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thephantomofthe-internet · 5 years

Text

Piercings and Polaroids

Billy Hargrove x Reader

Word Count: 4,984

Warnings: Piercings, blood, needles, swearing, sexuality (eluded to)

Tag List: @moonstruckhargrove @thechickvic @carolimedanvers @hotstuffhargrove @alex--awesome--22 @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @so-not-hotmess @agentsinstorybrooke @sunflowercandie @kaliforniacoastalteens @songforhema @mickmoon @buckybarneshairpullingkink @marvelismylifffe @spidey-pal

Starcourt got boring after awhile. Once the lustre of new stores and fast food restaurants died off, people stopped shopping and starting soaking up the A/C like snakes under heat lamps. You didn’t mind, it just meant that you could spend your afternoons flipping through magazines and listening to the ad-free mall radio.

“Hey bitch!” someone slapped the counter loudly and you looked up boredly from your copy of Cosmo. Heather was standing in front of you with a devilish grin, her hair damp from the pool and her signature red Ray-Bands jammed on the top of her thick brown curls, most of which were piled high on the top of her head in a messy attempt at a ponytail, half tied and falling apart.

“Hi Heather...” you signed, laying the magazine open on the counter. Heather was your best friend, although it had begun to feel more and more strained as you both got older. Heather and you were very different people. You were a band geek, a tutor, and a slave to the mall. Heather was a cheerleader, the head of the yearbook committee, and one of the infamous ‘lifeguard hotties’ of the Hawkins Community Pool. She was a popular princess; a daddy’s girl with his platinum card wrapped around her little finger. You were from a broken home with an exhausting home life, and someone who should’ve been an ignored loser. Without Heather defending you, you would be bullied to bits by girls like Carol and Tina. But with her, you felt like a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

She leaned her elbows on the counter, smiling giddily “So, how’s your summer of piercing baby ears going?” she asked with a devious giggle, her sunglasses falling onto her nose and her mouth curling into a devilish grin.

You rolled your eyes “I’ve only seen one baby get pierced, I mostly pierce like middle schoolers. Today, I gave Mrs. Blythe her second hole. She bought three packs of neon studs and said they were for her daughter. Trying to look younger or some shit.” You replied, popping a strip of bright pink bubblegum into your sticky pink mouth, your cheap drugstore lipstick gunking in the corners of your lips. It was obvious that Heather had stopped listening after the first sentence, her mouth open in a yawn.

“Boring! You haven’t done anything cool all day? You know what me and Jeff did?” she asked, bouncing on her heels. She leaned over the counter, cupping a hand over her mouth as she leant in to your ear “We did it in the locker room showers. And Jessica Abrams totally walked in on us and freaked out! She totally got all red and teary it was totally embarrassing!” she whispered.

You pulled away, your face turned up in disgust. “That’s disgusting!” you gagged, squeezing your eyes shut as the image of Jeff’s douchey smirk came into view, turning into an ‘O’ face that made you want to hurl.

Heather cackled “He wasn’t even that good! I have no idea why Jessica’s been going on about it!” she cried, slapping the counter with her bare hand.

“Maybe because they were like two seconds away from being a couple and you got in the way.” You replied, deadpan. Sometimes Heather was a real bitch. This was one of those times. Poor Jessica had been following around that jerk since April and just when she’s about to get over him, he decides to pay her the time of day. And just when he seemed to genuinely like, Heather had to get bored and took Jeff away. Poor Jessica didn’t even know what hit her.

Heather scoffed, rolling her eyes at your comment. “That’s not the most interesting part of my shift though! I brought you a live one!” she giggled. You felt your blood run cold. Heather had no concept of what was appropriate ever. She had almost gotten you fired twice. This was not a good thing.

Heather waved someone over as you stared on wide eyed. Before you could even tell Heather to stop whatever she was trying to do, Billy Hargrove was standing in front of you, visibly put off by the children running around the shop and the bright, colourful decor. His eyes scanned yours boredly, his eyes narrowing judgementally.

“Alright, it’s piercing time!” Heather cried, clapping excitedly.

You sighed, rolling your eyes “Alright, the piercing package costs thirty bucks. You pick your piercing from the case.” You pointed down into the glass case below you, lit up and filled with silver butterflies, flowers, stars, and other girly designs. “You just want the other ear, right?”

Billy’s eyes scanned the case, his eyes narrowing further, his upper lip curling up in disgust. “Nah, my nose.” He replied, his voice monotone.

“Yeah, you can’t do that here.” You said, matching his tone. Billy looked quickly, his eyes blowing out in annoyance, looking between you and Heather.

Heather’s expression shifted and she laughed awkwardly “Of course you can!” she leaned over to you once Billy’s was sated enough to return to the difficult choice between the only ball studs in the case, one silver and one gold. “Don’t be fucking lame, Y/N…” she whispered harshly.

“I’m not being lame, it’s literally not something I can do.” You pulled the heavy, clunky piercing gun out from its drawer “This thing is literally only meant for ear lobes. It’s all I can pierce. Anything else I try will get super fucked up.” You explained, flashing the grey and white gun to the pair. It looked like a glorified hot glue gun, except splattered with a bit of dried blood.

Billy turned his attention to Heather, obviously annoyed “You said she could do it. I bought a nose ring in Carmel cause she could do it.” He grunted, obviously annoyed.

Heather looked over at you with her giant, pleading eyes, and for a brief moment you felt bad. Heather was just trying to look cool to this cooler, more popular guy and it had fallen flat so fast. You owed her something, for all the things she’d done for you over the years. With the barest of restrained sigh, you spoke up “Look, I can’t pierce your nose here, but I can do it at my place.” You said.

Billy scowled “Yeah? You got any proof?” he asked. He was getting more annoyed by the second; his expression growing harder and angrier if that was even possible.

You raised an eyebrow, tapping the small silver ring in your left nostril “Did this myself. Did all my piercings myself. How do think I got this job?” you countered. In truth, you’d done a mail in course and passed a piercing test on a rubber practise head. You were licensed in a week by Claire’s. You couldn’t even transfer the license to any other brand; they made it very clear in the paperwork you filled out.

Billy nodded, looking over your work. You guessed that it was satisfactory enough to him because a small smirk pulled at his lips. “What time you finished up here?” he asked. Heather cheered loudly, grabbing Billy’s bicep excitedly.

“I got like fifteen minutes left. Heather knows my address if you just wanna leave with her. I’ll meet you there.” You replied, looking over to your manager, who nodded for you to start your closing out.

“No way! You took the bus here, we’ll wait.” Heather said quickly “We’ll meet you in the food court.” She pulled Billy out of the shop with a wide grin, waving to you and mouthing ‘so hot!’ when he wasn’t looking. You chuckled, shaking your head. Heather thought every guy was hot, it didn’t mean much. But you wouldn’t deny that Billy was hot. Even with his cocky attitude and that ugly tattoo on his bicep that he insisted on showing off. You swore he’d cut all the sleeves off his tee shirts just to show off that stupid skull smoking a cigarette. Who the hell wanted that on their body forever?!? You weren’t too attracted to that level of ego, but Billy held a bit of interest around himself. There was some mystery, an aura of intrigue he seemed to hold around himself effortlessly, and that kept you interested enough to pay attention when you heard his name. He was just closed off enough to keep everyone guessing about him.

You took your time with your duties, making sure to snatch up the small silver ‘H’ earrings Heather had been eyeing for weeks now. They were in the case, so you were only supposed to be able to get them if you were getting a piercing in house. You’d convinced your boss to sell them to you, since you were an employee and wouldn’t tell anyone about it, and she agreed. You had intended to give them to Heather on her birthday, but there was no time like the present.

You half hoped that Heather and Billy would forget about you. You had this sickening feeling that it would be a tiresome ride. But to your chagrin they were waiting for you in the food court. Heather had gotten herself an Orange Julius and seemed to have put all her attention into the straw in her mouth, you assumed she was trying to put on a bit of a show for Billy, but he wasn’t paying much attention to her. You joined the group and endured quite possibly the longest and worst car ride of your life. Heather took over the front seat; it seemed that Billy had driven her to the mall, seeing as how her stinky work stuff was shoved in the back seat with Billy’s and, unfortunately, you. The entire back seat stunk like chlorine and mould, you guessed that one of them had forgotten a towel or swimsuit in their bag or under the seat for long enough to let it stink up the car. But that wasn’t the worst part, Billy didn’t seem to have A/C so all the windows were popped open and fresh air was blasting in your face and killing the smell, the worst part was that Heather seemed to think that this car ride was the perfect time to shamelessly flirt with Billy. She tried to pull her feet on the seat, but Billy didn’t want shoes on the leather, so she took off her flip flops but that was worse apparently. So she spent the whole time cooing about how hot he was and touching his arms and neck and hair. Touching his hair almost got her hand bit off. You wanted desperately for her to stop, you tried to tell her to cool it, but she told you to shut up. You didn’t bother after that.

But Billy seemed to notice that. He kept looking at you through the rear view, at first you thought he was just checking behind himself as he drove, but he was doing it too often for it to make sense. Then you finally let him catch your eye and he smiled. Well, it was more of a lopsided smirk, but you took it as a compliment. He hadn’t even attempted to smile the whole time he was around you, but now, with Motley Crüe blasting through the speakers and the wind whipping up everyone’s hair, he was apparently happy to have you around. You took it as a sign of gratitude for at least trying to get Heather to calm her hormones and just smiled back.

You directed Billy to your place, well at least you attempted to. Heather took over easily, drowning you out. “Y/N’s place is right over there-oh! Is your mom home? She’s gonna get pissed if you have a boy in your room; remember what happened when she caught Carl Simpson in your room? God, I can’t believe you lived through that!” she cackled loudly, her intent most definitely to make you blush. You simply rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, no she’s working late. She’s always working late.” You said, trying to hide the annoyed bite to your voice, masking it with a laugh. Heather just continued to cackle loudly, which hid your defeated sigh. Billy parked on the street without you having to ask and he climbed out angrily. You rushed to get ahead of the group, keys jingling in your hand, and unlocked the door.

“If you don’t mind, can you take your shoes off?” you asked as a wave of A/C smacked you in the face. You kicked off your sneakers as Heather and Billy stared at you, dumbfounded.

“Ugh, come on Y/N! That’s weird!” Heather moaned, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Heather. You know if I get shoe prints all over the tile, my mom will get pissed. You never have a problem with it when we’re hanging out, so don’t be a weirdo now.” You replied. Billy simply kicked off his own shoes, leaving Heather to groan loudly but to follow suit. Then and only then did you let them trek through your house and into your bedroom. You lived in a bungalow, so your room was at the back of the house, facing your backyard.

“Alright, you want your nose, yeah?” you asked, popping open your front door and heading to your bookshelf. You dug through your worn paperbacks until your fingers hit the firm spine of Catch 22. You pulled it off the shelf, popping open the cover and revealing the carved out middle. Your mother was the type to rifle through your stuff to try to catch you doing something wrong. You made the hiding spot solely to keep things that she’d take away. Inside, you had some spare cash, for emergencies, your hollow needle, and the silver barbells you’d bought to use when you pierced your nipples, which you’d been meaning to get around to. You’d promised your mother that you’d stop piercing people. She’d found the bloody needle and freaked out. Usually, it wasn’t that much of a blood bath, but you’d pierced Samantha Burke’s upper cartilage that day and underestimated both how much it would hurt her and how much of a mess it would make. You swore up and down that you’d stop, but your wannabe cool classmates paid big bucks for you to pierce their ears. There’d been an insane influx of boys wanting their ears pierced after seeing how popular Billy was. You didn’t correct them when they wanted the left ear, especially if they were dicks, and you took the cash happily. What your mother didn’t know didn’t hurt her.

“Yeah.” Billy said stiffly. He stood in the middle of your room, unsure what to do with yourself. You only lived a street down from him, too close to his father for comfort. His father already didn’t like the earring, doing his nose could get him in even deeper shit. He was willing to risk it though, purely to look cool.

“Which nostril, left or right?” you asked, bending down to reach into the lowest drawer of your desk, pulling out a lighter and, flicking open the flame, running it over the needle to sanitize it.

Billy chucked “Neither, I want the bull ring.” He said proudly, puffing out his chest. You looked up from the flame, looking him over for any signs of bluff. He looked too serious about this.

You nodded “Alright, I’ve never done a septum ring, but I’ve done the cartilage before, shouldn’t be any different.” You replied with a shrug “You got a big enough nose ring on you? Or am I cleaning and selling you one of mine?”

Billy reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a silver ring. It looked like it was actually made for a nose, which was a good sign. You’d pierced enough idiots to know that people think that any old earring would work in their nose or eyebrow or lip.

Heather was completely agog “No way, Bill! You can’t do your nose like that! I hate that!” she cried. Both you and Billy looked over at him, bouncing on your twin bed angrily. You raised an eyebrow at Billy, who seemed to understand the look immediately: ‘are you two dating?’ He shook his head.

You closed your eyes, trying not to strangle your friend. She always seemed to think that the world and people’s choices revolved around her. Instead of freaking out, you simply nodded “Heather, you want your second hole today? We can do it really fast before Billy’s nose.” You said.

“Oh duh! But I didn’t bring my earrings and I’m not paying for a set of yours, so unless you’re coughing up a pair for free, I’ll wait.” She replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

You flicked the lighter closed, placing the needle on your desk and pushing yourself onto your feet, reaching into your purse. You pulled out the earrings, tossing them to your friend. “Here, happy birthday.” You smirked. Heather caught them and squealed loudly, clutching them to her chest and kicking out her legs.

“Thank you!” she cried, reaching out to grab your neck and hug you tight. You chuckled, patting her back awkwardly.

“Okay! We’ll do yours first, go grab like a full tray of ice from downstairs, okay? And a roll of paper towel.” You instructed. Heather jumped to her feet, rushing downstairs as fast as she could. You resumed what you were doing, grabbing your lighter to disinfect the needle one more time.

“You wanna see what those things look like when they get ripped out?” you asked, turning your attention to Billy, who had taken to looking through your shelves boredly.

“What things?” he asked, his tone annoyed and deeply tired.

“The bull rings.” You replied. Billy hummed and you took that as the go ahead to grab the picture from your copy of Catch 22, pulling the Polaroid from underneath the cash. You handed it to Billy wordlessly.

The image was gruesome. It was of a guy, a few years older than Billy and you, with a bright red mohawk and dressed in a suit. He stood next to who Billy could only assume was the dude’s bride in an ugly reception hall. But that wasn’t the gruesome part; the part that made Billy’s stomach turn was the guy’s nose. It was mangled beyond belief, shrunken and crumpled. The guy only had one full nostril, the left one turned into a short of half open hole, a bunch of cartilage gone and gaping. It was quite honestly gross.

Billy cringed as he examined the guy. You took the moment to explain. “That’s cousin and her husband, Ben. Total punk rockers. Like three months before the wedding, I went with them to a Pixies concert and we all went to the mosh pit together. I guess I looked at this girl’s boyfriend or maybe I looked at her wrong because she tried to pick a fight with me. Ben stepped in, and before he could even say anything to her, she reached up and yanked out his nose ring. It tore the cartilage and he had to have his whole nose reconstructed. He couldn’t afford to have the nostril reconstructive surgery on top of the general nose reconstruction to save his one solid nostril and the bridge from collapsing.” You said.

Billy looked up, trying to bring his expression back to a neutral one “Why are you telling me this?” he asked, handing you back the picture.

You sighed “Look, everyone in the town knows that you get into fights. Having a big ole ring in the middle of your nose is just a really good place to grab for someone who wants an easy win on a fight.”

Billy scoffed “Only girls grab at shit to make a fight easier.”

You shrugged “Maybe, but I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t try to not get their ass beat by a guy twice their size.” You replied, popping the picture back into your kit.

Billy sighed “Would you do the left or right side then?” he asked.

You smirked slightly, looking him over. You bought your hands to his hands, which made Billy gasp slightly with his mouth shut. You ignore it, turning his face to the left and right, examining each side. The right side was better.

“Honestly? I wouldn’t do either. It’s not your look.” You said, letting his face go. He was very pretty up close, which gave you all the more reason to pull away before you did something stupid.

“Well I want something!” he cried and you laughed. Billy smirked as your face broke into a grin. It was the first genuine smile you’d had all day and it was quite pretty. He thought you were prettier than Heather, although he wouldn’t admit that if he still wanted the blow job Heather had been eluding to wanting to give all day.

“I can pierce your other ear, or give you a second hole on your right ear.” You said. Billy cringed and shook his head at both options. You thought for a second before a daring idea came into your head. You hesitated to give it, purely because you’d spent money on it for yourself, but you felt bad for making him give up on the idea.

“How about your nipples?” you said. Billy’s mouth fell open slightly, but he swallowed slightly, closing it. He’d never thought about piercing his nipples, but he immediately liked the idea.

“You ever pierce a nipple?” he asked, leaning closer to you. He was really hoping you’d say yes. He could feel himself warming up just at the thought of a great pair of tits with silver barbells glinting in the sunlight.

“No, but I had planned to-if you’re worried about me fucking up, I can do one of mine first.” You said, pulling the silver barbells of his dreams out of the book and flashing them to him with a smile.

“Oh no sweetheart...I trust you. But you gotta let me do yours if you want them done.” He replied.

“You do piercings?” you asked sceptically, placing the barbells on your desk.

“Doesn’t seem too hard.” He replied, inching closer to you. You back into your desk, exactly where he wanted you.

You chuckled, pressing a hand into his chest, and pushing him off you. “Yeah, the only amateur I get pierced by is myself, that way if I fuck up I have no one to blame but myself.” You explained. Heather burst in right on cue, ice melting down her hand and a damp paper towel roll in hand.

“Sorry! Took awhile to find the paper towel.” She announced, plopping the roll on your desk and tray next to it.

“It’s cool, you ready to do this?” you asked her. She furrowed her brow nervously, but you gestured to your desk chair. She sat down and gripped the arms to ease her shaking hands. You grabbed a cube from the tray and pressed it to her left lobe. “Alright, hold that there for a second sweetheart, I gotta unpack your earrings.” You reached for the package and pulled off the tape that secured the backings to the earrings. You pulled the cheap backing off the spoke and released the ‘H’ from the teal plastic hanger and placed it flat on the desktop.

