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twothumbsandnostakeincanon · 3 months

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got possessed by a writing ghost for exactly two pages.

Re: this post.

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Stiles wasn't even supposed to be in this part of the preserve. Technically it was Hale land, and normally he would be giving it a wide berth. No sense in drawing the attention of a huge pack while they seemed perfectly content to ignore the witch in town. He didn't need a herd of hall monitors watching his every step.

However, he'd noticed a small patch of plants there, that he'd been unable to find anywhere else in the preserve, and a couple of them were extremely valuable. "Month Long European Vacation” valuable. And he was jonesing for some Swiss chocolate.

So, he didn't see the harm in a little bit of a stealth charm. Just a touch of misdirection magic. He'd slip in and slip out, and the Hales would never need to know.

Or at least, they wouldn't have, had one of them not been face down in the mud next to the plants he wanted.

Stiles mused as he carefully picked and jarred the roots, keeping one eye on the motionless figure. It looked pretty dead. Stiles was still sure the Hales would never know he was here; his spellwork was comprehensive and the rain was washing away any slight evidence his magic might leave behind.

He stood up and tucked the last jar away in his bag, brushing his wet hair away from his face as he considered the lump of werewolf in front of him.

Werewolf teeth could go for a lot with the right buyer.

And a Caribbean vacation could be nice after the European vacation.

He stepped a bit closer, checking out the face. It was beat to hell, and only vaguely familiar. A Hale for sure, but not one that stuck close. Maybe the pack wouldn't even be looking for him.

Stiles gave the body a little kick.

It groaned.

"Fuck," Stiles swore to himself, imaginary money evaporating from his wallet as the not-quite-corpse sluggishly moved.

He crossed his arms, tapping his fingers as he considered. Having a favor to call on from a werewolf pack was it’s own kind of valuable, really. He wasn’t looking for friendship bracelets, but it could be nice to have a one-time call out up his sleeve.

He kicked the werewolf one more time to make sure he was still alive, and was answered with a twitch of the hands, claws flexing in and out for a moment.

“I don’t think those are gonna be a lot of use to you buddy,” Stiles muttered, finally crouching down to put a hand on him, rolling him over to fully assess the situation.

His critical eye noticed the injuries weren’t healing at the usual rate. Alpha inflicted. Damn. The Hales weren’t going to owe him jack shit if he brought back someone they kicked out. Maybe the injuries had been given by an outside Alpha? There was just no way of knowing without asking.

Stiles sighed resignation and reached in his bag for that most magical of cures: epinephrine.

He briefly considered acting out his Pulp Fiction fantasies, but went with the thigh instead. The wolf’s eyes shot open a moment after deploying the pen, growling and snarling, arms and legs not quite under his command yet, but swinging enough for Stiles to quickly stand up and step back.

“Hey,” he shouted over the rain and growls. “HEY. Who half-assed your transformation into a corpse?”

The werewolf snapped his eyes onto Stiles for the first time, half lunging before falling directly back into the ground.

“Alright Mudcakes, you’re not really in a position to be making threats. Tell me who fucked up your shit. Was it your Alpha or another one? If I take you back to your pack are they just going to finish the job?”

“I have no Alpha,” the werewolf snarled, still struggling to move in a direction that might reach Stiles someday.

“Well that answers that I guess,” Stiles muttered to himself. He was soaking wet at this point, and fully ready for the shower he’d been intending to take as soon as he got home. He should really just leave and let the werewolf drama run its course. Not his circus, not his monkeys. Or wolves, in this case.

But… the opportunistic wheels wouldn’t stop turning in the back of his head. Sure there would be no werewolf teeth to sell, and there would be no favor owed from a large pack… but someone from inside the pack with no loyalty to it could also be valuable. Information sold even better than spells sometimes.

The wolf’s movements were slowing already, the epinephrine burning through his blood faster than a human’s.

The wolf would probably be easy enough to control for at least the next few days, given the ratshit state of him. What harm could it do to at least bring him back to the shop for a night? Stiles was sure he’d be grateful, at least.

With the other option being facedown dead in pond mud, how could he be anything but adoringly thankful?

#He Is Not Thankful.#I'm not going to write it but I want everyone to know that Peter absolutely steals a bunch of Stiles's shit #this blog needs a tag for my bullshit #tumblr fic and kinda fic

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daniwib · 2 months

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Musing on that basketball game

Apparently I see the basketball game images differently to everyone else? It’s not about Buddie, it’s about Chimney… hear me out.

Who have we seen play basketball before? Chim with Albert.

Who is getting married soon? Chim and Maddie

What is a common pre-wedding tradition? Buck & Hen’s nights. Or whatever you call them in the USA.

Who of the 118 knew Tommy the best? Chim

Who called him for the aerial water bomb? Chim

I see a group of guys wearing t-shirts and singlets then as the sun goes down wearing hoodies and jeans and immediately thought oh that’s the start of Chim’s bucks night. A bit of friendly game play before they head into the city.

Buck & Eddie pics released first to cause Buddie misdirection when it’s really all about Chim’s bucks night.

Maddie wanted them done well before the wedding because she knows how often they all get into trouble and wants to allow recovery time for the 118 disaster magnets.

#s7 speculation #chimney han #loves basketball #madney wedding #evan buckley #eddie diaz #tommy kinard #buddie #911 #9-1-1 #911 on abc #911 spoilers #911 abc

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pink-strawberry-kissess · 9 months

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The Night Shift (Security guard! Leon Kennedy x (?) Ada Wong)

chapter one: the first meeting (sort of)

chapter two: contact [♡💋]

chapter three: 'date date' [♡💋☁]

chapter four: the 'first' clue [♡💋☁]

chapter five: 'misdirect' [☁]

chapter six: mission 'complete?' [☁][♡💋 in flashbacks]

chapter seven: mission complete (for real this time) [♡☁]

epilogue: muse and lover [♡💋]

author notes

guide ♡ - fluff / 💋 - you'know / ☁ - angst

[floor plans for leon, ada's and helena's apartment]

[my ao3] [my masterlist] [my artwork and moodboards]

aeon kiss + ada images from @gnvp2020

#ada wong #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #aeon #leon x ada #leon kennedy x ada wong #leon s kennedy x ada wong #resident evil #ada x leon #レオエイ

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foxes-that-run · 5 months

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Willow

Willow is about an affair with someone she desires like a prize, she cheats to win him. The Willow Song is in Shakespeare's Othello. Harry Styles Sweet Creature also references Othello about Taylor. To People on 5 December 2023 Aaron said Taylor wrote

Due to their huge spread willows are susceptible to wind and flexible, so they have deep and strong roots. It's symbolism for a strong bond that's tenacious and grows in poor conditions. A Willow appears in Begin Again, where it was also shot a similar way.

The film clip picks up straight from Cardigan which is also about Harry. The children in the tent is a reference to Everything has Changed and Seven. In a Livestream Taylor said the film clip referenced Exile, which I think is "I've seen this film before and didn't like the ending." In Cardigan she was 'changed' but she stayed where she started, in Willow she leaves with her muse.

There are green curtains when Taylor is behind the glass, Taylor said this references Mirrorball. Harry is also behind glass in the As it was and referred to 'being behind the glass' as something others couldn't understand, separating them from other people. This is similar to the gilded cage theme. She also uses similar imagery to refer to her stolen masters for her Eras being behind glass in the Eras tour and I Can See You music video.

The dancer is from Red tour (IKYWT). The posters behind him say The Python and The Man of Fire (a Sweet Nothing and William Bowery reference, in Rolling Stone Paul McCartney told Taylor his pseudonym was Fireman). The Man of Fire is is doing the Whale. (!!)

The cloak is like the one in Ready for it and Green. They step into the Daylight at the end. The Invisible string ends in the cabin.

To Zane Lowe Taylor said:

'It felt like somebody's standing over a potion making a love potion dreaming up the person that they want and the person they desire and trying to figure out how to get that person in their life and all the kind of misdirection and bait and switch.' The complexity of seeing someone, feeling a connection wanting them and trying to make them a part of your life. It's tactical at times, it's confusing at times. I wanted to set the vibe of magical and mysterious." and "One of the main themes [of Folklore] was conflict resolution, get through something with someone, making confessions or communicating. Evermore deals a lot in endings of all sorts shapes and sizes all the kinds of ways"

To people magazine 5 December 2023 Aaron Dessner said it was the first song after folklore:

“There are so many stories I could share. When I sent Taylor the music for our song "Willow" — I think she wrote the entire song from start to finish in less than 10 minutes and sent it back to me. It was like an earthquake. Then Taylor said, "I guess we are making another album."

