#whoo okay! first time using these tags

[pedroshotwifey]

To the Flame Chapter 2

Series masterlist

Pairing: Dark!Javier Peña x afab!reader

Word count: 3.5k

Chapter tags/warnings: not much yet, age gap, fluff, reader being horny (c'mon y'all it's me what do you expect), Javier being gorgeous, kissing (whoo!), cute lil nicknames, mentions of cheating, stuff I'm probably forgetting (please refer to masterlist warnings to get more in-depth)

Chapter summary: You go out with Javi and find out that he's everything you could hope for---and more.

A/N: Hey, babes!! I hope you like this chapter! I'm aware that it may feel a little rushed, so please refer to the masterlist A/N if you're confused about that. I really can't wait to dive deeper into this story with y'all!!

***

It’s a little past 8:00pm when you get home.

The first thing you do after hauling the leftover produce into the house is run upstairs to your room and dial Javi’s number. Fuck, are you really about to do this? 

You set your phone down on your bed, suddenly shy about actually talking to him again. What if he changed his mind about you? He could be at his house right now hoping that you choose not to call. He could be realizing that you’re too immature for him, too young. 

He had to have been in at least his mid-thirties, right? Would a man at that age really go for you? Was he even flirting or are you reading too much into it?

The more you sit and think about it, the more you talk yourself out of it. If you’re going to do this, you need to stop overthinking every little thing. He gave you his number. He thought you were sweet. 

The memory of him calling you such makes you blush again, a smile creeping onto your lips. He thinks you’re sweet. 

It’s okay, you tell yourself. You can do this. 

With shaky hands and bated breath, you pick your phone up, his number already typed up. All you have to do is press the call button and you’ll be set. You count to three, and then you let your thumb press the button. The phone starts to ring. 

You realize too late that maybe you’re calling too early. What if you seem desperate? 

He picks up after the third ring, before you have a chance to change your mind. 

“Peña.” You hear his voice on the other end of the phone, and your chest immediately swells with hope.

“Hi! Uh, it’s me, from the market, earlier today?” God, you sound so awkward. Why do you have to sound so damn awkward?

“Hey, sweetheart,” Javi says, his voice already picking up a more friendly tone. “I was hoping I would hear from you.” 

You smile like an idiot on your side of the phone. 

“And I was hoping I would have the guts to call you,” you reply. 

“If anyone needs to have the guts to do anything, it’s me for walking up to you in the first place,” he says with a light chuckle. 

“Well I’m sure it wasn’t too hard, with me being so ‘sweet’ and all,” you reply. You know you’re going to start getting into some dangerous territory soon if you keep up your flirting. As much as you want to, you know you probably shouldn’t. At least not tonight. 

“Oh, well maybe I had it wrong, sweet thing. Sounds to me like you can catch a bit of an attitude, huh?” 

Fuckkkkkk. The way his voice drops even over the phone has you biting your lip. You can feel your core clench at the teasing way he says it.

“Maybe I can,” you retort, slightly out of breath. “Maybe that’s why I’m so funny. Sometimes you need to have a bit of sass to make people laugh.” 

You really like this little game the two of you have going. It’s light and playful and just what you need. 

“Oh, is that what that is?” he asks with mock skepticism. “Teach me, then. Maybe I need to learn how to use this ‘sass’ of yours to keep up.” 

The two of you talk for hours. Almost every reply he has makes you giggle. And not in the fake way that you do keep a man talking—he really knows how to pull a genuine laugh from you. It feels good. 

By the time you finally hang up, you’ve agreed to a date on Friday night. There’s a nervous flutter in your stomach even after you hang up, and knowing that you’ll be seeing Javi so near in the future makes it seem like it will never calm down. 

After putting your phone down on the nightstand next to your bed, you sigh deeply and let yourself fall back onto the comforter. You’re out like a light in a matter of minutes. 

***

Friday rolls around before you know it. 

The entire day you’re buzzing with energy. You and Javi have talked on the phone almost every night since monday, your attraction toward him growing each time. He's just so kind and patient, he makes you feel like you’re worth something, like you’re someone he actually looks forward to talking with. 

You don’t remember the last time you felt that way. Even with your ex, you had always gotten the impression that you were bothering him no matter what you were doing. It’s worse to feel like a nuisance than it is to feel invisible. You had decided that a long time ago.

Your mom and dad are going out of town until monday, so they left you a list of chores to do around the house. There’s a good bit of them, but at least you’ll be able to do it at your own pace since they won’t be looking over your shoulder the entire time. 

Sitting down at the kitchen table, you pour yourself a bowl of cereal and circle the tasks you want to finish today. Javi’s picking you up around 8:00, so you keep that in mind while you make the list. 

There’s the other reason you’re glad your parents are out of town. They won’t witness their twenty-something year old daughter getting picked up for a date by some guy who’s likely around twice her age. If they didn’t like your past boyfriends, they would lock you away for this—and he’s not even your boyfriend. 

Yet, You hope. Your heart flutters at the thought. Having such a man all to yourself, it sounds like heaven. He’s so good to you and you haven’t even gone out with him yet. 

Catching yourself daydreaming, you shake your head, trying to rid the thoughts and wishes that run through your mind. Focus, girl. You need to get to work. 

***

You’re done with everything about a half hour before you expected you would be. You’re sweatier than hell, exhausted to the point where you could drop where you stand, and hungry and thirsty enough to eat a horse and gulp down everything in its trough. None of that seems to matter right now, though, when you’re only hours away from seeing him again. 

You run into the house and hop in the shower. You had set your outfit out last night, so you won’t have to worry about that. It had taken a little longer than you’d like to admit, but it was worth it to find the perfect match. You slip it on and take a look in the mirror, analyzing every component of it to make sure it all fits together. 

You picked out a navy blue sundress with little daisies on it, white sandals, and a little white crossbody bag. It’s one of your favorite outfits, you just hope that Javi will like it as much as you do. As you look at the mirror, you can’t help but pick out all of your insecurities, making a note in the back of your mind that you hope he won’t notice. 

You see the pudge of your stomach, the bags under your eyes, the tone of your skin that you wish was just a bit different. Deep down, you have a feeling that Javi would never point out any of those things, but they’re there none-the-less. 

You shake your head at yourself and take a seat at your desk to do your makeup. You decide to stick with the basics— mascara, blush, and lipgloss. Besides, Javi’s already seen you without makeup, and he seemed perfectly enthralled even so. 

***

You glance at the clock in the entryway hall. 7:58.

Javi should be here any minute now. The butterflies in your stomach haven’t calmed down since you finished your look with your makeup. It seemed that once you were fully dressed up, the reality of everything really seemed to set it. 

You’re going on a date with the man of your dreams. How the fuck did that happen? It sounds too good to be true. 

As you think that exact thought for what is probably the 50th time today, you see what must be Javi’s truck pulling up in your driveway. 

He slows and pulls in to where you’re standing at the edge of your walkway before rolling down his window and revealing his deathly handsome face once again. 

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he greets you with a flashy but genuine smile. You almost forgot how stunning he is in person. You open your mouth to respond but he hops out of his side of the truck before you can. He comes around to stop in front of you, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

As you stare up at him, you can feel your knees go weak. He has this look in his eyes like you’re the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen in his life. It instantly wipes away any insecurity that had previously been on your mind. 

“Hey, Javi,” you say after a moment. 

“You look beautiful,” he tells you genuinely. You blush and glance toward the ground. 

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself,” you retort. He smirks at you when you meet his gaze again. 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

There’s a beat of silence as the two of you hold eye contact. Your head is starting to feel fuzzy, almost as much as your stomach, but the feeling is addicting when it comes to him. You look back at the flowers in his hand. 

“Thank you for the flowers! They’re not so bad either,” you joke, taking them from him as he offers. “I’m just going to put them inside really quick.” 

“You’re welcome, honey. Take your time,” Javi tells you, his tone light with amusement. 

You nod and murmur another quick thanks before digging your keys out and going back into the house. You walk into the kitchen and set them down carefully on the kitchen counter. They’re beautiful, a perfect mix of flora and greenery. You don’t ogle too long, you don’t want to keep him waiting. 

“You ready, Hermosa?” Javi asks as you lock the door behind you. 

“I think so,” you say, taking a step forward. His smile widens as he gently leads you toward his truck and opens the passenger door for you. He helps you up and you slide in so that you’re comfortable on the bench seat. 

He stands by your side for a second too long, and for a moment you think that he may buckle you in. Honestly, you don’t know how you would feel about that, but you don’t have to think about it too hard because he’s shutting your door and hopping in on his side within a few seconds. 

He buckles himself in at the same time you do as you share a smile. The look shows so many unspoken things: excitement, adoration, giddiness, infatuation, but most of all, painted on each of your faces is the electricity you feel from the forbidden quality of this whole situation. 

You, sneaking away with an older man you barely know. You’re aware deep down that you shouldn’t be doing this—and he surely does too—but neither of you are able to resist the temptation and the thought of what this could become. 

***

The ride is nice, not awkward like you were scared it might be. The two of you make small talk, and when there’s silence, it’s comfortable. That’s one of the most important things to you when it comes to being around people. The fact that you can both just enjoy the silence without feeling pressure to fill it tells you all that you need to know. It doesn’t feel forced.

Javi ends up taking you to a small, locally-owned Mexican place for dinner. You remember going with your parents once or twice before you moved away, and if you’re recalling correctly, the food was delicious. 

Javi parks his truck in the gravel lot and turns toward you as he unbuckles his seat belt. 

“Hope you’re hungry,” he says with a smile before he hops out of the truck. You blush as you catch yourself admiring his stride as he walks around the front to open your door for you. You’ve never been much of an ass gal, but this man is going to change that.

The way his tight jeans hug him so nicely in all the right places make you want to drool. The bulge in front doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and you don’t even know if he’s hard. Either way, it makes you want to rip his zipper down right here in the parking lot. Maybe you should skip dinner and beg him to let you suck his cock. 

You’re staring off into space, biting your lip, when Javi pulls the passenger door open. He flashes you a quick smirk that makes the tips of your ears burn with embarrassment. There’s no way he knows what you were thinking about, you tell yourself, trying to calm yourself down.

He holds out his hand for you to grab and you thank him quietly as you push yourself out of your seat, your face still flushed from your spiraling thoughts. As you place your foot on the edge of the cab to step down, your foot slides and you go flying forward. 

Your eyes go wide and you brace yourself for the gravelly impact of the parking lot, your stomach dropping in a panic. Just as you think you’re going to land on your ass, you feel Javi grasp your hand tighter and wind his free arm around your waist. 

You stare at him with your lips parted and your brows furrowed, a rush of adrenaline still coursing through you. 

“Sorry,” you whisper, almost entranced by his gaze paired with the way he’s holding you. 

“That’s alright,” Javi smiles back, shifting to let you stand on your own. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

“Yup, just clumsy,” you admit as you brush your dress down. “My parents used to count the amount of times I would fall down in a day when I was younger.”

He laughs at that, and you smile wider, the sound warming your chest.  

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, it would get up to double digits most days.” 

He shakes his head at you as he wraps an arm around you to lead you to the door. 

“Alright then, graceful. Let’s get you into a chair before you can get to double digits.” 

You laugh with him this time. You like the way he pokes fun at you. It’s light and it’s not something that makes you feel bad about yourself. Your ex used to make fun of you, but his favorite subject was always something to do with your looks. 

You would laugh along, trying to make it sound genuine, and when you didn’t, he would call you sensitive or complain about how you could never take a joke. Either way, it made you feel like shit. It’s a nice change to laugh about something you brought up with Javi. 

He pulls the door open for you to step into the restaurant, and you give him a small ‘thank you’. He nods and steps in behind you. 

You’re immediately enveloped by the warmth and vibrance of the place. The music plays at a low volume, but is upbeat. The smell already makes your mouth water. 

“For two?” 

Your attention snaps to a waitress who seemingly fabricated out of nowhere. She doesn’t spare a glance your way, and instead addresses Javi with a bright smile. You resist the urge to roll your eyes. She’s lucky he’s so damn gorgeous. 

“SÍ. Can we get a booth?” 

The woman nods before turning around, obviously over-swaying her hips to take you to the table. You’ve never been the jealous type, but something about women who deliberately try to get taken men's attention just irks you to your very soul. 

Javi waits for you to sit before taking the side opposite to you. He keeps his eyes on you as the two of you order drinks. The waitress lingers for a moment, but you don’t notice over the blush you’re currently trying not to sport. The way he looks at you makes you feel absolutely naked. 

“How’s your day been, sweet girl?” he asks, taking pity on your flushed state. You smile tightly at him. 

“It’s been okay. Just did some work around the farm.” 

His brows raise at this. “Your parents been working you too hard?”

You shrug. “Not really, there’s just a lot to do. I don’t mind that much, it’s a welcome distraction, to be honest.” 

Javi nods. “Well, if you run out of distractions, I’m always here.” He looks deep into your eyes as he says it, and you can feel your blush at the tips of your ears at this point. You think you catch his drift, but you don’t want to be presumptuous. 

Before you can think of a response, the waitress is setting your drinks down. 

***

The rest of dinner flows nicely, both of you finding topics that the other one can relate to. It honestly feels like you’ve known Javi for years, everything just comes so easily with him. 

You learn that he grew up around here, on a farm with his parents. You also learn that he studied psychology and sociology in school, and now works with the law enforcement. That fact honestly startled you a little bit. It just must not have been what you were expecting, although you can’t see him in any other profession now. 

You had told him a bit more of your history as well, though you tried to skirt around details pertaining to the last few years. You know he would be up to listening, but you didn’t come out to dinner with the man of your dreams to talk about some asshole who did you wrong. 

Javi had ordered a bit of wine about halfway through, which lightened the conversation a bit more. You’re thankful that he did though because it eased your nerves at least a little bit. 

He leads you out the door now, one hand on the small of your back. You sigh as you step outside, a soft breeze kissing your cheeks. You take a few steps and look up at the stars as Javi shuts the door behind you and then comes to a stop next to you. 

His presence is strong yet comforting, your attention quickly drawn to the man next to you. You both gaze at the sky as Javi laces his fingers with yours. Your breath hitches, but you squeeze onto his hand. You glance at each other, and then share a smile before he leads you back to the truck. 

The ride back to your house is about the same as it was to the restaurant, but this time with more of a calming feeling. The windows are cracked, letting the cool breeze into the cab as the radio plays on low volume. Javi holds your hand the whole way back, and you have to fight way too hard to keep your cheeky grin at bay. 

You’re back at your driveway before you know it, the drive going by way too soon. Javi parks his truck and gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. 

“Can I walk you to your door, sweetheart?” 

