam just let out a laugh, some tension leaving his shoulders. “Look, it really does help me out!”

A question appeared in his mind, and Tommy decided to test something. “All this time I’ve been working my ass off and you could’ve been what, half way done with the hotel by now?! Sometimes it feels like I work for you and not the other way around.”

Sam was smiling now. “No, I promise, you’re a huge help.”

Tommy internally held his breath. “You’re a real bitch, you know that, Sam?! Jesus Christ it’s a good thing you can build shit otherwise I’d ‘ve fired you by now. I am not a child. I am the biggest of men and your boss!”

Sam let out a big and hearty laugh, the kind where your shoulders bounce up and down and you can’t wipe that smile off your face. It was quick, but it was real. Tommy couldn’t believe it.

He really wasn’t mad at him.

“Yes, okay, okay, I admit it, I was kind of babying you, but please don’t fire me, Mr. Innit,” the creeper joked, crossing his arms, but not in a threatening way.

The teen wanted to make a snappy retort. Wanted to keep the warm atmosphere that had appeared. But all he could do was stare wide-eyed.

After a few seconds too long, Sam began to grow concerned agan. “Tommy?” he asked hesitantly.

“You’re really not mad at me.” It left his mouth before he could stop it. That look of sorrow came over the man again, but this time there was no pity. Just concern.

“Of course I’m not mad, Tommy. I’ll never be mad at you, and even if I am I’d never do anything to hurt you. I promise.” Tommy wanted to believe him. He really did.

But he was too quick to trust too many people to fall for it again.

“You don’t know that,” he mumbled, looking at the ground once more.

Sam paused with his hand in the air, but soon gently placed it on Tommy’s arm. Tommy had to fight to hold himself still. “I really do. I wouldn’t lie to you about it. Not like Dr- uh, others have.”

He perked up at that. “You were going to say Dream, weren’t you?”

“Well, I just mean the general group of people who’ve lied to you,” Sam tried to defend, but now the creeper was the one avoiding eye contact.

Tommy stared long and hard, and soon enough his eyes drifted over to the prison. The prison that held Dream. The man he thought was his friend. Because no, Dream wasn’t his friend. He’s a fucking psychopath that almost killed Tubbo just to toy with Tommy.

And he was locked up. For good.

Suddenly it clicked.

“You know what Dream did to me, don’t you?” He had intended for the question to be rough and intimidating, but it only came out quiet, scared.

“He’s told me while I watch over him," he admitted before quickly adding, "I, Tommy, the things he did to you… No one should go through that, nonetheless a child!”

“I’m not a child.” His voice was a bit sharper that time, but not because he was defensive. He was ashamed.

“Tommy, you are. Everyone seems to forget that, even you! I just, I was so concerned that you had to go through that, alone, I had to make sure you were okay!”

He knew it.

“So you aren’t my friend. I’m just your patient to heal, right?”

“That’s not what I said-”

“I’m the little baby you need to look after, aren’t I? Look, Sam, I have managed perfectly fine on my own! I’ve never had anyone I could fully trust, fully lean on. I don’t need anyone. I’ll never need anyone but myself .” It was a flat out lie and they both knew it.

“I don’t just hang out with you to fix you, you don’t need fixing! But you need someone there for you. I knew that it was wrong. To put a kid through war. To send a kid to exile. It was wrong from the start.  I offered to help you, but gods I wish I had just forced you to come live with me! The stuff Dream did to you is awful and Tommy, I just want you to be happy!”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not!"

“You are! No one cares. No one cares! It’s over and done with. I’m fine, I don’t need therapy, I don’t need to be coddled, I just need to move on! I don’t need someone to pretend to be my friend, I don’t need friends, I don’t, I don’t need a brother, I don’t need a father, I don’t need anyone! ”

There was a beat of quiet save for Tommy’s heaving breaths. He was crying again, dammit. He took in his words and that familiar anxiety kicked up. He’d gone too far, rebelled too much.

If only he could learn to shut his stupid mouth-

In the blink of an eye a pair of arms were hugging him. On instinct he tried to push away, to fight it and escape. But they just squeezed tighter, and Tommy froze when he felt a single drop on his shoulder.

“You need someone.”

Tommy couldn’t stop himself. The most horrendous sob escaped him, shook his entire being. He fell into Sam’s hold, a flood gate he had fought so hard to keep together bursting open. It was like he couldn’t breathe, every breath wracking his soul till he was left gasping for air.

He cried and cried and cried. A mix of blubbering “I’m sorry” and “please don’t leave me” managed to find their way through his tears until his throat was raw and eyes empty of tears. But even after that he still didn’t let go.

He just didn’t want to be alone.

Never again.

Sam didn’t cry, didn’t comment. He just hugged him, shushing his pleas for forgiveness, promising him “it was okay.” That “everything will be alright.” Neither of them knew if that was true, but they didn’t want to dwell on it.

They sat there for a while, gods above knew how long. It was a miracle nobody walked past to notice a creeper holding onto a sobbing child.

Tommy felt more like a little kid than he had in years.

More fragile and vulnerable than he had allowed in almost a decade.

Sam didn’t seem to mind.