Othello and Sweet Creature

The Willow Song is a real folk song referred to in Shakespeare's Othello. Othello is married to Desdemona. Lago seeds doubt in Othello's mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio. Desdemona sings part of 'The Willow Song' in which a lady mourns her true love lost, the singer dies from their false love's cruelty. As the folk song foreshadowed, Othello loses his mind and kills Desdemona in a jealous rage.

Considering Taylors comments above that Folklore is about communication (with songs like Cardigan, The 1 and Exile where she cleared some air with Harry). And her comment that Evermore is about endings, and Willow figuring out who one wants and Masterminding them into one's life. Like it's namesake, Taylor's Willow is expressing a wistful desire for a lost true love. The context implies neglect and distrusted by her partner at that time.

The Othello reference implies the object of her desire, the title of Harry Styles Sweet Creature is an Othello quote. Sweet Creature mocked CH's unwarranted belief that he had had an affair with Taylor, it also expresses Harry's love for Taylor.

I have seen analysis suggesting that Willow is retelling of Othello from Desdemona POV, but it isn't. Desdemona is an innocent victim, She's faithful and says she would not cheat for anything short of the whole world then is murdered. Taylor's character in Willow has more agency and would 'cheat to win' a trophy of man that she describes in Gold Rush. Unlike Desdemona, she has desire, which Taylor described to Zane Lowe. She is the character in the Willow Song - stuck in a false love, longing for her lost true love. It is a metaphor for Taylors own life, Sweet Creature parallel intended. Which explains the video with links to Taylor's past since Red.

Lyrics

I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife And if it was an open-shut case I never would've known from that look on your face Lost in your current like a priceless wine

To WFPK Taylor described the couple in Coney Island and Exile as 'Ships in the Night' in having trouble communicating. A similar water theme is here. Although she is not open to a relationship, she is rough on the surface, he gets through and she wants him.

She is defenceless and lost wanting to be with him. (Wonderland: "We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it").

Wine is a theme, (spilt on many dresses (Clean), shirts (Maroon), bathtubs (Dress) and a sea here).

Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind (oh) Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneaking in As if you were a mythical thing Like you were a trophy or a champion ring And there was one prize I'd cheat to win

Life is a willow that bent to your wind is brings the symbolism of a strong, deep force that grows around and with life's interferance. She has grown around this love, bending with it over time.

She feels her muse sneaking in to her pillow, sneaking implies an affair, this is not her boyfriend but someone she desires more that has had a deep impact on her life. This is confirmed with being willing to cheat to be with this muse.

She desires him like a prize, she describes Harry with similar desirability in Gold Rush, where she is intimidated by how desired he is, here she is proud he is her man. Similar to Gold Rush which starts with 'I almost jump in' Willow started with her having a rough surface he cuts through, both body of water metaphors.

The more that you say The less I know Wherever you stray I follow

'The more you say, the less I know' refers to her confusion over being in a committed relationship. In Folklore she and Harry communicated about their past in The 1, Cardigan and Exile. She's now confused about the path she is on and questioning if she should leave her partner. In The 1 she sang "And if you wanted me, you really should've showed", he now has and she is confused.

Wherever you stray a follow is similar to Lover "can I go where you go?" Also in Treacherous "And I'll do anything you say / If you say it with your hands". Also Harry's Medicine. "If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive"

I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans That's my man You know that my train could take you home Anywhere else is hollow

"Begging for you take my hand" refers to:

Blank Space: "Grab your passport and my hand"

I Know Places: "Just grab my hand and don’t ever drop it"

New Romantics: "Please take my hand and please take me dancing", and

As it Was "I want you to hold out the palm of your hand / Why don't we leave it at that?"

"You know that my train could take you home" Home is an important concept between Harry and Taylor who sing about each other as home. Trains are also mentioned in Cardigan and Sad Beautiful Tragic, which Cardigan's BTS links to Cardigan.

'Anywhere else is hollow' is similar to Ready for it? "Every lover known in comparison is a failure" and Question...? "Does it feel like everything's just like second-best after that Meteor strike?" and Harry's MMIH "Once you go without it nothing else will do"

I'm begging for you to take my hand Wreck my plans That's my man

"Wreck my plans", Taylors plans were to stay with the partner that, in Willow Song, is jealous and neglectful. This muse has shown up and that's out the window.

"That's my man" refers to the cyclical nature of their relationship:

Style: And when we go crashing down we come back every time

Blank Space: "But you’ll come back each time you leave"

Out Of The Woods: "We were built to fall apart, then fall back together"

How You Get The Girl: "Broke your heart, I’ll put it back together"

This Love: "When you’re young you just run, but you come back to what you need"

Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind (oh) They count me out time and time again Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind (oh) But I come back stronger than a 90's trend

I love this, to me the 90's trend/come back (to me) is a reference to 1989 and Style/the cycle nature of their relationship. In this part of the film clip she also references Reputation and where she was counted out and came back stronger.

Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark Show me the places where the others gave you scars Now this is an open-shut case Guess I should've known from the look on your face Every bait and switch was a work of art

Taylor further discusses how she meets her lover after dark, this is describing an affair as in Illicit Affairs.

He shares his vulnerability, where the scars are. Harry has sung of showing Taylor scars in If I could fly "I've got scars, even though they can't always be seen. And pain gets hard, but now you're here and I don't feel a thing. Pay attention, I hope that you listen cause I let my guard down. Right now I'm completely defenseless" I think she is also referring to Seven.

Taylor used 'Bait and switch in promotion for "Look at what you made me do" the bait and switch was that Reputation seemed like one thing but was about finding love through the noise. While Taylor dated Joe for the last 4 months before it's release, the album was primarily written by September 2016 before they started dating.

Taylor also referred to Zane Lowe about "The complexity of seeing someone, feeling a connection wanting them and trying to make them a part of your life. It's tactical at times, it's confusing at times." in the music video and Era's tour she has a witches gathering to use all her power and bring this muse into her life.

#haylor #evermore #willow taylor swift

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9w1ft · 7 months

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hello my dear LSK!

sorry to truncate your ask. it’s a habit of mine because answering certain keywords leads to more and more asks about a subject that i might not feel like fielding at any given time.

but i know where your feelings are coming from so i’ll answer in this way.

personally, i treat number-focused coincidences as fun stuff (something to giggle about together) instead of using them as a one and true compass to understanding what is going on. because statistically speaking, you can find number patterns everywhere for everything if you look! that’s not to say that taylor does or does not do number things. just that i don’t think it should be upheld with as much value when we have other less universal things to look at.

and if you think about the mystery of taylor’s muses as a supernatural thing, you will end up looking for or accepting supernatural proofs as answers, and hold them up as the same value as other clues, or even miss the signs that are right in front of you.

i do keep a running understanding of the kaylor story though the lyrics and try to see if there is a big picture through line but similar to numbers i don’t make it the singular focus of my work because taylor can also be persnickety with her lyricism and valuing keywords or motifs in isolation can misdirect at times, in my opinion. also songs often will not make sense until months or years later.. so i don’t take them definitively. but i always circle back periodically to see if there is a still a grand story being told, and to me, there certainly is.

for me, i tend to go with more visual things. i’ll avoid making an exhaustive list and keep it short— how the eras tour is an optical celebration of kaylor, or how taylor played so many kaylor songs during karlie’s birthday week, including the kaylor anthem that is You Are In Love, or how karlie actually went to eras tour (!!) and the way and expression with which taylor looked at where karlie was.

so numbers are fun but when people try to add and subtract to prove something else, it doesn’t move me because it’s just simply… it’s just not of the same weight as everything else i see.