“Nice and numb?” you asked. Heather bit down hard on her lip and nodded. You grabbed a black sharpie and marked her lobe. “Alright we’re going to count to three, take a deep breath with me, okay?” you took in a deep breath and Heather followed, shutting her eyes. You grabbed the needle and placed it against the marking.

“Let the breath go.” You huffed the breath out and when Heather did the same you plunged the needle into her lobe. She squealed but you counted loudly over it “One, two,” you grabbed the earring, placing it into the hole in the needle and pulling it through “Three. There, you’re halfway done.” You said, capped the earring and wiping down the needle with a bit of paper towel. Earlobes don’t generally bleed much and your needle came through practically clean, but you wiped it down anyway, if only to calm her nerves.

“Are you okay for me to do one more?” you asked. Heather nodded and you grabbed another cube from the tray, pressing it to the right lobe. The process repeated again and Billy watched on baited breath. At first, he was only interested in staring at your ass and imagining filthy things at the idea of you hovering over Heather and making her bite her lips for other reasons. But Heather wasn’t the interesting part of this image; it was you with your kind words and gentle but firm touches. Even when he got bored of the fantasy, he still watched you, utterly transfixed by you. Heather’s squeal pulled him out of his fantasy and back into the warm light of your bedroom. You capped the back of the second earring, stepping back to admire your work.

“Do they look alright?” Heather reached up to touch the new pierces, as if they weren’t real. As if she didn’t feel them stab through her head.

“They’re completely crooked.” You said, deadpan. Heather gasped loudly and you backtracked quickly “I’m kidding! I’m kidding! They look great!” Heather smacked you hard in the stomach, forcing herself out of the chair and over to your bed.

“We doing this, Hargrove?” you turned to him, looking him over confidently. He nodded, licking his lips. “Alright, lay down, Heather I’m gonna need you to move.” Billy tore off his shirt and Heather’s mouth dropped open as you ran the flame over the needle again.

“Oh my god what is going on?” Heather asked, practically drooling.

You rolled your ice “Heather, move your ass and grab me some ice. Billy, which side we doing here?” you asked, grabbing the package of silver barbells and ripping it open, pulling out one and bringing it over to the bed.

“Right.” He said confidently and you took the ice from Heather, straddling Billy and pressing the ice to his nipple. Billy shivered under you and you smirked.

“Heather, pass me the sharpie.” You said, keeping your eyes locked on his.

“This is insane...” Heather breathed, passing you the black marker. “Where’s your camera?”

“Nightstand drawer.” You replied, uncapping the marker with your teeth. Billy turned sharply to look for Heather, his face turning into a snarl. You leaned down, grabbing his chin and turning him back to you. His mouth fell open slightly as you leaned into his ear, whispering “Relax, you look hot...” you breathed hot air onto his neck as you spoke and his skin broke into goose bumps.

“You numb?” you asked. Billy nodded, even though he didn’t think his senses could be less numb if he tried, all of his nerves were alert and on edge. “Good...” you muttered, marking the spot for your needle and unscrewed one end of the barbell. You heard a click and saw the flash go off in the corner of your eye, but you ignored it, focusing on the warm skin under your hands.

You looked him over with a smirk “You need a countdown or are you gonna be a big man for me?” you asked, another flash trying to spot your vision. Billy swallowed hard and let out a small yelp, nodding confidently despite the sound coming out of his throat. “Good boy...” you whispered, shoving the needle through the hardened pink flesh. You felt every inch of him tense up as the pain shot through the bundle of nerves you’d just stabbed through. You mistook the final flash of the camera for stars as you felt him stiffen under your ass. You slid the barbell into the hollow end and slid the needle through, screwing the ball back on.

You smiled, admiring your work for climbing off him and dropping the needle on the mattress. “Alright, use rubbing alcohol to clean those at least once a day. I am not responsible for any infections you get because you can’t take care of yourself.” You explained, pulling your white tee shirt back over your hips. Billy sat up slowly, drinking you in like a cool glass of water, his mouth turning up as you turned around, packing up your kit and returning it to your hiding places.

“My mom’s gonna be home soon and I really wanna change. You good to take Heather home?” you turned your attention to Billy and he nodded slowly.

Heather got up, pulling you into a tight hug and sliding something into your back pocket. “Call me later?” she asked. You nodded, shoving your hands into your back pockets once she let go. Thick and glossy, they had to be the photos. You smirked; you’d look those over once she was gone. Heather headed out of the room as Billy examined himself in your full length mirror before tossing his shirt over his shoulder.

“You alright?” you asked, coming up behind him in the mirror.

“Just admiring your handiwork,” he replied, cocking his head to look at you “You think I can come back and get the other one done?” he asked.

“Sure...” you replied, looking him over slowly “Maybe you leave Heather behind next time.” Billy chuckled darkly, nodding slowly as his tongue slipped out of his mouth again.

“Alright then...I’ll see you around.” You said. You wanted to look over your pictures before you made any plans. You had to know if it looked as hot as it felt. But you had a feeling that it was more than you could ever imagine, no matter how hard you had tried in the past.

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bigskydreaming · 4 years

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I have a confusion re: anniversary of comics characters, Idk the industry or history or the culture, I'm not American so treat me like a kg kid here. Who's anniversary is celebrated, the character's or the mantle's? If it's like Dick or Peter should it be just their book or the other Robins n Spideys should be there? Or should it be all of them but the original gets the focus? Cuz Dick turned 80, Robin turned 80, the other Robins didn't, but they're Robins there's no other date. My head hurts...

Yeah, I don’t usually pay too much attention to anniversary specials myself, but this one bugged me and a lot of others too for exactly what you said here. It was Dick Grayson who was created 80 years ago specifically, not like, the Robins as a whole. And it is like....indicative of a general mood in both the industry and its fandom that most people didn’t think it was a problem that every other iconic character is celebrated at big milestones as their own individual entities, but Dick’s was split up until he was really only one fifth of what he and he alone was the actual start of, the one that’s ACTUALLY lasted and stayed as popular as he has for eighty years.

I mean I really do like all of the other Robins, it should be especially obvious with some of them, but one of the entire points of anniversary specials is its kinda a ‘would you look at the staying power this character has’........and I’m sorry, no disrespect to the other Robins, but Damian was created ten years ago, Steph twenty years ago, Tim thirty, Jason forty.....

Dick is the one who has actually lasted twice as long as even the next oldest Robin. He was high profile and consistently iconic all on his own for as long as even Jason has existed.....and if he hadn’t been, Jason never even WOULD have existed in the first place, let alone the others, because there would have been no point to creating more Robins if the first one had flopped.

And it just seems weird not to....want to recognize that, even from a business standpoint - given that the comics industry really only serves as an IP farm for the movie industry at this point, as that’s where the money is......and anniversary specials and the like are the kind of things that generate interest and are easy to encapsulate in a pitch “as you can see, this particular character just celebrated his 80th anniversary, that’s a hell of a solid foundation for branching out into other media platforms”.......

Except like, nobody’s pitching the Robins as a whole, they tend to show up in other media one at a time, so why the hell would you dilute the brand recognition of Dick Grayson the individual, SPECIFICALLY....just for the sake of giving four other characters one fifth of a pie that without adhering to the actual point of the anniversary issue as a CONCEPT, is like....literally, just another comic book issue, not particularly anything of note?

Le sigh.

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yeeter-parkor · 4 years

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Training is hard when you don't wanna hit people...

peter is to pure for this world.

read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21610966

summery: Peter Parker is too strong for his own good, and he holds himself back so much that Natasha and Steve have no idea what he is really capable of. Natasha decides she needs to fix that.

“Peter, come here a moment,” Natasha said, her voice commanding, causing Peter to tense slightly. They had just found out about him being Spiderman after the bridge incident, and they hadn’t seemed to be thrilled about it. To be completely fair, they were perfectly nice to him, but they hadn’t been the most forgiving of Mr. Stark allowing him to join as they might have let on if the dead frogs in the lab were anything to go by.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, scurrying over to where she was standing and looked at her, searching for clues as to what they were about to do.

“Me and Steve have decided that, contrary to popular belief, we will not be killing Stark, yet.”

“But,” Steve interjected, “you are going to have to prove to us first that you can keep yourself safe out there.”

“But sir I-”

“No but’s, your sparring with me first, then Steve, okay. If we don’t beat you to bad then we will consider letting you go out on your own again.”

“Have… Have I not been?”

“No. Go get changed and meet us in the training room.”

He scampered off, socked feet sliding slightly on the tile floors, which he was sure wasn’t helping them take him seriously, but he was honestly so excited he didn’t care. He knew he was stronger than both of them, so he would have to hold back quite a bit, but at least they would have to take him seriously then. He threw on a black tee and shorts with leggings underneath, helpful when you do a lot of flips, and hurried back down, trying to set his face to look as grown-up as possible, he didn’t want them holding back because he was a kid.

Clearly, his attempt at looking mature hadn’t worked as well as he had hoped, because Steve chuckled when he re-appeared.

“What?” He asked, probably sounding majorly winey.

“I like your socks.” Was all the soldier said, reminding him that he was still wearing Spongebob socks. He cleared his throat, trying his hardest to not blush, which he had a feeling wasn’t working, as he slipped on his sparring shoes.

“Peter, are you ready?” Natasha asked impatiently from the mat.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, scrambling over to her, and ignoring Steve’s laughter.

“Good. We’re going to start easy, alright? Just try to block this time, no need to attack, okay? We’ll go for three minutes. ” “Got it!” He exclaimed, resisting the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. He couldn’t help being excited, he loved sparring. The chance to get moving and work out some pent up energy, without the chance of being shot was great.

“Go!” Steve yelled from the side.

Wasting no time, Natasha took a jab straight at his head with a high roundhouse kick, which he leaped away from with ease. She was holding back, but clearly not my much, and allowed her swings to carry more weight as the fight went on. Not that it affected Peter though, he hadn’t even gotten close to being hit.

“Peter, keep your feet steady!” He heard Steve call, a worried tilt to his voice. Peter just grinned. Because of that, he was going to do everything in his power to stay off his feet. He flipped and spun and dogged for the whole three minutes, and Natasha hadn’t even gotten close to hitting him. He could see a mix of pride and frustration on her face as the bell rang.

“Okay Peter, this time you attack me. Remember, I spar with Steve all the time, I can take a hit.”

He looked at her dubiously. He wasn’t positive he could kill her with one hit, but he was, and he could.

The bell rang again before he had time to protest, and Nat jumped into a defensive stance. Reluctantly, he started the match, being sure to pull his punches as much as possible without them noticing, which wasn’t really working all that well.

“Come on Peter, you need to get a hit in,” Steve called again.

“Hmmph.” He huffed, putting most of his focus on not hurting his friend, but he did speed his swings up enough to startle the assassin, who was having a difficult time blocking all of them. By the end of the round, Peter had albeit unintentionally, gotten almost a dozen hits in.

“Okay Nat, you ready to switch out yet?” Steve called. Peter watched as she seemed to weigh her choices for a moment.

“Peter, if I spare with you again, will you actually try and hit me?” She asked.

“I um, I don’t think I will hit either of you.” He said honestly.

“Yeah, let’s switch.” She called, climbing over the mat rail.

Peter watched silently as Steve took her place, shifting anxiously. He saw Natasha pull Steve’s ear to her lips and whisper something.

“Don’t go easy on him, he’s stronger than he’ll let on. I want to see him really attack.”

Suddenly, Steve was in Natasha’s place, staring at him with icy (Ha) blue eyes, analytical and hard. It was his fighting face, not angry, but by no means soft ether. Peter had only a second to register the ring of the starting bell before Steve was lunging at him. Aiming straight for his head. Peter’s spidey senses screamed as he flipped away, dodging and ducking only slightly faster then Steve was swinging. He had learned it a few months ago, when a petty criminal got wise, after seeing Peter operate at his full speed. He ended up okay but had a massive scar on his side. He almost matched Steve’s pace, making sure that he still didn’t know his real speed.

“Come on Pete, you gotta punch back,” Steve grunted, already sweating.

“I think I’m good, thanks.” He said, trying and failing to sound tired.

Peter ducked, allowing Cap to make contact with his shoulder for a moment, seeing the frustration growing behind his eyes.

��Peter, stop letting him win, we need to see what you can do if you expect us to let you out again,” Natasha said from the sidelines.

“He is not letting me win,” Steve said indignantly, “I’ve barely hit him.”

“Look at him Steve, Pete, you haven't even broken a sweat, I need to see how capable you are or this will be a waste of everyone's time.”

Her words stung a bit, so Peter revised him plane of tiring Steve out. He caught Natasha’s eye, and she nodded approvingly, seeming to understand his silent request for permission. The next time Steve swung at him, he didn’t duck, but instead caught his fist and used to flip himself over Steve’s back and kicked him hard. Not hard enough to kill him, obviously, but hard enough to send him flying across the gym. Everyone was silent for a moment, Peters eyes wide. “I am so sorry!” Peter exclaimed, running to where Steve had landed. He was already picking himself up, wincing.

“Don’t apologize, Peter, that was exactly what I wanted,” Natasha said. Her expression never changes, but Peter swore that he saw pride in her eyes.

“You wanted that?” he asked, pointing to the (rather large) crater that Steve had made where he collided.

“Well, maybe not that specifically, but I wanted to see how hard you could hit, although I am guessing by your appearance you are still holding back.” She amended.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, indignantly.

“You aren't tired or sore at all, and you seemed way to calm when you kicked him over here, almost bored.” Peter paled at that, he hadn’t wanted to offend them.

“I-I’m not bored, I swear.” He said.

“Yeah, sure. Steve, will you get Thor, and Tony please, I want them here.” Natasha said, directing her words to Steve, who had sense picked himself up from the floor, although looking slightly worse for the wear. Peter winced at the bruise blossoming on his temple.

“Yeah yeah, I’m on it.” He said, turning.

“And get some ice, the kid gave you a good bruise.”

“Sorry!” Peter shouted after the grumpy soldier as Natasha chuckled.

“Don’t apologize, Peter, someone needs to bring his ego down a notch.” The redhead said with a smirk. “Besides, he can take a hit. Tony’s wall, however…”

He was about to apologize when Steve returned with the other two in tow.

“Okay, guys, come here,” Natasha said, walking over to a screen near the far right wall from Peter. “FRIDAY can you play the footage of Peter and Steve from 3 and a half minutes ago?” Natasha asked. FRIDAY obliged, showing the two of them sparring on the screen for about 30 seconds before Peter kicks him. He snuck a glance at Tony, trying to gauge his reaction, he at least didn’t seem mad they were sparing, if anything he looked amused. Onscreen Natasha nods, and screen Peter kicks screen, Steve, causing Tony to laugh in a not-very-professional fashion.

“Look mid-guardian, the child kicked you!” Thor said happily.

“Yes Thor, I am aware,” Steve responded.

“Aw, why so salty Cap? You finally believe me that Pete can kick your ass? Or just past your bedtime?”

“Boys!” Natasha interjected. “The point of this exercise was to get a good idea of Peter’s abilities, but it was made clear that Cap was not as good a match as we had hoped he would be, so I was hoping that Thor would be willing to spar with him.”

“Are you sure that is wise, women of spiders, I do not wish to harm him.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Tony said, “He may not be an even match with Thor, but I think he will be fine.”

“Good enough for me.” Natasha said, “Just try not to kill him, will you Thor.”

“I would never kill a child.”

“Okay, still not a child,” Peter said quietly.

“You’re 15 Peter, that is child aged,” Steve said.

“Weren't you applying to the military when-” Peter started, only to be shoved onto the matt and hear the bell ring.

“Okay go!” Steve said loudly, causing a laugh from Tony and a suspicious glare from Natasha.

Thor swung at Peter with almost twice the force Steve had used, and Peter immediately realized that Thor would beat him if they used pure strength, although not by much. He could tell the Asgardian was holding back still. Of course, Peter still had the advantage of his speed and sticky-ness, which he planned on using to his full potential. They fought for a solid half an hour before he could sense the others getting bored. Peter hadn’t been hit once, but he hadn’t hit his opponent ether. Thor had also grown frustrated, letting more and more of his power fall into each missed blow.

Finally, Peter was starting to actually feel tired, which was nice. He actually enjoyed not having to constantly be monitoring his strength in a fight. Except by now Thor was panting, and clearly fed up, and Peter had a feeling that they were moments away from a hurricane if this fight didn’t end. He glanced at Tony and Natasha again, making eye contact as they both nodded their approval, Natasha looking stern, whereas Tony was downright gleeful. With their approval, Peter aught Thor's next missed punch before he had been given a chance to recover, using in to swing himself over, causing Thor to lose his footing and get launched over Peter’s head. He landed with a residual thud and everyone stood quiet for a moment, the only sound being Peter and Thor's loud breaths. Until they heard a ding coming from FRIDAY

“Footage saved” Which sent all of them into laughter.

“Good job, man of spiders, you fought well. I am glad we are on the same side in battle.” Thor said, rising from the floor which was now definitely dented . Peter looked up at the other three, smiling slightly at their expressions. Natasha was smiling, Steve looked completely dumbfounded, and Tony- Well Tony looked happier then Peter had seen him since Clint accidentally ate a frog head. “So… can I go out on patrols again?” Peter asked them hopefully.

“Yeah kid, I don’t think there’s a criminal in the city that could take you,” Steve said, almost causing Peter to bring up Rooms, but he bit his lip.

“Hey FRIDAY, you saved both those fights to my training file, right?” Tony called to the ceiling.

“Yes, and the first one can also be found in ‘Capsicle Is Melting’”

“Good. good job kid.” Tony said. Peter didn’t think he stopped smiling the rest of the day.