Tommy couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Eventually though, the hugging grew awkward for the teen, and with a bit of squirming he was released from the creeper’s grasp. They were sitting on the floor (when did they get down there?) and Sam just gave him a patient stare.

Tommy didn’t know what he was going to say, but he definitely didn’t think it would be, “Tell anyone I did that and you’re fucking dead.”

Sam let out a surprised laugh, having not expected it either, but he smiled. “I promise.”

“Good.”

Another pause, but this one more comfortable than the last. Sam just kept staring at him with this weird loving look as if he was almost… proud of him? For what, Tommy had no clue. He literally just sobbed himself dry on the floor of a barely built hotel. There was nothing to be proud of.

He didn’t mind it, though. Almost like a proud dad. (He tried not to think about that too much.)

“Thank you,” Tommy croaked out after a bit more staring.

Sam nodded, with that same pleased gaze. “Of course, Tommy.”

The teen stumbled to his feet, brushed off some nonexistent dirt, and coughed. “I’m… um, going to go get that cobblestone,” he explained, not sure whether to leave or not.

Rising to his feet as well, Sam nodded. “Take your time,” he replied, though his voice was reassuring.

Tommy let out an awkward chuckle, nodded in return, and turned to leave with the creeper’s eyes burning into his head.

His head felt like it was filled with bees as he left for the mines. A constant buzzing with indistinguishable thoughts flying around. He tried not to think about what just happened. About how Sam knew what Tommy had gone through.

He was the only person who now understood why he avoided narrow holes or flinched just at the sight of TNT. Why he was always hesitant to hand something over, or why if he did he had to physically stop himself from dropping everything else as well. Why he was suddenly so much more apologetic.

Someone knew what happened. It wasn’t his and Dream’s secret anymore.

He wasn’t alone.

…

Maybe the day hadn’t been that awful after all.

-

I know that was angsty, and probably hurts more now with how things have changed in canon, but I hope you liked it!

(reblogs and likes are appreciated!)

-Star

[alison-anonymous]

♡ time stops | t.l.

Time Stops | Tom Lucitor

Combined soulmate AU of Time Freezing and Shared Pain!

Warnings - none

Characters - you, Tom Lucitor, Star Butterfly, Marco Diaz

Requested - nah man no one wants to request anything😅

♡ ♡ ♡

In the world you lived in, time went by extremely fast. Well, for you. It seemed like the earth was moving on its axis a little quicker just for the benefit of rattling you. The people on the street always seemed to be hurrying. Whenever people spoke, it always seemed rushed. The school work you received was always as high as the pyramids. Sometimes all you wished for was for the clock to just freeze.

To stop time, even if just for a little bit.

As if that weren't making your life miserable enough, you also had to deal with your soulmate. You and your soulmate shared any harm that came to either one of you. Of course, you had no clue who your soulmate was, and frankly weren't that interested in figuring it out because of all of the "soulmate reveals gone wrong" stories that littered tabloids. Though, you had to admit, it did get a little annoying when your hands constantly felt like they were on fire. At first, you had thought you were the cause of it. You were a little klutzy whether you liked to admit it or not. But after it occured while you were washing your hands with cold water, when you were out getting the mail, when you were helping Star and Marco carve ice, and when they dared you to stick your hands in the freezer and your hands were STILL burning, you soon realized that it was probably your soulmate.

So, as revenge, you often rammed your knees or elbows against things in hopes that your agonizing pain would spread to him and balance out the pain they made you feel as well.

Only, you found it a little mind boggling as to how someone could manage to cause that much pain on just their hands. Maybe he was a pyro or something.

You were just a simple human teenager going through her own set of problems. You always tried your best, and attempted to make friends, but not many of them ever really stuck. Eventually, you were able to become pretty close friends with Marco Diaz, the school's safe kid, and Star Butterfly, a magical princess from Mewni. While you and Marco bonded over a shared fascination with karate, you and Star had more of an you-saved-her-one-time-and-she-got-heart-eyes-and-thinks-anything-you-do-is-amazing-now sort of way.

You loved the two of them to death, and as time went on, you began to realize the all too familiar shared pain experiences the duo were having. Not being too fond of romance yourself, you decided to indulge into your best friends' love lives instead of figuring out your own. It didn't take you too long to figure out that Star and Marco were soulmates. It all happened when Marco dropped a brick on his foot and Star screamed in pain in another room. But of course, you had to keep it inside because revealing soulmates to one another never had good outcomes. But you still secretly shipped Starco all the way.

In the present, the three of you were having a sleepover in the Diaz household. It was a weekly occurance for Star or Marco or both to just follow you to your house then kidnap you. Not that you minded, of course! After fattening yourselves up with plenty of junk food and Marco's nachos, and binge watching some TV shows, the three of you were sitting around in a circle as you braided Star's hair, sharing gossip and talking about everything in general when a sudden topic approached that made your heart rate pick up.

"So, Y/n," Star began as you moved on to another braid. "Have you figured out who your soulmate is yet?"

You reached for the soda sitting before you and raised the bottle to your lips. Let this be beer, you thought as you chugged the remains. It didn't help your speeding heart like you'd hoped.

