Tumgik
#anyway. ordering some frames online to try on at home
supercantaloupe · 10 months
Text
glasses shopping is so annoying cause they'll be like "our frames are cheap! they come with prescription lenses included!!" but my eyesight is dogshit so i need high index lenses and that's like. half the cost of the frames extra on top
2 notes · View notes
doobea · 9 months
Text
I CAN MAKE YOUR BED ROCK - RIN ITOSHI
Tumblr media Tumblr media
synopsis: You're a famous online smut author, married to an international superstar athlete, and everyone around you thinks you have the perfect sex life. What they don't realize is Rin sleeps in the guest room and you're still very much a virgin.
contents: fem!reader, explicit content (f!oral receiving, m!oral receiving, fingering, my lame attempt to write dirty talk, blindfolds, virginity loss), characters are all in their mid/late-20s, romcom, fluffy smut (if that's even a thing), feels like PWP (there's like 3 smut scenes?) and also mini sex ed, sae makes an appearance!!!, wholesome ending hehe, mdni word count: 8K (idk this could've been split up into two parts but here we are) a/n: words cannot describe how happy i am to see this whim of a series turn into something so huge in a short span!! like tysm!! anyway, i hope you guys enjoy the final part :)
Tumblr media
四 : call me Mr. Flintstone, I can make your bed rock -> prev.
Tuesdays are miserable for Rin.
They're usually reserved for prepping for press conferences, answering emails from sponsorships, and posting on his socials to increase interactions with his followers - all courtesy of Ego's 'Blue Lock: Career Manager' program. Tuesdays are the only days when Rin can work from home but it drains the most energy out of him.
Today he wakes up before his alarm, a rare occurrence, and notices an oddly large amount of sunlight in the room. He shifts around and tries to yawn, only realizing that his jaw is stiff and sore from the night before. It soon dawns upon him that he's in your bed and feels the extra weight on the left side. He tilts his head down, eyes softening at the sight of you in his shirt, snuggled right up against his bare chest with just the tiniest of drools sweeping out of your lips, but he doesn't mind.
There's a sudden urge to use the bathroom but he rests in bed for a few moments longer. His fingers brush some of your locks away from your frame and watches as your eyes flutter under closed lids at the contact. He starts counting your breaths in intervals, almost trying to calculate your heartbeat in his weird little head, and begins to feel overwhelmed by how right it feels to be laying next to you.
Tuesdays just got better for Rin.
The first beat of his alarm goes off and he's fast to put it to snooze in order to not disrupt your slumber. The athlete takes this moment as motivation to get up and gently sweeps you over to your sides before crawling out of bed. His back creaks, aches, and pops when he pulls himself to his feet and attempts to do his routine yoga stretches. And, at that moment, Rin decides that he'll make his favorite dish for breakfast.
Your nose twitches you awake from the fragrant earthy smell emanating from the kitchen. You sit up a bit too fast, vision going white as you're hit in the face with the immediate morning shine, and groan. Sounds of stacking plates and water trickling in the background are soon followed by the shuffling of slippers coming close to your direction as you see your shirtless husband carrying in a breakfast tray occupied by two bowls of green tea rice with bream and tall glasses of water.
"Good morning," He sets down the tray on the bedside table and leans forward to plant a kiss on your cheek, "did you sleep well?"
"You wouldn't believe it," You shoot him a cheeky grin, "maybe we should do this more often."
He raises an amused brow, "Sleeping together?"
You shrug back with a teasing look, "If that's what you wanna call it then sure."
The mattress lets out a small squeak as Rin sits down, quickly cupping the sides of your face into his for a deeper kiss. The heat of his mouth on yours feels all too welcoming that you can't help but relax your head back down to the pillow. You find yourself eagerly returning his kisses, searching for his tongue with yours and gently nipping at the corner of his mouth.
Rin breaks free for a moment, redness evident on his cheeks, "The food."
You slouch forward, lips brushing over his neck which causes him to tense up, "I'm sure we can spare just 15 minutes, right?"
"Right, 15 minutes." He breathes and looks at you, "Is there anything you want me to do?"
For the past year, you've dreamt of Rin saying this exact question over a dozen times with a dozen of different answers. Whether it be him kissing you until you were a sloppy wreck, leaving hickeys and love marks all over each other's bodies until his teammates complained, or having him absolutely fuck you into oblivion.
"Up to you."
Rin nods and pulls off the blanket covering you, admiring how cute you looked in his baggy t-shirt, and lowers himself further until his face is right between your thighs. He leaves a trail of kisses along the side of your right thigh, lips moving lower, engulfing the hot candy-coated skin. You can feel yourself growing wetter and start to whine, instinctively grinding your hips against the mattress.
"Calm down." You hear him whisper, breath hot against your wet center.
"Rin." You don't know how many times you were going to cry out his name, but you needed him to understand.
As his mouth hovers over the area that you had no idea was so needy until now, he continues to kiss the insides of your thighs, forcing you to turn your entire body to the side in search of some form of pressure. His name makes its way past your lips again and, at that sound, he holds tighter to your thighs to spread them apart. Rin stares at your dripping opening, spreading it open with two fingers for so long that you look down to meet his dangerous teal eyes.
"I have a meeting in 30." He says as if it was dirty talk and you almost end up laughing but saved the energy to give a light squeeze at his head with your thighs.
"So make it fast."
Rin nods slowly, and soon, his hot, firm tongue is on your sensitive nub. He moves in long, fast strokes, caressing the neediest part of your body while one of his rigid hands settles onto your hip, rooting you against the mattress. You screw your eyes shut at the action, feeling the pleasure beginning to inch its way up to your stomach, and made the realization your husband has already made note of all of your sweet spots in just two sessions.
Your rapid moans begin to fill the room and you attempt to lift your hips against his strength, every muscle in your abdomen tightening as you try to concentrate on finding release.
"Rin, I'm clo—"
A loud blaring ringtone from Rin's pocket snaps you both out of the intoxicated spell and he groans in frustration. He gets up to sit on the end of the mattress, picking up his call with a swift swipe. You can't make out the exact words from the line but, from Rin's pursed lips and hard expression, you knew it was work-related.
"Yeah, I'll hop on in just a second. Thanks." The call drops with a beep.
You pull the blankets up to cover yourself, trying to hide the disappointment stretched on your face, "Ego?"
"Yeah," Rin sighs and throws you an apologetic look, "we'll continue later? My sponsors started the meeting early."
"Mhm, that's fine." You give his arm a small squeeze, a secret way of saying 'Go fuck them up'. And he squeezes back, his way of saying 'I will'.
Rin's meeting with his sponsors is... interesting.
Like most people who know him, he likes to keep things relatively minimal and doesn't like showing much of his personality other than what people usually see on screen - deadpan and curt. And he prefers to keep it as such. Though, and he blames Ego, his recent sportswear sponsors have been pressuring him to 'change' his persona for their new campaign (and gaining a new wide customer audience of course). And the theme for that? Eros.
"Has anyone told you that you have a hidden sex appeal?"
Rin almost chokes on his drink before responding quietly, "Not many?" Aside from you, that is.
The middle-aged man on his laptop screen laughs, "We'd think you'd be perfect, but you need to flesh out that side of you."
"Huh," is all Rin could say because why would athletic wear even be sexy in the first place?
"We're a bit busy today on site but if you could send us full body shots in these poses," the man sends over a link in the chat, "we'll compensate ten thousand for that and then the rest on the day of the shoot, deal?"
Getting these types of offers is usually rare in Rin's case. Brands tend to fit their representative's aesthetics rather than molding them into something they're not. But sometimes they can get a bit ruthless with their pestering.
He clicks on the link and a separate tab opens up, revealing a series of seductive mock-ups of a blindfolded shirtless model in tight Nike boxers. This is what they wanted him to do? Just so they can sell some underwear? Rin finds himself regretting turning down the Mcdonalds' campaign two months ago. Maybe that would've kept his schedule busy and Nike could've turned to someone else like Reo or Karasu.
He wants to say no, but this was one of Blue Lock's biggest donors. Saying no would result in another long meeting with Ego and the rest of the company's executive board. And there's no way that he could sit through that again.
"I'll send them over by the end of the day."
The man snaps up, eyes wide, "Perfect! Pleasure doing business with you as always, Itoshi." Without saying any departures, his screen goes black.
Rin grunts and slumps down in his chair, only looking up when he hears his bedroom door creaking opening slightly, revealing your figure with a sly smile.
Ah, he can't tell if he likes the look or not.
"I'm assuming you—"
"Can I please help?!"
Rin doesn't miss the glint that flashes across your eyes. It appears that you already have something in mind and he needs to send over the photos by this afternoon so does he even have a say? It wasn't like Rin knows how to take gaudy photos anyway.
He fakes being in deep thought briefly with a finger to his lips, enjoying the sight of your bubbling excitement, before agreeing, "Where should we start?"
You strut over to his laptop and eye the mock-up photos that his sponsor had sent over. Rin closely watches your facial expressions change as you seem to take this newfound role with increasing responsibility and seriousness. Of all the time spent together within the past year, he's never seen you this passionate over something silly in his opinion.
"Do you have their product on hand?" Your question snaps him from his thoughts and he nods, pointing towards the guest room closet.
"They sent over three separate pairs last week. I didn't bother trying them on."
A gasp escapes from your lips follow quickly by a pout, "I could've seen you in them?!”
“We’ve only started being intimate a few days ago, honey.” He said matter of factly.
“Still…” Your voice trails off with a playful eye roll before you clap your hands together in movement of an idea.
Rin straightens up from his seat at the action, unsure of what to expect within the next couple of minutes. He hears you mumble something under your breath and watches you leave the room and return with what appears to be a black cloth, some rope, and a pair of handcuffs. While he knows that you usually receive free sex toys from your collaborations, he can’t help but question whether you’ve used them or not. You toss the items onto the mattress and rummage through his drawers to pull out the sealed package with the branded boxers.
"It'll be quick, babe!"
Most likely not, he thinks. With the direction of where this is heading, Rin believes he'll soon revisit this morning's session.
Much to his own surprise, modeling in only his boxers was something he discovered he was effortless at. Or maybe it was your own enthusiasm and concentration behind the camera that made him feel a bit at ease. You both moved to the living room area to catch better lightning and instructed Rin to lay down on the sectional couch with a singular hand tousled through his hair. In just a span of a few minutes, you've captured over a dozen dynamic close-ups and full-body shots of your husband's figure.
"Do you do this often?" Rin speaks out.
You stand behind the camera with unwavering focus, thumb hovering over the shutter as you set up for the next shot, "Not often but only with the toys I get."
Rin flinches from the flash before pressing on, "Do you use anything of them on yourself?"
Your dexterous fingers adjust the settings and angle the device slightly right, "Never, if I'm being completely honest." A faint flush travels to the tip of your ears at the next sentence and you feel yourself hesitating, "I've only ever used my personal vibrator but that's about it. I have a mannequin in my room that I dress up in order to understand visuals whenever I'm writing."
This is new. In the short amount of time that you've guys been spending together, you believe that this is actually the first instance where Rin asks about what you do for work. And despite him going down on you this morning, you can't help but want to crawl somewhere far and away from the sudden embarrassment. You do this for a living!
A few more flashes and loud snaps go by.
"And what exactly are you currently writing?" He asks. Rin is no good at hiding his intentions, teasing leaks into it.
You freeze, feeling his watchful gaze, and choose your next words carefully, "A short novel about a husband and wife. Really corny plot to explain, I don't think you'll like it that much." You try to laugh off your sudden nerves.
Rin crosses his arms, now sitting up, "I don't mind listening."
For a long moment, you stare back at him, mouth agape, trying to scramble for an answer, "Um, it's about their awkward relationship and them trying to get comfortable with one another, if that makes sense?"
The uneasiness of your answer is something he picks up on and Rin can't help but move forward with it, "That sounds awfully familiar." He says as if it's a long-forgotten memory, placing weight on each word.
Your hands fumble with the next camera shot, "A-Ah, there are tons of books that follow a similar premise, it's nothing new!" Rin looks like he's going to add something to the topic but you interject, "Let's move to the next set! Can you put on the blindfold?"
He obeys, your shoulders relax as the conversation dissolves, and he ties the black cloth around his eyes, only allowing his dark bangs over them. You watch him fumble back into his original pose with his legs spread and arms propped up against the couch’s frame. 
Anyone within their right mind would easily agree that Rin Itoshi is attractive. If you were to show any of your penpals a photo they would probably hound you down for stealing a man like him off the market. Even when you were looking through his application over a year ago, you had a general idea of what to expect but meeting him in person blew away your expectations. Seeing him earlier was great, fantastic even, but there was something about having that blindfold on that made your breath stuck in your throat.
"How does it feel?"
"No different from me closing my eyes." Except, well it is different. He feels a lot more vulnerable with not knowing your movements, his sense of touch is heightened and, frankly, he's aroused. And of course, you catch the last part.
"I can feel you staring, you know."
"It's hard not to." You snap the photos and made a mental note to photoshop the growing appendage away. You aren’t really sure what would happen if that gets approved and you really don't want to find out. "Can you lay flat on the couch this time? Hands behind your head? Yeah, just like that - perfect."
He vaguely makes out the flashes behind the thick fabric and jolts when he suddenly feels your cold fingers tracing his lower abdomen. He stays still, wondering where and what you're planning to do next in heavy excitement. His erection jerks hard against the boxer briefs as your fingers make their journey down, hand stopping right when his seemingly wet tip throbs up into your palm.
"Stay still for me?" And he hears you laugh when he nods a bit too fast.
Rin draws a sharp breath through his teeth when you free his erection from the slits of his bottoms, his hands travel to meet yours and place them around his length. Zero words are exchanged as the next thing he feels is your warm tongue wrapping eagerly around him.
He instinctively bucks his hips towards your mouth, toes curling in the process as you start dragging your tongue up and down his arousal. It only took a few more tries before you start to feel the moment when he loses the control that he had been holding onto diligently for so long.
But what fun would that be?
You pull back from his length with an audible pop and laugh, "That's for this morning."
He wants to cry at the loss of contact but holds back. Rin tosses off the blindfold, throwing it across the room, and the moment his gaze meets yours, it's burning. "Not fair."
"It's only fair, babe." You reply back with a tease.
Your body falls softly against the cushions of the couch as your husband gets up and he picks you up easily by flinging a hand under your legs. You wrap your legs around his waist, resting just above his needy erection, and widen your eyes as he starts stepping toward the bedroom.
"What about the photoshoot?"
"Just send over what you have," He makes a low, guttural sound in response and traces his tongue along the crook of your neck, "I want to do something else right now."
He pulls you away gently by your throat, forcing you to look back at him. His eyes scan your face, looking you over and memorizing every detail before they fall to your lips, and he leans forward and kisses you.
As his tongue breaches your mouth, he sets you down on the mattress, crawling on top, and shivering when his bare cock brushes over your bottoms. You can't help the way you tremble under his hold, your entire body lighting on fire. You have an idea of where this might go but, before anything else, you reach over to your bedside drawer and pull out a series of small boxes.
He pulls away at the sound and inspects the items, "You always kept condoms there?" Rin asks.
"No," You said a bit too defensively, "I'm just an optimist and safety comes first." You toss two boxes in his hands. "Check the date on those."
He eyes them strangely and taking out a couple of colored condoms and clear ones. "Why?"
You squeeze his thigh, sitting up on the mattress this time, "The good ones expire within two to three years. I think these should be decent? Pick whichever one you want to use."
Rin blanks for a while, trying to weigh out his options. He doesn't know why but this is harder to decide compared to who he should pass to on the field. You sit back slightly against the headboard, rubbing small circles into his thigh before he finally comes to a decision and picks up a black one.
Your lips quirks up, "Ribbed for her pleasure?"
He plays with the packaging between his fingers and furrows his brows, "I don't trust the ultra-thin ones."
"It's not like they make the condoms break on purpose!"
"I know that," He blushes in embarrassment, "I just want us to be safe too."
You free yourself from your top and bottoms, letting your breasts perk up in exposure to the cold air in the bedroom. Rin doesn't wait long to get rid of his only remaining article of clothing and carefully removes the wrapper from its confinement. He fumbles with the condom for a bit, trying to find the correct way of putting it on so that it doesn't automatically slip off, and gingerly pushes your back against the mattress.
Rin takes a moment to fully absorb the sight, his heavy gaze darting across your fully naked flushed figure along the white sheets that hugs your outline beneath you. Hands rest firmly along your waist and he leans forward, a mixture of concern and lust raging in his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
Your arms wrap behind his neck, anchoring yourself below as you waited with much anticipation, "Take your time, I'm right here."
It takes Rin a few long seconds for this realization to hit, spurring him to action. He pulls back slightly, one hand steady on your waist and the other gripping his arousal as he begins to slowly enter your folds inch by inch. A heatwave goes through his system at the feeling of your tight cavern clenching around the tip of his cock, Rin bites into his lip to control himself and gently pushed forward, sliding inside of your entrance and pushing through the thin strip of resistance while you begin to cry softly by his ear.
"I’m sorry," he apologizes when he hears you emit a sharp sound of pain, "We can stop if this is too much."
You hold onto him tighter, refusing to lift your chin from his shoulder.  "It's fine," you manage to breathe out, "I'm trying to get used to you."
You moan and lower your hips, forcing him deeper inside of you, his length fully draped in your tight warmth. It's Rin's turn to wince, this time at the feeling of being fully inside. Without thinking about it and unable to control his body’s response, he begins to thrust his hips up towards yours slowly, still holding onto you firmly as you widen your legs under him.
"You're so tight." Rin rasps out, your nails digging deeper into his shoulders.
You fight back the tears and whimper, "It feels good, don't stop."
"I know," he coos, unable to keep from responding in the heat of the moment.
What started as slow, tepid lovemaking soon became rough and swift. Your muffled moans soon grow into loud, uncontrollable whines as you cry out your passion into the room. Rin screws his eyes shut and lets his concentration break, his mind fully focused on the feeling of you under and tight around him as he works his length as deep inside of you. All he can think about is how good you feel and how long he wanted this, and now finally being with you like this - so close and so unveiled - it's more than he can handle, more than he can believe.
Rin knows that he's moments away from falling apart completely.  Feeling the cord tighten in his stomach,  he leans forward to take one of your nipples in his mouth, sucking it gently while he brought his fingertips to your sensitive nub and begins to circle around the area until your mewling grows further into a frenzy.
 "Fuck," You begin to cry into his shoulders, fingers tearing at his hair, "It feels too good, baby."
Rin is too far gone at that point, and he realizes too late that his climax is bursting out of him, his cock leaking heavily into the wrapper. You're soon behind him, biting into his shoulder as your own orgasm hit, and the feeling of your walls gripping and clenching him only prolongs his own release and it leaves him feeling intoxicated and dazed.
He pulls his hand away from where it sat between you both, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close, both your breathing laborious and loud. Rin tries to process the reality of what had just transpired, but he knows that he would never truly understand why he's lucky enough to be with you in this way.
"As cheesy as this sounds," You rake your fingers through his damp locks and giggle at his exhausted state, "I'm glad we waited to do this."
"I'm sorry that we didn't do this sooner," Rin replies quietly, nudging his face closer to your chest, "you did great."
"You made it great for me."
Your bodies breathe in rough synchronization and you leave the clean-up process to become tomorrow's worries.
Waking up to the sight of you drooling on him has quickly become one of his favorite things to look forward to. Rin doesn't even hide his intentions as he reaches for his phone and snaps a picture of you. The sound and flash from the device wake you and you soon take note of the wet mess that you had laid on his chest from the night before.
You let out a yelp, using the blankets to immediately wipe off any trace of saliva, "Delete that right now!"
Rin quickly saves it as his new phone background and shakes his head, "That's not on my to-do list today." Not like he has a to-do list, but he enjoys seeing this flustered side of you outside of the bedroom playground.
You pout, "Who knew you could be so mean?"
"My parents left that part out of my application for obvious reasons."
Before you could say anything more, Rin's phone buzzes in his hands, and his brother's ID flashes across the screen. This could mean one or two things, he's wishing him a happy birthday or his whole family is coming to visit. Considering that it's not even September yet, you can only assume the latter.
Rin scrambles to put on a pair of boxers and hops out of bed to take the call, "Be right back."
It had been almost three months since your in-laws last visited your home. With his older brother living abroad in Spain and his parents spending their retirement funds on travels, it was hard to find a good quiet week for everyone to fly over. But, when they do visit, it's always an impromptu visit on their end that leaves you scrambling around the house last minute. Rin knows how stressed that leaves you so when he gets off the phone with Sae, he immediately lets you know about the upcoming visit within the next three days. While most people may think three days is still short notice, at least that's better than waking up at 4 in the morning with everyone by the front door.
"How long do you think they're gonna stay for?" You step out of the shower in your bathrobe and eye the wall clock.