You nod at him. He comes around the truck to open your door for you, and offers his hand again. You make an effort not to slip this time. 

You lead him up the walk and stand under the dim porch light, turning to face him as you take his other hand. 

“Thank you, Javi.” 

“You’re welcome, baby. Thank you for coming out with me.” 

Before you can talk yourself out of it, you lean up and press your lips against his. He reciprocates immediately, letting one of your hands go to cup your jaw. He’s a fantastic fucking kisser, of course. You knew he would be. 

His lips glide like butter against yours as he deepens the kiss, a small moan slipping from between your lips. You almost feel light-headed. 

When the two of you pull away, it’s only because you’re out of breath. You stare at each other for a moment, eyes hooded and panting lightly. Javi dips down and places one more gentle kiss to your swollen lips, and then another on your forehead before dropping your hand. 

“Sleep well, sweetheart.” 

Your heart thuds heavy in your chest as you watch him take a step back. 

“You too, Javi.”

He smiles at you again before turning around and heading back to his truck. You watch him until he’s starting it back up, and then you unlock your door and rush into the house so he doesn’t catch you staring. You close the door and lean your head against it, a giddy smile quickly spreading across your face. This man is too damn good to be true. 

*****

Thank you for reading!! Please consider liking, commenting, or reblogging if you enjoyed! The taglist is also open if anyone would like to join!

Series taglist: @corazondebeskar @yorksgirl @nerdieforpedro @axshadows @melaninmommy @survivingandenduring @kewwrites @oldenoughtoknowbettersstuff @movievillainess721

[magnus-sm-writes]

WIP Intro: (Demon) Hunting for Love

Genre: queer paranormal romance 

Status: (rough) drafting 

Synopsis: Quincy is a son of Satan, but he’d much rather be stirring up trouble on Earth than struggling to be next in line for his father’s throne. When a demon hunter nearly catches a fellow demon, Quincy sees an opportunity to both be owed a favor by said demon and scare the shit out of a human. But he finds demon hunting with Otto more interesting than it has any right to be, and for the first time, he thinks he might actually trust someone.

Logline: A demon wants to scare the shit out of a human; instead, he falls in love.

Literal Logline: Human makes son of Satan a soft boy.

Vibes: Rainy nights, creaking floorboards, Top 10 Demonic Activity videos, reading Creepypastas late at night when you’re young, the smell of dust, playing with Ouija boards, going to haunted houses, overgrown grass around abandoned buildings, long conversations with your best friend, jean jackets over hoodies, graveyards at night

Inspiration: Buzzfeed Unsolved, CreepCast, Gravity Falls, Good Omens, found footage movies

Tags: Friends to Lovers, First Love, Cuddling for Warmth, Idiots in Love, Paranormal Investigators

Quincy, Devilspawn

(Insta: dragoncuspid)

Despite being a child of Satan, Quincy has little interest in participating in the power struggles and back stabbings in Hell. He wants the upper hand in every situation and gets a bit panicky when he doesn’t have it. Quincy has never had a real friend before.

Otto Jackson

(Insta: delanodeej)

An online demon hunter recovering from a recent “cheating” scandal, Otto is placing a lot of pressure on himself to gain his old following back. He’s determined to find a real demon, this time, not knowing he nearly caught a demon in a previous video. With Quincy by his side, he’s certain he finally has a chance.

Excerpt: 

“Hey, editing Otto. Put in the exact amount of years,” Quincy says. “And throw a party hat on me.”

“Why do I have to put a party hat on you?”

“You’re not editing Otto. But I want to have a party hat because it’s never a bad time to throw a party.” Quincy stretches out his legs. “Anyways, yeah, I’m not discounting our ancestors or whatever. I’m saying that, in a house that’s been empty for a little longer than thirty years—throw in the date of the murder attempt—, it’s kind of a miracle it hasn’t rotted apart by now.”

“It was inhabited until the two-thousands. The family sold it off—”

“Okay, so it’s been abandoned for twenty years. Whoo-hoo, ten less than I originally thought. That’s still a long time without upkeep. It’s like… shit, man, we could’ve fallen through the ceiling.”

(Edit 6.18.24: I updated Otto's face claim since I use Tre Samuels for 2 other projects and even though I think he's really cute, that's a lot of projects.)

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

Next time you be a bitch to people for no reason do it where everyone can see you. Half of the lmk fandom already used tumblr for years, me included

okay, I do apologize abt being negative in the tags on your post, but also, wow, my first Tumblr hate ask! whoo!!! do I get a star? a sign that says 'I had an opinion and you disliked that'?

anyways. I can tell you're a Twitter user bc you're making the effort to send me hate mail about it. all future hate asks have to be formatted in limerick for me to care btw.

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

Day 7

Pairing: Sydney x Pol (kinda actually Syd x reverse harem crusaders lol)

Prompt: Distraction

Description: Faced with the city of Cairo, the city where Dio lay waiting for the Crusaders to find him, Sydney can't help but find herself distracted by him. Feeling more than a little confused and scared, she act's a little more rashly than she might normally against an enemy stand user.

Rating: sfw

Content Warnings: reserve harem (mostly implied in this one), self insert, ask to tag

Notes: First off happy march 24th. im just a little late. Secondly HAPPY SELF INSERT FOR ME WHOO! The stand I mention in this, Love Club, is my little kitty cat! She's just a little kitty that has an aoe that makes people like/eventually fall in love with her user. thus the harem. Anyways be nice to me this is based off a like 40k plus self insert fic that I'm not even done with. Self care <3

“We’re… finally here.” Polnareff’s statement hardly made it past the blood rushing in my ears. Just gazing upon the city where Dio lay hidden had my anxiety acting up. I felt weightless but pinned in place, unsure what to say or do in the wake of the moment.

“Sydney?” Avdol’s voice barely catches my attention. Half-heartedly, I turn his way, barely managing to shake the strange look off my face.

“Hm?” I don’t think I can find my words just yet, but I try to give him my attention none the less. Still, I can’t help but think back to Dio. What was he doing right now? Could he tell that we were here? That I was once again in Cairo? And… did the effects of Love Club still linger on him?

“You… look tense.” I try again to focus on him, study the frown on his face and the concern showing in his eyes. I can see Polnareff looking my way next to him; even Jotaro and Mr. Joestar send me worried glances.

“Sorry,” The word falls out of my mouth with a puff of a sigh, and I find my self frowning softly and looking away from their warm concern. “I’m just… distracted, is all. Thinking about Dio, how I got into this mess… how it might end for me.” I confess, twirling the ends of my hair to try and alleviate my nerves.

“Hey,” Polnareff takes a step towards me, his large chest filling my view until I look up into worried blue eyes. “I know it must be scary, coming back here. But… you’re not the same lady who Dio took off the streets.” He places his large hand on my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “And this time you’re not alone, either.” He smiles, bright and big, just for me. I can’t help but offer a little one back, thankful for his comfort even if I can’t escape the thoughts plaguing me.

“Right. I have all you guys.” My gaze leaves Polnareff, back to the expanse of Cairo before me. “But um… I’m sorry. I actually don’t remember how to get to where Dio is. I would recognize it if I saw it for sure but…” I deflate a little.

“You don’t remember?” Mr. Joestar gawks.

“W-well I mean!” I stammer. “It was dark when he lead me there… and when I managed to escape I was so scared I…” I shake my head, taking a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter.” I force a heavy breath out. “Can’t you just use Hermit Purple to gain insight on his location anyways?” I pointedly turn away from him, frowning as I’m again reminded of the day I left the villa. When I ran away from Dio…

“I suppose so…” Mr. Joestar mutters. “Let’s find somewhere to relax, then. Maybe gain some information we can work with.”

“There’s a few bars close by.” Avdol supplies. “This way.” I happily follow his lead, choosing to take the rear and again mull in my thoughts. I’m a little surprised as Jotaro keeps pace with me, and speaks.

“Hey,” he begins. Just loud enough for me to hear, but not enough for the trio ahead of us to take notice. “You sure you’re okay?”

“It’s nice of you to worry Jojo.” I smile as we walk briskly. “I’m ready for our battles ahead, though. Even if it means facing Dio… I’m scared, but it can’t be avoided.” I admit. All too soon, we’re upon an open bar on the outskirts of the city. I watch our friends ask the patrons if they’ve seen the mansion.

“Just remember this isn’t your battle to face alone. We’ve all got a score to settle with Dio.” Jotaro gives me a look I can’t quite read, before giving me a little nod and going to join the others in asking around the bar.

I choose to hang back, waiting instead on the outside of the establishment. I bristle when I feel something rub against my leg, but look and find it’s merely my own stand. “Love Club,” I laugh softly at her affection. “This is where you’ve been, huh?” I smile softly when I see another cat round the corner and trot up to us. “Oh I see you’ve made a friend!” I kneel down to meet the new kitty, and let her give my hand a little sniff. It’s obvious she’s been with Love Club for a bit, however, because the cat warmly rubs against my hand.

“Thank you for finding my cat, miss.” I freeze as I hear a mans voice. I look up and see a man sitting at a nearby table. I stand as the cat leaves me in favor of greeting her owner.

“It was no problem,” I stand quickly, not expecting anyone to have talked to me. I awkwardly look down to Love Club, watching her watch this new person. “I think she just got along well with my cat…” I look to my friends for escape, seeing them still trying to finagle information from the bartender.

“You know, I know where the villa is.” He says plainly. My eyes widen as I turn my gaze back to him. It flicks between him and my friends, before landing on him once more. I take a few hesitant steps his way.

“...If you work for Dio, then you know who I am.” I say plainly, frowning softly. “What do you want? Why would you give me that information?” I try to remain calm as I taken him in. If he had a stand meant for battle, he would have attacked us already, right?

“Ah ah, nothing is for free in this world, my dear.” He merely grins as I take a few more steps towards him, until I’m standing by his small table. “I much prefer a gamble. You could win, I could win.” He hums, shuffling his cards idly. We’re finally noticed by the rest of my group, who crowd around behind me and take in his man.

“Cherie, is everything alright?” Polnareff stands closest to me, nearly in front of me as if to shield me from this man.

“I was just telling your friend here I might have some information that may be of use to you all.” I can feel the collective intrigue that hits the party. “But I won’t give out such information for free.”

“What’s your price?” Mr. Joestar asks, more than ready to pay whatever he may need.

“No price, sir. I’ll only share my information if the lady agrees to a game of chance with me.”

“Why Sydney?” Avdol is at my other side now, frown on his face. Before the man before us can even think to respond, I speak.

“I’ll do it.”

[luckyduckwrites]

Another Contestant Chapter 1-15: Haute Camp-ture

Fandom: Total Drama (Cartoon)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Heather (Total Drama)/Original Character(s)

Characters: Heather (Total Drama), Gwen (Total Drama), Original Non-Binary Character, Owen (Total Drama), Bridgette (Total Drama), Geoff (Total Drama), Duncan (Total Drama), Devon "DJ" Joseph, Courtney (Total Drama), Ezekiel (Total Drama), Sadie (Total Drama), Katie (Total Drama), Eva (Total Drama), Noah (Total Drama), Justin (Total Drama), Tyler (Total Drama), Trent (Total Drama), Izzy (Total Drama), Cody Anderson, Harold McGrady V, Lindsay (Total Drama), Beth (Total Drama), Leshawna (Total Drama), Alejandro Burromuerto, Sierra (Total Drama), Chris McLean, Mildred "Blaineley" Stacey Andrews O'Halloran

Additional Tags: Total Drama: Island, Total Drama: Action, Total Drama World Tour, Nonbinary Character, POV Original Character, Slow Build, Slow To Update, Friends to Enemies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Romance, Crush at First Sight, Teen Crush, Canon Lesbian Character, POV Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Original Character-centric, Developing Relationship, Minor Alejandro Burromuerto/Heather

Summary:

I'm Carmen, and I signed up for this show as a last-minute decision a few minutes before the time ran out to sign up. I signed up for Total Drama because I wanted to get away from my life. My parents don't understand me, and they constantly mis-gender me. I'm non-binary, but they keep using she/her when referring to me and deadnaming me. I know they love me, but I just need a break from it all. Maybe I'll make some new friends, or meet someone special.

Carmen is AFAB non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.

**AO3 & Wattpad links in masterpost pinned to the top of the blog**

It's been a while since I was sent to Playa Des Losers, the resort where Total Drama Island contestants go when we're eliminated. In the time since, only five campers are left on the show; Gwen, Duncan, Leshawna, Owen, and my girlfriend Heather.

Izzy and Eva rejoined the show for a little while, but they were both re-eliminated eventually - one sooner than the other. This place is amazing, but some of the people are starting to get on my nerves.

I relax on an inflatable pool chair in my one-piece binding swimsuit, sunglasses resting on the bridge of my nose as I read from one of my books.

Justin walks past the pool on his way to get a drink, and Sadie sighs, exclaiming, "He is so cute!"

She starts dancing in the pool water, splashing water all around her until Noah loudly remarks, "Get my shirt wet, why don't you?"

Sadie giggles, exclaiming, "Sorry, Noah! Whoo! You guys should come in, it's so nice!"

I say, not looking up from my book, "I'm good. Just don't start splashing around like that again. This is my favorite book."

Suddenly, Sadie exclaims, "Ow! Something bit me!"

Katie gasps, asking, "Was it a shark?"

Noah snarkily responds, "Sharks don't swim in chlorinated water, brainiac."

Sadie adds, "Noah's right. Besides, I think I saw the sharks getting seaweed mud wraps."

I look over at where she was pointing, and see Beth relaxing on a reclining beach chair between two sharks.

My eyebrows furrow, and I ask, "So is anyone else weirded out by the seemingly sentient animals?"

Katie asks, "If it wasn't a shark, what was it?"

I mutter, "Just me, then. Great."

Izzy emerges from the pool water and chuckles, saying, "Sorry about that. I just had the urge to bite something. Have you ever felt that? Like you just have to sink your teeth into something? Maybe that's how sharks feel, huh?" One of the sharks by Beth nods, and Izzy exclaims, "Okay, bye!"

Chris, who had arrived at the resort a few hours ago to film us going about our day, says to a camera, "As you can see, our campers have made themselves comfortable here at our luxury resort. Looks like Geoff and Bridgette are happy to be reunited."

Geoff exclaims in agreement, "Dude! This resort is off the charts!"

He goes back to sucking face with his fellow blonde, and the camera crew and Chris move on to film other people.

Later, after some mishaps with DJ's pet Bunny and Cody not using sunscreen, Lindsay gets interviewed by a cameraman from one of the nearby hot tubs.

She says, "I love being a loser! This is so much more my style. If I'd known how phat this place was, I would've gotten my butt kicked off in the first episode. Plus, now Tyler and I can hang out."