"Nope. And I don't know if I ever will. Life's always been a little hard on me, and I don't think a soulmate is going to fix that for me. Besides, time goes by too fast for me anyways," you sighed, watching as Marco's and Star's movements seemed sped up compared to yours. You heaved a sigh and laid your head back against Star's headboard.

"Well, I've heard that once you meet your soulmate, as soon as you lock eyes, time us supposed to freeze. It only starts up again once you touch. But that's only for some people. Meeting your soulmate is different for everyone," Marco shrugged, biting into another nacho.

And some soulmates have met and don't even know it, you thought, eyeing your two best friends as they secretly stole glances at one another when the other wasn't looking.

"Well, it's kind of difficult for the shared pain to help us figure out who our soulmate is. I mean, besides the occasional bumps and scratches, the only constant pain I get from them is really weird..." You rolled your eyes, shoving some cheddar popcorn into your mouth. When did the topic suddenly turn to your love life?

Star turned to face you and raised an eyebrow. "What kind of weird?"

"Well," you swallowed. "It's always this constant burning sensation on the palms of both my hands. Like they're being set on fire or something. Isn't that strange? I don't know."

You heaved out another sigh and were about to continue your braiding of Star's hair when she suddenly flipped her whole body around to face you and started squealing. Even Marco had a smirk across his lips. You leaned back a bit as Star's eyes filled with hearts, being a bit creeped out. Everything was moving so quickly it was hard for you to keep track of what your friends were doing and saying.

"Oh my gosh, your soulmate is T-"

Star was cut short my Marco clamping his hand over her mouth. You furrowed your brows at his slightly panicked expression.

"Star, shush! You know we can't reveal soulmates to each other, remember?"

You couldn't help but gasp. "Wait - you know who my soulmate is?"

Star brushed his hand off her mouth, and continued to hold on to it in what might be excitement. She grinned her signature toothy grin at you. "Of course we do!!! Oohhh this is perfect, you two are made for each other, why did we never see it before? Marco, we have to get them together!"

She proceeded to do some more squealing and Marco tried to calm her down as you sat in your own silence, trying to calm the flashing world before you. Time, slow down, you whispered in your mind. Things were happening too fast.

They knew your soulmate. But if they knew your soulmate, how hadn't you figured it out yet? It was probably someone you'd never met before. Though some soulmates meet and never know it. You hoped your case wasn't one of those. Or Starco's.

Grabbing ahold of the soda you wished to be alcohol, you attempted to drink more only to realize the bottle was empty. Sighing as you set it back down, you let the newfound knowledge seep in.

Who was your soulmate?

♡♡♡

About a week later, you were woken up from your homework-induced coma by the sound of your phone going off. Groaning as you picked it up, you mustered up your best hello.

"Y/n! Marco and I are going to a ball tonight, and you're coming with us!"

"But-"

"I'm outside your house, come on, we're going shopping!"

♡♡♡

Of course, being best friends with Star Butterfly also included being dragged along with her to big fat fancy balls in different dimensions with different proper etiquette and creatures you had never laid eyes on before.

After trying on countless gowns, Star had finally settled on something her usual style and you had picked a modest gown of your favorite color that gently trailed along the floor with a small slit up the side. Of course, Marco was just wearing one of his tuxes. You couldn't help but have an internal fangirling moment when Star and Marco froze staring at one another all dressed up. It was absolutely adorable the way that they stuttered out compliments to one another!

On the carriage ride to the ball, Marco and Star were acting really strange. Extremely giddy, like they were sitting on the edge of their metaphorical seats, waiting for something amazing to happen. You decided to savor their anticipation for as long as you could. When Star Butterfly bit her lip to refrain from letting out her evil fits of laughter, you knew she was plotting something.

The carriage rolled up to a stop by the castle, and since you had gotten used to life with Star, you delicately hopped out and waved goodbye as the carriage flew away. Turning back to Star and Marco, you grinned internally once you saw they were holding hands as they beamed up at the beauty of the castle in the night sky.

"Okay, everyone, are we ready? Y/n, you're going to meet someone very important tonight!" Star grinned over at you. You furrowed your brows.

"And just who am I going to be meeting tonight?"

"Oh, no one!" Marco quickly sputtered out before Star could say another word, pushing you both inside the castle. You were never really one for balls, especially ones from alternate dimensions, but with Star Butterfly, you were a fellow girl and you didn't quite have a choice. With Star's hand firmly gripped around yours with excitement, she led you and Marco through the throng of creatures conversing, burning to death in unicorn blood, and messing with trash cans. The three of you made it about halfway through the night fueled by trio dancing and the interesting assortment of food and drinks that were suspended midair on flying tables that you had to race to catch.

Finally, it was time for you to meet this mysterious person.

You had been dabbling in a bit of table racing with Marco, betting on which tables could get away from the creatures trying to have a taste of the substances they held faster, when Star came up behind you and grabbed your shoulders.

"N/n!" She shouted, making you scream in surprise. The three of you burst into a fit of laughter, Star wrapping her one arm around your bare shoulders and holding Marco's hand with the other.

"Are you ready to meet him?" She practically shrieked into your ear.

"Him?"

"Him. His name is Tom Lucitor." Marco answered.