"Only two days, it'll be brief. My mother just wants to drop some stuff off and have dinner." He says while making the bed.
You hum in deep thought, "We can spend the rest of today grocery shopping when you get back from work if you want."
"I would like that."
Rin helps you clean the place for the first two days and then on the final day he spends all his time in the kitchen. He reassures that he'll handle the cooking since everyone in his family are picky eaters, especially his older brother.
"You sure you don't need help, babe?" You try and peer over his shoulders but his tall frame made it nearly impossible. Rin notices and takes a step aside for you to look.
He's wearing one of your pink, frilly aprons while chopping up various greens on the cutting board. On the stove he has three separate pots, one pot was nearly filled to the brim with bone broth and tender meat, the other was a smaller pot with already boiled vermicelli noodles, and the last pot is just a placeholder for raw vegetables.
"I've got it covered," He says with focus and tosses the last bit of cilantro into the third pot. "Is everything else ready for tonight?"
"Mhm," You lean against his side, engulfing your nose with the intense aroma from the meat, "The smell alone is riling me up." You said half-jokingly.
His eyes glimmer and immediately pauses his actions, "Maybe we could sneak one in before they arrive?"
You lightly pinch his shoulder and laugh, "Are you a sex addict now or something?"
"No," He sets down the knife and turns off the stove, face leaning into yours as he cages you in between his arms and the kitchen counter. "Maybe just a you addict."
You pinch his shoulder again, a little too roughly, and Rin winces. His lips ghost over yours and, with a simple touch, you latch your arms around his neck and press your lips together. It's firm, rough, and almost desperate. Rin's hand drifts up the back of your shirt, easily snapping the back of your bra band off, and soon gets a hold of one of your exposed breasts. You melt into his touch, whining when his fingers brush over a nub.
You reluctantly pull back when you smell the intense fragrance again, a faint string of saliva stretching and breaking in between you two, "What time are they coming over?"
He glances at the clock on the wall, "About an hour."
You snap your head towards the unfinished dining room table and curse under your breath, "I forgot to set up the plates and runner."
Rin caresses your cheeks, forcing you to readjust your attention back to him. "It'll be quick, don't worry." He ushers, placing your hands against his aching clothed length.
It’s almost like a trend with you two now. Finding odd moments to become intimate during a time crunch. "Fine," You press against his warmth and offer him a sultry smile, "but you're on cleaning duty."
"Fair enough deal." He groans at you, running his fingers across the now damp fabric of your panties.
Lifting a hand, you trace the outline of his face with your fingertip, admiring the sharp angular features and how his long lashes rest under his eyes as he breathed quietly. Your eyes fall on the firm definition of his biceps where they peeked from the black form-fitting t-shirt he always likes to wear around you.
Rin's eyes were glowing in that specific cloudy gaze again before he bashfully asks, "Can I go down on you?"
You shudder when his fingers press down on your clothed clit, "It's hard to say no when it's you, Rin."
He tugs at your waistband, easily slipping off the article of clothing to the ground, and watches you with greed in his eyes as you slither out of your soiled underwear. His hands grip firmly against your ass, lifting and placing you down gently on the counter, away from his carefully crafted meal prep. You shiver against the cold marble countertop and watch with anticipation as he slowly bends down to level his face between your wet heat.
He has already memorized and claimed your scent as his own; it’s a fierce and sweet concoction of hormones and needs that only his words and touch could elicit in you. As your aroma encircled him, Rin couldn't help but grow more and more thirsty. His fingers rest firmly on your folds, spreading you apart.
"Rin," You find yourself panting out his name, hands immediately tugging at his dark locks.
He nuzzles his face right into the wet slick, burying himself in your addicting warmth, "Be good for me, okay?"
Despite the rush of getting everything set up, Rin takes his time. His tongue makes its laps against your folds and he feels your trembling body as you buck against the countertop. You let out another moan, this time contained in your throat but still loud and sweet enough for him to hear, and the sound of it makes his length ache in return.
He tries to ignore the throbbing pain and focuses on your pleasure. His tongue dances in the forms of long, short, and fast strokes against your flesh, stopping only when he reaches your clit. Every time he stopped, your body tensed above him, and it made him smile knowing that he could get you like this. Rin hates to admit it but he loves to tease you as much as he loves to leave you awash with pleasure. As he continues to ravage from below, you begin to whine incoherently and lean back further until your back is flush against the cold countertop.
"Rin, please—" The knot growing in your stomach makes your hands ball up into fists in his hair, knuckles turning white from the immense pleasure.
He can't see your face but, judging from the cadence in how you called out his name, he knows that you're close. Seeing you behaving desperate and anxious only makes him love you ten times more than he had moments ago. Giving your thighs a light spank, his lips latch onto your clit, and rolls his tongue in circles.
He feels the vibrations of your moans echoing throughout your messy figure but he wants to finish you off in a way that'll turn you into putty in his hands. He sucks on your sensitive nerve one last time before pulling away, standing up, and using the back of his hand to wipe away the honey-coated slick that's across his face.
Before you get a chance to cry out in frustration, Rin seizes you by your waist and pulls your body forward so that your feet touch the floor. He meets with your flushed expression as you quietly gasp for air and pulls out a wrapper he had in his pockets.
"Can we?" He says it so tenderly.
"God," You can't help but laugh weakly at the sight, legs trembling from the built-up pressure, "You get cleaning duty and owe me brunch tomorrow."
He hums in agreement as he slips out of his sweats, erection raging red and getting fully wrapped around by the condom, "Consider that a date."
"Just don't take too long because we still—"
Bringing one hand up towards your cheek, he pulls you into a swift kiss that quickly silences you. Your words soon deteriorate into a muffled series of moans into his mouth as he gravitates his palm under your right thigh, lifting and spreading it just enough that he slips his length inside in one smooth glide.
"You fit so perfectly around me." He breathes between your ragged lips before lowering your leg, his thumbs taking place onto your hips.
Rin starts off his thrusts at a swift pace, not too rough but still reaching your deepest spots that had you clenching your eyes shut and tipping your head back. He winces at the tightness and warmth of your sex, suppressing back the moan that rose into a bubble in his throat but it's nearly impossible with how electrifying everything feels.
"Don't look away."
Your eyes flutter open and tilt your head forward, finding his smoldering gaze. Rin stares back, studying the way your lips part as you call his name and the way that your brows furrow in pleasure.
"That's it." He pumps a snap thrust into you, causing your hands to fly directly around his neck, holding onto him tight. "You're such a good girl."
The sound of his voice has always been able to produce flutterings in your heart, but hearing him talk to you like this, speaking words like that, is enough to sharpen the ache and send the deluge of your insides rushing forth like a dam has been breached.
The sounds coming out of you right now are inconvincible. Your sentences and his name starts sounding like a new language but he can't bother to listen to your nonsense chatter right now. Not while he's focusing so hard on the magnificent feel of your warmth that was melting him where he stood, his concentration on heightening your ecstasy until you break under his touch. He brings his hips as close to yours as he can, each stroke smooth and just deep enough to hit your spot every time he falls back into you. You shut your eyes again, dropping your forehead to his chin, and Rin grunts, letting himself drown in the overwhelming bliss of being inside of you.
"Tell me how it feels." He moans against your sweat-covered collarbones.
You launch yourself closer, now chest to chest with your husband, "It's so good—you take care of me so well!"
Another sharp thrust causes your walls to spasm crazy against his arousal, he nips at your neck in response, "I know I do."
He’d built you up so high earlier that it doesn't take long for you to fall apart. Your walls continue to tighten around him and your nails scrape lines into his shoulder blades. You're crying his name again, the sound bright and muffled against his neck, but Rin focuses on the feel of you losing yourself on his cock. You begin to lean against him, your body going slack and limbless.
Feeling a burning hot pressure grows inside his own core as he devours your sounds and drives into you with a few final deep pumps, unable to stop himself when he spills hot against the wrapper inside of you.
Rin is trembling as he finishes, and you're still vicing him in a death grip with the searing wet heat of your sex. Your sounds have mostly quieted now, minus the weak giggling, leaning completely limp against him. Your arms are still looped around his shoulders and the sweat from your brow trails his clavicle where your head had come to rest.
"How long do we have?" You finally breathe, brain still intoxicated by the rush of pleasure.
"15 minutes." He sighs and pulls outs, soon realizing the mess that you both had made all over his groin and legs.
A groan mumbles through your lips, "Think we have enough time to squeeze in a shower?"
Rin places a chaste kiss on your wet cheeks, "Not a chance."
It's a miracle how efficiently you two work under pressure. It's also no surprise that Rin is fast at almost everything he does. Whether it be running from one end of the field to the other or rushing to have the meals all perfectly set up by the dining table as your in-laws were just arriving through the door. You mentally thank him for giving you just enough time to fix your 'post-sex' crazed hair and take care of 'her' business.
By the time you arrive at the dining table, practically everything and everyone had already been seated and served. You shyly say your brief greetings before taking a seat next to Rin, "How was the flight over?"
Sae, who sat across from you, doesn't try to hide the disdain in his voice, "Still jetlagged and tired, if I'm being honest."
Rin picks up his noodles and sends his brother a questioning look, "You literally flew in first class." He jabs.
The older male fakes a yawn, "And? There's still a seven-hour time difference."
Your mother-in-law quickly interjects the growing tension, "It wasn't too bad, we had a layover in Shanghai which was nice, and we even brought gifts!" She reaches underneath the table, pulling out several luxury branded boxes and a lone black plastic bag that was stuffed to the brim with white fabric.
"That one is mine." Sae lamely points at the black bag which earns a huff from your husband. Of all the few times you've met his brother, you don't know if he's genuinely bad at giving out gifts or just did it on purpose to tick off Rin. "Wear it in private." He adds casually in a whisper.
"So," Your mother-in-law's voice chimes in an all too familiar tone at the dinner table, her chopsticks clinking against the noodles in the bowl as her eyes dart between the two of you on the other side. Her husband shifts awkwardly in the seat next to her and Sae mindlessly chews, though his head perks at the incoming conversation. "When are you guys expecting kids?"
You nearly spit out your meal in response, still not used to her directness, "Oh, umm..." Your eyes wander to Rin in hopes of a reasonable reply.
In the past, Rin would be quick to give an answer that fell more along the lines of "We're still getting to know each other" or "We're both busy to focus on that right now". Normally you wouldn't say anything in return and merely silently agree just because he was right. Plus, you never did feel comfortable admitting to his parents that you did indeed want to sleep with their son, maybe not pop out a baby anytime soon, but definitely slipping under the sheets.
You were half expecting Rin to spout out a similar retort this time around but, while looking over at his face, Rin shoots his parents a faint smile and squeezes your hand. This earned a loud gasp from everyone at the table, including yourself.
"Give us maybe two years?"
A time frame? An actual time frame? Everyone is thinking the same thing.
"Oh, my heavens..." His mom places a hand to her mouth and tears start pooling at the corners of her eyes. His dad immediately fetches her a napkin and holds her shaking figure in his arms, chanting that their dreams of having grandkids are now achievable.
Sae lets out an empty huff before giving a small congratulatory clap, "Guess you guys finally did something about that."
"About what?" You and Rin ask in unison.
Sae motions his hands in your direction, expression deadpan, "Sex." He says it loud enough for you to hear but thankfully your in-laws are too occupied crying tears of joy to realize what was said.
Rin glares at his brother and a loud thump was heard. You think your husband just kicked Sae underneath the table but Sae's face stayed unwavering. Or maybe he was trying to hold back his pained expression? You can’t read him that well.
"Quiet." Rin seethes but Sae only shrugs and tosses the black bag across the table.
"Open it up." Sae says a bit too eagerly.
Rin rips into the bag, and he groans when he pulls out two sweaters, the soft fabric spilling over his lap. He groans even more when he lifts one up, unfolding it and holding it at arm’s length. It’s a white baggy, comfortable-looking sweater. There’s black writing across the chest, the words ‘she's just my roommate’ plastered over the front in a Disney-styled font, with an arrow pointing to the right.
"The other one is for Y/N."
The second sweater is identical to the first in color and design, except this one has the words ‘I'm more than that’ with arrows pointing down.
Well, that's certainly embarrassing. You don't even bother questioning where he even ordered it from.
Rin lets the sweater fall onto his lap, "This is going to be our new dish rag. I'm not wearing this."
"Of course you will," Sae takes a sip from his glass and flicks over a rare smirk, "You're going to toss out your big brother's gift?"
"It is comfortable." You point out and Rin groans again when he sees you pulling the sweater over your head. Hair tousled from putting it on and the baggy look does look incredibly cute on you but still...
Sae clears his throat, "I get first dibs on naming the kid, by the way."
Rin rolls his eyes, "And what's the name?"
"Sae Jr."
Another loud thump and you could've sworn a tear rolled down his cheek.
It's Autumn by the time you finish your beloved passion project. You've spent the last few weeks hulled in your room after the family dinner, rapidly typing away on your keyboard for what seems to be hours that Rin legitimately thought he had to buy you a new one. You claimed that you finally knew how to piece the rest of the story together and you couldn't let the idea sit around. He respected your decision but still checked in every now and then to drop off takeout meals and water break reminders.
Once finished with the finalized novel, your penpals were the first ones to gain early access to it on your Patreon site. A quick video call from them in the middle of the night was all the confirmation you need to know that all the "pain" and "suffering" was worth it.
"See? This is why you're number one!" Bachira pops open a bottle of champagne while wearing a cheapy-made party hat.
Chigiri raises his own glass to toast, "How many physical copies are you printing out?"
"I think 500? I have to double-check with my manufacturer for the numbers. But that also means 500 books to sign and I am not looking forward to that."
Your friends roar over the speakers at the fact, downing another glass of alcohol.
Unaware of how noisy the sounds were coming from your phone, you failed to recognize Rin shifting around in his sleep. He wakes up with a low moan. You thought he was going to yell at you but only pulls you closer to his bare chest, his hand soon finding a place to rest on your stomach and eyes flutter open against your skin.
"Who are you talking to?" His raspy voice catches your friends' attention.
"Oh my god," Hiori tries to look closer into your video, "is that your husband?"
Shidou's screen flashes white for a second and grins, "He's hella sculpted."
"Wait, did you just take a screenshot?" Your eyes widen and quickly turn off the video before they could see Rin's face.
"Wait, we wanna see the hubby!"
Your friends begin to whine but your fingers hover over the red button, "Okay bye, thanks for all the love but I have to walk my fish tomorrow morning!" When the call drops, you turn to look at your half-asleep husband, whispering an apology.
He gently pinches your stomach and hums in contentment, "It's fine, but you have to wake up early tomorrow, right?"
"I do," You release a long sigh and press your back deeper into his chest. "But I'm proud of how everything turned out."
"I'm sure it'll be one of your best sellers." Rin hums against your spine, causing you to giggle in reaction.
"Yeah," You reply quietly. "I mean, I hope it does well. I literally wrote a book about us."
He hugs you tighter, looking at you with a faraway look in his eyes, "Life imitates art, I guess."
You feel like you're going to burst with a rush of emotions. With all things considered, you both had come pretty far. "Hey, Rin?"
His lips brush against your shoulders, "Yeah?"
In a barely audible voice, you whisper, "I love you."
The words hang in the air for a split moment. With half-lidded eyes laced with drowsiness, Rin blinks slowly, the corners of his lips twisting into a serene smile.
He leans close to plant a longing kiss on your forehead before rejoining without hesitation, "I love you too."
[ I CAN MAKE YOUR BED ROCK ]
Hana Kay has dedicated her entire career to writing erotica professionally. Everything in her life was going all according to plan when she finally hits a million followers and gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get featured on Today's Morning Show. Nothing stands in her way, not even the jarring fact that she's a virgin and that she's too afraid to even touch her own husband. But when Hana has a face-to-face meeting with her seething editor and a fight with writer's block, she has no choice but to face her fears.
YN Finalis resides in the Tokyo Metropolitan area with her husband, who is the sole inspiration for this story. She considers herself a self-proclaimed "guilty pleasure" writer who loves to create uncanny stories for her readers. Please send all messages to the following email below and for physical fan mail please address to the PO Box right after. She strongly requests that her fans send in owl plushies and any merch featuring her favorite football player Rin Itoshi!
Make sure to grab YN Finalis' signed limited edition hardcover novel at your local bookstore or you can order online on her website for just 19.99 USD / 2865 ¥!
Thank you and happy reading!
Tumblr media
a/n: WOAH sorry that took longer than expected i didn't expect life to hit that hard so soon! ty again everyone for the love and support for this series!!! this is my first time really writing anything smut related so I'm glad it didn't turn out to be doodoo. let me know who you wanna see in my next long fic series!!! I'll put out a poll soon hehe
TAGLIST
@wtfsaekyuny , @jukey , @broeagleblog , @freakingdinonuggies , @damutaaa , @idk-bro-gay , @saharei , @yesurmajesty , @vvi-site , @saeswifeeeeee , @marilover69 , @izayumi-chan , @whostakara , @talleythesimp , @short-black-diamond ,@certaindreampost , @solellmn , @crnnbrry-blog , @itoshiexx , @punkhazardlaw , @jinedia , @mandapanda16 , @erintaro , @tamimemoo , @comet-kun , @shinha , @milktkags , @benignnotions , @dinosaursraur , @karmatiz , @vernorexiaaa , @iloveblogging2 , @peachcobblerinmymumsbasement , @keiitsune , @talleythereader , @redqueensmutt, @blissblossom @thebasicbword @seiamor @exatse @allofffmypeaches @emiyua @k0z3me @hopelessrxmantics @darious @venusinx @curiouslilbeast @linastired
1K notes · View notes
werewolfnightwalker · 6 months
Text
Home
It wasn't much, at first.
In fact it was nothing at all, just an empty one bedroom apartment and a mattress on the floor. But for Hawks, who never had anything that truly belonged to him, and for Touya, for whom this was a fresh start, it was everything.
Touya worked his ass off at his new job at Hawks' new agency; it was smaller than the first had been, the dozens and dozens of sidekicks reduced to a select few teams, who found themselves actually able to help their boss instead of just cleaning up his mess. Touya only had a desk job, days filled with filing reports back and forth, but when his desk was literally in Hawks' office and gave him free access to the hero's snack stash, he had no complaints.
Eventually, when they were able to pocket their first paychecks, they bought a table and chair set. It was secondhand, but it fit perfectly into the corner they designated the dining room. They even had enough left over to order takeout, which they got to eat at their new table.
At the next check, it was a bed frame. Some slats were missing, one leg wobbled, but Touya solved that with a quick venture to a cheap crafts store. They managed to find a couch, a recliner, and even an end table just by taking night drives through neighborhoods and whisking the furniture off the curb where it had been left out for trash. A handful of nails and duct tape, and a 24 hr rental of a steam cleaner did wonders for the old junk.
Mirko gave them their first TV.
"We don't want charity." Dabi scowled.
"It's not. I lost the remote and was gonna toss it anyways." She rebuked. They took it, and Hawks found the remote for five bucks online. Friday night was spent curled up under a shared blanket, watching a show on a streaming service they paid for themselves.
Bit by bit by tiny bit, their apartment came together. Soon they had a bookshelf, that they filled with books and knickknacks from garage sales and secondhand shops. They bought posters and paintings and flags and neat things to decorate their walls, until the apartment was colorful and alive. They found a desk and chair set at a flea market, and suddenly Touya had a place to do artsy things and try out hobbies he'd never had before.
Hawks won a laptop in a giveaway at another hero's agency, and found that he really liked online puzzle games in his downtime. Their Friday nights in front of the TV started to include playing games and knitting together. Eventually, they had enough to replace their cheap and plastic cookware with actually decent stuff. Touya, admittedly, cried a little when he bought his very own rice cooker.
It took months, maybe even years. But one day Hawks- Keigo, he wasn't at the agency right now, he was allowed to be Keigo- stopped and took a look around at his little apartment, at the coat rack he put together last weekend and the new curtains Touya had picked out, at Touya sitting on the couch with a book and the cat they took in from the streets, and realized he was home.
47 notes · View notes
shadeops21 · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
I posted 331 times in 2022
That's 51 more posts than 2021!
38 posts created (11%)
293 posts reblogged (89%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@sleepyconfusedpotato
@ronoken
@lisbetadair
@makarovkin
@rainboq
I tagged 94 of my posts in 2022
#call of duty - 41 posts
#call of duty modern warfare - 34 posts
#cod - 28 posts
#cod mw - 25 posts
#simon ghost riley - 21 posts
#modern warfare ii - 17 posts
#cod mw22 - 14 posts
#call of duty modern warfare 2022 - 14 posts
#modern warfare - 13 posts
#fanart - 13 posts
Longest Tag: 78 characters
#which people who’ve known me for years still spell on emails and letters to me
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
MWII Cosplay Guides - Los Vaqueros
A two-for-one guide tonight, as both these characters only have one visually distinct loadout each (I won't count the suit-and-tie for one of them as that doesn't need a guide).