#bamf peter parker

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vampanic · 4 years

Text

okay here’s what i remember from THE CON

i can’t remember if the ticket was cheap or pricey. i don’t know why. i wanna say it was more expensive or of equal value to a bigger con and i justified it to my parents and myself because it was the first one. but i went because i thought the idea of a con that was centered on the various fandoms popular on this site at the time was a genuinely neat idea. i also thought, okay let me just go because it’s another one to attend.

i should note: that have been to a lot conventions in my time. i’ve been to acen twice i think? i’ve been to nebkon twice. sadly i have never been to c2e2 or flashback chicago (which i may never get to go to now whoops) and i’ve been to wizard world chicago i wanna say 4 times?

now at these cons (mostly wizard world) these fandoms aren’t as present. in fact, the main demo of that con was adult to middle age to older visitors as well as families, so usually teens and young adults would find each other at this con (whether planned ahead or by accident there) and freak the fuck out over our cosplays or mutual love of whatever.

so because of this again the idea of a t.umblr con was exciting to me, even though i was already at the end of being interested in those fandoms (as i’m sure most people were at the time)

okay so first, this con was far. wizard world and acen are held at the rosemont convention center which while kind of far from where i live, is accessible by train via downtown or via one of chicago’s big airports. i always got a ride though which with summer traffic, took forever. so much like that this con was a journey away.

the hotel the con choose i remember thinking it seemed new, but it was far from where i lived which inpacted the amount of time i spent at the con and the decision to only go two days (i didn’t return the last day because it was a shit show)

i went to this con by myself because i think at this point i had already had a falling out with my friend who i went to cons in the area with (she did not attend that i know of). i wore two cosplays that i had made already for other things, gwen stacy and america chavez. this would have been the ideal place for me to cosplay something more niche, but i just didn’t care that much about it. maybe i didn’t think it was worth it at the time since it wasn’t going to be a big con.

so i get there and there’s no long line to get my badge in fact i don’t even remember a line at all. which, for me, was bizarre. every con i’ve been to before had huge lines even on off hours to get badges. but whatever. i cant remember if where i got my badge was in the the same room as where the ball pit was or not. but yes, i did go into the ball pit and i was silly in it with some other people because

idk you see a ball pit you go in the ball pit? in hindsight i know it’s not acceptable to have this at a con, but shit i guess i was high on life at the time. someone took a pic of me in the pit, but i have never seen it.

i remember seeing some very impressive cosplays at this con. i also bought some really great art in the dealers room which was small. (here’s the artist. also this was nonfandom art. i don’t remember buying anything else from anyone because i don’t think i saw anything i liked/could afford) there was no unlicensed night vale merch sold here that i remember, but i do remember receiving free unlicsenced night vale like pamphlets from a random vendor and also there was a vendor who was giving away a large piece of night vale fan art with a purchase of over something dollars i dont remember.

panels: i don’t remember there being many panels or even very interesting panels. panels i remember going to include: bisexuality in media/bisexuality representation (which was put on by the bisexualbooks tumblr), ask an avenger (which was put on by various marvel cosplayers), and a panel that was about female characters in supernatural (i was a spn stan back in the day jsyk).

the bi one was good. i remember it being the most like a panel that you’d go to at a larger convention. they had slides and info and they took questions and had several speakers.

the avengers one was what we’d call today “cringey” but it was cute. it was exactly what it sounds like. avengers cosplayers sat up on a stage answering questions in character. i believe that all the cosplayers had rp and/or ask blogs which is why they were chosen.

the supernatural panel was, like the bi one, complete with slides and various speakers, but from what i remember it was mostly going down the list of female characters in the show. i remember from the fandom that there a good chunk of people who love the characters, but they’re often killed off or abandoned and this is something a lot of fans did have gripes with. this is gonna sound fake when i say it, but this did happen, we got to charlie and someone said “yeah i like charlie she’s cool because she’s a lesbian but she doesn’t act like one like she’s still feminine” and i spoke up and said “well yeah it’s cool she’s a lesbian, but what do you mean she doesn’t act like one. like queer female character shouldn’t have to be feminine to be seen as good rep.” and people clapped. i know that sounds fake, but please believe me because this is a setting where people are inclined to clap when they agree with statements. people clapped at others too.

i also attended the costume contest, the night vale panel, and the meet and greet with doug jones.

the contest was fine. there was one individual at this con who i can’t name because i didnt know their name, but they cosplayed as ed from edd ed and eddy and they were in character the whole time to the point of discomfort. it wasn’t just for the contest i found myself in a cards against humanity game that they were in and it was even there and it was weird.

then the night vale panel happened and ooooooooohhhh boy

this was the most filled room in the whole con. a main reason i went to this con was to see them and im pretty sure this was everyone’s main reason to go. i known someone from other cons who came from florida to see this. (fun fact: we were mutuals on various platforms and had hung out at various cons and i knew their name, but they could not remember mine and i thought that was bogus so i ghosted them. dont know if i was justified in that but whatever)

so here we all were waiting. for over an hour. during this time people talked and i remember someone cosplaying the glow cloud went up and down the isle with a little glow cloud baby in a stroller and we all laughed and cheered. people started playing card games. we kept busy. for me though.

this was one of the most boring cons i’ve been to honestly. i’m having trouble remember a lot of it and that’s because i went solo. i had no friends there. i cosplayed gwen from like the 60s and this was before spidey joined the mcu and before itsv was a thing so spidey was basically an niche fandom (i was active in the tasm and dane deha.an fandoms at this time and the latter became toxic as fuck but that’s a whole other story) or something older comic fans liked.

my other cosplay was america chavez from young avengers which never got that popular either (though kate bishop and kid loki where more recognized, but for their connection to bigger marvel names). so it wasn’t like other cons where my cosplay was an ice breaker and i could join groups. i was alone.

so a lot of the con for that reason was awkward and waiting for night vale was like being the person texting in the corner at a distant relative’s party because they know no one.

so they finally come on stage to say that night vale will not be performing and people went ballistic people were shouting and the person said “we have doug jones in the next hall you should go over to that” and someone yelled “WE DON’T WANT TO SEE HIM”

i went to see doug jones and i was previously unaware of what his name was but i knew who he was. he talked about his work and acting process and did a meet and greet after. mr. jones was a delight and i’m wondering how they even got him there in the first place. he was leagues above this.

i had to leave the con early that day to go to my brother’s football game, but i believe that was the night they “protested” at the con and i kept seeing on tumblr that it was cancelled. i decided not to go back the next day because i was unsure of what was happening and because it was too far.

and the rest is history. i’m sure i went to other panels, but i can’t remember them. i do remember going into the room where they were watching pacific rim, but it was on a shitty projection screen and i wanted to go to a panel instead.

it’s shitty what happened with the con. and a lot of the unrest came from literal teens who were cheated from money who didn’t know how to act, but all the responsibility goes to the people who organized it poorly. The concept of a tu.mblr con i don’t think should have been inherently bad. i think it would have been cool to have a con that focused on more niche interests. but shouldn’t have been as big as they wanted it to be for the first go.

anyway that’s most of what i can remember. it’s kind of blur because i spent most of it by myself and there wasn’t much to do so i didn’t even spend the whole day there.

quite frankly, i’m glad i wasn’t there when they started singing les mis because i have no idea how i would have acted.

#[out of coffins]#/under a cut because it's long

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ptersparkers · 5 years

Note

first of all i LOVE the album request idea!!! can i request 3 from melodrama with peter!!

i am in loveeeeeeee with peter benjamin parker!!!! also i’m pretending far from home never happened

#3: “don’t know you super well but i think that you might be the same as me.”

warnings: ffh spoilers!

the album challenge

***

After Liz had left for Oregon due to her father being his arch nemesis, Peter felt like his luck turned for the worse. Girls still didn’t talk to him unless they asked for academic favors and he didn’t have the courage to talk to anyone. That, and he was still recovering from his heartbreak and the confusion over the complicated situated he just escaped.

Peter had seen you around but never had any real interest in getting to know you. You felt the exact same way about him and neither of you spent much time thinking about one another. After having gone to school with each other since the sixth grade, and you having gravitated towards the “popular” crowd (ending up as one of Liz’s friends as a freshman), Peter didn’t have to think twice about assuming you wouldn’t want to talk to him. You didn’t think much about it either, considering you just wanted to make friends.

The popular crowd, in Midtown, wasn’t quite like the movies. None of you were cheerleads, dated football players, and you all joined various extra curriculars that ranged from being on the academic decathlon to being a swimmer and basketball player. How your group became “popular” was a bit of a mystery to you, but you were just happy that your main group of friends were kind, despite the age difference.

While you loved them like family, you often associated with different groups due to multiple extra curriculars, and you genuinely wanted to be friends with quite a few people. Peter never really crossed your radar because you weren’t on the academic decathalon and you weren’t in the film club he and Ned actively participated in. You were a swimmer and tennis player, along with being president of the creative writing club and occasionally dropping by chemistry club. Anyone who knew you knew that your two real loves were science and writing.

If anyone were to ask what you wanted to do when you grew up, your answer would always be a screenwriter. Your youth was spent quoting your favorite films and writing plays, often performing them in front of your parents. Your elementary days were spent in theatre classes and after school always looked like rehearsals, but you dreamed of being the one to write a script that turns into a film. The creative writing club was your ticket to expressing your true dream without being chastised.

So when Peter visited the club on the third Friday of the month (optional sharing day), he was more than surprised to see you standing in front of the club.

“Okay, guys! Thanks to all who came back and hello to all of those who are new. I’m Y/N Y/L/N, President of the club.”

Everybody else introduced themsleves, but Peter couldn’t care less. Truth be told, he thought you were quite pretty in middle school but didn’t think twice about you once Liz, and subsequently her friends, absorbed you into their “popular” group. There was just no way you’d ever talk to him.

“Before we get started, can I have the two new members introduce themsleves? It’s okay if you’re just dropping in today.”

“I’m Ned Leeds!” he said enthusiastically.

“Peter Parker,” he said awkwardly.

“We’re visiting from film club and we hope to get some inspiration for a new project.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” you said with a smile. Peter thought his heart had actually melted. “Today’s our day to share and I’m opening the floor to anyone who wants to talk. It doesn’t matter what you talk about; whether you’re reading a poem or talking about a concept, everything’s welcome!”

“She got really pretty,” Ned said, nudging Peter.

“Maybe,” he said, not paying attention to what Ned was saying. Ned chuckled and returned back to his seat.

The pair listened to everyone talk and jotted down ideas and who to talk to in order to make their project successful. Peter, however, didn’t realize you’d be sharing a story of yours.

“Okay, as you know, I’m obsessed with Spider-Man.”

The room laughed knowingly and Peter’s cheeks turned red.

“Well, I’ve been working on this concept for a while and the it’s very long and extremely unedited, which is why I only brought two copies.” You passed around two big piles of paper. “Anyway, the premise surrounds Spidey goes to Europe and tries to have a fun, normal school trip while trying to get closer to the girl he likes. Only, he’s recruited by Nick Fury for a secret mission and he doesn’t want anything to do with it.”

“You and Spider-Man,” your friend teased. Your cheeks turned red.

“Oh, shut up, Marley. Anyway, he meets an ally, called ‘Mysterio,’ and views him as a father figure after, you know.”

Nobody needed a hint about what you were talking about.

“So, he receives a gift that Tony left him and has controls to another A.I. system, but Spider-Man gives it to Mysterio because he thinks that’s his test. What he doesn’t know is that Mysterio actually wants to rule the world and take down Spider-Man along with the Avengers.”

“Woah,” the room said.

“I know, crazy right? I feel like I shouldn’t talk about it more to avoid spoilers, even thought this script isn’t gonna be made into a film.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” someone else said. “But don’t tell us. I know I give you a hard time for keeping things from us but I’m literally begging you not to.”

You laughed and the rest of the room agreed, so you pretended to zip your mouth shut and throw the key away.

When the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over, you began to pack up and say goodbye to people who showed up to the club. Peter and Ned, however, wanted to try to make your screenplay into a reality.

“Uh, Y/N?” Peter said. “We’ve got like, six minutes before the last bell rings. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure thing, Peter! What is it?”

“Ah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think your script is really interesting, and Ned and I were wondering if you’d let us turn it into a film.”

“It definitely won’t live up to your great story because we’re on a budget,” Ned said, “but we really want to make it into a short film.”

“Oh my goodness, yes!” you exclaimed. “That sounds like a literal dream!”

“We know it’s not gonna be Hollywood grade,” Peter explained, “but I work at Stark Industries and I could as Spider-Man to do some stunts?”

“You would?” you asked. “That’s really cool, Peter.”

“He’d probably have no time to act, though.”

You smiled. “That’s okay. You offering is enough for me.”

You were so happy that your first finished screenplay (that you were proud of) that you lunged yourself forward and threw your arms around Ned and Peter. Ned grinned happily and Peter was flustered when you let your head rest on his shoulder for a brief moment before giving them both your number.

“Text me after school! We can talk more and set up a date to meet up?”

“Sounds good!” Ned said. “Bye, Y/N!”

You waved and Peter couldn’t wait for school to be over. When the final bell rang, Peter shot you a text and you replied almost immediately.

Y/N: hey hey, peter parker!

Peter: you know my last name?

Y/N: you introduced yourself today, silly

Peter: ...i knew that

Y/N: anyway, i’m really excited by this project!! i’m also, kinda, reaaaaaally excited for spider-man to (maybe) be in our film

Peter: you’ll definitely get to meet him

Y/N: is it weird that i aall him ‘spidey’ tho...especially since he doesn’t know me akajajaj

Peter: no! not weird. definitely not weird. it’s a cute nick name

Y/N: phew. thought you might’ve think i was crazy

Peter: i love spider-man to, so i guess we’re both crazy

Y/N: you know what, peter? i know i don’t know you super well but i think that you might be the same as me

Peter: oh yeah? what’s that?

Y/N: enthusiastic and a total fangirl

Peter: in that case, i think you’re right [insert chef kiss here]

***

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shirtlesssammy · 5 years

Text

6x13: Unforgiven

Then:

Good news? Sam’s got his soul back. Bad news? The walls are starting the crumble around it.

Now:

One Year Ago:

Bristol, Rhode Island

Sam Winchester, the soulless killing machine, goes around shooting things while the camera stays focused on his grandfather, a look of distress plastered on his face.The job done, with Sam sporting only a minor flesh wound, they quickly make their exit from town. The local law enforcement pulls them over before they can get very far though. Oh, they’re federal agents, but the sheriff doesn’t like the blood oozing from Sam’s arm and wants to haul them downtown. One: Sam in a Carhartt again is delightful. Two: Soulless Sam is just the most fun.

Sam laughs and starts to walk away from the cop, and before the cop can pull a gun on him, Sam beats the living shit out of him. (I mean, Sam’s still fun even if he’s a fucking psychopath.) “Do you think there are calmer ways we could have handled that?” Samuel ponders. “Do we care? Let’s go.” And they take off, leaving the cop unconscious in the middle of the road.

Present Day:

Sam and Dean are in random motel #3534. Dean’s got nothing on the Mother of All thing when Sam gets coordinates from an unknown source. The coordinates are for Bristol, Rhode Island, where three women have disappeared in the past week. Dean’s reluctant to check it out but Sam convinces him.

The boys arrive in Bristol (“Where Memories Are Made” lolololololol.) and Sam almost immediately starts having flashbacks. At a local nautical themed restaurant, they catch up on the case. Dean heads to the “Poop Deck”, when Sam is approached by a couple who thinks he’s “Agent Roark”. Uhoh. The woman, Debbie, asks if he’s back in town because the disappearances have started again. He goes along with it all and agrees (I mean, he is after all). She then asks where his partner is, and Dean interrupts and says “sex rehab.” Oh, if only Samuel was around to not enjoy your humor, Dean.

Debbie and her husband, Don, take off, but not before Debbie leaves a lingering touch on Sam’s shoulder. Hmm. Sam has another memory, this one of him and Debbie going at it pretty hot and heavy in the restaurant bathroom. Uhoh. The exchange did not go unnoticed by Dean. Sam admits that he thinks he and Samuel worked a case in this town. Dean shows him a picture from the restaurant wall with Sam in the background.

Dean wants to skip town. “You never use the same crapper twice.” (Dean could be a poet.)

Sam insists they need to stay and work the case. Dean relents.

Dean follows up on the victims. He starts by interviewing a roommate. Apparently one of the victims, Nicole, had previously meet Agent Roark. A neighbor in the apartment building was a victim the previous year. In fact he came by a few times. Dean’s spidey sense is vibrating. Apparently Agent Roark and Nicole’s non-relationship was loud and athletic.

Sam, meanwhile, heads to the sheriff’s office, but can’t even get in the door before the cop he accosted last year finds him and draws his gun on him. Uhoh. Sam flashes back to that night. UHOH. Sam gets thrown in the clink. (And called “dumb as a sack of hair” lol) The cop knows he’s not a federal agent and he wants to know where the bodies are.

Later that night, a woman walks into the dark cell area and demands that Sam tell her what happened to her husband. This woman knows Sam’s name, and what he does. Sam has a mega-flashback to when he and Samuel told the sheriff and this woman, his wife, their real story. The sheriff disappeared though, along with the two hunters. Sam tells her that he has no memory of his time here before. Why would he be back if he did? The woman believes him and tells him her name is Brenna Dobbs. She opens his cell door so he can find some answers.

We finally reach the truly nightmarish part of the episode. Debbie is at home enjoying her boxed wine when she runs out of said boxed wine (THE HORROR, but lbr, there’s another glass of wine in there if she just takes the bladder out of the box)

so she heads to her basement to find more. Something grabs her leg on the stairs and she stumbles to the floor. The camera (and monster) closes in on her as she screams.

Dean meets up with Sam again and fills him in on the missing person info he’s collected. They hear there’s another missing person over the police radio. Dean heads out alone after insisting that Sam stay hidden. A command Sam isn’t about to listen to.

After checking out the latest in the case, Dean calls and leaves a voicemail with his brother. He found a connection to the missing women. “They all banged the same dude. You.” This is a trap for Sam.

For Whatever Reason Dean is a Cute Bean All Hunched Over On His Phone Science:

Brenna comes home to find Sam in her house. She tells him that Debbie is missing and wants answers. Sam doesn’t have them, and he needs her help.

Sam flashes back to working the case with Samuel again and this time they’re sitting down and having a beer with Brenna and her husband. They end up talking about Sam’s relationship with Samuel. Soulless Sam rather smugly announces that he has a business-only relationship with Samuel. “Family just slows you down.” Nice, man.

When Sam snaps out of his flashback, Brenna hands over the case files for her husband. Cue more flashbacks!