"Tom Lucitor," you repeated, feeling a strange sensation of butterflies flutter around in your stomach at the name. Star couldn't contain herself anymore and burst out into a fit of giggles, whirling you around and attempting to fix your hair while you stood there in confusion and nervousness.

"Star, this isn't another hook up is it?" You questioned, narrowing your brows. Marco bit his lip to contain a smile and Star simply laughed, squishing your cheeks together.

"Don't worry, N/n. I've got it all under control!"

"I sincerely doubt that." You whined, leaning your head against Marco’s shoulder. 

“OH MY GOD THERE HE IS! TOM!” Star suddenly launched away from the two of you and began screeching her way through the crowd. You and Marco tried to keep track of the piled blonde hair through the crowd, but lost her after she passed by a dolphin. Wringing your hands together nervously, you turned to Marco once again and snapped him out of his longing gaze in Star’s direction by smashing his cheeks together so he would face you.

“Dude, I don’t know if this is a good idea. I mean, I’m weird. I’m awkward. And this is probably a hook up, one that I am not in the mood for! There’s no way he’s going to like me. He’s probably going to think I’m weird or creepy or ugly or-”

“Y/n, stop,” Marco laughed, grabbing your hands and holding them in his own. His brown eyes were warm as he offered you a smile. Marco had known about your self-consciousness for a while now, and your suicidal past with depressive tendencies. Your life had never been easy, and your brain sure wasn’t letting you off the hook. 

“You are amazing, whether you’d like to believe it or not. You’re beautiful, brave, kind, funny, and loyal. You’re also pretty badass too. Remember when you helped me and Star break out Pony Head from St. O’s? When you found that baseball bat and just went crazy smacking all those guards? You’re an amazing person, and the only person who doesn’t see that is yourself. He’s going to love you, believe me,” he suddenly winked at you, which made your eyes widen. “You two are closer than you think you are.”

He gently let go of your hands and smiled once again at you, only this time, you gave him one back. 

“Thanks, Marco,” you softly said. 

“Anytime, N/n-”

“HERE SHE IS!” You were once again interrupted by a screaming Star, only this time she was dragging someone along with her. Your heart began to pound with anticipation as she pushed the person into you. Not even having a change to take a good look at the person, you only saw a flash of pale lilac before he was practically shoved onto you, his height causing his chin to slightly bump against your head before he gently grabbed your arms to steady you before pulling back. 

“Y/n, this is Tom! Tom, this is Y/n, the girl I had been telling you about.” Star’s voice called out, only for some reason, time seemed to slow down drastically for her words seemed a little warped. Furrowing your brows, you slowly raised your eyes from the floor to take a good look at the person standing before you. Starting at his black as night tux and his shoes which were, wait, were they on fire? His strangely colored lilac skin which at first glance looked creepy, but was actually kind of unique and cute once you got used to it. Finally, your eyes landed on his face. He had beautiful salmony hair that was complimented by a set of horns on each side of his head. You breath hitched as you finally pieced together from the third eye just who were looking at. 

Tom Lucitor. As in demon prince of the underworld Tom Lucitor. How the hell did you never-

Then you finally met his eyes and the second that your e/c orbs met his red eyes, time suddenly froze. 

Star’s face was frozen into her squealing position next to a smirking Marco who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The tables had stopped flying, some suspended in midair, and the creatures who had previously been chasing them were frozen in the most weird facial expressions with their tongues sticking out. But none of that mattered, because for once you had finally gotten time to stop. And not only that, but the only people who weren’t frozen were you and the demon hybrid standing in front of you, the electricity between you two making it almost impossible for you to break eye contact with his beautiful and emotional red irises. 

Tom was the first to break eye contact, though reluctantly, and took a look around at the frozen figures before the two of you. You however, found it difficult to look away from him. You barely knew the mewman, and yet you felt such a connection to him. 

“Is the world frozen right now? Did Star freeze time again?” He questioned. Ugh, even his voice sent tingles down your spine. 

"It's t-the Time Stop," you stuttered out, brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "Marco told me about it. It happens once you meet your soulmate and time continues only once we, um, physically touch."

A smirk danced across his lips and you felt your chest tighten. "Well, I don't know about you, but I kind of like the world like this. Time moves much too quickly without you, gorgeous." He winked at you. Your pulse begin to race, each beat as hard as a sledgehammer as a blush grew on your cheeks. Bashfully looking down at the floor, you sensed him step closer to you, already feeling the warmth from him radiate onto your exposed skin.

“This may seem a little out there since we just met, but you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” Raising your head once again to meet his lovestruck gaze, a smirk grew onto your lips as well.

“Are you sure you’re not just saying that because we’re soulmates?” Crossing your arms across your chest, you playfully teased him. He laughed then, grinning over at you, and it was then that you realized that even though he was a demon hybrid, you honestly didn’t care. Humans sucked anyways. Sorry, Marco.

“I may be a bit biased, but I still think that you’re gorgeous. And I’m just now realizing that you probably have had to deal with the other end of my anger issues...” he let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. Giggling, you dared to take another step towards him, sensing the sparks drifting between you two.

“Having my hands feel like they were on fire most of the time is definitely not as bad as the rest of my life has been up until recently. Plus, you’re not too hard on the eyes yourself,” you did your best attempt at flirting, feeling the burning in your cheeks. Even Tom had some color dusting his cheeks as he eagerly stepped even closer to you. You swore that you could see the fire dancing in his eyes. 