She makes out with Tyler, who's right next to her in the hot tub, but she suddenly stops.

She asks, "Which one's Tyler?"

I roll my eyes, calling out, "The one you're making out with, Linds!"

She says in a ditsy voice, "Huh?"

I breathe a deep sigh, muttering, "Never mind. Keep sucking face with not-Tyler."

The next person to be interviewed is Ezekiel, the first person to ever be eliminated from the show.

He exclaims to a cameraman from a different hot tub, all blinged out in obviously fake gold, "Yo, yo, yo dawg! Check it out! Being famous has totally changed my life. I'm just kickin' it, yo. Got me some fly bling, too. You like?"

Izzy suddenly coughs, spitting out a girl's green swim bottom, and exclaims, "Look! Someone's bikini bottom!"

Katie says, "I think that's yours, Izzy."

The frizzy-haired ginger looks down at herself and notices her matching top, and exclaims, "Oh crap, it is!"

She grabs the swim bottom and dives into the water, accidentally flashing the cameraman filming her as the rest of us look away in shock. I really hope that gets cut. She may be crazy, but nobody deserves to have their parts shown on TV like that.

After that, some cameramen chase down Courtney and interview her while she hunts for Harold to twist him into a meat pretzel for getting her wrongfully eliminated from the show. Harold also gets interviewed while he hides from her, and Trent sneaks him some food so he doesn't starve.

Lindsay says, "I learned a lot during my experience on the island with Heather. If you're going to have a best friend that's going to make all your decisions for you, you should make sure they're not a total jerk!"

Next is Noah, who says, "Yeah, I was pretty shocked to be the third camper voted off. Apparently, I wasn't bossy, manipulative, or 'dangerous' enough to make it through. You can't say I wasn't a team player, though."

I remark, "Yeah, right. You were eliminated because we weren't a team player. You did absolutely nothing during the dodgeball challenge!"

Noah rolls his eyes, saying, "Oh, come on. You're still on that? I cheered you all on!"

I scoff, saying, "Uh huh, sure. You're just lucky we didn't throw more of those 'murder balls' at you."

Sadie exclaims, "Oh, my gosh! We have so much to tell you since we've been here!"

Katie gasps, asking, "Can I say hi to my peeps back home? What's up, Toronto?"

Sadie adds, "We're having so much fun here. This resort rocks!"

Katie adds, "Yeah. Total Drama Island was really hard. We even survived our first major fight."

Sadie adds, "That was so sad, but we totally recovered."

Katie adds, "Totally."

Sadie continues, "And even though that was all like, so majorly hard, nothing was as hard as when we were separated."

Katie smiles wide, exclaiming, "Aw, Sadie!"

I sigh, having had enough of those two. I get out of the pool and change into my regular clothes, then head over to the buffet table to grab some food.

Courtney complains to the cameras, "I'm in the middle of filing a lawsuit for wrongful termination of competition. These people are witnesses! I was unfairly kicked off!"

Trent shrugs, saying, "I didn't see a thing, man."

DJ adds, "You got me."

Noah adds, "Must've missed that episode."

Katie asks, "What's she talking about?"

Eva says, "Didn't see it. Don't care."

Courtney scoffs, exclaiming, "You all know what happened!"

Ezekiel defends her, saying, "Hey, give her a break already, eh? I got kicked off from the first-"

I 'accidentally' trip him as I pass him to sit down with my food, and Lindsay says to Courtney, "You would've just been kicked off in another episode. No one liked you that much."

Courtney gasps, exclaiming, "That is so not true! Everyone likes me! I used to be a CIT!"

I say, "Oh, really? Who would've known with you talking about it constantly?! Like, seriously, you're acting like more of a C.U.N.-"

I'm interrupted by DJ covering my mouth, saying, "Whoa! Hold on, Carmen. That's not a word you wanna be saying on TV."

I roll my eyes, and he removes his hand. Suddenly, a coconut lands on Courtney's head from a palm tree.

She exclaims, "Ow!" She holds up the coconut, saying, "This is a coconut. We're in Muskoka, people! If you're going to drop props on my head, at least make them geographically correct!"

A huge pile of snow drops on top of her, followed by an Eskimo in a snowsuit on a sled.

Lindsay asks the Eskimo, "Are you Tyler?"

I'm next to be interviewed, and I say, "I think I've made some pretty good friends here on this show. After I came out, I lost a lot of friends I'd known since childhood, and this place has let me meet some pretty incredible people. That's not to say that I haven't struggled at all, but I'm glad I took the chance to be on the show."

At the buffet table, Eva is interviewed, "How would I characterize my experience? Easy. It sucked. My anger management issues improved a bit."

Lindsay asks her, "Are you Tyler?"

Eva punches Lindsay, and Noah is next to be interviewed.

He says, "Did I get anything out of this experience? No. It was completely and totally uneventful."

Izzy pipes up, "He kissed a guy."

Noah exclaims, "No I didn't!"

Izzy says, "Yes, you did."

Noah exclaims, "Didn't!"

Izzy says in a playful tone, "Did!"

Noah says through clenched teeth, "Did. Not!"

Izzy sings, "Did did did did did did did did did did did did did did did did did."

Trent clears his throat, saying, "Uh, I can break this tie. He totally did."

I say in a teasing tone, "No shame in being gay, Noah."

Noah exclaims, "But I'm not-" He sighs, muttering, "I have... no comment."

Suddenly, Lindsay runs over to the pool where Katie and Sadie are, exclaiming, "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! I got a letter from my sister that says there's a picture of me in Star Stalker magazine!"

She starts squealing and jumping excitedly, and Katie and Sadie join in.

Noah mockingly joins in, saying, "Eee! Congratulations, you just peaked. It's all downhill from here, honey."

Lindsay ignored him, exclaiming, "Maybe if I get an eating disorder or my boobs done, I'll get on the cover!"

Chris asks, "So Trent, if you could say something to one of the five remaining campers, what would it be?"

Trent responds, "Uh, I guess I'd tell Gwen that I was rooting for her. And... I miss her. She's special. And I think I'm in love with her."

Katie and saying say in unison, "Aww!"

Trent adds, "I just hope she's still not ticked at me about the Heather thing."

I say, annoyed, "Oh, you mean how you kissed my girlfriend while dating someone else? Yeah, I'm sure Gwen's not mad at all."

Izzy chimes in, "I would be. If she were me, and you were still you, you would be seriously maimed."

Trent says, "Uh, that's a little harsh."

Izzy exclaims, "You kissed her mortal enemy!"

Trent exclaims, "It wasn't my fault! I was tricked!"

Izzy says, "Yeah, right. That's what they all say. 'My lips did what they wanted. My lips have a mind of their own. Blah, blah, blah, fish cakes, blah, blah, blah, I'm a liar! Blah, blah, blah'."

She laughs, and Trent says in confusion, "Okay?"

Izzy says, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." She stays put where she is, then sighs, "Ah."

Neah, Katie, and Sadie exclaim, "Ah!"

Trent says, "Ew, Izzy!"

I ask, "Why would you do that?"

Lindsay adds, "That is so gross!"

Izzy says nonchalantly, "What? It's chlorinated! Sheesh."

She swims away, and after a moment of silence, I say, "If I could say anything to one of the remaining contestants, it's this;" I turn to the camera with a serious look, adding, "Heather, if you kiss a guy again while we're dating, you'll be going home in a body bag."

The teens around me look at me with wide eyes and scoot away from me.

I chuckle, saying, "I'm kidding, guys! It's just a joke." I mutter, "Kinda." I clear my throat, saying, "Anyway, if I could pick one of them to win, I think it's pretty clear that I'd pick Heather."

After that, we're all asked about how we feel about the remaining contestants. I've already spoken my feelings about Heather, so it goes to the others here.

Eva exclaims, "Heather can kiss my butt! It's all her fault I'm stuck in this place! She's a scum-sucking, backstabbing witch, and I'm going to enjoy watching her go down!"

Chris says, "Wow. Tell us how you really feel."

Eva says, "I just did."

Next is Izzy, who's cooking something on the grill next to the buffet table.

She says, "Just throwing a few shrimps on the barbie. Hey Noah, that means you. Haha, just kidding. Okay, well, I think Heather is a total psycho."

Courtney says while wielding a lamppost and searching for Harold, "Heather is a formidable competitor, but I can't say I approve of her tactics. I mean, reading Gwen's diary in front of the whole world? So uncalled for."

Harold, who's hiding behind a bush, says quietly, "Heather was definitely the scariest female on the island, but I can handle her." The bush he's hiding behind rustles, and he asks, "Did you hear something?"

Courtney exclaims, "There you are, you little traitor!"

She starts beating him with the lamppost as he yells in pain, and Trent laughs, saying, "Poor sucker."

Lindsay says, "Wow. Glad she wasn't my CIT."

Chris says, "So, Trent, Lindsay, give us your take on Heather."

Trent goes first, saying, "I hope I never meet anyone like her ever again."

Lindsay adds, "She is really mean. Like, really mean."

Ezekiel adds, "She was pretty bossy, eh."

Katie adds, "Oh, she was so totally bossy."

Beth adds, "Telling her off was the best moment of my life."

Sadie asks, "If none of us even like her, how did Heather get into the final?"

Eva exclaims, "'Cause she's a conniving, backstabbing witch! That's why!"

I say, "Or she's just smart and wins immunity all the time."

Courtney gets asked a question by a cameraman and says, "Who would I like to win? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I- I think I'd have to pick... Duncan. Don't tell the others though, okay?"

Izzy says, "Oh, we already know. You were all over him."

I add, "You weren't exactly subtle about how you felt about him, Court. And that's coming from me."

Noah adds, "My golden lab drools less over a ribeye steak."

Lindsay says, "And we eavesdropped again."

Courtney exclaims, "Ugh!"

We're then asked how we feel about Duncan.

I say, "He's crude, but I can't say he isn't determined.

DJ says, "Duncan? Man, that is one tough dude. I saw him wrestle a grizzly bear to the ground."

Hijinks happen, and DJ's pet gets launched into the open grill.

He exclaims, "Bunny!"

Harold is next, the lamppost that Courtney used to beat him with now wrapped around his body.

He says, "Duncan? I hate that guy! He made me pee my pants. He drew on my face with a marker. He strung my underweat up a flagpole, put hot sauce in them, and fed them to me for lunch in an underwear sandwich! He's beyond annoying. Idiot!"

Bridgette says, "Duncan's not as tough as he seems. Courtney told me he has a sweet side to him."

Lindsay slurps her drink through a straw, then says, "Well, I think he's pretty cruel. Anyone who treats deer and trees badly is not a friend to deer or trees!"

We're next asked about our feelings about Owen.

Katie starts, saying, "Owen? He was so much fun."

Sadie adds, "He was kinda mean in the dodgeball game."

Katie adds, "Oh, I know."

Trent says, "Maybe he's not so bad."

Sadie says, "We all know who you want to win."

Trent says, "Yeah, Gwen's definitely my choice."

Courtney says, "Okay, but come on. She's smart, but she's not exactly a team player. I was a team player! It should be me!"

Noah says, "You're here. You lost. Get over it."

She shoves him into the pool, and Trent continues, "She let herself get buried alive for her team."

I say, "And then you left her in there for, like, an hour."

Lindsay says, "She was kinda harsh sometimes. Oh, but she played the best prank on Heather."

I say, "She and I started out as friends, but when Heather and I started being more open with each other, she distanced herself from me. I'm not sure if we're still friends or not, to be honest."

Bridgette says, "Well, I think Gwen's really cool. Her and Leshawna were so nice to me when we merged teams. I'd vote for either of them to win."

Lindsay says, "Okay, let's talk about Lefonda."

We all correct her, exclaiming in unison, "Leshawna!"

Harold says, "At first, I thought she was real loud, but then I realized she's my soulmate."

I say, "She's one of my best friends on this island, and she gives pretty good advice. She sticks up for her friends, and isn't afraid to speak her mind."

Courtney says, "I can't say anything bad about her. And I excel at saying bad things about people."

Sadie says, "I think she is so fetch."

Katie adds, "She has the best style. We've been friends since the beginning."

Noah says, "You weren't even on the same team."

Katie says, "Irregardless."

Noah says, "She locked Heather in the fridge. Anyone who can come up with something like that gets my vote."

That night, we all gather around the pool in swimsuits, and Cody walks over, his body red and peeling already.

Trent stops playing his guitar and says, "Dude, you got cooked today."

Cody says nervously, "Who, me?" He sits down on the pool's edge, exclaiming, "Ouch, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Little sensitive."

DJ asks, "So, who do you guys want to win if you could vote right now?"

Katie asks, "Can I pick Sadie?"

Sadie asks, "Aw, you'd pick me and not you?"

Katie says, "Duh, you can't vote for yourself. That's tacky."

Sadie says, "'Kay, I'll vote for you to win, and you'll vote for me to win."

Courtney clears her throat, saying, "Girls? You have to be in the final five to get a vote, remember?"

Sadie says, "Oh, yeah. I don't know, then."

Cody says, "Well, I think Gwen should win."

Lindsay asks, "Really? But she rejected you on international TV for someone more cooler, hunkier, and more stylish."

Cody says flatly, "Thanks for pointing that out, Lindsay." He then says, "Gwen is my dream girl, I'm just not her dream guy. But as long as she's happy, hey, I'm happy."

He chuckles, and Trent says, "That's really cool, dude."

He lightly smack's Cody's back, and Cody exclaims, "Ah! Hurts!"

Trent says apologetically, "Oops. Sorry, man."

Bridgette says, "I can't decide between Leshawna and Gwen. They're both really cool."

Harold says, "Leshawna, definitely."

Courtney says pointedly, "But you'd vote for Duncan, right?"

Harold asks, "Why would I do that?"

Courtney smirks, saying, "Because if you don't, I'm going to post all of your little love letters to Leshawna on the internet."

Harold says, "Fine. Whatever. I'll vote for Duncan." He stifles laugher, muttering, "Not."

Beth says, "I think Owen should win."

Noah says, "He's a ticking time bomb of noxious fumes."

I add, "Yeah. He may be nice, but he could really use a shower and some manners."

Geoff says, "Owen, definitely. Dude can chug three liters of pop in under a minute. He deserves a hundred Gs."

I say, "Well, I think Heather'll win."

DJ says, "I don't think anyone's giving Duncan enough credit. He woke up from a monster nap and helped us win the dodgeball challenge."

Geoff says, "Okay, that's true. That was some sick prison strategy he pulled out of his butt."

Eva adds, "He had all five of you wailing on one opponent at the same time. I like his style."

Lindsay says, "I think Gwen should win."

Chris chuckles, then says, "Okay, losers! It is time for the most unexpected twist of all time. Tonight, you will be voting the next camper off Total Drama Island."