#kaylor

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aardvaark · 7 months

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only murders in the building s3e9 spoilers below the cut! thoughts & theories

so. all my thoughts from last week proved eerily correct (poisoned cookies, donna as murderer, paper being review, etc), which makes me think that i’m very, very wrong in some important way lol.

considering donna said that one line from the review word-for-word stop sitzprobe, it seems like she did read the review. however, now i’m guessing one of 3 things: 1. she read it and disliked it but didn’t do much about it, 2. she read it and disliked it and destroyed it in KT’s office shredder that night but didn’t kill ben, or 3. she read it, disliked it, destroyed it, and poisoned ben, but didn’t push him down the elevator shaft. ie, she’s the perpetrator of the first murder, but not the second.

so why don’t i just immediately assume that the third is true? because of oliver’s dip-cake. charles says that the only dip he has in the fridge is norwegian red herring. yk, like the trope of a red herring… a clue that is an intentional misdirect in a story. i think that the dip flavour is not at all a random choice. and since the only major clue we get in that scene is the review, then that review is probably a red herring (trope, not dip).

another thought about donna: last episode, we saw her throwing up in the bathrooms (which she blames on stress) and adjusting her hair. someone on one of my posts told me that she appeared to be wearing a wig (/edit/ thank you to @kimbearablykute for that comment!). obviously, wearing a wig could be because of a massive number of things, from having alopecia, to being a married orthodox jewish woman, to simply liking wigs. however, for the purposes of this theory, im gonna assume that it’s another symptom alongside the vomiting… and hair loss + vomiting makes me think chemotherapy. the reason she was "in and out of the party all night" as our podcasters say, could be because she was throwing up or otherwise feeling tired and ill all night.

i honestly don’t know yet what her possible chemo (and therefore, cancer) will have to do with everything else. just a musing at this point. maybe it will be a driving reason as to why she would commit murder for her son’s sake? cause she’s already dying so she can sacrifice herself, plus she has little time left to get him his success? or perhaps it will be the reason she’s innocent? maybe being sick from chemo is why she was frequently absent from the party, and surveillance footage can prove she was just going to the bathrooms to throw up? maybe it will prove that she wouldn’t have the strength to fight ben and push him down the elevator? although, with the element of surprise on your side, i don’t think it would be too hard to push someone down the elevator shaft.

perhaps she is the poisoner, and the review is just a red herring because that’s not her real motive. her real motive… is… um… okay im stuck.

tobert was conveniently right outside ben’s dressing room, just after the cookie had been delivered. if donna didn’t do that part, then it’s possible that he did. he’s also still on the possible suspects list for the second murder, and that list is getting increasingly narrower. he now has a motive for the second murder at least - being fired by ben on opening night. he got fired too late to have poisoned the cookies of course, so i think he might be in the clear for the first one.

i’ll be annoyed if it’s someone obscure, like bobo. or some already very established background character, like howard or uma or sazz pitazz. that would make it feel like the writers have just pulled it out their asses. like "deus ex machina" meets "the butler did it". is there a word for that?

anyway, moving on.

i think it’s very possible that cliff had something to do with the first or second (or both) murder attempts. same motive as donna, really: upset that the play wasn’t going to plan, not wanting to let it ruin his reputation before it had even begun, and therefore killing the lead (shitty) actor to prevent the play from ever being seen. donna might give herself in for him, much like meryl streep has confessed for dickie’s sake. i feel that cliff could definitely have been the second murderer, either wanting to protect his mother if she committed the first attempt on ben’s life, or simply fighting/assaulting him near the elevators and possibly accidentally pushing him over the ledge. something like that. or maybe for the same reasons we suspect donna, or maybe because he realised how much better off he was when ben was believed to be dead.

lowkey what if cinda actually did do this one? i mean, she’s always put forth as a possible suspect and is always the wrong choice, so it’s unlikely. but maybe she really wants to get back to podcasting, so she killed a famous guy. idk.

who else can i even suspect… maxine (the reviewer)? well she’s only been around a little bit, and if the review is a red herring, then that seems to count her out. the guy who lives in the attic at the theatre? seems like he was introduced too late and too briefly.

the doctor feeding ben drugs? actually i guess that’s possible, and he may even be the attic guy since they dress the same… i think the killer had to have been behind some of the sandbag and light shenanigans in Ghost Light (s3e6), and attic guy would have had access. doctor would have motive if he was trying to prevent ben from exposing the fact that he’s just giving out drugs.

speaking of people with access to the sandbags and lights: the paper shredder was in KT’s office… is she too obscure to have been the murderer? we don’t see much of her though. but she has been noted to have some anger issues in this latest ep, her office was suspiciously locked on opening night, and actually she could have the same motive of donna or cliff, to keep the shitty show from premiering.

just to keep track, i think that joy, kimber, ty, loretta, dickie and jonathan have been clearly discounted as suspects.

uh so yeah i’m super tired and that’s all my thoughts for tonight! thanks folks! i might update this when i get up, but it’s 2am and i have stuff to do tomorrow so i need some sleep now lol.

#omitb #only murders in the building #omitb season 3 #omitb spoilers #omitb theories #omitb s3e9 #wren speaks #only murders s3

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ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole · 8 months

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Look at my lips and listen closely

Master list

Ok, I've listened to a lot of Dead Pony recently and ended up mis-hearing a line or two in bullet farm which sent off a cascade of tangential thoughts (which is pretty standard really) and voila this is the nonsense that was created. Well sort of, characters then decided to evolve and take over as well in ways I wasn't expecting so it's more of a 'voilà' and 'oh, I was not expecting to write that' and 'ok, that's a new direction to the original loose plan… concept'

Ta for reading 😘

……………

Bruce stared at the trio across the ballroom. They were positioned in such a way he couldn't see their lips. Their conversation was hidden causing him to feel a rising panic as the sound slowly faded while his heart beat sped up. He tried to figure out why they were here. Why now?

Bruce's heart felt like it would burst out his chest if it wasn't for all his years training. It wouldn't surprise him if he received a call from Clark in a moment or two to check to see how he was doing with how loud it felt to him. The years of training seemed to vanish and he felt like he was a newly christened twenty year old vigilante finding his feet in the world, learning how to mask and misdirect.

Taking an actual drink from his glass for once, Bruce took a second to compose himself. The slightly aromatic taste danced on his tongue, grounding him back to the present. To look at him, he'd still look like Brucie, playboy turned father, but from the curious glances his children sent him, he knew that he wasn't hiding his concern particularly well.

Across the room it appeared like his past was finally catching up with him in the most unexpected ways. He really had not foreseen that these three people would ever meet. There were links of course. The potential that they could meet, he just had never considered that they would.

They all lived at some point in the same country, and the blondes ran in potentially similar social circles but their lifestyles and personalities were so different it was hard to see them meeting… and connecting. Particularly… no… he wouldn't… would he?

Frowning Bruce mused about Ra's and how he liked playing mind games and well, after so many years of not seeing any of them, it wasn't a hard stretch of the imagination that this was the lastest mind game the megalomaniac near immortal would play. Pulling his Brucie facade close, Bruce greeted Dick who appeared at his side and leant into his arm while Jason joined them. The younger man's arms folded and wearing a frown that mirrored Bruce's own internal one.

"So, B, what's got you upset."

Laughing jovially causing his sons to wince at the fakeness, Bruce wrapped an arm around his boys and guided them somewhere slightly more secluded.

"Oh nothing Dickie. Are you and Jaylad ok? Your siblings?"

Picking up Bruce's unsaid meaning, Jason quickly sent a text to the others to meet them as Dick scanned the crowds. A surge of protective pride flooded Bruce at his boy's growth, they'd come a long way from the boys he adopted all those years ago.

By the more quiet balcony the rest of the Wayne's and adjacents congregated waiting for Bruce to spill the deets. They'd all clocked the trio that seemed to be the source of Bruce's unusual anxiety and waited in semi baited breath.

"Spill old man. What's the deal?"

"Gnnn"

"So eloquent B. Spit it out."

"I slept with that trio."

"Shocker! Who haven't you dated or slept with? Diana and Clark aren't the first you've had a ménage à trois with, big deal. What's the issue?"

"Not together. One's a model, another an heiress and the other I met training at the LoA."

"Gross Bossman. T.M.I!"

"So we have a Ra's situation?"

"What would grandfather want to do with a model and heiress?"

"I don'ge'it. Ken's an assassin? No offence Blondie."

"Full offence Jay! Why can't blonds be assassins?"