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting to know you,” he smirked.

“The feeling is most definitely mutual,” you giggled. A comfortable silence passed as you stared into each other’s eyes before you realized that the two of you couldn’t stay like this forever. 

“As much as I could definitely get used to just the two of us in a time frozen world, we should probably start time back up again, huh?” You asked, smiling softly. He stepped even closer to you, closing the distance bit by bit until your foreheads were almost touching. You felt the intense desire to just reach out and wrap your arms around his neck to kiss him, but suppressed yourself, instead choosing to wait to see what he did next. 

He smirked as he lifted his hand to hover next to your face. Your breath hitched once again until he finally cupped your cheek in his hand, so close that if you simply moved an inch, your lips would be on his. As soon as his warm skin touched your cheek, time started back up once again, only this time it was moving at a much more even pace. 

You never expected your soulmate to be a demon prince, but you already knew you wouldn’t trade Tom for anyone else. 

♡ a.a. 

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC Stark

Rating: PG

Warning(s): Mentions of Character Death, Fluff & Angst

Word Count: 2,235

Info: I entered @littledarlinhavefaithinme Sebastian Stan Summer Song Writing Challenge. I choose to do it based off of Lullaby by Shawn Mullins. So I loosely and I mean loosely based it off the song, where she grew up with Tony, and Bucky does quote my favorite line of the song at the end. Also big thanks to @coffeebucko for making my moodboard!

Synopsis: Bruce snaps everyone back into existence and Thanos is gone. 5 years have passed and many things have changed for Remedy Stark, she’s an older sister, her dads gotten married to her mother figure and she isn't sure where she fits in it all.

Remedy Stark was born at the tail end of the ’80s, her father couldn't tell her much about how she was born but he could tell her about her mother and the story of how she was brought to him. Remedy could recount the story of being dropped off at her dad, Tony’s front doorstep by her mothers grieving friend. How Tony took one look at six-year-old her and cursed under his breath.

Remedy started showing her mutant abilities just a few months after she had moved in with her father. Tony had been working with some tools when he cut his finger open, feeling bad Remedy walked over grabbed her father's finger and kissed it. After telling him it was all better Tony looked down to find it healed with not even a scar left behind. That night they sat at the breakfast nook where Tony made Remedy promise she would keep her powers to them, and she did till she fixed Uncle Rhodey’s broken arm.

Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Bono, Mariah Carey, 2Pac, Elon Musk, Madonna, Michael J. Fox, Kevin Costner, Liv Tyler, Whitney Houston, Richard Branson, Steven Tyler, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, and Leonardo DiCaprio were among the few who partied at the Stark mansion, getting to see Remedy Stark grow up. She learned to speak many languages, her best friend was an artificial intelligence named Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, or Jarvis for short, her father created, till she went to a private charter school.

Now Remedy, wasn’t as smart as her father, but she did skip a few grades here and there, graduating at the age of 14 in 2001. The same year Pepper Potts entered both her and her father's life, she watched them dance around each other in fawning, praying for the day when either her dad grew mature or one of them made a move. That was also the year her second mutation activated, all Remedy had to do was think of a place she wanted to be and she would end up there, unfortunately, it happened in front of both Pepper and her father. It became a family secret.

Years went by, she watched the only woman she ever saw as a mother figure dive in love with her father, while he became a superhero. Aliens it turned out were real, a frozen super-soldier her father spent his entire existence in the shadow was alive, assassins could have their own family and be a damn good friend, also Nazis it turned out were still around.

Being called an Avenger was pretty amazing, but what felt even more amazing to Remedy was saving lives. Fixing the wrongs in the world that you could. Remedy found a family in the Avengers. Wanda was someone who was her own and that could relate to the pressures of being someone with powers. Steve soon after the battle New York, became her best friend, a brother she never she wanted, along with Clint and Sam. Natasha, well she was another Aunt and another mother figure of sorts who brought along Bey. Bey was Natasha’s child, her pride and joy, but also Remedy’s best friend.

Turns out when you get shocked by Thor when trying to save a small nation, well it can awaken hidden powers where you can open portals. Soon everyone knows your secrets and governments well they don't care that you are a Stark, or that you save lives, they notice the fallout you leave behind.

Remedy knew Steve and her father Tony getting along was never going to last, they always had a fallout but they always came together in the end. This time Remedy wasn't able to foretell the destruction, Thunderbolt Ross would have on the group. Remedy left to go bury her Godmother Peggy Carter, then the next thing she knew she was a wanted fugitive.

Tony wanted her to hate Bucky, for killing her grandparents she barely knew, but she couldn't find it in her. It wasn't Bucky’s fault it was the men behind the controls. She could be angry at Steve for not telling her father but she could easily forgive him attempting to protect his best friend, she would do the same for Wanda and Bey.

When it was all over, said and done, T’Challa welcomed Remedy along Bey to lay low in Wakanda when they weren't trying to be vigilantes. Pepper would meet up with Remedy behind Tony’s back, updating her on her father as well as her godfather. Always going their separate ways with a hug and tears in their eyes.

