#will I continue this? tune in to find out!

[prettygirl-gabi]

Chapter 10: Under Pressure

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: none

Paring: Paige Bueckers x !photographer fem reader

Fandom: Women's basketball

Summary: don't piss Paige off...she becomes a beast

Welcome to the chapter 10 of Through The Lens. I hope you all enjoy and there is more to come...stay tuned my loveies!! 🏀💕📸

Y/N’s POV

The whirlwind of paige and I being in a private to public eye relationship, my final project, and rumors building up. It was hard but we'd managed to keep it together, now at out next away game the pressure was buliding up.

The stsdium where the Marquette vs Uconn game was held was loud—so loud I could feel the vibrations in my chest as the Marquette fans cheered on their team. I stood courtside, camera poised and ready, capturing KK as she lined up for a three-point shot. She released the ball, and I clicked the shutter at the perfect moment, already picturing how the shot would look when edited.

“Why’s she even here? She doesn’t belong with them!”

I stiffened as the words cut through the crowd noise.

“She’s just a leech! Following Paige like a lost puppy!”

"Yeah, she's such a clingy bitch!"

My hands tightened around my camera, my heart sinking as the cruel words continued. I glanced over my shoulder, spotting a group of fans pointing at me, their laughter grating against my ears.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard something like this, but today, it hit differently.

“Y/N!” KK’s voice jolted me from my thoughts, and I turned to see her smiling at me, oblivious to the taunts. “Did you get the shot?”

“Yeah,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “It’s perfect.”

But my voice wavered, and I knew she caught it.

Paige did too.

From across the court, I saw her eyes narrow as she glanced in my direction, her jaw clenching when she followed my gaze to the group of fans. She couldn’t do anything, though—not during the game.

When a timeout was called just before halftime, I couldn’t take it anymore. My chest felt tight, my breaths coming shorter with each second. With the overwhelming and over stimulating noises, I quickly slipped through the tunnels, camera clutched to my chest as I found my way to the locker room.

Paige’s POV

The second-quarter buzzer blared, signaling halftime. I jogged off the court with the team, my mind half on the game and half on Y/N.

“Where’s Y/N?” KK asked as we entered the locker room, her brows furrowing when she didn’t see her.

“I’ll find her,” I said quickly, brushing past the team and heading further into the back.

I found her in the corner, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest. Her camera lay beside her, forgotten. Her hands trembled as she tried to catch her breath, and the sight of her like this broke something inside me.

“Y/N, baby,” I said softly, crouching down in front of her.

She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. “Paige… I-I couldn’t—”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay,” I interrupted, taking her hands in mine. “You’re okay. Just breathe with me, okay?”

I inhaled deeply, holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly. She mimicked my breathing, her trembling gradually subsiding.

“They called me a leech,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Said I didn’t belong here, even called me a clingy bitch.”

My blood boiled, but I pushed the anger aside for now. Y/N needed me to be present. “Listen to me,” I said firmly, cupping her face. “You belong here. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Those people don’t know you, and they sure as hell don’t know how incredible you are. You're my photographer extraordinaire, definitely not a bitch.”

She sniffled, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks, P.”

“Always,” I said, pulling her into a tight hug. “Now, let’s get through this game, okay? I’ll handle the rest.”

Y/N’s POV

I stayed in the locker room gathering myself, Paige went back out with the team. My chest still felt heavy, but her words lingered in my mind, grounding me.

I could hear the game from the hallway, the crowd roaring as the second half began. Paige was on fire. She moved across the court with a ferocity I hadn’t seen before, sinking shots with ease and making impossible passes.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the score was neck and neck.

Paige’s POV

I had one chance to end this. With .8 seconds left on the clock and the score tied at 87, Azzi passed me the ball just outside the arc. The crowd roared as I squared up and released the shot.

Swish.

The buzzer sounded, and the scoreboard lit up: 90-87. We won.

The team rushed the court, and I found myself in the middle of a celebratory huddle. But my eyes searched the sidelines for one person.

The reporter smiled as she held the mic out to me. “Paige, you dominated the second half. What sparked that performance?”

I still thinking of an answer opened my mouth, but Azzi leaned forward to the mic, her arm slinging around my shoulders. “Let’s just say Paige had determination, and adrenaline in her.”

The team erupted in laughter, knowing the truth was cause of y/n and I couldn’t help but smile slightly, even as I felt my cheeks heat up.

Once back in the locker room the team was buzzing with energy as we filed into the locker room. Y/N was sitting on one of the benches, her camera back in her hands. She looked up as I approached, a shy smile on her lips.

“Nice shot, superstar” she said softly.

“Thanks, ma” I replied, sitting beside her. “You okay?”

She nodded, leaning her head against my shoulder. “Yeah. Thanks to you.”

I wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Always.”

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-Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

-prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️

Tag list: @sayurireidotcom , @astroeliza , @paxaz535 , @0phantom0 ,.... (more to be added)

[fan-a-tink]

Character Appreciation Week: Crystal Palace

For me, Crystal's journey is so much about justice & solidarity, about recovery & chosen family, and about learning who you are and how to make peace with yourself and your past. Crystal is one of the most complex characters I know: she is messy and flawed and kind and determined and snarky and loud and everything all at once. Her desire to help other people, and especially other women and girls, sets the whole show in motion and continues to inspire her and those around her throughout the eight episodes. She herself fell for the pretty face of a boy who turned out to be a demon, and she completely lost herself and her memories as a consequence of David's abuse. And even though she doesn't know who she is, she is guided by her innate sense of justice, trying to help others from avoiding a similar fate, standing up for women who have fallen victim to men and powerful supernatural creatures. She finds a purpose in the agency, a new life with people she cares about.

And this becomes even more important once she gets her memories back. The whole time she held on to her old life, trying to get back to the parents she desperately hopes are searching for her, only to find out they didn't even care enough to notice that she was missing for weeks. The life she thought she wanted to remember turned out to be filled with disappointment, loneliness and petty distractions. But everything is different now, because she is no longer alone and while removed from the toxic environment of home, she was able to just be and form connections with people who genuinely care about her, who want to help her like she has helped them. She is able to make peace with herself and her past because of who she has become and what she is doing every day to help others and become better.

