#which was pretty much where I started getting followers i think

[inkdrinkerworld]

Courting

Synopsis: Bucky is a man from a different time. It shows when you start ‘going steady’ and honestly, you love it. Alternatively; Bucky uses 40’s dating etiquette to woo you, and surprises you with a modern turn of phrase.

cw: it’s set in a vague timeline where it’s just before cabnw but also during fatws so no thunderbolts spoilers! Bucky is a FLIRT, reader is a little shy, anxiety representation, lots of casual getting to know you, going on a date flirting, Bucky’s serious about reader tho!

word count: 4.4k

Bucky Barnes prides himself on being able to court a woman. He really does. He knows all the rules, knows all the things to say, and it doesn’t hurt that he can flirt his way through any conversation.

You and Bucky met at the Smithsonian when Bucky was missing Steve a little too much and popped in just to get a glimpse of his best friend again.

You were by the Isaiah Bradley display, reading through before murmuring under your breath, “Those poor men.”

Bucky hadn’t meant to eavesdrop like that, but there was so much concern in your voice and he had to say something lest you think they all suffered — looking back, maybe he wasn’t the best person to break that news to you.

“We didn’t all suffer so bad.”

You had gasped when you noticed him, hand to your chest. “You’re Bucky Barnes,” you weigh your words before adding, “Steve’s best friend.”

That alone had won him over. You didn’t bring up the Winter Soldier, or that Bucky was as traumatised as super soldiers went. Just that he was Steve’s best friend.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “This your first time at the Smithsonian?”

You shake your head, a little heat flushing up your cheeks. “I come every couple of weeks, to see if they have any new stuff to add to your plaques. It’s kinda messed up what they did to all of you.”

Bucky smiles, shaking his head. It is messed up, he knows that. All the super soldiers besides John Walker know how messed up it was. “We came out alright, made it to the 21st century after all.”

You tilt your head to the side, “I guess that’s true.”

Bucky’s eyes light up. “Made it this far to meet pretty girls too.”

Your cheeks flame and Bucky chuckles, you chat a bit more before he gives you his number.

It takes you two days to text him. You’d been overthinking it, if you should or shouldn’t. In the end, if he ignored you at least you’d have tried.

It turns out Bucky didn’t give you his number just to be polite, because he answered your text immediately.

The first time he had used his courting experience was when he’d made it a point to establish the fact that he wanted to take you out every second Friday of the month.

He had it in his head that the effort had to be shown and then followed through the entire time and after two days, he was determined to show you that he was serious.

‘I’m free every other Friday, if that’s good with you doll.’

You had responded four minutes later after looking at your phone in shock and a little bit of bewilderment, when was the last time a man was so forward but not in a pushy way?

‘It’s perfect as long as work doesn’t bleed into my weekends’

From there Bucky had planned three of the dates meticulously, going over places and ideas in his head until he’d settled on the best three according to himself.

The first date was at a new diner near his apartment, one that Sam said did really good milkshakes and Bucky hadn’t been able to let the idea go.

“It’s nothing too fancy, but Sam said it’s a good spot.”

You’d worn a pretty skirt and blouse, and Bucky had worn a grey henley and jeans.

“You look gorgeous,” Bucky was full of compliments as you’d learn as the afternoon went on. He dished them out easily and most of the time you pretended not to hear him because he had a sort of pleased look on his face every time you stammered to keep the conversation going, and that in itself had in your stomach in knots.

He even brought you a bouquet of red tulips which had sat beside you on the sticky diner table all day.

“Oh they have milkshakes!” You say excitedly when you catch a server walking past.

Bucky’s heart sores. God bless the forties for making that a thing.

“Wanna try one?”

You look up at him, eyes brimming with hopefulness, “Will we do the cheesy sharing from the same cup?”

Bucky leans back in the booth seat, blue eyes boring into you. “And the same straw if you really want to, doll.”

He’s so fucking smooth, because you can’t do anything but nod now that his gaze is fixed on you.

Deciding what milkshake had taken nearly five minutes, back and forth between what was a classic flavor and why strawberry was definitely not good (Bucky was very offended) and then settling on a Shamrock Shake even though St. Patrick’s day had long passed.

Sharing the milkshake sitting across from each other was more intimate than you had expected it to be, (you hadn’t ended up using one straw but just the eye contact was enough to fluster you). Bucky walked you to your car after paying for dinner, very offended that you tried to pay half of the bill, and opened the door for you. When you had gotten in, he leant a little into your space, “Did you have a good time, doll?”

Your heart pounds. You had a great time, Bucky was easy to be around, even with your shyness.

“I did, thank you Bucky. Did you?”

He smiled, “Don’t see how I couldn’t with you as company.” In your sputtering for an answer Bucky’s heart beat a little faster, you were the cutest thing ever.

“Any opposition to a gala for our next date?”

You raise your eyebrows. “I’m not the biggest fan of crowds but I don’t see why it couldn’t be fun. Is it for the new Captain America thing?”

Bucky smiles, “I’ll text you the details. Drive safe, doll.”

The gala was fun even if a little anxiety inducing when you note the number of people there.

Bucky’s good though, he doesn’t give you a moment alone to feel that anxiety or have anyone come up to you to ask you a million questions.

It’s a veteran gala and Bucky didn’t want to go through that alone because he was getting another medal post Thanos; not that he really wanted it.

That night, as you sat beside him at one of the tables, it was hard to ignore the feel of his hand grasping your ankle and stroking it.

His palm is warm against your skin but you can feel the twitch in his fingers.

“We can leave early if you really don’t want to get it, Bucky.”

He turns to you with a smile, his cheeks a little warm when you meet his eyes. “No, I can handle it, doll.”

You tut, shaking your head. “Yeah but you look like you’re gonna pass out waiting for them to call your name.”

He rolls his eyes, “I do not.” He can actually feel the acid churning in his stomach.

In the end, the ‘medal’ is Bucky partially funding a veteran support group in honor of his friend Sam Wilson, who’s the new Captain America, and Steve Rogers. He much prefers that sort of medal.

It was only after Bucky had gotten you home from the gala that you noticed the slip of paper in your clutch.

It had the name of the diner you and Bucky had gone to a week and a half ago, but on the backside of the paper was his semi messy scrawl.

You looked gorgeous tonight. Purple’s definitely your colour, doll. I know it’s only the second date, but you’re all I think about most days. I wanna see you again, but I know tonight was a lot with all those people. Sleep well, doll. Dream of me if you’d like.

Yours,

James.

That had made you smile so hard your cheeks ached. He signed it with his actual name, not the cute nickname he got so many years ago, his real, government name and that was not something that went unnoticed by you.

Immediately you changed his name in your phone to James with a little heart next to it.

You’re not really sure you’re sold on Bucky’s affections towards you, till the third date when Bucky pulls up to your apartment with another bouquet of flowers, peonies this time in pretty pinks and soft yellows.

“Bucky, these are gorgeous!” You had rushed back into your house to add them to the vase with the other flowers he had dropped off for you on your doorstep last week.

You can hear him chuckling in your doorway as you flit about.

“Was there any traffic?” you asked over the sound of your tap filling the vase.

“Not too much, but it is lunchtime on a Saturday.”

You had mentioned to Bucky a little bit ago that there was a perfect spot in the park near your house for a picnic now that New York had finally warmed up, and the next text you had received was Bucky asking if you had any nut allergies.

It wasn’t your usual date day, but Bucky had pleaded and begged just a little (although he really hadn’t had to), and had even sent you a photo of the most gorgeous picnic blanket and you were agreeing faster than anything.

“I’m ready to go now.” Seeing Bucky there leaning in the archway of your kitchen makes you feel so many things that you can’t help it when you lean up and kiss just under his jaw before walking towards your door after snagging your picnic basket from on the counter.

“Coming, Bucky?”

He only shakes his head, some of his hair falling into his eyes as he follows behind you. You swear you hear him mutter, “Not a shy thing at all,” but you don’t say anything because your nerve has worn off and you actually can’t believe you really kissed his cheek.

Bucky hadn’t spared an expense on your picnic. He had gotten peaches, plums, two different cheeses, apples, grapes (black ones; your favourite) and even a bottle of sparkling wine.

You had brought sandwiches and salt and vinegar potato chips (those became Bucky’s new favourites), a sketchbook and your camera.

“Were picnics something you did a lot?” you ask Bucky as he makes you a plate - crackers, cheese, some of the fruit and half the sandwich you packets.

Bucky squints at you as he slices a wedge of the plum free from the stone. “If it was, would you be jealous, doll?”

You shake your head, some of the peach juice dribbling down your wrist. Bucky’s quick but gentle as he thumbs it away and presses his thumb to his lips. You’re so grateful that his hands aren’t on you to feel how fast your pulse hammers.

“I’m just curious what the dating customs of the 40’s looked like.” It’s a miracle your voice remains even.

Bucky nods like he doesn’t really believe you. “I think I went on one, but there was never really a good time for more.”

You wince, you had forgotten that he’d gotten drafted.

Your reaction makes Bucky laugh, “I’m glad I get to find out if I really like them now though. There’s a lot more to enjoy about picnics now without all the smog.”

His teeth snap through the wedge of the plum before he continues, “I can see my date better, which feels like an incredible plus.”

Damn Bucky’s flirting.

You spend all evening at the park, and it’s so fun because Bucky poses for some of your pictures and then takes some of you and when you pose for a few together and Bucky stares at you there’s a sort of stillness that overcomes you.

His eyes bore into yours, the blue of them stopping you where your finger is poised over the button to snap the photo.

“Take the photo doll,” he whispers, his lips hovering near yours as he reaches up and presses your finger down just before leaning all the way in, pressing your lips together.

Bucky’s quick to take the camera from your hand after, setting it on the blanket and cupping your cheek to deepen the kiss.

It’s not too long, but it’s more than a peck and when he pulls away you can barely open your eyes.

“Was that okay?” Bucky whispers, the hand still cupping your face warm where it rests.

“Where did you learn to kiss like that?” his laugh rocks you as you press your forehead into his shoulder. “I don’t think you were really frozen in ice all that time, James Barnes.”

Bucky cups the back of your head as his laughs die down. “Whatever you want to believe, honey.”

Bucky gets to your house just after sunset, and you let him walk you to your front door. You don’t really want the date to end, but you’re tired and you have to imagine so is he.

“I had a really nice evening, Bucky.”

He smiles, a hand on your lower back as he stands in front of you. “So did I,” you turn to open the door but he stops you.

“I’ve gotta go out of town for a little bit, so we’re gonna have to rain check next Friday’s date.”

You hold onto the sleeve of his Henley before he can step back, “Is everything alright?”

Bucky nods, “Yeah just some stuff I have to deal with.”

“Winter soldier stuff?” You nearly whisper the words, not wanting to upset Bucky. He only nods with a soft smile. “Be careful okay?”

“You don’t want to be my nurse if I get hurt, doll? That’s harsh.”

You laugh, shaking your head at him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Bucky’s chest aches at your care for him. It’s been a long while since he’s been given that kind of affection.

“I’ll be careful, doll.”

“Good.”

Bucky leans in and presses a kiss just at the corner of your mouth, “Goodnight doll, lock your doors.” He reminds you like you’re not a woman in New York City, but it still makes you smile and your chest goes a little gooey.

Bucky doesn’t move from your doorstep till he hears your locks click into place.

-

Bucky’s been gone for a week and a half already and you can’t help but miss him.

You’ve been chatting back and forth and you’ve even started sending him songs to listen to. He’s got a very limited list of favourites that you’ve made it your mission to resolve.

You find another note in your handbag when you decided against texting Bucky and cleaned your cupboards instead.

It was in your bag from the picnic date, and you smiled when you noticed his handwriting on another receipt from the grocery where he got the cheese.

I hope you find this when I’m gone and you’re missing me; I know you are, doll, it’s okay.

I miss you too and I haven’t left yet.

When I get back I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Maybe we’ll go somewhere quiet again? Or I saw they’re reopening one of those antique places with all those retro trinkets; I could show what I used to have at home. Show you what I prefer now.

Keep locking your doors, honey. I should send you new flowers, the old ones will be dead soon.

Yours,

James.

Bucky’s very good at these, these little notes that leave you smiling and giddy like a fool.

You pull out your phone, you have to text him now.

I got your note. What was your favourite ‘trinket’?

Bucky answers only three minutes later.

My sister used to have a silver jewellery box that I had the pleasure of filling every month.

You smile at that, he’s always been a provider it seems.

Another chime comes from your phone.

We also had a gramophone that played the clearest music I’ve ever heard.

You roll your eyes.

You’re such an old man.

I’m not offended, doll. A pretty girl I’m seeing told me recently I’m not old at all.

Even miles away he’s got you grinning like an idiot with a racing pulse.

You can’t say anything to that and your thoughts take you to what a perfect gentleman he’s been to you. Bucky opens your doors, drives you home and waits till you get into your house before driving off. You think you might be falling for him, and rapidly.

He’s still gone by Monday and you’re missing him hard, only for the girls you work with to giggle before coming to find you.

“These were dropped for you,” they hand you a huge bouquet of red and white tube roses and a card.

It’s not Bucky’s handwriting but it’s from him,

Sorry I’m still not back, doll. I should just be gone for another day. Don’t miss me too much, yeah? I need a few kisses when I get back to make up for all this time away. I listened to that song you recommended, it was good. How do I make a playlist?

Yours,

James.

The note had you blushing and extremely flustered. Your coworkers noticed it immediately.

“Are you two going steady?”

You regret telling them who you’d been going out with. When they leave, you’re stuck with the realisation of how different Bucky is to the men you’ve dated before.

It’s a small thing, but you hardly think any of them got you flowers as consistently as he does, and you don’t think you’ve ever received such thoughtful bouquets.

You called Bucky when you got home, happy to hear his voice.

“Thank you for the flowers, Bucky.”

“You’re welcome, doll.”