Than Thanos happened and one moment she was assisting Natasha to get up after healing her broken arm, getting ready to open a portal, next she saw her body turning to ash before her very eyes. Next, she was standing between Sam Wilson, Bucky with Bey who was transformed into a Mammoth with both Princess Shuri and Spiderman on their back, as they were being portalled back to New York.

Remedy fought long and hard, the burning feeling in lungs, long since came a constant reminder she was alive. Working back to back with Wanda most of the fight, sending people her way, or defending Spider-Man, or well Peter, he had stopped to introduce himself and to apologize for the black eye back in Germany. Yeah, she could grow to like the kid and could see why her dad did too.

Seeing her dad again for the first time in what felt like forever, was crazy, especially when Remedy half expected him to yell at her, instead he hugged her. Remedy honestly couldn't remember the last time her father had hugged her. He held her tightly to the metal suit he had long lost his helmet it seemed, Remedy could have sworn she felt tears hit her scalp.

“You are so grounded young lady, I don’t care if you are 30 years old, you are grounded! No television, phone, no boys, we are going to have a long talk about what it means to be a vigilante and not talk to our parents.” Tony broke the silence that surrounded them, trying to make his daughter laugh, while she tugged him down to dodge a laser beam heading their way.

Remedy wasn't sure how long the fight even lasted but for her, it ended with her on Bey’s Polar Bear form a few yards away from Bruce Banner who was in possession of the gauntlet. Bruce snapped and the next thing she noticed was the aliens they had been fighting were turning to dust. Thanos was defeated and all of a sudden it felt like a weight was lifted off their shoulders. Exhaustion hit Remedy hard and it was expected so the last thing she remembered was the white fur, hitting her face before she was caught by Clint.

The drive to wherever they were going seemed to drag on as Remedy got stuck between the two super soldiers, a guy named Frank Castle was driving and he wouldn't let anyone touch for stereo. Somehow Sam had won a coin toss and got to ride shotgun, while in the very back Bey was sharing their iPod with Wanda and Karen Page, was snoring.

When Remedy came to in the back of a truck that belonged to Castle, Pepper had been pushing her hair back. Tears had been cascading down her face even though she was smiling, Remedy had tried to smile but everything in her body has hurt. Pepper was in her suit of armor, Remedy remembered choking out the colors were far better than Dad’s, making Pepper laugh. Tony had leaned over the side of the truck kissing the crown of her head, reminding her favoritism sucked.

Soon they were invited back to Stark-Potts household because of course they got married, but it turns out they no longer lived in the city but out by Lake George. The two-hour drive listening to classic rock and alternative rock, barley any legroom, the constant sniff, and cough was starting to get to Remedy. Almost making her wish she had taken up the Peter Quill guy, or even Scott Lang offers up for a lift.

As Hozier’s voice crooned about how he should have taken better care of his lover, the road Frank had turned on to suddenly became bumpy. Steve sat up straighter, suddenly elbowing Remedy in the ribs with his sharp elbow, causing her to take a deep intake of breath. Bucky reached around Remedy smacking his best friend on the back of the skull, getting a laugh out of Wanda and Bey in the back. Steve gave her an apologetic look as they drew closer to a cabin that looked almost luxurious, right away Remedy knew this was one of her Dad’s places.

As the Range Rover came to a slow stop, Remedy noticed Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey standing on the porch together, with drinks in their hands. Remedy followed Bucky out of the car and saw the lake to her left, it's beauty was serene, she could see why Pepper and her Dad would settle here. Suddenly arms were around Remedy’s legs and holding on tightly to her, with no foreseeable plan to let go it seemed.

“Remy, Daddy said he would bring you home and he did! Mom said you would teach me how to play guitar and you’d Dutch braid. I’m so happy your home.” Remedy stared down at the little girl at her legs in confusion before she heard footsteps nearing, and a hand was placed on top of the little girls head. That hand is turned our belonged to her father and beside him was Pepper, both of which were smiling at her.

“Remedy, this is Morgan, we had her shortly after the snap. Morgan this is your older sister Remedy.” Tony was now holding Morgan in his arms, who continued to stare at Remedy was adoration.

“I know who Remedy is Daddy, I have her picture at my bedside, I tell her goodnight every night and I read to her. Well not her, the picture of her, but now I can read to her because you brought her home to us, as you promised!” Remedy felt her heart rate skyrocket, she had a sister, she had been gone five years and so much has changed. To the right, she could hear Bey screaming no, as Clint was saying sorry, everything felt louder, her breathing more shallow.

“Remy?” Pepper put her hand on her shoulder like she used to do when she was a teenager, and she felt the world was out to get her, but Pepper always reassured her, she was stronger than those who brought her down. Remy tried her hardest to smile at Morgan, but she felt perhaps it still came out more like a grimace than anything else.

“Morgan, it's so good to meet you. If you don't mind, I just need a second to catch my breath.” Remedy had reached over and squeezed her little sister soft delicate hand in a loving gesture before she turned away from her family. Her legs taking her out towards the edge of the dock of the lake, hands-on her hips she found herself struggling to breathe as her mind raced.