If I think about all the shit she goes through in season one, it's actually incredible that she isn't more "difficult, willful, combative" (👀). Can anyone blame her for snapping at people from time to time, for being angry and annoyed and confused, for not being able or willing to swallow her emotions. But so so often she actually tunes into the emotions of others, listening, comforting them. She is an incredible friend and detective, who "does what she has to in order to close a case", all the while becoming the most powerful member of the agency and discovering completely new facets of her psychic abilities.

Even after three far too long paragraphs I feel like I have only barely scratched the surface of the incredible depths of Crystal's character. What a privilege to know you, Crystal Palace Surname-von-Hovercraft.

[cuteandhughesy]

Ceilings | Luke Hughes (playlist)

summary: imagine my writing has been turned into a film - complete with a soundtrack that perfectly captures the essence of the scenes and helps you visualize the words you’ve previously read and bringing them into movie format ✨

warnings: descriptive scenes that may include suggestive and/or smutty dialogue | songs and artists that you may not like | read at your own discretion

a/n: this series will not only provide extras explanation of scenes from the fic, but dive into clues you may of missed ♥️

link to ceilings

───────── 🎶 ─────────

TOO WELL BY RENEE RAPP / WHO! WHAT? BY TRAVIS SCOTT

track 1 (2)

the opening scene of this fic your thrown pretty much right into that university party environment.

Who! What? would be the song playing as you’re meeting the hockey team—as they are playing their bet game, and inevitably make luke’s bet. the song is heard in the background, serving as white noise to the critical conversation.

as the scene shifts, finding you and ariana in the background, the song has also shifted. Too Well plays at the party, heard in the background as you two talk.

the song continues throughout the rest of the scene, slowly fading as you and luke ‘meet’ and converse.

I REMEMBER EVERYTHING BY ZACH BRYAN

track 2

you and luke plan to meet at the coffee house you work at to further discuss your fake dating arrangement. this song is playing over the radio system at the coffee house, providing background noise to the bustling cafe.

TENNESSEE ORANGE BY MEGAN MORONEY

track 3

the beginning instrumentals play at the end of the previous scene, after you and luke exchanged numbers and make plans about the basketball game the following day.

it bleeds into the basketball scene—meeting the guys out front with ariana. this song transitions to playing through the radio in rutger’s truck.

I feel the lyrics of this song almost provide a subtle foreshadowing about the future of your and luke’s relationship—unbeknownst to either of you at that point.

PROMISE BY LAUFEY

track 4

you’ve just had you’re feelings hurt by matthew—he doesn’t remember you from the party—and you’re feeling pretty shitty about that whole interaction, especially after you went for the sole purpose of seeing him.

luke drives you home in rutgers truck, and the two of you share a rather sweet conversation about the interaction, and despite how you’re feeling, luke lifts your spirits—and you even manage to crack a teasing remark at the end of the conversation.

SEVENTEEN BY TROYE SIVAN

track 5

this is one of my favourite scenes in the whole fic—you and luke are walking through campus, discussing where you’re going to go from here, and what’s to come of your plan.

it’s flirty, fun and yet, there’s some serious tension between you and the words with luke. I feel you get a real insight at their dynamic here, and you see them slowly building that friendship.

this song specifically works as a good transition scene song, because it’s not too crazy—but still upbeat enough to fit the vibe.

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL BY ED SHEERAN

track 6

you’ve been stressing all day about seeing matt, and everything seems to be going wrong. you’ve been locked out of your house, so you’re wearing a stinky work uniform, your skin and hair feel dirty, and you’re running late.

luke essentially calms you down in the scene, even if he doesn’t realize it—even hough you don’t realize it.

the beginning instrumentals would play softly over the scene while you’re changing, and luke makes the comment about your underwear. this is another one of my favourite scenes, just showing how in tune you and luke are.

the song continues through the scene—quieting as the conversation continues—right up until you’re falling asleep in luke’s bed. there’s a moment where you’re sleeping and luke is admiring you, signalling the shift of feelings.

YOU COULD START A CULT BY NIALL HORAN

track 7

the end of the library scene and luke is walking you home—this is not written in the fic, but it’s alluded too. this song serves as a calm transition between this scene and the next.

the second half of this song playing as luke shows up to your house, drunk and wanting you. I’ve definitely said this already but this is my FAVOURITE scene in the entire fic.

luke is so soft and sweet here and the things he says to you is just….ugh.

JIMMY COOKS BY DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE

track 8

the party scenes, which obviously are a bit difficult to read. this song would be playing during the beginning half of the scenes, serving as a bassy noise in the background, adding to the ambiance of the scene.

the song would continue as you go back to luke and rutger, who are talking with one another—when rutger brings up you and what he’s just seen.

BE STILL BY THE FRAY

track 9

after matt has tried to take advantage of you, which thankfully was stopped before it could escalate any further than unwanted touches and kissing. but still disgusting.

rutger has driven you and luke back to your place, and this song would start playing as you breakdown, letting luke comfort you.

not written into the fic but you’d see you seeking comfort in luke, cuddling into him under your bed. I can just picture you freshly showered, hair wet in and your pyjamas. you’re tucked into luke’s chest, basking in his comforting presence as he strokes your hair.

ITS YOU BY ZAYN

track 10

you and luke are standing in the hallway (after your momentary panic thinking he’s gone missing with his concussion).

this is when you and luke confess your feelings for one another, and although it’s a serious conversation, there’s still that playful teasing that’s you’ve had with one another through the entire fic.

the chorus of the song begins playing as soon as they kiss. it would continue into the second kiss and fade into almost nothing as ethan walks up the stairs and interrupts you.