Lindsay says, "No way."

Chris says, "Oh, yes."

Lindsay asks, "Tyler?"

I facepalm, and Chris says, "Here's how it's gonna work. There are no marshmallows. I'm gonna ask you one by one who you would like to see join you here tonight at Playa Des Losers. Katie and Sadie, since you share a brain, I'll ask you both. Who would you like to vote for?"

Sadie says, "Oh, I miss Leshawna the most."

Katie gasps, adding, "Oh, it'd be so much fun to have her here. Definitely Leshawna."

We all gasp, and Courtney asks, "Why are you voting her off? If you like Leshawna, leave her in!"

Chris says, "That's three votes Leshawna."

Courtney exclaims, "What? No!"

Harold grabs her arm and says, "You're just voting off my girlfriend to spite me."

Courtney says, "Oh, let go of me, you big geek. Hey! Whoa!"

She screams as she's shoved into the pool, and Noah chuckles, saying, "Excellent."

Chris says, "Okay, onto the next voter. Lindsay."

Lindsay says, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna vote for Leshawna."

DJ exclaims, "Lindsay!"

Lindsay says, "No, you can't vote for me. You have to vote for someone who's in the final five, like Leshawna!"

Izzy exclaims, Okay, come on, guys. No one say Leshawna!"

I mutter, "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Chris says, "That's six votes Leshawna."

A nearby parrot lands and caws, "Argh! Leshawna!"

We all exclaim, "No!"

Chris says, "Seven votes Leshawna."

Trent says, "Chris, that was a parrot. It doesn't even know who Leshawna is!"

The parrot caws again, "Argh! Polly wanna Leshawna!"

Chris says, "Nine!"

With an apparent 'majority vote', Leshawna is brought to Playa Des Losers, a shocked look on her face.

Chris says, "And with that, we're down to four. Tune in next week to see the dramatic almost conclusion of Total. Drama. Island!"

The parrot caws again, "Argh! Leshawna!"

[aspenmissing]

𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝 (𝙿𝚝 𝟷)

The Metallic car zooms up a 2-lane, driven by Y/N, the window open and her hair blowing back in the wind with a wide smile on her face. Dean is sat in the passenger besides her, the two in a good mood and grooving along to their music. Sam has his arm resting on the door with the window open, staring forwards at the two.

"Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?" Dean says with a big grin on his face, looking to his sister - who shares his big grin and nodding her head.

"You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let us know, Dean." Sam jokes.

"Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us." Y/N says, patting the steering wheel of the Impala.

"You two are in a good mood," Sam says, laughing.

"Why shouldn't we be?" Dean says.

"No reason."

"Got my car, got a case, things are looking up."

"Wow. Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mister Sunshine," Y/N says, smiling. Dean laughs.

"How far to Red Lodge?" Dean asks.

"Uh, about another three hundred miles."

"Good." Dean presses down on the accelerator, and the Impala goes faster.

==

In Red Lodge, a sheriff with a mustache is talking to Sam, Y/N, and Dean, who are posing as reporters. The boys were wearing their suits, while Y/N's wearing a white blouse with work pants and a jacket - the three holding notepads.

"The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at the time."

"Sure, sure, we understand that, but for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?" Y/N says.

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay, and the other, uh, Christina Flanigan?"

"That was two days ago. Is there-" A young woman knocks on the door, points at her watch. "Oh. Sorry guys, time's up, we're done here."

"One last question," Sam says.

"Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asks.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained... over a dozen cases."

"What about them?" The sheriff asks.

"So, you don't think there's a connection?" Y/N says.

"Connection... with...?"

"First cattle mutilation, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff."

"You know, like satanic cult ritual stuff?" The sheriff laughs, but when he sees their serious face, he stops.

"You- you're not kidding."

"No," Y/N says.

"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?"

"How?" Sam asks.

"Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty-eight hours the bloat'll split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?"

"World Weekly News..."

"Weekly World News."

"News World Weekly," Y/N says.

"World," Dean says.

"Weekly World," Sam says.

"News..."

"Weekly... I'm new."

"Get out of my office."

==

Dean, Sam, and Y/N enter the morgue, they're still wearing their shirts/blouse and the boys are still wearing their ties, only the three are in white lab coats. The intern on duty has a name tag that reads 'J. Manners' Dean looks at it, calculating.

"John," he says.

"Jeff," Jeff corrects Dean and stands up as Dean and Y/N approach.

"Jeff. I know that. Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away."

"But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation."

"Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so If I were you I would..." Y/N whistles. The intern runs away. "Okay. Hey, those Satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?" Sam closes the door.

"Yeah, reserved pentacle on the forehead."

"Yeah. So much f'd up crap happened in Florida." Dean hands Sam and Y/N a pair of latex gloves and puts on a pair of his own; Sam opens a compartment and wheels out a corpse; there's a box between its legs. "All right, open it."

"You open it," Sam says.

"Wusses." Y/N carries the box over to another table and flips off the lip. Dean approaches grimacing followed by a cringing Sam.

"Well, no pentagram," Dean says.

"Wow. Poor girl," Y/N says.

"Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like the moth in Silence of the Lambs," Dean says.

"Yeah, here, go ahead," Sam says, turning the box to Dean.

"No, you go ahead." Dean turns the box back.

"What?" Sam asks.

"Put the lotion in the basket," Dean quotes from Silence of the Lambs.

"You two are wusses. Give me the box," Y/N says, turning the box to herself. Y/N starts poking her fingers into the mouth. She then screams and struggles.

"Oh my god, something's got my finger!" She shouts and Dean and Sam start screaming. Her screams soon turn into laughter, as she pulls her fingers out, the brothers realizing that she was joking.

"Really. Oh, you bitch," Dean says. Sam looks horrified. She chuckles as he then puts her fingers back into the mouth and continues to move her fingers around.

"Dean, get me a bucket?"

"You find something?"

"No, Sam looks like he's about to puke," she says, smirking.

"Wait, lift the lip up again?"

"What? You want me to throw up, is that it?"

"No, no, no, I think I saw something." Dean pulls back the lip.

"What is that, a hole?" Dean presses on the gum, and a narrow, sharp tooth descends.

"It's a tooth."

"Sam, that's a fang. Retractable set of vampire fangs. You gotta be kidding me"

"Well, this changes things"

"Ya thinks?"

==

Dean, Sam, and Y/N pull up near a local par, go around to park. They then go into the bar. They approach the bar; a man sitting at a table to one side is watching them.

"How's it going?" Dean says.

"Living the dream. What can I get for you?"

"Three beers, please."

"So, we're looking for some people," Y/N says.

"Sure. Hard to be lonely. But I can keep you some company," The bartender says, looking at Y/N, who huffs out a laugh and smiles at him as he takes a drink of her beer. But internally she is smacking her head against a wall.

"Yeah. But um, that's not what she meant," Sam pulls out a $50 bill, fingering it, and drops it on the bar; bartender looks at it, then takes it.

"Right. So, these, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink..."

"Yeah, real night owls, you know? Sleep all day, party all night," Dean says, taking a drink of his beer.

"Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot- drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice," Dean, Sam, and Y/N share a glance.

"Thanks," Y/N says. They leave their half-finished beers on the table and leave. The man who was watching them is gone, a smouldering cigarette left behind. As Dean, Y/N, and Sam leave, the man watches, then stalks them. They go down an alley, he follows. He loses sight of them, turns. Dean, Y/N, and Sam are suddenly there, pinning him to the wall, Y/N with a knife at his throat.

"Surprise motherfucker. Now smile," she says.

"What?"

"Show us those pearly whites."

"Oh, for the love of- you want to stick that thing someplace else? I'm not a vampire," Sam frowns. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there."

"What do you know about vampires?" Sam asks.

"How to kill them. Now seriously, woman. That knife's making me itch," Dean cocks his head. The man starts to pull away, Sam pins him harder. "Whoa. Easy there Chachi." The man slowly brings his right hand to his lip, pulls it back, revealing normal gums. "See? Fangless. Happy?" Y/N pulls the knife back. "Now. Who the hell are you?"

==

At the man's car, he pulls out his arsenal.

"Sam, Y/N, and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I hear he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear you guys' fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot-"

"You seem to know a lot about our family," Y/N says.

"World travels fast. You know how hunters talk."

"No, we don't, actually," Dean says.

"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"

"So, um, so those vampires, they were yours, huh?" Sam says.

"Yep. Been here two weeks."

"Did you check out that Barker farm?" Y/N asks.

"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Thought they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."

"Where's the nest, then?" Dean asks, as he pushes the arsenal back in.

"I got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."

"We could help."

"Thanks, but uh, I'm king of a go-it-alone type of guy."

"Come on, man, I've been itching for a hunt."

"Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." He gets in his car. "It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side." He drives off. The three then look at each other.

==

Sam returns to the motel room, takes off his jacket and puts the keys onto a hook.

==

"... So, Y/N picks up this crossbow and starts hitting it over and over again until its face was unrecognizable. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Sammy's waiting in the car, and uh, me, Y/N, and our dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, we're sixteen years old. Most kids our age are worried about pimples, prom dates. We're seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of -"

"Embrace the life?"

"Yeah," Dean says.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. How'd you get started?" Y/N asks, taking another drink.

"First time I saw a vampire I was barely eighteen. Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So, I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone," Dean looks over at Y/N with a thoughtful look.

"And then?" Y/N asks.

"Then... try explaining that one to your family. So, I left home. And then bummed around looking for information: how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang - it was my first kill."

"Sorry about your sister."

"Yeah. She was beautiful and fierce. Just like you," Gordan says, looking at Y/N. "I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough."

"Yeah. Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So, you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around; nothing can kill our dad. Then just like that," Dean snaps his fingers. "He's gone. We can't talk about this to Sammy. You know, we gotta keep our game face on, you know being the big siblings and all," Dean clears his throat. "But, uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well. Feel like I have this-"

"Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker? Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job" Y/N looks at Dean, who returns the look.

==

The roadhouse is crowded, Ellen is working behind the bar. She hears the phone ring and picks up.

"Harvelle's Roadhouse" Back in the motel room Sam is on the phone.

"Hey, Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester"

"Sam, it's good to hear from you. You three are okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question"

"Yeah, shoot" Ellen says.

"You ever run across a guy names Gordan Walker?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, I know Gordan"

"And?"

"Well, he's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie"

"Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess"

"Don't do that, Sam" Ellen's voice turns serious.

"I-I thought you said he was a good hunter"

"Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist. Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job, you three just let him handle it and you move on"

"Ellen-"

"No, Sam? You- just listen to what I'm telling you, okay?"

"Right, okay"

==

Back at the bar, the three are still sat at the table. There is a couple of glasses on the table and the three are holding a glass.

"Know why I love this life?" Gordan asks.

"Hmm?"

"It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of grey. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us"

"Not sure Sammy would agree with you, but uh..." Y/N says as she takes a drink from her glass.

"Doesn't seem like your brother's much like us" Dean and Y/N stares at him, startled "I'm not saying he's wrong. Just different. But us three? We were born to do this. It's in our blood" Dean looks thoughtful whereas Y/N looks slightly taken back.

==

Sam buys a soda from a vending machine and starts walking back to the room. He pauses as if hearing something, cautiously opens the door, looking around. He gets inside and leans against the door, relieved. He walks over to the table and sets his drink down. Suddenly a dark figure jumps him from behind. He knocks his first attacker down, then the second; the first attacker rises up behind him and slams a heavy telephone into the back of his head, knocking him out. Later, Sam is bound to a chair and gagged, a sack over his head; it's pulled off by the bartender from earlier. He shows a lot of fangs and advances on Sam, who struggles.

[schizorights]

now that pride month is coming up, here’s your reminder that psychotic/schizo-spec trans people exist and them having psychosis does not negate their gender identity! psychotic and schizo-spec people may also have a complicated relationship with gender because of their illness, but that doesn’t make their experience with gender any less valid. psychotic and schizo-spec trans people deserve better than having their gender identity called a delusion, because it absolutely is not. respect trans psychotic people this pride month.

[thisismysecondrodeo]

I'm reading every solo dad! fic i can find (like, ted and henry move over the pond together): would love to read your take on what happens when the boys are on an away game and you're home with the little lasso but then you wake up from a nightmare? i feel like the kid being like his father would make you fall even harder for your little family

AN: OMG this is such a sweet prompt, I’m an absolute sucker for Henry stories!  

Rating: General

Tags: Henry Lasso, Established Relationship, Stepmom!Reader, SoloDad!Ted, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort Part 2 | Fic masterlist

You hadn’t expected to get addicted to the feeling of Ted Lasso sleeping next to you. Truthfully, you hadn’t expected to fall for the silly American at all, but now here you were deeply in love, married for two years, and suffering withdrawals any time he had to be elsewhere for even just a single night. 

It was silly, the way you woke up in the night with your heart racing, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes, vague, shifty nightmares still tugging at the back of your mind, so you never told Ted about it. It wasn’t like he could do much, you certainly wouldn’t ask him to change his schedule and leave the team or invite yourself along on away matches (though sometimes he invited you himself, and you gladly took him up on it). You found other ways to cope: a girls night with Rebecca and Keeley if they weren’t at the match themselves, staying up all hours so you had no choice but to sleep like the dead, or pulling up YouTube videos of Ted’s interviews to watch when you’d woken up reaching for his empty space. 

It all worked well enough, and you hardly thought about the nightmares, even with Henry coming to live with you and Ted full-time, while Michelle went back to school. The Lasso boys were thrilled, and you’d gotten to spend some time with Henry over the past few years you and Ted had been together, so you were just as enthusiastic to have the sweet boy around. You knew Ted and Henry were a package deal, but Ted never made you feel like there was some stepmom test you needed to pass. Henry arrived over the summer to give him time to settle in before he had to figure out the British school system, which gave you and Ted plenty of time before football season to take him sightseeing and settle into a bit of a family rhythm. You made an off hand comment to Rebecca and Keeley one girls’ night about getting back to the boys, and they had teased you mercilessly, but hugged you tightly as you left. “Domesticity looks good on you,” Keeley had said to you with a sweet, sincere tone. 

So of course you were lulled into a false sense of security and when football season snuck up on you, you were wholly unprepared for Ted’s first away match. The night before the match you moved busily around the bedroom, oblivious to Ted’s watchful gaze. 

���Everything alright sweetheart,” he finally asked when you hovered close enough, wiping nonexistent dust from his nightstand. 

“Great, why?”

“You just seem a little,” Ted trailed off and you had already moved on to unfolding and refolding the clothes he was taking with him to Liverpool. “Unsettled. Here, come here.” Ted stood and led you back to the bed making you settle under the covers against his side. The warm lamp light made his eyes glow with concern and you sighed. 