Sam remembers Samuel concluding that they’re dealing with a monster called an arachne. Sam figures out that the arachne is hiding out in a local park, and that the monster seems to have a type - men in their thirties. He formulates a plan to lure it out. I’m sure it’ll be a nice, gentle plan where nobody gets hurt!

Back in the present, Sam listens to Dean’s voicemail while he leaves Brenna’s house. As he listens to it, he notices some cobweb blowing in the wind off the side of the front porch. Did he just finish talking to a….black widow? Dun dun DUN. While Sam checks out the webbing, we get a shot of him in arachnid vision.

At the place they’re crashing, Sam fills Dean in on the case and his spotty returning memories. Dean’s generally pissed to hear that Sam’s remembering ANYTHING from before. As far as he’s concerned, the next step down memory lane is a one way bus trip to Hell Boulevard. Dean insists that they blow town and call up another hunter but Sam puts his foot down. He’s got a soul now. That, paired with a terrible feeling that he was part of something awful, makes him want to stay. MAN it is such a relief to get caring Sam back - even if he really needs to just GTFO.

Together they make a murder wall, pinning up maps and pictures and looping yarn and THEORIES are flying it’s wild, guys. Sam looks at the evidence and flashes back AGAIN. Sam remembers using Brenna’s husband Roy as a lure for the arachne. Samuel was uncomfortable about it but Sam has zero patience for Samuel’s reticence. Roy was the right age and type for the spider-critter they’re tracking. How else are they going to find its lair?

In the flashback, the arachne gets the drop on Roy and drags him off before they can do anything. Soulless Sam isn’t worried - he turned on the GPS on Roy’s phone so he can track his phone to the spidey lair. “You’re about as cold as they come,” Samuel notes, which is a real damn statement coming from Samuel.

They track Roy to a barn covered in Halloween cobwebs. There are bodies under the webbing - bodies EVERYWHERE. Only they’re not bodies. They’re still alive and gasping under the webbing.

They find Roy right when the arachne, a woman, attacks. Sam slices off her head. Hooray! They saved the day!

Only...Sam looks at all the victims. They’re poisoned by a spider-monster and swiftly dying (according to his non-existent medical examination of them). It’s better to kill them all and put them out of their misery, Sam concludes. RECORD SCRATCH! Honestly, guys, I am guilty of thinking of soulless Sam as a dick, but not particularly murderous. I...forgot about this episode entirely. Sam remorselessly kills all the victims one by one. (Samuel - who HAS a soul - also isn’t winning any popularity contests with me because he just stands there.)

When Sam returns from this flashback, he tells Dean that he remembers everything now. And it ain’t good, sunflowers.

Brenna wakes in the night to an intruder in her home. It’s Roy! But it’s Roy transformed into an arachne. Sam happens to call her to check in (handwave handwave) and realizes that she’s in trouble. They head to Brenna’s house.

There are lights on in the shed and Brenna’s hiding in a corner. “What you did to Roy?” she asks Sam, “Is it true?” Cue Roy jumping in and attacking the Winchesters.

Before you know it, they’re tied up in cobwebs while Roy stalks in front of them. He reveals that the arachne was breeding, capturing mates and transforming them. Getting shot in the head had no effect on him because he had become….SPIDER MAN. (Without all the badass powers.)

It was Roy who tried to lure Sam back to town so he could avenge his own attempted murder. As added frosting on his revenge cake, all the women who went missing are now spider women and scattered throughout the country. “You killed one monster, you made so many more. Congratulations.” Roy ponders the timeless monster question: to kill Sam or turn him?

Dean breaks free before that existential question can be answered. Brenna slices Sam free and Sam kills Roy.

Later, Sam drops Brenna off at home and apologizes. Too little, too late, bby. She stalks inside and slams the door. I mean, same girl. Sam and Dean return to the place they’re squatting in. Sam’s dejected. Dean tries to bolster him up, telling him that none of the terrible things he did was him.

Sam’s not buying the “everything’s gonna be okay” line. And in just a moment, Dean isn’t either. Sam collapses and as he gasps on the floor, we get a glimpse of what’s in Sam’s head. It’s hell fire and Sam’s burning up.

__________________________________________________________________

Chicken Quotes for the Soul:

You got mysterious coordinates from a mysterious Mr. "X," leading to a mysterious town? That doesn't throw up red flags to you?

She just cougar-eyed you.

“You never use the same crapper twice.” “Everyone uses the same crapper twice.”

What? The boxed stuff doesn’t get better with age, Don.

What is this, "Days of Our Lives"? You're telling me you have some sort of amnesia?

Roy’s just some redshirt to you?

You love to say "I told you so."

You killed one monster, you made so many more. Congratulations.

__________________________________________________________________

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #spn rewatch #spn 6x13 #unforgiven #dean winchester #sam winchester #samuel campbell #supernatural season 6

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my-love-peterp · 5 years

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Mistaken Chapter Seven

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST DROP ME AN ASK

please like and rb/comment <3

Word Count: 4268

THERE ARE NO ENDGAME SPOILERS, THIS IS A DELAYED UPLOAD FROM AO3

Fic Summary: Peter Parker has been given the responsibility of bringing in a new recruit. Now, as an adult, he realizes that none of the trashy YA novels he read in high school could have prepared him for this. There was a storm on the horizon, and all they could do from the Tower is watch.

Chapter Summary: So this is definitely a chapter on my list of necessary revisions HOWEVER, I��m writing one from some other characters POV just to shed some extra light on the circumstances surrounding what happens in this chapter. I think for sure we’ll get some Tony vignettes and maybe Steve and Darcy as well, just assessing Kaida and Tony and their states of mind (fragile, not great) and get into some motivating factors. Also, I know it’s a long time in coming but the big bad is coming soon. It’s not just Kaida vs herself as the main conflict in this piece.

Warnings: drinking, smut, the like

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six

The next day, I was reading the next book on my to be read list when Peter came screeching into the common room. “Cranewood!!” He practically shrieked as he ran, hips first into the back of the couch I was lounging one. He miscalculated his own speed and toppled over the back, faceplanting right into my lap.

“Oh my god, oh my god I’m so sorry I didn’t-oh, Jesus, I’m so sorry I just totally invaded your personal space and literally put my face there and oh my god.” He cut his own self off and blushed so deep, the tips of his ears almost flowed red. Peter licked himself back up and adjusted his blue sweatshirt before running his hands through the hair on the back of his neck and refusing to make eye contact with me.

“Peter?”

“Y-yeah what’s up Kaida,” he managed to squeak out before coughing and clearing his throat, lowering his voice to compensate. I just stared back at him expectantly, dog-earring my page before slamming the book shut between my thighs. He blinked twice before shifting uncomfortably between feet. I swear, for an adult man, this boy sure acted like a gawky sophomore a lot.

“Oh. Oh yeah!!! We’ve met before. Cranewood School for Girls. Technically you and Spider-Man met but... I’m hurt that you were never even going to mention the first time I saved your life. What’s up with that? And also how did a Hydra ghost end up on Long Island at an elite prep school for upstanding young women and-“ I tuned him out unconsciously.

In truth, I had completely forgotten my run in with Spider-Man when I was 13. My sister and I were much too busy then still readjusting to a normal lifestyle we’d never had and covering our tracks while breaking enough laws to provide for ourselves, day in and day out.

Nadia had laundered enough money that We had more than enough for a down payment on a small apartment in the Long Island area and I was proficient enough in my mimicry and illusion work that we were able to enroll in school with a late start due to our “parents” and their extremely generous donations. It certainly helped that Nadia and I were both whip-smart.

I remembered the day Spidey was talking about. Some jack booted Hydra thug had stormed the grounds and held my class hostage, because his primary target, Anna, who was the daughter of a senator, was my classmate. Luckily, she sat about as far away from me as popular so the Agent was never able to see my face. I didn’t realize the whole upset was over until I had felt a large hand rubbing my back.

Of course, it was Spider-Man that came to my rescue. That day seemed to repeat itself over and over with no end sight. Of course, he was comforting me. His super hearing was the first power I’d ever assimilated by accident. We should test that more in the lab.

As I opened my mouth to finally suggest a battery of tests to Peter, FRIDAY started shouting instructions to be heard over the loud clang of the emergency bell.

Science could wait.

A few months later

The alarm cut through my concentration. It turned out to be just a bigger Code Green false alarm. We’d had two in the last week. I’m not blaming it on any specific individuals but there’s was something to be said in the 200% uptick in near Code Green’s since Dr. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, intern and mechanical engineer extraordinaire returned from Reykjavik. But who was I to complain? After the relocated to the Tower back in May, just three months ago, there were more Strawberry pop tarts in the pantries than I’d ever seen before in my life. And it was so relieving to have another ‘devil may care’ woman around the Tower.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Natasha for all that she is but she’s just a teacher to me. And Wanda read as more of a mom friend in my mind. Darcy is the kind of girl you make up desperate housewives drinking games with. We gravitated toward each other immediately, bonding over baking, needling Tony, and then bemoaning the lack of clubbing appropriate company. She also held no judgment for me about my past, which I couldn’t believe until I saw her and Bucky making googly eyes at each other from across the room, then it all clicked.

Darcy Lewis had become my best friend, big sister and closest confidant and just a week’s time. Now, a few months later, there were still no hydra threats and my probation was set to be lifted this evening. “The perfect time to go clubbing “ Darcy had declared it, before enlisting my strengths to remove, forcibly if necessary, the science squad from their labs. And then to force them out into the world of the living. The only member to straight up refuse was Tony, as was expected. We had been… Cordial to one another but never anything more. I am nearly positive he had Friday keep tabs on my location just so he could avoid me at all times. Inevitably, we would run into each other Coming and going from our quarters or as we made our way to and from our designated lab spaces. I still didn’t quite understand why Tony lived on the same floor as the rest of the Avengers when I knew damn well he had his own penthouse in the tower.

Anyways, my lab was certainly something to behold. The calling it my lab was a bit of a stretch considering I didn’t build anything really, I just tested my powers and checked my biological markers with gadgets that Tony, Bruce, and Dr. Helen Cho had come up with together. We were still waiting for a contact from a group called the guardians who would potential he be able to determine what part alien I am. But it was the world’s most high tech library/relaxation room/artist’s studio. All to make remaining in it all day for the sake of data aggregation tenable.

To say I was bored out of my mind at first was an understatement. But over time I began to have visitors. Darcy was a daily, and surprisingly, so was Pietro. Peter and Bucky also visited, if less frequently. And, oddly enough, Vision was there almost all the time. I asked him about it once and he shrugged (how does a former AI program shrug so effectively) and simply stated that my presence combed his mind. Whatever that meant.

In any case, I wasn’t as bored or lonely anymore. In fact, I could almost swear that something was developing between Pietro and I.

Earlier this week, as I was doing the Times word search and also project in my powers to deflect incoming projectiles, my hair was flipped up and into my face, causing my concentration to skip which led to a tennis ball smacking me right in the face. Above me, Pietro burst out laughing and DUM-E beeped apologetically.

“I don’t think I can forgive you for this,“ I deadpanned, reaching back to jab him in the kidney, which he promptly dodged, all the while still cackling. When his laughing fit finally subsided, he stood back up straight.

“I have an idea, “he announced proudly.

“Stop the presses everyone, and called the Vatican, Speedy here has an idea. It must be a miracle. First one in a decade. The world must be ending,” I replied, looking at him and trying not to smirk. I will give him props because the obscene shocked and hurt that filled his face moments later was almost convincing. He chuckled and moved to sit on the stool next to me. He said nothing, only staring at me.

“Okay Zippy, what was your big idea?”

“You haven’t tested your instinctual and biological responses enough. For example, the fight or flight instinct is recreated too imperfectly in simulated situations to be of any use to you. However, there is another way around that beyond throwing yourself into open combat.” I tilted my head, waiting for him to continue. He leaned forward placing his hands on my side and leaning closer. Hesitant but not opposed, my eyes fluttered chat. Instead of kissing me as I had assumed (hoped!) was his plan, I felt his lips brush against the shell of my ear. I shattered at the sensation, anticipating.

“I have a question “, he whispered. I mumbled my acknowledgment and it took me a few seconds to process what he had said and by that time it was already too late. “ are you ticklish,” he had whisper gently. Now he was mercilessly attacking my side with one, extremely quick fingers, whenever I moved to try to escape, he was there.

I collapsed to the ground, giggling breathlessly before I cut myself and put on my grumpy face. Pietro smiled lazily and shifted so his knees were on either side of my thighs.

“ if you tickle me again, I’ll scream,” I warned him.

“ I bet I could have you screaming my name,” he replied cheesily.

“ I actually hate you right now. I’m considering making you my official arch nemesis. I might make T-shirts. And badges. Definitely badges.”

“Who’s making badges? Didn’t you know nemesis badges are so last season? This is why you should consult the great and powerful Darcy on all things,” came the snarky voice of my best friend from the lab door. I urgently pushed Pietro up and off of me. But as was the theme of the day, I was seconds too late, and Darcy saw us in a position that looked extremely compromising without context.

She raised her eyebrows at me, cheeks twitching as she managed, for once, to hold back whatever retort she thought of once she saw me beneath Pietro. Instead, she readjusted herself and offered me a hand to pick me up off of the slightly dusty floor. I made a mental note to give DUM-E the Swiffer tonight.

After I was back on my feet and thoroughly dusted off, Darcy approached the silver-haired man who was currently leaning against one of my shoulder high bookshelves, jabbing her finger into his sternum. “You hurt my sister and I know an Asgardian who can make your life a living hell. And no, I’m not talking about Thor. Plus, you should be scared of me, I’ve bested him in combat once before and I can certainly take you. So watch yourself Maximoff,” she growled before stomping away, grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me along behind her. “We’ve talked about this,” she hissed at me after her suite door slammed behind us. She’d been silent the entire elevator ride down to her floor. I loved Darcy but she was still a little paranoid about FRIDAY always being present and listening in.

“Darcy it wasn’t like that, he... tickled me?”

She snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, I bet he did. Looked like he wanted to do a lot more from where I was standing kid. I’m telling you he’s bad news. What do you see in him anyway?”

I scoffed at her insinuation that somehow, Pietro would be the rotten one between us. “Dee I was literally sleeping with Tony Stark a few months ago while I had intimate knowledge of his fiancés fate. Plus I’m not exactly innocent in literally any sense if the word...” I trailed off but she just glared at me, which was her way of telling me that we weren’t leaving until I answered all of her questions.

I sighed and plopped myself down on her cozy armchair, putting my feet up. “It’s just... he’s easy to be around Darcy. It’s not hard, I don’t have to think about anything twice, there’s no pressure. He’s funny, makes me smile, puts up with my shit. And he doesn’t want more from me than I’m willing to give. We’re as easy as breathing.” I blinked, shocked at the words that had just come out of my mouth. Sure, I would admit to having a crush on the guy, he was hot and snarky. I loved that. Wait, love? I really was losing my mind.

“You know what, forget anything I just said. Let’s go out clubbing like you suggested and find me a man to get under for the night. I have to blow off some steam. I’m delusional and sappy over here.”

Darcy shrugged, noncommittally. “What?!” I demanded, confused as all hell.

“If you really feel that way about him, you should tell him. He may not be pushing you to give more than you’re ready for, but is he going to be prepared to give you everything you want, or is he just here for the safe convenience of it Kaida? You two have been prancing around each other like orphaned fawns, afraid to let yourselves get hurt and calling it sacrifice for the other. Or maybe he just doesn’t care and wants to play dirty because you’re available and convenient. “

I was a little hurt at her words but I could see the truth behind them. It was time Pietro and I had a chat. But not before I went out and had fun with my best friend. I relayed that thought to Darcy who excitedly squealed as we plotted to get the Science Squad out and about with us.

That brings us to now. Several of us piling into the biggest limo I’d ever seen. Bruce, Jane, Nat, Clint, Thor, Wanda, Pietro, Sam, Helen, the super soldiers, and even Peter had elected to join Darcy and I out tonight. It was certainly going to be one for the history books.

Smushed as we were in the back of the vehicle, it was oddly calming. For the first time today I felt as though I had time to just think for myself. I brushed my hand along my inner left forearm and shivered as a chill climbed down my spine. The perfectly raised but horrifically off-kilter writing simply read ‘cereal?’ today. Not much to go on if I were actively looking for my soulmate. Not that I would.

Whatever being it was that decided that two halves, or sometimes thirds or fourths of the same soul, would be imprinted with the first and last words their counterparts said for that day, was a complete and total madman.

It wasn’t a whole lot to go off of. I knew they were older than me because I’d gotten the marking before I could speak and I was advanced for my age. I knew they were New Yorkers just by the way they’d mention certain places and things offhand.

But I wasn’t looking for them. It was fairly obvious to me, at that point, that becoming a fixture in my life was beneficial to absolutely no one. And, based on the blip of feeling or insight I’d get mentally from my soulmate bond, whoever they were had a strong sense of duty. Someone who felt duty bound to a person like me would only end up dead.

And yeah, maybe I was kidding myself and these were really just excuses to protect myself from losing more of the people I cared about but honestly who gave a fuck. There were millions of people in this city. What were the odds we’d even run into each other?

Too high. But there was nothing I could do about that.

And then, after what felt like hours, the car stopped and the group spilled out on to the sidewalk before scrambling to the door of the club, bypassing the line. It was one of the classier, more exclusive establishments in town but not too high brow to preclude any riff-raff.

Cue Darcy Lewis, the bane of all rationality. Darcy’s personality was that of an instigator. I, on the other hand, would never back down when challenged. That meant five tequila shots in five minutes in addition to getting three random numbers. Just for fun. A few shots later and Darcy hauled me on to the dance floor.

We writhed and twisted around each other, alternating between cackling at one another and concentrating on looking appealing and feeling sexy. Her hands roamed my body and rested on my hips as I playfully ground myself back into her.

I could see Natasha posted up in the corner, sipping a sea breeze and keeping her eyes open. Bruce stood a few feet away from her, nervously twitching but slugging back some whiskey. Clint was at the bar pounding back beers with Helen, Jane, Thor, and Sam. All seemed deeply invested in a manic take the Asgardian was telling, arms flailing and making weird shapes as he attempted to act out whichever feat of heroism was on tap for tonight. Wanda stood behind them but looked a little lost. That’s when I noticed that Pietro and Peter were both missing.