PRETTY BOY BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD

track 11

there is no specific scene in the fic that i’ve got this song attached too, however in a movie I would want to the audience to see how you and luke are in your relationship—essentially falling in love.

a montage of scenes over this song—things like having sex, laughing, watching movies, talking, getting drinks and food, watching the hockey games, partying…anything that you’d do with a boyfriend in university.

CEILINGS BY LIZZY MCALPINE

track 12

you have just found out about the bet—the bet that includes luke trying to make you fall in love with him before playoffs. and i mean the proof is in the pudding, and you’re heartbroken.

you’ve broken up with him—drunk and at his house—and you’re running out the door.

the song begins palying as you’re leaving, tears running down your face. mark is the one who follows you out, offering to drive you home.

there’d be a collection of scenes after that, all showing the heartbreak and pain of going through this breakup—especially considering you now believe it was one sided the entire time.

the song would fade as ariana comes into your room, ready for the playoff game—which is the next scene in the fic.

LIKE REAL PEOPLE DO BY HOZIER

track 13

luke had just told ariana everything and after she hears the confession, she thinks you need to hear it, and tells luke to go to you.

the song begins playing gently in the background as he starts to confess his feelings to you, and when he tells you he loves you, the song picks up.

and as they kiss, the music continues.

UNWRITTEN BY NATASHA BEDINGFIELD

track 14

the classic ending to a rom-com—come pelted with a fun, early 2000s hit over the final scene and end credits.

scene:

he smirks as you grab your phone, making a mental note to also thank your small blonde bestie. luke studies your face, cheeks flushed, lips pink and eyes wide, much different from when you first opened the door. in a moment of boldness he says, "I told you that you and I have chemistry."

you smile, playing with the hair at the back of his head as you think about that very first night when luke had found you at the party. "I didn't believe you back then."

"do you believe me now baby?"

"I guess so lukey." you tease and he smirks before kissing you again.

this is when the song would begin playing, and the scene would fade into the end credits. i’m very admit that if this fic was a movie it would have the same style of credits as anyone but you—complete with different scenes of the cast singing along and dancing.

[aviradasa]

The lost boys main HCs

Paul

Here are some paul hcs! I hope you enjoy! This is kinda short but i had fun writing it!

If you would like a part two going into more detail about him let me know. I'm gonna be responding to Dwayne's HCS, though. I hate the ones I posted. I'm also gonna be doing an HC/ one-shot series about each of the boys before they found each other/ became vampires, so stay tuned!!

Paul is a younger sibling. When he was alive he had 2 brothers and one twin sister.

He was 19 but going to turn 20 literally like a month before he died and despite how he acts he was the oldest when turned,

If you ask him his age though he will say 20 to fuck with you before pulling the “Nah I'm just joking” card and telling you he was only 19

He does that mostly cause he's a little upset he wasn't able to hold out at least another month, so he likes to say what he could have been, but he doesn't wanna lie about his age.

He hates liars.

He also keeps track of every birthday he and the other boys have had since they turned cause he doesn't want to lose track of the years. It kinda keeps him sane a bit.

On a less depressing note

He is also one of the sassiest assholes you will ever meet. He does not think before he speaks and honestly, he doesn't give a damn

I mean y'all hear him when he said the whole “ chill out girl 🙄😒” line you can't tell me he wasn't annoyed that star was ruining the fun

He also does not give a shit if he hurts someone's feeling with it especially if its someone he doesn't know or does not fuck with, he sees no point in trying to spare the feelings of anyone he doesn't care about

He can also be a bit flirty just in general as a joke or genuinely he is just like that and he dont care what gender it is he will make flirty jokes or comments regardless.🤣

He is an asshole, but he is quite loyal to the people he loves, surprisingly. But he loves them in his own way. Despite all the teasing, rude comments, cruel pranks, and injuries he may accidentally inflict, he doesn't fuck around with other people pulling that shit.

The definition of “nobody can bully my family or friends but me.”

He can be nice sometimes. It depends on whether he's fully sober or not, and then it depends on what he did.

Drunk = steer clear he's gonna say or do some stupid shit that could result in either a fight with somebody random or not,or you all dying.

Stoned = yeah, you have a better chance of seeing him nice with this one. But still, be careful cause high also results in hunger, so don't get bit. he does bite. Remember that.

He also relaxes better after smoking, so he might just sit his ass down for a while, maybe watch a movie.

He's not a TV guy though usually. he finds it hard to focus on shows and movies so he either likes to smoke before watching or else he has to pause it every 20 minutes to get up, walk around, and bitch about loopholes and plot points for a few minutes before he can sit back down and continue it.

He just kinda avoids them for those reasons. He's more of a music guy. Because then he can get up, bounce around, have fun, and not miss anything in the song cause he can do other shit while listening.

The music he likes is rock and heavy metal; I will admit, though, that he is the kinda person to pull the “Oh, you know (random band), then name 3 songs.”

“ (names 3 song)”.

“Oh shit cool, what's your favorite.”

He does that shit often, actually, but his saving grace is that if you know what your talking about, you now have a new friend to discuss your favorite bands with. 😭

He keeps his area of the cave a mess but he still knows where everything is. But it's not like a dirty mess; it's mostly just clutter.

He refuses to leave food containers or remains in his room overnight like he can not stand that shit if he's chilling out drawing or something, and he catches the lightest whiff of food smell from a container he finished off not even an hour ago he getting up and throwing it away.

Honestly, that goes for all the boys, to be fair. They don't care about being dirty themselves, but they don't want their spaces dirty if you get what I mean.

Also, he does not like people touching his stuff. Only a select few people can, and that is Laddie and the other boys maybe star once in awhile, and depending on whether you are a close friend or partner, you can, but everybody has to ask unless he says to grab it for him.

He just doesn't want his shit moved cause he's worried he won't be able to find it.

He's not worried about shit being broken cause he will just fix it. Unless it's CDs or records that he can't fix, he will be severely pissed.

But one specific thing you don't under any circumstance touch, grab or even breathe too close to is his sister's old music box. If that gets broken, he will kill you, no questions asked, and he won't feel bad about it, NOBODY would want to/ have the ability to stop him at that moment, so just please don't touch it.