I present to you our beloved operators from the Mexican Special Forces: Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Sergeant Major Rudolfo Parra.
Previous guides can be found below: Sgt Johnny 'Soap' Mactavish Lt Simon 'Ghost' Riley Soap and Ghost's Helmets Side Guide
A reminder that some of what you may see may not be commercially available as it either might be government sales only, or not physically exist in that colour/pattern.
Tumblr media
See the full post
133 notes - Posted November 24, 2022
#4
MWII Cosplay Guides - Helmets
Just a quick side-guide of sorts, as I didn't include these with the relevant main guides, but here are the helmets worn by Ghost and Soap during the opening mission we are introduced to them in.
Both are mostly the same, but with small differences. The relevant guides for Soap and Ghost can be found by clicking on their names.
Anywho, here are their helmets!
Tumblr media
Future side-guides will probably focus on common details or smaller, less significant features like headwear or additional one-off accessories.
And please share this (and past and future) post around, so as many people can see it as possible. I want to share and spread this knowledge with as many as possible!
252 notes - Posted November 23, 2022
#3
So I’ve done some digging into the different characters introduced in TG: Maverick, specifically with their home squadrons.
I’ve done the best I can to look at production stills and freeze-frames from trailers and behind the scenes material, and this is what I’ve been able to identify.
Pre-note: this is done more to educate and assist cosplayers in obtaining the right patches than to criticise the movie and costume department. I’m also noting down real-world assignments and the aircraft they use.
Lt Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw - VFA-87 “Golden Warriors”
F/A-18E Super Hornet
Air Wing 8 aboard the USS Gerald R Ford.
Squadron callsign “War Party”
Tumblr media
Lt Natasha “Phoenix” Trace - VFA-41 “Black Aces”
F/A-18F Super Hornet
Air Wing 9 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.
Callsign “Fast Eagle”
See the full post
373 notes - Posted June 3, 2022
#2
MWII Cosplay Guides - John "Soap" Mactavish
So, I have access to the character models from MWII (don't ask me how or where, you can find that stuff yourselves), and I have been pouring over the models and studying them for what gear each character uses.
I have a fair number of online friends who are artists and/or writers, and many a time I have been consulted on pieces of equipment and uniform/clothing worn by different characters in different scenarios.
I'm also a budding cosplayer, and I wanted to see what I'd need to buy in order to properly replicate different pieces of equipment.
So, I'm put together a cosplay guide/gear breakdown for different characters in their various appearances throughout MWII. This will be for SINGPLEPLAYER ONLY, as I'll be fucked trying to go other every MP operator's kit with each seasonal update.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the three I've made for our much beloved Sergeant! A point of note, both "Interdiction" and "Nightwar" are physically the same model, just alternate colour schemes. Another point I'll raise here, and will be reoccuring in future breakdowns, is that the texture artists have likely taken liberty with asset colours, as IRL some of these pieces actually may not exist physically at all in given colours or patterns, or at the very least, not for public retail/sales.
Tumblr media
See the full post
542 notes - Posted November 22, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
MWII Cosplay Guides - Simon "Ghost" Riley
Part two in a series I'm now undertaking in providing the fandom with reference resources for artists and cosplayers alike. The first post, for Sgt John "Soap" Mactavish, can be found here in case you missed it.
Ghost also has three 'core' loadouts seen in the campaign, all visually distinct in terms of clothing and equipment. A reminder that some of what you may see may not be commercially available as it either might be government sales only, or not physically exist in that colour/pattern.
Tumblr media
See the full post
564 notes - Posted November 23, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
8 notes · View notes
nawilla · 1 year
Text
Black Friday 2022:
This was the weirdest tree ornament I encountered during my afternoon Black Friday shopping today.
Tumblr media
Yes, that is indeed a hammerhead shark with a load of holiday debris glued to its back.  Is it intended for marine (or shark) biologists?  Is it a commentary on pollution?  Is it supposed to be a mythical shark with cancer?  No idea.  But it was just sort of bizarre.
I did find less bizarre things and repeatedly reminded myself of things that I should not be buying.  Such as the house-shaped advent calendar cabinets, and the metal houses and the little wooden signs because my mantle is already full.  I also looked at Christmas trees as incentive to clean my house, because I am determined to have a full tree next year.
Michaels: I bought picture frames and splurged on a $14 picture frame for a photo of D which had a caption on it that said “I reached out for a hand and got a paw” which is so appropriate for D because she was always sitting on the back of the couch, putting her paw on my shoulder and not happy until it was there.  I have a picture of her fast asleep but still reaching out that paw so I think I will print that one for her.  I’m going to bring it to work to display next to the photo of M the Cat on Santa’s lap.  I also bought wrapping paper (M peed on the carpet next to the wrapping paper and it unfortunately absorbed it, so more paper was needed).  I also bought yarn to make more sports hats for the restaurant crew this year, and yarn for a scarf for the undergrad who helped me this semester.  I got some of the ornament picture frames and some more photo frames for the fuzzies (can you tell I don’t have kids?) and some Halloween/Fall stuff on clearance.   I was not able to find the yarn for the tree skirt, but since I’m not planning to start it until the university holiday, I can try Joann’s next week or just order it online.  (One of the yarns is only available there anyway).  I was tempted to buy a fake pine wreath instead of a real one, but then I remember I had one in the basement so I bought some new picks for it (and some shatteproof ornaments).  My brain boggled at the cost of wire ribbon wreath bows, but  then I rememebered I saved at least 3 red ribbons from fresh wreaths in previous years, so I just tried to match the color scheme of the bow I already had.  I could not find curling ribbon, which was annoying, though I probably have some in the basement for dressing up packages.
TJ Maxx: I found some card games for my cousin and a Christmas trivia game for my sister so they can have fun with whoever they spend the holidays with.  I also found some H&D chocolate covered cherries, which was a win because the ones I ordered for me for my birthday (in a pretty jar) ended up on backorder until January.  
Bed Bath & Beyond: the doorbuster I was looking for was doorbusted.  Bought nothing.  Selection of holiday baking stuff was disappointing this year (or I already have everything).
Marshalls: I bought a few reusable shopping bags (I like to use them as gift bags), and found some Harry &  David chocolate covered blueberries (which were not available alone from the website this year).
Then I decided to come home, magically right before the bus home arrived.  So not a bad day, despite the rampant inflation.
3 notes · View notes
kon-konk · 3 months
Text
Y'all! I got new glasses!
Tumblr media
I love them so much! I've had these really pretty red frames for a few years, and wanted to get some round ones anyways, so I figured I'd try ordering from a place online that had really good reviews (at least, the only "bad" ones I saw were more that people didn't like that they didn't do an at-home try-on than actual problems with the glasses)
Now I don't feel like I'm doing fucking Christmas makeup every time I do green eyeshadow or liner!
My old ones, for reference
Tumblr media
1 note · View note
honeycuttstryhn03 · 4 months
Text
Furniture Tips You Should Be Aware Of
Far too many people fail to realize how much fun it can be to shop for furniture. In many cases, this is because they simply lack some fundamental information about how to do it skillfully and in a cost-effective way. By reading the article below, it is possible for everyone to conquer their fear of furniture buying and snag some real deals. If you are trying to shop for furniture made in either fully or at least partially environmentally responsible manners, look out for three possible certifications. online seller jobs uses an SCS label. Also look for SmartWood certification by the Rainforest Alliance. The Green Seal organization also verifies furniture, simply saying Green Seal on the label. Choose your furniture in function of your lifestyle. If you have children or pets, you should buy furniture that is stain resistant. Choose darker colors so stains or scratches are less noticeable. If you do not have pets or children, do not hesitate to purchase some lighter colors if this is the style you want. When purchasing a new bed, make sure you lay down on it to find the perfect comfort level for you. Many times people who choose pillowtop mattresses find that the mattress is too soft once they get it home. To help you avoid this, lay down in the bed in the position that you sleep in to ensure it suits your comfort levels. Before you put any furniture cleaner on your items, you need to check a small place to see if there are any damages. If there are any problems after you place the product on the small area, you will know that this is not the right thing to use on your things. Shop around when you're ready to buy new furniture. You can often find big price differences between stores on the exact same pieces. To make sure you are getting the best deal for your money, shop at a couple different stores to find the very best price on that special piece. When selecting living room furnishings, go for neutral hues. When you select a color in neutral, you are able to easily customize your decor by wall hangings, pillows and other accessories. Doing this will let you transform your living room on a regular basis without spending much money. Always test the size of chairs and sofas before buying. You may not feel comfortable sitting and lounging on furniture in the store, but go ahead anyway. Sit or lay as you normally would on these pieces before you buy. This ensures the depth is good, and the comfort is there for the different ways you may use it. When you are buying a sofa, you need to make sure that you inspect the materials and especially the frame. If the couch you want has a hardwood frame, then you need to ask whether it has been kiln-dried or not. If it has, then it will last much longer without warping, especially when it comes to changes in humidity. If you are considering buying a used piece of upholstered furniture, conduct a sniff test first. Lots of nasty things can happen on a couch or a chair, and you do not want to bring that stuff home with you. If the dog had an accident or the baby spilled its milk, you need to know that before you become the new owner of that item. Create a game plan before shopping. Buying furniture is a big deal, and it's not just about the price. It's about what you're surrounding yourself with in your home, and that can affect how you feel emotionally on a daily basis. Really consider what you want your home to be like, and map out a plan. It'll help! Understand different wood types when buying furniture in order to maximize your budget. Furniture made from solid wood will be the most expensive and last the longest. Veneered wood will be less expensive, but will have lower quality wood under the veneer. Particle board and composites, which are made from wood pulp and binders, will be the least expensive but also the least durable. The problem many people have with shopping for furniture is just a simple lack of knowledge about how it can be done well and without a lot of hassle. Fortunately, the article above has provided some great information to help demystify the concept. Review the tips as necessary and have a blast furnishing your home to suit your unique tastes.
0 notes
wrathofdragons · 8 months
Text
┊ 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮
Eric Lowell hated going into the woods.
Eric had the job for a few months now, more or less, working as a delivery guy for shitty pay and an even shittier boss. Tired of living at home, tired of living by the rules of his parents, he stormed out after another particularly noxious argument with his dad. The old man had wanted him to live a certain way, to find direction, he always said, and he always ended his shouting matches with the cliché of: “as long as you’re living in this house!” He always said it really proudly too, like it was almost a trump card. After a while, after the ninth iteration of this, it seemed obvious to Eric that he should call his father’s bluff. It seemed obvious to Eric that he should leave.
The blonde teenager didn’t think much beyond this. He didn’t think beyond the feeling of satisfaction of hearing his father wail for him, begging and bartering and asking for him to stay. None of his friends had allowed him to crash for more than a few weeks. Some were more willing than others. But, ultimately, each of them, at the insistence of their own parents, showed him the door. They thought this would help him get back to his senses. Get back to all that trust fund money, all that inherence, which was rightly his if he just learned to play by the rules.
He just went to his girlfriend, Harper, and that lasted about a month before she grew tired of letting him sleep on her couch. The breakup happened not long after.
Eric eventually found someone who would rent to him. A crappy apartment complex outside of upstate New York where he could swear the walls were coated in piss. The space was negligible, and the services were laughable. Still, the pay was manageable. And, in any case, it was only a stepping stone. Once he made it big, once he was nominated for an Oscar, they’d all be proud of him, and they’d all regret how they treated him. It was a few months since he last had that thought, not even good enough to play a corpse on Law & Order or a constipated student in a commercial for laxatives. It was probably when the rejection for that came in, when he had to hunt down the casting director, just to hear that he was “trying too much”, that he stopped thinking of making everyone proud and regretful. More often now, he was thinking about returning home.
At least for a few years. He could pay for acting classes. And anyway, he missed his mom.
Eric missed his mom, especially, when he thought of how excited he was to get a tip of $30. It was half that, really, since he had online tips which were automatically split. But still. It was enough that he was actually excited to deliver the pizza himself. Until, just a few steps away from where the cabin was, he felt an axe go right through his back. Eric was surprised that wasn’t the end of him. Turning around, whining as the blood seeped from his scrawny frame, the eighteen-year-old was surprised he’d managed to shove the attacker away from him. The much bigger man fell. And, instinctively, Eric reached for the axe. That was the last thing he could clearly remember doing. The rest was the muscle memory of a person who was already dead.
Eric had lumbered out to the cabin on trembling, blood-soaked legs. He was bleeding from his back. His hand was bleeding, with some of his fingers gone. He was bleeding from his throat, which was sliced open, as his other hand attempted to hold in the reams of blood that were already pouring out in drips and drabs. He could see two figures standing at the door. An older male. And a kid, probably around his age. He tried calling out to them.
With no voice to speak, With no voice to scream, He thought of his father, Begging and bartering and asking for him to stay.
0 notes
bell-arina271 · 11 months
Text
Day 8 of Building Elsa’s Ice Palace
I’m so frustrated. I’m sleeping too much but not enough. Since I can’t get the uninterrupted 7-8 hours of sleep, I sleep for longer and will conk out for almost 12 hours. But it’s not full “sleep”, just like a bunch of naps strung together, so I’m still tired and don’t feel refreshed or anything. It’s really frustrating and I hope I can get some answers soon.
I scheduled a home inspection for next week, hopefully that will be good enough as far as time goes. You need to get everything done within a certain time period according to the contract and for everything to close properly. Will put it down in my planner just in case.
I had to gulp down a shot of coffee to try to keep myself awake for this. I just need a homeowners insurance quote, then I should have all my stuff in order for the house. After that it will be a case of just biding my time and trying not to buy anything until the sale closes lol.
Whoops, wait, spoke too soon, I have the official documents I need to send to my lender. Pic of my driver’s license, and then my pay stubs. Got a lot to do before I relax lol.
Thankfully they don’t really take too long, just a few minutes. Answering all the questions for the home insurance quote takes longer. I’ll hear back from the people by tomorrow at least.
For now I can jut finish up a couple chores and supervise the pups. They’re warming up to people, so look like our socialization strategies are working.
I spent the day finishing up chores, and shopping for tableware and dinner sets online. I have a good theme going if I want to stick with the Elsa Ice Palace theme, but I’ll need something different if I end up going with the “white royal” theme. I need to appeal to a wider audience for this particular venture, right? Plus it needs to be something that looks good year round. Maybe I need something “neutral”, furniture and accessories that kind of work for both ideas.
I found the absolute perfect table set that works for both ideas- but it’s almost $2000 and I can’t make any major purchases before the close of the house. I wouldn’t mind, but there’s a limited quantity and only a few left. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope they’ll still be there by next month.
Today I spent hours shopping and bookmarking. I’m so picky for what I want and it’s hard to find the exact taste and style I’m looking for. But I found the major things I want for the main floor of the house- bed frame, the dining table and chairs, a couch and a TV stand. I haven’t even looked at washing and drying machines and fridges yet.
I can’t buy all the furniture I want right away, because furniture is expensive, but I can at least get the limited quantity ones- or those that are on sale or clearance, before they sell out. Stuff that will make the house GORGEOUS and make people WANT to stay there, you know?
But of course, that’s only assuming people will be traveling to my area anyway. It’s not a super popular city, and travel is expensive nowadays. Maybe I’m too late to cash in on the hospitality hype lol.
Well, at least my house will be pretty and I can take nice pictures. That’ll count for something, I’m sure.
1 note · View note
missmeinyourbones · 2 years
Note
idk if we can do multiple rq but can you do Levi + “you’re my Achille’s heel” :] thank u love u
Tumblr media
“YOU’RE MY ACHILLES’ HEEL” (L. ACKERMAN)
part of L’s RED (TV) EVENT!
Tumblr media
For someone who was constantly calling you a brat, Levi was pretty high maintenance himself. 
He only ordered certain kinds of tea from an organic shop online, as the generic brand was far too sweet for his liking. He was insistent on keeping the thermostat at a specific 72 degrees Fahrenheit, as he once read that it was scientifically proven to be the “perfect” room temperature. He always slept on the left side of the bed, because it’s “closer to the bathroom” and he tends to pee a ridiculous amount of times per night—you think it’s a combination of all of the tea he drinks and his relatively small frame.
Today proves to be no different, as the two of you lay intertwined on the futon. His head rests on your chest as he reads some non-fiction book he’d borrowed from Armin—they often exchanged their favorites, discussing one another’s opinion over lunch once a month or so. Your fingers gently scratch his head, as they normally do whenever the two of you are resting together.
However, when you abruptly stop to itch your own eyebrow, and your hand doesn’t automatically return to its home within his hair, he visibly reacts. His head turns to you, eyebrows slightly furrowed with agitation as he raises them. It’s his nonverbal way of saying “Who said you could stop?” Seeing the spoiled look on his face, you let out a huff, but continue your caress anyway. 
“I swear, you’re my Achilles’ heel,” you scoff, your hands deep in his roots once again, massaging small circles into his scalp. 
“Trying to insult me in ways I can’t understand, now?” he jeers back, eyes still closed at the heavenly feeling your fingers are providing for him, “What the hell is that even supposed to mean?”
“It’s not an insult—I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, huh?”
Feeling a flick on his forehead, his eyes open once again. This time with a glare, they meet yours. You squint back at him, taking pride in knowing something he doesn’t. 
Your cockiness fades as you explain to him, “Your Achilles tendon, right here on your heel,” you grab the sock-covered area on the back of his ankle. He flinches at the ticklish spot, but attempts to play it off. You let it slide. 
“Comes from Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War according to Greek mythology,” you continue. Levi listens, as he always does. His eyes are closed but you know he’s tuning into your words based on his slight nods and hums of affirmation. “He was invincible nearly everywhere, expect there.” Levi perks up at the sudden plot twist in the story, opening one of his eyes.
“It was his weak spot,” you conclude. “Basically, I was trying to say that I’m soft for you, that you’re my weak spot.” Your voice tastes like honey as Levi bathes in it, soaking in the feeling of your fingertips paired with the sweet analogy. 
“But,” your fingers come to another halt and he visibly tenses again. “It went over your head. Maybe you should brush up on your history of mythology—you don’t want me taking over the ‘brains of the relationship’ title,” you tease him.  
“Certainly not worried about that, coming from the same person who thought the sun was a planet and not a star.”
“Hey—I never said science was my strong suit,” you throw your hands up in defense. Your hands that should be in his hair, Levi bitterly thinks to himself. 
He nudges his head into your hand, once again silently ordering you to continue your work. You eyes roll as you lift your hand once more. What a brat. 
“Keep it up, and I’ll slice your Achilles’ heel right open,” you mutter. 
Levi smiles. 
Tumblr media
367 notes · View notes
lady-literature · 4 years
Text
Accidental Crime Boss Marinette
Okay so,, I have this AU in my head, right? (not surprised) and I’m lacking any real direction for it (still not surprised) but it basically goes like this:
Marinette moves to Gotham.
She’s drawn there for whatever reason and the kwami are saying something about balance and being a Guardian and her sacred duty and something but Marinette isn’t really listening. She’s too busy trying to find a shop front where she can open a bakery without having to worry about getting mugged every time she steps outside.
Chloé comes with her, obviously, because they’re friends and Chloé has a business degree she puts to good use actually running Mari’s bakery and online boutique while Mari gets to bake and fuck around basically. Adrien, Luka and Kagami are not there, but that’s mostly because they travel too much to settle down and keeping an empty apartment in Gotham is just asking for trouble.
Kagami is a world-renowned fencer and Luka travels the world for his music company. Not touring, but soaking up cultures and ways of life so he can make soundtracks to movies and tv shows. Providing the background and life to a film is more his style than touring the world ala his father, Jagged Stone.
Adrien is having the time of his life being Kagami’s trophy husband. He has no pressing responsibilities he doesn’t take on for himself and he gets to fuck with the world’s elite with little to no consequences. He spends most of his days donating far too much money to charities and orphanages and then causing minor scandals that land him on the cover of magazines.
He has much the same kind of ‘dumbass with a heart of gold’ persona to the media as Bruce Wayne does, only without the playboy bits.
(There is a wall in the back of the bakery, where Chloé and Mari carefully cut out and frame every headline and ridiculous picture Adrien has. He is very much delighted when he learns about his ‘wall of fame’.)
Anyway, Marinette finds herself with a bakery not overly far from crime alley, much to Chloé’s chagrin.
(“What do you mean it ‘just felt right’?! I swear to kwami, DC, you’re going to get us robbed and sold into slavery.”)
They do not get sold into salvery.
In fact, despite their less than stellar choice of locale, they do pretty well for themselves. The only problems they have (according to Chloé) is the army of children Marinette accidentally attracted.
When asked, Marinette tells everyone that it was an accident. Meanwhile, Chloé, standing behind her, will shake her head and insist there was literally never any other option for them the moment that first kid came in looking to nab some cash and a few pastries.