Where did she belong now? Why did she have to leave all those years ago, she should have come home with the tail tucked between her legs and signed the accords, they could have been a family. She had missed out on the wedding, the one she had wished for since she was a pre-teen, on her birthday cakes and falling stars. Tony had taken in Peter Parker, Spider-Man who was a pretty cool kid, but still, she missed out on seeing them interact. Here she was a big sister and she missed five years of bed life and yet she seemed to know everything about her, acted like she was the best thing in the world. What would Morgan think when she found out that she wasn't all that great?

An arm around her shoulder, the scent of metal, tea tree, sandalwood, amber, leather, and moss hit her nose, indicating Bucky was the one at her side. He ran his flesh hand up and down her arm, as he put his face in her hair shushing her as she began to cry. Remedy didn't need to be told that Natasha was also gone, along with Vision, people they lost in the war. Her family was falling apart and she felt so broken, yet here was a man she spent weeks on the run, months in Wakanda with, comforting her.

“I’m not sure about you, but I feel a little lost right now, but that's because we are in a strange place, but I promise you Remedy, you got me. You aren’t alone and we’ve got Sam and Bey as well as Steve.” Remedy kept her head in the crook of Bucky’s neck as the vibrations of his voice soothed her along with the smoothing up and down motions of him rubbing her back.

“Everything’s going to be alright.” Bucky kissed the crown of her forehead and looked out at the water while he just held Remedy in his. He vowed to keep her safe and maybe they could help each other piece themselves back together in this messed up world.

[silverylion]

Can we talk about Lance for a bit ?

There is something that really bothers me in season 8. I mean everyone is kind of still recovering but I feel like I need to say it anyway.

They chose to heavily feature Allurance from episode one cause they planned to kill Allura. It's a fact. As much as I don't ship it, they make a really cute couple with adorable scenes that made me smile and support them and I could have got over my disappointment regarding who I wanted to end up with Lance if only Lance had shown a bit of happiness by being with her.

No manner how we look at it, he isn't happy ! Why is that ? He finally got what he always wanted so why did they depicted him like that ? I really don't understand and that's what makes me so angry about all of this.

He doesn't seem like someone in love who finally got the girl! He seems hurt! Why is that ??

I'm ready to ignore the messy plotline of this season, the inconsistencies and everything that is wrong because overall, what I really care about is Lance as a character.

He means a lot to me because he is so different from the characters we normally meet in this kind of stories. He began as an annoyingly flirty boy who was desperately searching for glory to calm the insecurities he only show to few people. He was talented but needed someone else to acknowledge it to fully realize it himself. He was defined by his loudness and his love for love. He was looking for validation and a special person who would love him as profoundly as he love others. He had big dreams, big expectations, a bright future ahead of him. He wasn't overly masculine, liked being pretty and throw terrible pick up lines. He was funny, adorable I fell for him as much as I identified with (even if we are so different). He wasn't perfect, far from it, but it's also why I love him.

For many - including me - he was also representation. Not only for another kind of complex character but also by being Cuban and supposedly bisexual, something that seemed to be heavily implied so many times but I won't even talk about it.

During the series he has grown to be more self assured through the missions he accomplished with his friends, the people he met but most importantly Keith who trusted him and relied on his abilities, which definitely shown him his worth. I'm not even gonna talk about Klance as romantic. Keith is an important person for Lance's character, a friend he needed by his side along the way and that still was there for him in season 8. Which is really great, by the way.

I'm not gonna talk about the 'first choice' thing or the 'someone he needs, not someone he wants' or even the 'endgame' aspect of his romance. But yeah, that was all lies.

On this photo, Allura seems calm and happy, she seems like she can finally see a future with Lance and it's great. What is not so great, though ? When I saw this particular part in the episode, I stopped and watched Lance's face for about 5 minutes to try to understand. I don't see a happy boyfriend, here. I see a guy kind of unsure of what he is doing. I see a guy who doesn't know if what he is having is for real or even if it's what he really wants. He seems quite uncomfortable, tensed. It's maybe just a projection on my part but I genuinely cant see happiness here no matter how long I look at it. But maybe I'm really biased and don't see what actually is, you tell me.

Throughout the season, he was here to support Allura on her journey and it's great, but I would have wanted her to reciprocate it in a way or another. It's what Lance always needed and he didn't got it.

And in the end, he cried. I feel like he never really believed that this relationship would stick, that for whatever reason, they would end up parting paths. And the crew chose to kill her... In all honesty, Allura is not a character I really care about. I thought nothing about her in s1 and in s2, I started disliking her with what happened with Keith. But even thought I don't really care for her, making her die ? For seemingly no reason ? It's tough. And once again, I'm not even talking about how they killed representation or how people in the fandom can feel crushed by that, betrayed, even. I'm only remaining on Lance's side.

He never really had someone to reciprocate his love, something confirmed by his mom. He fell for Allura, casually at first, really hard when the series continued. What he feels for her is genuinely profound and I really liked that he confessed to her but even then... why did he seemed so sad ?

Just look at him !

He probably never loved anyone as much as he loved her. He sees a lot in her but he never felt like he was on equal ground with her. She is an awesome gorgeous space princess. He is just a boy from Cuba. (An awesome funny adorable space ranger but what do I know...). He never felt like he had a chance or deserved her affection. What about that ? It wasn't mentioned even once and I think that this is the reason of his constant sad face while he confesses, while he kisses her, while he conforts her...