You have the bouquet from today on your bedside table and smile when you spot it after changing into your pajamas.

“You caused quite a scene when they got delivered.”

You can hear the amusement in his words. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, the girls I work with brought them to me. They were very impressed by the size of the bouquet, Barnes.”

“I’m just concerned about what you think of me.” Was his answer and after that you couldn’t get a full sentence out of you.

He’s so open with his feelings towards you it’s scary, it makes your heart race but you also know he’s not just saying it. He means it and that makes you fall just a little more for Bucky.

“You’re sweet.” Is all you can manage, your face heated with a blush.

“Sam and I are finishing this up tonight, so I should be able to see you when we get back.”

You don’t know if you’re reading into his words, but Bucky sounds relieved at the prospect of seeing you soon.

“Isn’t it going to be a day’s long flight?”

“And I can see you right after I land, honey. So long as it’s not midnight or while you’re gonna be sleeping.”

Bucky Barnes isn’t good for your heart with the way he just wholly shows you how much he wants to spend time with you.

“Do you still need help with your playlist?”

He huffs, “Sam showed me. He’s not a good teacher though, was snippy the whole time; you’d think he’d remember I was in ice.”

You laugh, “I’ll show you when you get back, babe.”

Bucky doesn’t say anything about the pet name, but for the rest of the phone call he doesn’t respond unless you use it.

It’s two days before he’s back and Bucky drives straight over to see you.

He’s at your door a few hours after you get home from work, and when you open the door to see him, he’s there with a single rose in his hand and a tired smile on his face.

“Is it possible you got prettier while I was gone?” He leans against your doorway.

“You look dead on your feet, Bucky. Come inside.” you lead him to your sofa, watching him move with heavy but careful steps all the way through your living room.

Bucky’s movements are measured, not a single action wasted as he takes off his boots and socks and detaches his metal arm.

“I really missed you,” he sighs as he lays on your sofa, eyes shut as he takes a long breath.

“I really missed you too,” you brush back some hair from his face. “You could’ve gone home to sleep first, you know?”

Bucky opens his eyes and it takes great effort to do so, the whites of his eyes shot through with streaks of intense red.

“I wanted to see you,” he yawns. “But you’ve trapped me into laying on your sofa.”

You laugh, your fingers still knotted in his hair. “You can take a nap Bucky, or you can sleep the night here. I’m not really excited by the idea of you driving back tired.”

“I won’t doll,” he shuts his eyes again, the feel of your fingers on his scalp lulling him into a peacefulness he’s missed. “Tell me what you got up to while I was gone. I know you weren’t just counting down the days till I got back.”

You roll your eyes as you recount the last two weeks of your life, Bucky’s not even awake to hear what you did on the second day of him being gone.

You cover him up with your throw blanket and dim the lights of your living room. You make the playlist for him while he sleeps, putting all the songs you’ve sent him on the memory stick so he can leave with it.

Bucky doesn’t spend the night, but as he’s leaving he holds your cheek, “I didn’t come with an ulterior motive, just to see you. If you want, we can go have dinner tomorrow. I have something I want to ask you, doll.”

“That’s ominous,” you’re a little nervous by that phrase. No one likes being told that someone has ‘something to ask them’ in a day. There’s anxiety crawling up your chest before Bucky kisses your lips.

“It’s a good question baby, don’t overthink it. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

You grab the memory stick off the table before you could forget, “Here, I put all the songs I’ve sent on here.” Bucky kisses you again.

“You’re an angel,” you steal a kiss before he pulls away. “Lock your doors.”

“Sir yes sir.”

You hear him laugh all the way to his car.

Despite Bucky’s well meaning, ‘Don’t overthink it.’ That’s all you did when you woke up and started sifting through dresses to wear.

You’re ready at six and that makes you even more anxious. There’s too much time to do nothing but sit and overthink it.

You’re working yourself up to outright calling Bucky when there’s a knock at your door.

A quick peek at the clock on your stove let’s you know you’ve been overthinking it for forty five minutes.

When you open the door, Bucky’s standing in front of you in a pretty blue shirt that makes his eyes pop, and black dress pants.

He’s not got flowers this time, but he is holding a box of what you think are chocolates.

“Oh my god,” he breathes as he takes you in. You’re in a pretty pale purple dress, white heels and your hair is down in loose curls. You hadn’t gone for heavy makeup but just enough where there’s purple glitter on your eyelids and your lips are a deep red.

“You look handsome.” You say as you fight the blush creeping up your chest at the way Bucky’ stares at you.

“You look,” he trails off like he really can’t find the right words. “Breathtaking.”

You feel as though the blush explodes in your chest and heats your entire face.

Bucky hands you the box of chocolates, “They’re all dark chocolate.” You smile as you take it; that’s another thing Bucky’s remembered you like.

“Do I get to know where we’re going?”

You ask as you slip the chocolates into your purse and shut your door.

Bucky smiles as he watches you lock your door before turning to him. Immediately he links his hand with yours.

“We’re going for dinner somewhere nice,” the entire ride to the car Bucky has you talking. About the last book you read, work, if you think about him every night before bed (the last one was just to make you laugh, but the truth is you do.)

“What about you Bucky? Do you think about me before bed?”

You ask as he parks and he turns to you.

“Oh yeah,” that’s all he says before coming out of the car to open your door. “Think about you more than I think about anything else, doll.”

You manage to hold back your question just before dessert, “Can you please ask me? I’m freaking out and I think my heart might explode from the anxiety.”

There’s a laugh that bubbles from you and Bucky tuts.

“Honey,” you press a hand to your chest. Your anxiety really is at an all time high. You have so many questions rattling around your head that Bucky could want to ask you and you may throw up the lovely pasta you just had if he doesn’t ask you soon.

He leans across the table and holds onto your wrist, feeling the erratic beat of your pulse.

“I’ve been torturing you, haven’t I doll?”

You nod as you try to calm your racing heart.

“I didn’t mean to,” Bucky’s thumb strokes short lines across your wrist. “I had it all set up to come with dessert but I’ll put you out of your misery.”

“Thanks,” you mutter and he smiles.

“I know we’re only going steady,” that gets a smile out of you. He really is an old man, “but I wanted to ask you if I could be yours? Saying boyfriend makes me feel older so I won’t say it.”

You laugh, letting your head fall on his hand where it holds yours.

“Not the other way around?” You ask and Bucky huffs.

“You’re not property, honey.”

You look up with a smile and Bucky’s smile gets a little brighter. “Yeah you can be mine.”

“C’mere,” he tilts your chin a little higher and kisses you; slow and just long enough for it not to be a full make out. “You really missed out on the whole cheesecake with chocolate drizzle writing.”

He says as he pulls away and you laugh.

“Oh, are they not bringing it anymore?”

Bucky shakes his head, mischief in his eyes. “After you just latched onto me in the middle of their establishment? I don’t know, doll.”

“You’re ridiculous.” They still bring the cheesecake and Bucky feeds you the first bite, and like the flirt and menace he is, he gets a little just to the corner of your mouth.

“Let me get it for you,” and steals another kiss, ‘cleaning it off.’

Bucky Barnes really knows how to court a woman.

[nurse-floyd]

Walk it Off

Request: Can you pls write a fic about Oscar x driver reader and she crashes and it’s Oscar and Lando’s reactions

@callsign-swan @ice-man-goes-bwoah @vroomvroomcircuit

Monaco. The most anticipated grid on the calendar. It was most of your home country, well not your home country but the place most of you found and called your own. The glitz, the glamor, the historic circuit - it all amped up the excitement of the race every year. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t really like the circuit itself, it was boring. Qualifying pretty much summed up who would finish where, the track was too small for the ever growing cars. Still, it was a race and you were determined to enjoy it and finish as high within the points as you could. 

The crash looked worse than it was. One minute you were holding back Albon, chasing down Alonso, then something clipped your rear tire and slammed you hard into the wall. Carbon fibre flew off your car and scattered across the track as the car crumpled around you. Your car came to a stop and you slammed your hands against the steering wheel in frustration. 

“Red flag Oscar, red flag,” his engineer's voice crackled over the radio. 

“Who?” 

He said your name. 

“Is she okay?” he asked, bringing his car to a slow. 

“We are checking.”

*** 

“Are you okay?” Crackled your engineer's voice over the radio. 

“Fucking, fuck! Stupid piece of shit Williams clipped my rear! What a fucking idiot!” You didn’t mean to yell that many expletives. 

“Are you hurt?” 

“I’m fucking fine. Cars fucking wrecked though.” 

You pulled the headrest off and pushed it aside, holding onto the halo as you climbed out of the wreckage. 

You dusted off your race suit and started walking away, ignoring the panicked marshalls. Helmet and HANS device still attached, suit still on your boots clicked confidently along the pavement, past the crowds. The cameras followed, the drone overhead hovering over you as you climbed over a barrier and casually stepped onto the dock lined with yachts. Your yacht was moored there, a couple of your friends who’d come to watch the race sat there in bathing suits, champagne flutes in hands. 

You didn’t even look back, too pissed off and probably slightly concussed but that didn’t bother you. 

You took your helmet off, balaclava following suit as you shook your hair loose and tossed it to the side. You’d need a new one anyway so you didn’t care. You collapsed onto the sofa, sliding your sunglasses on like you hadn’t just crashed out of one of the most prestigious races in the world. 

Someone handed you a drink which you took gladly, leaning back into the seat. 

*** 

Back in the paddock, the two McLaren boys watched on. 

“How much of a fine do you think that’s gonna cost her?” Lando asked with a smirk. 

“She’s not even been checked over, probably could blame it on a concussion and get out of it,” Oscar replied. 

Lando snorted. “I can’t decide if I’m in love with her or terrified.”

Oscar turned to his teammate, as they watched the screens and waited for the track to be cleared a crooked grin forming. “I’ve been both since Australia.”

Ko-fi - please consider donating to my cats vet bills.

[greypistacchio]

season 8 is truly THE destiel season. currently on episode 8.22 ("Clip Show"), which starts with this exchange here after Dean says he's gonna do a grocery run to Sam, and ignores Castiel who's standing right there. this obviously upsets Castiel, and the following exchange happens:

CASTIEL.- Dean, I can go with you. Dean. I'm sorry. DEAN.- For what? CASTIEL.- For everything. DEAN.- Everything? Like, uh... Like ignoring us? Or like bolting off with the angel tablet and losing it because you didn't trust me? You didn't trust me. CASTIEL.- Yes. DEAN.- Yeah, that's not gonna cut it. Not this time. So you can take your little apology and you cram it up your ass. CASTIEL.- Dean, I thought I was doing the right thing. DEAN.- Yeah, you always do. [Angsty eyefucking ensues.]

then in the next scene Dean and Sam are entering a dark room (presumably room 7B), and Sam brings the topic up.

SAM.- Dude, go easy on Cas, okay? He's one of the good guys. DEAN.- Look, if anybody else, I mean anybody, had pulled that kind of crap, I'd stab them in the neck on principle. Why should I give him a free pass? SAM.- Because it's Cas.

Dean said it himself. if this had been done by anybody else, literally anybody, he would've given them hell. with Cas, though? they picked him up from the middle of the road, and they took him to the Men of Letters bunker despite the fact that it's meant to be a secret location where nothing can find them.

if Castiel tried to talk to him, it was either because he thought there was a chance that Dean might listen, or because his desperation to get through to Dean was greater than his anxiety over Dean refusing to listen. either way, he looked truly distraught every time Dean rejected his attempts at talking to him, which I'd say is a clear sign that he cares a fuckton about how Dean thinks of him and acts around him.

this said, it's just really interesting to look at what each of them is feeling. on the one hand, Castiel was really upset that Dean kept rejecting his company and help. not only does he puppy-eye him intensely-

he also goes grocery shopping for the bunker, and we see him getting exactly what he knows Dean wants. he grabs Busty Asian Beauties, which is Dean's iconic go-to adult magazine, and he grabs a six-pack, and he needs pie. he needs pie for Dean, who always tells whoever's hitting the shops to grab him some, and he needs it to the point that he physically assaults the cashier about it.

mind you, Castiel has no shit clue about how human grocery shopping works, but he nonetheless tries, and when he chases Metatron down the street we can see him carrying the shopping bag and six-pack. you'd think that toilet paper and Busty Asian Beauties would take the backseat after meeting the Scribe of God!! but Castiel makes sure to bring them along as he runs after the Scribe of God

considering that the 'tism comes with penguin pebbling as a love language, i would say that this shows the extent to which Castiel is worried about showing Dean how truly sorry he is. it matters so much to him that he can earn Dean's forgiveness by giving him all his favourite things - or at least placate Dean's ire - that he doesn't even think about whether bringing the groceries along is appropriate.

meanwhile what Dean is pissed off about the most is the fact that Cas didn't trust him.

if you watch the episode and get to the bit I transcribed, he is upset over two main things. one, that Castiel kept ignoring their prayers, which of course means that both Sam and himself kept trying to reach him. two, that Castiel went on the run because he didn't trust Dean. notice how he says "because you didn't trust me" - not "us" -, and how he repeats "you didn't trust me" with heavy emphasis on me.

later, when Sam tells him to go easy on Castiel, what Dean replies is that anybody else would've gotten a stab to the neck if they'd done what Castiel has. which means that Cas is getting a special treatment to an extent, since his neck is pretty much intact!

yeah, Dean is fuming, but other than giving Castiel the cold shoulder he's allowing him to stay at the bunker with them. and, i repeat, there has been no blade to the neck just yet, which says something considering that Dean has been pretty blade-happy since he got back from Purgatory :)

he acts like he doesn't give a shit about Castiel not being in the bunker when they get back from their interview with a priest, even though his absence is precisely one of the reasons why he's so pissed in the first place. from Sam's expression, it's pretty clear that he's quite puzzled by Dean's attitude, because it's just not like him.