Mari lives by the phrases, ‘kindness breeds more kindness’ and ‘do unto others’ and all that other nice person shit. Chloé just lets Mari pseudo-adopt her strays and makes sure that they don’t steal anything too important in the time it takes her to gain their loyalty.
The kwami stay staunchly out of any arguments involving the kids (and eventually the homeless all along their street and every working girl in a five-block radius). They do so with a special brand of amusement that never means good things for either of them. (After all, the last time the kwami looked that amused, they moved to Gotham.)
The first kid is named Serrure, as Marinette comes to learn over the next month after he returns again and again, getting closer and closer like a feral cat. Other kids come during that time, all of them too small and too thin and too guarded for Mari's tastes. She wants to wrap them all up and tuck them into bed but she can’t. She has to be patient, has to be gentle. These kids are just as likely to bite her hand as they are to accept help.
Serrure becomes an almost permanent fixture at the bakery after that first month. Mari’s not quite sure what she did to get through to him, but she did, she supposes. He can’t be much older than eleven and looks nine, but after getting settled, she and Chloé discover this little slip of a boy is just as mischievous as Trixx and has all the dramatics of their favorite black cat.
The kwami, when talking about him, only refer to Serrure as Loki, even after Marinette scolds them for it. She eventually gives up trying to correct them, it’s not like Serrure talks to them anyway(yet)((that she knows of)).
There’s an apartment above the bakery, which is where Chloé and Mari and all her strays that grow to trust her enough live. It’s three bedrooms, and at first, Mari just buys as many bunk beds as she can fit into the spare room and calls it a day. The kids feel safe in her home, which isn’t too surprising. Everyone thinks the bakery feels safe, feels like home or comfort or whatever else eases their minds.
And Marinette should hopes so. She certainly put enough time and effort and magic and energy into the wards around this place for that to happen. To protect her and the children and all her strays that no one else will help.
But, she eventually amasses too many kids to fit into the one room. Chloé throws a fit about having to share with Mari again—“I had enough of that in university thank you very much”—but she relinquishes easily enough.
Mari buys more bunk beds, and Serrure has taken to sneaking into her room to curl up in her bed anyway, and sometimes the smaller kids who have nightmares will come in and pile on as well.
(There are only a few that Chloé will allow to do the same with her. It is considered a high honor and breeds a playful kind of jealousy that Chloé finds amusing. Mari scolds her for pitting the kids against each other.)
That only lasts them another two months.
“This is getting ridiculous,” Chloé tells her one day before the kids wake up. Mari is at the stove, cooking and baking for a small army while Chloé balances the books. “There’s not enough room for us all, DC, and the only reason someone hasn’t come barrelling down on us about the abundance of children is by the grace of your absurd amount of luck.”
“Well I can’t just kick them out, Queenie! What do you want from me?”
“Either we need to buy more real estate in this city—which I’d rather not do—or you open up the grimoire and start building pocket dimensions. I know you can. I’ve read the chapter.”
Marinette looks at her. “That is such a bad idea.”
They do the idea.
And then Mari adds about a thousand more wards to the bakery, carved into the wood and counter and anything that’s a permanent fixture. Doorways become particularly ward heavy, what with them being the entrances and exits to the hidden realms and children’s’ rooms.
The apartment above the bakery isn’t quite infinite but it gets pretty damn close some days.
This also means, of course, that all the kids definitely know about magic now. Some of them—Serrure—have known about it for a while she knows, but it’s different now. The kwami followed her around most of the time and she doesn’t keep them trapped in the Miracle Box like Fu did, but now that the kids know, they don’t bother staying hidden.
The children, at least, love them and the kwami adore them with all the ferocity a god can give. After Chloé gets over her ‘ew children’ phase, she throws herself into their education (on top of actually running the businesses Mari keeps, mind you). She has the help of the kwami, who act as personal tutors to the children, and it’s not long before the kids start to joke about her being the Principal.
(Some tried to call her Warden, but that joke didn’t last long.)
Marinette has also been telling the kids bedtime stories ever since this started. Old stories of the Guardian and Chosens who fought back the darkness, she shares all she knows of the Orders history with these kids and it’s not until Wayzz points it out to her does she realize what she’s doing.
“Ladybugs are known for renewal. It is no surprise that you are rebuilding what was lost.”
Rebuilding the Order using children was certainly not her intention but, well. She supposes there’s no place safer for her kids than what is shaping up to be the new Miracle Temple. It’s the only haven where they can learn to harness their Gifts and powers, it’s the only place where they can be surrounded by others like them without being thrust into superhero-dom.
Context: about a month into this whole circus, Marinette had realized there was a significant—almost all of them really—amount of metas and Gifted in her little hoard of strays. Which is… odd. Especially with how few metas there are in Gotham.
She had asked the kwami about it, and they have that amused look again. “You are their guardian.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re their guardian. True, you are the Guardian of us, of the ancient ways, but you are a guardian at your soul too. You protect what is yours, and they are yours whether you realise it or not. The children can sense that, so they flock to you.”
And, huh. She supposes that makes sense but that’s also really kind of strange and weird and she doesn't want to think about that anymore actually.
So things are… fine, Marinette supposes. The bakery is doing well, and she has about two dozen-plus helpers running around underfoot to help tend to the customers or run to the store or help in the back with the baking. And every kid of hers has new clothes, their street things thrown out for being too ragged and replaced with something fresh made by Marinette’s own hands.
She embroiders little fairy wings into the clothes normally, because that’s what her cloaked wards look like most times and the kids like it and its technically the logo for the bakery and there’s a million reasons she does it.
It is, perhaps, her first mistake.
(“It was certainly not your first,” Chloé will snark one dayin the future.)
Because now Marinette has an army of magical children learning to wield their powers and not fear them and they’re all wearing what can be considered her insignia and uh oh, it looks a lot like Mari is some sort of up and coming mob boss who uses kids and prostitutes and the homeless as runners. People on the street start calling her the Pixie, start referring to Chloé—her second in all things just as Chat had been her equal—as Wasp, as Yellowjacket, as the Unseelie.
(They cannot seem to pick a name for her, but Pixie is all but engraved in stone. Mari is not sure who coined it, and she doesn't think she wants to know.)
The first time the whole situation is brought to her attention, she punches the idiot who dared even imply such a thing so hard she knocks him out.
Because look. The kids are hers right? And she watches out for the people near her, makes sure the working girls are treated as well as they can be and offers the homeless extra food and a dry place to wait out the storm. She offers her hand and gives them all a place to rest, to eat, to exist without expectations or consequences.
She does that because she’s kind, because it hurts her to see people in need, to see them suffer, not because she’s hoping to gain something from it.
The fact that most of them repay her in gossip or information or bend her ear about the newest goings on in the corrupt elite or filthy underworld is strange, yes, but it’s nice to know what’s going on in the city, she supposes. And one time, Kathy, who works on the corner of Brookes and Gilmore, warned her of a drug raid that saved her an unnecessary trip to the police station so it’s not like it doesn't have it’s uses.
But mostly, Mari doesn't really think about all the information that’s unintentionally or otherwise passed onto her. She remembers it all, because it’s rude not to listen when people talk to her, but nothing comes of normally.
Not until Serrure—now twelve and well versed in the magic of illusions and glamors and knows almost as much about this city as her or the Bats—bursts into the bakery one day and grabs Mari away from the front counter right in the middle of a customer ordering. She should, perhaps, be a little angry at that but Tony, one of the older boys and just shy of sixteen, steps into her place almost immediately, so.
And then Serrure speaks and everything is pushed aside in favour of the next words to fall from his lips.
“Someone took Sophie,” he says and she nearly sees red.
After Serrure, Sophie has been here the longest. She is the youngest of them all, only seven, but oh so clever and kind and while she looks nothing like her, everyone calls her Mini-Mari. If Serrure is her beloved first son, Sophie is her treasured daughter.
She’s out the door in the next moment, storming her way to their base. She has Sophie and a handful of extra kids back by sunset, a little frightened, but no worse for wear. She doesn’t make a big deal out of it, besides making sure that the idiots who dared cross her never do so again, but word gets out.
Soon, her kids and teens and adults begin giving her more than just information, they begin giving her problems. Ones she’s meant to fix because she’s Pixie. She’s safety, she’s protection, she’s the one the people start to turn to for help.
And enter stage left, one Jason Todd who’s all snark and charm and smiles wrapped up in a nice leather bow and tall enough that Mari likely could climb him like a tree. If that was something she wanted, she guesses.
(She wants. She just won’t admit.)
He becomes a regular at the bakery and befriends most of her kids.
Mari’s wary when he first takes an interest in them. They’ve been hurt and a lot of them are still adjusting to being safe and it doesn't matter that this man is hot enough to burn, if he steps even a toe out of line with her kids she’ll make him wish he was never even born.
But, she stops worrying eventually. The kwami like him well enough, but seem to think something’s odd about him—but its Gotham, who isn’t strange?—and both Serrure and Sophie take to him like ducks to water and they’re both good judges of character.
There’s a certain intuition they both have that reminds Marinette just a bit too much about herself and pure magic. Not for the first time does she wonder if they got such strong magic from their parents or if it cropped up in them randomly, fostered by fortune and chance and the magic that’s so deeply seeped into the bones of her bakery it’ll be here long after she’s gone.
And, okay, so she was a little right to be wary because Jason was mostly there to investigate her. Far too many people respect her and are loyal to her and she has a veritable orphanage in her pocket and also Harley and Ivy like her and it just- it doesn’t look good right?
But Jason’s a good detective and it doesn't take him long at all to see that Mari is just as sweet and kind and loving as she appears to be. Not long after that, Red Hood declares Pixie and all of hers, under his protection. She, of course, is more than capable of taking care of her and hers, and the underworld knows this, has seen it, but he does it anyway.
The news, of course, gets back to Mari and she is… confused. Why would the Red Hood do something like that? She’s heard talk of him being sweet on kids, but to claim her? They’ve never even met.
Bonus points for Jason being there when she’s told about it. He kind of raises his eyebrow at her because, huh, that was fast, and then spends the next few minutes talking up the Red Hood to her much to her utter bafflement.
He actually keeps doing that too, talking up the Red Hood. Mari thinks he has a crush on the man for the longest time because of it. Until he reveals he is Red Hood, then she just wants to punch his stupidly handsome face for being such an idiot.
Shit happens from there and things go down and the two spend a couple of months dancing around each other and intentionally and unintentionally ruling the criminal underworld and at one point Marinette definitely punches Bruce and Batman in the face—separately, much to Jason’s unending joy—and she also definitely adopts Duke/Signal as well because that poor boy needs to know he’s not alone.
And it’s just them being domestic and badass and lowkey raising an army of children and falling in love while the kwami and the kids and Chloé are all in the background just yelling at them to get together already!
Which, they do. Eventually. After all the secrets come out and Jason knows about the magic and Order and meets Mari’s other friends, ie Kagami, Luka and Adrien who are all intimidating for wildly different reasons. And Mari finds out that Jason died and came back (which earns him the nickname firebird btw) and that he was a Robin once upon a time but is now Red Hood and oh my kwami it all makes sense now.
Jason confesses like three times via classic Victorian romance novel quotes because he’s a fucking literature nerd but it’s not until he basically spells it out for Mari does she really understand. it’s all very sweet and heartwarming and then the pair duck into one of the empty pocket dimensions they have lying around and aren’t seen for three days.
(No one really goes to look for them tbh)
Chloé definitely teases them about early honeymoons and things but besides the two being even more ridiculously lovey-dovey than usual, life goes back to normal. Or as normal as it gets for them. 
And they all live happily ever after the end.
3K notes · View notes
silkling · 3 years
Note
I have the weird headcanon that TFRB Cody could adopt Lazerbeak brother, Buzzsaw. I haven't read a lot of TF comics so I don't know he's current status, still I always saw Cody as a typical animal owner, and I think it would be kind of cute too. Could you write some scenes of theme meeting and become friends
Come Home to Roost
Buzzsaw was tired. He was so, so tired. He missed Soundwave. He missed Laserbeak. Pit damn it, he also missed the those infernal twins and that Pit-spawned cat. They had been family for so long. Had been home. It had been them that he returned to every night to roost. It had been them that he had built his nest among. It had been them that he had come to call flock.
Now though…how could they be flock, when they had left him behind? Even his sister had left. He had thought Soundwave cared more than that. Apparently not, though. It had been a miracle that he’d made it off Centauri-12 after being abandoned. But he had, and he’d wandered the cosmos, stowing away on any ship he could find. He didn’t know what his goal was. To survive, he supposed. Find a new roost, though knowing how Primus had abandoned him thus far in his life, he doubted their “benevolent” Creator would have such kindness to direct towards him.
And perhaps he should not be surprised, really. He had been one of Soundwave’s most vicious Cassettes, after Ravage. But was that really something to be punished? He had had to be vicious. His sister had refused to be, and before Soundwave that meant he’d had to step up to keep her safe, to keep them both safe. Cybertron had not been kind to Cassettes, after all. Under Functionism, Cassettes had been viewed as little more than slaves, pets, property. He’d had to be vicious, then. It had been the only way they’d kept their lives, kept their freedom. After Soundwave, he’d had to continue to be vicious. Whereas Laserbeak had been the Host’s spy, Buzzsaw had been the attacker from above. Where Ravage had killed and torn from the ground, Buzzsaw had swooped in and brought death from the skies. After Soundwave, he’d been vicious because his new Host had needed him to be a protector still. And with Soundwave there had been Megatron, and he’d gone from protector to soldier.
Now though…now he wasn’t much of anything. Left behind on an uninhabited world that had drawn the War to it due to its energon mines, forgotten by the very one who had vowed to shelter and care for him, by his kin, by the family had come to call his own. He didn’t even feel them over the bond they’d shared anymore. They’d known he was alive when they’d left Centauri-12. He knew they had, the bond had told him as much. But they’d left anyway. And so he’d broken it. It had almost killed him. Cassettes were hard-coded for loyalty. It was part of their very core. To break the bond when he’d sworn his loyalty to Soundwave….it had made his spark burn with agony. But what other choice had he had? They’d left him behind, cast him aside, and left him with nothing.
He’d had to hitch a ride in the Autobot ship, which had left the planet later then his former allies. He’d been discovered when they’d landed again, and had had to flee. He’d continued like that, going from ship to ship, Neutral, Autobot, and even Decepticon, always fleeing when he was found. He’d even hidden away on the ships of organic species. It seemed his luck had finally run out, though. He’d been on the ship of a species called the Kaminoans, but after they’d found and attempted to capture him he’d been forced to flee into the vast expanse of space. It had almost killed him. He wasn’t space-faring. His armor couldn’t stand the pressure for long. Thankfully, his long-range sensors had detected a habitable planet in the nearest star system, and he’d fled as fast as his tired, starved frame could take him. The Kaminoans hadn’t given chase.
He remembered his first view of the planet. It was blue, with large green landmasses. Then he’d breached the atmosphere, and his systems hadn’t been able to handle the stress. He’d offlined, and come to surrounded by some sort of extremely salty liquid. He hadn’t been able to fly, and had had to go on foot, hoping to make his way to land. He didn’t want to rust on the floor of some massive salty pool of liquid. So he’d forced himself to move, and eventually he’d dragged himself onto some tiny, rocky shore. He’d only had the energy to cast out his sensors for one look around, enough to realize he had dragged himself onto some sort of island, and then his systems had dragged him into an emergency shutdown.
Blissfully, Buzzsaw knew no more.
——————————
When his systems pulled him from his forced recharge, Buzzsaw knew he was in trouble. His optics onlined with a dull glow, and his focused briefly on his HUD, taking in the messages flitting across it. After a moment, he chuffed and forced himself to stand. His self-repair had healed just enough damage to drag him from the edge of a stasis lock, but then the system had shut down in response to low energon. He was at 15% right now, which meant he had the rest of this orn to find fuel before his frame went into emergency stasis. After that..it would be too late for him.
The only way for a Cybertronian to be pulled out of emergency stasis was for another bot to fuel them enough that their systems kicked back online. Otherwise, the stasis would keep the bot in question under, only the bare essential systems running in order to keep the spark alight. Eventually, even those would give out, and the bot would die. Buzzsaw had heard claims that it was a peaceful way to go. That after entering stasis, you wouldn’t be aware of anything, which meant death was just like slipping under. You wouldn’t actually feel pain, wouldn’t feel your spark gutter.
Personally, Buzzsaw didn’t believe that. He thought dying like that was frightening. How could it not be? Feeling your systems fail and shut down, one by one, until you didn’t even have the strength to vent on your own. Your frame shutting down slowly, a klick at a time, until your awareness and consciousness was the last to go, but able to feel each and every one of your non-vital systems go offline. Your processor slipping under, your spark forced to still and shrink to conserve energy, your last thought either a prayer to be found or the grim knowledge you’d die where you lay.
No, Buzzsaw didn’t see the peace in a death like that. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, and then started walking. His wings were folded, and he made no attempt to fly. It would take too much of his energy. So he had to stay on the ground to conserve what precious little he had left. He only hoped he found an energon source. If he was extraordinarily lucky, this planet produced it. His best chances were at finding a underground mine. Liquid energon wells weren’t found anywhere but Cybertron. Other planets only produced the fuel in its crystalline form.
He hobbled along, and it wasn’t long before he was stumbling across a cave. He felt the faintest stirrings of hope as he hobbled in, sending out a faint ping of his sensors. Maybe he would find energon after all. Distracted as he was, he didn’t notice when the ground under him crumbled, and he fell into the deeper caverns below. He hit the ground hard, and his HUD threw up frantic damage warnings.
He dismissed them dispassionately, resignation settling in his spark. The fall had taken out his left leg, and his right wing was bent. He wouldn’t be able to move. This was it for him. He was going to slip into stasis lock and die here. As his systems started to shut down, he only had enough energy for one last action. Just before his consciousness was stolen away, he thought of the family he’d lost, and the life he would no longer be able to live.
Buzzsaw lifted his head and released a haunting cry, the caves all over the island echoing with his grief and regret. Then his optics went dark, and his helm fell to the dusty ground with a soft clang of metal on rock.
In the tunnels around him, his death knell echoed on.
——————————
Optimus shuttered his optics and tilted his head when the haunting cry floated from the tunnels leading out of the bunker. The Rescue Bots and their partners, who were also in the Lounge area, paused what they were doing and looked up. The Prime frowned, concerned. Young Cody was in the tunnels. Was he perhaps hurt?
“It must be a bird.” Graham said after a moment. “That’s what it sounds like, anyway. It might be lost in the tunnels and calling for its flock.”
That reassured Optimus. Now that he stopped to think, the cry HAD sounded more animal than human.
“Should we go help?” Boulder asked, clearly concerned.
“No.” Chief Burns said after a moment. “Let’s give it a bit. It might get out on it’s own. If it’s still crying like that in an hour, then we can help.”
“Got it, dad.” Graham agreed, and then he and his partner were returning to their previous task.
The other Bots and humans soon followed suit. Optimus was left staring at the tunnel entrance, lips twisted in a frown. Something was tugging at his processor. That call had definitely been animal in nature. But it had also sounded just faintly mechanical. His audials had barely even picked up on that aspect of the eerie wail, but he had heard it, he was certain of that.
The buzzing of the comm. system tore him from his thoughts. It was Cody.
“Uh, Dad? Guys?”
Chief Burns was answering in less than a minute. “We’re here, Cody. What is it? Do you need help?”
“No. Well, kind of. I don’t need help, but I found someone who might.”
Kade scoffed. “What, is a lost bird flying around in a panic? Just try and scare it back towards the entrance, it’ll be fine. We heard that call, I’m sure it was just calling for its friends.”
“Um, no.” Cody was blunt. “It’s not a bird. Not an Earth one, anyway.”
“Can you repeat that, son?”
“It’s not an Earth bird. I think it’s Cybertronian. And it looks like it’s hurt pretty bad.”
Optimus froze. A Cybertronian bird. That wasn’t possible. The only types of Cybertronian avians he knew of were Cassettes.
“Cody.” he cut in. “What color is it? Is it red and black?”
“No, Optimus. It’s black and…brown, I think? It’s really dirty. I can’t see what the other color is very clearly. It might not be brown.”
Not Laserbeak, then. But he didn’t know of any brown and black avian Cassette. Maybe one had escaped Cybertron on its own? It was extremely unlikely, but he supposed it wasn’t impossible. Cassettes were perfectly capable and intelligent.
“Oh, wait. I have a towel in my pack. I can see if I can clean some of the dirt.”
“Why do you have a towel in your bag?” Kade snarked. “You were just exploring the caves.”
“Sure, but I wanted to go to the beach right after. Hang on, I almost got it…” there was a pause. “There. It’s black and yellow. It’s still hard to tell because the grime is really caked in and the paint is old and fading, but I think the other color is yellow.”