“If it's about staying with Henry, we can figure something out. I can ask his friend’s parents for a sleepover or…”

“Oh, Ted no, you know I love spending time with Henry. I’m not worried about him at all.” 

“Well clearly somethin’s got ya more knotted up than an Auntie Anne’s pretzel. Do they have those here? Whoo, boy no trip to the mall is complete withou—” 

You laughed, cutting him off mid sentence, “I’m okay Ted. I promise. Thank you though. I think I’ve just gotten so used to having both my boys around I don’t know what to do myself with you gone.” 

Ted smiled, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to your lips, “I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, and by that time I’m sure you and Henry will have already formed an alliance against me.” 

“There have been discussions of unionizing for the right to order pizza once a week.” 

Ted laughed as he clicked off the lamp, sliding down the bed to hold you tightly in his arms, “Well we’ll just have to see about that.”

-

You were sipping coffee in the kitchen as the Lasso boys trooped down the stairs, Ted’s overnight bag slung over his shoulder. You gave them both hugs goodbye, told Henry you’d pick him up after school and let Ted reassure you that he’d be back as soon as he could tomorrow. 

“6 am if I can swing it,” he called out as he walked down the street, a hand on Henry’s backpack to keep him from crossing the road without him.

“I’ll hold you to it,” you yelled, before hearing a grumpy sounding banging next door. “Sorry Mrs. Shipley,” you grumbled. What a coincidence that you and Ted had bought a house together…and his upstairs neighbor Mrs. Shipley had moved in next door. 

The day flew by and before you knew it you were picking up Henry and making him dinner and watching whatever Spiderman movie was the newest and it was time for bed. Henry gave you a hug goodnight and retired to his room across the hall and you did the same, hoping that maybe having him there would reduce the aching loneliness that caused you nightmares whenever Ted wasn’t around. Instead you shot straight up from your sleep a few short hours later, sweating and upset, your chest heaving… and a small hand rubbing a circle on your back. 

“Henry?”

“I think you were having a bad dream. I heard you and you sounded upset.” You groaned and Henry slowly retracted his hand and stood up from where he’d been sitting. “Sorry for not knocking, I can—”

“No, it’s okay Henry,” you looked over at him, saw his worried expression that was just a mini version of Ted’s. “I’m just…embarrassed. Thank you for coming in. It was a bad dream, you’re right.” 

Henry still looked unsure so you patted the bed beside you and the two of you settled back against the headboard. “I get bad dreams sometimes too. You shouldn’t be embarrassed.” 

“Oh yeah? What do you do when you have a bad dream?”

“I go get my dad,” Henry says gleefully. “He always lets me stay with him, and he’ll tell me one of his long stories until I fall asleep.” 

“That sounds nice. I only get bad dreams when your dad isn’t here, but he doesn’t know that.” 

“I think you should tell Dad, he’d want to know. And help if he can,” Henry said, pausing in the middle of this sentence for a massive yawn. 

You smiled at Henry, who was struggling to hold his head up, “yeah you’re probably right, Henry. Thanks for checking on me, we should get some sleep.” 

“I could stay here with you…if you want?” Henry's voice was small, and you wondered if maybe he needed your comfort as much as he was offering his own. 

You slid down into the bed and held up the covers for Henry to join you. “I’d appreciate it, you got any stories?” 

You fell asleep to the sound of Henry telling you a story about a possum at his grandma’s…or maybe it was an armadillo? Whatever it was, it worked and you slept soundly until you woke up to the sound of Ted sitting his bag down and leaning against the bedroom door, a broad grin on his face. You looked over at the clock and it was barely 10 after 6 am, and you realized Henry was still tucked into your side with his back to you and, his face smushed into Ted’s pillow. You smiled as Ted changed into pajamas and slid into bed with the two of you, sandwiching Henry in the middle. 

“Bad dream,” he questioned quietly, talking to you over Henry’s bedhead.

“Yeah,” you said sleepily, “mine.” Ted’s brow furrowed, but you cut him off before he could express his concern. “But it turns out Henry knew exactly what to do for a nightmare. And I learned a lot about possums…I think.” 

Ted chuckled, obviously recognizing the story, “he’s a good kid.” 

“That he is,” you smiled, tucking the covers up over the three of you. “He’s got a great dad.” 

You fell back asleep to the rhythm of your boys' breathing and the thought of how lucky you were to have a lovely little family like this one. 

Part 2 ->

[ladyartichokie]

Thanks you @hiddenvioletsgrow @igotthisaccountunderduress and @brb-on-a-quest for tagging me!

1. The last podcast you listened to? with reasons.

Before I started FIAT90 again this year I literally only ever listened to the Overly Sarcastic Podcast and occasionally Bible In A Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz, but lately I've slightly broadened my horizons with The Jordan Peterson Podcast (good for the gym for some reason), Talk From Superheroes, Moviestruck, The Babylon Bee, and The Psychologists Are In (Psych recap podcast). I still wouldn't really call myself a podcast person, I'm more-so a "person who needs audio entertainment even when not allowed to use YouTube or listen to Secular music". The OSPod will always be top tier though.The last individual podcast I listened to was Talk From Superheroes' pod on Madame Web.

2. What was the last fanfic you read? What did you like about it?

I'm currently reading Keeping Me Alive by MartinaKL. As a grammar-nerd the writing style can be a bit difficult at times, but I think that that just shows how great the content is since I'm still reading it. Modern AU Grishaverse has my whole heart.

3. Your favorite discord server?

I don't really use discord TBH. I guess the fiber-craft server I'm in that I check occasionally?

4. Open pinterest and show the first thing it recommends you

so the first one it this Tumblr post but the first one I saw is this granny square robe that I really like

5. If you’re comfortable, show me something from your notes app!

I started a re-write of Be Our Guest to be about Mormonism a few months ago and then got bored and never finished it

6. Show us who you last gave a like to on Tumblr! And why?

@hiddenvioletsgrow on this post lol. Before that it was some random blog whose post I liked while scrolling through the Beck x Jade tag last week.

7. Show us a picture that's in your gallery that you are proud off/like/are comfortable sharing.

Okay the context behind this is that I made this for a House Competition for my school where we had to make a "silly-ad for the Iliad" (@thoughts-of-caly I feel like you'll appreciate this). At the beginning of the year we played a game where we had to sell a made up product and my House, Sinai (whoo!), sold a "self-cooling blanket".

this image sprung into my mind fully-formed like Athena popping out of Zeus's head.

8. Final question, what was the last YouTube video you watched?

The Rebirth of God: Psychology and Promise | Jamie Wheal | EP 485 from Jordan Peterson

@possumsandprose + anyone else who wants to!

Thanks for the tags @dangerously-human and @womaninwinter

1. The last podcast you listened to? with reasons.

Podcasts are actually the worst thing ever, sorry.

2. What was the last fanfic you read? What did you like about it?

The last fanfic I read I dnf'd because I didn't like the content. But the one before last was SO good, it was called there's a touch of you in me by cameliawrites and tough_n_dumb. Such a beautiful fic about 5 times someone showed affection to Kaz without touch and one time Kaz offered it himself. I was kinda emotional reading it.

3. Your favorite discord server?

The 2020 chaos server with my now IRL besties which is barely used now is probably my fav. Nearly everyone there is a good friend of mine and I see them all at least once a year.

4. Open pinterest and show the first thing it recommends you

oop it's sad Nina

5. If you’re comfortable, show me something from your notes app!

6. Show us who you last gave a like to on Tumblr! And why?

@igotthisaccountunderduress liking my swords post

7. Show us a picture that's in your gallery that you are proud off/like/are comfortable sharing.

took this in like July

8. Final question, what was the last YouTube video you watched?

it was titled the office cold opens that brought even together

Tags:

@brb-on-a-quest @ladyartichokie @partlysunny15 @thoughts-of-caly @igotthisaccountunderduress

[mccall-muffin]

Love vs. Hate - Part 5 // Joe Liebgott x OC

Previous Summary: Technical Sergeant Olivia Stark knows the military. Raised in a military family, a graduate of military school and OCS herself, she is transferring from the 82nd Airborne Division to the 101st. Between new friends and what appear to be foes, she becomes a part of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR.

Warnings: Language, Drinking

A/N: Numba 5... In my notes this chapter was called "We finally found our wings"... it kinda reminds me of the song "Between us" by Little Mix :)

Here is my Masterlist

Tag List: @brassknucklespeirs

23rd December 1942 - Fort Benning, GA "Are we ready to be army paratroopers?" the sergeant in front of us calls out. "Yes, Sergeant," we reply. We now have three weeks of intensive parachute training behind us. Primarily in theory, of course. We don't count the jumps from the high towers now. And today is the day. We jump out of an airplane for the first time. I'm nervous, but I guess everyone is. "I hope so," the soldier continues, looking at all of us. "This will be the first of five exits from a C47 aircraft set for today. Upon successful completion of your fifth and final jump, you'll be certified Army Paratroopers. There'll be a lot of men jumping from the sky today, hopefully, under-deployed canopies. Jumping from 1000 feet AGL, in sticks of 12 jumpers per aircraft. All you have to do is remember what you were taught, and I guarantee gravity will take care of the rest. And gentlemen, ma'am, rest assured, any refusals in the aircraft or at the door, and I guarantee you will be out of the Airborne," the sergeant says sternly, and we nod. "Well, let's go."

We stand up and walk to our assigned planes. I'm assigned to Lt. Winters' plane. I keep looking into the eyes of my friends, who also seem slightly nervous. I knead my fingers and then look up at Don sitting across from me. He winks at me, and I have to laugh. It feels so good to have him with me. "Okay, stand up," the sergeant calls up front, and we do as instructed. "Hook up." I hook up and look ahead. "Check equipment," he calls out, and we do just that. After checking my equipment, I check that of the soldier in front of me. "Sound off for an equipment check." When we have all given our OK, the light turns green. "Okay, go, go, go," the sergeant calls out, and we jump one at a time.

Without much thought, I jump out of the plane. The adrenaline pumps through me, but it also quickly clears. As we learned, I pull on the lines to steer a little, then land. As I gather my parachute, I see Don next to me. I raise a hand in the air. "Whoo!" I shout, and he shakes his head. "You're really disturbed," he laughs, and we gather at the assembly point. "How can you enjoy something like this?" asks Skip as we walk toward him. "How can you not enjoy it? God, this feeling is incredible. You're just... Free." My friends look at me and just shake their heads.

26th December 1942 - Fort Benning, GA After completing our five jumps over the next few days, today is the day we received our wings. I'm in the bathroom, getting ready and putting on my makeup. "Do you really think this is still going to help?" I hear a voice and turn around. It's Liebgott, leaning in the doorway, watching me. I snort out and continue. "You know what, Liebgott, even you can't ruin my day!" When I'm done painting my lips, I rub them together and give them a quick dab with a bit of tissue.

Then I turn to Joe, who is still looking at me. As I walk toward him, he makes no move to give me room to get through. "Do you mind?" I ask, looking him in the eye. His typical sneer is evident in his eyes, and the dimple on his cheek also appears. His dark eyes scrutinize mine before he steps aside after what feels like an eternity. "Thanks," I say sarcastically and push past him, his aftershave wafting up my nose. A shiver flits down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Jesus Christ, why does this man have to smell so good, too?

As I enter the barracks, Don is already grinning at me. "Wow, Sweetheart, you really made an effort today." "What do you mean, Don? That I don't usually make an effort?" I ask, bracing my hands on my hips. Don looks at me, slightly shocked. "Uh, that's not what I meant..." "Oh, come on, I'm just kidding, Malarkey. You should know me well enough by now." "You nasty little..." I laugh, and then Don holds out his arm for me to hook. "If I might escort you to the Mess Hall, my lady?" he says exaggeratedly, and I laugh before hooking on. "Certainly, milord."

As we enter, the party is already in full swing. Many guys already have beer glasses in front of them and are partying boisterously. I spot Skip, with a few others, cheering Bill on as he downs his glass. Then I see George standing behind some bar. "Hold on, I'll get us something to drink," I say to Don, making my way over to George. "Hey, Georgie... How's it looking? Can your favorite Sergeant get a drink?" I ask him with a grin, and he looks around. "Ah, I think Lip already has one," he returns, and I give him a playfully offended look. "Sure thing, Sweetheart," he then says, grinning. "Make one for Don, too, please." George nods and starts filling the beers.

"Excuse me, Miss, but are you lost?" I hear a voice behind me and turn around, grinning. "Wow, that one was really, really bad," I laugh. "Oh, come on, Liv, you're dragging down my ego," Joe Toye retorts indignantly. "I think your ego might be able to handle it, Joe." "Here, Sweetheart," George says as he pushes my two beers into my hand. "Thanks, George. See you later."

I make my way over to Don, sitting at a table with Penk, Skinny, Bull, and Tipper. I set the two glasses down and drop into the vacant chair. "Well, angel, did you finally find your wings?", Tipper asks me, and I look at him, laughing. "Really? Is today the day of bad 'pick-up lines'?" The guys around me laugh. "Maybe it's just because you're the only woman here, and when alcohol is involved, the desire for female companionship becomes..." says Don, but I immediately interrupt him. "Don't finish that sentence, Don. Jesus," I say, shaking myself. "Come on, guys... Knock it off." "It's not our fault you had to get all pretty," Skinny quips, and I look at him with narrowed eyes. "Watch it, Skinny, or someone will get jealous if you compliment Liv too much," Tip now interjects, and I look at him questioningly. "Well, we wouldn't want to incur the wrath of Joseph Liebgott, now would we?" I groan in annoyance. "Oh, come on, not you too, Tip!" "Yes, another one on my side," Don cheers, but I look at him angrily.

Just as they are about to say something else, one of the officers' shouts, "Ten-Hutt!" We all quickly stand up and are at attention. Colonel Sink, followed by Major Strayer, enter the room and stand in front. "Well, at ease, Paratroopers," Sink calls out, and we all relax a little. "Good evening, Easy Company." "Evening, sir," we reply, and I look briefly at Don. "Now, Parachute Infantry is a brand new concept in American military history. But, by God, the 506 is going to forge that brand new concept into victory." "Yes, sir." "I want you to know that I'm damn proud of each and every one of you. Now, you deserve this party," he says, and Chuck brings him a beer of his own. "Thank you, Sergeant Grant," Sink replies, and my eyes Chuck, but then he lands on Liebgott. Damn, he looks good today. You've got to be kidding me.