Peter was easy enough to find, he was perched next to the top of the stairs, keeping up surveillance of the entire place, the boy having no idea how to relax. I was about to mention Pietro’s absence to the brunette behind me when the wind rushed around me. Suddenly, I wasn’t on the dance floor with Darcy but back at the bar with Pietro.

“What the fuck dude,” I bit out, slapping his arm. “You can’t just speed someone without permission, it doesn’t work like that.” Pietro just shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. It was the kind of smile that got him off for everything. And now was no exception.

“But Kaida, you promised to show me what body shots were some day. I would like to do them now if that is okay. I still have not learned all of your silly American customs.”

I was just gone enough to nod eagerly while my body flushed hot. Body shot demonstrations were requested and so they would be done. We started simple, cleavage shots, I showed him with Darcy and then he practiced on me. His scruff scraped pleasantly against my overheated skin and I trembled. Then Darcy whispered salaciously in Pietro’s ear as I rested up against the bar. In a flash, Pietro‘s hands were squeezing around my hips and I was laying on top of the bar, shirt hiked up.

Tequila was poured and salt sprinkled around my Navel by Darcy freakin' Lewis, who, just hours earlier, had scolded both Pietro and I for our touching antics. But now, here she was, encouraging Pietro to haul me on to the bar. Before I could process that emotional whiplash, Pietro’s face was hovering over my stomach, a wicked smile filling his expression. I squirmed and he responded by dipping his head, using his tongue to swipe up the salt from my body before continuing down and sucking on my navel, slurping up all the tequila. My body was positively on fire. I opened my mouth in a breathless moan and nearly choked when my best friend shoved the rind of lime between my teeth. Her face was quickly replaced by Pietro’s. His eyes burned into mine, his pupils were blown, dark and hungry. He placed his mouth over mine, biting down surprisingly gently so lime juice with a hint of a taste that must be pure Pietro flooded my mouth. Icy fire burned through my veins as I completely forgot the discomfort of the hardwood bar pressing against my back. We were drawing closer and closer to each other as Pietro decisively removed the line from my mouth.

The trance was broken by a cough and a throat clearing. The Spiders Two, Peter and Natasha, were standing behind Pietro, arms crossed. Nat’s face was expressionless, but Peter‘s emotions were somewhat clear. He looked uncomfortable, annoyed and something else I couldn’t quite get a read on. My mouth fell open in a drunken grin, as I waved awkwardly to them, attempting to lift my head and slide off the bar and to my feet. Unfortunately, I was still more than a little boneless from the whole “Pietro‘s lips and tongue on my body“ situation, so, while I did manage to slide off the bar, landing on my feet and my high heels was a whole different story.

Long story short, I simply didn’t. Fortunately, when you’re friends with other enhanced people, their reflexes are typically pretty good. So I felt long, pale arms lock around my middle and stop me from falling. I grinned widely again at the feeling of thick ropey muscles encompassing me.

As I righted myself, the arms remained around me, hints of spicy cologne filling my nostrils when I slouched back into the warm body that stood behind me, closing my eyes and tilting my head back to nuzzle into Pietro’s neck. His breath caught and he let out a weirdly high pitched squeak in surprise.

“Oh shoot,” I stammered reflexively, looking down, “did I step on your foot or something? I know these heels can be a bitch.” It took me a minute to realize why what I was seeing felt so wrong. Instead of the tight black jeans Pietro had been wearing that night, my rescued had on dorky khakis and a blue button up. Peter.

“Fuck, Peter I didn’t know it was you, god damn I like almost assaulted you there. I’m so, so sorry. Jesus Christ, no more tequila for me ever.” I just kept rattling off apologies until he waved me away and Darcy took my arm to lead me out to a cab that was pulling up for us. It was time for me to go home, so Clint was being sent with me to supervise and make sure I made it back to the Tower in one piece and then he’d take one of Tony’s cars to drive back to his farmstead. “I’ve gotta take the kids to school tomorrow. Laura has a doctor’s appointment and I’m trying to be a good dad. You know, the whole nine yards. Or at least as good of a dad as a world-renowned assassin can be.” He ended up using the ride to babble on TL me about everything Nathaniel was getting up to at the moment and the big fiasco when he found out he was named after a girl and the killer meltdown when his parents rebuked him.

Clint deposited me in the elevator and hit my floor for me before he took off to the tunnel leading towards our parking garage. For the first fifth floors, everything was silent save for the occasional squeak of a gear or run of a pulley. Until the elevator stopped on one of the lab floors. I should have realized at that moment that all but one member of the Science Squad had been out that night, but it didn’t until I saw him step into the elevator beside me.

We stiffened simultaneously as Tony and I took the other in. Taking opposite corners, we studiously ignored each other as the elevator began moving. It was uncomfortable and deafeningly quiet, but that was probably more than I deserved. And then, as though whatever cosmic being had a direct line to my thoughts coupled with a sick sense of humor, the elevator froze, the lights went dark and an alarm started blaring, quickly followed by the emergency sprinkler system.

So to recap, I was trapped in a metal box, in the dark, being pelted with cold water, quite similar to what my parents used to do to Nadia and me.

It was at this moment that I had my worst panic attack to date. The sharp sense of panic cut down whatever buzz I had built up from the night before. Pure unadulterated terror flooded my chest as I collapsed to the floor, twitching. My chest heaved with silent sobs, my trauma reminding me that if I made a sound, Nadia would be punished and vice verse. Tears streamed down my cheeks and bile coated my throat. I could hear tony working frantically to desired the elevator panel and talking at me. I couldn’t hear what he was saying. It didn’t matter. I was too far gone.

Minutes, maybe hours passed. Before I could think clearly, I was entirely disassociated and then sleeping in a wet puddle on the floor of our stalled elevator.

When I woke up the next morning, I was in my own bed, drowning in an oversized hoody that I recognized as one I had stolen from Bucky weeks ago, that if I had to guess, he had originally stolen from Cap. It was royal blue number with a vintage style logo for the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose move was still a sore spot for Steve Rogers.

I sat up groggily, head pounding. As I finger combed my hair and stood to use my restroom, I heard gently snores coming from the plush sectional in my living room. Lo and behold, the Tony Stark was slumped over, not even under a blanket. The events of last night all came flooding back to me and I flushed a bright pink in embarrassment. I’d never shown just how deep that particular weakness ran for me. I turned back and tried to tiptoe out of the room and down to the communal floor for breakfast when Tony’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“I think it’s time we had a talk.”

TAGLIST: @peeterparkr @private-bucky-barnes @laurfangirl424 @bucktitybarnes

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stairset · 5 years

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Tbh another cool thing about Spider-Verse is that like it's probably the only animated movie in ages to have big name actors attached to it without obnoxiously hammering you over the head with "THIS HAS JOHN MULANEY/NIC CAGE/CHRIS PINE/ETC IN IT GO SEE IT" in every trailer and poster.

Like every other animated movie with popular actors in it uses them as a gimmick bc they know no one would care otherwise. If it weren't for the Zendaya is Meechee memes I would never have thought twice about that Smallfoot movie and I don't think anyone else would have either. They knew their movie was bland and no one older than like 10 would find it interesting, so they cast Zendaya and Danny DeVito and Gina Rodriguez just to slap their names on the posters in big letters to get ANYONE to give a shit. Same with Bendytoots in the new Grinch.

Spider-Verse didn't need to do that because it was just a legitimately good movie with a good premise, a well written story and likable characters, and actually did something new and innovative for both superhero movies and animated movies. The fact that it had some big names attached was a nice bonus, but it wasn't the only selling point. When Noir Spidey and Spider-Ham were on screen I wasn't distracted thinking "ugh this so gimmicky" because they weren't defined by the actors portraying them, they were both legitimately entertaining characters regardless of who voiced them.

#into the spider-verse #shut up tristan

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monday--vibes · 5 years

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Forcefully Optimistic: Spider-Man’s Exit From the MCU… Might Not Be Completely Terrible?

I’m not a big lover of Disney as a corporation, but there’s no denying that they’ve done some pretty amazing things with the MCU. So when the news first broke about this little lover’s spat between Sony and Disney over everyone’s web-slinging spider-child, I was (appropriately) devastated.

Then, because I both have no life and have a great love of knowing things, I started digging, sorting out the facts and the speculation and then taking a good, long look at what this means for Peter Parker and the Spider-Man franchise.

And I realize… maybe—just maybe—this isn’t completely horrible.

Let’s break it down.

The Facts:

As is the case with anything that changes and develops super-fast, there’s a lot of uncertainty and incorrect information floating around, but here are the facts that everyone can seem at agree on.

Tom Holland is still under contract to appear as Peter Parker/Spidey in a third Spider-Man movie; Jon Watts is being considered as the director for this third movie but, as his contract wrapped up with Far From Home, this isn’t a sure thing.

Under the current contract, Sony has the distribution rights of and creative control over Spider-Man and Spider-Man related characters; Disney, meanwhile, receives 5% of first-dollar gross (meaning that Disney would get 5% of ticket sales, no matter if Sony made a profit or not) and the right to include Spidey in the MCU. Disney already owns all the merchandizing rights for the character.

Disney also suggested that it get involved in other Spidey-related movies, including the Venom sequel. (For a price, of course.)

Under the contract initially proposed by Disney, the two companies would co-finance future Spider-Man movies, essentially splitting both costs and box office revenue 50/50. Therefore, while Sony would have to pay less to produce future films, the company would take a huge cut to their profits and would loose a considerable amount of control over Spider-Man and the related characters.

There are rumours that Disney has come back to play, offering a six picture deal wherein Disney would co-finance all Spider-Man related films, splitting costs and box office revenue either 30/70 or 25/75 split in Sony’s favour. Right now, neither company has confirmed this.

Sources:

https://www.businessinsider.com/sonys-spider-man-deal-with-disney-and-marvel-studios-explained-2019-8

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/8/20/20825631/spider-man-marvel-sony-dispute-mcu-deal-film-rights

https://deadline.com/2019/08/kevin-feige-spider-man-franchise-exit-disney-sony-dispute-avengers-endgame-captain-america-winter-soldier-tom-rothman-bob-iger-1202672545/

https://boundingintocomics.com/2019/08/23/rumor-marvel-and-disney-offer-new-deal-to-sony-to-keep-spider-man-in-mcu/

The Speculation:

In Endgame, we saw the metaphorical baton being passed on to the next generation of superheroes as Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and—yup—Spider-Man played the most high-stakes game of Hot Potato ever while trying desperately to get the Infinity Stones to the Quantum Tunnel. This cemented Peter as one of Marvel’s new Big Three, meant to replace Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

It also, when combined with the current contract between Sony and Disney and the commercial success of Homecoming, Far From Home, and just about every other Marvel movie ever, undoubtedly resulted in Sony laughing all the way to the bank.

After all, it was their intellectual property that Disney just set up as a cornerstone for future Marvel movies.

However, Sony is also in the rather precarious position where its most valuable franchise, by far, is Spider-Man. Far From Home racked in twice as much money on its opening weekend than Sony’s second most successful film of 2019, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The latest installment of Men In Black, which was made by Sony-owned Columbia Pictures, has yet to break even at the theatres (and, at this rate, it probably won’t).

Source: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=release&view=parent&studio=sony.htm

Plus, Sony’s had a pretty spotty history with Spider-Man movies—the Raimi trilogy saw a steady decrease of gross revenue across all three films, and The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb, were… not received kindly. Let’s leave it at that.

Venom, for all that it was a box office success that racked in more than US$ 850 million over the course of its run, was pretty much summed up as ‘meh’ by critics, making the success of its sequel not the shoe-in that Sony would surely like. The only Spider-Man movie that’s been an absolute critical success was Into the Spider-Verse.

And, even though Sony has a whole slew of Spider-Man related movies announced, including Morbius and a Venom sequel, they’re still missing their star character—the web slinger himself.

There’s no way that Disney isn’t aware of this, of course, and considering how successful they’ve made the Marvel brand, plus and their ability to churn out (mostly) decent superhero movies year after year, it’s clear that they have an edge over Sony on that front.

However, if Into the Spider-Verse’s critical success and Venom’s financial success are any indication, it’s also clear that Sony’s been paying attention and taking notes—at least as far as superhero films are concerned. This contract breakdown could be the perfect(?) opportunity for Sony to bring Holland’s Spider-Man under their own brand, using Marvel’s successful adaptation of Peter Parker to help bolster their own Spidey Cinematic Universe.

The “Why It Might Not Be Completely Horrible”:

Whew. That was long. Okay… Let’s keep going.

Right now, we’re in this really not-good point in time where companies are merging and consolidating faster than ever. In some ways this is good, because we get standardized service across different brands and we get the possibility of an X-Men/Avengers crossover.

In other, bigger ways, though, it’s… very much not-good.

1. Oligopolies are bad for creativity.

Oligopolies are the business version of oligarchies, where a small group of people (corporations) hold all the power. Sound familiar?

Right now, Disney owns the rights to all the Marvel characters (except Spider-Man), which according to the Marvel Database Wikia, is more than 60,000 characters. The only other big player out there for superhero movies is, of course, Warner Brothers, which owns the DCEU. You can’t get much more of an oligopoly than that.

Adding one more player to the mix—Sony—doesn’t help this problem much, but it does help to distribute the characters out, giving movie goers more ways to vote with their dollars if a major company makes something that they don’t like.

Big corporations only really care about one thing: lots and lots of dollar signs. When consumers don’t have a choice where they get their consumables from, those corporations know that they’ll make money no matter what, and so they have no reason to innovate and no reason to push their creativity.

And, they don’t have any reason to listen to consumer wants or needs, either.

The result? Complacent corporations, consumers who are ignored, and a stagnant movie culture.

2. Marvel is bowing under its own weight.

With 23 movies, five discontinued series on Netflix, plus at least seven more Marvel series set to stream on Disney+, the MCU is easily one of the biggest movie franchises out there. And that doesn’t even count all the preludes, novelizations, and other add-ons.

My point is, the MCU is really, really big, and all of this bloat is starting to show.

The most recent example of this is in Far From Home, when Fury brings Peter to the underground layer and we first meet Mysterio. When Peter asks why Dr. Strange, Thor, or Captain Marvel aren’t involved in handling the Elemental threat, Fury flippantly tosses out a series of vague excuses.

And we only cover three characters, too. If Strange isn’t available, but we’re still dealing with a guy who—it seems, at least—is wielding magic, why can’t Wong step in to help? Or at least consult? Why not call in Scarlet Witch?

We see this in Endgame, too, in the final fight scene. While it’s a great scene, I’ve heard a lot of people question why Carol Danvers even needed help getting the Infinity Stones to the Quantum Tunnel, or why she couldn’t be the one to snap her fingers. After all, she took the full force of a single Stone when she was fully human and ended up fine, so why wouldn’t she be able to withstand (or withstand better than very-human Tony) the radiation let off why the Snap?

Sure, this sounds like nitpicking, but it’s a problem that’s going to have to be addressed over and over again as we see more MCU films. Why is this character facing this conflict? Why can’t another, better suited character handle the problem instead?

As writers, we should always be asking why we’re putting a certain character in a certain situation—it’s one of the ways to ensure that our plot is an effective one. However, if the answer is “because if I put another character in their place, the plot would be resolved too quickly”… perhaps the conflict or the character choice needs to be revisited.

3. Peter’s never been allowed to stand on his own two feet.

This new, younger, less mature Peter is an absolute delight on screen, and Holland does a fantastic job bringing him to life. In particular, this worked really well for Homecoming. As the first movie that really focuses on how the ‘regular’ world is affected by the Avengers, it’s interesting to see how this happy-go-lucky teenager sees a world that is, once we really get to explore it, surprisingly different from the real world we live in.

However, the MCU has since spent most of its time exploring what makes Peter special, as opposed to what makes him so relatable—one of the very things that made him such a popular character to begin with.

With Thanos’, the Vulture’s, and Mysterio’s motivations being completely unrelated to Spider-Man’s own motivations in the movies, he doesn’t ever have to question his own motivations, opinions, attitudes, or beliefs, meaning that he doesn’t have to grow.

And when the conflict of the movie does catch up with him, he doesn’t have to think his way out of things in the same way that his comic book counterpart or previous movie iterations have always had to do—someone else will always show up. In Homecoming, it was Iron Man; in Endgame, it was Danvers; and in Far From Home, it was Happy.

And, because these MCU Spider-Man movies all always working within the confines of a larger universe, they have to always spend time setting up conflict for other characters and other movies. This takes away valuable screen time that could otherwise be spent deepening his relationship with other characters, allowing him to explore his own thoughts and feelings, or establishing his character growth.

Taking Spidey out of the MCU will let us go back to basics with his character, so to speak. By necessity, Happy, Danvers, Fury, and the Skrulls won’t be in future movies. If something goes wrong, then, Peter will have to use his own grit and intelligence and resourcefulness to get himself out of his messes, grounding the stories of possible future movies in a sense of realism that’s sense escaped the MCU (for better or worse) and better allowing him to learn and grow from his mistakes.

4. It pairs Peter up with his greatest nemeses/anti-heroes again.

As great as it was to see Spider-Man team up with Avengers, the most obvious down-side, I don’t think, as missed by anyone: if Spidey’s hanging out with another corporation’s IP, then he’s not allowed to hang around with many of the 900 plus characters developed in his own world.

With Venom being as successful as it was, having Spider-Man under Sony’s banner means that the Venom versus Spider-Man rematch we’ve all been waiting for is all the more likely. We could see the Black Cat cinematic appearance that was teased in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but was never explored. We could see Peter interact with Sable or Kraven the Hunter, both of which have movies in Sony’s line-up. The possibilities are nigh endless.

…

Or, of course, this could all go down in a giant dumpster fire. But let’s not think about that too much, eh?

#mcu #sony #spider-man #disney v sony #marvel #i'm seriously trying so hard to be optimistic right now guys

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mamgt · 6 years

Text

There’s No Way

CHAPTER 2

Note: OH SHIT! She wrote a chapter! HHAHA I’m having writer’s block for an assignment in class and opted to do this. I focused more on the relationship of MJ, Ned, and Peter. Don’t worry PeterMJ will come back.