Cas is one of the good guys, after all, and don't they give the good guys second chances? as long as they're on their side? why is Dean acting so angry still towards Castiel, when Cas is among the Top 3 most powerful allies they have?

all in all these two are dealing with an insane amount of emotional suffering that has to do with perceived abandonment. on the one hand Castiel feels devastated that Dean isn't talking to him nor taking his apology

on the other we've got Dean, who cannot look Cas in the face after Castiel turned his back on them, ignored his prayers, and didn't trust Dean enough to tell him where he was going and what he was doing with the angel tablet. this isn't Dean's first rodeo with Cas vanishing into thin air, nor is it the first time that Castiel plays a crucial role in the world's fate and doesn't care to explain it to Dean.

it isn't even the first time that Dean has prayed to Cas without getting any response (Season 6 anyone), but it is the first time that Castiel has done so after Dean let his guard down fully and admitted to needing Castiel after Cas beat him to a bloody pulp.

and it is the first time we've seen Dean on the verge of tears as he prays to Castiel, which by the way is something that he does when he's alone in his bedroom.

truly insane character dynamics. truly masterful character development, and truly scrumptious ship overall.

[tinybeetiny]

Whatever It Takes

This is a request and I hope it checked all the boxes and i'm sorry if it was what you were expecting 🙂and I’m also sorry it took me a minute to get this out… once I started writing I couldn’t stop! PLEEASSEEE read the warnings before continuing as I know that this is not everyone’s cup of tea! We listen and do NOT judge thank yew and goodnoit

->Starring: Nerd!Yandere!BestFriend!YunhoxAfab!BestFriend!Reader ft. Officer Jongho, Seonghwa and Yeosang, Detective Jin and Jungkook

->Genre: Yandere, Angst

->Cw: Explicit language, stalking, obsessive behavior, gore, su!c!ide, descriptions of death

Masterlist | Ateez Masterlist

Moving to a new school in a new city was always scary, but doing it in the middle of your third year in high school was even scarier. Would they even accept you? Would anyone talk to you? Would you fit in?

You feel your nerves rise inside your body as you walk towards your classroom. The closer you get, the more your hands start to shake. You stare down at the paper in your hands, "Homeroom: Room 3-5." You look up to see you're standing right in front of where you need to be. "Okay Yn. You've got this." you say quietly to yourself as you take a deep breath. You slide the door open slowly, and all eyes are on you.

You give a little bow as your teacher introduces you. Looking around, you're greeted with warm smiles. All your worries and anxiousness seemed to melt away.

Your teacher looks around for an empty desk for you sit at “Oh yes. You can sit right there next to Yunho.” she pointed to a tired-looking boy. You smile, giving her a little nod before making your way to your seat. Yunho’s eyes follow your every movement, the way your hair sways with every step you take, the way you smile at him as you sit down. He can feel his heart rate increase and his palms sweaty “Hi! I’m Yn, you must be Yunho?” Suddenly, his throat was dry, and the words stuck, not wanting to come out. He only managed to nod his head. You beam at his shyness, thinking he’s just the cutest you’ve ever seen. He reminded you of a little, tired puppy. His pretty brown hair fell right below his eyes as if it were shielding him.

When it was time for morning break a few girls grabbed your hand and dragged you out of the classroom. “Look Yn. You’re new here and you don’t know any better which is okay which is why I’m telling you this now. Stay away from Jeong Yunho. He’s a weirdo freak and I swear there’s something off about him” Chaewon whispers looking around while the others nod in agreement. You gave them a look not agreeing with the fact that she was judging the boy so badly. From the little conversation you had with him he seemed quite sweet. “Have you ever talked to him?” You questioned and she looked at you dumbfounded “W-well no I haven’t but you can just te-” you cut her off feeling frustration bubbling inside you “So how do you know? That he’s a “weirdo freak” if you’ve never talked to him” The girls stared at you speechless.

They never really thought of it that way. They remember years ago one of the boys going around calling him a freak, a weirdo and it just seemed to stick, isolating the poor boy. Nobody really knew him, no one took the chance to. It was easier to avoid him, and his gloomy appearance made him an easy target. His home life wasn't any better. His parents were around but they never paid attention to him and when they did they scrutinized every little thing. The way he stood, the one little wrinkle in his pants, the fact his bed wasn't made to their standard. Nothing was good enough, he wasn't good enough. He figured it was better to stay quiet and try to blend in, disappear. It only seemed to work at home, not so much at school. It seemed the more he tried to disappear the more people noticed him "Oh watch out. There's Yunho. If you get too close you'll catch his gloom"

Yunho went home that day feeling disoriented. He's never felt like this before. His chest constricted in a way that terrified him. As soon as you walked into the room it was like all the air in his lungs depleted and he couldn't breathe. All he wanted was to be near you, follow your every move. Something was brewing inside him that he couldn't explain.

Your first week seemed to go better than you were expecting. You had made a bunch of new friends. The next couple of weeks weren't as nice. You had a creepy feeling of someone following you whenever you were walking home. The other night you swore you saw someone outside of your window but when you went to look, no one was there. Even now when you're sitting with Yeji studying for the upcoming midterms you could feel someone's eyes on you. It sent a chill down your spine and you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand "Do you feel that?" You ask the girl across from you "Feel what?" She asks looking up from her book "Like someone's watching you?" You mutter and she gives you a quizzical look "Um... no. Are you okay? See we told you hanging around Yunho would do this to you. Catching his weird" She sighed. Irritation brewed inside of you "I think we've studied enough Yeji. Maybe it's time for you to go home" You say with a flat tone. Yeji scoffs, gathering her things before walking out without a word

As she closed the front door she felt it. The feeling of someone watching but as she looked around she saw nothing but night. Yunho's glare followed her as she rushed down the street. His eyes wander back to your window watching you get ready for bed.

You were quiet, unusually quiet, you didn't give him your usual cheerful "good morning" and he noticed immediately. He contemplated asking if you feeling alright but the words never left his mouth and he was stuck staring at you.

You look over and see Yunho's intense stare. He blinks before opening his mouth "You're quiet" he mutters. You give him a little smile before responding "Sorry. I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night" he nods as your teachers walks in.

During morning break you stay at your desk not feeling particularly hungry. You had called your parents last night about the paranoia you've been feeling but of course they told you not to bother them with such trivial things, especially when they're not even in the country. So you were left dealing with this by yourself.

Yunho sat back down next to you drawing you back. You turn to face "You should have lunch with me today" He looks at you surprised and shakes his head "I don't think that's a good idea" He says quietly while looking down "Oh please Yunho. I don't like seeing you sit all alone" you beg. He lets a little sigh contemplating "Only this one time"

Yunho quickly became one of your closest friends, your best friend. The endless phone calls and weekends together made you both inseparable, despite what the others have said. It took a few weeks to get him out of his shell, but once you did, it was like he was a whole new person. Before he knew it, he was no longer sitting alone at lunch, and he had more than just 4 contacts in his phone.

The rest of the year and the summer went by in the blink of an eye. Your last year of high school seemed to drag on though. It didn't help that you still had the feeling of someone watching you. You could've sworn things were moving around in your room too. But luckily whenever you had the uneasy feeling Yunho was there to save the day. He either came over to keep you company or he would stay on the phone with you until you felt better. He became someone you truly relied on. Your other friends blamed it on him telling you he was weird and that there was something off about him. You never saw it.

On top of all this, the stress of college acceptances were weighing on you. You had already been accepted into Sejong University as well as Hanyang University. Now all you were waiting for was Korea university and your top choice, Yonsei university. Unbeknownst to you, Yunho had also applied to all of the same universities in hope to stay as close to you as possible.

The day your letter came in you called Yunho immediately. "Yunho come over. The letter just got here and I'm scared to open it again." you ask demand "Oh good because mine got here as well! I'll be over in 5" he says quickly before hanging up.

He walks in your house casually and head straight up to your room "I'm here! Lets open these letters" He beams while laying on your bed "Are you ready?" you ask jumping on the bed next to him and he gives you nod. Taking a deep breath you rip open the letter "Dear miss yn we are honored to-" you squeal in excitement "Open yours now Yu" you say shaking him. He sits up holding the letter in his hands. He carefully opens the envelope before unfolding the letter "Dear Mr. Jeong. We regret to inform you that-" He sighs and you feel your heart drop "Oh Yunho. I'm so sorry" you say with a frown "I'm just kidding, I got in!" "Yunho you piece of shit" suddenly your phone started ringing from your nightstand "Can you see who that is?" You ask the boy who was closest to the noisy device.

He rolls over and stares at the screen. He can feel his eye instantly start to twitch "Why is Yeosang calling you?" He questions, staring hard at the screen "Oh! He asked me out the other day. He seem's really nice." You explain excitedly. You don't notice the way his fingers tighten around the device "You know he has a girlfriend right?" he tries to keep his voice calm. He watches your face fall "Huh? Really?" You ask in disbelief "Really! She goes to an all girls school in the next town over." Disappointment blooms in your chest. You thought that he was so nice and cute when he approached you, it was so hard to believe but why would Yunho lie? "Can you just delete his number for me?"

The next day when you were walking down the hallway to your homeroom you spot Yeosang. You decide you wanted to confront him about his girlfriend but as soon as he saw he practically ran from you. What surprised you the most was the cut on his cheek and the his black eye. “Yeosang wait!” You yell after him but he was already out of sight. At lunch you brought it up to Yunho, who looked surprised. “I swear it was a so dark and nasty looking” you exclaimed “Really? Poor guy. I wonder what happened”

The rest of the year went by in a flash and it was finally graduation day. You stand in the auditorium with Yunho and you look around to see if your parents were here. To no surprise they were nowhere in sight "It's okay, mine aren't here either" Yunho says while setting a comforting hand on your shoulder. You give him sad smile "At least we have each other!"

The summer before your first year of college was filled with dorm essential shopping, lots of trips to the beach, and of course, Yunho. There wasn't a day that he wasn't with you. Even now he's laid up on your bed watching you rummage through your closet "Do you think I should take all my sweaters? I know it's summer but by the time we start winter will only be a few months away." He watches as your eyebrow furrow in frustration "I don't know. Maybe just take a handful just in case you come back home for the holidays or something" He suggests "Ugh. You of all people should know I'm not coming back, not like they would even notice I'm not here" You groan, falling onto the bed next to him.

You sit in silence for a couple minutes before his stomach grumbles loudly "Jeez Yun, when was the last time you ate?" You ask chuckling "Well considering I've been here all day watching you lazily fold clothes into boxes... I would say probably this morning." He shrugs "Well. The night market is open late today so we can go walk around, get out of this stuffy room" You say while grabbing his hand and dragging him up with you.

"Hey, have you seen my cardigan?" You yell "You have to be more specific. You have like a thousand of them" He yells back in response. You could've sworn you hung it up and now that you think of it one of your perfumes went missing too. You make a mental note to ask Yunho about it later before grabbing a sweating and heading down the stairs.

You both sat down at some random restaurant Yunho found on tiktok "Have you seen my Byredo perfume? It's been missing for a few weeks" You ask picking at your food. Yunho pauses for a second "I have not. I didn't know it was missing." He replies calmly spooning more food into his mouth "Wasn't it almost empty? You said something about needed more so maybe you used the rest of it and don't remember" it was possible, you were down to the last few sprays and you could've thrown it away absentmindedly but you would've bought another one "Do you want to go get a new bottle? I'll pay for it" He offered and you nod enthusiastically.

"Do you want me to drive or do you want to?" Yunho askes loading the last of the bags into his car. It was move in day and you were so excited to see your dorm. You had all the decorations picked and you knew exactly how you were going to organize, you just hoped your dormmate would be a good one.

Yunho was a little less excited. College meant a bigger campus and a bigger campus meant more people you were going to meet. Your high school was small so it was easy to keep an eye on everyone but Yonsei was bigger, much much bigger. Would there be people who would try and take you away from him?

"You drive. You know I hate driving" You say, your face scrunching in unpleasantness. You hop into the passenger seat and set off on your long trip to Seoul. The drive consisted of you asking Yunho if you were there every 15 minutes. "Yn for the 20th time. No. We are not there. Trees are surrounding us" Yunho exhales "But we've been on the road for hours"

When you finally arrive to campus you marvel at the size and the beautiful architecture. At the entrance of one of the building is a big crowd of students which you assumed was first year students getting their dorm assignments. "I think that's where we need to go" You point over "Should we leave the stuff in the car until we get our assignments?" Yunho asks and you nod getting out of the car.

After 45 minutes of standing in line you finally have your dorm assignment and Yunho helps you carry your stuff. You had arrived before your roommate which means you got to pick your side. "Is that everything?" Yunho asks setting down the last box on your desk "I think so. Did you want me to help you with your stuff?" You ask opening the box that sat on your bed "No. I don't have that much anyways. Let's meet up for dinner later yeah" You give him a nod in response.

Your first year of college was definitely different than high school. The work load was more and the people were especially different. You found yourself spending less time with Yunho, not purposefully but you made some new friends and it was nice to have others to talk to.

After class one day your dormmate informed you that he had come by looking for you "Not sure what he wanted but I told him you weren't here and he just walked away without a word. He's pretty weird."

The start of your second year of college was a little different than you expected. Somehow over the summer, Yunho had become even more clingy than he was before which seemed impossible to you but here you are. You know you didn't help the situation. At first, you felt bad because he was so heavily outcasted but when you got to know him more he was a different person and it definitely didn't help when you called him to come over whenever you felt unsafe. Your actions only seemed to encourage his behavior. Your other friends keep telling you something is off about him but every time you explain his past and how he really doesn't have anyone. They seemed to understand or at least that's what you thought. They see the way he stares at you, the way he stares at others who get too close to you, the possessiveness that was borderline obsessiveness.

He had suggested you both move in together since you were allowed to move off campus but after having a dormmate you realized you were not made for roommates. But even though you live by yourself you were never alone, never. He would either come over to make you dinner or to help you study. Everywhere you turned he was there, it was truly suffocating.