Standing there with his hair slicked back, watching what's going on upfront. "Liv?" I hear Don next to me, nudging me slightly. "What?" I ask, and he follows my gaze for a moment. "You were staring." "Not true!" I try to defend myself. "Yes, true. And I know exactly what you were staring at, Sweetheart." "Shut up, Malarkey!" Once again, my gaze wanders very briefly to Liebgott before I turn away ultimately.

"Very well, come on, Sweetheart. Let's shake a leg," Don says, wanting to take me by the hand. "Oh yeah, and how do I know you won't trap me again?" "You'll just have to trust me."

A few hours, dances and drinks later, I'm at the bar with George. "Holy fuck, I think I'm done," I slur to myself, which makes George grin. "Was that one too many, dear Olivia?" "Shut up, Luz," I grumble back. "Oh, you're a mean drunk, Liv." I look around for a moment but have to hold onto the bar to keep from falling over. I can't spot Don anywhere. "Can you tell George... uh, Don, that I've gone to bed?" I ask, and George nods in amusement.

I stagger out of the Mess Hall and out into the cold. I rub my arms and try to get one step in front of the other, but somehow I don't want to succeed like that. "You shouldn't be wandering around out here alone, Stark. Haven't you learned anything from the last few times?"I hear a voice and turn around, but I fall into the person's arms with too much momentum. I don't have to look up to see who it is. I'd recognize that cologne anywhere, drunk or not. Liebgott puts me back on my feet, and I briefly try to sharpen my vision.

"Oh wow," I hear Liebgott say, but I say nothing back. I try to squirm out of his arms and want to take a step, but my balance has other plans, so Liebgott has to grab me by the arm to keep me somewhat steady on my feet. "Jesus Stark, how much have you had to drink?" "Why do you care? You hate me anyway," I slur. "I don't hate you," is all Liebgott says, "Yeah, right... That's why you're always so nice to me." We take a few more steps toward our barracks. "At that, I might even like you. And I don't mean like, I mean like like," I continue slurring, which gives Liebgott pause.

"But you're not supposed to like someone who hates you, are you? That only ends in pain." My eyes keep falling shut, and I stumble. "Jesus Christ," Joe curses as I almost end up in his arms again. "You know what," he grumbles then, lifting me. "Otherwise, we won't be back tomorrow." Liebgott carries me a few feet. "I like you, Joe," I say, patting his chest. "But shhh, don't tell yourself!" I grumble with my eyes closed as he carries me along. I can't see him looking at me, smiling and shaking his head. He takes me to my cot and then carefully sets me down, removing my jacket, shoes, and tie before spreading the blanket over me and disappearing back out of the barracks.

The following day I wake up with a big headache. I rub my eyes and then slowly sit up. "Good morning sunshine, awake already?" Don calls to me from across the room, and I grumble. "Not so loud, okay?" I say and slowly open one eye before looking around. Most of the beds are already empty, and the men are somewhere. Scattered ones are lying in their beds reading, like Liebgott, Penk, and Webster.

"Fucking hell," I grumble again. "Why did you just leave yesterday?" asks Don, sitting down on the bed with me. "What do you mean?" I ask back, looking at him now. Don holds out a glass of water to me and a pill. "Thanks." "You just disappeared. George did say you were in bed at one point, but I had to see for myself. That you even made it that far is amazing, given your state." I think for a moment. How on earth did I get into bed? "Honestly? I have no idea."

"Oh, might your drunken little head not remember?" I squeeze my eyes shut. "Not really. I remember us playing that game, but after that... All gone." "Well, let's hope you didn't do anything stupid, Sweetheart," Don says, and my gaze shifts as if automatically to Liebgott, who is looking at me. Something is stirring in his expression, but I don't know what. "Is something wrong, Liebgott?" I ask him, but he shakes his head. "No," he says, folds up his comic, stands up, throws the comic on the bed, and then storms out of the barracks. "What's his problem?" I ask, and Don shrugs.

"Well, never mind. Come on. We'll get you some coffee first... And maybe something to wipe away that black smear on your face." "I think a shower would be best," I say, and Don nods. "Want me to stand guard?" I just nod and then slowly try to stand up. As I brush the blanket off my body, I quickly realize I didn't change yesterday. "Wow, I guess that didn't work either. What?" asks Don laughing and pointing at me. "Seems like it." I shake my head and dig in my trunk for my shower supplies and fresh OD's before Don, and I make our way to the showers.

[daysofawesome]

Days of Awesome 2021 (5782)

Today is the first of the Hebrew month of Elul, which means IT’S almost TIME FOR DAYS OF AWESOME! Whoo!

What is Days of Awesome?

Days of Awesome is a annual Jewish character ficathon in honor of the Jewish high holiday season.

Originally founded by Livejournal user jadelennox in 2007, the goal of this project is to create a venue for fans of all backgrounds to write fic about Jewish characters and their Jewish identities–which are all-too-often under-represented in canon and fanon, and, when they are represented, they’re often represented as Jewish in name only.

We’re also here because while we love other holiday fic challenges, they so frequently don’t correspond with holidays that are important on the Jewish calendar. We wanted to change that with a festive little celebration around the Jewish holiday season!

How It Works

We’re keeping it really casual.

We’ll have a collection on Archive of Our Own that will open on Erev Rosh HaShana (Monday, September 6, this year), and stay open through the Hebrew month of Tishrei (until October 6)–a length which spans the entire Jewish high holiday season, and includes the holidays of Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Sheminei Atzeret, and Simchat Torah!

You can feel free to upload any fic, ficlet, or podfic that you write that fits the requirements to the collection within that time frame. Please just tag it with the tag Community: daysofawesome!

And, if all goes according to plan, we’ll have a few optional prompts too, peppered and shared throughout the month.

What are the requirements for fic?

The only firm requirement is that your focal character be Jewish.

If they’re canonically Jewish–great!

If they’re not canonically Jewish, that’s okay too. But we would ask that if it is a situation in which you headcanon a particular character as Jewish, or are writing an AU in which they are Jewish, you please make the fic about their Jewishness.

If you have a Jewish OC that you want to write about–if, for instance, you want to explore what it would be like to be a Jewish character in the world of the Hunger Games, or His Dark Materials–go for it! Again, we would just ask that the fic be about that character’s (or those characters’) Jewish experiences.

If you wanted to be extra festive and seasonal, you could write about some of the characters celebrating one of the seasonal holiday, or a fic on one of the themes that is explored throughout one of these days.

All fandoms are game, and there are no length requirements, and you can upload as many pieces as you’d like within the month.

Questions?

We are here to help!

Check out our FAQ, or feel free to drop us an ask ,or send us an email at daysofawesomefic@gmail.com

And if you’re interested, please signal boost! We’d love to spread this far and wide!

[alt-er-homo]

Okay. So i wanna talk abt The Hug in young royals. You know, the one in the end that makes us all cry? Yeah, that one. Ive ranted in tags abt it before but i think it deserves a proper post.

First off, this is like, so big for wilhelm. He’s very calculated and thinks more than he acts but here he’s starting to make Decisions and Act On Shit. Hes no longer passively dealing with things that happen to him, he’s the one thats making things happen. The whole series is about him coming to terms with his feelings and how they fit into his life. And this moment is when he stops hiding and faces stuff head on by hugging simon in front of everyone. Its not much but its enough. Enough for everyone to see, everyone to know. Like the queen said, even being seen with simon starts rumors, and willie is well aware of that. When he and simon break up he is very aware of being seen even talking to simon. But that was before the queen betrayed his trust. When he learned that his own mother knew it was august and didnt do anything something shifts. Wilhelm realizes that his mom was never in his corner, she didnt care about him, only his status. So he no longer listens to the outside voices telling him to hide, hes listen to his own voice and what he wants. So this hug is very calculated, willie knows the risks and does it anyway. Not just in spite of them but almost because of them, as an active push against them. He isnt just willing to risk people knowing, hes actively defying his mothers wishes of people knowing and seeing. When we see willie talk about what he wants he says he doesnt want to say anything about the video, confirm or deny. He just wants to exist and not worry about what people think, and thats what he does here.

But as much as wilhelm does this for himself and what he genuinely wants, he also does it for simon. Hes showing simon that he cares and hes hugging simon to comfort him. He knows he hurt simon even though he tried his best not to, and hes trying to soothe simon’s pain. The “i love you” isnt coming from a drowning man. Its not thrown out as a last resort. Its coming from a man sitting at the bottom of the pool, letting it go and letting it float to the surface, like a gift, so that he can then push off the bottom and start to swim. Its not wilhelm trying to win simon over, its him letting simon know how he feels and being vulnerable so that he can let it go and get out of the mess of a situation hes in.

And then simon, oh my love. Simon broke up with willie, yes, but he still cant say no to willie. He still turns to talk to willie when he passes because of course he does. It doesn’t matter if talking to willie hurts right now, if itll just remind him of what he cant have, but he cant not turn to him, he cant deny their gravity to each other. Simon doesnt expect anything and hes just as aware the people who see them, because he knows how willie feels and hes still considerate of that (not to mention how aware simon is of being watched, because hes never experienced that in his life before). And willie compliments him and you can tell it makes him all fuzzy inside and how bittersweet it all is. But then! Willie hugs him! And for a second simon doesnt know what to do, hes suprised, he wasnt expecting this, he knows the weight it carries. Hes overwhelmed just a little bit but hes also so comforted, just soaking the hug in. And the ‘im sorry’ validates all of simons feelings, makes him feel so seen. Because one of the reasons it was so hard for simon to be a secret was because of how burried he felt, how overlooked he was in comparison to willie’s royal status and public life. But with apologizing willie is saying ‘i see you and im sorry that ive hurt you and ill figure this out so i can support you’. (Idk who said it first but its a promise!! Its a promise from wilhelm to simon that this is not the end.)

Then the ‘i love you’ hits simon like a truck and he looks a bit overwhelmed. Wilhelm pulls away before simon can say it back bc he wasnt saying it to hear it back. And you can see simon realize that even if he wanted to say it back (which i dont think he knows if he does or not, im not sure that hes really thought about if before, but whoo boy now he sure will), he couldn’t because everyone is watching. So… he just wishes him a nice christmas, a very soft ‘i care for you too’. And THEN that ‘thank you’ is about so much, saying ‘thank you for caring this whole time, for showing up and helping unselfishly and just being there when so many people weren’t’.

[goshikitsutomusmommy]

“Incorrect Quotes with Haikyuu Boys„

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8 , Part 9 , Part 10

Synopsis : Different Quotes From Brooklyn-Nine-Nine as Haikyuu Characters

Genre : Comedy

Pairing(s) : Kita x reader , Atsumu x reader , Timeskip!Oikawa x reader , Timeskip!Sakusa x reader , Timeskip!Daichi x reader

Word Count : 0.47k

Warning(s) : She/her pronouns used , timeskip spoilers

Masterlist Link : Here

*Inarizaki manager in this*

[Name] : I’m worried you don’t find me interesting. I’m gonna pretend someone texted me.

Kita : …

[Name] : Bloop, *Checks phone*.

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Kita : [Name], please keep an eye on Atsumu today. He’s gonna say somethin’ to the wrong person and get himself punched.

[Name] : Sure, I’d love to see Atsumu get punched.

Kita : Try again…

[Name] : I will stop Atsumu from getting punched…?

Kita : Correct.

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Atsumu : Atsumu wins, [Name] loses!

*Celebration by Kool & The Gang starts playing and confetti gets thrown with the Inarizaki club dancing*

Atsumu : [Surname] [Name], ya have made me the happiest man on Earth. A spent ¥100 on this ring. Will ya go on the worst date ever with me? Ye have to say yes.

[Name] : *Regretting life* … Yes.

Atsumu : She said yes!

Inarizaki Club : Whoo!

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Atsumu : Ya look pretty!

[Name] : I hate you.

Atsumu : Channel that passion into the dance!

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Atsumu : Sorry a cannot stay, but a have a terrible night planned for [Name].

Osamu : ‘Tsumu, d’ya know why little boys pull little girls’ pigtails on playgrounds?

Atsumu : ‘Cause they’re so easy to grab, they’re just beggin’ to be pulled.

Osamu : No, it’s because they like the girls, and that’s the only way they know how to get their attention. Ya like, like [Name].

Atsumu : This is insanity.

*Timeskip*

*Tooru’s wife in this*

[Name] : Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?

Oikawa : I thought I told you… Remember when you were half asleep watching the news and the baby was quiet, and I said, real low, ”Hey, mi amor. I will practice all night at the gym. You want something to eat?”, and you were like, ”What?”, and I was like, ”You want something to eat?”, and you said ”Sure!”, and I got you some chocolate chip cookies? Remember?

[Name] : You are a piece of work, Oikawa.

Oikawa : Oh, damn. She called me Oikawa. I’m doomed.

*Timeskip*

*At an MSBY get-together*

[Name] : Sakusa, tag in?

Sakusa : No, not even if it cures cancer.

[Name] : Okay. *Proceeds dancing alone in the middle of the dance floor*.

*Timeskip*

Daichi : The itemized list of everything that was stolen is: ¥15,000 in cash, one T.V., one large painting of a naked lady on a lion, one set of Oikawa Tooru nesting dolls…

[Name] : Homemade and irreplaceable.

Daichi : One music box that plays ”She Works Hard For The Money” when opened.

[Name] : *Frustrated groan*.

Daichi : One knockoff designer clutch— Can’t you just buy another knockoff?

[Name] : No, I can’t, Silly Sue. ’Cause the label no longer makes the original, so the sweatshop no longer makes the knockoff.

Daichi : ... Can you estimate the value of everything that was taken?

[Name] : Emotionally, ¥75 billion.

Another’s Note : This is my first blog, be nice🤨🤨‼️ I’ll make a part two when I get home because these are so fun LMAOO, idec if it flops

[ezm-imagines]

Imagine Bucky taking his girl to Coney Island for the first time since the 40’s and trying to win her a giant stuffed bear! 🐻 🥺

bottle toss bear (bb imagine)

Word Count: 500

Tags: oh god the sweetest fluff, Reader is the definition of adorable

You gasped so loud that Bucky actually jumped.

“Fuck, what!?”

But all you could do was point.

Bucky followed the path of your finger... and sighed. You had gasped at a large teddy bear on the bottle toss booth wall.

“What?!!” You defended, “It’s a giant boy!!!”

“You want me to win him for ya, darlin’?” He squeezed your hand.

You turned to him with wide eyes, “I’ll name him Porridge.”

He just looked at you for a moment with soft eyes, “I love you so much.”

You grinned and began tugging him toward the booth, “Come on!”

He towed behind and pulled out a few bills from his pocket when reaching the counter, “How many for the big bear?”

“Get 3 rings in a row,” the carny explained, counting the bills.

“You know,” Bucky whispered to you, “I used to be great at this one back in the day.”

“Okay, grandpa, let’s see if you still got it then!”