Chapter 1

“So what exactly did you and MJ do?” Ned wiggled his eyebrows at Peter smugly. They were walking around the new exhibit that was just installed yesterday showcasing revolutionary robotics that adhered to environmental issues like oil spills in the Pacific Ocean, garbage clean-up in third world countries, and controlling smog in China. Most of the inventors were Asians and Peter was wholly impressed with how advanced they were.

Ned gave Peter another nudge. “W-what?”

“Did you and MJ go on a date or something?” Ned teased. It was obviously a joke but Peter felt his stomach do that thing again and he wondered whether he really did have some sort of diarrhea.

“No!” he replied rather too forcefully. “We-uh…” He was thinking if he was allowed to tell Ned of their little escapade or would MJ smack him so hard in his nape he would lose all his spidey-senses in an instant. “Like she said… she--I had something in my stomach.” That wasn’t a lie because Peter could feel it right now.

“Why? What did you eat that I didn’t?” Ned looked at him suspiciously. “Did you eat burritos while you were Spi--”

“Shhh!!! Ned! Don’t say it out loud!” Peter covered Ned’s mouth and let it go, noticing that people were starting to look at them, especially the lady who was standing near the invention they were looking at. It looked like some high-tech vacuum for a giant.

“Oops...sorry, Peter…” Ned lowered his voice, “...did you...eat...burritos...in your…’mission’ for Mr. Stark?” he whispered to Peter’s ear. He sounded like he was whispering but the volume was still the same. Peter ignored this.

“No, Ned. I would never eat burritos without you.”

“Good. So what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re stomach’s just stronger.”

“Impossible. Shouldn’t your stomach be stronger being…” he lowered his voice again “Spider-man and all.” Peter thought if anyone was within at least a meter’s radius they’ve already found out Peter was Spider-man— the bad guy Peter was hunting down could have known— but good thing he steered Ned into a section where there were scarcely anybody since they embarrassed themselves in front of the lady and her vacuum. There were only a few ushers milling about on their phones, probably on their break.

Peter thought about what Ned said and sure, he should have some superhuman immune system but that didn’t stop him from having butterflies in his stomach when he saw MJ sketching in Prague. Maybe he wasn’t immune to everything.

“I guess I have a weakness,” Peter replied.

---

Back in the hotel, Peter made his usual phone call to Liz for a daily catch-up on each other’s lives. Liz moved to Oregon after a series of events that led to her father being detained, unaware that it was Peter who had caused it. Due to his guilt, he couldn’t help but console his high school crush even if she was a hundred miles away. The attraction that began in Midtown High sparked into a full-on flame and a long-distance relationship was born. It had been four years since they started and as much as people tried to tell them that phone calls and FaceTime would not keep up a relationship, Peter and Liz proved them all wrong.

“Hey, babe!” Liz brightly picked up the phone.

“Hey! How’s it going there?” Peter moved to the balcony for some privacy.

Inside the hotel room, MJ wrestled through the door with pillows tucked underneath her armpits, her curly hair covered her face. Ned turned to see what the noise is all about and jumped at the sight of her towering over him like a bigfoot.

“Oh my god! MJ!” Ned put his hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat slowly go back to a normal pace.

“Hey, Ned, can I crash here?”

“Sure! Just...go…” he looked around his and Peter’s messy room, “...you can just...put it anywhere I guess.”

MJ dumped her pillows on one of the beds and jumped in it. “Thanks. Where’s your loser friend?”

“Peter?”

“Yeah? Who else?”

“Having quality time with the girlfriend.” Ned pointed to the balcony where Peter was animatedly talking to Liz. He was looking out over the city and his laughter carried through into the room. MJ crossed her arms, feeling weird.

Michelle became close to Liz because of the decathlon team because otherwise, Liz would just be another airhead popular girl and Michelle would just be another girl bullied by the likes of her. But because of the decathlon, Michelle found out that Liz was honest-to-God one of the best girls she’s known. She was really different from the other snobby popular girls. She actually had substance and actually read for class or did the homework herself.

Michelle thought, finally a girl she could be friends with. A girl who she can stand and a girl who could stand her but before they could even get any closer…she moved. Figures. Liz was nice enough to keep in contact especially in passing the baton to MJ as captain of the decathlon team but after high school, they fell apart. Their conversations grew thin and messages were replied to every once in awhile. MJ didn’t talk to her like Peter did. Everyday.

“So. Ned.” MJ said, trying to remove her thoughts from Peter and Liz.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

Ned’s head whipped around so fast, “Excuse me?!”

“Wha-at?” MJ laughed.

“I would like to have you know…”

“...that you’re dating Betty?”

“I-- WAIT A MINUTE”

MJ went into a laughing fit.

“MJ? How? When?” Ned laughed with her. He knew that he and Betty being a thing wasn’t really a secret but they hadn’t really told anyone.

“I just figured. I’m observant, what can I say?” she said smugly.

“What about you and Mr. Romeo out there? Huh? Sneaking out...tsk tsk.”

“What? Peter? He was just an excuse to get out.”

“Riiiiight” Ned replied. It was his turn to be smug. “So where did you go?”

“How do you know he didn’t just have diarrhea?” MJ sassed.

“Because I know you and I know Peter. And because that excuse was lame I think even Professor McCallaghan saw right through it.” Ned said matter-of-factly.

MJ not seeing the point of hiding it from Ned said, “Prague.” It wasn’t a big deal anyways. Anyone could have been dragged to her yearning to get out and actually see the sights not just get stuck in stupid hall all day without experiencing any culture.It didn’t matter that it just so happened Peter woke up late and became the perfect excuse. MJ thought.

Ned’s jaw dropped. “I--I was kidding? You guys really?” MJ simply nodded.

“Unfair!”

Peter walked in at that moment. He asked, “What’s unfair?”

“I can’t believe you guys went to Prague without me!” Ned turned to Peter, a little mad. Peter was looking at MJ, surprised that she was in the room. MJ was smiling at Ned and turned to Peter and they caught each others’ eyes. Her face changed to a serious one, almost like she too was mad.

“Oh my god, Peter! I can’t believe you told Ned!”

“What? Wait!” Peter held his hands up, his phone still in his right hand. MJ got a peek and saw that Liz was his lockscreen wallpaper.

“Wait, MJ?” Ned said but Peter cut him off. He didn’t remember telling Ned they went to Prague. How did he know?, Peter thought.

“I-I-I didn’t tell him! I promise!” Peter stuttered. MJ burst out laughing and Ned followed suit, catching unto the joke. Peter was confused, watching them hysterically laugh at him. “I don’t get it.”

“MJ told me you guys went to Prague,” Ned explained.

“So why--?”

“I just wanted to see you squirm” MJ shrugged.

Peter shook his head, feigning annoyance but a smile was creeping from under his lips. “Why are you even here?”, again trying to sound annoyed.

“Amanda got a hold of the remote and has been glued to the TV watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Apparently, they’re having a marathon! I don’t want to spend the whole night trying to know the difference between Kiara and Kylie.”

“Kendall and Kylie” Ned said.

“Whatever!” MJ shook her head at Ned. “So I’m crashing here. Let’s watch a movie!” She snuggled into the bed she was in and snuggled her pillows around her. She grabbed the remote control and started looking through channels.

“That’s...my bed” Peter said softly.

“So?” MJ replied without looking at him.

“WAIT!” Ned shouted. Peter and MJ looked at him. “You guys...you still didn’t tell me why I couldn’t tag along to Prague!”

“It was MJ’s idea” Peter pointed at MJ.

“Simple. You can’t keep a secret” she jokingly gave Ned dagger eyes.

“You have underestimated me TWICE tonight Miss Michelle Jones!” Ned held up a finger in the air, lowering his voice to sound more ominous.

“Yeah? What secret have you kept, huh?” She taunted. “Tell me something I DON’T know” she turned her attention back to the TV.

“I haven’t told anyone Peter is Spi-” Peter tackled Ned to the ground.

“Neeeeed! Shu-shu-shhhh-Imgoingotkillyouneedtoughjustugh” they wrestled on Ned’s bed.

“I give! I give!” Ned yelled. MJ watched the two boys, amused.

“You haven’t told anyone Peter is what?”

“Uh….” Ned scrambled through his thoughts for answer but before he could find something believable Peter said:

“Smart! Ned…hasn’t told anyone…I’m smart…” his voice growing smaller as he kept talking.

“Yeah… as if getting into a good school wasn’t enough. What do you need Parker? A medal?”

“Yeah! Yeah! I haven’t told anyone Peter is smart,” Ned piped in trying to get on the conversation.

“Shut up. I heard what you said.”

“Whatdidhesay?!” Peter sputtered out.

“Spy? You haven’t told anyone Peter is a spy?”

“Uh….” It was Peter’s turn to scramble through his thoughts and it was Ned who pulled out an excuse:

“YEAH! Peter is spying…on…you…for Harry!”

Peter looked at Ned confused. WHAT? He thought. Why would I be spying on MJ? He tried to send this message telepathically to Ned or through his face at least. Ned replied to his face with a scared face of his own saying, oh shit that was a stupid answer.

“Why would you spy on me? For Harry?” MJ directed the question at Peter, moving closer to where he was standing and the hairs on his skin began to stand-up. The spidey-senses were feeling a threat.

“Uhm! Harry likes you!” Ned bursted out. He immediately clammed up his own mouth. Feeling stupid again. This wasn’t going well.

Peter was dumbfounded. They were in deep shit. The more they opened their mouths the stupider they got in front of MJ. The more their lie was getting holed.

“Harry…? Harry Osborne? Likes me?”

“Yeah but don’t tell him we told you,” Ned replied. Peter didn’t know how much of that was true but the thought of Harry liking MJ made him feel all sorts of stuff and none of them were good. It might have been the exhaustion of today or the fact that they just got through a whirlwind of lies to hide that Peter was Spider-man, but he swore he saw a smile pull at the lips of MJ.

Did she like him too? Peter thought.

Chapter 3

Note: leave messages! I like to hear what you thought of what I wrote haha! Thanks for liking the first one!

#spideychelle #spider-man: homecoming #spider-man homecoming #spider-man #spider-man x mj #mj #michelle jones #peter parker #petermj #peter x mj #peter x michelle #peter x michelle jones #mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #fan fic #fanfic #fan fiction #fanfiction

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thephantomofthe-internet · 5 years

Text

Charming Man

Steve Harrington x Reader

Word Count: 5, 618

Warnings: Cursing, Unwanted Male Advances

Author’s Note: I hit 2K!!! I had no idea I would ever get to such a milestone, much less in such a short amount of time! Thank you to everyone whose joined me on this tour of an ocean of flavor!

Tag List: @hotstuffhargrove @moonstruckhargrove @carolimedanvers @alex--awesome--22 @thechickvic @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @so-not-hotmess @agentsinstorybrooke @sunflowercandie @kaliforniacoastalteens @songforhema @spidey-pal @mickmoon

Steve Harrington was a nuisance. He didn’t know when to quit. If he asked you one more question about the stupid Wham! album, you were going to scream. But there you, with your big, fake smile that made the corners of your mouth hurt, nodding along to whatever Harrington was droning on about. You thought he was still contemplating the choice between the single and the whole record. He had made some comment about only needing the song Careless Whisper off the record and the salesgirl in you had tried to up sell him, suggesting buying the cassette and the single, to ensure that he didn’t need both. It was a terrible idea-singles were in essence, an awful to buy, but so was buying both the full cassette and the single, since it would cost twice as much than just buying the record. But you believed Harrington was just dumb enough to fall for the scheme. You’d gotten smarter boys to buy more than they needed. Last week, you’d been able to convince Keith to buy singles of a bunch of your favourite songs, purely because he was shamelessly trying to impress you. He failed to do so, but you might be getting a mix tape out of it, which wouldn’t be terrible. You collected mix tapes, especially mix tapes about broken hearts or first love. You planned to make an art installation with them, but for now they sat in a shoe box under your passenger seat.

“So, you think I should get the cassette and the single on record?” Steve asked, drawing you out of your thoughts. Your smile dropped slightly, trying to piece together what he was talking about.

You found it fast, nodding too enthusiastically “Yeah! I mean, between you and me, it’s a better deal...” you said, keeping your voice low as if it was a big secret what you were telling him.

“Is it?” Steve asked, crossing his arms over his chest, the record and tape still in hand, each poking out on either side of him. You stifled a yawn, nodding again. You’d been there since seven that morning and the mall was closing in an hour. You were beyond exhausted, but Tiffany Michaels called in sick, again, and so you had to cover again.

“Yeah!” you let your cheery tone fall away a bit, hoping the irritation slipping through would give him the hint to clear off. This interaction had been going on for a half hour now. It had started with him asking for record suggestions, which you took to mean ‘tell me the albums the popular hits on the radio are coming from’ and pattered off the top selling records from memory. You’d sold more copies of Madonna’s Like a Virgin in the past week than you could possibly keep track of, purely because people wanted the album with Material Girl or Like a Virgin or Into the Groove on it. Steve had gotten unsurprisingly interested in the album with Careless Whisper on it, as did most horn dog, wannabe players who came strutting into your store. You were more than happy to sell him the record and get on with your shift, but he wasn’t letting that happen.

“Cause, the full record’s like eight bucks.” He held up the tape “But the tape’s like six, plus three bucks for the single that’s like nine bucks, that’s more than the record.” He grinned, placing the tape on top of the single, handing them back to you as if they were yours.

You felt your face colour, in part because he’d taught you in your lie, but in part because he seemed genuinely proud of that mental math. “You’re...you’re right. I wasn’t thinking, sorry ‘bout that.” You said easily, shrugging as you placed the single back on the shelf and the tape into the plastic shopping basket on your arm. He’d caught you shelving tapes in the easy listening section half an hour ago and you weren’t allowed to shelf while talking to a customer, meaning you were forced to lug them around with you as Steve wandered, asking questions. And those things were heavy all lumped together! There had to be at least a hundred copies of Kate Bush’s Running Uphill and Whitney Houston’s Whitney Houston in your stupid basket!

“It’s cool, no biggie...I think I’ll just get the single, come back for the record if I like the song enough.” He decided with a small nod.

You grit your teeth. You wanted to scream about how singles were a waste of money and how you’d make no money on commission for that. Instead, you nodded “Great! If you just head to the counter, Michelle can check you. Enjoy your record!” you said, turning on your heel and practically rushing out of the stereo accessory section he’d dragged you to. You only had forty minutes to shelf all the tapes on your arm, or else you’d have to stay passed close to do it, which both your closing manager and you would hate.

“Hey, uh wait!” he called, chasing after you. You let out a small sigh, turning back with a painful smile. “I was sort of wondering, well maybe if you’d wanna maybe go out this weekend? They’re showing Dawn of the Dead at the theatre, I’ve heard it pretty good...” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, eyes drifting to the ceiling instead to yours.

Your brows furrowed. You weren’t expecting this from him. But, of course, he was not the first boy to ask you out while you were at work. It was a distressingly common theme. You assumed that guys liked that you had to be nice to them, or that they didn’t realize that you had to be nice and assumed that you were flirting. “Oh...um I’m working this weekend...” you said, shuffling on your feet. Most of the time, when guys ask you out at work, they seemed so confident and cocky, it was easy to reject them. But Steve looked genuinely nervous and you couldn’t place why.

Steve’s smirk only grew, he leaned in closer, trapping you against a rack of blank tapes “Aw come on, have a little fun, come out with me instead.” He said. You’d heard this shtick before, Billy Hargrove had tried it on you just a couple weeks prior. Having it come from Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, made you want to puke. Because you knew exactly where he’d been. With Billy, it was unclear; lots of girls lied about what they did and didn’t do with that boy. But everyone knew who did what with Harrington. You weren’t too interested in being put on a list.

“Yeah, I actually need the money so…no.” you replied, pushing out from under his arm and away from him. Steve stumbled back, shocked and a little mortified by how you’d reacted to his flirting.

Steve’s head dropped, his gaze focusing on his scuffed converse before he looked at you again “Yeah...yeah no that’s cool, no biggie. Some other time then...” he said awkwardly, brushing the singular strand of brown hair from his face. You didn’t say anything, what were you supposed to say? That you thought he was a douche and had zero interest in doing anything with him? That kind of language could get you fired. And you needed this job, you desperately needed a car for next year.

“I’ll see you around?” Steve tried awkwardly, his smile turning into a frown fast as you didn’t respond.

“Yeah sure.” You nodded “I gotta go shelf this stuff before the mall closes.” You headed back towards the easy listening section, trying not to cringe at the awkward interaction you’d just experienced. It was so very awkward! It was more fun to reject assholes who treated you like a well dressed object to leer and gawk at. Sam Goody didn’t have uniforms per say, simply a dress code to uphold; it was encouraged to look cool, hip, and young. As long as your shoes were black sneakers, your hair wasn’t fully in your face, and you could see your bottoms under your tiny apron, you were good. Which meant you chose your clothes carefully. Generally, you went with a patterned button down, which you could pop as many or as few buttons on as you want. That meant that you could be remembered by your male and female customers alike could either remember you by your name or as the chick with the great tits. It worked well.

But it also meant that guys like Steve Harrington talked to your chest.

And it was weird for Steve to talk to your chest! Especially since you and Steve had never had a conversation. Like ever. If you weren’t wearing a nametag, you’d be utterly shocked that he knew your name. Because he was the proverbial king of Hawkins and you were a nobody. Well, a nobody until someone wanted to use your employee discount. Then, suddenly you were the most popular girl in school. Hell, you should’ve gotten a job sooner, maybe you would’ve had a date to the spring formal last year.

Steve did buy the single. Even though he hated singles. Who wanted to listen to one song over and over again? Even if it had a B-side, it wasn’t worth the price. He bought it, he made sure to say that you helped him, and then he left. The mall was closing down, save the movie theatre, and he wanted to get home as soon as possible. That was so embarrassing. He didn’t even know why he tried, it wasn’t as if she had any pretence to him. All the other girls he’d been hitting on that summer were his age, they knew him and his style. They also knew about the most humiliating moment in his life, a lot of them were even there to experience it second hand. But you had only the rumours of his dickish tendencies to go off of. That wasn’t enough for anyone to work with.