“You’re a lifesaver San, thank you so much again” You smile up at your classmate "It's no problem. Let me know if you need more help" He gives you a little wave before walking off. "Who was that?" Yunho's sudden voice had your heart leaping out of your chest "Holy shit Yunho" You gasped, your hand clutching your chest "You scared me" His stare grew more intense "Who was that?" He repeated. He could feel his hand shaking as his nails dug crescent-shaped indents into his palm. "He's just a classmate. He was helping me study" You said carefully seeing the anger in his eyes. You don't know why he's acting this way. San was just a friend and so was Yunho. "He seems off. I don't like his vibe" His ironic words confused you "What do you mean? He's really nice" You tried to reassure him but he was having none of it "You don't know him Yn. I've seen him. He watches you, follows you around when you're not looking" he rambles and you look at him incredulously "San? What are you even talking about? He's been nothing but nice and I think I would know if something was" You say before walking off.

Yunho was hot behind you "You don't see it. I've seen the way he treats other girls. You don't want a guy like him. A no good scum bag. Are you listening to me?" You sigh "Yes Yu. I'm listening." He shakes his head in response "I'm gonna head back to my place, I think I need to lay down" You tell him hoping he gets the hint that you want to be alone, he doesn't "Oh I'll come with you. I can make you some tea or something then we can get dinner at that little place you like. Wait actually why don't you just come to mine. It's closer and we-"

"Yunho please!" He flinches at your sharp tone, eyes wide “Let me breathe. You’re constantly hovering.” He stares quietly as you continue to rant "I can't remember a single second where I was alone, without you. I swear for the past three and a half years you have constantly been there. Please. I need time away from you" Your voice slightly raised "Is that really what you want?" His eyes bore into yours. You let out a sigh trying to calm yourself down "Yes. I just need space Yu. It gets a little suffocating sometimes. I cannot be around you all the time. Like I get it, I'm your only friend and I'll always be there for you but I just need some time to myself sometimes too" You explain as he continues to stare at you. He nods his head before walking away without another word. You're tempted to run after him to apologize for your harsh tone but you know it had to be done.

A few days had gone by and not a word from Yunho, a little strange yes but you figured he was actually taking what you said seriously. It was sort of nice not having him constantly under you, a constant shadow. You felt like you breathe, you felt free. You were able to talk to whatever friend without being interrogated. It only started to worry you when a week passed and not a single text or call had come from Yunho. He had never gone this long without a single text let alone a phone call. You made your way to his apartment to check on him. You couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad happened. You tried to reason that he was actually listening and wanted to give you what you asked but a part of you knew this wasn’t like him.

As you pulled into his apartment complex the feeling of dread grew stronger. You had texted him that you were coming over but no answer which was definitely not like him. He usually texts back immediately but after 15 minutes still with no reply your worry only increased. The walk up to his door seemed to take the longest. You grabbed the door knob surprised to find it unlocked, he knew you would come.

A strong stench hit your nose as soon as you opened the door causing you to gag. You feel hot tears pool in your eyes as you tremble through his apartment "Yunho?" You call out. No answer. You walk further in calling out to him again "Yunho. Are you here?" you make your way down the hall “Oh my god” Your hand flies over your mouth and you slam back into the hallway wall. Yunho's body lay in his bathroom, dried blood crusted on the floor. A sob escapes you as you slide down to the floor. His lifeless eyes stare back at you. You shakily reach for your phone but your fingers tremble too much and the device slips to the floor. Tears blur your vision as you try and grab ahold of it again. Your chest heaves as you hyperventilate and your cries fill the apartment. Your tears fall onto the screen making it quite difficult to unlock it.

After a couple of minutes, you finally manage to dial out for help "112. What is your emergency?" The words get trapped and instead, a strangled cry comes out "Hello? Is anyone there?" The operator asks. You sniffle as your shaky hand raises your phone to your ear "I-i need help" you whisper "Can you please elaborate?" "he's, he's dead. Oh my god he's dead, please come help" you sob "I don't know what to do. Please help me" "Woah, slow down. Who's dead?" The question causes you to cry harder "Y-yunho. He's d-dead. Help me please" You sob "Okay dear, I've dispatched officers to your location"

How long had he been sitting here? All alone? What was he thinking? Did he think you hated him? Regret sat heavily in your chest as you waited for someone to arrive. This was all your fault. You made him feel like this. You knew he had no one else and you pushed him away. You knew you should've approached him differently, maybe talked to him over dinner and carefully explained needing some you time but no, you yelled at him without an apology.

His cold eyes continued to stare at you almost like they were taunting you "Look at what you did. You did this to me. You were my only friend and you knew that, knew that I had nobody. Where were you when I needed you most? Are you happy now?" Your sobs grew louder "I'm sorry Yunho. I'm so sorry" You brought your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them as you continued to cry. You jump when you hear loud knocking and people entering the apartment "Seoul police department" "Over here" You weakly shout. The officers come into view and you point into the bathroom across from you. They rush in looking down at the body, one sighs and turns to you "Miss? I'm Officer Choi and that's Officers Kang and Park. We need to ask you what happened" He explained and you nod.

…

You sat on Yunho's couch as the officers moved about the space "Excuse me." You look up to see two men in very nice suits standing in front of you "I know it's a very hard time right now but we do need to ask you a few questions" You give them a slow nod "I'm Detective Kim and this is my partner Detective Jeon. Can you tell me what happened?" Detective Kim says while crouching down to your level. His eyes are so friendly it almost makes you feel calm, almost "I um, I hadn't heard from him in almost two weeks and I got worried" You explain and Detective Kim nods for you to continue "When I walked in here was this really bad smell and everything was so quiet" You pause, your stare burning holes into the floor "Then. Then I f-found him" You sniffle "He was just lying there" “Um hey Jeon. You guys might want to come and see this" One of the officers yells from the bedroom. Detective Kim gives you an apologetic smile "Excuse us. We'll only be a moment" He says before standing and walking with Detective Jeon down the hallway.

Five minutes pass and the detectives come back looking more serious than before "How exactly do you know Jeong Yunho?" Detective Jeon questions you and you look up seeing the serious expression on his face. Confusion takes over, did they think you were responsible? That you killed him? You didn't mean to, all you wanted was space. You never wanted any of this to happen "H-he's my best friend. I've known him since high school" You reply feeling tears gather in your eyes again "Just friends? Nothing more?" You look at them confused "Yeah just friends. What is going on?" They look at each other for a moment, contemplating "I think it's best if you look for yourself" Detective Kim gestures for you to follow him.

You follow the two down the hallway, past the open bathroom where Yunho's body lay with the white sheet covering him. They lead you into his bedroom. You didn't understand why you were in here, you've been in his room a hundred times and nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they walked over to the closet. When they opened the doors it felt like all the wind had gotten knocked out of you. A wall full of pictures of you ranging from when you first met back in sophomore year to last week. There were so many pictures of you changing, and sleeping, but what disturbed you the most were the pictures taken from inside your house. What made things even worse was the little box they pulled out. Inside sat three pairs of your panties, a tube of lipgloss, the mini bullet vibrator you thought you tossed out, and a few tissues.

You feel bile rise in your throat and you start to feel dizzy. Had it been Yunho this entire time? No. This had to be some sick joke. Any minute he'll pop out and yell surprise. But the longer you stood the more you realized just how real this all was. Suddenly all the air in the room disappeared and your chest tightened "Miss Yn?" The last thing you heard was Detective Jeon's voice before everything went dark

2 years had gone by since Yunho's death and you haven't been the same. Your friends had tried to reach out but they would go unanswered. You didn't know if you could trust anyone anymore. How could you go so long without realizing? You feel dumb, it all seems so obvious now that you know. If only you had listened to everyone in the beginning but you were so determined to prove everyone wrong, look where that got you.

@e3ellie @yoonshiiu @yunlazia @jonghoslilstar @sugakooie

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[cleopatraphouse]

Top nine Wormfics (as picked by someone who has read over a thousand Wormfics)

(I know Wormblr can be kinda tight-knit so please don't feel bad if you're not on the list.)

9. Wink

(x)

By: Idiom Alpha

Status: Dead. 29K words.

Summary: Post- Gold Morning, a small-time band of villains struggle to survive in post-apocalyptic America.

Gold Morning and its consequences are fairly underrepresented in Wormfic. Even the fics set on Gimel tend to feature it as more of a new settler town than a ‘rebuilding after the end’ Eaden. Part of the reason is the relative newness of Ward, part of the reason is the relative badness of Ward; but let’s be honest, a lot of the reason is that post-Gold Morning there’s no Taylor. And no one reads Wormfics without Taylor.

Wink doesn’t have Taylor, except vaguely in the background of a flashback scene. And it’s really really good anyway.

After a slow bit at the start of chapter one, we get to see into a fully realized scavenger civilization Earth Bet. Some towns exist, held together by capes or regular human grit and spit. But most of the world’s population has died or relocated. But it’s not really a sad story, as dark as the subject matter gets at times. The narration (given by OC cape Bystander, whose deal I’ll leave as a surprise) is purposefully light and jovial. Example sentence: “You know, I think the funniest part about the apocalypse is that it left everyone with a lot of free time.”. This has the dual purpose of giving the exposition pizzazz and personality, while making the emotional moments that come later hit harder.

Speaking of. So, like, I have autism (and a couple of other things but that’s the important one here). I don’t know exactly how severe it is on a scale of one to ten, but it does make my life difficult. I’m not sure how much detail is appropriate to give here (yknow, because of the autism), so I’ll keep things vague. Suffice to say that many things are difficult for me that I really really wish weren’t.

I bring this up because the most seen I’ve ever felt, as an autistic person, was reading Finale in Ward. (Even though she gets called not-autistic in the same chapter...)

The second most seen I’ve ever felt is reading Sentiment’s interlude in Wink.

I’m not going to give the whole thing away, but the line where her brother tells her to be normal, and the narration follows up with “Kinneret tried being normal. It wasn't a very fun game, but she played it for years. It didn't help her make any friends.” Yeah. Yeah, that’s real shit. Way realer than that one Questionable Content strip which still bugs me years later even though it’s not important or relevant at all.

The fic unfortunately died shortly after the plot started actually picking up. Thankfully the chapters are fairly substantial. An arc for Bystander is successfully conveyed, even if it’s not the fully realized arc that was clearly being built to. There are even twists! And there’s some pretty good art, drawn by the author.

Idiom Alpha has written a bunch of Wormfics! Sadly literally all of them are dead. They’re still really good though! My favorites are Not Looking Forward To It (which has my favorite takes on Dinah and Flor), Lean (which has my favorite take on Noelle), and Don’t Do Brains! (which has the only ending Idiom ever wrote even though it’s officially unfinished).

8. Santa-Assault And Imp The Elf: Christmas Carnage

(x)

By: Rukaio Alter

Status: Complete. 79K words.

Summary: Assault just wants to teach Imp the meaning of Christmas in his own roguish way. When he’s kidnapped by The Elite, she gets dragged along and triggers, which might be what they need if they’re going to escape.

There are perhaps a surprising amount of Christmas-themed Wormfics (Visited By Three Villains and The House Of Mortal Clay spring to mind as choice picks). This is the best one though, partially because it’s more Home Alone than Prep And Landing. While Christmas is inherent to the plot, set dressing, and even themeing; the fic is not trapped by being ‘a Christmas fic’. While there is a “saving Christmas” bend to the plot and imagery, it’s more just a very very well written story about two strangers trying their best to save some kids with cancer from supervillains... during Christmas, while dressed as Santa and an elf. It’s a fun ride at any time of year. I read it slowly to savor it.

This is easily my favorite take on Assault. I mean, the portrayal of Imp is really good too, but this is the version of Assault that the other fic!Assaults wish they were. Roguish and irreverent without being uncaring, goodnatured and upbeat without being saccharine, and burdened by his past without being maudlin; Christmas Carnage is able to fully explore and flesh out a character relatively underutilized by canon. And yes, there’s more to his relationship with Battery than sitcom tropes. We even get to see him as an angsty kid!

People completely allergic to cheese probably won’t be able to tolerate the sillier moments, the jokes can get goofy. (Sample joke: “You said it made me look professional!” / “And you were stupid to believe me.”) It’s a fairly deft management of tone though, it never slips into outright farce even when the comedic explosions start up. And Ruk gives most of the serious parts (even a tearjerker or two) room to breathe.

Some of the fight scenes maybe lack some of the impact they should have (Ruk has a bad habit of starting action paragraphs with discourse filler words). That’s just kinda something you gotta accept, treat it like part of the shonen-esque action-comedy the fic is clearly modeled after.

I really wanna stress that this could have easily just been a silly crackfic, the title even wants you to think that. But instead there’s really tight plotting, moments building naturally from character interaction, lots of setups and brick jokes, and subtle background worldbuilding. A few of the payoffs are admittedly easy to see coming, but they’re still fun. And I’m not gonna spoil it, but the ending did give me that warm holiday-with-friends feeling.

Ruk is probably most known for his Unimaginatively Titled Worm Snippet Collection, which has some of the most creative and good short stories in the fandom. I’m specifically shouting out “Screenbug” and all his takes on Contessa. He’s also done an enjoyable-if-a-bit-underseasoned crossover with Columbo, Just One More Thing, Mr. Anders...; and the weirdly problematic crossover, Brian Laborn: Ace Attorney. Outside the fandom, he ran an original fiction and review blog for a few years, and has done stuff in a couple other fandoms I’m not in.

7. The Postdiluvian Road

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By: Aleph (Immatrael) & EarthScorpion

Status: Complete, with a sequel hopefully on the way eventually. 115K words.

Premise: In a timeline where Leviathan wipes Brockton Bay off the map, Lisa and Taylor go on the run together as the only surviving Undersiders.