"Nothing against blond's, just, him?! I stuck out when I was there, him! He'd be a walking target. He looks as threatening as a wet kitten."

"Not all that trained with grandfather were brutes Todd. It could be part of his style to disarm his prey, mother's preference was harmless seduction anyway."

"Talia… harmless… *cackles* you're joking right?!"

Bruce pinched his nose as his children bickered around him trying to draw the attention back to himself.

"*Cough* HE isn't the assassin *cough* He is… was the model. She, Marinette, the dark haired one. She was who I met when," Bruce paused as a group of socialite's walked past. "I met her when I was travelling. I was with Adrien shortly after when I got back. I knew Chloe from childhood."

"You mean Tinkerbell is the one we're concerned about?!" Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise then started to reassess the trio.

"It's what Ra's is up to that concerns me. Why she… they would target Adrien and or Chloe?"

"You're about to find out B."

Acknowledging Tim's input, Bruce watched as Chloe had split off from the others, her gold dress sparkling under the chandelier's, her icy ruling aura making guests part like the sea much like she did in childhood. Marinette continued to talk to the group they were with as Adrien started weaving his way through the crowds. Slipping on his Brucie persona yet again, Bruce grabbed two drinks from a passing waiter as he grinned (honestly not even having to fake his fondness) as Adrien sauntered towards him.

The moment Adrien got close enough to the Wayne's, in full Brucie style, Bruce dragged Adrien into a warm, fully embracing, hug as he scouted out the ballroom. His woody cologne filled Bruce's nose as he breathed the man's scent in. He would be ready to protect his ex paramour from an attack.

"Adi baby!! Long time no see sweetheart. How are you, gorgeous? What brings you to this spectacular event… have you tried the wine? Isn't it devine."

Leaning away to greet Bruce with a customary la bise, Adrien returned to melt into Bruce's arms. Succumbing to the legacy of spending so much time touch starved in childhood. Bruce carefully manoeuvred him so he could hold him close while passing him the glass of sparkling wine.

"Brucie! It's good to see you too, mon amour. Meow are you? I'm purrr-fect at the moment. I've taken over the family business. I came here with my chief designer and COO. Mari and Chlo, have you met Marinette or Chloe actually? Hang on, I'll get them over here to meet you, where is she? Anyway they say I need to network more."

Adrien scanned the crowd looking for the blood-red dressed assassin and golden heiress he had come with before turning secretly to Bruce and his family.

"Which I sup-pawse they're correct." Adrien brings his hand up in a staged overly loud whisper, "don't tell them I said that though!"

His captivating emerald eyes sparkle into Bruce's steely blue ones in amusement. Looping his arm through Bruce's Adrien leans against the giant man like a feline seeking warmth, to Bruce's children's amusement.

"I finally escaped modelling. Father took ill, much like maman and Natalie did, it was a slight cat-asrophe with lots of drama. But I'm in charge. Business is far more fun than posing, you know, the proper cats pawjamas. I guess you do given…"

Adrien waved his arm about before smiling up at Bruce in a fond manner, his lips catching the light as a clear gloss coated them along with embroidered playful cats decorating his suit, diverting Bruce's attention momentarily. Bruce had forgotten how affectionate and almost cat-like he was with his tactility. The firm muscles hidden under his fitted figurative cat suit tantalised Bruce with memories of late night rendezvous. It was what had drawn him originally to Selina, the familiarity and reminder to the man beside him.

"Ooo, let's grab Mari and Chlo a glass of this devine purr-seco as you say. They'll be done talking business by now, I hope. I'm sure they'll join us in a meow-ment. The papers say you're a family man now mon amour. By the looks of it, it's true? Finally dark and mysterious men adopt litters of children in Gotham?"

Bruce winced internally, this wasn't going to be easy as Adrien seemed to be fond of the potential threat. That also being said Bruce felt the need to find Chloe too. Despite the chemistry that still simmered between him and Adrien, she was still at risk. The woman he shared his first kiss with. The snarky woman he'd watch with Ollie verbally decimate Lex 'just for funsies'. He glanced around the party goers again while appearing to look at his throng of children that surrounded him.

"Ah, yes, I can't comment on bat but mine fill the house with noise and chaos and my life with colour. I'm so proud of them even though they are the cause of me going grey."

"Not pawsible! You hardly have a wrinkle chéri, are you sure you are not modelling and not doing it for moi?! Or well my company?"

Bruce let out a loud laugh before placing a kiss on Adrien's forehead as he watched Marinette weave closer towards the pair and his children slowly close ranks protectively. He bit back the smile as he watched her slightly stumble but gracefully rescue it to look purposeful. Bruce focused on the problem at hand and to suppressed and parked how he felt for her while at Nanda Parbat.

"Bruce darling. What a surprise to see you, I didn't know you knew Adrien as well."

"Mari, you know Bruce too?"

Marinette slipped gracefully between the Wayne's and came up close to Adrien who slipped out of Bruce's hold to hug her. The quick kiss of her cherry red lips on Adrien cheek which he happily returned sent an unexpected jealousy through Bruce. He wasn't sure if it was because Adrien had left his space, because he was close to Marinette or that they shared a bond that Bruce no longer did.

"Of course Kitty, I met him while I was soul searching, tying up loose ends and looking for inspiration from around the globe. We trained together for a while."

"Ah, that point in time. It's a shame I couldn't come along. You know I'd have come with you, Purr-incess."

"Silly Kitty, you were exactly where you were needed. Been fed pastries and smothered in parental love along with Queenie."

Confused, Bruce could feel his Brucie mask slipping as he watched the pair banter and talk within jokes, pet names and understanding. It was like watching his children interact, like how they all interacted with their respective teams. Adrien knew of her time away, they both knew Chloe, did they know what she did while travelling… what it meant?

"Err…hn?"

Adrien laughed with his sunny smile as Marinette smirked and took a small sip from the glass Adrien had passed her. A ladybug themed ring glittered in the light daintily on her hand.

"Brucie, don't look confused. I've known Mari since we were tweens. We've been fur-ends… best fur-ends since my first day of collége. I've known Chlo even longer. She was my first fur-end. We all went to school together. Lived through Hawkmoth together. Were friends like you are with Ollie and that reporter from Metropolis and the curator at the Louve."

"Oh."

Blinking trying to process it all. Maybe there isn't a huge underhanded threat from Ra's. Bruce found himself getting more and more confused as his initial hypothesis has started to unravel but unwilling to let it go completely. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Cass, Steph and Tim whispering as Jason hovers while broodingnin a way that he'll deny. Dick charming and distracting other guests with Duke. All on hand if required but close enough to eavesdrop as well.

"And back to what you were saying. I'm not sure about the modelling Kitty though. He's missing the je ne sais quoi. The build… shoulders too…" Marinette's hand flipped at the broadness and just Bruce himself, "his looks too much like dracula. Our next look needs to be spectacular and Brucie… he has had too many injuries and spent recovering inside avoiding the sun. Hmm, not enough Côte d'Azur trips."

Marinette leant in close, her calloused hand skimming his cheek startling Bruce by her suddenly closeness and stealing his breath away and he peered into her bluebell eyes. Her lips tantalisingly close, sparks of something skittered around them despite the heat that Adrien was burning him with. Her hand slowly slipped down to brush imaginary lint off his velvet tux jacket and turned to Bruce with knowing eyes.

"Skiing accident in the Alps was the last injury Oui? Cannes, Nice or Toulon are good places to visit too, not quite as dangerous but still enough to do for thrill seekers."

Bruce gulped.

He'd forgotten their games of words. Of hidden meaning and close to the truth while saying everything and nothing. In a way, it's what drew him to Talia, the deadliness in a lithe form. What separated them was that Talia used her body like Selina to get to him. Adrien on the other hand used his playfulness and some to coyness where Marinette used her softness to hide the steel and sharpness of her mind.

The feeling of being the prey and not the predator in control grew as the French duo danced about him with more history than he expected. Their playful flirting and silent conversations left him feeling trapped and surprisingly flustered.

"Oh hush Buginette. Stop teasing Brucie. He's litter-ally a walking sex god and you know it. Your designs would need to be tailored oui, but imagine his body selling your outfits, his face selling the perfumes."