Other than that, he doesn't care. He likes having people come to his space to hang out and keep him company. He also likes showing off all the cool shit he has.

Oh, and the him killing you thing reminds me.

He is scary as fuck when he kills/feeds cause his style is extremely animalistic. He doesn't just tear flesh away or rip a limb or two. He fucking MAULS his kills to the point that if you see the aftermath, you genuinely wonder if it was ever a human or not.

His kills are quick, violent, messy, and sadistic. Cause he genuinely does enjoy the kill, probably more than feeding.

He's an adrenaline junkie, a daredevil, and anything in between, so when it is time, he will find a target, and to be fair, he likes a good chase. So he will probably grab somebody, and when they fight back, he will purposely let them go and give them a head start so he can chase them down just to make the mauling more fun.

When he's done feeding, he is most of the time covered in blood, dirt, leaves, sand, sticks, you name it, and it's probably on him.

He cleans up as best he can before going back onto the boardwalk or heading into town of course. But if they have a late feeding and they have to get back to the cave in a hurry before sunrise. He will stay like that until the next day.

But by the time he wakes up, he hates the feeling of the stuff stuck to him, so he cleans up quickly just so he doesn't have to be uncomfortable lmao.

Anyway, that's it for now. He's just a funny, sarcastic, sadistic, flirty asshole. But we love him. Cause he's Paul.

[am-i-interrupting]

Pleasure of Your Company | Silco x Reader

Chapter 1 | Glass House

Summary: You are Singed’s child. It was with the death of his grandchild, that he became the man the Undercity knows. The man Silco hired. With the explosion of the lab leaving your father injured, you took his role until he could fill it himself once more.

Glass crunched as it broke beneath your feet. Purple liquid spread around it like gold in pottery you’d seen when you were far younger. You assessed the damage the best you could.

“Very little can be saved.”

A sigh, “I assumed as much. How long do you believe the Doctor will be out of commission?”

“His injuries are severe.”

Even thinking of them made your stomach turn. Pieces were missing. Things were gone. It was all so wrong, so horrific.

“It will be at least a year before he’s able to return full time,” you said.

“We can’t afford that.”

“A couple months before he’s back in the lab though,” you continued on. “He’s stubborn like that.”

“In the meantime?”

“I am more than capable of making your shimmer,” you told the man behind you.

“How do I know I can trust you?” he asked. “You’re rarely ever in the lab.”

“And it’s for that very reason you have someone to continue production.”

You lifted your head and spun it around from where you’d been using gloves fingers to sort through the broken vials, searching for the ones which could be saved.

Your gaze was met with your father’s employer and by extension your own. He was dressed in a two piece suit consisting of a black waistcoat lined in gold, and a white tie tucked beneath the cuff of a red buttoned shirt.

His eye matched his outfit, in the form of it being a bright orange flame surrounded by a black sky. It was an eye you’d had much familiarity with.

“As for trust,” you said, letting the lisp you’d inherited from your father curl around the words like a snake, “how did you know you could trust me with your eye, hm?”

He was silent as he remembered the protesting he’d done upon the first time you’d injected something in his eye. Your father insistent that you’d be more gentle than he would. He was right, of course.

Silco learned that only after he’d been left screaming and restrained. You’d had fluttered around him with a smug smile on your lips which he couldn’t see at the time but hear. “You should have listened,” you said, voice carrying a tune.

“Just do what needs to be done,” he said as a dismissal.

He spun around, a loud crunch of glass beneath his shoes. Then he left.

You sorted through the shards for the better half of the day. What couldn’t be salvaged was left but you were able to find a good two dozen or so which were still in tact. Quite honestly more than you were expecting.

You put them all in a box and brought them back to your personal lab. A cave by the water.

You got to work at making a batch large enough to fill the vials you had on hand. Silco would need to provide more when this inevitably was not enough but you were alright with that.

It was true, you didn’t spend many days in the laboratory which Silco provided. You were normally off doing something equally as important, finding the necessary ingredients.

You had a large stockpile sorted in categories of things which you could use. You looked down at your father’s notes, written in a shorthand only the two of you could read, making sure you were doing things properly.

You’d long since memorized the brand of shimmer which held healing properties. You’d been making it for two, nearly three years now. Silently, of course.

Silco didn’t question who made it just that it worked. You had no doubt in your mind that the man though your father made it in his downtime. When, no, you made it in yours. Occasionally, your father would come in and help, tweak it some to try and making the healing properties stronger and more efficient. Whether or not that worked would depend upon whether or not you changed your process of brewing.

“You should be in bed,” you said.

Your father did not answer because for the moment, he could not. The burns which would turn to scars covered more than half of his face and most of his torso. It was through an act of will that he was even able to stand, much less walk.

It’d only been a week.

He slumped into the chair beside you. He watched silently as you worked.

For others his gaze would be intimidating. It would be scrutinizing and stressful to be beneath. You were used to it.

You did not falter nor did you tremble. You simply carried on like you had before he was there.

You knew what was in the direction he’d come to you from. Only one thing, one door, one room. You couldn’t say you were surprised he’d come from there instead of his own bed. He was in there more so than you.

It hurt to go there. It was painful.

He went in every night to do their routine. It had been one you had been amused by years ago. A little girl with her grandfather reading to her instead of her parent. You’d asked her why one day that she preferred his reading to yours. She simply looked at you and said he could do better voices.

Some days you felt guilty you visited her less but he never once judged.

He had told you once if it were you instead, he didn’t know what he’d do. Watching you deflate and change after was painful enough but to lose you entirely?

You brushed debris off the page and with it went your thoughts.

When you were done making the batch and filling individual tubes it was dark out. You stood and stretched out. Multiple joints popped and cracked. You weren’t used to sitting in one place so long.

Your hand curled gently on your father’s shoulder. You shook him carefully.

“Papa,” you said, “let’s get you to bed.”

The only reason he let you help him was his exhaustion. You set him down on the mattress and grabbed the medical kit at the bedside.