Optimus froze. Black and yellow. But how? Buzzsaw had been lost on Centauri-12. Except…that wasn’t quite right either. He vaguely remembered a report that Jazz had found the Cassette stowing away on the Ark after the Autobots had left that planet, but that he’d been chased off before he could be captured when they’d been near a space docks. Had the little avian really survived on his own so long? It seemed almost ludicrous to even think it, yet he knew there was only one black and yellow Cybertronian bird who had left Cybertron.
“Hold on, Cody. I believe I may know who that is. Tell me, is he awake?”
“It’s a him? And no. I’m almost not sure if he’s even still…” Cody trailed off, but Optimus understood.
“I see. Stay where you are. I am coming now. And be wary. If I am correct, then that is Buzzsaw. He is a formidable foe, and if he wakes you must stay away from him.”
“Alright. I’ll be here.” the boy agreed, the the comm. cut off with a click.
“Wait, foe? Is this one of those Decepticons you mentioned, Optimus?” Chief Burns asked.
“He is indeed.” The Prime informed him.
“Then why should we help?” Kade asked. “If he’s one of the bad guys, shouldn’t we leave him there?”
“No.” Heatwave stood, crossing his arms. Glancing around, Optimus could see the same resolve the fire truck was showing in the rest of the Rescue Bots. “‘Con or not, we aren’t leaving him. We’re Rescue Bots, we save anyone who needs it, regardless of who they are. If you won’t help, we’ll do it on our own.”
“You are correct, Heatwave. It would be wrong to leave Buzzsaw to perish.” Optimus agreed. He looked down at the humans. “If he is truly as injured as Cody says, then he will be of little threat. So long as you are wary, he will likely be unable to cause you harm.”
“Are you certain, Optimus?” Chase asked.
“Yes. Buzzsaw is a Cassette. He is far smaller than any of you. He is also very young. I believe that he is the equivalent of a human teenager, if my memory is not mistaken.” The Prime soothed.
That was clearly the key to convince the Chief. “Go.” the human said. “If we can help, we will. It wouldn’t be right to leave him there.”
Optimus nodded, and then folded down into his alt-mode and drove. He had not told the humans, but he was certain that the call they had heard earlier had in fact been Buzzsaw himself. He had not wanted to mention it, to avoid distressing the others too much. But he was certain of it now.
That haunting cry hadn’t been a call for help, it had been a death song.
——————————
Optimus pulled up alongside Cody, shifting to root mood as his optics found the still form lying limp on the ground. Primus, it really was Buzzsaw. He crouched down, one large hand slipping under the too-light form of the downed Cassette. This wasn’t right. Cassettes were smaller and not as heavily armored as a normal mech, but the avian shouldn’t be this light. Looking at him now, the Prime was starting to realize that Buzzsaw had likely been on his own and in a state of gradual starvation ever since Centauri-12.
“Optimus? Is he going to be okay?” It was Cody, and the boy was frowning up at him.
He hesitated, then folded into his alt-mode, carefully ensuring that Buzzsaw ended up in his cab. He opened his door, letting the human climb in, and then he was driving back to the bunker. He was silent for a lone moment before he finally spoke.
“I will not lie, Cody Burns. Buzzsaw’s status is…not promising.” he said after a moment.
There was silence as he drove, and then-
“You said he was a foe. Does that mean he’s a Decepticon?”
“Yes.” He answered simply.
There was more silence.
“Optimus?”
“Yes?”
“Why did the Decepticons start the War?”
Optimus was silent for a long moment. The boy truly was perceptive. But how could he answer that?
“Cybertron…was not kind to all its children.” he said after a long moment. “There were many policies in place that kept those of high status in power, and left those of lower social classes struggling.” There. That should be a simple enough explanation.
“And the Decepticons were those lower class bots?”
“Many of them, yes.” Optimus paused. “You must understand, Cody. Cybertron was not the utopia some of my Autobots may believe it was. There were many who suffered greatly. However, while the Decepticons may have risen from a just cause, that does not justify the depths they have since fallen to.”
Cody hummed. “I get it.” he said softly.
Optimus relaxed. Good. He didn’t want to lie to Cody, but he didn’t want to boy to think that the Decepticons were harmless. He feared that if that were the case, the young human may do something foolish in the future. No, it was better he understood the War for what it was.
“Optimus?”
“Yes?”
“What’s going to happen to Buzzsaw?”
Ah. “I…do not know. If he is able to recover, I cannot allow him to go free. It would cause immense trouble for my team and my Autobots if he were to rejoin his Master.” he sighed.
“Master?”
“Buzzsaw is a Cassette. They do not often live their lives independently.”
“Why?”
“…perhaps that is a detail best explained with all the others.”
“Okay.” Cody tilted his head. “So you can’t let him go. Can you take him with you?”
Optimus winced. “That would not be wise. I am afraid my team would not understand. I am all too willing to give Buzzsaw a chance, but if I were to bring him to my base I fear the others would argue in favor of his…deactivation.”
“Deactivation.” A pause. “You mean they’d want to kill him.” he whispered.
“The Decepticons have caused my mechs a great deal of pain, Cody.” Optimus said softly. “They would not do it to be cruel, but I know there would be more than one among them who would believe such action justified. An eye for an eye, as the earth saying goes.”
“It doesn’t make it right.”
“No.” Optimus agreed. “But it is War, and those who suffer the effects of it long enough do not enough grasp right from wrong any longer, only what hurts have been inflicted and how best to return them.”
“It’s a cycle.” Cody said sadly.
“A cruel, bitter one.”
Optimus could see the light of the bunker up ahead. He drove towards it in silence, spark heavy.
“Optimus?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think…Buzzsaw could stay here? On Griffin Rock, I mean. Maybe I could help him. The team too. He looks like he’s been on his own a long time. At least, I think he has been. If he has a “Master” like you said, I don’t think they’d let him get this bad off.” There was a pause. “Maybe he’s tired enough to not want to go back to the War? It’s worth a try, right? I want to help him.”
And Optimus, for the first time since he realized who the downed Cybertronian was, felt the faintest stirrings of hope.
——————————
Buzzsaw was resting. Blades had prepared a large crate on which to treat the injured Cassette, and as soon as Optimus had released the avian the small copter bot was scanning him and bustling around to repair him. He’d gotten an energon line started already, and currently his digits were transformed into the medical tools he needed to repair the damage to the Cassette’s internals and armor. As Blades worked, Optimus shared everything he had told Cody in the tunnel with the others.
“So he can’t go with you because your team might kill him, and you can’t let him go because he’d go back to his Master and cause trouble for your team.” Heatwave sighed. “I suppose that means his Host is here on Earth?”
“Soundwave is here, yes.” Optimus hummed. “He is Megatron’s Third in Command and Chief Communications Officer.”
“Ah, yes. I can see how that would cause issues if such a mech were to regain access to his Cassette.” Chase said.
“Cassette.” Cody said slowly. “You called him that in the tunnel too. It’s important. Why?”
Optimus hummed. “First, you must understand that Cybertronians are divided by our frame-types. There are flight frames, and among them you have Helios, Jets, Shuttles, and Seekers. Among the ground frames, there are cars, two-wheelers, trucks, and even more. There are even aquatic frames, though they are few and far between. Beyond them, you have triple-changers, bots who naturally have two alt-forms rather than one. There are also those with non-vehicular alt-modes. And finally, you also have mini-bots, and alongside them there are Cassettes.”
The humans were staring, focused intently on the overly simplified lesson. The Rescue Bots didn’t pay it much mind, however.
“Among all those frame-types, barring Cassettes, it was not uncommon on for some bots to have additional abilities on top of the normal abilities granted to them by their frames. Host mech are one such example. They can be any frame-type, but they are set apart because of their ability to bind their sparks to those of Cassettes in order to form a symbiotic bond.”
Cody blinked. “What do they each get out of the bond?”
“The Cassettes gain protection. Cassettes were…not a well-regarded class. They were found on the streets or in the wilds, and often forced to struggle for their very survival. Most Cybertronians viewed them as simple-minded or feral. They were not thought of as having much intelligence, or even sentience.” Optimus forced himself to continue at the disturbed looks the humans wore. “So for Cassettes, a bond with a Host was a chance at safety. They relinquished their freedom to their Host, and in return they would be given fuel, shelter, care, and above all else, safety. In return, the Hosts received the obedience of their Cassettes, and the Cassettes would help them with any task, function, or job they required.”
Cody was sitting next to Buzzsaw, and the Prime saw him extend a hand to lay it on the avian’s head. “That…that doesn’t sound very fair, Optimus.”
“Perhaps.” he agreed. “But most Hosts treated their Cassettes well and were very fond of them. Such a bond was necessary for many. Cassettes get their name because they do not have an alt-mode capable of movement. Their alt-mode is always a cassette tape or something else very similar. When the bond is formed, a Cassette gains the ability to dock within the armor of their Host while they are in their alt-mode. It is an added degree of safety.”
Chief Burns hummed. “I think I get it. The important bits, anyway. The cultural stuff…” He trailed off. “That I have a harder time wrapping my head around, but I get why our guest being a Cassette matters.”
“Oh?” Optimus had little doubt he did. The Chief was an intelligent man.
“He’s going to want to return to his Host. Because Soundwave is synonymous with safety for him, right?”
“That is likely.” Optimus agreed.
“But you said Hosts usually care a lot about their Cassettes. If that’s true, how did Buzzsaw get like this?” Cody cut in.
The Prime tilted his head. “The last reports of Buzzsaw’s location are many years old. He was last seen on an uninhabited planet that briefly became a battlefield for the War. The Decepticons fled, and the last reports on Buzzsaw are from after Megatron took his army off Centauri-12. It is likely the damage he sustained is a result of him being on his own.”
“So he might have been abandoned?”
“That…seems the most likely scenario, yes. Though Soundwave’s fondness for his Cassettes has always been well known, so I am at a loss as to why he would be left behind thus.”
“Does it matter why?” Cody asked.
“What are you thinking, little brother?” Dani sounded amused.
“If Soundwave abandoned Buzzsaw when he was supposed to be caring for him, then would Buzzsaw really want to go back?”
Optimus reset his optics, startled. “I…had not considered that.” he said after a moment. “I do not know. That is something you will have to ask him yourself.”
Cody perked up. “So you think he would benefit from staying, then?”
Optimus turned to Chief Burns. “If your father agrees, then yes, I do believe so. I have seen the effect you have on bots, young Cody. I believe you can soften even the hardest of sparks. If you are willing to put forth the effort, then there is a chance that you maybe able to help Buzzsaw.”
Chief Burns crossed his arms. “Will he be dangerous in any way?”
Optimus turned to the copter bot still treating the avian. “Blades. Can you disable his weapons systems and battle protocols?”
“Already did.” The young bot sounded distracted. “I disconnected his turbines and anti-gravs too, so he won’t be able to fly. Though I don’t recommend keeping that second part a thing for long. He’s a avian, he needs flight as much as any other flyer.”
Optimus nodded, then turned back to the oldest human. “With those measures in place, I believe that he will be a minimal threat. If he turns out to be a greater risk than you are willing to take, you can always call me.”
Chief Burns considered it, then nodded. “Alright. He can stay. It’s only right to give him the chance.”
Kade frowned. “Is that really so smart? Optimus said it himself! He’s one of the bad guys!”
“But how much choice did he have, if he fought the War his Host joined?” Graham asked.
“Does it matter? The ‘Cons still hurt people!”
“Our War is not so black and white, Kade Burns.” Optimus warned.
“So some political policies and social perceptions sucked! That’s bad, but is it really a reason to start a war?” Kade demanded.
“The Senate used ritual disfigurement as a punishment.” Blades’s voice carried over, sounding distracted.
All heads snapped to him. Kade gaped, and the other humans looked horrified. Privately, Optimus winced. Perhaps that wasn’t the nicest detail to share, but it was too late now.
“What?” Kade sputtered.
“The Senate were the political rulers of Cybertron. They controlled pretty much everything.” Blades mumbled, still focused mostly on Buzzsaw. “When a bot went against them, even in a minor way, they’d use punishment called empurata that involved surgically removing the bot’s face and hands and replacing them with one large optic and a pair of claws.”
Kade swallowed. “Okay. So it was really, really bad. I guess I was wrong.” he said, sounding too sick to care that he’d just admitted to being wrong.
The other humans also looked horrified. Cody looked like his entire worldview had been shaken.
“Cybertron was not kind to all its children, before the War.” Optimus said quietly. “The Decepticons were more than justified in rising up to fight for their freedom. But they took things too far, and now their original cause has long been lost.”
Chief Burns was the first to recover. “That’s often the case, with wars.”
Optimus nodded solemnly.
“We’ll take care of Buzzsaw.” Cody’s voice carried over. Despite how horrified he’d seemed earlier, now he just looked determined. “We’ll show him there’s good in the world. Maybe he doesn’t want to fight anymore. I want to help him.”
The Prime smiled, them dipped his helm. “And so you shall.” he agreed. “When he wakes, tell him that I am leaving him here. I recommend you tell him that Soundwave is on this planet. If you withhold the information, and manage to befriend him, then he may feel betrayed if he learns you hid the fact from him and return to Soundwave on his own.” he warned.
Cody nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
Optimus hummed. “We cannot set him free at this moment. But if you feel it is right, you may also tell him that his other option is that he will remain a prisoner in the Autobot base, but that in that scenario I will have difficulty guaranteeing his safety.” he warned.
Cody tilted his chin up, clearly displeased. “That won’t happen.”
The large bot chuckled. “I hope you are right, Cody Burns.” he nodded at the other humans, flaring his field in a good-bye to the Rescue Bots, and then he was folding into his alt-mode and driving out through the tunnels. He’d get the mainland and call for a ground bridge from there.
He truly hoped Buzzsaw could find happiness. Primus knew the Cassette had earned it.
——————————
Awareness came to him slowly. At first, Buzzsaw was confused. He was fairly certain he’d slipped into emergency stasis. He hadn’t onlined his optics yet, but the messages blinking across his HUD didn’t help his confusion.
Fuel Level: 37%
Warning: Low energon
Movement not recommended
Energy Level: 12%
Warning: Energy rerouted to essential systems
Cause of Energy Drain: Starvation and damage
Recovery time necessary
Internal Communication System: Disabled
Sensor Array: Offline
External Spacial Sensors: Online
Transformation Cog: Offline
Weapons Systems: Disabled
Battle Protocols: Disabled
Self-Repair: Online
Fuel System: Online
Wing Turbines: Disabled
Anti-Gravs: Disabled
Warning: Unknown medical access to internal systems detected
Warning: Unauthorized medical access to combat systems and flight capabilities detected
Self Diagnostic Report: Severe damage and starvation
Low Fuel: Addressed
Armor Integrity: 49%
Fuel Pump: Functional
Fuel Tanks: Shrunken, functional
Intake: Minor rust detected, addressed
Fuel Lines: Damaged, patched
Wires: Damaged, patched
Conclusion: Frame in need of full recovery
Rest recommended
Strenuous activity not recommended
Warning: Presence of unknown Cybertronian and unknown organic life forms detected in proximity.
Well. That last warning certainly warranted some degree of alarm. Red optics snapped online and the avian lifted his helm. His gaze immediately found the aforementioned Cybertronian. It was a small orange and white copter bot, and immediately clear was the Autobot insignia on his chest. For a moment, Buzzsaw tense, his vocalizer releasing a sound halfway between a screech and a growl. He made to stand, to fight off the perceived threat, when the bot pressed him down with a hand between his wings.
“Easy, easy. You’re okay.” He soothed. “My name is Blades, of Rescue Team Sigma-17. You’re on a planet called Earth. My team and I just want to help you.”
His words made Buzzsaw pause and take another look. Huh. That was right. The badge on his chest wasn’t the Autobrand after all. But how? He was fairly certain that Megatron had destroyed the Rescue Force and killed all its Teams. How had this lone team survived? He cocked his head sharply, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“You’re Buzzsaw, right? Optimus Prime was here earlier. He told us about you.”
Well. There went his hopes of his Decepticon status going unknown. And the Prime was here, on this planet? That meant Megatron was doubtless here as well. But who else was?
Blades shifted under his gaze, then sighed. “Just stay still, okay? I patched up what I could. Now your self-repair needs to handle the rest. You need to rest if you want to recover.” He made to leave, then paused. “Also, Optimus told us to tell you your options. You’re on an island called Griffin Rock. You can stay here and stay out of the War, or he can return and keep you prisoner in his base. He said if you go with the second option he’d have a difficult time guaranteeing your safety.” Buzzsaw could see that the small mech was clearly uncomfortable with that last series of statements. He didn’t seem fond of the idea of violence or what amounted to keeping someone against their will.
After another beat, the bot nodded at someone else in the room. Buzzsaw snapped his helm in that direction and saw a small organic. He heard Blades leave, and then the organic was looking up at him. The small creature beamed, and them he was climbing up onto the crate that the avian found himself confined to.
“Hi! I’m the one who found you. My name is Cody.”
Buzzsaw stared, optics narrowed.
“I’m sorry about your choices here, I know they aren’t the best. Optimus doesn’t want you going back to Soundwave though.”
That made him freeze and perk up. Soundwave was on this planet too? A part of him was excited and wanted to seek out his Host. He remembered the kindness, the affection, the gentle treatment. He remembered the safety and security that had come from being bound to the spymaster.
He also remembered the abandonment. Remembered the years of fear and pain and hunger that had followed. Remembered the loss and betrayal, the desperation that his Host would return only to be forced to come to terms with the fact he’d been cast aside.
Buzzsaw clacked his beak, then looked away and forced down the sad coo that wanted to escape him. He felt something on his armor, and looked over to see the organic–Cody–pressing a small, soft hand to the plating of his neck.
“He left you, didn’t he? Optimus told us a little bit about Hosts and Cassettes, and about Centauri-12. You got like this because your Host left you.”
Buzzsaw stared, not knowing how to respond. A part of him, the part that was vicious and angry, wanted to rip off the organic’s limb. The larger part of him was just tired, though. After a long moment of staring, the avian sagged, optics dimming. What was the harm in telling this organic anyway? It wasn’t like he was really a Decepticon anymore. Not really. It also wasn’t like Cody would be able to cause him much harm, anyway.
He nodded, his beak clacking and his wings rustling as he let out a gust of air from his vents. That hand hadn’t left his neck, and it moved to stroke up and down the plating.
“I’m sorry.” Cody said softly. “No one deserves to be abandoned by their family.”
Buzzsaw stared for a moment. The organic had said they’d only been told a little bit about Hosts and Cassettes, yet it seemed he already understood the bond was fairly deep. Either he’d been told more than he let on, or he was just very perceptive. Either way, a part of Buzzsaw couldn’t help but be grateful for the understanding.
He knew he should be lashing out and trying to fight. But what was the point? His weapons systems and battle protocols were disabled, he couldn’t fly, he couldn’t walk, and his fuel levels were too low for him to have the energy to do anything significant. Even without all that, he was just tired of fighting. True, he’d always enjoyed a good, honest fight, but he’d only ever used his more excessive forms of violence because that was what had been demanded of him. He’d had to be violent to survive the wilds before Soundwave, and after he’d had to be violent to fight for his new Host. But he hadn’t wanted life as a fighter, as a soldier. And now, confronted with everything he’d learned, and the last few years of his abandonment…he was tired. He didn’t want to fight this organic. He just wanted rest. He could figure out everything else later.
Besides, the gentle contact didn’t feel so bad. It wasn’t heavy enough to hurt, and it was more reminiscent of the preening he’d used to do with his sister. His optics dimmed, and he let his head come to lay on the crate. Cody didn’t seem offended at his lack of responsiveness. Instead, he felt that small hand move up to stroke over the top of his helm.
“Get some rest, Buzzsaw. I’ll be here when you wake up. I want to help you get better.” the small organic murmured.
Buzzsaw didn’t know what to do with that sentiment. A part of him scoffed at the weakness of it. The other part was too tired and beaten down to care. He released another heavy vent of air, and let his optics slip offline. Moments later, he was slipping into recharge, even the brief moment of consciousness having drained what little energy he had.
——————————
Cody was indeed there when he woke up. It was only for a few moments though, because then the organic had to go to school. Apparently, this planet also has educational institutions. Buzzsaw didn’t have much of an opinion on that. While he was gone, the rest of the Rescue Bots introduced themselves, as did their own organic partners, and he was informed that the organics were called “humans”. Again, Buzzsaw didn’t particularly care. It was useful information, he supposed.
The others left him to himself throughout the day, except for the brief moment when Blades came to remove the energon line feeding fuel into his frame and replace it with a small cube of energon that was set in front of him. After that, he was left alone. Perhaps they sensed his mood, perhaps they were busy, perhaps they didn’t want to talk to him. He didn’t particularly care. It did give him time to think on his situation, though. Obviously, they wouldn’t let him go free. Even if he did promise to not return to Soundwave, he knew he would have difficulty hiding here. Since, apparently, it was very important that the human race didn’t learn about the Cybertronian presence on their planet. One would think they’d have figured it out when the alien war came to earth, but he wouldn’t question it. Still, it meant he couldn’t just be let loose on his own.