Bucky only scoffed.

The man handed over three rings and stepped out of the way of the bottles.

Bucky narrowed his eyes with focus and threw the first one. No luck. He hummed with discontent and took a longer moment before throwing the second one. Still nothing.

“What the hell! I can hit an artery with a knife from a moving car, doll! I should be able to ring a few bottles!”

The carney’s face paled in terror.

You giggled at your boyfriend, “Baby, it’s not about you, these things are literally rigged so you can’t win.”

“I could win it back in the 40’s.”

“Try your other hand, maybe!”

“No! I didn’t have that back in the 40’s.”

Yeah.... that carny was now extremely lost and scared.

You bit back a laugh at his dumbfounded face.

“Well, Bucky, it’s your money.”

He frowned and proceeded to miss the shot again. You hid your giggles behind your sweatshirt sleeve as he glared and pulled out more money.

“Three more.”

You patiently waited as he proceeded to still miss the three shots.

He growled.

You crossed your arms silently, and he met your gaze.

“Hfmp, fine.” He slapped more money on the table and took the three more rings, this time in his metal hand. He breathed for a moment before tossing.

“Whoo!” You cheered as the first one landed around a bottle, then cheered again when the second landed too.

He prepped for the last one and threw.

All three of you gasped as a ring landed around the bottle, somehow shattering it in the process.

“See, that wasn’t so hard was it!” You joked.

He rolled his eyes but smiled.

“That one please!”

The poor carney cautiously handed over the large bear, stepping away from Bucky the moment he took it.

Bucky graciously handed it to you as you began walking away.

“Thank you, sir!” you called over your shoulder. You turned back around “EEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Look!!! It’s Porridge!!! Say hi!!!!”

[sourwolphs]

Like an Animal - Bucky x Reader (3/8)

Read on Ao3 (for better interface + formatting)

Summary: Reader is an enhanced Omega kidnapped by Hydra and trapped in a cell with Alpha Bucky Barnes. Tags: A/B/O, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending Warnings: Rated M, Kidnapping, Mentions of non-con (nothing actually happens), self-hatred  A/N: The rest of the team makes an appearance! Whoo!

Steve burst through the door first, using the force of his shield to break through the external locks Bucky had been unable to reach. As soon as the scent of their combined heat and rut hit him, Steve threw his best friend a wide-eyed look. From where he knelt on the floor next to the Omega, Bucky shook his head, feeling a fresh wave of shame wash over him. His release minutes ago had taken the edge off of his rut enough that he was thinking semi-clearly again, realizing what he had done.

He had violated her. He didn’t stop. He was the most worthless kind of Alpha— not a protecter, like Steve, but a taker, like Hydra had trained him to be.

“Who is she?” Steve asked, taking slow, careful steps towards them. Bucky had to grip hard into his thigh with his metal hand to stop himself from grabbing her protectively, shielding her from the nonexistent threat of the other Alpha, the way his instincts were screaming at him to.

Y/N was still shaking and crying, curled up on top of his clothes and holding her legs tightly to her chest to protect herself.

“Dunno. She’s enhanced. Sympathy heat. Get her to safety. Please,” he said lowly. Steve nodded, giving Bucky another searching look. “They gave me something. Rut. I— I don’t know. I’ll be fine.” He shook his head as he stood up, trying to clear it again of the rising fog of arousal.

“Are we fighting our way out?” At least that way, he’d be an asset. Even a normal Alpha in rut possessed enhanced strength and endurance, not to mention a super-soldier.

Steve shook his head. “Tony and Nat practically cleared this place out already. You know we’re in Paraguay, right?”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief.

“I know. Took us way too long to find you. Scared everyone,” Steve said. “Once we touched down, a few Hydra squads fled the base right away. Probably whoever was in charge of…” —he motioned at Bucky’s body to indicate his artificial rut— “….this. Sam’s tailing them now.”

Bucky watched as Steve gently kneeled down next to Y/N. Her eyes were glassy and out of focus. She strained her neck to bare her throat submissively to the new Alpha looming over her, turning her face into Bucky’s ruined clothes. He swallowed hard, feeling sick to his stomach at her display of fearful vulnerability.

The reminder of the spend he’d eked out against her will was still wet against his body. He was a fucking monster.

Steve gently scooped Y/N up into his arms. She protested weakly, still crying as she pushed on his arms with her bound wrists, murmuring unintelligibly and whimpering in either fear or pain. Bucky grimaced as Steve tucked her face into his neck, offering his scent gland to comfort her in the intimate way Bucky had just a few hours ago. He watched as she snuffled into his neck and the rigid lines of her body began to relax minutely. “Alpha,” she whined. He had to stop himself from tearing her from Steve’s arms— though he knew if anyone deserved the trust of a defenseless Omega, it was his best friend. Bucky had proven himself unworthy ten times over here in this cell. His self-hatred rose like bile in his throat, competing with the heat of rut still burning through his veins.

“Bucky okay in here?” Nat slipped soundlessly through the cell door, brushing her hair out of her dirt-smudged face. She was a little breathless, but looked otherwise unharmed. “Upstairs is clear, but we need to get moving before—“ She cut off when she saw Y/N curled in Steve’s arms. “Holy shit,” she breathed.

Steve had already started moving out of the cell, stopping when he realized that Nat recognized Hydra’s other prisoner. “So she’s not a Jane Doe?”

“Her name is Y/N,” Bucky interjected. My Omega.

“Not a Jane Doe,” Nat said. “I’ll explain on the quinjet.”

Nat navigated them quickly and expertly through the evacuated base. There were some limp bodies strewn around as they made their way up nearly a dozen flights of stairs, Nat’s swift and nearly bloodless execution style apparent in the pattern of dead. The closer they got to the exit, the antsier Bucky felt, his skin starting to crawl again with rut. He knew he was moments away from dipping back into mindless lust— especially without his, no, the Omega in his arms— but he couldn’t speed up ahead for risk of leaving her behind. The urge to stay protectively by her side was too strong, though he knew she was more than safe in Steve’s arms. She had quietly dozed off in Steve’s arms.

“Almost there,” Nat murmured, nodding her head at a set of busted steel doors at the end of a long hallway. Bucky knew she could smell his desperation, clamping a hand down on his flesh arm to ground him. “I have emergency suppressants,” she told him reassuringly.

As they burst through the doors and out into the humid air, Bucky let out a sigh of relief he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Sam was standing, wings folded, on the quinjet’s loading hatch as they approached at a quick jog. “Couldn’t stay on their tail,” he updated Steve, who shook his head. “Glad you didn’t die,” Sam said teasingly to Bucky, but Bucky didn’t have the stomach for their usual banter. He gave a grim nod, to which the Beta male raised his eyebrows.

Once they were all on board, Tony raised the loading hatch and lifted the quinjet off the ground with a lurch, activating the cloaking panels so their jet disappeared into the sky. Bucky slipped into a gear room in the back to quickly shuck out of his ruined clothes, forcing himself to toss them in the incinerator even though he ached to press his face into his shirt and breathe in Y/N’s lingering scent. She hadn’t consented. She couldn’t have. He slammed his right fist into the wall, forcing himself to feel the pain in his knuckles.

Nat knocked on the door before opening it a crack, offering four white tablets in her palm.

“Thanks,” Bucky murmured, swallowing the emergency blockers dry.

“Give yourself ten minutes for them to kick in, then we should debrief,” she murmured. Bucky nodded. Once he was dosed up with blockers and finished the debrief, he could lock himself back in here, as far away from Y/N as possible— even though his Alpha was screaming at him to break down the door and pull her back into his arms. The last thing she needed was to see his face if she woke up mid-flight. The sound of her terrified sobs still rang in his ears.

It took more than ten minutes for the blockers to work and for Bucky to start feeling normal again. His temperature had gone down, but he kept his outer layers off, quietly emerging from the gear room in a short sleeve shirt. Tony was manning the controls with bags under his eyes. Nat was sitting with her legs thrown over Sam’s lap, the both of them peering intently at her tablet as she scrolled through files. Steve had buckled himself into one of the co-pilot seats with Y/N on his lap, his hand cupping the back of her neck to keep her face pressed near his neck. She still looked feverish and weak, sweat forming a sheen across her exposed skin, but she was out cold. Bucky’s eyes traced the curves of her face, drinking in the sight of her and her sweet, minty scent.

Steve’s earnest blue eyes connected with Bucky’s as soon as he registered his best friend entering the main room. He must have caught the scent of Bucky’s dueling protective and guilty emotions because Steve gave him a reassuring nod. “She’s doing fine, Buck. Hasn’t made a peep. But she’s… cold,” he said.

“She has some kind of ability. Said she could freeze things,” Bucky explained.

“What the hell happened back there?” Sam interrupted. “No offense, Buck, but you still reek— even more than usual.”

“They dosed me with something,” he growled. “I didn’t even realize until they brought her in. I—“ he cut himself off. He wasn’t going to tell the whole team how he’d forced himself on her. They’d probably throw him off the quinjet, like he wanted to do to himself. He was just grateful Steve had arrived when he did, or there’s no telling what he could have been capable of. And to think she had trusted him enough to offer him her gland to scent….

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the voice in his head reminding him of all the reasons he didn’t deserve that trust. “I think they wanted us— me— to…” he trailed off. Tony turned around to face the group with a grim expression, and Sam’s eyes widened as he realized Bucky’s meaning.

“Wait,” Steve interjected. “Nat— you recognized her.”

“I know her, yes,” Nat sighed, pursing her lips, before setting her tablet down in Sam’s lap and swinging her legs over the edge of the seat to face the group. “A year or so ago— after the Blip— Wanda, Fury and I started looking for more… enhanced individuals. The last thing we need are more people out there like Pietro and Wanda being… experimented on, when we could so easily bring them to safety and a… purpose.”

“Well, who is she?” Sam pressed. Bucky could tell Sam had been fighting his overprotective Beta instincts back ever since Steve had carried her on board. His normally neutral scent— like citrus and saltwater— had flared up in his agitation.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Nat answered. “Fury discovered her after we found a whole gang of street criminals frozen solid in Brooklyn. Her parents were scientists working for S.H.I.E.L.D., pre-Hydra. She likely got her abilities when she was a teenager when one of their lab experiments went wrong. Both her and her parents were assumed D.O.A., but she was actually underground for the past 10 years. I found her not too long ago and warned her of the risks, told her we could protect her. She seemed very… disillusioned by the Avengers. Gave me the slip, too— Not many people can do that. I haven’t seen her since.”

“Sounds like she’s been through a lot,” Steve said softly. Y/N snuffled softly in her sleep, and Steve rubbed her back soothingly. Bucky clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth were going to crack. “Probably figured if S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t protect her and her parents, how could we? Tony, any idea how to get these restraints off her?”

“Looks like some kind of Terrigen Crystal manipulator, common scrambling device for enhanced individuals,” Tony replied. “We can deactivate them back home, but I’d keep them on until she wakes up. We don’t know how powerful she is.”

Rage rose hot and sharp in Bucky’s chest, surprising him. “She’s not dangerous,” he growled. “She’s just—“

Tony cleared his throat. “Just an Omega?” he scoffed. “Yeah. So is Wanda. And Banner.”

“I was going to say she’s just been kidnapped,” Bucky growled, hackles raised. “If I woke up surrounded by a strange pack, I’d use my strengths too.” Steve and Tony both quirked an eyebrow, their Alpha instincts completely under control. Bucky knew he was acting like a deranged knothead, but he couldn’t help it. Never in his life had he felt a pull to an Omega this strongly. All he wanted was to curl her into his arms, where she belonged, return his face to the scent gland on her neck and use his heat to warm her cool skin. But he wouldn’t. And he shouldn’t. He didn’t deserve it. He spun on his heel, returning to the gear room, which he bolted shut behind him, sliding down with his back to the floor to ride out the rest of the journey home— as far away from her scent as he could get.

——————-

The first thing I felt when I woke up this time wasn’t the pain in my wrists— though that was still there, burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. No, the first thing I felt was a comfortable bed beneath my back, and the scratchy soft material of a hospital gown across my chest.

My fractured memories came back in a rush. Heat, burning heat. My Alpha’s soothing cedar scent above me, his gentle kisses against my gland, the mind-numbing euphoria of his purrs filling my chest. The scent of his spend driving me wild with need. The ache in my core, growing unbearable as he inexplicably drew away from me. The desperation racking my body with sobs, my scent sharp with the anxiety of heat abandonment. The sound of steel shattering, the smell of another Alpha warm, strong and safe like sunshine and old books. The comfort of being held against a broad chest warring with the fear and wrongness of my Alpha getting left behind. Fighting against the mindless Omega space that threatened to pull me under. Leaving the cell, my body jostling as I was carried up stairs, the humid outdoor air hitting my flushed skin. The sound of jet turbines, the leather edge of a seat buckle. Beta scents: Citrus and saltwater; Roses and rainwater. A bonded Alpha— Motor oil and whiskey. Fear for my Alpha. Where was my Alpha? A soothing hand dragging up and down my back. Darkness.

I jolted back to the present all at once, opening my eyes to take in the plain white hospital room and hear the sound of the heart monitor next to me pick up as I began to panic again. Who had brought me here? Where was Bucky? Was he alive? Were we safe? I couldn’t scent anything over the powerful antiseptic smell of the hospital, sending my thoughts spiraling further.

Who had changed my clothes? The dirt underneath my fingernails had been scrubbed clean. The symptoms of my sympathy heat were gone, though the heat itself had jumbled my memories. Someone had plaited my hair in a french braid behind my head.

I sat up, groaning as the familiar post-heat aches and pains protested throughout my muscles. Before I could swing my legs over the side of the bed, the handle to the only door out of the room turned and a red-haired woman stepped in. She had large, soulful eyes and beautiful features, and as her cinnamon-sweet bonded Omega scent drifted towards me, I immediately felt myself relax. “Y/N?” the woman said gently. Her voice carried an Eastern European lilt to it. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I knew her.

“Where am I?” My voice was surprisingly raspy, and I coughed to clear my throat. How long had I been out? I swung my legs over the side of the bed, hissing as my feet hit the cold tile floor. Wanda joined me on the edge of the bed, putting a few feet of distance between us.

“You’re in a safe place— the Avengers compound in New York. My name is Wanda,” she said soothingly, leaning into her dulcet Omega voice. Holy shit, the Scarlet Witch.

“I know you,” I gasped. Her lips quirked up on the sides in an amused smirk. “I mean— From TV,” I corrected, shaking my head. “Where’s Bucky?”

She looked surprised I asked, quirking her head to the side. “Nowhere near us. You’re safe here,”  she answered slowly.

What a weird response. Why wouldn’t I be safe?