You unraveled the bandages around his body. The skin was pink and puckered, bubbling with blisters in some places. You took a rag and cleaned the area with gentle swipes. Once done, you added some antibiotic cream and wrapped the wounds.

“Stay awake for just a moment longer,” you ordered.

You squeezed his hand as you stood. You grabbed a glass and filled it with water. You poured a packet of medication into the liquid and grabbed a pill. You used a straw to mix everything together.

Returning to the bedroom, you angled the straw towards his mouth. “Drink.”

He wrapped his lips around the straw as best as he could. However, cracked and burnt as they were it was difficult. That’s why you held a rag beneath his lips. When he was halfway through, you pulled the glass away.

“Pill.”

He let you set the pill atop his tongue. It wasn’t until the straw was returned that he swallowed.

Finished, you helped him lay down.

“Goodnight.” You pressed a kiss to the unmarked side of his face. “I love you.”

Although he couldn’t return the words, you knew the sentiment was shared.

You passed her door. You paused.

You should go in. She’d been without a voice all day. If she could hear you in there she’d know that something was wrong. Could she worry in this state? You should go in.

You went to bed and had a night of unrestful sleep.

[crowsofdarkness]

Arranged: Chapter Six

*gif not mine. credit to owner*

Pairings: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: language, 18+ smut(ch 12 & ch 17), angst, fluff, mentions of death and violence. I will update the warnings with each chapter.

Summary: Reader would do anything to make her parents happy and that included agreeing to an arranged marriage. She never expected it to be to one of New York's most feared Mob Boss: Bucky Barnes. He is anything but loving towards Reader however when her parents are mysteriously killed, Bucky makes it his mission to find out who were at fault. And in the process, ends up coming close to losing Reader.

Authors Note: If anyone who is interested wants to be tagged, let me know!

My bare feet padded on the floor as I followed the soft tune that played throughout the house and when I entered the kitchen, a small smile grazed my face. Bucky had his back turned to me while he was adding some finishing touches to our dinner, his voice singing along to the music. 

“Are you going to stare at my ass or take a seat? Dinner’s almost finished,” Bucky spoke, not even looking at me. 

My cheeks burned red with embarrassment while I shifted on my feet, getting caught staring, even though he hadn’t turned his back on me or even heard me sneak up behind him. 

He then turned to face me with a warm smile. “Come on.” 

I followed his extended hand as he led me to the dinner room, where a small gasp fell from my lips. He had the table set up with candles and a couple bouquets of flowers. The fireplace in the room was roaring to life, warming my body immediately. 

“Wow, you outdid yourself.” I chuckled. 

“You have no idea, doll,” he smirked while pulling out the chair for me. 

I smiled a thanks and watched as he quickly left only to return with two plates in his hand, setting mine down in front of me. I continued to watch him with an adoring smile, truly shocked that he had done this for me. 

“You know, I’ve only ever seen you dressed up. It’s nice to see you wear something more comfortable,” I noted, quietly noting that I was glad I hadn’t dressed up either; keeping it comfortable. 

He was wearing a deep navy sweater that did wonders for bringing out his bright blue eyes and dark sweatpants. 

Bucky nodded before motioning to the plate in front of him. “Before it gets too cold.” 

We ate in a surprisingly comfortable silence, us stealing glances every once in a while. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, these small things that Bucky had been doing the last couple of days had been warming my heart. He knew that I wasn’t happy about our situation and instead of getting upset, he did his best to make me feel comfortable. 

“So,” Bucky handed off our empty plates to Barb. 

She took it with a smile before disappearing back into the kitchen. 

“So,” I repeated, wondering what would happen next. 

“With our wedding on Saturday,” he began. 

I sat up a bit straighter in my chair while he continued. “I want you to know that I won’t pressure you into anything until you’re ready. You can continue to sleep in your room until you’re comfortable around me.” 

“I’m getting there,” I admitted, “But I do like the idea of not sharing a bed quite yet; in any aspect.” 

I didn’t have to say it; sex. Bucky already understood. 

“Whenever you’re ready, Y/N,” he smiled before taking a long sip of his beer. 

He must have seen my wandering gaze as I looked around the room because he offered me his flesh hand. 

“Would you like a tour?” He asked. 

I eagerly nodded and with our hands linked, Bucky walked me throughout every room on the main level and when we began walking down the hallway towards his office, I saw a large variety of pictures littering the walls. The other rooms I had previously seen were filled with paintings, no family pictures. It wasn’t until we started walking down the hallway that I noticed it. 

“Family pictures?” I asked. 

Bucky nodded and let my hand go as I took my time with each one, a smile on my face. Bucky as a baby, with his sister, a handful of with his parents. I noticed that after a few family pictures of the four of them, it became the three; him, his sister, and dad. 

I looked over to Bucky with sad eyes, knowing that must have been when his mother passed and after he gave me a small smile, I continued looking at the pictures. It wasn't until the last family picture that my brows scrunched in confusion. 

Bucky was older in this one, a teenager with his sister a few years younger but it was his father in the picture that had my attention. 

“Everything alright?” Bucky questioned, seeing the confusion on my face. 

I gave him a slight nod. “Yeah. It’s just this picture of your dad that seems so familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere.” 

Bucky swallowed hard before linking our fingers together once more and pulled me towards a door that led to the backyard, where there was a small fire burning in the middle of his seating area. The smooth jazz that was playing during our dinner was now playing outside. 

“Blanket?” 

“Please,” I smiled as we sat on the couch. 

He covered my legs with a blanket before sitting next to me but still keeping a distance between us. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask, did you want to have your parents there on Saturday?” Bucky asked.

He was leaning against the back of the couch, metal arm resting on the top edge. His fingers were ghosting over  my shoulder and I shuddered, wondering how they felt tracing over the barness of my skin. 

“I think they would die if I didn’t invite them,” I joked. “Would you have anyone there?” 