This is technically a shipfic, but don’t let that color your preconceptions too much. This is a story about Lisa and Taylor getting to the point where they might wanna date, but that’s not the main events occurring. They don’t even kiss. Taylor thinks a lot about Lisa’s lips, and Lisa confesses to a sleeping Taylor that she’ll always be there for her. It’s a very slow burn, is what I’m saying.  But it’s not plotless, it’s not a coffeeshop AU (as much as I enjoy Coffee Machines And Golden Mornings); the whole story is character development skillfully interlaced with conflict scenes.

In the hands of less artistic writers, the Leviathan attack would be an easy excuse to get two characters alone. That’s not what happens here. TPR completely commits to the premise. Just as every canon chapter set in post-Leviathan Brockton is soaked in filthy water and supply chain problems, every moment of TPR is suffocated in paranoia and desperation. This is, as a result, the fic on this list that keeps most closely to Worm’s apocalyptic tone. Lisa is never sure that Coil’s really dead, that she’s really free. Taylor never stops grieving her dad. Brief moments of respite feel less like breaks than they do pauses. Every bit of emotional development comes after struggling to find food and a place to sleep.

One of my favorite aspects comes when Lisa and Taylor are trying to get some quick cash. They steal some suitcases, one of which contains some mysterious vials. They throw the vials out because they only want the money and the vials are worthless to them. Obviously, the reader knows they’re Cauldron vials, but the story never feels the need to point it out. And it wasn’t just a thrown in detail, it sets a group of capes after them. Lisa and Taylor are stumbling through other stories that we only get snippets of. The world is real and big and scary, but maybe these two can find safety in each other’s arms.

This fic also features the most subtle and tasteful Simpsons reference I think I’ve ever read. Keep an eye out!

I’ve seen people say that TPR!Skitter is weaker than she should be, but I think that can be chalked up to her having less grounding, less familiarity with the environment, and less backup. All she’s got is whatever bugs are around her and a squishy thinker to protect, she doesn’t even have a base to build up stores. There are understandable reasons for Taylor to be the underdog, is what I’m saying.

The fic is wrong about Niagara Falls, though. Niagara Falls is goddamn beautiful.

I am given to understand that this is only part one, and that a part two is or was meant to come out some day. Even if that doesn’t happen, we still have is a complete story of two girls who gradually realize they might wanna be gay in between doing crimes, and I think that’s great.

Aleph and EarthScorpion previously collaborated on Impurity, a Taylor alt-power Wards fic that to be honest I didn’t get much out of. EarthScorpion also wrote a crossover with a video game I’ve never played, and Aleph contributed some interlude chapters to something called Silence Is NOT Consent!.

6. Silence Is NOT Consent!

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By: JustAnotherCat (justanothercatgirl) and Aleph (Immatrael)

Status: On hiatus. 310K words.

Premise: After the Slaughterhouse Nine leave Brockton Bay, Skitter finds Amy having wretch’d Victoria, forces her to undo the physical damage, and takes Victoria in.

This is a hard one to talk about. There’s so much discourse attached to Amy’s character already that mentioning her becomes a minefield. Add on SINC’s brutally honest depictions of the aftereffects of rape on the victim, and I’m just painfully, painfully aware that if I don’t write this right everyone will (justifiably) get mad at me. 

So, what I’m going to say is that I think this is a horrifically accurate portrayal of severe PTSD. If you are lucky enough to be neurotypical, I imagine parts might seem unrealistic or unintentionally comedic. No. That’s what it’s like. Or, yknow, as far as I’m capable of understanding. Basically every chapter has some kind of gut punch, where Victoria again realizes how she’s still being affected by her trauma. It is uncomfortable and horrible and real.

But even besides all the heavy stuff, this has a great portrayal of Taylor and Victoria. The story’s written first person, from Victoria’s perspective, and it’s so great to see her act as a kind of straight man to Skitter’s usual deranged determination. This is the most in-character Taylor I’ve ever seen in a Wormfic, how she’s constantly going to eleven for the greater good, even when and ESPECIALLY when it’s unwarranted. One of my favorite moments comes shortly after the Rachel interlude: an uncontrolled emotion power goes off without warning during a negotiation; Taylor pretends she did it on purpose; and Victoria watches, bewildered. It’s funny, dramatic, and characterful all at once.

I will say I respectfully disagree with some of the decisions regarding Alec and Aisha, although I understand why those decisions were made and get how they fit thematically. In general the side characters are noticeably weaker than the main duo (although I think this is my favorite ever take on Charlotte). See the Brian interlude for what I mean. It’s a worthy portrait, sure, I agree with the author’s note that Brian doesn’t get enough love in fic. But does it go as deep into his character as it could?

The worldbuilding, however, is a highlight, fleshing out Brockton just that little bit. I particularly enjoy the details about the entrance to Skitter’s lair. It never feels expositiony either, every line of description comes off as an in-character observation from someone desperately trying to keep her shit together. And as the story progresses, so too does Victoria’s familiarity with her new situation, leading to my favorite Taylor/Victoria pairup. Like The Postdiluvian Road, this is not a romance story so much as it is a survival story that happens to include learning to trust again. It is bleak, sad, beautiful, and even occasionally funny and cute.

Silence Is NOT Consent! is currently on indefinite hiatus, sadly. But even if it never comes back, it’s well, WELL worth reading, even if you haven’t cried to "Body Terror Song" by AJJ.

justanothercatgirl also has a one-shot collection (which has my favorite depiction of Shatterbird) and shockingly little else. I hope she’s writing other things in her spare time, because I’m not kidding when I say the world needs voices like hers.

5. Intercession

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By VigoGrimborne

Status: Complete. 189K words.

Premise: Post-Gold Morning, Taylor is Isekai’d by Contessa into the Harry Potter universe, and given an infant Harry Potter to raise.

I'm a little reluctant to mention this one; apparently the author is uncomfortable with the amount of attention it got. Also it’s a Harry Potter crossover, and fuck J.K. Rowling. But like, the story is really good. REALLY good! Don’t get mad at me, I’m a transgirl, I know how bad Harry Potter is!

I had no idea how badly I needed to see Taylor Hebert being a good mom, or, for that matter, to see Harry Potter vehemently defending an adoptive parent. The fic isn’t perfect, there are certain comedic moments that just fall flat for me (the most forced ‘Taylor's boobs’ joke outside of canon). But that doesn’t matter. This is close to the platonic ideal of the ‘Taylor gets isekai’d post-Gold Morning’ fic. And it has really good pacing thanks to it being planned out in advance, almost every chapter feels like a nearly-complete story on its own. Other writers, take notes.

Other writers should also take note of how Taylor doesn’t waltz into the situation and immediately beat everyone else. There’s actual tension and stakes as she struggles to deal with magic for the first time, to shake off the rust and get back into combat. Even when she wins, it still has that skin-of-her-teeth desperation to it that Worm did so well.

Tellingly, a lot of the worse parts you’ll want to skip on a reread are the parts most rooted in Harry Potter canon. Harry’s first perspective chapter detailing his first three years at Hogwarts is great, but the parts spent at Ron’s house are pretty inconsequential. Maybe it was meant for the people who didn’t come from the Worm side of the fandom crossover? Harry’s classmates, at least, are given actual personalities and arcs totally absent from the books.

Credit must be given to the romantic pairing. VG somehow, miraculously, managed to make Taylor Hebert x Sirius Black not only a not-creepy pairing, but a straight-up great match. This isn’t teenage Taylor shacking up with an adult; this is Taylor as an adult mother, fully prepared to kill Sirius if his roguish charm starts negatively impacting her son.

VigoGrimbone also has a collection of side stories, outtakes, and rewrites called Of Summoning Snakes And Sorting Hats, definitely a must-read if you like Intercession even a little bit; and a collection of Worm one-shots called Chunks Of Worm, which features my favorite Amy/Lisa pairup in one story.

4. Mixed Feelings

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By Kittius

Status: Dead. 1M words.

Premise: In a slight AU, before canon start, an OC named Astrid (not to be confused with Aster) triggers after years of abuse from her Nazi father.

I found this one thanks to ColossalMistake plugging it in an interview they did, and I'm honestly flabbergasted that I hadn't heard about it before. It's straight up brilliant. Is it the one million plus wordcount that's making people rec it so infrequently? Is it the unashamed British slang that keeps making it into the dialogue of ostensibly-American characters? All I know is that Mixed Feelings is astonishingly good.

It would be irresponsible of me to not address the length. This story is a million words long even before we add in the 50K of sidestory and the other 50K of author-written apocrypha. And no, it did not need to be that long. A million words into Worm and we had at least fifteen arcs and all that entails. A million words into Mixed Feelings and we’ve had five arcs, a few fights, and one major character breakthrough.

Some of the wordcount is justified. Astrid is constantly repeating certain phrases in her head (“There is always a basement.”, “Failure is always punished.”) and this is great! It really gives you the claustrophobic feeling of being controlled which she’s dealt with her whole life. It’s like SINC, only it’s CPTSD instead of PTSD. Some of the wordcount is... less justified. The Emma interlude goes on for three parts, the Battery interlude goes on for five, and both could have made their points in two. And just skip the Testing, Testing sidestory. Even back in the main story, I do not care about Kid Win’s relationship fumbles.

It’s worth pushing through though. For one thing, the worldbuilding is fucking incredible. Astrid was raised by her Nazi father to be a child soldier, and this is reflected in how she sees the world. So we as readers get to see how the Wards HQ works, from the workout room to the cafeteria to the Youth Guard advocates. But we don’t just see them, we see them through her viewpoint. Sometimes this adds a tinge of comedy, like with her continued bewilderment that other people are engaging in decadent behaviors like eating candy or making jokes. Other times it adds little dramatic flairs, like when she’s incapable of understanding that “punishment” does not mean “extreme physical abuse”. The world feels real and lived in, with PRT foot soldiers irritatedly gossiping about Assault’s criminal past, Carlos sadly reminiscing over his dead boyfriend, and the Youth Guard desperately and futilely trying to stop more superpowered children from dying.

The overall mood is dark, which partially comes from Astrid’s fucked worldview and her slow healing process, but it also comes from looking straight on at what the Empire Eighty-Eight would actually be like. Worm justifiably gets flack for having a depiction of Nazism that’s only slightly more real than Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Mixed Feelings has a depiction of Nazism that’s clearly had research put into it. Pay attention to how an OC villain is clearly based on ‘women are property’ incel screeds, without it ever being actually spelled out. And as horrific and disturbing as the depictions of Nazism are, they’re probably as respectful towards the real-world victims as possible. And the best part is that the fic repeatedly, repeatedly shows that growing up as a Nazi (even unwillingly) is actively killing Astrid. She is almost totally incapable of functioning in the real world, because every interaction is filtered through trying not to be hurt. Her actual body is failing on her, because of her father’s lifelong abuse. You just wanna give her a hug. Except you don’t, cause she’d flinch at the sudden movement. I can relate!

Mixed Feelings has my favorite take on Piggot and Carlos, as well as Rennick, for what that’s worth. But the real star of the show is Amy. She’s such a bitch, to EVERYONE, it’s great! If you’re a big Ward fan I imagine you won’t love her as much as I do, but for anyone who’s able to imagine Amy Dallon happy, here she is, miserable and annoyed and taking it out on whoever is nearby at the time.

The author’s notes are super neat too, going into why they made certain decisions based off of offhand dialogue from across the whole of Worm.

All that said, it is funny how there’s NO EFFORT AT ALL put into making the story seem American. I learned like fifty British slang terms from my readthrough. Not that it affects the quality of the story, but it is funny to imagine American teenagers in 2011 casually saying things like “all and sundry”.

Kittius also has a snippet thread, which includes some non-Worm stories that are pretty nifty, although the overall quality is, to be honest, variable.

3. The Great Escape

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By ColossalMistake

Status: Dead. 106K words.

Premise: Eidolon must deal with the loss of his reputation due to the revelations during the Echidna fight, while at the same time attempting to help with a total breakout from the Birdcage.

Apparently this was made partially as a self-challenge by the author. ‘Is it possible to make Eidolon interesting?’. And If that story is true, this is one of the biggest slam dunks in writing challenge history. Absolute knocking it out of the park. This goes beyond “my favorite take on Eidolon” to “I now want to read more Eidolon fics”.

Eidolon here is a tragic superman. He’s tormented not just by his diminishing powers, but also by his pact actions in Cauldron and his impotence in the face of larger societal structures. The Great Escape has a lot to say about the actual nature of power. Early on, Eidolon briefly tries finding escapees manually before giving up and having Doormaker send him where he needs to go. This is after he’s kicked out of his homebase in Houston. He can go anywhere he wants, but that’s not his office anymore. Later, he tries to help put down another situation, only for it to be revealed that everything he did was part of Contessa’s plan. He can fight Endbringers, but he's still human, he's still part of the system. This all has even greater thematic resonance when he goes to church and talks to a priest as himself, as David. He’s a Christian, struggling to be what God meant him to be, struggling in a world that seems beyond God. Even I was touched, and I’m an annoying atheist edgelord.

As you’ve probably gathered by the other descriptions in this post, I’m a sucker for fanfic that expands the world of the original work. Imagine my joy when on top of the previously-mentioned setpieces, we get mention of a website besides PHO. Eidolon meets a young, naive OC named Amp, who is specifically trying to use him for a photo op to boost her rep, since she read online that it was a good move. Words cannot describe how much I love this scene. Eidolon’s gradual realization of what exactly Amp is trying to do... damn it’s good. And then Amp gets one of the top-two Wormfic interludes, where we see her entire life story, and we understand her, warts and all. Beautiful.

All due respect to the very good Initiation, Covalence, and The Problem With Other Realities, but THIS is the deadfic I most hope comes back. Everything from the prose to the characterization to the worldbuilding is spot on. (The plot is maybe a LITTLE loose…) And look out for the most admirably restrained Taylor usage in any Wormfic, she appears in the background for half a chapter, and it’s perfect, no notes.