Staring at him like he was a slab of meat, Marinette's critical eye gazed over him. Finally Bruce felt he could breathe even with their sole attention on him. He felt safe knowing that it was clinical rather than heated.

"Potentially. I'll let you tell Jules then."

Adrien paled and shook his head.

"Nope. No thank you. I'd rather live, she has claws."

"*cough* hngh, do you still visit Nanda Parbat?"

Bruce stared at the duo trying carefully to unravel the situation without unsettling the careful balance that was required to keep the conversation from going south. The navigation of it all felt like he was lost at sea, and he didn't like it.

"Only visited there once. When I met you to be precise. The city had something that didn't belong to there and I was seeking it out to return to its original owners."

Cupping Bruce's face and pulling all his attention back to the blonde with emerald eyes. "Brucie, mon chéri, look at my lips and listen closely, Buginette is my chief designer at Agreste. We only travel to these events and fashion weeks. She isn't what you are thinking. No nefarious ties to green goop and wrinkly prunes. Definitely aligned to bats, cats, ladybugs and bees. Especially the birds and the bees."

Bruce let out a sigh, some of the tension he had held seeped out and he fell into a more natural Brucie stance and grin, kissing Adrien on the cheek and laughing as a blush flushed the Parisians cheeks as Marinette's familiar giggle surrounded them.

A fleeting look at his children, Bruce spotted them also relaxing their stants and slowly starting to drift off. Cass's thumbs up and smile said everything. She didn't perceive the pair as a threat, Marinette as a threat specifically and that there were no lies to worry about. Damian's disgusted face at having to witness the flirting was normal but he made no move to reach for his hidden weapons and was willing to be led away by Dick. Tim seemed to be long gone talking to investors and Jason seemed to be with Duke making a break for it no doubt.

"Umm, Bugaboo, I can see your wife approaching and she looks mad! I'm gonna go make out *cough* I mean catch up with Brucie. Play his dark knight and saviour. Cool. Love mee-yow. I'll let you deal with her umm sting!"

Looking up from the man who suddenly curled into him, Bruce's eyes widened in surprise as Chloe in a swarm of gold stormed towards them, her pink lipstick sneering at anyone getting in her way. The recognisable fire burned in her eyes like a vengeful queen only softening as she spotted Marinette whose red lips twisted into a dangerous smile.

"Ridiculous, utterly utterly ridiculous. Minette! You would not…. hmmmmmf!"

Stopping Chloe from approaching the flirty men, Marinette captured Chloe into her arms and distracted her with a searing kiss.

"Quick! Come mon chéri, Mari est saving us!"

Bemused, and thoroughly out of his depth at the power play and relationships of the Parisians, Bruce let Adrien drag him towards the balcony. The searing look in those emerald eyes said everything. The peach lips alluring and pouting at Bruce, as tempting as they were years ago. Bruce shrugged and decided for now he'll go along with it.

Given the hints they had littered, the conversation with Bruce suspected that they knew who they really were, but returned the favour with tips on who they may have been in a past life. They wore their masks in plain sight but hidden from the world unless you knew. Unless the world remembered the past.

Was it a worry? Yes. Would he investigate further? Definitely. But for now he would relax and catch up with Adrien.

#maribat #maribat au #ml x dc #dc x ml #ex relationship #flirting #marinette and adrien #Marinette and bruce #adrien x bruce #adrien and chloe #bruce and chloe #Marinette x chloe #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

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alastairstom · 2 months

Text

Hawaii was an interesting place to visit, but in James's opinion, it was well worth it.

Britain did not have swaying palms, or coconuts or pomelos growing on the branches of tall trees. It did not have white-sand beaches like those of Waikiki, and there were no spacious roads anywhere in Europe that could compete with the vastness of both the ocean and the roads lining the Ala Wai canal.

The wildlife of England also could not compete with that of England, he mused.

"Did you see the lizard? James!" Cordelia's voice was bright as she pulled on his arm. He looked down at her smiling face - she was full of life, and so bright, and James thanked his lucky stars for the millionth time in the four years that he had the privilege of calling her his wife.

"I did not see it," he said. "But I'm sure that it was lovely. What did it look like?"

"It was small, and a sort of yellow-green that also oddly bordered on brown. Hold on," she said, putting her hands on the brick wall that the lizard had apparently crawled behind. "Let me see if I can find him." She plopped to the ground, her golden skirts green with grass-stains, and began to examine the mossy stone that made up the half-wall. James grinned down at her, gave her what his father called a Quiet Look, and she met his eyes with a blazing conviction. "Do look on the other side of the wall for it," she instructed in a voice that brooked no contradiction. "I do not see why I ought to be left to this task by myself, James, especially when it is for your benefit."

James chuckled. "You're quite bossy, Daisy," he said in a low voice, but he began to look between the bricks and beneath their overgrowth as well. Cordelia hummed, whether in agreement or amusement, and James poked at the wall. "It's not on my side," he informed her.

Cordelia sighed. "Perhaps he got away. I suppose I cannot grudge him his freedom. I wouldn't much like it if some odd, enormous couple began to poke around for me, either."

"I suppose that is fair. And who knows? Maybe we will see another-"

He was cut off by a little shriek from Cordelia, who looked down at her hand. The lizard was on it, now, its four-fingered toes touching Cordelia's pinky gently.

ART BY @hanelizabeth

"I thought you were looking for him," James said. "And there he is." He clicked his tongue. "The great bearer of Wayland the Smith's Cortana, savior of London and humanity, squealing at a lizard that she was trying actively to exhume?"

Cordelia shot him a glare, but did not respond. Instead, she turned to the lizard. "Of course I am not afraid of you, moosh," she said in a sweet voice. "Of course you are a handsome and wonderful little lizard. The best lizard."

The lizard, seeming to understand that she liked him, crawled up her arm. It rested on her shoulder and met James's eye, and he moved away slightly.

And bloody hell, Cordelia noticed.

Her mouth fell open. "Joon, are you scared of Freddie?"

"Freddie?"

"Yes, I have named it. A nice, gender-neutral name, as we do not know whether they are man, woman, or other."

"Lizards are sexually dimorphous," James said. "So probably both."

"Just as well," Cordelia said. "You are misdirecting the conversation, James. Please do tell me whether you are scared of this adorable, tiny little lizard."

"Trepidation hardly counts as fear," James argued.

"So he is afraid of you, Freddie," Cordelia said in mock horror, addressing the lizard. "He wishes to run for the hills after gazing upon your fierce countenance, no matter that the hills are quite active volcanoes."

"I never said I wished to run for the hills," James said.

"But he does," Cordelia whispered to Freddie, who placed a sticky hand on her neck. She giggled. "James, he is mine now, and I am keeping him. That had best be alright with you."

"I personally would not mind, though British import restrictions might," he said. "I would get used to him, I think, as he is in no way disgusting or mildly horrific."

"No. She is beautiful," Cordelia said, and Freddie placed her other hand onto Cordelia's neck, too. "I'll sneak her into England in the bosom of my gown."

"I'm sure she will love that and not at all wish that she could come back here, to the wonderful weather to which she has acclimated, and play with all her lizard friends."

Cordelia sighed. "I suppose that is true. Freddie and I were always destined to part, were we not?"

"As much as it pains me to say it," James said, "yes."

And after a few moments of playing, when Freddie skittered off into the great unknown, James was proud of the fact that he did not even jump.

#herondaisy #james herondale #cordelia carstairs #jordelia #hanelizabeth art

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cosmos-coma · 1 year

Text

Metal’s Delicate Touch- Part 5

A/N: I was originally gonna stop after 4 parts which might be why this felt so hard to write (I also just hate confrontation) but You and Bucky needed to chat lol. Probably only one more chapter left!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Words: 2,120

Summary: You and Bucky are so happy to be reunited again, but its time to address the elephant in the room

Warnings: Language, Angst (yelling, verbal fighting)

_____________________

You were completely inseparable once Bucky found you. At any given moment you could either find Bucky’s hand in yours or just searching for a piece of you to hold. Either way, you couldn’t be happier.

Now that Bucky had settled and agreed to cooperate with the team things became a little easier. The two of you were still forced to stay within the tower while the copycat investigations made way, and someone on the team had to be around at all times, but you two were just happy to be together again.