He also refused to be an Autobot prisoner. As for returning to his Host…he was torn. A part of him wanted to. But the larger part of him was still hurt. And after his distance from the Decepticons…he wasn’t sure he wanted to return to the faction itself. Pits, he didn’t even have his brand anymore. He’d come across a Neutral medic sometime after Centauri-12, and he’d offered up his services to locate energon in return for the medic’s services to remove the brand. It had been a thin sheet of metal painted purple and welded to his chest, so it had required the aid of a medic to remove without damaging his armor. But it had been done, and then they’d gone their separate ways. He hadn’t worn the Decepticon badge in years.
So where did that leave him? He couldn’t escape in his state, but even when he recovered, what then? What was there for him on this little island? What was there for him on this planet itself? Would it be worth staying?
He must have drifted into recharge at some point, because he was startled awake by Cody’s loud greeting to the others. He jerked, optics flashing on as he lifted his helm. The human blinked when he came around the corner, then smiled.
“Buzzsaw! You’re up!” he called out. He walked over, pulling himself up onto the crate beside the avian. “So, I had an idea! Blades told me you don’t have to be hooked up to anything anymore, and I noticed how your armor seems pretty dirty, so I was wondering if you’d like to get clean?”
Buzzsaw blinked at him. The human gestured to the corner, and he looked over to see a large tub and a bucket that hadn’t been there before. There were rags in the bucket.
“Boulder offered to help. I figured you might feel better if you can get the grime off?” He offered.
He stared for a moment, and then he dipped his head in a nod.
Cody grinned. “Great! I’ll get Boulder. I have to change clothes really quick.”
Buzzsaw cocked his head sharply at that. Clothes?
Cody interpreted the curious gesture for what it was. “Clothes are what humans wear!” he plucked at the colorful things clinging to his frame. “We don’t have metal armor like you guys, and we don’t need it, but we wear clothes to cover ourselves because it’s not considered decent to go without them.” He tapped his chin. “Chase once told me it would be like if a Cybertronian went around without any armor at all.”
Buzzsaw jerked his head back, optics shuttering. Ah. That, he understood. So human had their own version of a protoform underneath their clothing. He did not want to see a fully bare fleshy protoform, thank you very much. He lowered his helm, bumping his beak into Cody’s back to encourage him to go. The boy laughed, then jumped off the crate and trotted away.
A moment later, Boulder came around and smiled at him. “Hey, Buzzsaw. Cody said you accepted our offer to help you clean?” He nodded at the tub. “Is it okay if I carry you there? You shouldn’t be putting weight on your leg.”
Buzzsaw grumbled, but after a moment he nodded. He didn’t exactly want to be carried like a helpless sparkling, but he couldn’t get there on his own. Not in his state. Boulder paid no mind to his grumbles, and instead stepped forward to slip a large hand underneath his frame. The avian was lifted up, then carefully cradled in gentle hands. He was brought to the tub, then lowered into the liquid that filled it. He cooed in pleasure upon realizing it was warm, frame relaxing every so slightly.
Cody chose that moment to return, his lower half covered in something very colorful and the rest of his form bare. He climbed into the tub with Buzzsaw, then dragged the bucket in after himself. On the outside of the tub, Boulder grabbed a larger rag and dipped it into the liquid in the tub.
“Is the water okay? Not too hot?” Cody asked.
Oh, right. This was water. He recognized it now. Other planets had it too. He nodded, watching the Rescue Bot soak the rag in the warm water and hold it out towards him.
“Boulder is going to take care of your armor, and I thought I’d use my smaller size to get in between everything and get all the dust and muck out from your armor seams?” Cody suggested.
Buzzsaw stared for a long moment. That was…rather intimate. But he also hadn’t been able to have such an in depth cleaning since before Centauri-12. He could feel the dirt and grim in between and underneath his armor plates. Even if he didn’t trust these people, he did trust they wouldn’t hurt him. They’d have done so already if they were going to hurt him at all. He could bear some rather intimate grooming if it meant getting clean. He nodded.
Cody beamed, and then Buzzsaw felt the gentle pressure of Boulder wiping off the surface of his armor. While the bot worked at that, Cody chose a rag from the bucket that Buzzsaw now saw was full of cleaning cloths and brushes. The human soaked it in the water, then lifted it and started wiping it along the edges of his armor plates. The avian let himself relax into the warmth of the water, optics slipping offline. He didn’t know what to make of his situation, and he wasn’t sure he liked being forced to stay, but for now he’d enjoy the moment of comfort.
He didn’t realize when he slipped into a state of half-recharge. He was barely aware as the bath finished, and then Boulder transferred him to a large towel which was used to dry him off. Cody went to get blankets while Boulder did so, using the soft fabrics to make a comfier “nest” on the crate that Buzzsaw was returned to a moment later. The avian cooed as he was set into the soft nest, optics offlining fully as he rested his head in the fabrics.
Clean, warm, and comfortable for the first time in years, it didn’t take him long to slip into the most peaceful rest he’d had since he’d lost his flock.
——————————
A few days passed in much the same pattern. Cody would go to school, Buzzsaw would be left alone, and then the boy would return and spend the rest of the day talking with him. The avian never responded, content to listen and learn all he could about this world and the species that dominated it. Things fell into a routine, and he came to be comfortable in it. He even stopped minding the way Cody would touch him and stroke his plating as he talked.
And then the routine changed. Cody came to him after school one day and told him he wanted to have a “movie night”. Apparently, he believed that showing Buzzsaw human entertainment would be a good way for the Cassette to learn about human culture. The avian made no protest. Cody talked to him for the afternoon, then went to have his nightly meal with his family. After that though, he returned for the “movie night”, enlisting the aid of Boulder to move Buzzsaw’s crate in front of a large vid screen.
Cody then joined him on top of the crate, settling into the nest of blankets and wrapping himself in one of his own. He was dressed in clothing that he informed Buzzsaw was called “pajamas”. Then, the movie started and the avian let himself be distracted story unfolding on the screen.
The movie was about two humans under a curse, one who turned into a creature called a wolf by the day and the other who turned into a hawk by night. It was a fairly simple story, and while Buzzsaw certainly found some of the attitudes of the characters to be irritatingly soft he could understand the appeal. He might even say he enjoyed the movie. It was fun. Maybe human entertainment wasn’t as bad as he thought.
And then Cody put on a movie that he said was “animated”, and Buzzsaw was very quickly insulted. The movie was about living cars, except they had no other form to transform into. The main character was a cocky, irritating fool, the tow-truck was the most annoying creature he’d ever been forced to watch, and the mentor was a smug, pompous aft. Buzzsaw hated every character in the movie. If that wasn’t enough, even the setting was insulting.
“What the frag.” he hissed. “How is this garbage supposed to be entertaining? There’s no way those insufferable creatures would have successfully built a civilization. They lack any appendages that would allow them to hold, build, or invent anything. Temporary gripping attachments don’t count, those lack dexterity. Primus, those things would have all died out within the first few generations of their species existence. They certainly should have.”
The movie was paused, and Buzzsaw turned his help to Cody to find the reason. He saw the human grinning brightly, looking thrilled. His plating bristled, and he narrowed his optics.
“What.” he snapped.
“You finally talked.” Cody was beaming.
Buzzsaw shuttered his optics, tilting his helm. Ah. So he had. “Did you think I couldn’t?” he demanded.
“No.” Cody shook his head, smiling. “I knew you could. I didn’t want to push to make you talk to me before you were ready though.”
The avian paused, staring uncomprehendingly. That meant that Cody hadn’t actually thought of him as a simple minded beast. He’d known Buzzsaw was more than that. And he hadn’t tried to force his will on him to make him speak before he wanted to. He had been content to wait. Seemingly as long as he needed to, if Buzzsaw understood the subtext of this conversation correctly.
“Why?” he asked wearily.
“You deserve to be treated with respect.” Cody said seriously. “Just because you look like a bird and don’t have a vehicle mode doesn’t mean you aren’t deserving of being treated like an individual with your own thoughts and feelings. It would have been wrong to push my own wants on you. I want to help you get better. That means going at your pace.”
Buzzsaw twitched. “Many Cybertronians would not agree with you. They would argue I am little more than a beast and thus deserve to be treated as one.” he paused. “My pace?”
“Then it’s a good thing we aren’t on Cybertron, isn’t it?” Cody pointed out. “And yeah. Your pace. I want to help you recover from the things you’ve experienced and discover your own path, discover the things you want to do and the life you want to live. But I know that sort of recovery won’t be immediate, and it may not even be as fast as I want it to be. But that doesn’t matter, because it’s your recovery, not mine. So we go at your pace.”
Buzzsaw stared at the organic for a long moment. “…I don’t understand you.” he said.
Cody smiled. “That’s alright. As long as you understand I want to help.”
He stared for a beat longer, then grumbled and turned back to the movie. He needed to process this. Cody seemed to understand he was done talking, because the infernal movie started up again. Buzzsaw wasn’t paying attention, though. Instead, he was lost in thought, turning over the things he’d learned.
He didn’t notice as the movie ended, and another one started. He did feel it, however, when halfway through the next move is a slight weight settled against his side. He looked down to see Cody had fallen into his own recharge and had slumped against Buzzsaw’s side in the process. The avian didn’t move to wake him. He stared at the slumbering human for a long beat, then heaved a sigh and lowered his helm to rest it on the lip of his makeshift nest. He refocused his optics on the bid screen, paying half attention to the new movie playing. It was something about singing cats. Buzzsaw wouldn’t pretend to understand.
He relaxed, Cody’s warmth curled against his side, and his optics dimming slowly as recharge crept up on him. By the time the movie ended, it had claimed him completely, and he and his odd little companion both slept on peacefully as the credits rolled.
Neither of them woke as Chief Burns came down to retrieve Cody. He paused when he saw the scene, and he turned off the TV, dimmed the lights, and left the sleeping pair to their rest.
As Buzzsaw slept on, his hardened spark cracked just a little. Maybe there was hope for him after all.
——————————
Buzzsaw was watching Cody. He did that a lot as of late. The little human still talked to him a lot, though the avian didn’t always talk back. Most of the time he was content to listen. In the past few days, he’d learned a lot about the odd little organic. In that time, his legs had also fully healed, and his nest had been moved to the floor and tucked into a corner of the bunker so he could maneuver on his own. His wing was still injured, but even if it wasn’t his turbines and anti-gravs were still disabled.
Right now, Cody was quiet. The boy was sitting on a box a bit away from his nest, working one something he’d called “homework”. Judging by the frustrated expression he wore, he was having some degree of difficulty. His curiosity piqued, Buzzsaw stood and stepped out of his nest, walking over to see what the human was working on. He sidled up behind him, tilting his helm to peer over his shoulder.
Oh. It was math. Buzzsaw could work with this.
“You’re missing a two.” he grunted.
Cody paused. “What?” he asked, turning to look at the again standing over him.
“You’re missing a two.” he repeated. “In the third problem. You’re missing a two. That’s why the first part of your answer isn’t matching up with the second.”
Cody blinked, then turned back and looked over his work. He made a noise of triumph, perking up and correcting his work. Then he returned his attention to the Cassette.
“Thanks, Buzzsaw!”
He only grunted, helm cocking sharply.
Cody smiled, used to his non-verbal communication by now.
“So you know some math?” he asked.
“Sure.” he Buzzsaw grunted, folding his legs and settling down. “Laserbeak and I never received a formal education; Cassettes weren’t allowed to. But Soundwave taught us some things after he bound us to him. He wanted us to have a greater knowledge of a variety of fields.”
“Laserbeak? Is that another Cassette?”
“Yes.” Buzzsaw paused, his optics dimming. “My sister. My twin, actually.”
Cody sat up, eyes wide. “You guys can have siblings?”
“Yes. It’s a rare occurrence, but it happens. Though Soundwave did have another set of Cassette twins besides us, too.”
The human stared, then seemed to realize something. “She’s…gone, isn’t she?”
“No.” he huffed. “If she was, I would have felt her loss in my spark. But she left me when Soundwave did. I cannot entirely blame her. If he told her to leave, she would have had to obey. Still, it does sting.” Buzzsaw admitted, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.
“I’m sorry.”
And Buzzsaw didn’t understand, but the human did seem genuinely upset on his behalf. He sighed, shaking his helm to get rid of the memories.
“It’s whatever.” he grunted. “It happened. I can’t change it. Gotta live with it.”
“You miss her.”
Buzzsaw froze, his optics snapping on to the human. He stared, then couldn’t stop himself from slumping. “I so. I miss all of them. Primus help me, but I really do miss them.” he hissed, hating himself for it.
Cody put a hand on his chest. “I’m sorry they left you. You didn’t deserve it.”
He went still, then jerked his gaze away and focused on the paper. “Yeah. I suppose. But you have work to finish, don’t you? I can help.”
He seemed to understand that the avian was done with that topic of conversation, because the human dropped his hand and nodded, returning his own attention to the paper. “Sure. Thanks!”
Buzzsaw scoffed. “Don’t thank me yet. Now, let me see those problems. Tell me how you think you need to solve them, I’ll say something if your approach needs an adjustment.”
——————————
Buzzsaw was alone when he woke up. That struck him as odd, especially since his chronometer cheerfully blinked up on his HUD to inform him that it was only midday. He’d checked twice. He dismissed the notice with a grumble, hopping out of his nest and wandering around the bunker. His wings were folded away, the damaged one finally having fully healed the day before. It was a relief to be able to relax it fully now.
He looked around, sending out a ping of his sensors, and picked up the signals of the Rescue Bots above him. He walked over to the large pad they used as an elevator, tapping the console with his beak and letting the platform lift him up. As soon as it stopped, he was walking out of the open doors of the building he’d been informed was called a “firehouse”. He picked up on some unidentifiable noises, following them to what ended up being a court for some sort of ball game. The Burns family and the Rescue Bots were all playing. After a moment of observation, Buzzsaw realized the objective of the game was to get the small ball into the small hoop that the opposite team was guarding. It reminded him just a little bit of Cube.
He made his way over to where a bench was sitting to the side of the court, hopping up onto it. It was just low enough he could manage that much without his wings. Then he turned his attention back to the game, watching curiously as the ball was tossed around. After a few minutes, a stray toss sent it in his direction. Buzzsaw tilted his helm up, catching the ball on the tip of his beak and bouncing it once, then he tipped his head, letting it roll to the top of his beak before he tossed his head to send the ball back towards the others.
Blades caught it, smiling when he saw the avian. “Good morning, Buzzsaw.” He greeted.
The Cassette nodded, turning his attention to Cody as the boy padded up to him.
“You’re awake!” he smiled. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon from your nap.”
“It’s fine.” Buzzsaw dismissed. “What are you playing?”
“Burns Ball! It’s version of a popular earth game we adapted for our own rules!” Cody said brightly. “Do you want to play a game?”
“My legs aren’t as efficient as all of yours and I can’t use my talons to grip when I’m on them.” he answered dryly.
Cody frowned, considering. “What if you could fly?”
“Is that really a good idea?” Kade interrupted.
Cody shrugged, then turned back to the avian. “Are you going to leave if we give you back your flight?”
“Where would I go?” Buzzsaw scoffed. “I refuse to return to the Decepticons, and I’d sooner eat my own thrusters than join the Autobots.”
Cody blinked, then beamed. It as clear he understood what Buzzsaw was really saying. It made him want to groan. He was getting soft. When had he gotten so easy to read? And by a tiny organic, no less.
“You won’t leave.” he translated. Then he turned to Blades. “Can you do it?” he asked hopefully.
Blades hummed, already walking over. “Are you sure?
“I’m sure.” Cody confirmed.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Buzzsaw offered in a low drawl. “Cody wanted to fix me, so now he’s stuck with me.”
Blades and Cody both giggled, but then copter bot got to work. The Cassette didn’t move as his turbines and anti-gravs were reconnected with his main flight system, and then Blades was stepping back.
Buzzsaw stood, wings spreading fully. He crouched, then leapt up and activated his turbines. They roared to life, his anti-gravs clicking on, and he let out a victorious shriek as he flew in a wide circle around the ball court. After another few circles and dives, he glided down to land next to Cody.
“So.” he hummed. “How about a ride?”
Cody jerked in surprise, and grinned. “Seriously?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I lack hands. I have no way of holding on to the ball, and my talons and beak would pop it.” he sniffed. “You’d be doing me a favor, honestly.
“Noble!” Cody breathed.
Buzzsaw had learned what Cody meant with that odd phrase in the last few weeks. He lowered his helm and bent his legs, letting the human clamber in to his back. He had a set of thrusters lower down on his back, but unlike Seekers, Jets, or Shuttles his only served the purpose of granting him a speed boost in the air. He didn’t actually need them to get airborne.
Once Cody was seated securely at the base of his neck, Buzzsaw straightened and took to the air. He circled the court, and with a toss of the ball, the game began.
——————————
The rescue missions weren’t unusual. At least a couple times a week, something happened on the island that required the whole team to mobilize. Most of the time though, it was simple. An earth cat stuck in a tree, a lost hiker, a damaged traffic light. The type of thing that only required one or two of the Rescue Bots to handle. Today, it seemed, would not be one of those times.
It had started out peacefully. The Rescue Bots had been out of the bunker, taking care of various things around the island. Boulder was on a “nature walk” with Blades and their partners. Heatwave was with Kade at the school teaching a fire safety class. Chase and his partner were out on a patrol. Cody had remained behind, and he and Buzzsaw were seated on the couch of the lounge watching what the human had called “cable TV”. Buzzsaw didn’t get the point.
Then the program they’d been watching had been taken over by a news report. There was a massive landslide in the mountain that was threatening to bury the whole town. Immediately, the rescue alarm sounded and Cody was racing to the command center. Buzzsaw stayed where he was, as he usually did when an emergency occurred. On the screen, he watched the chaos unfold. Thankfully, the human reporter was there with his camera to record everything.
It didn’t take long for the Rescue Bots to get to the site. It seemed to be progressing well, from what the again observed. Then Blades flew too low, and a stray rock took out his tail rotor. He was forced to land, and the team lost their aerial view. Blades could still help the team on the ground, but without proper “eyes in the sky” as Cody had called it, they would doubtless miss things.
Buzzsaw didn’t really think before he hopped off the couch. He flew to the lift, tapping the console that raised it, and as soon as he had space he was flying up and out of the firehouse. He flew around to where he knew the command center was, noting that the main window was open. Good. He landed on the ledge, optics locking on the screens Cody was viewing. Yes, things were definitely going badly.
“Just hang on, everyone! I’ve called Optimus, he said he’ll be here as soon as he can!”
“Yo don’t need Prime. You need an aerial view. That’s why you’re missing things.”
Cody whirled around. “Buzzsaw!” he cried out. “That’s not possible. Blades is down and there’s no way he can fly with his tail rotor damaged.”
“I know.” the avian straightened. “I’ll go.”
Cody froze. “Buzzsaw, are you sure?”
Before the Cassette could respond, the comm. burst to life. Clearly the others had heard their discussion.
“There’s no time to debate this! Lives are at stake! Cody, do you trust Buzzsaw?” Chief Burns demanded.
“Yeah, Dad. I do.”
“Then give him a communicator and send him out here. He’s right. We need eyes in the sky.”
Cody looked up at him, then nodded. He dug around a drawer, then walked over to Buzzsaw with a comm. unit in hand. He let it magnetize itself to the side of the avian’s helm, and quickly returned to the command console. Buzzsaw would definitely need the comm. His internal comm. system was still disabled. He didn’t say anything to the human, and instead turned and took to the skies.
It didn’t take him long to reach the disaster site. Immediately, he could see where he was needed.
“Heatwave, around the corner from you there’s a boulder baring down on a human couple.” he said sharply.
The firetruck replied with an acknowledgment and went to take care of it. Buzzsaw didn’t pay any mind. He was already focusing on the next issue that needed addressing.
“Boulder, mud and stone are about to take out those houses behind you.”
The bulldozer quickly went to take care of it, digging a trench in front of the houses to keep them from being hit. Buzzsaw moved on.
“Chase, down the mountain from you there’s a human youngling trying to outrun the landslide.”
The police car was quick to move and save the child. Buzzsaw didn’t pay much more attention after that. He couldn’t afford to. He needed all his focus on finding the smaller emergencies within the larger landslide before they could happen. Cody trusted him. He was the first in many years to do so. Buzzsaw refused to let him down.
The boy had earned his loyalty, though damn him if he didn’t know when. He didn’t intend to disappoint the one who had so much faith that he could be more than what he had been. Failure here wasn’t an option.
It never was.
——————————
By the end of the whole ordeal, Buzzsaw was reeling. He’d been part of a team again, even if only temporarily. It had been…nice. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it. But now the job was done, and he was on his way back to the firehouse. The others had remained behind to do cleanup work, and apparently Chief Burns would also need to explain his presence to the political leader of the town with an excuse.