Besides a couple of short, cracky one-shots and a contribution to the fanzine; ColossalMistake also wrote The Underside Of Gotham, a very very good Batman crossover that is brilliantly plotted and arranged. Every member of the Undersiders and every member of The Bat Family gets exactly one POV chapter. It’s downright impressive how every perspective feels like the perfect viewpoint for that chapter, and every chapter fluidly builds towards the story’s ending. He also wrote Internal Calculus, a CYOA crackfic where YOU are an intern at Cauldron trying to seduce Number Man. There are a whole lot of endings and some very funny lines, and also one ‘frustrated writer’ rant that you kinda have to just raise an eyebrow at and move on.

2. Intrepid

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By Cerulean

Status: Ostensibly only on hiatus, but don’t hold your breath. 860K words.

Premise: In an AU with many major and minor changes from canon, The Locker Incident leaves Taylor with a power that makes her seem catatonic, leading Emma and Madison to trigger. Emma joins The Undersiders, Madison joins an AU New Wave, and Taylor joins Faultline’s Crew. Meanwhile, Sophia attempts to deal with how the other Wards hate her even more now by helping out a new trigger in her spare time.

Anyone lower on the list is fully justified in getting mad at me. Intrepid has a lot of problems. The prose can be clunky, some moments (especially redemption arcs and romance scenes) feel unearned or rushed, many plot elements are introduced and then underutilized, and fight scenes often end too quickly. Some of the examples of ‘an adult guy trying to write a teenage lesbian’ are, er, unfortunate. And uh. There are way more slurs than were necessary to show that Nazis are bad. That’s before we even get to how the story handles the concept of ex-Nazis, which can politely be described as “naive”.  

This is the most Marvel-y of the fics on this list, with a lot of focus on exciting battle scenes with lots of people, even when the fighting seems kinda contextless. Madison especially enjoys throwing out quips a la Spider-Man in a way that can be jarring given the surrounding violence.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t make myself move Intrepid down a slot. Those moments may be unearned but damn if they don’t hit. Interlude 20B is an incredible example of how to do a ‘minions rebel against their boss’ thing. Chapter 6-07 might be my favorite car chase I’ve ever read (admittedly not a lot of contestants in that contest, but still). There’s another chapter which is almost a blueprint for how to perfectly kill off a certain kind of villain. The “You like girls, Captain Oblivious.” monologue is just a fantastic bit that I needed to mention. And Intrepid also has one of the only Endbringer arcs I’ve EVER enjoyed, INCLUDING in canon.

This is also my favorite take on Sophia. She, through a somewhat elaborate set of circumstances, becomes the leader of an independent hero group during her off hours from the Wards. And while this causes her to become a less shitty person, she never loses her anger issues, she never stops being Sophia. I hesitate to call it a redemption arc, it’s more just character development. A lot of ink has been (justifiably) spilled over her canon appearance, which barely rises above racial caricature, and I’m not going to pretend that Intrepid has a radical deconstruction of her which makes it okay somehow. But yknow, if you’re stuck with it, this is maybe the best you can do.

Intrepid also has my favorite take on Labyrinth, which I will fully admit is pure bias on my part. I just really like it when neurodivergence is portrayed as endearing and not annoying, okay?

In the end, this is a fic that’s on this list not because it’s necessarily better written or better plotted, but just because of how much fun it all is. This is a fic where every cool idea the author could think of got shoved in there. Sometimes that leads somewhere, sometimes it doesn’t, but it sure always feels like it’s going to, which is skilled writing in and of itself. The Travelers show up, and just for fun, Noelle is their leader and they’re all alt-powers because they drank different vials. It’s great! New Wave shows up, but they haven’t unmasked and Fleur isn’t dead and Amy and Vicky both have alt-powers. Wonderful! That girl who Taylor mentions to Emma once in canon shows up and becomes the Butcher but the Butcher has a new name because they got subsumed by a new group. Fuck yeah! This fic is an example of how many changes you can make to canon while keeping it recognizably Worm. Why don’t we have more of that in the fandom? I mean, I can think of some examples (Slick, The Fall, even Inheritance) but so many people are content to follow the goddamn stations of the canon. 

This is also the only Wormfic I think I’ve ever read that does Armsmaster’s transformation into Defiant in a unique way. I love when fanfics are able to recreate arcs or plot moments in new contexts!

The most recent arc (written after a five year hiatus) admittedly makes me doubt that Cerulean still has what it takes to give Intrepid the conclusion it really deserves. But the fic is still too damn fun for me not to love. In short, this is Wormfic’s answer to Kingsmen: The Secret Service, another awesome fun action romp that doesn’t totally make sense plot-wise if you think about it for too long (and kinda sucks right at the end).

Cerulean started in the Animorphs fandom with the pretty decent Animorphs: Redux series. His first Wormfic, Atonement, is retrospectively a sort of dry run for Intrepid, exploring the same themes and ideas but not as good. And it has my favorite take on Legend! I do, however, need to specifically disclaim the original character of Vacate, who has some of the worst attempts at ‘realistic Urban dialogue’ I’ve ever read, it’s kinda uncomfortable. Currently Cerulean is publishing two original web serials, neither of which I can recommend in good faith. Heretical Edge is impossible to describe because the plot changes every other chapter, and Summus Proelium is just Worm but worse. Read the first chapter of each and then skip everything but the interludes, treat them like short story collections.

Bonus Round: Other Wormfics which have a particular special sauce

Absolution by Quantumsheepery, which has the best dialogue in any Wormfic, and the only good use of ‘aura theory’.

Broken Crown by thevalleyarchive, which has my favorite takes on Theo and Krieg, and also some of the most horrifically realistic depictions of Nazism I’ve seen in fiction. If it was far along enough to know that it’d stay this high quality, it’d be in the top ten list, easy.

Chain by Truebeasts, which has my favorite Dragon and Aisha.

Collagen by T0PH4T, which has my favorite Hookwolf, my favorite Endbringer arc, and an almost unforgivably clunky start before getting incredible out of nowhere.

Episodes by Sharpes_Tanith, which has enough plot to fill an entire arc used as background flavor for a one-shot of an uncomfortably honest portrait of bipolar disorder.

Glassmaker by JinglyJangles, which has this totally unique tone and vibe.

Here Comes The New Boss (Nothing Like The Old Boss) by HowlingGuardian, which has my favorite Spitfire, Velocity, piece of fanart, and Amy/Taylor pairup.

Just The Two Of Us by Discreet, which has a great plot I won’t spoil.

Mandible by Dragobeisha, which has my favorite Teeth and one of my favorite capefights.

Powers And Profits by Partizanka, which has one of the most out-of-the-box story concepts I’ve ever seen, executed flawlessly.

Slaughterhouse 9 Power Taylor by Thinker6, which has my favorite two-shot.

The Girl That Lived Through Time by 3ndless, which has a demonstration of exactly how much you can do with the Worm setting.

The Third Door by Dysole & TelegraphNine, which has my favorite Bonesaw’d!Taylor, and is a potential candidate for the awkward ‘most improved’ award.

These Bloodied Hands by beef jerky, which has some of the best prose in any Wormfic.

Unbreakable by JackSlash, which has my favorite Jack Slash.

1. Riley, Alone

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By R3N41SS4NC3

Status: Complete. 94K words.

Premise: No spoilers just read it. Even if you hate Worm go read it right now. Seriously, there’s one moment that made my jaw drop with how good and clever and creative it was, it was like getting hit by a truck. Read it!

That’s right, my pick for all-time best Wormfic is one where Taylor doesn’t show up at all and The Undersiders get mentioned like once.

This is a story that has a very special place in my heart. As you can probably gather from the other fics on this list, themes of atonement and redemption just resonate with me more than themes of recovery. I find the question “Is it possible to still be a good person after hurting people very badly?” more interesting than “Is it possible to heal after being hurt very badly?”. (Is this because I am a bad person? Possibly!) And without giving anything away, there’s a sentence roughly in the middle of the fic that monocasually destroyed part of my Catholic guilt complex.

But besides that, the story is just extremely good. The prose is top-notch, the plot progresses at a steady clip without sacrificing detail or forgetting character moments, and the standard cliches of Wormfic are either avoided or given unique twists. My favorite example for that last one is a trigger event scene. Everyone who’s read enough Wormfic has seen the phrases “DESTINATION. AGREEMENT.” just so. so so so many times when a writer’s being lazy. Or, if they’re not lazy but they’re still kinda uncreative, it’s just the visions from Worm rewritten again. Giant whales and all that. Riley, Alone has a completely original, totally unique interpretation of a trigger event vision and it makes the scene so much fresher and newer while also contributing to our understanding of the characters.

Even the chapter titles are great! Riley, Alone is divided into three sections, plus an interlude and an ending. Each section has its own unique chapter title gimmick and it just adds this tiny bit of flourish that makes the story feel that much more cohesive and planned out. I can only think of one other Wormfic (the very good, previously-mentioned Just The Two Of Us) that’s taken the time to do something more interesting than Wildbow-style arc titles.

Speaking of chapters, credit needs to be given to R3N41SS4NC3 for creating a totally new take on the concept of a Worm-style interlude. Again, I don’t wanna give it away, but if you’re like me and you still think it’s kinda annoying how Worm switched between first- and third- person, you will maybe love this.

And yes, I am avoiding detailing what plot points the story has, but that’s because I really really feel like it’s best gone into as blind and unsuspecting as possible. It starts focusing on Bonesaw before the Nine get to Brockton Bay and that’s all you need to know.

I guess if I had to say something to criticize it, the plot slowing down in the second half makes the story feel a little lopsided towards the front. I kinda wish there was just a little more Bonesaw body horror stuff shown on-screen. There’s a scene with the Siberian where it’s debatable how well it holds up to scrutiny. Chapter fifteen specifically feels like it was crying out to be absolutely nightmarish but it isn’t really. Uh. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. I love this story so much. It’s got my second favorite take on Jack Slash and my favorite-ever take on Bonesaw. It’s got meditations on identity (gender and personal and societal). It’s got a nicely subtle Pact reference.

Okay, there is one thing that annoys me. Early on, Jack Slash is suggesting names for Bonesaw’s latest creation, and starts to say “Murder Rat” before getting cut off in the middle of “Rat”. So he’d say “Murder Ra-“, right? But it’s written in-dialogue as “Murder R” even though that’d be read out loud as “Murder Arr”. Anyway go read it already.

R3N41SS4NC3’s other fics include Charity Begins At Home, which has my favorite Madison; Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures (co-written with piperfurby), which has my favorite Manpower but does veer between brilliant and bewildering; and Pyrrhic Love, which has my favorite Emma. There’s also another story that I don’t wanna mention in case people get mad at me but it’s very artfully done. And when you've read all that, read its first fic, what if catgirl!taylor got stuck in a tree?, which is near-Wattpad-level crack, and see how all great artists have to start somewhere.

[ezlo-x]

Are you at liberty to talk about how any of your characters have changed over the course of your aus development :)c? I always love seeing how things started and what they were finalized as !

Oh absolutely! I'm gonna see how much I remember from the early days of my au cause I know stuff has changed a lot. There are certain characters that haven't changed much from their early days. Mostly cause I think that what I established at the beginning was good enough for now and perhaps in the future I can revisit this and change aspects to it. Which is what usually happened to many of my side characters. There are some characters where I haven't payed much attention but I hope I can develop them even more in the future! So for this I will focus on the ones that had the most changes.

Ganondorf

Originally in my AU Demise was meant to be the main antagonist, but I think Demise lasted as an idea for less than a few days in my AU. I originally thought for Ganondorf to be the incarnate of Demise wanting to break free from the cycle. I thought of it and changed it for Ganondorf to not really be connected to Demise nor the canon Ganondorfs and for him to be his own character. Especially with the fact that in my story he becomes the Hero of Courage.

Ganondorf is an insecure person, this is due to him being the black sheep of the family. With no powers such as his mother's, in his own eyes, he deems himself worthless, even with his skill in combat. This still holds up in his story, but originally, he was meant to project this insecurity to Sheik, with Sheik wanting to unlock his powers (this was WAYY BEFORE I figured out what to do with the Triforce I was following very close to BotW's story). I scrapped that part of Ganondorf's character arc, cause I realized it was stupid and out of character for him. In story he does get upset with Sheik but not in a way to project his insecurities to his own child. So even if Ganondorf is insecure of himself and worth, I'm going to tackle it very differently than what I originally thought.

Sheik

With Sheik it was more about things around him changing. Like figuring out the Triforce for my au, the dragons, Lord of the Mountains, and the Blupees. Also his dynamic with the Scourge King as well. I think with Sheik I'm still scoping things out, there are things in her story that I'm thinking to improve, as I really don't want her to be pushed aside and barely have a role in this story.

Tarú

This is specifically Post-Calamity Tarú. They were initially meant to be more soft-spoken, less outgoing like her father. Especially due to the trauma of the attack of The Calamity. Tarú was meant to forgive Ganondorf for disappearing for so long and was presumed dead.

Well THAT was changed, Tarú is now bitter and resentful towards Ganondorf for abandoning him for almost 20 years. Tarú's trauma of losing his father in The Calamity, became a fear of losing his own son Yunobo. Tarú's a grouch a grump and there is tension across the board between him and Ganondorf.

HOWEVER I still had in mind that these two would reconcile by the end, but after much further thought and talking to friends about my story. I came to the conclusion that it would be best if these two didn't end up together. Cause I forgot to mention-

In pre-Calamity, the relationship between those two changed. Especially when the Calamity began to approach, their relationship became rocky, and tension began to arise. Tarú wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and take Ganondorf along with him. But Ganondorf had other goals in mind, and his insecurities held him back from continuing the relationship forward. This lead for these two to feel unsure about each other and were unable to resolve it cause The Calamity awoke and all hell broke loose.