He didn’t have to say it, I knew that he would have loved to have his family there, even if we were going to the courthouse. I noticed the way his smile fell, eyes welling with tears. But he blinked them away before they even uttered to fall. 

“Steve will be there. He’s the only family I’ve got left,” Bucky sighed. 

I placed a hand on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze, then placed my own hands in my lap. My eyes watched the dancing flames, simply enjoying the quiet night and also my company. Bucky’s gaze rested on the side of my head and I couldn’t help the smirk that came to my lips. 

“See what ya like?” I teased. 

He nodded. “From the moment you barged into my office.” 

There was a warmness to my cheeks and I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before shifting on the outdoor couch, now facing Bucky. I sucked on my bottom lip between my teeth, the urge to ask this question weighing on my shoulders since the first moment I saw him. I just didn’t know if he would be alright talking about it. 

“Can I ask you something?” I asked. 

Bucky nodded so with a deep breath, I let my fingers ghost over his metal arm. 

“What’s this made out of?” 

He smiled fondly at my genuine interest. “Vibranium. It’s one of the most expensive and sought after pieces of metal in the world.” 

Of course he would be able to afford something like this. 

“Is it heavy to lug around?” 

He let out a deep chuckle. “Not at all. It’s very light, like a feather.” 

Bucky raised his hand up and wiggled his fingers. I noticed that it didn’t even make a noise, it was silent.

“How did it happen?” 

My voice was quiet, I was sure Bucky had to sit closer to me in order to hear. 

He went rigid and swallowed the large lump in his throat.

“Car accident about six years ago. There was an older movie playing at the small theater in town. Rebecca loved those.” 

My heart dropped when he mentioned his sister. 

“She was driving and it was really dark out,” Bucky let out a shaky breath but composed himself quickly. “A deer came out of nowhere and she tried to avoid it but ended up wrapping the car around a tree. She died on impact.” 

“Oh, Bucky,” I sighed. 

“I had my arm out of the window when it got crushed between the car and tree. Medics tried to save it but there was too much nerve damage,” Bucky said. 

There was an immense weight on his shoulders, unspoken words of what he went through that night. The guilt was evident in his eyes in the way he avoided my gaze so with a soft touch, I cupped his cheek. Bucky almost melted into my touch, eyes fluttering shut as the pad of my thumb traced down his cheek. The hairs on his chin tickled my hand. 

The blue of his eyes bore into me, like the sky in the winter and ocean in the spring. I found myself swimming in them. 

“You’re carrying so much guilt, Bucky,” I muttered.

He hummed into my touch. 

“If you ever need someone to talk to or a shoulder to lean on, I’m here.” 

Bucky placed a chaste kiss on the inside of my palm and my heart skipped a beat, the butterflies low in my belly fluttered. 

“Thank you, doll.” Bucky mused. 

A silent yawn fell from my lips and with a slight chuckle, Bucky rose to his feet while linking our fingers together. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” he suggested. 

I would have argued but the tiredness ached deep into my bones so I agreed, letting him walk me back into the house and up towards my bedroom. 

Today had been wonderful, with a small hiccup, but it ended out perfectly. Bucky had been such a sweetheart with me all day, not pressuring me into anything and allowing me to take things at my own pace. 

Sure there were some things that he was hiding with his work however I never actually asked him what he did. Maybe if I did, he would be honest with me. He had been since I first arrived. 

We halted in front of my bedroom door and Bucky made no effort to drop my hand, not that I was complaining. 

“So I’ll be stuck in meetings all morning but have some free time for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon. Maybe spend it together,” Bucky suggested. 

I smiled. “I’d like that.” 

His lips brushed across the back of my knuckles. “Goodnight, doll.” 

“Goodnight, Bucky.” 

Reluctantly he dropped my hand and began walking towards his bedroom but paused, his back muscles tensing. With a quick turn on his heels, he faced me once more. 

“I had a really great time tonight.”

I smiled. “Ditto.” 

He ran a hand over his chin. “There’s a little something for you on your bed.” 

Curiosity peaked as I raised a brow, bouncing on the soles of my feet at the thought of a surprise. 

Once Bucky slipped into his room, leaving the door ajar, I made my way into my own and quickly noticed the small black box on the table next to my bed. My heart thumped hard in my chest and hands shook as I reached for it, my breath getting caught in the confines of my throat.

Inside was a ring; a gold band with a large, black, oval diamond. 

It was absolutely breathtaking. 

I had been so distracted with the ring that I almost missed the small note that lay underneath the box. 

I hope you like it. Figured if you didn’t want your dream wedding the least I could do was get you a dream ring. 

See you in the morning. 

Xxx

Bucky.

I was starting to become fond of Bucky’s chicken scratch written notes. 

With another yawn, I placed the box back into its previous spot before treading into my bathroom, ready to let the comfort of my bed and Bucky’s soft singing lull me to sleep. 

[fatuismooches]

Dottore with an art-centred lover !! Painting, poetry, singing, you name it, but ofc you can’t practice a lot because it’s not accepted in the akademiya. Getting close to Zandik and he learns of all your hobbies and in the beginning he (of course) looks down on them. But in time he grows to appreciate all the poetry and songs toy write for him …

(Angst) but now that you’re so sick…there’s no way you can practice all your art. So you’re left to wallow in your uselessness while prime rereads that book of poetry you wrote him. And he realizes how much he missed your art <3

It was no secret that Akademiya looked down on the arts, and consequently, that thinking had negatively seeped deep into Sumerian society's views on artistic expression. Therefore your love for the arts was only allowed to linger while you were a kid before it was quickly squashed by those around you. Still, you continued to practice in secret with critters and strange hat-wearing creatures in the forest, who always complimented your art. There were times you sneak out to the Grand Bazaar, but seeing how often the Akademiya hassles the poor performers, you had to limit your visits.

And so, your secret hobby followed you to the Akademiya. In the beginning, it was easy to put your mind to paper, considering your roommate, Zandik, was either not home, or simply did not spare a glance at what you were doing. But as time continued to go by, you realized that in a way, you two were more similar than you thought - both shunned for things people couldn't understand. Of course, eventually, Zandik got curious enough to pry into what you spent your time doing, and although his reaction wasn't surprising, it was still disheartening.