He made his way back to the firehouse, his processor starting to calm after the excitement. As he neared, his sensors picked a Cybertronian signal in the courtyard where the basketball court was. It only took a moment to realize who it was. Cody had called in the Prime for help, but that help was no longer needed. That didn’t mean the message had gotten to Prime in time, though.
Sure enough, when the firehouse came into view Buzzzsaw saw Optimus Prime standing in the courtyard. Cody was at his pedes. The avian flew down, alighting on the back of the hoop in front of the larger bot. He would ordinarily have landed next to Cody, but he’d spent too long seeing the Prime as an enemy to put himself on the ground in front of the large mech.
“Buzzsaw.” Prime greeted. “I was told you provided aid to the Rescue Bots.”
Buzzsaw didn’t say anything.
“Tell me, what would you do if you were able to leave?”
“I can.” he snapped. “I’ve got flight. I’ve had it for a while.”
Prime’s lips twitched. “So you have.” he agreed. “Then what are your intentions?”
“Cody decided to get into my business. As far as I’m concerned, he’s stuck with me now, whether he likes it or not.” he scoffed.
Prime’s lips twitched again. Clearly, he had been able to read between the lines to understand what Buzzsaw was saying.
“In that case,” he rumbled. “How would you like to join the Rescue Bots here on Griffin Rock?”
Buzzsaw shuttered his optics. “What.” he deadpanned.
“Would you like to become a Rescue Bot, Buzzsaw?”
“I don’t believe that’s up to me, Prime.” he pointed out. “Or you, for that matter. You don’t lead the team.” he sneered.
“Oh, for Primus’s sake.” Heatwave’s voice came over the comm.
Oh. That was right. Buzzsaw was still hooked into the team’s communications system. The Prime must have opened the previously silent comm. line to Heatewve for at least part of the conversation.
“Choose for yourself, Buzzsaw.” Heatwave continued. “If you want to, we’ll all be happy to have you. You proved to be a good teammate today. No one will have a problem with it. Pit, I’m the one who told Optimus to make the offer before you got there.” Then the comm. clicked off.
“Oh.” Buzzsaw said.
“Indeed.” Prime seemed amused, the fragger. Buzzsaw hoped he got slagged. “What Will it be, then?”
The avian cocked his head sharply. “Ugh.” he made a noise of disgust. “You know what? Fine. The soft idiots need all the help they can get.”
Prime chuckled, then lifted his hand. The armor in his palm shifted, and then a laser was shooting out and hitting Buzzsaw’s chest. There was no pain from it, and he watched as the Rescue Bot badge was put on his armor. The laser stopped, and the Cassette spent a moment staring at the new mark emblazoned on his chestplate.
He looked up when he heard Prime move. “I must leave now, I’m afraid. I am needed elsewhere.” the mech said, inclining his head towards them. Then he walked to the road, folded into his alt-mode, and drove off.
Buzzsaw stared after him, and after a moment he fluttered down to land next to Cody. The human smiled up at him, then lowered his gaze to the new badge on his chest. He lifted a hand to press it over the black lines, looking pleased.
“You’re sure?” he said softly.
Buzzsaw scoffed. “I wouldn’t have agreed if I wasn’t sure. Like I told Prime. You made the decision to get involved with me, so now you’re stuck with me. I’m not leaving, no matter how much you want me to.” he said, his sneer lacking all its usual bite. He paused. “Besides,” he continued, his voice just a notch softer. “You really aren’t all that bad.”
Cody blinked once, then beamed.
Buzzsaw had to look away, feeling almost embarrassed. He hadn’t dared to hope for so many years, but it seemed Primus had deigned to show him kindness after all.
He’d finally found a new roost.
———————————————————————————————————
Well. That’s done! That was long. It took me multiple days to write. But! It’s done!
I had fun with it. Buzzsaw is a grumpy asshole and Cody is very indulgent of his dramatics. And yes, I made him capable of speech. I know he and the Laserbeak can talk in the comics, so.
Also, please excuse my liberal use of headcanons for some of this. Anyway. I hope y’all liked it! I’m sorry it took so long to get out.
Until next time, folks!
137 notes · View notes
thatgoblin · 3 years
Text
RE Boys x GN!Reader with Chronic Migraines
Tumblr media
Requested by @lovers-demolition
Carlos
Most of the time your migraines are just there. A steady pain that makes your vision a little blurry and you get a little nauseous. Not a big deal.
Those days, Carlos is careful about the lights and amount of noise he makes. He may not have chronic migraines, but he's had a few concussions in his life and knows something of pain.
You may say he's babying you, but he's not. He swears. He's just already up and it's too bright anyways for the extra light. (He says as he walks into a door frame while not being able to see.)
He'll cuddle you and make sure you're as comfortable as possible on the couch with an ice pack and your meds.
On the bad days, he rarely says anything. Not because he doesn't know what to say, but because he knows most noise equals pain.
He keeps it nice and dark and cool in the bedroom as he helps you up and down because you can't open your eyes or you'll get sick.
The auras throw you off, making it hard to stay walking and not fall over so he's there with his arm around your middle while holding your hand as you slowly get to the bathroom.
Sometimes the pain is so much that nothing helps and you just cry as he holds you, trying to massage when he can for any relief. It physically makes him hurt to see you in such pain.
He knows you have good days and bad, but he's there for all of them. Even if he's on a mission and you let him know that you're having a bad migraine day, he makes sure to order you your usual sick supplies to help through it when he's not.
Tumblr media
Chris
Chris has a bad habit of just muscling through pain. Whether it's a headache or a broken bone or a gunshot wound, he rarely takes anything for it.
So the first time you're over and a migraine starts, you have to take ibuprofen while he runs to the store for some pain killers.
He ends up buying almost one of everything because he's not sure what to get, migraines aren't something he's familiar with.
With a bit of direction, he's able to help you get comfortable on his bed with the lights out and an ice pack. Chris doesn't know what to do after that so he lays in bed with you for moral support.
When a big one hits, he wants to take you to the hospital. He's dead set on it because you are in tears and throwing up while not able to stand.
You manage to talk him out of it and this time you came prepared with your own prescription meds.
Like the first time, he gets you comfortable in bed before bringing you a trashcan in case you get sick as well as some ginger ale and an ice pack.
Chris hovers like a worried mother hen because you're crying and shaking from the pain and he can't make it better.
You let him know that just being there for you is enough.
He finally stops sitting on the foot of the bed and lays with you, changing your ice pack when needed while letting you know how much he cares about you and will do anything for you.
Tumblr media
Leon
The first headache you have, Leon is already doing everything he can to help. He's researching online and talking with you about different natural methods that may work.
Not because he doesn't believe in doctors, but because they can be more readily available than medications can be most of the time.
Not everyone can get prescription grade migraine medicine.
So, he's reading up on triggers and symptoms and the best ways to help with them.
He even watches Youtube videos on acupuncture and massage to see if that would help.
Leon is not sticking needles in you, but you do appreciate the effort.
When the big one hits, you're almost knocked off your feet.
Leon was out for a bit, so you did the best you could without him. Getting to bed with the lights off and a cool wet rag on your eyes was some relief.
When he got home, he found you and saw that it was a lot worse than the migraines before. He hops into action. Anything with a strong smell is gone, he even moves unlit candles to a guest room in case they're strong enough to cause problems.
The lights are turned off and he sets you up with everything you need, making sure you drink plenty of water as he helps you take some Excedrine. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.
Leon gets the ice packs pressed against the back and sides of your neck and head before going to your feet to rub them in hopes of reflexology helping. He was trying anything he could to help, knowing that at the end of the day you would just have to ride it out. But damn it, he'll be right there with you.
257 notes · View notes
businesstiramisu · 2 years
Text
Since I did say "more on this later" but now it’s later and i’m not sure i remember what exactly i wanted to say....... so this might be kinda rambly, sorry
But an idea that @animate-mush​ brought up in in her liveblogging, and that I’m definitely feeling in my watch, is that in season 1 of leverage the framing is very much that Nate is the Protagonist, the Serious Character with a Serious Backstory, and the rest of the team are Silly Criminals with their Amazing Talents but also Silly Quirks. You do get occasional sense of dramatic depth -- e.g. Parker’s concerns over the orphans in Serbia, and Hardison comforting her, digging into their histories growing up in foster care. But it’s mostly played for laughs -- Parkers “kleptomania” in the 12-step job (if that’s even real, I’m of 2 minds there), Sophie’s highly variable acting skills, Elliot’s heartbreaker history (also that “what were you doing” “liberating Croatia” joke -- not strictly impossible, but pretty implausible to me that Elliot’s old enough to have participated in the Croatian war for independence!! Maybe the line was meant to refer to the Balkan conflicts of the 90s more generally??)
anyways, I think this a bad framing, because Nate’s backstory and characterization come off at least as silly as the rest of them. Not the bare summary of it -- his son died, his life fell apart in recrimination and guilt, that’s pretty tragic, he’s still running instead of facing his grief and mistakes in handling it -- but a lot of the details don’t really add up, and the actual presentation on the show has a lot of narm. I think it would be easier to stomach if the show wasn’t trying so hard to convince us to take Nate’s pain more seriously than anyone else’s.
Season 2 seems to be taking steps to address this -- first, by having Nate show some signs of progress, and second by giving him a bit more of a back seat. Well, not the opening ep, that was very Nate-centric (and in very silly ways -- the flipping over exploding car?!), but the Tap-Out Job and the Order 23 Job had more serious character beats for Elliot, and the Fairy Godparents Job had some real good moments for Sophie!
Specifically on Elliot -- I mentioned before that this is a show I’m coming into with a lot of “fandom context” -- while I didn’t read most of the discussions very carefully but I’ve been seeing a lot of fandom things for this show since I really got into online fandom in 2020. One of the things I’ve picked up by fandom osmosis is that Elliot is a fan-favorite, with some major angst. 
“There’s a lot of good Eliot Spencer meta going around (which is what has inspired this) and the take home that he is not redemption seeking. He is assured in his damnation and is choosing to do good anyway, because at this point why not?”
and this is BIZARRE to read with only season 1 for context, because there is NOTHING angsty about Eliot in season 1. He’s a tough guy, he’s been involved in a lot of violence, but it’s always played for jokes, like Parker stealing the Hope Diamond and putting it back because she’s bored. It really sounds like the fandom is talking about a completely unrelated character. But we’re starting to see hints of... something... in s2, e.g. with Elliot explaining to Sophie in the Tap Out job that he’s sees fighting as a way to get back some control over your life. I’m eager to see what happens in the later seasons that leads to the fanon understanding of Elliot.
31 notes · View notes
Text
A Different Kind of Night (h.s)
Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader
Summary: Is the Grammys! And you’re spending it at home with your handsome nominee.
Warnings: Fluff. Mentions of alcohol, COVID, anxiety and a bit of smut if you squint your eyes. Also, maybe some grammatical mistakes (English is not my first language. I’m sorry)
Word Count: 2.6 k
Author’s Note: let me start by saying that 1) the Grammys are rigged and I don’t trust them. 2) I haven’t seen the Grammys in years so I don’t know exactly how the awards go and 3) While this is a piece of fiction, I love Harry and I hope he brings home one golden record player 💕 Remember that Reblogs, Comments, Feedbacks and Likes are very important! You don’t know how much it helps me ❤️ Happy early Valentine’s Day. Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋🌻✨
My materialist // wanna be part of my tag list?
Tumblr media
“Harry, did you get the drinks?” You asked as you walked down the stairs.
“Go’em ready in the living room, love” Your boyfriend's answer came from the kitchen, his shoes clicking against the wooden floor as he made his way to where you were fixing your hair at the end of the stairs.
The moment he saw you, all dressed up and giddy, he let out a loud whistle. You felt your cheeks turn a tinted red as you felt his eyes checking you out up and down.
“Well look at you, pet,” He said with a grin as he walked towards you, rounding his arm on your waist and pulling you closer to him “You look stunning”
He placed a soft kiss on your cheek, making you giggle as his stubble tickled your skin.
“I wanted to look good tonight,” You said with a shy smile “Even if no one is going to see me”
Harry hummed close to your ear “Lucky me, then. Don’t have to worry about anyone stealing you away from me”
You scoffed “As if that were possible” With one last kiss on his cheek, you started to walk away. But not before Harry stole one small squeeze to your butt, making you gasp and shoot him a knowing glance as you turned into the kitchen, still able to hear him laugh.
You stepped into the kitchen and made sure the finger food you ordered was ready and placed in the tray. You wanted to make tonight extra special for him despite everything that was going on.
After pushing it back a few dates, the Grammys were finally happening tonight. Given the circumstances though, they were being held in an empty theatre while all the nominees stayed home and watched the ceremony.
Upon hearing the news, Harry was understandably a bit bummed out, but then he thought better of it “At least I’ll get to spend the evening with you” He said with a grin.
It was true. If it weren’t for the norms applied for the ceremony, you weren’t going to be able to celebrate with him. At least, not at that moment. That’s the downside of having a secret relationship.
You were used to it, though. Years of sneaking around and secret rendezvous made you an expert on the topic of privacy. It was something you both agreed on earlier on in the relationship, not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention towards the two of you.
And yes, although that meant to have to deal with all the rumors of your boyfriend dating other celebrities and see him up and about in different galas where you had to maintain your distance until you were sure there were no peeking cameras, you wouldn’t change this for the world.
You loved Harry Styles as much as the next person did. But you much rather have Harry, just Harry all to yourself. And that made you one of the luckiest people on earth according to you.
“It’s weird to see the red carpet so empty,” You said as you walked into the living room holding the tray of food. Smiling at seeing Harry already seated comfortably with a glass of wine having already poured you a glass as well.
“Pfft. It’s boring anyway” He said, helping you set the food before you sat down with him, kicking your shoes under the table and cuddling next to him “You just walk, then stop to take some pictures, then talk to some random interviewer for a random channel, say you’re excited to be there and to be wearing Gucci and keep walking”
“Oh yeah, sounds dreadful” Sarcasm clear in your voice “I don’t know how you could survive that”
He grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it your way, making you squeal before you retaliated with some salted peanuts, starting a small but very chaotic food fight among the two of you.
You were glad that it was only the two of you. While Harry’s manager offered to make a big celebration in his name for being nominated, he opted not to. Not only because he already received well-deserved repercussions for partying in the middle of a pandemic, but because this was a special moment for him and, even though he won’t admit it, he is scared of letting everyone down if he doesn’t get the win.
You, however, still wanted to make the night special for him. So you suggested you dress up for the red carpet- even if the only carpet you’d walk on is the one in the living room, get drunk and let whatever needs to happen: happen.
He loved the idea, although now he was starting to have second thoughts “‘m not gonna clean this” He said after taking into account the mess you both created.
Popcorn was scattered across the sofa and the rug, he had some pieces of peanuts tangled in his curls and on his suit. You didn’t want to look in the mirror to check how you ended up.
“Well, I wasn’t the one who started it,” You said, shrugging as you took a sip from your wine.
He crooked one eyebrow at you, ready to make his usual teasing comments known. But just as he opened his mouth, the opening number of the ceremony was starting.
The Grammys were broadcasted on tv, but all the nominees had a link where they should enter the moment their category is announced. Harry got it all set up in the living room, the computer and the camera ready to focus on him when needed. Yes, this was odd, everything was odd in these trying times. But you were glad they managed to pull through it and celebrate the artists like they deserve, even if it’s miles apart for their safety.
You enjoyed the first few numbers, chatting over your bets about who will win what category, yelling at the tv whenever your favorites didn’t receive the golden record player, and laughing at the bad jokes of the presenters.
When the pop categories came, however, the both of you were quiet as a mouse.
You knew Harry was nervous, you’ve never seen him fidgeting this much before. You gave him your hand to hold, to distract himself a little bit and for him to feel your unconditional support, and he squeezed it hard, placing a kiss on your knuckles and patting it softly with his other hand before covering it with it as his leg started moving up and down with a quick pace.
This side of him always surprised you. You were still amazed at how confident Harry was on stage and with people from the industry, yet when it was just the two of you, you could see the real him. The doubts, the second-guessing, the frustrations, the fears, and sadness of a real person. Not from the one that’s putting on a show to please strangers in a room. With you he allowed himself to feel, really feel like he couldn’t do outside the doors of your shared home. And you knew these nominations were eating him up from the inside with the anxiety it produced on him.
Harry was a perfectionist. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders since he was sixteen, having the responsibility and burden to carry it without a word of complaint. He gave himself out on this album, showing parts of himself his fans would appreciate and accept. The pressure he had was unbearable and he still made it out of bed every morning, ready to give the world more than it could ever ask for.
You were proud of him, you always were and you told him time and time again, knowing he appreciated more than he could say. But sometimes you wished you could take him away for some time, letting him relax and breathe without constantly having to check himself if he did a wrong move or not. If he wins tonight, at least he will know it was all worth it.
The first two nominations were called. You could feel how hard he gripped your hand before he was asked to appear in front of the camera he set up in front of him. He tried to appear unbothered, but only you noticed the way his eyes gleamed with a shimmer of hope.
Harry waved at the camera and politely nodded whenever his name was being announced with his leg bouncing out of frame. But when the presenters called another name, he was the one clapping enthusiastically as his other colleagues received the acclaimed award. Never letting his true feelings show on his face.
You never asked if he was okay after he didn’t win, you knew he would say he is and brush it off like it was nothing. But you also knew that he needed your support at this moment and you gave it freely and lovingly. Cuddling next to him and soothing his hair as he let your hand run through his curls. It was the little moments, the details that let him know that he is loved. And he feels so lucky to be loved by you.
He told you time and time again and proved it to you thousand times more. But every time he said it, every time he showed it… it still brought butterflies to your entire being.
“Okay, love,” He said as soon as they cut through commercials for what it seemed like the tenth time “The album category is up next”
He said that with a serious face. You could tell that he was nervous, it was the most important award in the pop category; he had some strong contenders this year and was not at all convinced that he would win, especially given his other two losses.
You were about to say something, wanting nothing more than to comfort him and shake that mental frown away. But a notification rang on the computer, letting him know that it was time to get online and let people see him as he waited to be called.
He looked at you and smiled, letting you know that he was okay. “It’s just a stupid award,” He said, but you knew it meant more than that.
You smiled understandingly back at him and kissed him on the cheek before getting up to stand in front of the tv but behind the camera as you did in his previous nominations of the night, making it seem like he was alone.
“You got this” You mouthed at him from where you were standing, sending him an encouraging smile and two thumbs up. He replied with a wink and his award-winning smirk as the announcer called his name among the nominees.
Harry waved at the camera and you can already see his name trending on Twitter right now, it’s been too long since his fans have seen him up close and he knew very well what he was doing. That smug bastard.
While the presenter was calling the other nominees, your phone rang. You quickly grabbed it from the table and thanked the gods’ Harry’s vídeo was muted for the time being.
“Hello?” You said quietly, not really paying attention at the name of the caller before you picked up.
Harry had his eyes on the camera, but he furrowed his eyebrows to let you know that he was just as curious as you to know who was calling at this time and at this moment.
“You need to open the door, now!” It was Jeff’s voice. He sounded frantic as he hung up immediately after.
You stood there confused for a second before realizing what was happening.
“And the winner for best pop vocal album is…. Harry Styles’ Fine Line!”
Harry’s eyes widened as he heard his name being called as the winner. He started looking around for you, but you were now gone from your spot only to return seconds later with a golden record player in your hands and tearful eyes.
You were now standing at his side, face away from the camera as the viewers could only see your arms extending the award towards Harry, who had the most beautiful and genuine smile you’ve ever seen.
He took the award and threw it on the sofa next to him, quickly standing enough to reach your face and giving you a one in a lifetime kiss. Not caring that he was on national television at the moment. He was happy.
You felt how his hands cupped your cheek softly as his lips melted with yours. It tasted salty and you didn’t know if it was because of the popcorn or the happy tears on both your eyes. You only knew that this was one of the greatest moments of his life and you were lucky enough to witness it with him.
Soon, Harry had to let go of you, smiling widely at you and mouthing an “I love you” as he sat back down to start his speech. You quickly went back to your place behind the camera and smiled at him with utter pride.
You knew how much he worked for this, to separate himself from the kid he once was and to start his own career by just being Harry. And to see him smile like that… Harry only smiled like that when he was with you. His childlike grin and sparkle in his eyes brought life to your shared home as he held the award close to his heart, finally grasping the idea that that little boy from Cheshire made it.
He made it.
“... I want to thank my mum and my sister, who were always there for me. To the fans that made this record so special and have gifted me with their enormous support. And I want to thank the person I love most in this life” He said, lifting his gaze to meet your teary eyes. He smiled like a thousand suns and gave you a look that was just exuberant with love before placing his eyes back on the camera. “I love you and I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you so much for this”
You waited a good five seconds after his transmission ended before jumping at him on the sofa, wrapping your arms around him as you plastered kisses all over his face.