But stupid Dustin had gotten it in his head that he had to get a girl, that Robin was the right girl. But Robin wasn’t the right girl, no way in hell. So he went in harder on trying to get a date. Every girl his age got hit on, he’d nearly got his ass beat by Justin Gardner after hitting on his girlfriend in front of him, but how was he supposed to know Justin was dating? Justin was a benchwarmer who couldn’t get a date if he paid them in school. Now suddenly he could get a hottie? Unbelievable.

It didn’t help that Dustin had a girlfriend now. And yes, it was embarrassing that Steve was jealous of a thirteen year old for having a girlfriend, he would never admit it out loud. But even though he didn’t believe that Suzie actually existed, it was slightly annoying that his dorky little friend could get a girlfriend and he couldn’t. He used to be able to get any girl he wanted! What happened? Did Nancy spread a rumour about him that he hadn’t heard yet? Was it because he lost a fight to both Billy Hargrove and Jonathan Byers? Or was it because he wasn’t going to college in the fall?

He was almost certain it was because he wasn’t going to school in the fall.

That and the dorky sailor outfit he had to wear at Scoops Ahoy!

The dumb Dixie cup hat and sailor shirt were totally throwing off his game. That’s why he was looking forward to going to the mall that day, out of uniform, to scope babes. He didn’t have much success, but he was a little bit excited to see you out of uniform. He’d seen you about a dozen times, all while you were at work, leaned over the counter, sometimes chewing on the end of a pen, sometimes laughing with coworkers or customers. You always looked so...well beautiful. He had to see it up close. And you just a beautiful up close, but it was obvious that you were uncomfortable too. Still, you were cute. He wished that you were a year older, that you already had all the context to his life. But what could he do? He wasn’t going back in there, not with you wandering around with your judgy eyes. It would be humiliating.

And he was already humiliating himself enough that summer.

You finished shelving the tapes in record time, mostly because the shop was empty and Michelle was thoroughly annoyed by your usual slow closes. You wanted to do a good job with your work and not rush the job, whereas Michelle just wanted to leave as fast as possible. After Sean, your least threatening manager, locked up the shop, the three of you all headed towards the exit. You rode your bike to work, since your mother almost never lent you the family car, but at night you felt less and less comfortable riding home. Sometimes Sean would offer you a ride, but ever since he and Michelle started hooking up, the rides got less and less frequent and when they did happen, Sean would spend the whole time complaining about the ambiguity of his relationship with Michelle. You didn’t take the rides home too often anymore. Not that one would be offered tonight, Michelle had latched herself onto his arm and had nuzzled so deep into his neck that you wondered if she could even see where she was going.

“You want a ride, Y/N?” Sean called as you exited into the parking lot. Sean’s burgundy pickup truck was parked so close to the doors and your legs were so tired. But taking the ride home meant that you’d either have to sit next to them on the front seat or in the trunk part with your bike. And neither option sounded too much better than peddling home.

“Nah, thanks though, I’d rather ride home.” You said with a smile, heading over to the bike racks and pulling the key out from around your neck and off your head, jabbing it into the padlock and clicking the lock open, wrapping the chain around the neck of your bike.

“You sure? It’s pretty dark already...” Sean replied, looking around the desolate parking lot, more concerned than he really needed to be.

“Baby, she said she’s fine.” Michelle said, resting a hand on his chest. Sean didn’t argue passed that and you turned on your bright bike light, swinging your leg over the seat and propped your foot on the peddle, pushing off.

You sped home, making it back to your house in record time. Your mother had left you a note by the door, explaining that she’d taken your younger sister to ballet class and she’d be home late. You crumpled up the note paper, tossing it into the waste paper bin by the powder room door, climbing the stairs and heading into the bathroom, turning on the hot water in your tub and letting it start to fill up. You were rifling through the pile of magazines next to your bed, trying to find the latest issue of cosmo you’d nicked from the corner store just a couple days ago.

Across town, Steve was hiding in his room. His father had ripped him a new one. Again. Turns out, his sailor suit was still laughable a month in to him having to wear it. He still wasn’t over the fact that Steve hadn’t gotten into college and he couldn’t get a better job than ice cream scooper part time. His standards of jobs in Hawkins was a bit too high, in Steve’s opinion. Still, his degrading of him at every turn was getting exhausting. He flopped on his mattress pitifully.

“This whole summer has been a nightmare…” you both muttered, you as you slipped into the steamy water, Steve as he kicked off his thick white socks.

Working at Sam Goody had many perks, like not having a stupid uniform and not smelling like spoiled food all the time, but you spent your time surrounded by assholes. You wanted to meet one nice guy. One guy who didn’t leer down your top and talk to your tits, who didn’t smirk at you or call you ‘baby’, ‘sugar’, or ‘honey’. Just one descent guy who’d treat you like a person instead of a sex doll. God, you would’ve said yes to Harrington if you weren’t working, at least at first. Once he pulled the macho, ‘I know you want me baby’ shit you were out completely. But for a second, when he was rambling on about Dawn of the Dead, you felt like you could stomach a night out or two with him

Meanwhile, Steve just wanted to feel like himself again. His whole last year of high school had been hell on his confidence. First, Nancy dumps him, then Billy Hargrove takes over his team and steals all his friends, then he didn’t get into college, and then Scoops Ahoy? It was all too much. He’d never felt like a loser in his life. He used to be liked, he used to be popular. And yeah, being popular didn’t really matter anymore, but for one last summer before everything changed on him, he wanted to be someone again. Just for a minute. And maybe that’s why he was acting like such an asshole. Because he needed some control over his life. He wished he could’ve gotten in under control when he was talking to the pretty girl in the record store, he made himself into such a douche. That wasn’t who he was, but she didn’t know that. God, he wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

You turned your head up to the ceiling, letting your sweaty neck stick to the cold tile behind your head. You didn’t want to go to work the next day, at least you had the morning shift. Tracey Lords would hopefully make into her shift that day. She hated opening shifts, so the pair of you often traded. You’d still have to stay behind if you got a bit of a rush, which you were expecting. Tomorrow was Friday, when the buses filled with the townies from the neighbouring towns and cities, all coming to bask in the free A/C and glorious shopping experiences. You hated Fridays, they always brought in the worst types of people, mostly shoplifters, who totally ruined your sales for the week. You vowed to stop stealing magazines from the Pick n’ Save after you saw your commission rates plummet after last Friday and a terrible group of greedy kids stole up your section.

Steve really didn’t want to go to the mall at all the next day, if only because he didn’t want to see you in his stupid sailor and hat, walking around like the geek of the week. He just wanted to hide away every shift. But the malls back hallways didn’t lead to any bathrooms, so he was forced to wander the mall like an idiot every time he needed to alleviate himself. He didn’t want you to see him like that. His confidence was already so low, he didn’t need to crumble up what was left of it.

Steve fell asleep that night with dreams of a face, undefined beyond a set of eyes, a nose, and a wide smile. No matter what he said in the dream, the person, a girl his dream decided for him, just smiled and laughed. The eyes were so deep and wide, they took up most of his memory of the dream, although he couldn’t even really place the colour of them, just that they looked at him so lovingly. The way he longed for someone to look at him. He woke up the next morning still in his sailor suit, with the eyes following him to work.

Across town, you woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep. You woke up well rested for the first time in weeks, it was as though someone slipped a sleeping pill in your bath water the night before and it sent you crashing into the pillow with your whole body ready and willing to sleep. You went into work happier than ever, high on the endorphins a good night’s sleep gave you.

Both you and Steve left for work at the exact same time that morning, unaware of your paths even crossing. You headed upstairs to meet Toby, who had the keys to unlock the store, and set to work straightening up the shop and opening your register for the day. Kim Rein sauntered in twenty minutes late, fifteen minutes before the mall opened and you tried not to give her too much side eye. Steve started his own open a level below, restocking cones and cups and filling his soap and sanitizer buckets under the counter.

Once the mall opened, you suffered through four hours of stupid people with stupid questions about terrible albums. You sold three copies of Kate Bush’s Running Uphill, which was an accomplishment for you, since her last album was the only popular due to the hilariously weird Wuthering Heights. You were bored by two in the afternoon, when Toby finally sent you on break. All you wanted was a damn Orange Julius and you’d pay any amount for one.

Likewise, Steve was very much over his shift around the same time when Robin finally agreed to let him go on his damn break. He just needed to get out of the stupid shop. He was going to go to the cheap vending machine, the one by the cafeteria bathrooms, to get a can of Coke. Both of you headed into the shopping mall, trying to avoid anyone you knew.

Unfortunately, you ran directly into Tommy Hanson.

Tommy Hanson was an asshole and a bully. He didn’t know how to treat anyone decently. He stepped all over people. Was it any wonder that Carol broke up with him at least twice a year? It just so happened that Carol dumped him during the summer.

And now he was standing in front of you, blocking your way to the sweet, sweet Orange Julius.

“Y/N, baby, looking foxy as always.” He said, running his tongue over his upper lip. He’d stolen that look from Billy Hargrove and it didn’t work for either of them.

“Tommy.” You replied, skirting passed him and into the short line, keeping your eyes on the board above the shop.

“Why you rushing off, baby?” he asked, following behind you “I just wanna talk for a second…” you didn’t reply, ignoring him as best you could. ”You’re stunning, you know that? Absolutely gorgeous…” his eyes ran over your body like a tongue; his gaze was thick and hot, it made you want to cringe and pull away.

“Thank you.” You said shortly, getting to the front of the line and ordering quickly.

“What’d you say we go into the back, fool around for a bit?” he asked in your ear. You grimaced, glaring at him before moving out of the way for the next person.

“Don’t make me puke, Hanson.” You snapped, grabbing your blended drink from the poor server having to watch the scene going on between you and Tommy.

“Aw come on, don’t be such a bitch, Y/N.” Tommy whined, grabbing your drink from your hands “You know you want to...”

You reached for your drink, but Tommy just pulled it away. God, he was such a damn child. “Tommy, give me back my drink.” You said sternly.

“Come with me, I’ll give it back when we’re done, you’ll need it more then anyway.” He replied cheekily.

Steve saw this scene going down from the vending machine. He contemplated going over there when Tommy first walked over; he knew that the guy had gotten pretty scummy since he started hanging out with Billy. But when he starting grabbing things from you and taunting you, Steve couldn’t help but go over there.

“Dude,” Steve said, grabbing the drink out of Tommy’s hand, hovering over him. “You wanna try to get a decent personality?”

You looked between the pair of them, trying to decide if you could run off while they were arguing. But you paid good money for that drink and you really wanted it. You realized quickly that Tommy wasn’t going to let this go, and you really couldn’t stand the kid as is. You made your move fast.

“Steve!” you gasped with a shrill giggle “There you are!” you walked over to him, taking the drink he offered shyly and wrapping an arm around his waist. “So are you gonna take me out this weekend or not?” you asked, batting your eyelashes up at him. Steve looked utterly startled, but he didn’t react poorly.

“Course, darling...” he cooed. Steve could’ve died; you made such a disgusted face at the nickname he would’ve happily melted into the tile and be mopped up by Larry the janitor. But you didn’t pull your arm away.

“Walk me back to work?” You asked sweetly. Steve nodded, not trusting himself to not say anything embarrassing. You waved to Tommy, letting Steve lead you away from him, taking a long sip from your drink. It was already melting, but it was still sweet and cold, so you didn’t mind. And Steve had helped you out, although somewhat unwillingly, which was certainly an improvement.

Steve looked back only once, but the look on Tommy’s face was priceless. He looked so annoyed and more than a little broken up about his snatching away of you. His ego hadn’t been this inflated since October of last year. He felt like he was on cloud nine, like he was finally himself again. And even when you let him go, he still felt good about himself.

“Thanks for the help, Harrington.” You bit out once you were far enough away from Tommy.

“Sure, no problem. You want me to walk you back upstairs or are you good?” Steve asked, cracking his can of New Coke. He didn’t love New Coke, but it was all the vending machine was serving and he was just desperate enough to drink it.

You sighed “No I’m alright, I’m still on break, so I’m just gonna go hide somewhere.”

“You can hide at Scoops.” Steve blurted. He mentally kicked himself in the ass, it was such a stupid idea. The upstairs stores had break rooms, you didn’t need to hide with him.

You raised an eyebrow, watching him carefully. Steve swallowed, finishing the thought “The place is busy enough as is and if Tommy walks in, well he already thinks something is happened with...us, he won’t try anything else.”

“Won’t your boss get mad if I’m in there, not eating ice cream?” you asked.

“Oh he’s never here. Me and Robin have keys so we switch between opening and closing. You’re totally good.” Steve explained, scuffing the toe of his shoe into the ground, making a black mark on the white and teal tiles.

“Robin...like Robin Buckley?” you asked, stopping dead in the middle of the hall.

“I think that’s her last name?” Steve replied, scrunching up his face in thought.

“Oh I can’t. She hates me. My friend Tammy told everyone in our sophomore year history class that she was weird and avoided her for like a month. I didn’t do shit, but you know, loyalties and shit.” You explained, running your hands through your hair, slightly embarrassed by the memory.

Steve thought for a moment, an idea slowly coming into view. “She won’t even know that you’re there, come on!” he said, grabbing your hand and dragging you off. You gasped, laughing as you ran to keep up with him.

Steve dragged you through the back halls and rooms leading behind the shops. You hadn’t been through the lower level’s back halls and they were much more expansive that the upstairs halls. The whole space still felt eerie, but much cooler than the upper level. Steve pulled you into one of the rooms and you spotted the nautical theming of the shop. Steve rushed and shut a divider themed with dark wood and glass bricks.

“There, she won’t know that you’re here and you can hide from Tommy. Easy.” Steve said proudly, hopping up on the ledge.

“Can’t she hear you talking to someone?” you chuckled, pulling out the awful plastic folding chair and sitting down.

“Eh, we’re busy enough for her to not notice or care. Probably think I’m talking to myself or something.”

You leaned back in your chair, letting the front legs of the chair raise into the air as you crossed your arms over your chest. “You talk to yourself a lot, Harrington?” you asked cheekily.

Steve shrugged “Only when I’m really trying to break something down.” He replied. You were surprised and a little refreshed by the honesty. You didn’t expect him to be honest with you; you expected him to lie or try to pull some cool line. It was nice that he wasn’t trying so hard.

“What about you? I bet you’re the stone silent type, keeping it all inside.” Steve added, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“You’re not wrong...” you grinned, cocking your head to the side. You let the front legs drop back down to the ground with a tinny smack, your arms unfurling themselves to balance yourself. “But I sing to myself all the time.”

Steve’s grin turned lopsided and you wondered what exactly what was going through his head. “Really?” he asked.

“Yeah...I find it calming. It helps me to focus my mind, sometimes it just a singular line of a song, over and over again until I get whatever I’m trying to do done.”

“Doing a lot of singing nowadays?”

You sighed “Pretty much...you doing a lot of talking?”

“All I do is talk now.”

You nodded to yourself, forcing the chair to turn towards Steve and centring yourself on it, resting your arms on your knees and looking up at him. “Alright, what’s happening with you?” you asked.

Steve turned away slightly “Ah geez...I mean haven’t you heard? I’m like the only guy who didn’t get into any colleges. I’m stuck here for another year, working and trying to get my shit together.” He ran his fingers angrily through his hair, ripping at the strands as if they hurt him personally.

“I mean...that fucking sucks. But you’ll be okay.” You replied “I mean, look on the bright side, you have another year to be something else.”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, furrowing his brow.

“You get a fresh start in a world you already know. You don’t have to be the jerk everyone in school knew you as. And you don’t have to mope around either. You can just be...you.” You smiled to yourself over that answer. Steve had given you a hard puzzle to solve, and while you couldn’t solve it for him, you were glad to have an answer at all.

Steve chuckled, although he wasn’t sure why, nor did you. “Oh yeah? And who is me?” he asked.

You shrugged “I have no idea. I don’t think most people do.”

Steve’s expression changed to one you couldn’t read. He nodded to himself, leaning back onto the glass. He let out a deep sigh “Honestly? I don’t even know anymore...” That wasn’t a shock to you, but you didn’t say that out loud. Steve cracked a smirk “Who did you think I was?”

“Oh...I have no idea.” You leaned back in your chair, letting out a big breath “I didn’t really know you, just your reputation. I only knew the bad stuff, which made you seem like an asshole.”

Steve’s smile dropped and he looked away “Yeah...you aren’t the only one who thinks that...” he admitted sadly.

“But...I mean I didn’t have any proof till yesterday. That guy was a real asshole.” Steve’s face dropped further, but you didn’t try ease the blow you’d just sent him.

“Yeah...I’m sorry ‘bout that.” He muttered, looking up to finally meet your eye.

You nodded, sighing softly “It’s alright, no biggie. I get it now.” You said.

Steve found a small smile again “What do you think of this guy?” he asked, unashamed of the slightly embarrassing question.

You placed a finger on your chin, raising your eyes to the ceiling to truly think. “Hmm...I think I like this guy better.”

Steve smirked “Yeah?” he hopped off the ledge, inching towards you. You didn’t move, watching him stalk over to you.

“Just a little...” you pinched your finger and thumb together, showing an inch in between. “I’d like you more if you wore normal clothes.” Steve rolled his eyes, his hands coming cautiously to your face, pulling it up to kiss you. You didn’t resist his grab, easing yourself out of the chair, shoving your hands into your back pockets.

“Alright, what the hell is going on in there?!?!” The divider slammed against its sleeve violently and Steve snapped his head around. Robin was staring at you incredulously. She looked more than a little furious, but it melted away when you met her eye.

“Oh god, really dingus? Her?” Robin scoffed. Steve merely shrugged, turning his attention back to you without a word.

“You mind shutting the divider, Buckley?” you asked “Harrington’s a bit busy...” you grabbed his fake tie, pulling his lips to yours, the sound of the divider slapping shut the only sound left in the room.

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briclopedia · 6 years

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News Flash: Everyone’s met Stan Lee!

– Ralph Garman, Co-host of Hollywood Babble-On, heckling an audience member who was bragging about meeting Stan Lee at their job

I never met Stan Lee.

Just staring at those words have an emotional impact I can’t even begin to describe…but it’s true. I never met Stan Lee, but he’s always been a constant presence in my life. A source of insight and above all else, boundless inspiration. For that reason, (and the fact that he was of advanced age when I was old enough to read Secret Wars), I always called him “Grandpa Stan” in my head.