“I mean, I figured it was safe… I’m in one of the most heavily fortified buildings in the world. But can I… see him?” I felt shy, suddenly, for asking. I barely knew him. But we’d made it through something terrible together, and I felt… connected to him. Maybe he didn’t want to see me at all. Maybe he has another Omega.

“Maybe… later,” she said, then reached out to place a hand on the wrist restraints. “Sorry to leave these on you. I know the pain they cause. We didn’t know how you’d react when you woke up in a strange place, especially post-heat. Do you feel comfortable having an Alpha come in here to remove them? I will stay here with you. And he’s bonded.”

I nodded mutely. She was treating me like I was a delicate flower, like any minute I would wilt and snap. It’s not like I hadn’t been alone in a room with an Alpha before. But then again, the last time I had been, we’d almost bonded in a frenzied, drug-induced haze. Alpha, my Omega sighed, suddenly reminded of the heat, the arousal, his scent, what we’d almost done. Find Alpha.

I’d never felt a pull to an Alpha like this before. Ever. Usually, they smelled too strong, filled up too much space, made me feel small and weak despite my inner certainty that I was anything but. Away from him, now, I felt… adrift.

Wanda crossed the room to rummage through a clinical looking chest of drawers, pulling out a sweatshirt and soft pants. “Once Tony gets you out of these restraints, you can have a shower and get into something cozy,” she offered.

“Stark?” I choked.  They were really gearing up to introduce me to all of the freaking Avengers.

“That would be me, Y/N,” said the Alpha, easing the door to the room open with a quick rap of his knuckles on the frame. It was jarring to see Iron Man clad in jeans and a baseball tee. I’d only ever seen him buttoned up in a suit and tie on TV press conferences, or hidden behind black shades in tabloid images. His scent was strangely familiar, too— harsh and spicy, like motor oil, mixed with what I could only assume was his Omega’s gentle strawberry smell. “But you can call me Tony.”

“Tony,” I said, starstruck. My father, and by extension— me— had idolized him growing up. Now, he was carrying a sleek black and gold device that he waved in front of me.

“We’re using a little handheld vita ray action here to deactivate your restraints,” Tony explained. “Just hold tight for a second.”

I held out my wrists to him, away from my lap, and he activated the vita rays, sending what looked like a blue laser beam to cut straight through the middle of the metal. The restraints creaked and groaned as they released, cracking in half. Before they could hit the floor, a swirling orb of red energy appeared beneath them, lifting them gently into the air to rest on the bed next to me. I looked up to see Wanda’s eyes and hands glowing softly in the same color. Sick.

“Thanks,” I breathed, rubbing my wrists, the relief imminent. The pain no longer seared through my forearms, and I could feel the familiar burst of energy from my chest down to the tips of my fingers. Just to test, I held my hand out in front of me, seeking out a few molecules of water in the dry, filtered hospital air and freezing them instantaneously, falling like bits of hail into my palm.

“That’s a cool party trick,” Tony said. I closed my palm, feeling the ice melt against my skin. How embarrassing. “We’ve always needed someone to help make sure our groceries stay at the right temperature.”

I scoffed. Knothead. “I was just kidnapped by Hydra, endured a sympathy heat unprepared and had my abilities stunted by a magical pair of handcuffs. You can scrutinize me again after I get nine hours and a decent cup of coffee.”

Tony barked out a surprised laugh, turning around to leave the room. “I like this one,” he said to Wanda, before disappearing out the door, what remained of my restraints clutched in his hand.

Wanda rolled her eyes at his back, then turned to face me with her hands on her hips. “Well Y/N, if you’re up for it— let me show you to your room.”

[cozyenigma]

For You

Not sure how I feel about this one, it took me a While to finish

Pairing- Illinois/ Reader

Word Count- 2,426

Request?- Yes!

Summary- Illinois was lackadaisical with his own safety at the best of times. You knew this. You didn’t know how much worse he got when he had a plan in mind...

Tag List- @cookielover0001010 , @swag-droid , @watchoutforfrostbite​

Dangerous to Illinois was more like a suggestion. He'd read the warnings, sure, but then go on his merry way all the same. Adventuring came as easily as breathing. You were torn between being impressed and concerned at the disregard for his own safety.

"Some century old sticks and stones aren't enough to keep me down, darlin'" he'd said once. "Sweet of you to worry though."

Illinois was impossible.

Sometimes he'd even ham it up a bit, just to be a bastard. He'd duck at the last possible second to avoid a spear sailing over his head. He'd pinwheel his arms and act like he was about to fall off a shaky bridge. One memorable time he'd even let go while climbing a craggy rock wall. You remembered crying out. A broken leg would've been a good outcome if he fell from that height. Then Illinois shot you that same smirk and kept on climbing like it was nothing.

You'd have throttled him ages ago if you hadn't already gone and caught feelings.

"C'mon, it's fine."

No, at this rate you were still gonna throttle him. You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"No, this is way too dangerous, even for you. We're lucky to have made it out the first time. I don't know why you're so insistent on this."

Illinois put his hands on his hips. "When did a little bit of danger ever stop you, hmm? It'll be easy. I'll just walk in, walk out. Done and done. I get the treasure and you get to watch the professional at work."

The cavalier tone only made you grit your teeth. "We almost died Illinois! Not in the usual whoo that was exhilarating way either! You can't avoid a cave-in like you can a trap!"

The cavern you two had been exploring wasn't too far off the beaten path. Rumors had been floating around that it was home to a forgotten pirate treasure hoard. Illinois had gotten excited almost immediately. He'd been regaling you with old tales of pirates who'd been in the area when you heard it. A deep, ominous rumbling. It had been all around you; you had felt the vibrations through your feet.

The next instant Illinois was shoving you. Your back was already sore from hitting the ground, Illinois using his body to try and shield yours. Illinois' luck seemed to win out though. The floor had collapsed in a deafening roar, the entire passageway caving in just barely ahead of you. You didn't relax until you were out again.

"But I did," Illinois argued now. "Look, I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing darlin'."

"That's not what I'm worried about." You glanced back towards the cave entrance. The sun barely touched the dark inside. "All it takes is one time."

For a moment, Illinois looked you over, searching your expression. Then he heaved a sigh.

"Okay, alright, fine. We'll... think of something else."

Despite his obvious disappointment you practically slumped over in relief. Traps you could deal with. The thought of an entire cave system collapsing on top of you?

"C'mon," Illinois grabbed his pack, tossing you your own.

Your relief was short lived though. The ride back into town was awkward and quiet. Radio was spotty at best out here so you drove in silence. You kept stealing glances at Illinois. The whole day he was talking up this adventure, wondering aloud what you would find down there. You couldn't remember the time he drove without saying anything at all.

"Sorry," you broke the silence. Illinois glanced over, confused. "About the cave, I mean."

Illinois huffed, shaking his head as he turned to follow the dirt road. "Not your fault."

"Well, I know you were excited about it."

Another glance. "Eh," he shrugged a shoulder. "There's always another adventure. You can't expect everything to work out all the time."

You hummed, watching his fingers tap against the steering wheel. The area had more to offer than just treasure. Maybe you could find something the two of you could do instead with the time you still had left. By the time you got back to the hotel though, you hadn't thought of much. Most of what you passed in the city amounted to tourist traps.

"Why don't you rest up, I'm gonna go grab some things," Illinois said, not even stepping into the room.

"Right now?" You turned, bag still in hand. "I can come along if you want-"

"Just gonna get some supplies," his fingers were drumming against the door frame. "Clear my head a bit."

Alone, he meant. You gave him a tired smile, trying not to think into it too much.

"Don't get into trouble."

The trademark smirk almost compared to his usual ones. "Trouble's part of the package deal, darlin'. I'll be back before you know it."

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving you alone in the hotel room. You sighed. Two or three days left in this city. Not enough time to plan much else or try to find a safer route to the pirate trove. Illinois wasn't much of a tourist but you could find something.

You went through the motions. Ditched your bag and jacket, cleaned up a bit, tended to your scrapes and cuts. By the time you could actually rest over an hour had passed. It wasn't that unusual for Illinois but something in your gut churned.

The sun had started to set already. When you peaked out the window you could see the parking lot cast in oranges and pinks. The truck was gone.

Okay. You figured he probably took a drive. Maybe. The anxious pit in your stomach only deepened as you took out your phone. Illinois' number was at the top. It rang once, twice, three times. You hung up in the middle of his cheesy voicemail message.

You cursed, calling again. He better not have. He wouldn't have, right? That damn cave was a death trap!

Even though you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, time continued to crawl by. One hour turned to two, bordering on three. Your bag was already packed and you were on the phone again. Hopefully you could manage to get another car. It'd take you way too long to try and hoof it. If only he'd pick up the phone! You were sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing your eyes as you waited for the call to go through when the door opened.

Illinois looked like hell.

His hat was gone, hair covered in dust and grime. A cut on his forehead had dribbled a red trail down his face. What your eyes landed on though was his arm. Half the sleeve was gone, wrapped up in a makeshift bandage. He held it close to himself as he opened the door with the other.

"Oh my god," you muttered, phone forgotten as you surged forward.

Illinois barely had time to get a word out before you were pulling him inside. Just grabbing him left a thin layer of dust on your hands. He let you lead him to the bed, sitting down.

"What the hell happened?" You hesitated, stopping just short of touching his arm. "Illinois-"

Despite doing his best to hide it, you could still see the obvious pain he was in. The grin on his face was strained. "Told you that trouble came along with me, didn't I?"

"You went looking for it, you idiot, did you go back to the cave? Did you drive back here like this?" Gently you reached for his hand only for Illinois to stop you with the other.

"Yes and yes," he answered, casual still despite the situation. "Cave-ins run in pairs, apparently."

"You- you-!" You pulled back, taking a breath. When that didn't work you started to pace, Illinois tracking your movements. "You could've been killed! Illinois I thought you agreed not to go back in there? I didn't even know where you were, what if you had gotten trapped in there?"

"I didn't."

"That's not the point!" You stopped in front of him, breathing hard. "You're lucky you just broke your arm. Do you think you're invincible, is that it?"

Illinois sighed, trying to get more comfortable and wincing. "No. Look, I know you're upset-"

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it."

"I know you're upset," Illinois repeated, good hand up, placating, "but I don't get into situations I don't think I can handle. I made it back. Can't get rid of me that easily."

The teasing did not help. You didn't bother responding. Illinois watched as you shoved your phone into your pocket and grabbed your bag. He blinked up at you as you walked back over to him, hand outstretched.

"Give me the keys," your voice was flat, leaving no room for argument.

"Worried I'm gonna run off again?"

"No, you ass, I'm going to drive you to a hospital because your arm is broken. Keys. Now."

Instead of that, Illinois reached up and grabbed your hand, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, c'mon. This is what I do, sweetheart. I get hurt all the time. It's not a big deal."

You yanked your hand out of his. "I don't know how to get this through your thick skull, Illinois, but I care if you get hurt. This is a big deal to me! Why did you do this?"

For a tense moment, Illinois didn't answer. He wasn't even looking at you, eyes set squarely on the floor. Maybe it was the injuries or just the absence of his hat but he looked so far removed from the adventurer you knew then.

"Would you believe me if I said it was for you?"

Oh, that was it.

Your scoff got his attention. "You are such a bastard about these things. You want to get a reaction out of me? Okay, fine! I love you! Is that what you wanted to hear?! You scared the hell out of me because I thought you weren't coming back!"

Ignoring the stinging in your eyes, ignoring how your hands were so tightly clenched your knuckles burned, you glared poison down at Illinois. The adventurer had frozen. Opened his mouth only to close it again.

"You love me?"

The breathless words didn't do much to quell your anger. You rubbed at your eyes, looking away.

"Yeah, guess I fell for you like everyone else does, huh?"

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch movement. Illinois had reached behind him and was fumbling around with his bag. From the grimace on his face you guessed it wasn't a comfortable position.

"Illinois-"

"Hang on," he interrupted, finally pulling something out. It caught the light as Illinois held it out to you. In his hand was a thin square of gold and it took you a moment to even recognize that it was a compass. A very old one at that.

"You were right," Illinois said, "not really worth it. Most of the time the treasure pirates took were trade goods. Cloth, cotton, sugar, that kind of thing. Nothing that'd survive the whole buried treasure treatment. Found lots but most of it was just rotten. I'm guessing whoever put it all there planned to come back at some point and never made it."

Carefully, you took the compass out of his hand. It fit neatly in your palm. The compass was mounted into a small gold square, the glass cloudy from time. What you could see through it was dark and yellowed. The needle didn't move. Around the compass were hints of a design. What was surely once intricate work was practically worn completely off by now. When you looked up again, Illinois was studying your face.

"That was the only thing that survived." He leaned back on the mattress, looking as exhausted as he probably felt for the first time. "Guess even your favorite adventurer gets a dud every now and then, huh?"

You ran your fingers across the back of the compass. Swallowed and said, "So when you said it was for me…?"

"I was going to save it for your birthday. Or a better occasion than this anyways. Wanted to make it special." Illinois waved a careless hand. "Of course I thought it would be a bit more impressive than what I found. You deserve more than a tarnished old compass."

The whole reason he went back in there was to get you something. You weren't sure how to feel about that. The anger was still there, of course, but now you just shook your head and pocketed the compass.

"I'm keeping it."

"What?" Illinois lets you help him to his feet, luckily standing steady.

"You're going to get that arm set and I'm keeping the compass," you reached into his back pocket, snagging the keys despite his protests. "Then I'm going to yell at you some more because you're an idiot."

Illinois let out a short, surprised laugh. "You can't bully me, I'm injured!"

"That's exactly why I'm going to bully you."

Carefully, mindful not to jostle his arm, you wrap him up in a side hug. Illinois stiffened. Good arm pinned, he had no other option than to stare down at you. He said your name uncertainly. A question. You took a breath.

"We're going to talk about this later but," you held him a little tighter, "next time you don't have to make it special."

"Next time?"

You nodded. "It'll be perfect no matter what you do. Well, maybe without the broken bones."

When you pulled away, the usual smirk you'd come to expect wasn't there. Instead Illinois was giving you a soft smile. A little tight at the edges with pain but there all the same.

"Well, guess I could take that under advisement."

"Advisement," you rolled your eyes, taking him by the hand and leading him to the door. "Sure."

The new few hours were spent in the hospital. Illinois ended up with a cast, a few stitches, and a new story to tell. He didn't seem that put out by the experience, especially since he caught sight of you messing with the compass in the waiting room. You got payback by drawing on his cast.

In the end that "special moment" wasn't all that special. Illinois didn't even wait for the cast to come off, though he did complain about it plenty. Turned out kissing him in the middle of a rant was very effective.