“I told you you were going to win!” You said excitedly.
He laughed and kiss your lips with passion “You did” He said between kisses “And I didn’t believe you” one more kiss “If this is not a sign for me to admit that you’re always right, I don’t know what it is”
You smiled before kissing him again, this time with more intent as you let him deepen the kiss, parting your lips as you granted him more access.
Harry grabbed you by the legs and made you straddle his lap, not breaking the kiss once as his hands roamed your back with soft touches.
“You know…” You said, letting out a sigh as his mouth traveled from your lips to your neck “You just kissed me in front of a camera”
He hummed, sending vibrations all over your pulse point “That I did”
“It’s going to be all over Twitter tomorrow”
“I don’t much care right now,” He said, placing his hands on your ass, making your hips slightly buckle against his front as he continued to ravish your neck and collarbones, leaving a trail of marks and soft breaths to follow later.
You chuckled, tangling your fingers through his hair, tugging it lightly so his eyes were on yours once again “Harry, you just won a Grammy!”
“That I did, too” He smirked, pure joy visible in his eyes.
“And how would you want to celebrate? My Grammy award winning boyfriend” You said, moving your hips with more intent and making him let out a groan.
Harry’s pupils grew and turned his eyes into a deep forest green, looking at you hungrily while he grinned “I got a couple of ideas”
*
Tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @mystic-232 @talksoprettyjjx @theshyspy @sarcasticallywitty15 @hoodhoran @flaneurcth @notinthesameguey @bubblegum18 @irwin-fletcher-ash @multistann @tenaciousperfectionunknown @sunflowercherry
413 notes · View notes
gotnofucks · 4 years
Text
Master of His Own Fate-2
Pairing: dark!Steve x Reader, dark!Bucky x Reader
Words: 4.3k
Warnings: Non-con/dub-con, smut, jealousy, spanking, 18+ ONLY
A/N: Probably gonna be a four-part series.
Part 1
MASTERLIST
+++++
Why did it feel like everyone had to do their shopping exactly when you had to? You’d bet it was not this crowed earlier. Or maybe it had something to do with the two super-soldiers flanking you that drew people in. You should have just ordered stuff online since this was super embarrassing. Steve’s hand was in the back pocket of your jeans and Bucky was on your other side, pushing the shopping cart with one hand while holding your waist with other. You’re sure you must have made quite a picture, a little woman sandwiched between them.
“Can you remove your hand?” You asked Steve under your breath and he looked away from the cereals he was perusing to glance at you.
“No” He answered and then pinched your ass for good measure. You jumped, your face flushing and you vowed to look at the floor until you left. You had no desire to see what other people thought about you.
“Why are they so colourful? Why can’t it be simple? There are too many!” Bucky exclaimed and you almost snorted. The cereal aisle was like wonderland for Bucky and you’d been walking back and forth here for 10 minutes now.
“I’m gonna go with this” Steve said throwing in a pack of Cap’n Crunch and you rolled your eyes.
“Then maybe Bucky can get Frosted Flakes and we can leave?” You suggested. Steve chuckled, leaning down to press an affectionate kiss on your head while Bucky took your advice and got Frosted Flakes.
“I’m gonna eat them off of you” He muttered in your ear and you bit your lip, flushing dark. You let them lead you around the store, checking off items off their list. It was so domestic you felt sick. This was not normal, and you unconsciously kept scratching your soulmark hidden under a wristband. You tried not to look at it if at all possible.
Bucky had stopped in front of the shelves containing condoms and quirked an eyebrow at you.
“Chocolate or strawberry?” He asked with a sinful grin and you wiggled until free of their holds. You had to bear their presence at home anyway, anymore and you’ll be smothered.
“We’ve forgotten the cheese dips. I’ll go get some while you finish here.” You said and turned away before they could say anything. You heard them chuckling softly behind you and willed your tears of frustration away.
Your life had changed drastically in the past few months since the night Steve and Bucky marked you as theirs. Try as you might, you couldn’t escape them, not when they are two of the most powerful and influential people in the world. You lived with them in their apartment at the compound now, and to say life was hell would be an understatement. Steve and Bucky have separate rooms but most nights you’re sandwiched between them in one bed since neither wants to spend a night away. You’d had more sex in these few months than people probably did in years.
You veered left into the sauces and spreads aisle, absentmindedly looking at the display. It wouldn’t matter what flavor you got, it would end up spread all over you and licked by your two lovers. You randomly took a jar off the shelf and were about to go back when you bumped into someone standing behind you.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” You apologized to the man behind you. His hand took hold of your elbow for a second to steady you before he stepped away and shook his head.
“It’s alright miss, not a problem.” He said with a small smile. You got a look at his face and your heart skipped a beat. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair, his genuine smile framed by a well-groomed beard. You saw his eyes dart to the jar in your hand and his lips twitched in amusement.
“I’d advise against this” He said pointing to the jar and you looked down at your hands in confusion. “While one may handle blue cheese, you don’t want to try its dip.”
You winced once you realized what you had picked and the man behind you laughed a little as he saw you put it back.
“What will you suggest?” You asked him. This was probably the only normal interaction you had had in a long time outside of work. It did help that this man was what some would call daddy.
“Oh, I am not a good cook. I just stick to the basics you know, less chances of messing up a dish.” He answered and handed you a classic cheese dip. You took it from him with a smile and thanked him. You lingered a moment, for some reason wanting to stay. It seemed like he had the same idea for even though he had picked his own jar, he didn’t leave.
“You, uh – you should get nachos to go with this. They have them on sale.” You said and internally cringed.
“Oh, alright then. Will you show me the way?” He asked and you nodded, leading him around as he followed with his cart.
“You new in the area?” You asked him since all locals knew the store layout pretty well.
“Ah yes, just moved here from Newton, Massachusetts. My name is Andy Barber” The man said and offered you a hand. Your smile vanished even as you mechanically accepted his hand and shook it. Andy Barber. AB. Like the initials on your wrist. Your hand squeezed around your wristband, your heart beating a mile an hour.
“Hey, you okay?” Andy asked and you realized he’d been speaking to you.
“Ah yes, yes I’m okay. Just lost in thought. Here we are, nachos.” You said and uselessly pointed at the display. You told yourself you were being silly, a lot of people with same initials existed. He may not even have a soulmark. Yet as you looked at him selecting his flavors, you couldn’t help but feel lighter than you had in months. You felt belonged, stupid as that may sound.
“So, you live around here?” You wished Andy would stop talking. The more he spoke, the more you wanted to stay and talk the rest of your life away with him.
“Yes, I am a doctor at the Avenger Tower.” You managed to say and saw his eyebrows raise appreciatively.
“Damn, that’s so cool” He said, and you couldn’t help but grin. “I am a lawyer, starting as a professor in NYU from next term.”
“Damn, that’s so cool” you mimicked him and you both breathed out a laugh. You didn’t realize it as you spoke to him that you were walking aimlessly with him around the store, telling him about the sites he absolutely must visit in New York and the best places to get coffee and hotdogs from. You had circled back to the spreads section and stood awkwardly facing each other.
“Uh, it may seem a little forward, but will you show me around the city?” Andy asked, fiddling with the cuffs on his shirt. You wanted him to take it off and see if your initials were tattooed in his skin like his were in yours. You were about to open your mouth when a hand wrapped around your waist from behind.
“There you are sweetie, you had us worried.” Steve’s words felt like a splash of cold water. For a few glorious moments you had forgotten your predicament, lost as you were in conversation with Andy. Your eyes met Andy’s and you saw him frown, his gaze narrowing on Steve’s arm around you and noticing how you tried to get out of it.
“I – uh, couldn’t decide so settled with the classic.” You showed Steve the cheese dip, but his eyes were fixed on Andy whose face was clouded with suspicion.
“Steve Rogers” He offered his hand to Andy, a useless introduction since most people recognized him with ease. You thought Andy would almost decline the handshake but, in the end, politely shook it.
“Pleased to meet you. Thank you for your service to the nation and the world.” His words were polite and yet there was a mistrustful edge to it. You hoped that he wouldn’t say anything and just walk away. You knew how Steve and Bucky could get about other men in your life, and right now you wanted Andy far away from here.
“Don’t mention it” Steve said preening and you took off his hand from your waist and laced your fingers together, trying to pull him away.
“We gotta go, lots to do back home. Thanks for the suggestion mister” You unnecessarily pointed at the jar again and tried to move back but Steve stood still. You were careful not to mention Andy’s name in front of him and you prayed with everything in you that this interaction would be over soon enough.
“Steve, you find her yet?” You closed your eyes in defeat and shame as Bucky walked from the other side and joined your little party. He closed in on you, hands cupping your face and drawing you in a deep kiss. You kept your eyes downcast, not looking at Andy and hoping the Earth will swallow you whole.
“Yeah, she’s was just having some trouble selecting the flavor until this gentleman here helped her.” Steve said and Bucky turned to look at Andy who was frowning harder than ever now. Andy’s eyes were searching yours, but you couldn’t let yourself meet his. Your shame and fear were profound and all you wanted was to leave.
Bucky’s eyes moved from Andy to Steve to you and he straightened, his arm curling around your shoulder, hand resting near your left collarbone just inches away from the scarred initials of him and Steve.
“Thank you, our girl here can be a little iffy when it comes to food” Bucky remarked affectionately but his emphasis on ‘our’ was not lost on either of you.
“Not a problem.” Andy finally nodded and took hold of his cart, ready to wheel it away. You almost sighed in relief, but your heart broke a little when he started retreating. Your eyes met for a brief moment and it seemed as if he would stop but then you looked away and he continued moving.
“What are we going to do with you Y/n?” Bucky muttered once Andy was out of sight. They didn’t care they were in a public place, both of them standing almost on top of you.
“I don’t know what you mean” You whispered and felt Bucky’s metal hand tighten over your arm. You hissed and tried to pull away but found your chin being raised up to face him with rough hands.
“Do you want another lesson on how to behave around strange men?” Bucky asked and your eyes widened, head shaking in negation.
“No, no Buck. Please, nothing happened. We were just talking” You begged, trying to convince him. You watched in horror as one of his hand outright cupped your left boob, fingers splayed so they pressed into the scars over your heart.
“You sure? I can show the whole store who you belong to my love.”
You were ready to start bawling when Bucky started fiddling with the neckline of your top, but it was Steve who saved the day. He gently pried Bucky’s hands from you and tucked you under his arm, pushing your head in his chest with a hand while the other kept Bucky away.
“Not here Buck, look at her. Honestly!” Steve started a swift walk towards the exit with you at his side and you couldn’t help but look back. It was one of those situations where you found the precious thing lost within a sea of garbage when you spotted Andy, his eyes not on you but your arm. You followed his gaze and suppressed a sob as you saw your wristband had shifted after your struggle with Bucky, bringing into view the initials that made your soulmark.
ASB: Andrew S Barber
You didn’t know his middle name but you couldn’t be any more sure of who your soulmate was when Andy’s eyes darted to his own covered wrist the moment Bucky shouted, “Steven Rogers and Y/n Y/l/n you both come back here this very second!”
Bucky was getting your stuff checked out, standing at the cashiers with his grumpy dad face on. Steve ignored him and continued dragging you away towards the exit. Your eyes watered and you tried to stem their flow so you could have one last glance at Andy without tears blurring your vision. You both stared at each other and just before you walked out the doors, even from the distance you saw Andy mouth a promise:
I will come for you
+++++
Fate was a cruel bastard, and you cursed your destiny as you lay curled in Steve’s lap after dinner. No one spoke much once you got home but you knew it was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan. You were wearing a short nightie, Bucky’s favorite and Steve’s hands were absently massaging you as he read through a new mission briefing.
“Wanda was asking about you again” Steve said, and you blinked at him. Just another thing you loved that they had snatched away from you. Wanda was obviously very suspicious when you announced you’ll be shifting from your apartment to Steve and Bucky’s since she knew you wanted to wait for your soulmate to show up. You would have confided in her had you not been aware of the damage your lovers could cause if displeased. Bucky had strictly ordered you to keep away from her until you were in control of your thoughts, which he was afraid Wanda would read. You had looked to help from Steve, who was softer out of the two, but he agreed with Bucky, “Better she not know anything than us having to eliminate her if she did.” They talked of death and violence with such ease it made your skin crawl.
“Can I see her now? I don’t think my texts are keeping her satisfied.” If only you could get a few hours away from their stifling presence maybe it would be more tolerable. The both of them clung to you like a babe to his mum, and your only respite were the hours you spent working.
“Do you think you’re ready to see her now?” Steve questioned you, finally looking up from his mission briefing. Before you could answer Bucky came behind you and plucked you from Steve’s arms like you weighed nothing and perched you in his own lap. Steve rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.
“The better question would be if you think you deserve to see her.” Bucky commented, his hand fondling your behind under the silk nightie. You shifted under his touch and gaze, uncomfortable under the stern look.
“I’m minding my thoughts, I promise.” You whined and Bucky’s hand cracked against your ass suddenly. You squealed and he held you down with one hand, the second blow even harder than the first.
“You and I both know that’s not what I meant. I don’t like it when you act dumb.” Bucky snarled and you flinched as he raised his hand again. To your surprise, the slap barely had any force behind it and Bucky rubbed your ass softly as if in apology. You turned your face to peek at him and saw him and Steve locked in one of those silent eye contact conversations that you absolutely loathed. Steve was almost glaring at Bucky as if displeased and Bucky had enough grace to look a little ashamed.
“I wasn’t!” Bucky cried out suddenly, throwing his hands in the air and huffing. It was as if they were continuing a conversation that went from telepathy to verbal and your mouth parted in awe when Steve continued speaking too.
“You would have if I didn’t stop you.”
Your gaze moved from one man to another, confused beyond measure. In a flash Bucky was gathering you in his arms, holding you to himself like he was afraid papa Steve would take away his favorite toy.
“I know my limits Steve. She’s mine as much as yours. Stop it.”
You were sure if you tilted your head up you would see Bucky pouting but instead you observed Steve who was in classic captain pose with hands on his hips and disapproval on his face.
“Do you really? Because it sure seemed like you were about to strip her naked in a supermarket of all places.”
“I wouldn’t! I was teasing her.” Bucky said, his head buried in your neck. He took your hand and placed it on his head and you slowly scratched with your nails, making him purr in satisfaction. Steve didn’t look the least bit convinced and his eyes kept bouncing between you and Bucky. Finally, he heaved a deep sigh before getting up.
“She is sleeping in my room tonight.” Your head snapped up just as Bucky’s hold tightened around you in rejection of the idea.
“No, you can’t take her from me.” Bucky snapped and you resisted the urge to slap them both. It bothered you how they went on talking about you like you weren’t even present here.
“I’m not taking her away from you, pal. Just like she learns her lessons when she fucks up, so will you.”
Bucky didn’t look like he would want a lesson, but it didn’t seem like the first time they were having this talk because he said nothing more. He almost didn’t let you leave when Steve took your arm to take you away but finally relented.
“When can I have her back?” Yep, he was definitely pouting.
“When you learn that teasing is pinching her ass in public, not stripping her bare in front of strangers.”
+++++
It had been a while since there were two people in bed and not three. You stretched your feet out, glad to have some extra space. Even cuddled up in Steve’s massive arms, your thoughts returned to Andy. You had finally found him after years of searching, only to lose him on the same day. It was a cosmic joke to have you cross paths now when it was too late to do anything. Your hand unconsciously traced the letters on your wrist, a slight thrill running down your spine as you finally realized what and who these initials stood for.
It wasn’t just a legend anymore. They were right when they said that soulmates completed you. In those precious few moments you had spent with Andy, all your worries had fallen away. You both had built a bubble around yourself where the outer world was nothing but a distant blur and you saw only each other. Conversation didn’t sound strained and you felt so connected despite having just met. You wished you knew he existed a few months ago. How different would life have been then if you were laying in his arms and not Steve and Bucky’s?
You bit your lip when you felt Steve take your hand in his from behind you, his fingers too tracing the initials on your wrist. You stiffened and held yourself back from snatching your hand away. It was never a very good idea to resist when it came to them both.
“Bucky doesn’t know yet” Steve murmured in your ear as he tapped your wrist. You felt your heart drop in your stomach, your fingers curling in your palm. “He thinks it was just some man you were speaking to. His jealousy makes him sloppy and he doesn’t notice details.”
You were turned around to face him, your eyes locking on Steve’s which were a vibrant blue even in the dark. His hands played at the hem of your nightie, teasing it.
“I noticed of course. How could I not, I have never seen you smile the way you smiled at him” You didn’t seem capable of speaking or protesting when Steve’s hands slipped up your clothing and caressed your thighs and belly. His hands were moving but his eyes were fixed on you and try as you might you couldn’t look away. Slowly, gently like one does to precious cargo you were stripped, your body baring itself inch by delicious inch. The calluses on his fingers rubbed against your nipples and you let out a moan, your slick coating your walls and thighs. Your lips met his in a desperate kiss and you couldn’t help but make pathetic mewls as his tongue raced across your throat. He came to rest above your heart, tracing the scar over it. JBB and SGR
“How are these any different to those on your wrist?” He questioned as he entered you slowly, looking deep into your eyes like trying to search your soul. “If we carve your name on our body, would that make you look at us like you looked at him?”
You couldn’t answer if you wanted to, the heat of Steve warming your insides. You met in a familiar dance, bodies slapping, and moaning together until pleasure took over every cell in your body. Steve pulled out and released on your thighs, rubbing his essence in your skin, his breath warm on your cheek.
“I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen if I find you talking to that man again” It was not a question and you shook your head, tears travelling down the sides of your face and getting lost in your hair. “Good girl. We can forget it and Bucky will never know. Because if that happens, even I won’t be able to help you.”
You reminded yourself that Steve was just as much of a monster as Bucky was. He had taken you against your will too, and while he may as well be the lesser of the two evils, you could not trust him. You turned to your side, automatically curling into Steve out of habit when he held you. That is what this relationship felt like. A habit. It was a routine you were stuck in with no way out. You closed your eyes, seeking the escape of sleep and tried to sooth your broken heart over a love it may never find again.
+++++
Bucky was a terrible stalker and you wondered how he remained a ‘ghost story’ for all those decades. Steve had been hoarding you in his room for nearly a week and you knew Bucky was at his wit’s end. He wasn’t even pretending to hide anymore; he’d just stand across the med bay and ogle you like a roadway creep. You didn’t even know what to do, who should you listen to. Being caught in the crossfire between them is not fun.
You finally had enough and made your way over to him. You were a few feet away when he snatched you in his arms, crushing you to his frame and kissing you soundly. Pulling away, he put his forehead on yours and bit your lip.
“I’ve missed you baby.” He cooed and you sighed.
“Is that why you’re lurking here and scaring my nursing staff away?” Bucky nodded, pecking your lips once more before you moved away.
“I’m sorry about the other day you know. I just…lost control.” It was rare that he would apologize, and you were too smart to reject this small consolation. He will probably be kind and soft for the coming few days and you took what you can. You smiled at him, promising him you forgave him.
“I have just one public hour and then we can go home together. Sounds good?” You asked and Bucky’s smile was almost shy when he agreed. Sometimes you believed it when they say they loved you, but how can someone hurt whom they love?
“You asked me once what I see in you, but have you ever looked at yourself the way I look at you? Here you are, one of the most accomplished doctors working for the Avengers, and yet you give your time to general public to treat their common cold and flu. That’s what I see in you. Your kindness, that light, it guides me away from the darkness in me.” Bucky confessed and you looked away from him. He could be so sweet when he has to be. Both him and Steve. You wonder again if they could always be like that, will you be able to love them.
“I – uh, I’ll see you in an hour, okay? Wait in the common room for me.”
You watched Bucky go and returned with a perturbed mind. The hot and cold behavior almost gives you a whiplash. In the past few months, you have spent several nights crying, but just as many moaning in pleasure. Maybe it could have been easier if you’d given in and just accepted them, but love does not come by force. They can carve their names in your skin a hundred times over, and yet it won’t leave a mark on your soul.
Your assistant entered, informing you that general patients were waiting for you and you nodded. Tony gave you an hour free every day to treat patients outside the tower for free. You believed being a doctor your job should be more than saving just superheroes. One by one your patients trickled in, most with common diseases. Some you prescribed for additional testing; all costs covered by the Stark Industries.
“Your last patient ma’am”
You nodded to let your assistant know you heard her and entered the room. You were looking over a report as you entered, the door shutting itself behind you automatically.
“Hello, how can I help you today?” You looked up and the report fell out of your hand. Sitting in front of you was Andy Barber, his eyes crinkled at the sides due to the wide smile he supported.
“I believe I have a heart problem doctor. A beautiful lady stole mine.”
+++++
 Taglist is open for all characters
721 notes · View notes