“Hey, Y/n?” Bucky mused, glancing over in your direction. You two were spending a quiet afternoon catching up on some of your favorite movies. Your legs were slung over his lap and his hands gently ran themselves over your skin with a loving touch, appreciating the clarity now that the bruises were gone.

“Yes, Buck?”

“I just- well…” He frowned as he furrowed his brow, “It’s been almost a week since I arrived, and… we still haven't talked about when I left,” his voice seemed hesitant to bring up anything about that time, but he knew better. You’d have to talk at some point.

A sigh left you as you paused the movie and fully turned to face your soldier. You pulled one of your legs back towards your chest to hug it close and left your other extended into Bucky’s touch. “I wasn’t sure if you needed more time…” you spoke, your voice quieter now.

You waited in silence as Bucky looked down at your leg before him, thinking about his words carefully as his metal thumb idly swirled over the knob of your ankle. He spent whole minutes not saying anything, and you were beginning to wonder if he was really still thinking about what to say or if he was just trying to stall. You were starting to think it was the latter.

“Why did you leave Bucky..?” you asked quietly when it became obvious that you’d have to be the one to start. “I thought we were doing so well…” Your voice came off soft and hurt no matter how you tried to even it out.

And with that, he looked up. “We were! I mean, I hope we still are- But I….” You watched him run his hand down his face as he began to fumble. It looked like it took great strength as he spoke his next words, though was unable to look at you as he admitted, “I was… I was scared, Doll. I was so fucking scared...” It almost came out in a whisper.

“These hands have taken so much away from the world,” his metal hand stilled as he watched his touch lift away from you, “Especially this one,” He sighed, but didn’t raise his head. “You gave me everything I didn’t think I could have, Doll. Everything I still don’t think I deserve. You loved me so easily, even after discovering the blood that covered these hands.” He said as you reached your hand out to lovingly graze his cheek, silent as you listened to his woes.

“I swore the day I found you in that alley that I would keep you from harm until the day I lost breath and I fucked up. I fucked up so bad and I made you scream- god, I still hear it-”

“That was an accident, Buck..” You finally interjected his rambling.

“But my leaving was not.” He quickly snapped back, misdirected anger distorting his expression. “I’m… sorry. But I still left… I did it on purpose and I got you hurt, Y/n. You were a wreck of discolored injuries and split lips because people were looking for me. I left you to get hurt and I failed to protect you, and-” he continued, on a roll of frustrated rambling. His fingers flexed subconsciously, his mind and body needing a release from the mountain of stress building up.

“Bucky, I don’t-”

“DON’T… fucking interrupt me” He started to shout and ended with an almost seething tone as he caught himself.

Your whole body flinched and your eyes widened, blinking in surprise at his unusually aggressive tone. Fear must have crossed your eyes as he said it because his mouth immediately clamped shut, regret being the one to twist his expression now.

Without another word, he brushed your leg off of his lap like it was nothing and walked away without looking back. “I’m sorry…” He mumbled as he turned the corner out of sight, taking much of the tension along with him. He had been attached at the hip with you all week and now he walked away as if you were nothing? He raised his voice, he snapped at you, and his tone… Gods, his tone….

You let out a sigh, covering your face with your hands as you worked through everything that just happened. You knew, logically, that he wasn’t mad at you, you knew that. Bucky was just angry at himself for failing you and was only growing more riled up the more you refused to see it that way. You loved Bucky beyond measure, but this whole situation was giving you a headache and it hadn’t even lasted a full 15 minutes.

“I didn’t see or hear anything…” Sam commented from the kitchen, casually sipping from his mug as he looked over at you.

“Hello, Sam…” Your groan came out muffled against your hands before you finally dragged them away and looked over at him.

“You want me to go bring him back here?”

“No, no… I-” you hesitated as you looked off towards the corner Bucky disappeared behind, “I honestly don’t want to talk to him right after that. Let him breathe and maybe he’ll be a little better later….”

Sam nodded silently as he mulled over the situation before him. You liked Sam, he was a good friend to have around and you appreciated his dry humor and good nature. However, you never got as close to him as you had with some of the others. He had been away on an intensive mission when you first arrived and had only returned a few days ago.

“Well… Nat and I were thinking about heading into town today. You wanna come with? Maybe take your mind off of all….” he offered as he motioned to the entire situation, “that.”

You tilted your head to the side as you considered.

“I thought we weren’t allowed outside the tower until all the copycats were caught?”

“Well…” Sam made a face as he bobbed his head side to side in consideration, “really, we’re more worried about Bucky leaving and getting into trouble. Not you. Plus, you’ll have two team members with you so I can’t imagine anyone will argue.”

The small smile on your face grew into something larger and you nodded enthusiastically. “I would like that... Thank you, Sam.”

He shrugged and smiled with a demeanor so casual as if it was only a penny on the sidewalk he had offered you and not a much-needed escape for your body and mind. “It’s nothing... But we leave in 20 minutes, so I’d start getting ready now.”

“I only need 15!” you shouted in excitement as you leaped from the couch and raced toward your room.

_____

Bucky let his legs lead him to wherever they wanted, seemingly following the distant sound of soft thuds as his mind swirled with clouded thoughts. Why couldn’t you see how bad he is? Why couldn’t you admit that he should have been there? That he should have found you faster? that he-

His thoughts were interrupted as his feet lead him into the gym where Steve rhythmically jabbed the punching bag on the far wall.

Thud, thud, thump

Bucky’s reflection in the glass caught his attention as he went through another set of punches. His friend's whole expression looked irritable and ready to snap at any minute. His shoulders were squared and ready and his brows drew together in restless thought.

“Hey, Buck…” Steve said, pausing to turn to him while he got some water, “no offense, but you look like shit. Like really angry shit. Steaming you could say,” Steve continued layering on, a thin, but amused smile playing on his expression.

Bucky tried hard to stay upset but broke with a quiet snort of laughter and the vaguest hint of a smile. “You’re steaming shit…” He sighed, letting his shoulders fall slightly, “I… I snapped at, Y/n.”

Steve frowned and crossed his arms, “That… doesn’t sound like you.” An obvious thought passed over his face and he looked toward the door for your presence. “And I haven’t seen you two separated since you arrived,” concern started to worry away at Steve. It had admittedly been a long time since he saw Bucky, the clearly present and in control version anyways, but he could still tell that things were eating away at him.

Steve watched him shift from side to side, a guilty look coating his demeanor as Steve observed out loud. “Well,” he nodded, “we can either talk it out or we can spar it out; your choice.”

“.... I don’t wanna talk yet.”

Steve nodded and led him over to the padded side of the gym. Steve was never silent in the old days- or at the very least he said too much and got himself in trouble- but now he was utterly quiet, happy to help Bucky in any way he chose.

Bucky’s muscles flexed and loosened as they both pulled into a ready position. The full second of stillness felt almost oppressive before he lunged forward to make the first move. The pain from Steve’s blocks and hits felt satisfying as he knew they would leave fleeting bruises.

Steve pulled his punches, landing them softer than they would be in something life or death. He wasn’t stupid, and though he was still relearning how to read his lifelong friend he knew this was all about retribution. Every punch Steve landed because he stupidly left himself open- it was about punishing himself. But, It was his decision how to deal with it and if this is how he needed to work it out then Steve would be there to help.

And for a short while Bucky’s mind was comfortably empty, only the instinct of what to do next and the dull pain in his forearm from blocking Steve’s punches. The lingering tension in his muscles ebbed away as each of their endless stamina was tested and who got tired first was something neither wanted to admit.

Bucky was the first to crack.

“I Just…” he dropped his hands as he ceased, breathing heavily, “how have I not disappointed her already? How does she not see that she gets hurt because of me?” He finally let out, holding back something other than weariness from his words.

“Because she loves you, Buck.” Steve tried to rationalize to him.

“I don’t deserve it,” all of his tiredness ebbed away into something far heavier. “It’s just going to waste with me, her love deserves to go somewhere better,” Bucky said, continuing to dig his mind's own grave as he lamented.

“Well, you don’t really get to decide that, do you?”

“... What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not your affection…” Steve explained, “It’s up to her to decide what’s wasted or not, not you… and if that sounds harsh then, I guess that’s tough. You know I’m here with you Buck - to the end of the line, but- “ Steve shifted and crossed his arms, “well, to put it short- you’re being kind of stupid. I understand why you’re upset and that you feel like you’ve failed, and I would feel the same way. But you’re jumping to far-reaching things without hearing each other.