Skall

She had a pretty simple rewrite, though it was almost an overhaul of her story. In Post-Calamity time, Skall attempted to fight back the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, failed, and plummeted to the Hebra Mountains, hiding for 10 years.

This was simply changed so that when she lost her beak during the battle, it was too traumatizing for her to continue fighting. She eventually retired and lives in a small town in the Hebra region until Ganondorf and Nabooru meet her.

Scourge King

THIS BITCH

Alright, so originally Scourge King was just meant to be a force of evil, just like Calamity Ganon. Nothing crazy nothing grand, just that.

I was feeling unsure about it mostly cause it felt a little ironic that my antagonist for my au story barely had any form of motive or character as a villain. When I am THEE Ganondorf enjoyer, I am a villain enjoyer. The dead body behind that mask was just a dead body. MAYBE it was meant to be someone but not the character that I currently have now. It was irrelevant, I just did it cause it looked cool.

So after MUCH thought, all the pieces fell down into place for me. And I became oh so excited about Scrouge King as a character and villain. And his dynamic that he will have with Sheik and Ganondorf, as well as the relationship of the Triforce. I would love to share more about him but I REALLY want to keep it as a surprise for you all. When I one day eventually reach to that point of my story.

I know I have more to share but these are the guys that just came to me at the top of my head and also are the ones with the most recent changes to their character and story.

[crushedsweets]

I always wonder what happend with Claudia (nina's bully), like what was she doing to nina exactly? What happend to her? Is she still alive? And if she is, does she regret messing with nina? Could nina forgive her eventually?

AHHHH I wrote about this in detail in my Nina document but I’m unsure if this section ever got posted!!! I’m mostly gonna explain Nina’s backstory

In elementary school, Claudia found a notebook Nina worked on filled to the brim with true crime notes and drawings and printed photos. Brought it to the office, got Nina in trouble, told everyone - Nina got outcasted QUICKLY. bullying about her behavior turned to bullying about her clothes, appearance, etc etc

Nina turned even deeper into her online circles, resulting in her behavior growing more and more toxic, before she eventually began trying to emulate Claudia in an attempt to regain normalcy/power at school (evidently, she has a history of trying to emulate people).

But. That wasn’t really enough for Nina. She was angry for what happened in elementary school, and she started cyberbullying the shit out of Claudia under fake usernames - photoshopping her face onto crime scenes, insulting her appearance, leaking her usernames onto random forums where she’d get harassed until she changed accounts - and it really messed with Claudia . Like a lot. This was middle school

Nina eventually got bored of Claudia and just went about her days - now in highschool, Nina was fixating on new people every week. She was obsessed with the validation, the “popularity”, going to parties with older people, “fitting in”. Life went on (and it was a pretty shitty life, constantly getting her heart broken and used - drugs and boys and fights).

And then she got a boyfriend that she swore was the love of her life . She shared some of her true crime interests. And. Rip . He breaks up with her, and suddenly tons of old messages and voice memos and screenshots and stuff got leaked thru the school - including the stuff Nina was spamming Claudia with in middle school. She is immediately outcasted and bullied all over again. nina figured it was Claudia “orchestrating” everything .

So Nina followed her home, shoved her to the ground, and smashed her face into the curb. Which she immediately regretted BUT Claudia survived with a broken nose and some chipped teeth .

HOWEVER!!! The day she attacked Claudia was the exact day that Jeff committed his first rampage. Hence her immediate attachment to his case, she thought it was fate. And she was in complete and utter awe of his “strength, perseverance, ability to stand up to all his bullies” . Whatever. (I might workshop this where his case blows up a week before and she takes it as inspiration to attack Claudia, but I’m not sure - I just really like the idea of them committing crimes on opposite sides of the country at the same time, but at much different levels of severity, only for Nina to be like WERE LEGIT THE SAME BRO)

But um. Lol . Nina got expelled and sent to alternative school, where her life continued to spiral - eventually her baby brother caught her cutting the smile into her face, he freaked out, and Nina got sent to live in Mississippi with her grandparents

…….who she later robbed and ran off to Alabama with their cash.

ANYWAY, in terms of Claudia, she’s fine now. Probably a nurse. Fixed her nose and teeth. She only regrets messing with Nina and not being prepared for Nina attacking her - but she thinks Nina deserved it all, even in adulthood

[sanzako]

This is wonderful!

I want to add about the kind of puzzles you can encounter from different Zeldas and how that can affect the way each Link tackles a challenge (sadly I don't have much experience with the 2D games). These are all based in the regular editions (no Master Quest or HD) and my very subjective experience, so beware.

Ocarina of time (and Majora's Mask)

OoT was the first Zelda game I played, back in the N64. Most of the puzzles are solved by observation and heavily using the item you get in that particular dungeon. I remember having to travel some dungeons back and forth, revisiting many places I have traveled tons before but now with new information, an item, or key in order to advance. My bf is playing this game for the first time and now I realize how many things are not obvious at all. The game is full of hints, but sometimes they are very subtle and meant to be discovered by a trial and error process. You need to explore and it's not weird to stumble upon the solution by sheer luck (for example, he discovered you can fly with a Cucco by accidentally falling off a roof with one over his head). Time probably is used to find weird things everywhere that hopefully will make sense further in his adventure (then there is always the paranoia that maybe you are meant to solve them right now, and you are just not smart enough to do it.)

Wind Waker

Uhh, I did play this game, but I am not the best to talk about it due to some external, strenuous circumstances xD (I played with a broken controller that drifted to the left). The only thing I could say is that you don't want a vast sea where you can only move to the west haha.

Twilight Princess

Similar to OoT, but I think the puzzles are in general much more linear. Midna usually tells you where to go and how to do stuff, so it is hard to get stuck (I actually managed to get stuck in very stupid ways so maybe Midna was onto something). It followed the formula of "new item advances the plot", and you have to travel all over the world to do stuff, but most of the time just once (or you return but for something very small). I will have to replay this game to remember more.

Skyward Sword.

Fi spoiled a lot of the puzzles for you, which I guess in-universe made her extremely useful, but as a player was kind of frustrating. I think this game was more focused on the motion mechanics and dexterity skills than in solving puzzles. Still the mechanics were pretty interesting and it was pretty common to return to places you have already traveled, but now with some new challenges. It became a little repetitive, but it gave you the opportunity to appreciate those places. Also, the dungeons are gorgeous.

Breath of the Wild.

Oh boy. I think what sets it apart is it's biggest strength and weakness. Most Zelda games have only ONE way to solve a puzzle. Part of the challenge is to guess what the developers wanted you to do next. Not in this game. The freedom they give you means that you can solve a puzzle in many different, unorthodox ways. That's lateral thinking, baby! The bad thing is that most puzzles are auto contained in small rooms and can be solved from the get-go. The complexity and need to learn a large dungeon layout rapidly goes down. This means that Wild would probably be very frustrated with an unsolvable puzzle that needs a particular specific item that he will get later on. Probably he would just think how unfair is that if he has a pretty heavy claymore or boulder breaker with him, why does he need a sacred-fire-goron-magic hammer hidden in the deeps of a volcano to activate the switch that is right here.

Legend of Zelda I (NES)

I just recently started playing this one for the first time. What I found pretty interesting is that the items that you need to advance are not always where you would expect them. It's so, so easy to miss a plot relevant item just by going straight and not exploring everything. Unlike future installments that practically forces the important stuff upon you, this game is happy to let you fail for not being curious enough. Also, due to the memory constraints, you are basically out of any instructions and directions in-game. That makes it very confusing unless you have the manual (fortunately it is available in archive.com). There are a lot of hidden stuff that are really really hard to come-by. For example, there are some trees that you can set on fire that hide caves, but they are not marked in any way, and if you set on fire the wrong tree, nothing happens, not even a small indication that what you are doing may do something (the normal trees don't burn, so it's not hard to conclude they are not programmed to respond to fire). I think this is the reason why Hyrule seems to have a supernatural ability to find hidden stuff, this game basically requires that from you (unless you use guides, like I had to, specially in the overworld).

I have played small sections of the Oracle games, Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass, but not enough to give a review. Hopefully I will play more of those at some point!

And of course, your mileage may vary, the experience playing Zelda games may be drastically different from one fan to other. Still, hope it helps!

Fellow Linked Universe fans, I have a favor to ask of you.

I keep thinking that I don’t know as much about the Links as I think I do because I’ve only played one of the games, so if any of you wouldn’t mind, pick your favorite and rant about their adventure!

If not, that’s okay, I’m still doing as much research as I can on them. I just want to also hear it from other fans as a sort of backup or confirmation thing for me to read later.

Thank you for your time!

[cornleypolytechnicgoeswrong]

More of my favourite low effort CPDS Members as my screenshotted tiktok comments memes for you as an apology for being so inactive and proof I am still around hehe <33

[icewindandboringhorror]

examining a seemingly normal image only to slowly realize the clear signs of AI generated art.... i know what you are... you cannot hide your true nature from me... go back where you came from... out of my sight with haste, wretched and vile husk

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

he has finally finished the game!!

(i'll try and just limit this to stuff i found funny, because i otherwise have too much to say about this absolutely bonkers insane ending)

him seeing kokichi's motive video: "SEE I TOLD YOU HE WAS JUST A HARMLESS PRANKSTER, I KNEW IT!!! HE WAS JUST A LIL GUY ALL ALONG!!!"

he frequently compared things to the hunger games and catching fire, pointing out that rantaro participating in a previous killing game was kind of like previous winners coming back for the quarter quell, and when everyone decided to abstain from voting to spoil the game he said it was like katniss and peeta trying to eat the berries. i kinda see where he's coming from

he was so relieved when he found out the hope's peak stuff was just brainwashing, lmao. (me too!)

he laughed so hard when tsumugi started cosplaying all the previous characters, especially when it was makoto or hajime. he laughed a lot through the trial tbh, he found it hilarious

he at first thought that keebo's inner voice was perhaps the professor trying to contact him

he was like "no!!!" when monodam got blown up. not the rest of the monokubs, just monodam

during the first chapter he had actually pointed out the unlikely timing and positioning that kaede's rube goldberg thing would have needed, and concluded that rantaro must have just got unlucky. turns out he had been right all along!! hahahaha!! ahaha ahahahaha *thinks about kaede's execution and cries*

he likes tsumugi way more now. she's a fun villain.

he LOVED how shuichi kept getting more angry and badass and yeah i agree we stan a KING

partway through the trial he was like "this is still seeming pretty normal to me, didn't you say this game is the crazy one?" and then by the end he was like "OKAY YEAH WHAT DID I JUST WATCH"

(he said he doesn't know what to think about it. fair enough lmao. this is one game you need time to sit on before being able to figure out if you liked it or not...)

things we compared the plot twists to: bolt, the truman show, the human centipede 2, luigi wins by doing nothing, the hunger games

for a while there he did think everyone was going to die. then he was most surprised at himiko surviving bc he thought she was so death-coded. (literally same. I'M GLAD ABOUT IT THOUGH, I LOVE HIMIKO SO MUCH)

he thinks tsumugi is lying about some of it, at least. the extent to which she brainwashed them, and the circumstances of why they're in the killing game. but, hey, well, it's impossible to know for certain ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

he says overall his fav danganronpa game is probably still the first one, followed by v3, and then the second one. he liked all of them though!

there was probably more like he definitely said loads of funny stuff but like. do you really expect my brain to be working properly just after watching the ending of v3?? do you really????

i've been slowly showing my brother the danganronpa games and he's on chapter 1 of v3, and in my spare time i have also been replaying v3 and i'm on chapter 6, and let me tell you -- experiencing those two chapters almost simultaneously is making me feel physically ill

[mqonlighting]

real talk in the tags for a second because i have a crush on a girl and i. a hehe. ahehehe.

will be burying this in reblogs and never touching on it again

[kianamaiart]

"Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to be a Magical Girl" Bios!

NAME: Aika (she/her) AGE: 15 Main Protagonist CV: Anairis Quiñones

BIO:

Aika is an easily excitable and energetic girl. She's generally optimistic and very friendly. She's always eager to try new things as long as it's not her fulltime job of being a magical girl.

As soon as her magical girl duties are brought into the picture, her demeanor changes. She checks out, and often looks for the quickest solution to solve the issue. No flashy transformations and special moves here. She's good with a metal baseball bat or a rocket launcher.

All Aika wants is to live a normal life, make friends and go to school. Unfortunately, like every main protagonist, trouble manages to follow her wherever she goes.

___________________________________

NAME: Zira (she/they) AGE: 16 Love Interest Best Friend CV: Bennett Abara

BIO:

Zira is everything Aika wants to be. Painfully average, under the radar and a self proclaimed loser.

She's a smart girl but has a hard time applying herself. Instead of paying attention in school, and doing extracurriculars, Zira would much rather be reading her favorite magical girl manga "Moon Sailor".

After Aika forces her friendship upon them, Zira now has to tag along on all of Aika's escapades and experiences new things. Ew. However, they admire Aika deeply and admire her even more after Aika's magical secret comes to light.

___________________________________

NAME: Hoshi (any/they/them) AGE: unknown Magical Sidekick CV: Christine Marie Cabanos

BIO:

Hoshi is a magical star being sent to Earth to find the chosen one. They made a great choice with Aika, as she's amazing at her job. The only issue is she hates it and is often trying to dodge responsibilities (and Hoshi).

When Aika first started, and still had her heart in it, Hoshi was definitely more neurotic and acted as your typical mentor/magical sidekick. But over time, they gave up on trying to tell Aika what to do and also became a little more apathetic. Aika was getting the job done at least, so what's the problem?

Hoshi still has to make sure Aika doesn't completely give up on being the Star Guardian: Guardian of the Stars, which Aika finds annoying.

___________________________________

NAME: Eclipse (he/him) AGE: 15 Minor Antagonist CV: Aleks Le

BIO:Eclipse is a flamboyant and theatrical individual whose showmanship is out of this world. He refers to himself as

"Eclipse: Servant of Darkness".