"You have an intricate mind that can keep up with me, but you'd rather spend your time doing such pointless things. I don't understand," his praise turned into words you were familiar with.

"Have you ever considered this is why I am able to understand you? Zandik... I would appreciate it if you could try to do the same for me."

It was a tough road ahead for Zandik, but he loved you too much not to at least take up your request. And so he bore witness to your labor of love, staying silent most of the time. Occasionally you asked for his opinions or thoughts, but nothing he had was really helpful, but you appreciated the effort nonetheless. He thinks you just wanted to probe his brain. After a while, you start reading your poetry out loud to Zandik.

Unfortunately, he doesn't catch on to the fact the poems and songs are about him until about your dozenth one in, blushing at how skillfully you manage to delicately weave such loving words about him. Or when he opens his notebook to a drawing of you two, distracting him from his work for a little bit (an extreme feat!) And on days he can't sleep, you hum a little tune for him, soothing his aching head. From then on, he understands, and not a word of his criticism was ever heard again, rather, even gruff encouragement is offered when you're stuck.

But now even his sweet words are rendered useless in the face of your illness. All those things you love to create - your body and mind simply won't allow you most of the time, no matter how much you try. Dottore can only sigh when he finds you ripped up all your failed attempts at your art, and carefully tape them back together to store with his collection.

He needs to make sure you have a good day soon. Maybe if he rereads your book of poetry for the one hundredth and sixty-seventh time, he could come up with his own little thing and surprise you.

[neo-smpwriterrr]

Last post kind of blew up, so I think it's time for me to make a full post on my take on all this shir going down.

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE: This is before the second crash out stream, apparently that green fuck is gonna drop another stream but because I have a job and life to live unlike this jackass I won't be viewing it till Tuesday at best.

Now to start talking about some of the serious shit, it is my opinion that dream should not be allowed a platform after this. I'm all for freedom of speech and all that shit don't get me wrong but when someone like him as used his platform to manipulate and exploit the minors in his server as well as to intimidate Victims like caitibug. This guy shouldn't be allowed anywhere close to the same audience he used to weaponize them.

It's only a matter of time before the whole server leaks, and the guys already admitted to heinous shit.

Also I find it disgusting that one of his offshore comments made at Tommy was about it Wilbur yelling at him to keep quiet about a possible predator in the server. These pathetic excuses of adults failed everyone in this server and after all these years I think it's time to finally get rid of them.

To any dream stans out there, whether you just liked his manhunt videos or speed runs or still defend the guy. I am not here to shame you or anything like that, if anything I understand the position your in right now. I don't feel comfortable completely shitting on dream stans because I've also been in a situation where I've idolized a content creator and defended them on every hill. It's hard to see someone for what they really are.

As a kid, from about 11 to 14 I watched skydoesminecraft, he was one of the first YouTubers I watched. It's sad to say it but I really looked up to the guy, he was one of the reasons I wanted to make videos as a kid or just be apart of the YouTuber sphere. In hindsight, I'm glad I wasn't remotely close to any of it. But watching someone I looked up to for years get exposed with damning proof, it was a while different level of disappointment.

So when I see dream stans still defend him, and especially those fans who are obviously kids or at least where younger when they watched him. It's hard for me not so show sympathy.

Who I can't feel any form of sympathy or empathy for is dream, he was a grown man then and he's even older grown man. He knows right from wrong but also knows that doing wrong gets more eyes on him than doing anything right.

Apart from deplatforming the guy, I think we all need to avoid giving him even a second of our attention. Especially since this guy has made it his whole brand to leech off other content creators to take the credit for himself.

As of now, the next stream of this idiots on the horizon. And while i can't tune in anyways because of work and personal stuff. I wouldn't even entertain watching it on his platform. Watch it through clips or reposts, someone's bound to repost it.

And to the many victims of dream over the years, we can really only give our condolences and show support to them. People like Tommy, Jack, Tubbo are just the more vocal individuals. Many people were hurt by this guy and we should all show our support to them, especially Caitibug.

And as I said in my last post about all of this, don't let George and sapnap off with a slap on the wrist for there part to play in this. Those two are equally, if not more guilty of horrible shit, don't let them get off Scott free. Especially George.

With all that being said, I'm gonna go back to working on this rewrite. In all honesty, the more and more I work on rewriting the server, the more I get this shitty taste in mouth about it. I plan on continuing on the Neo smp rewrite but it's gonna take longer. The trio is being written out all together, I also decided to keep this going as a passion project. I'll be posting an update on what I've been working on soon, a new character sheets and worldbuilding is coming soon.

[akito-shinonome-daily]

➥ miku was right! that sekai energy led back to street sekai!

➥ whew, that was a crazy adventure!

➥ hold on…something’s still stirring….

➥ it’s everyone who we’ve seen along our journey!!

AND THUS CONCLUDES ANOTHER CHAPTER OF CHIBI AKITO’S ADVENTURES ACROSS WORLDS!

➥ chibi akito’s adventures will return day 400, so stay tuned to what else chibi akito gets up to! and like last time, any requests that i didn’t get to will be saved and up first when next time comes!

[radio-4-is-static]

Night Or Day | Franz Ferdinand

Life is never going to be easy But if you're living it with me We're going to livе it up night or day Well I want to live a life with you No lifе is you And I want it night or day I look forward to night or day, oh my

[atlasshrugd]

The first 2 chapters of WHITE DAYS, the sequel to WHITE NIGHTS, are up on ao3!

“How did you find me?” breathes Porsche. Hollow he sounds. Thin. Yet he gathers the sunlight to him as he stands there. And his voice still has the old resonance, its pure undertone of pain. “Do you really think there’s a place in this world where I wouldn’t find you?” [Or: Porsche hasn’t seen Kinn since he left the mafia world nine years ago. But when Kinn suddenly arrives at his beach bar on the coast of the San Jorge Gulf, they must relearn how to navigate each other again, as well as the inimitable questions of life, love, and death.]