I think you two just need to listen. She might understand before you’ve made all your points and vice versa, but that’s just how you guys know each other.” Steve finally finished, hoping he had made enough sense to get his point across.

Bucky frowned as he crossed his arms and took Steve’s words in stride, “... when the fuck did you get so smart, punk?”

“Peggy helped beat me into shape,” Steve’s laugh broke the tension within the room, like the sun parting the dark clouds, “nowadays it’s mostly Natasha.”

A smile pulled at Bucky’s lips as he nodded a bit, “well… maybe they have a bit of a point. I’ll, um- maybe I’ll go find her in a bit. But a quick rematch first?”

Steve laughed a bit and breathed out a quick breath of relief, “Sure. I don’t mind beating you twice.”

_____________________

Taglist: @writingmysanity @browneyedgirl22 @milamat4

Wanna be added to the taglist? DM me to let me know!

#Listen i just need you and bucky to talk about this #and you ARE gonna have a fucking talk next chapter #bucky barns x you #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barns x reader #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky barns imagine #bucky x reader #bucky #bucky x f!reader #bucky x fem!reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky needs a hug #bucky also needs fucking therapy #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x f!reader #Bucky barnes x Fem!reader #bucky barnes imagine

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kingdaddydaichi · 1 year

Text

☆ title: redefining (ch. 3) | (ch. 2) ☆ (ch. 4)

☆ pairing: cop!daichi sawamura x single mom!reader

☆ wc: 1.8k

☆ synopsis: four years after leaving your toxic ex, you find yourself a single mom to a 10-year-old boy named musubi, who harbors a lot of misdirected anger. you hear from his fifth grade teacher, mr. suga, more often than your own mother and a resulting friendship is born. meeting suga’s best friend wages a war between your head and your heart - one that challenges everything you think you know about love and police officers. neither are to be trusted. both have left you lost and scared when you needed them the most. so, when a cop comes knocking at love’s door, just how strong is your resolve to keep your heart under lock and key?

☆ warnings/notes: sfw (this chapter; nsfw to come in later chapters). daichi is a cop so there are cop things (car, handcuffs). (mention of) past trauma, armed breaking/entering, gun/firearm, shots fired, bullets, bullet hole.

Despite her past she can’t help the attraction He tells her that he’s nothing like the last one

Losin' Control - Russ

You followed Daichi’s lead and made it about two steps out of Suga’s front door when you stopped in your tracks. “Oh my god, wait.”

He stopped and turned to look at you. “What? Did you forget something?”

“No.” You couldn’t take your eyes off his vehicle as a wide grin spread across your face. “I get to ride in a real cop car?”

He shook his head and laughed as he walked to the passenger side door and opened it for you. “We call it an Interceptor.”

The leathery scent of the interior laced with traces of his cologne, the intricate pattern of the reflectors in the unlit light bar on top, the way all the extra buttons and lights and radio and switches made it look more the cockpit of an airplane than the dashboard of an SUV.

You got in slowly, noticing the bulletproof partition between the front and back seats. “This is the closest I’ve ever come to being arrested,” you mused as Daichi closed your door, earning yourself another chuckle from him.

You watched as he walked around the front of the car, noticing for the first time the impressive bulge in the front of his pants just beneath his belt buckle; the dip in his back just above his butt - and what a butt it was.

The driver side door opened and he got inside with smooth movements like it was something he did every day. “Buckle up,” he said, starting the car and reaching for his own seat belt.

“This is so exciting. Turn on the blue lights! I wanna see what it looks like from inside!”

He laughed at your childlike delight as he flipped on the turn signal. He’d normally never use the emergency lights unless necessary, but he had a pretty girl to impress sitting in his passenger seat. “Let’s get out of the neighborhood first. Don’t wanna alarm anyone.”

You were on a main road about halfway between Suga’s place and yours when Daichi turned on the blue lights. There were only two other vehicles on the road ahead of you and they both moved over and slowed down as Daichi passed them on by.

You laughed. “That has happened to me so many times - driving along when a cop turns on the lights behind me only to speed past when I think I’m being pulled over.” You side-eyed your handsome driver and smirked. “I wonder how many of those cops were trying to impress a lady.”

“Who said I’m trying to impress you? You asked me to do it!”

“I can see the look on your face. You’re enjoying this.” A flash of metal caught your eyes and you looked down into the center console to find a pair of handcuffs resting there. “Daichi?! You said you didn’t have handcuffs with you!”

“No, I said I didn’t have them on me. They were in the car, not on my person.”

Your eyes trailed up along his profile as he drove, looking comfortable and relaxed. His right hand gripped the top of the steering wheel as his left held onto the top of the car with the tips of his fingers. You lowered your gaze down along his torso, stopping at his thighs. Your thoughts turned nasty as you made out the shapes around his relaxed-fit khakis, watching as shadows betrayed his shape from the intermittent illumination of the overhead street lamps.

“I’d feel a lot better if you walked me to my door.”

You didn’t see the shit-eating grin on his face as he exited the driver side door to meet you at the front of the car. He followed you to your doorstep where you pulled out y- oh shit. Where were your keys? Your fingers searched frantically for them in your purse, but you came up empty-handed.

“Oh fuck. I left my keys at Suga’s.” You buried your face in your hands.

“Do you leave a spare key out somewhere?”

“No!” You answered rather abruptly. “Never.”

Both of you stood there for a few seconds, knowing full well what your options were.

“Do you want me to take you back to Suga’s or do you wanna crash at my place? You can have the bed, I’ll take the couch.”

You thought for a moment. It was already past Suga’s bedtime when you’d left his place 20 minutes ago. “I uh- I guess I’ll stay at your place.” You turned to face him directly. “But I’ll take the couch! This is my fault and I’ve already troubled you enough.”

“I’ll let it slide this time.” He glanced over at you with a smirk on his face as you walked back to his car with him. “I don’t know about you but I’ve had fun hanging out with you tonight. I can see why you and Suga became friends.”

You smiled as he opened the car door for you again. “You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am. I don’t believe chivalry is dead,” he said, watching as you got inside before closing the door for you.

Once he was back in the driver seat, before he put the car in gear, you put your hand on his shoulder and gave the muscle around it a squeeze. “I’ve had a good time with you tonight too.”

Even in the dark interior of the car you could see the slight pink dusting on Daichi’s cheeks. “Good, I’m glad.”

The drive to his place was quieter than before, but you could’ve cut the sexual tension with a knife.

“You good?” Daichi said, glancing over at you as he put a hand above your knee. He hoped he wasn’t being too forward, but you didn’t flinch or move his hand away.

The warmth of his palm saturated your skin even through the fabric of your jeans. You returned his stolen glance and tried to stifle your smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking, I guess.”

“About what?” He gave your leg a reassuring squeeze.

You looked over at him, wondering if he would ever know.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” he said, lifting his hand off your leg. “It’s probably none of my business.”

“No no, it’s okay.” You caught his hand and put it back on your leg. “I was just uhh…” With your hand still resting on top of his, your eyes locked briefly before he looked at the road again. “…wondering if you have a girlfriend,” you lied, but it was far less vulnerable, and therefore far more preferable, than the truth.

“Nope. I’ve dated here and there, but nothing’s really panned out. What about you?” He thought it best to leave out the part where Suga had already told him.

You shook your head. “I’ve only been on a couple of dates in the last two years.” You took a deep breath. “Feeling safe with someone is really important to me and I-”

“Haven’t met anyone who makes you feel safe yet?”

“Yeah,” you exhaled. “Exactly.”

“I wanna ask you something, but please don’t feel obligated to answer if it makes you feel uncomfortable.” He glanced over at you. “Did someone hurt you in the past?”

You turned and looked out the window beside you, merely squeezing his hand in response. He was quite the perceptive one, wasn’t he?

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice low and comforting as he tightened his grip on the wheel. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

You turned to find his warm brown eyes full of compassion and patience and, for a moment, it made you want to curl up in his arms.

He pulled into his driveway and you found yourself sitting in front of a one and a half story gray brick house with a kempt lawn and welcoming outdoor lighting.