I just don't understand and it makes me sad to see him like that. I know, he is just a character, I know this is just a cartoon, I know this just a kid show. But seeing a character you so much love becoming this sad guy that only support without reciprocation, this guy that loved love and is betrayed by it ? I just can't feel anything else but anger and disappointment for the wasted potential.

He ended up losing the woman he loved. The only person who seemed to reciprocate his feelings and because of that I think that he will always be a little more cautious about it because he has always been disappointed. He shot for the stars and fell hard. I fell hard with him. And as someone that feel that love will never go both ways, it just makes me even more bitter about this.

About the altean markings I don't know what to think. Some people think Allura turned him altean, others think she just left him something to remember her by. In both cases, this is wrong.

If the first theory is true, then what? What does that mean beside the ridiculous impossibility to change race? Did she make him altean to 'level him up' from his human status because he wasn't a match for her? Because altean are so much better? Because there was no need for that! Alteans are not all dead so why? For all I know, it wasn't to make royalty knowing that he ended up farmer so... once again, why?

If the second theory is true, well... That's even worst. She wants him to remember her ? I think he has enough around him for that, the status, the commemorations, the legend that will follow her, stories, his friends that gather to talk about her and how they miss her and what she meant for them... Giving him this will only prevent him from moving on. And it's harsh. I personally think that he should have moved on a long time ago. She never loved him, she was annoyed by his flirty attitude, by his simple presence sometimes. He should have seen that blatant rejection and accepted that yeah, he wants her but cannot have her. Romantic love wasn't something she cared about for so long. And then she fell for Lotor who betrayed her. And I think she honestly still doesn't care about Lance this way.

I think Allura didn't fell in love with Lance. She was heartbroken because of Lotor, because of the altean, because of the crown she lost, because she saw everyone with families while she lost hers. I think Allura just wanted someone that would take care of her and lift her burden with her. Just someone that would remind her that she is not alone in the universe, a distraction from the pain she was feeling. Someone that would ground her to prevent her from losing hope. He was easy, he loved her, she just accepted it not reciprocated it.

I see this like that because there was no real build up for their relationship. It wasn't a slow burn. It wasn't even reciprocal. She was sad that Lance felt so strongly about her and accepted their relationship for her own balance and because she didn't want to see her friend so sad. It didn't solve the problem for him though. Plus when the vision of Lotor, her ex boyfriend, told her to go get the creature thing she did but when Lance, her current (well past cause well, she's dead) boyfriend told her not to because it was dangerous and he cared to much for her safety, she didn't listen to him... Great. That's love folks.

I really could have fell for their story but seeing Lance so sad, so taken advantage of... He was so dull, no charisma, no joke, no stupid lines, nothing. He wasn't himself. He wasn't the Lance we saw grow during six to seven seasons. He wasn't the hero, second in command, courageous sharpshooter we all know.

And the sword ? Was it to foreshadow his future encounter with Alfor and Allura giving him blue markings ? Well, that was unnecessary. They could have done that without making people think that something more exciting would happen, that he would actually use the sword.

And the game show ? If they were to be together why the fuck didn't Lance chose her ? Why the fuck didn't she chose him ?... Well, she didn't because she didn't love him more than she loved the other Paladins. But why Lance didn't? Why make Lance and Keith chose each other? If they didn't want to involve them in any romantic kind of situation (they totally failed), they could at least have made them hug. And an emotional scene to express how much they care for each other to justify being worth choosing the other over anyone else to leave and not spend eternity in the game show. Keith was there for Lance and Lance was too obsessed with Allura to even ask about him. Great, even in a totally no homo friends kind of look it was badly handled.

Can someone explain to me the reason of the sunset setting ? Or why Lance freaked out when Veronica asked him to "put in a good word for her" with Keith ? They are friends, now, there was no allusion to their past rivalry. There was therefore no need for that kind of reaction.

He didn't save Shiro, for absolutely nothing. They never talked about it again. They never gave him the opportunity to make up for how bad he felt about that. He didn't event get a conversation with Shiro. They never gave a closure to Lance's arc.

Why do I feel like they did all that to make everyone pay for the shippers that made the toxic reputation of this fandom ? Why do I feel like the writers hate Lance ? Why do I feel like they totally baited us ?

The guy so in love with the idea of love ended up a lonely farmer. That's a great message for kids : don't even think that life will live up to your expectations no matter how hard you work for it. Don't even think that you can find any kind of fulfillment in your life, neither in love nor career.

I've never been in a fandom while a series was still going but I engaged in the Voltron fandom. I discovered it quite late but fell hard for it, it brought me so much happiness, so much hope ! I will never do it again because I'm not sure that the sadness and disappointment I feel right now are worth it. I will never be mad at the theorists and meta writers, they are good people who saw the extraordinary potential of Voltron, they probably feel worse to have spent so much time and energy picking up clues that definitely existed and only served to bait us.

In conclusion, everything Lance did this season was in a way or another related to Allura, as if he forgot he was someone of himself. As if the writers forgot who this character was. And it's painful.

At least there are still the beautiful fan art and fanfictions that really make him justice.