[ Read here ]

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

As much fun as I'm having doing my alternative run of DA2, one thing I really miss about my mage Hawke is his friendship with Merrill.

Those two are best friends and he's 100% supportive in her goals toward the eluvian. Ed has the humorous/charming personality, too, which bounces off super well with Merrill. He doesn't think any less of her for her usage of blood magic; if anything he's impressed by her level of strength and willpower. He's so ready to defend her from the other companions and the clan, and he's absolutely out here attempting to matchmake her and Carver....at least he is in my heart because the game won't let me, it's fine, I'm not bitter about it or anything-

But then my warrior Hawke? She has the diplomatic personality with quite a bit of direct/aggressive thrown in there and she ends up having the same attitude as that one party banter Aveline and Merrill have: "Merrill, you're clearly talented and meant for great things, but you're stupid," and that's so difficult for me to lean into. I'm trying to play Aris differently so she ends up being so condescending to Merrill, like she's trying to gently tell her to give up on the eluvian but it doesn't come off well.

Also if Carver was around, Aris would be the opposite of Ed, she'd look at the suggestion of her brother and Merrill getting together and be like, "No :) I don't think so :) I like Merrill, she's my friend :) but she's not right for Carver."

But I guess it makes sense; if you told him that Bethany would giggle and kick her feet and twirl her hair around Sebastian, Ed would've thrown him in the ocean as a warning. Meanwhile, Aris is like, "A handsome prince that could take my sister away from all of this? Wonderful, we just need to work on his incorrect views on mages, but that shouldn't be a problem :)"

Anyway I miss playing Hawke as the #1 Merrill stan.

[farmboy-jimie-stardew]

Hmm... I wonder...

Aha! It's paint! ....I knew that.

[lover-of-mine]

this is like the start to some very good mutual pining fics. why cant you date him???

ASKAOSKOAKS yk, I was thinking that if my life was a tv show the team slowburn angsty friends to lovers is having a great week because of recent developments. But basically, we met almost exactly 12 years ago, we bonded because I had a crush on his best friend at the time, he had a crush on my best friend at the time and they didn't want to date us lol and then we just stuck around. But we kinda cursed ourselves by bonding over wanting other people because there are always other people involved, he's currently in a very messy on/off relationship and they are taking some space to figure shit out, and he lives in a different city, but I live in the same city as his mom, he came to see her, we ended up spending about 10 hours together, things were said, questions were asked, feelings might've been uncovered, because I never truly thought about the possibility of me having feelings for him before Saturday, like I think he's hot, but I never thought beyond the vague awareness that I think he is attractive lol, like seriously, if you asked me last week I would've confidently said it's not like that between us, someone literally asked me on Saturday if I was his gf and I just laughed, but he went back to his city, we see each other once every 2 years at this point, I don't know how he's feeling, so like, I'm not sabotaging our friendship because I'm confused because we kissed at 5 am after a night out lol but realistically, we both had issues with long-distance relationships in the past and that's not something either one of us would be willing to get into even if without the other complications, so I can't date him logistically even if this was a thing that we multually want, which I'm honestly not sure, because I'm pretty sure he's gonna get back together with his ex, so I'm in pretend it never happened mode, repression at it's finest. But things to add to the fanfic plots: all of his exes are me in different fonts, even he can admit that, every time I break up with someone he says and I quote "you need to find someone who sees you like I do", we can't go anywhere together without someone assuming we are a couple and this has been happening the whole time we've known each other, I'm pretty sure his mom and sisters have a bet going on whether we end up together or not because of the way they react to us hanging out, we will constantly spend so long talking about absolutely nothing it was a real problem when we were teenagers because we lived like, 2 blocks away from each other, so we would walk back towards home, sit in this bench that's in the midway from my house and his and then suddenly both our parents were calling because we missed curfew by an hour but we've been sitting somewhere we can see both our houses for like, 3, like that guy cannot get me to shut up lol, we have a pact to get married in 2029 if we fail to find love until then, but we also promised to be each other best woman/man of honor, he's not big on physical touch, he doesn't like people in his space, but I'm a physical touch person, and he always lets me play with his fingers when I'm stressed and that's legit the nicest thing someone constantly does for me because sometimes I don't even notice and the dude is giving me his hand, I have a tendency to surround myself with things his favorite color when I miss him, if I'm around he constantly just looks at me to fact check whatever story he's telling because he thinks I remember more stuff about his life than he does, and I'm typing this out and thinking about the past 12 years for the past week and I'm sitting here like "for the love of god am I in a fucking 500k words slowburn friends to lover fic" I don't know, it's very complicated but here I am. I don't know if you ever watched Love, Rosie, but I feel like what I imagine Rosie felt finding the letter and calling Alex just to find out he's engaged aoskaokaoskaksasss

[dreamersscape]

Does it feel like life is permanently set to extreme hard mode and I still feel super crappy greater than 90% of the time? Yup. But! Emboldened by our relative success with last year's tomatoes, we have given it another go and have added a little pepper plant friend for them. :)

(It may look like the peppers aren't doing as well as the tomatoes, but it cannot be overstated just how bananas this plant's growth chart has been; it's determined to escape the confines of its basket-cage; it has to be constantly rotated so it doesn't completely lose the battle with gravity; I only took this picture the other day and it already looks SO outdated. Can't stop, WON'T STOP.)

[stirdrawsandreblaws]

I can think of barely anything more soul-crushing than finally getting the ok to work on smth for money (transcription) despite knowing it is not something im good at (bc i Cannot fucking Hear without video or transcripts) and then sitting in a work queue for 16 hours across 2 days, actually doing work for an hour and a half so it was almost 18 hours total, and then getting paid only for the audio time i did transcripts for

so i made ~$3.50 for that hour and a half, and could do functionally very little for the other 16 hours

and they might decide there are too many errors to pay me for so idek if i made that much hahahahahaaa