He was a D-list antagonist that Aika and her team would fight on occasion. Mostly just saving citizens from him being a nuisance. Eclipse has deluded himself into thinking that he's Aika's rival, main antagonist and love interest. Their love is simply forbidden as he's chosen the path of darkness and her, the light.

After Aika ran away, he managed to find her again. However this time he actually has powers??? Where did those come from? It's as if he's made a deal with darkness itself.

___________________________________

NAME: Lady DeVoid (she/her) AGE: Old Main Antagonist/Big Bad CV: Shara Kirby

BIO: Lady DeVoid is darkness itself. She's a mysterious being with an incomprehensible amount of power. Power that is currently weakened and that she actually has no idea how to use. She can't seem to remember for some reason...

All she knows is that a long time ago she was defeated and banished by a Star Guardian and that she now wants revenge. The only power she has at her disposal is creating particles of darkness that she can use to possess animate or inanimate objects to create monsters. She prefers others do her dirty work.

She enlists the help of Eclipse to spread these particles with the hopes that it'll eventually destroy the Star Guardian.

___________________________________

NAME: Miss (she/her) AGE: 39 Side Character CV: Michele Knotz

BIO:

Miss is Aika and Zira's very tired teacher. Looking at her, you might assume she hates her job, but it's quite the opposite. She pours everything into her work and into her students, leaving very little time for her personal life.

She's recently started trying to get it together (after her ex-wife left her) but is still struggling to find that work-life balance.

Prior to Aika enrolling, Miss was Zira's only friend at school and, though she'd never admit it, Zira's probably the closest thing she has to a friend also (oof). She's subsequently become a secret Moon Sailor fan too.

[allisonreader]

Laundry is done for now. We'll see if any writing actually gets done.

[ccccatttta]

jegulus fic where james is a youtuber/streamer who does all sorts of pretty crazy pranks and people ADORE him because he's totally shameless.

one day he gets dared to crash a wedding and oppose it, pretending to be in love with either the groom or the bride.

and even though his editor (and bestest friend) remus told him that that's fucking insane, james still chose to do it bc he's a menace. but he does promise to cut it all off if things get messy.

james gets everything ready and, after stalking some of his old school classmates, he finds that one of them is attending a wedding (it's mulciber, who james remembers to despise back then, so it's a win-win situation), which means his plan is all set.

by fate, and fate only, this wedding is regulus' and some girl's his parents chose for him (and mulciber was invited bc his family is very close to the black's)

and obviously, this is a clear forced marriage, regulus would rather kill himself than marry a girl, he's as gay as they come.

[for sake of the plot, sirius and james don't know each other at all, didn't go to school together either, and sirius didn't run away and is also livid with his parents for marrying reg off, but there wasn't anything he could do]

so! prank day, james is live the moment he, very dramatically, stands up and proclaims his love for this.... regulus guy, and how he knows he promised to not come but he just couldn't handle the thought of the love of his life being married to someone else (his followers thought he was going to claim to love the bride, but james found the groom way too cute and he just couldn't hold himself back, he's just a guy)

the 30 seconds of pure silence and shock that follow are almost enough to make james break character and start laughing like crazy.

regulus, who's flabbergasted by the way, knows immediately that it's a prank. however, this might as well be a sign of the gods, because, what are the chances that this (very handsome) random man, chose HIS wedding out of all, and targeted HIM to be the one he "loves"? way to many coincidences.

also, did he mention the dude is unbelievably fit?

he makes a choice right there.

using all his acting abilities, he makes a whole scene tearing up and running to him. it's so well done, james for a second believes they are actual lovers.

hell breaks at that moment, walburga goes absolutely nuts along with orion and their side of the family. the bride's family start a fight, and between the commotion regulus sees his brother laughing maniacally after their mother yells at regulus to stop playing games or he will get disowned.

james, who thinks that this is now along the lines of things getting messy, is about to announce it's all a prank, when regulus sees right through him, panics, and just whispers "im going to kiss you now, sorry" before snogging the life out of him.

remus, who's the camera guy, cuts the live right there.

james, oh james, he doesn't quite hear the screech walburga lets out because this backfired so bad, but jesus chirst can this regulus kiss. this is love at first sight. love at first prank, if you may.

regulus knowing stuff is about to get bad, just grabs james' hand and runs for it. james just follows, he's dizzy. remus also follows because he's NOT getting involved in all that, he's actually quitting james.

sirius follows too, if his little brother is finally disowned, there's no reason to stay, thank you very much.

anyways, this whole idea was just because i want james followers to see his channel thumbnails going:

CRASHING A RANDOM WEDDING 💍 PRANK #56

to

how i met the love of my life ; Q&A

and

REG AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED (im sealing all entries so no-one can crash it) — VLOG

bye

[parkers-gal]

take me home J.B.

pairing: husband!bucky barnes x f!reader

wc: 1.7k

trope: secret wife / secret relationship

warnings: not proof read. rip. i'll edit the mistakes tmr lol. this is another self indulgent piece bye

timeline: idk this is not a canon event but just imagine endgame never happened. i like to imagine him with the metal arm (not the vibranium one) but i think this can be seen with any

summary: the team discovers bucky's relationship with you when bucky searches for you in the hospital after hydra attacks new york

⋆˚✶˚‧⋆｡˚

“we just got the last of them on the east side. does anyone need backup?” natasha’s voice rings through the comms. tony’s response comes within a few seconds.

“air is neutral up here.”

“we’re just about wrapping up here,” steve adds on. “let’s reconvene on fifth and check in with emergency services.” he glances at bucky who stands on his left, stoically waiting for the next command. bucky nods at steve’s silent question, you ready?

they step over a pile of rubble. bucky reloads his gun, placing it back in its holster and starting a light jog as steve leads them away from the scene behind them. hydra had sent many reinforcements after the team had done a recon mission at an abandoned hydra base that was unknowingly more important to them than the avengers had initially realized. new york came to bear the consequences, just as the city always did. something about high populated cities… or whatever steve told the team as they were gearing up a few hours ago.

they turn the next few blocks and see sam land beside wanda and clint, his wings collapsing into his jet-backpack. tony joins them, already starting his updates.

“nypd called in the national guard to detain as many of the human reinforcements as they could,” he fiddles with some tech on his arm. “emt said graybar, seagram, and chanin had some pretty heavy bombings. victims are being relo-”

“chanin?” bucky cuts in. most of his teammates look at him with shocked faces. “did you say the chanin building?”

“yes, tinman.” tony retorts. “victims are being relocated to the closest hospitals in the area.”

“which ones?”

slightly annoyed, tony turns to look at him. “does it matter?”

bucky’s jaw clenches. “yes. it does.”

sam cuts in.“there’s five hospitals within a mile of here, there’s no way you’re going to know where one person went, bucky.”

“i don’t give a fuck.” he’s definitive and it shuts everyone up. “i want to know which hospitals.”

with a sigh, steve concedes and jogs over to the paramedic perched on the end of an ambulance, assisting a woman with a cut on her eyebrow.

bucky decides to make his way over too, only hearing the tail end of the conversation as steve says ‘thank you.’

“well?”

steve sighs again. “he said lagone is the closest, but frank ross hospital and tisch are taking in some too because the influx is so bad.”

bucky doesn’t even reply, jogging off in the direction of the first hospital and leaving steve in the middle of the road, stunned.

clint breaks the silence. “where is he going?”

“to the hospital, i guess?” steve sounds unsure in his response, still watching as bucky gets smaller and smaller as the distance between them increases. 

“maybe we should go with him.” wanda suggests. “we still need to debrief and do our write ups.”

natasha gives her a side eye and wanda laughs. 

“just following orders.” she exaggerates, teasing natasha and steve for their insistence on following the protocols. 

“alright let’s go, then.” tony thrusts upward, sam following him up as everyone else begins to jog in bucky’s direction.

but bucky is fast. they don’t realize how much until they almost lose him two blocks over. they trail behind him as he bursts through the emergency room, charging towards the front desk. 

“do you have a patient named y/n?” he begins to spell out your name letter by letter until the desk attendant interrupts.

“sir, i need you to step into the waiting room unless you need immediate medical care.” the room around them is a flurry of crying people, overwhelmed nurses, and helpless policeman who try to reorganize the growing number of patients. 

“no, i need you to check if you have a patient under the name of y/-”

the team stands by the entrance, watching the interaction unfold but not quite understanding it.

“who is he looking for?”

everyone turns to steve assuming he knows, but his face shows just as much confusion. “i don’t know.”

“please,” bucky starts again. “do you have a patient register for today’s patients?”

with a click of her tongue, she hands bucky a clipboard with several papers on it. bucky’s eyes scan the names, worry etched on his face when he doesn’t see yours. 

“sorry.” he mumbles, leaving the clipboard on the counter and turning around. he stops when he sees the team, but moves past them when he remembers what he’s doing.

anxiety is gnawing at him as he finds his motorcycle parked by the quinjet a few blocks away. he immediately drives off towards the next hospital, worried as ever that something has happened to you. you aren’t answering his calls, not texting him back, and he can’t find your location on the little app you taught him how to use. he doesn’t know what else to do. 

the team can barely keep up, trying their best to help the people around them as they trail after bucky. they still don’t know what he’s doing or who he’s looking for. 

by the third hospital, bucky is fed up and on the verge of a breakdown. he only has so much patience at this point, and sam is all too familiar with the signs.

“do you have a patient under the name y/n?” it’s the third time in the last hour he’s desperately asked a nurse at a front desk. he does the same thing, spelling out your name letter by letter until the nurse interrupts him. 

“you’ll have to wait to check the registry list after all the patients have been attended to.”

“how long is that going to take?” his voice is laced with attitude, and he almost feels bad if not for the pit of anxiety swelling in his stomach. 

“sir, you’re wasting my time.”

“bucky, c’mon, let’s go.” steve reaches to hold bucky’s shoulder, but he shrugs it off.

“no, goddammit!” he’s fuming, turning back to the nurse. “i need you to tell me if you have a patient, y/n barnes. i’m her next of kin.” he slams his fist on the counter. steve takes a step back towards sam, in shock at the information.

“does he have, like, a niece?” sam asks. “did he tell you anything about his sister? maybe she had a family after-”

“yes, i see her name listed here. only immediate family can see her.”

“i am immediate family!”

“sir, unless you are a parent or her husband, you need to wait until all th-”

“i am her husband!” he slams his ring down on the counter, gripping onto it like he depends on it, because he can’t risk losing you. “take me to see me wife right now.”

with a nod, she leads bucky down a hallway of rooms, turning left into the very first room. she makes her way back towards the front desk where steve has now approached.

“hi, ma’am. would you mind if-” steve gestures towards the room. the nurse’s jaw drops at seeing the vibranium shield, clint’s bow, and tony stark standing there with a partially deconstructed nano-tech suit. 

“go right ahead.” she stutters out, watching the avengers trail after the man with the metal arm. they stop in the doorway, huddled as they watch.

“y/n?” bucky steps towards the hospital bed.

you aren’t even laying in it. you’re sitting on the edge of it staring out a window, back facing the door. at the sound of his voice, you whip around. tear streaks stain your face.

“bucky, oh my god-” you run into his chest, engulfing him in a hug. he sighs into your hair, smelling you and breathing in relief at the sight.

“you’re okay, it’s okay.” he coos, rubbing your back. “what happened? are you hurt?”

you shake your head, still nuzzled into his chest. you peer up at him, “paramedics found me unconscious. it’s just a concussion, but they brought me in anyways. i just have a couple stitches.” you gesture to your calf. “rough fall after i got knocked out, i guess.”

he nods, pulling you in for a kiss. it’s desperate and full of love and every emotion he’d felt in the last two hours.

“i thought- i thou-”

“no.” you cut him off. “i tried to find a phone but nothing was going through. i saw the weird alien dogs coming from a giant truck, and- and the hydra symbol was plastered all along the sides i thought maybe they-” you can’t even finish your sentence, too overwhelmed at the possibility. 

“never.” he kisses your forehead, holding your face in both his hands. “they could never take me from you.”

you rest your forehead against his, inhaling the scent of your husband and gripping onto him because you never want to leave him again. 

“so..” tony cuts in. “wife?”

“tony!” natasha scolds. “get back here!”

clint tries his best not to laugh but he can barely hold it in.

sam is next to join in. “when did this happen?” he looks at steve with a quirked brow. “did you know?”

“i swear i didn’t.”

“a wife.” sam repeats. “you didn’t know your best friend has a wife.”

“he’s a trained spy!”

“and a former soviet asset.” clint confers. “you’d think you would keep more tabs on the guy.”

steve rolls his eyes, turning his attention back to bucky.

“is she really your wife?”

bucky nods reluctantly, a little sheepish as you hold up your left hand to show them your rings. 

“for four years now.”

“FOUR YEARS????” 

“sam-” 

“and you NEVER SAID ANYTHING?”

“guys” nat pays no mind to sam’s ramblings. “i think we can all agree how hard it is to live life as an avenger. it’s not like clint was exactly honest about his family, either.”

“i thought you were on my side!” he huffs.

“whatever.” sam pouts. “i wish i could’ve gone to the wedding.”

“we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” bucky smiles appreciatively at steve, who starts moving back towards the exit. “maybe we can talk about this when everything settles down and she gets out of the hospital.” steve looks at you, really looks at you, for the first time. deep down, he’s glad his best friend found the one thing he’s wanted his whole life. “right bucky?”

bucky nods. 

“okay,” steve smiles understandingly. “debrief is tomorrow at noon. don’t be late.”

bucky turns back to you as the team leaves your hospital room. 

“i guess the secrets out.”

bucky nods in agreement. “i’m really glad you’re okay.”

you kiss him again, “take me home, bucky.”

⋆˚✶˚‧⋆｡˚

bucky masterlist

part two?