I’d like to think I’m not alone in adopting Stan Lee as my grandpa, or at the very least, a distant but beloved family member.

The Strange Kid

All throughout my childhood-actually, even well into my adulthood-my dad frequently referred to me by a name shared by one of Stan’s most popular creations:

I know it’s not the traditional red & blue “underoos”. But if I really were Spidey, I’d be rocking the cloth version of the black costume.

Dad really did know best, as there were a lot of common characteristics. Both of us were gangly, awkward, never quite fit in (and endlessly self-conscious because of it), stuggling to keep life balanced and prone to SMH levels of bumbling.

But we were also both capable of finding solutions to problems no one else could because we saw them from angles no one else did. In the clutch, that uncertainty and self-doubt gave way to insane amounts of heart that would lead us to pull off things no one would ever even think to try…both because they needed to be done, and because we couldn’t bear the burden of letting down those who counted on us. Even when we feel like we have nothing left, we’d rather die than fail them.

Yup, this inspired that scene from Homecoming. But here, Spider-Man was exhausted and being chased by an army “The Master Planner’s” goons while Aunt May was dying of radiation poisoning

Maybe dad saw where Stan was going when he purposely gave Spider-Man a full face mask so boys/men of all races could see themselves as ol’ Webhead, and that degree of vision is part of why the legacy of Stan’s characters endured long after he stopped writing them.

There were times where Spidey catching a big break gave me hope; finally becoming a full-time Avenger (after decades of being the designated loner who could only work with teams occasionally, despite having a comic dedicated to him literally teaming up with everybody) was one of them.

The other was his marriage to Mary Jane Watson; again, this was after years of bumps in the road, an off-again, on-again relationship, and Pete popping the question and getting rejected twice. Thankfully, the third time was the charm, and we all benefited from years’ worth of stories of them together.

This moment, from Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #53…it encapsulates so much in terms of how wondrous true love can be, even during the quieter moments:

And I, a (then) 22 year old lover of all things comic books who yearned for romance and was often spurned, read that and thought to himself: One day. One day, I’ll know that kind of love and it’ll all be worth it. While Lee didn’t write this himself, he created the character and set the tone. He gave the world the underdog who, in spite of his power, struggled to balance his responsibilities and his personal life. Even when he triumphed, there would be another area of his life where he’d fail to hold it together in spectacular fashion.

In spite of all that-being the awkward, misunderstood loner who couldn’t quite keep it all together-he found love with a woman who made his wildest dreams pale in comparison.

Through Spider-Man and so many of his other creations, Stan Lee provided hope and inspiration for so many of us. Just ask the blind people who draw inspiration from Daredevil and thanked Lee for having the vision to create a blind superhero.

Not to mention all of us who grew up X-Men fans, and identified with the themes of persecution and ostracism because we were minorities, or had handicaps, or in some way, shape or form, we were just…different. We felt the need to belong, to be understood and have people to relate to, a community to be part of. (Plus, the idea of being different from others serving as the source of our literal power is…well, lit.)

I could literally go on, and on, and on…in fact, it doesn’t feel right to not at least allude to how Reed Richards made complex science seem simple. But we have to move on to the one thing I never got the chance to thank Grandpa Stan for, but will be eternally grateful he passed on all the same.

How The Marvel Method Saved my Sanity

I guess one person can make a difference.

-Stan Lee

Sometime around mid-2014, I was rotating between three jobs’ worth of responsibilities to help keep a nonprofit organization afloat. (Partly my fault for being adept at implementing technology-based solutions.) In the case of the added responsibilities, both fell under the “all problems ran directly to my doorstep” category. Because one of those jobs was “Resume Writer” and my main job was “Instructional Technologist”, which is a fancy way of saying I taught people who didn’t know how to use computers how to get jobs using computers. Ironically, there was more demand for the former, as people can’t even begin to apply to jobs unless they have a resume.

If not for Grandpa Stan’s tales of “The Marvel Method”, I’d have drowned in an ocean of resume worksheets and burnt myself out (even further).

At this point, you might be wondering: What is the Marvel Method, and what in the hell does it have to do with resume writing?

I’m so glad you asked. Story Time!

When Stan was co-creating the Marvel Universe with his artistic contemporaries, he was literally juggling so many titles that it became impossible for him to follow the traditional “write a complete script and submit it to the artist” model. He’d have blown deadlines left and right, and Marvel would have fallen as quickly as it rose. So “Stan the Man” would give his artists overall plots and have them begin drawing the pages, then fill in the dialogue. If the artist wasn’t taking the story in a direction Stan agreed with, he’d sit down with them and clarify/agree on a creative vision. (This is why he was so insistent on calling himself the Co-Creator of the Marvel Universe.)

This gave me the idea of going over the resume worksheets to determine whether the resume needed to be in chronological or functional format (if you don’t know what those terms mean, wrote a how-to on both here) and started creating resume “shells”: prestructured versions of resumes where the only thing that needed to be filled in were the bullet lists of the individual job responsibilities. I could fabricate 5-8 shells in 30 minutes or so (rather than 45+ minutes per resume), which is vital when dealing with impatient-and often hostile- clients and job developers who would “bump” them up in line by sending them on an interview that morning (because both were trying to get around my afternoon appointment hours). If someone came for their resume early, I’d just fill in the responsibilities and send them on their way.

I can’t overstate the impact The Marvel Method of Resume Writing (as I’ll forever call it) had on me. It came at a time in my life where professionally, everyone was barking problems at me and when I asked for solutions (or at the very least, some constructive criticism), it was met with either hostility or silence. In every sense, I was scrambling to find solutions and falling short at every turn, and it wore on me in ways I’m still recovering from.

My own family, several members of whom pride themselves on being professionals who are managers and/or work in Human Resources, would admonish me for not being able to do better.

But good ol’ Grandpa Stan was there without actually being there, and might as well have literally said “Hey, Brian. I know times are tough at your job, I’ve been in tight spots myself. Here’s what I did; maybe it’ll work for you.” (in fact, I literally heard him say that in my head as I typed this.)

Without ever having met me, Stan Lee both saved me and provided me with an invaluable lesson to pass along to everyone, and I will be forever indebted to him for it.

Excelsior!

Catch phrases were to Stan Lee what peanut butter is to chocolate. He was fond of calling Marvel fans “True Believers” (both verbally and in print) and was especially fond of signing off with “Excelsior!”

During season one of Who Wants to be a Super Hero?, Stan revealed why: it means “Onward and upward, to greater things.” That’s not only why he said it, but why he created what he did.

Excelsior, Grandpa Stan. Thank you for the lessons, thank you for everything you’ve created, all of the inspiration you’ve provided, and all that you’ll continue to inspire long after we’re all gone. Thank you for saving so many of us in small but unforgettable ways. You’ll always make us Marvel.

(And forgive me if, upon seeing the words “In Loving Memory of Stan Lee” at the end of the next Avengers movie, I weep like a child who’s lost a loved one.)

Excelsior News Flash: Everyone's met Stan Lee! - Ralph Garman, Co-host of Hollywood Babble-On, heckling an audience member who was bragging about meeting Stan Lee at their job…

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coffee-and-kpop · 6 years

Text

Spider-Man! Jeon Jungkook

okay okay okay omg so I watched Spider-Man Homecoming like last week because I haven’t yet and Spider-man is legit my favorite superhero and not even because of his powers but because Peter Parker is literally the cutest dork ever and I’ve legit felt this way since the first three movies came out like Peter is my fave and Spider-man is my fave too // Tom Holland is also cute af and it’s rare for actors to actually catch my eye like that so I’m loving his Peter Parker so much lmao // fun fact too I hate spiders lol Living in Miami I can deal with roaches and other bugs and lizards and shit but never spiders, I’d rather burn my house down to kill a spider than get near it lmao BUT I DIGRESS

Let’s start with the AU!!!

Word Count: 2129

Masterlist

To start, I literally cannot see anybody else in BTS but Jungkook as Spider-man

I tried fitting Yoongi to Spider-man, because Yoongi is my ult ;u; but it just didn’t feel right

Jungkook is the best one

Both are young idiots

Nerdy af

Photography // i miss old Spidey :’) //

Fit

Get awkward and nervous every now and then

But very cute and caring

Looking out for the little guy

Jungkook also wouldn’t tell anybody

At all

At first he used to help out in the Busan area, while he was in highschool

For college he moved to Seoul

And many were surprised to see Spidey swinging around in Seoul

Jungkook was actually nervous about going to college in Seoul

He knew it came with a risk

But so far nothing seemed off so he continued to do what he did in Busan

He attended his classes and the second he was done he went off on a patrol around the city

At this point at lot of people suspected what school Spider-man was going to

He was often spotted on top of the building that was his dorm

So he stopped staying there too often and frequently stayed around various other places

It was getting pretty late and Jungkook had a paper due the next morning

He hadn’t started it yet

Much less actually knew what he was going to write about

So he decided to head back to his dorm

But first

He had to change back to Jungkook

He dropped down in the alley where he left his book bag and clothing

It was dark

But thanks to his spider powers

That wasn’t a problem for him

He quickly located his bag and opened it

Ready to get his clothing out

Until you suddenly appeared

Jungkook tried to put on his mask

His sudden panic prevented him from actually getting it on properly

So he quickly jumped behind a dumpster near him

He poked his head out slightly to see why you were here

When he suddenly saw two other figures following behind you

You told them to please leave you alone

Stating that you had no cash on you

The two figures scoffed

One man and one woman maybe?

Jungkook slowly put his bag down behind the dumpster

After calming down a bit he finally put his mask back on

The two people still had some distance to you

No visible weapons out

Jungkook decided to climb the wall behind him slowly

Making sure he wasn’t seen

That was until he saw the woman pull out a gun and point it right at you

Jungkook quickly went into action

He shot a string of web at the gun and disarmed the woman

They both stood confused at the weapon suddenly gone from their hand

“Man, I find it really unfair you guys are teaming up on one person”

The man and the woman both look at each other before looking around at where the voice came from

“Do you mind if I join to even it out?”

Jungkook appeared behind the pair and tied them up with the web

Fairly easy this time

Normally people do a better job at fighting back

But he wasn’t one to complain

“Oh, looks like I won!”

Jungkook walked over to you and asked if you were okay

Other than being shaken up a bit

You were fine

He called the cops and they asked you a few questions when they arrived

You were about to leave when Spider-man called after you

Jungkook offered to walk you home

And you agreed

However you didn’t walk to a house

Instead to walked to a dorm

His college dorm

Jungkook got a bit nervous

You told him thank you and that you’ll be on your way then

Jungkook nodded and quickly left after you were inside

He got his things from the alley and changed before rushing back to his dorm

The second he walked in he went straight for the showers

Even though the two people from earlier weren’t much of a challenge

He still felt tired and the hot water on his skin helped him relax a bit

After walking back to his room

he quickly checked that his roommate was asleep before taking out his suit from his bag and shoving it under his bed

At that point Jungkook flopped onto his bed and slid under the cover

And he did not do his paper

The next morning was probably the worst for Jungkook

It wasn’t until he was inside his class that he realized that he had not done the paper

And that you were actually his classmate

To his luck

You didn’t sit beside him

You prefered to sit in the back-middle area while he sat towards the front

But that still didn’t save him from becoming your partner for a class assignment

Jungkook shifted nervously in his seat

Even though he had his mask on last night

And he knew that there was no way you could know he was Spider-man

He was still nervous to death

Although you didn’t notice that he was the famous web slinger

You did notice his obvious nervousness

And you became worried

“Are you okay?”

Your sudden question made Jungkook jumped slightly

Giving you a forced smile while he nodded excessively

“Y-Yeah! Totally c-cool! Nothing wrong…”

You gave him a smile back and a nod

Turning back to pay attention to the teacher

Jungkook let out a huge breath and relaxed just a tiny bit

You both worked on the assignment together

Only spoke when you had to

Things were great

Until the professor announced that the next project was to be done with your current partner

Jungkook felt his heart drop

You turned to him and awkwardly asked for his number

So you could plan your meet ups for the project obviously

Jungkook got your number as well

You mentioned you had a pretty free schedule the next week

You could meet up almost every day and get the project done and over with

He only nodded and gave you the same sort of forced smile

“Yeah, t-that be g-great!”

You got up and grabbed your things and headed to your next class

Jungkook went back to his dorm

Luckily, he only had one class that day

And it was over

But life still kept throwing things at him

The second he opened the door

He saw his roommate holding his suit

His Spider-man suit

At the moment Jungkook wished he had never left Busan

Jimin, his roommate, turned around when he heard the door open

Jungkook quickly closed the door and locked it and grabbed the suit from him

“You’re Spider-man…”

He turned to Jimin and shook his head

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”

Jimin quickly walked over to Jungkook

“That’s Spider-man’s suit. Why do you have Spider-man’s suit. You are Spider-man!”

“Nope. Nope. Nope. I am not Spider-man.”

“Jungkook! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Because I don’t want anybody to know!”

“So you are Spider-man!”

“I’m not Spider-man!”

Jimin smirked and grabbed the suit from Jungkook’s hands

“This is too cool…”

Jungkook scratched the back of his head

Obviously frustrated

“Yeah, but you can’t tell anybody or say anything. Like, at all.”

Jimin turned to Jungkook looking amazed

“Why not! You’d become super famous and popular!”

Jungkook shook his head and grabbed the suit and shoved it under his bed

“No. Nobody can know. Got it?”

Jimin huffed but nodded

Jungkook sighed and nodded as well

And then you sent him a text

>You think you can do Saturday afternoon? -Y/N

He could easily push his Saturday patrol to the evening

It wasn’t a big deal.

>Yeah, I can do Saturday. Library? -JK

>Sounds good -Y/N

Jungkook turned to find Jimin looking over his shoulder

He started teasing him about having a date but Jungkook quickly said it was for a project

Jimin shrugged it off and left running to his next class realizing he was late

Jungkook prayed Jimin wouldn’t tell anybody

Or let it slip by accident

And soon, Saturday came around

The project was fairly easy

You were both smart and finished the rough draft the first day

Now all that’s left is a bunch of revising and turning it in

Since it was nearly lunch time you offered Jungkook to get a coffee with you

Jungkook looked nervously between you and the time

But agreed anyways

He had time

Just a little bit of time

He had to do his patrol soon

You asked him questions over coffee

What his major was

Hobbies

Family back home

Both of you shared a bit in common

Jungkook did photography while you did painting and drawing

He liked video games and you did a bit of animation when you had time

You also moved away from home to go to college

Then you asked about Spider-man

And Jungkook felt his soul leave his body

You told him that Spider-man had saved you twice already

Jungkook tilted his head in confusion

When had he saved you before?

You told him that you had just gotten to Seoul

Walking out of the airport and trying to get a taxi

As you crossed the street a car was coming towards you too quickly

Suddenly you felt something pull you back and away from the car’s way

When you turned you saw a sticky web hanging from the back of your sweater

Jungkook remembered that too

He had just arrived to Seoul as well

The second he pulled you back he ran away from the scene and quickly got into a taxi

He felt bad he couldn’t ask if you were okay

But it wasn’t like he could change into Spider-man in that second

Then he told you about the night not long ago

This one he had no trouble remembering

Though you told Jungkook you often wondered if Spider-man remembered you

He shrugged and smiled

“Why wouldn’t he? Who could forget you?”

The sentence left his mouth before he could think and he felt his soul leave his body again

You blushed

Playboy Jungkook is coming watch out omg

“Ah- I mean! You- um… you’re...great! And he probably remembers you!”

Jungkook looked at the time and his eyes widened

He quickly apologized and said he had to go

He ran towards a nearby alley and changed into Spider-man

Did his usual patrol and went back to his dorm

And it continued like that

Jimin didn’t tell anybody

He met up with you for the project

Had coffee after

He left rushing after apologizing over and over again

Jungkook seemed to always lose track of time around you

He never understood why

But soon, you guys finished with the project

That meant no more coffee together

And a part of Jungkook hurt

He shrugged it off quickly

Spending more time out on patrols to distract himself from the hurt he felt

Eventually he saw you again

But not in the way he hoped to see you

You were obviously on your way back to your dorm

But some random person was following you

You kept looking behind to see if they were there

And they kept getting faster and closer towards you

Jungkook didn’t hesitate on punching them in the face and tying them up

When you saw Spider-man you felt relieved and walked over to him

Jungkook asked if you were okay and you smiled

After seeing that you were fine he smiled as well

Not that you could see anyways because of the mask but ANYWAYS

“I wonder why you keep getting into trouble?”

You were surprised by the sudden question

Spider-man did remember you

“You remember… me?

Jungkook let out a soft laugh and nodded

“Of course I do. Who could forget you?”

Jungkook’s heart stopped

“Uh- I mean, I saved you three times already right? You should really stop getting in trouble. I sort of have to go now. Your dorm isn’t far right? Get home safe. Just scream if you need help. Gotta go bye!”

And with that Jungkook quickly left swinging away as fast as possible

Yet you were left with a growing suspicion of who was under that mask

Maybe, you would ask a certain Jeon Jungkook tomorrow

You laughed to yourself and walked home

In truth, you knew it was Jungkook under the mask

You found a page of multiple designs for his suit in his pile of notes for the project

You meant to ask him about it

But whenever the topic of Spider-man came up, he was suddenly rushing out in a hurry

So you never brought it up

And you never told a soul

Ahhhhhhhh so this is just a quick thing I wrote for myself since a blast of inspiration hit me for it

I just really love Spider-man guys I’m a huge loser

I also wrote this on Thursday last week but decided to post this now lol

But anyways, I’m sorry I haven’t posted more of my requests yet. I am currently working on a few requests and I’ve had a bit of problems with family, college stress and other stuff that take up my time or leave me just dead tired. I also just got a new phone this weekend. My last one was a bit glitchy so I can finally do edit requests without it getting deleted. I do my edits on my phone it’s just easier for me ^-^’ You can still send in requests if you’d like btw! Just make sure to check my rules, who I write for, and what is open at the moment!

-SugaMint🍭

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #spiderman #kpop #bts #jungkook bts #bts kpop #spidey #au #spiderman au #kpop au #jjk #sugamint #admin sugamint

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