“Security cameras, I see,” you said, unbuckling.

He raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, had a whole system installed a couple of years ago after a guy I arrested tried to break in one night and get revenge.”

Your eyes widened. “Are you serious? What happened?”

“He was found guilty of armed robbery and assault; put away for twenty years but got out on parole after serving only seven.”

You listened in horrified suspense.

“Evidently, he’d been watching me, learning my schedule and habits for a week or so. I was just getting in bed the night he broke in, but thankfully, I was right next to my nightstand where I keep a loaded nine-millimeter. Grabbed it and moved to the wall behind my bedroom door yelling out that I was an armed law enforcement officer. Dude was so hopped up on meth he shot the locked doorknob and rushed in anyway. I told him to drop the gun and put his hands up, but his arm swung towards me instead and I put a bullet in his shoulder. He pulled his trigger, but missed me by a few inches so the most damage he did was put a bullet hole in my wall. I got him down to the ground and kept my knee on his back until I restrained him with a tie of mine that had fallen off the doorknob. Called dispatch and stood over him with my firearm until backup got here.” He chuckled. “My colleagues still give me shit about taking a guy down in my underwear.”

You covered your mouth. “You were in your underwear the whole time?”

He nodded. “Good thing I hadn’t gotten in bed yet because that’s when I take ‘em off. Now that would’ve been awkward.”

You snorted out a laugh, but couldn’t stop your mind from trying to imagine Daichi naked. “That must’ve been terrifying, Daichi!”

He shrugged. “It was an egregious invasion of my privacy, but I tend to stay pretty calm during crises.”

You took in his serene expression, which hadn’t wavered through the entire story. “I guess so!”

“Anyway…let me get your door for you.”

You followed him to his front door, which he opened before walking in first, positioning himself to stand between you and a potential threat should one present itself in his home again.

Right away you noticed the key hook, of all things, on the wall next to his front door, and the orderly shoe shelf behind the door as he closed it. Then your eyes happened to zero in on the four-topper dining table in the breakfast nook, noticing how each and every chair was pushed up to the table with near-perfect symmetry.

Everything about him and his home told you that he was a grown ass man who had his shit together. Definitely not your type.

ch. 2 ☆ ch. 4

31 days of daichi mlist | main daichi mlist | haikyuu mlist

☆ taglist: @chaoskrakenuwu @yuujispinkhair @luvkun4 @briokayama @mrs-sawamura @heroesfan101 @lanaxians-2 @darthferbert @a-girl-cant-decide-on-a-name @cookiesandmilksx @strawberrystepmom @maexc @little-ms-awkward @samkysnks @anejuuuuoy @productivity-blogs @patheticliesblog ++ get added

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tobiasdrake · 14 days

Text

By the by, still musing on Turnabout Serenade before moving on to Turnabout Succession. You know what's really fun about this case? Here's what's really fun about this case. So, we have this big, elaborate, artistic piece to the case. But. Why? Why do all of that?

Well. There's actually an answer very sneakily hidden in Investigation 1.

This is the sort of thing I mean when I say elements of random chance and human fallibility are always important pieces to splice into your mystery; They keep things more interesting than "The chessmaster plotted it all because he's smart."

So, one of the tricks in Turnabout Serenade is predicated on these song lyrics.

During Investigation 1, Trucy hits upon this revelation. She walks us through each step of the song and how its lyrics are reflected in the real, actual crime taking place before our eyes - which we later have to unpack in order to make sense of what really happened and why these events occurred.

Trucy lays out the various similarities to the real crime. But up until this point, each "stage" of the song lyrics has had an actual function. Each of the three pieces were carried out with intent.

And the last two happened out-of-order.

Every piece of the crime correlates to the song, but also has a real meaning for the crime. Every piece until that last bit: Guitar guitar, up together to the sky.

This final piece is completely hollow. It serves no purpose beyond matching the song. This piece, and only this piece, exists to reinforce the idea that the killer was artistically following Gavin's script.

Why is it only this piece that's hollow? Why weren't there more elements added to the crime to match the song? Daryan, notably, did absolutely nothing with the second verse. At no point in this crime does a fleeting melody wrap itself around someone and make them fly - though you could assume that he was letting Lamiroir's flight trick up on stage fill the spot.

But still. Why? Why do all of this just to hide the timing of the bullet and the fire? What was the point?

Well. Um. Here's the thing about that. Remember when Trucy was breaking down the crime and its relationship to the song earlier?

Who, exactly, was over there listening to her?

Trucy, right there on stage, concocts the idea that this murder happened in accordance with Gavin's song - with Gavin and Apollo backing her up as they come to the same realization.

And the whole time they're discussing it, Daryan's standing right next to Gavin listening to them give him a prime misdirection.

It's only after this conversation that the one piece that does not fit, the piece that means nothing beyond matching the song, occurs.

So to the question of why Daryan matched his crime to Gavin's song, the answer Investigation 1 gives us is simple.

He didn't.

That a heart, a bullet, and fire were involved is purely coincidental. It was Trucy, Gavin, and Apollo who came up with the idea that the crime matches the song. Daryan only went along with it after-the-fact, so that they would keep barking up the wrong tree.

#ace attorney #revisiting aa4 #ace attorney apollo justice

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searsage · 10 months

Text

"We'd probably try to eat you if given the oppertunity…if we're being completely honestly here." Robin admitted shamelessly.

"Not often is such honesty afforded to one's death…" Al-an humored his little companion, her ambition was not misguided, scaled ones were omnivorous known to even fall prey to the impulse to consume one another if the opportunity presentes itself."

"Yeah. We used to be known as persistent hunters, superior predetors, we can't resist running prey down, I think that trait passed down even now." His mermaid bragged cheekily,

"This does not surprise me in the least Robin, your kind have proved to be… fearsome predators…" Al-an agrees easily, chossing not mention stalking down and maiming thee of the scaled pests down the night prior.

Not because he intended to kill them, no, but simply because it was in his nature to hone his hunting skills when the oppertunity presented itself, they were not of Robin's pod and yet still their foolish scouting strayed so close to her vulnerable territory…

It was enough transgressions for her shadow to make an example out of them, they will not past back that way, and if foolishly they do, they won't survive to see the lights of her little fort…

"What? What are you purring about?! Your not taking me serious are you!" Robin scowled her fingers finding and grabing at the elegant fins at his throat, she liked watching them change colors in response to her touch much to his amusement…

His response to her unbridled fascination was to instinctively change them more fervently..

"I have no doubt in your foraging prowess-" begin passive agressively knowing full well he aimed to irk his little feisty companion.

"I said hunting! We don't hunt plants Al-an!" Robin hissed with little heat, still too enamoured by his colorful fins to pay much attention to his jab at her ego.

"Your obvious good at what you do..but so am I big guy..but I'm sure you're well aware of that…" Robin mused darkly, her arms coming to rest lazily on his shoulders.

Lips press against his neck, then seconds aftrt the distinct feeling of his companion's jagged teeth scraping against the sensitive flesh of his gill fins, and then her hot tongue…

Heat bloomed under her touch, the sudden warmth, pleasant to the point it was intoxicating, like poison coating his insides, instinctively he attempts suffocate his biolights, feign indifference to her exploration.

But it was a failing battle..

"I'm the best hunter in our village, and you know what? I've yet to ever lose a catch..would'nt it surprise you to know I'm hunting right now..?" Robin snorted smiling sharply, her narrow eyes souldering with mirth but also something dark and..tempting..

Al-an paused dumbly, she undoubtedly had commandeered his attention… yet he found himself at a loss as to how he should respond accordingly to the intensity of his little companion sometimes, his hesitance did not lie in disinterest but…

Perhaps uncertainty..

He was uncertain to what ends she intended to pursued him, was she simply curious? Teasing..? Or was his misreading her behaviour as that which it was not..?

Still despite his best efforts he cannot stifle the ripple of his fleeting interest, a soft illuminating ripple coursing up his spine, a meek and almost pathetic response to her likely misdirected flattery.

#robin ayou #al an subnautica #al an #al an x robin #al an/robin #robin/al an #sbz #subnatica below zero #subnautica #mermaid au #sirens #postapocalyptic #Ink #BITW #robin trying to get her flirt on and al-an is not computing...#Past #Some food while i beat this chap into submission..

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