#competition for a heart

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

Competition for a heart

Tagging: @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky, @jointhehunt67

If you want to be added to the tag list for this fic, send me an ask or leave a comment on the fic.

AN: This chapter contains mentions of character death, imprisonment, and mentions of chronic illness.

Chapter 7

The next time you woke, it was because of the soft insistent knocks on your door.  Bucky was already awake, an icy stare on his face as he glared at the door and hopped quickly and silently to his feet.  Reluctantly, you threw back the covers of the bed and padded over to the door.  You tried not to focus on the chill in the air and peered through the peephole.

On the other side of the door stood Winston.  Your pulse skyrocketed and it felt like you had stopped breathing.  Forcing yourself to breathe, you reached for the door handle. Then you remembered that your door was locked from the outside and you dropped your hand to your side feeling more than a little foolish.

You stepped back as the door swung inward and Winston moved into the room. 

“The Cleaners have finished their investigation and they have deemed you innocent.”

You were stunned, “Does it always happen that quickly?”

Regret danced briefly in Winston’s eyes, “This was a special case and one I hope never repeats itself.”

“What happened to him?  Alex Lewis?”

One heartbeat passed.  And then two.

When Winston did not respond, you realised what the answer was.

“(Name),” Bucky reached towards you and rested his hand lightly on the shoulder closest to him soothingly.  “Some people choose their paths and their endings and you can’t do anything to help them.”

Winston pulled an envelope from the breast pocket of his suit, “His room was meticulously tidy as was expected.  He left this for you.”

Winston handed you the envelope.  The first thing you registered was that it had your name on it despite you never telling Alex what it was.  The second thing that you registered was that the envelope felt heavy as if you were carrying Alex’s soul.

“Now that you have been proven innocent by the Cleaners, you are more than welcome to access all the facilities in the Continental.”

Winston’s words took a few seconds to sink in, “You mean I passed the test?”

He examined you with a neutral expression that held a touch of amusement but remained silent and at the same time, a sense of relief swept over you.  Winston then walked towards the open door.  He paused before he crossed the threshold and for a moment, you thought he might say something else but then he left the room as if nothing had happened.

The weight of the envelope pulled your attention back to it and unconsciously, you walked over to the bed.  You did briefly consider the possibility of reading the letter at the desk in the room but there was only one chair next to the desk and you knew Bucky would be intrigued by the contents of the letter even if he didn’t show it.  Plus the idea of making him stand while you sat to read the letter didn’t sit well with you.

Sliding your finger under the flap of the envelope, you began to open it.  As you progressed, there were times that you had to control your eagerness and slow down because, in your haste, you ripped parts of the flap.  Eventually, the flap of the envelope was completely open and you peered at the contents inside the envelope.

The first thing that caught your attention was the many gold coins that had settled at the bottom of the envelope.  “That explains the weight.”

The next thing that you noticed was a piece of paper that was the same shade as the envelope.  Carefully setting the envelope to your left, you registered Bucky moving over to you.  He seemed to already know what was in the envelope.

The handwriting on the letter matched the style of writing on the envelope.  Overall, the letter was neatly written despite the fact that some of the letters themselves were cramped and there were two blotches of ink on the letter.  You guessed this was because its author had gripped the pen too hard as he wrote.  Whether that was because he was pressed for time or overwhelmed with emotion, you didn’t know.

(Name),

I am aware that my actions will cause you no small amount of trouble within the Continental and yes, I acknowledge that my reasons for my actions were selfish.

Years ago, I was chosen as Nemesis’ champion.  At the time I thought that it was the best thing that could have happened to me.  I was faster, stronger, smarter, and deadlier than any other man in my profession.  But as time went on, I slowly began to notice that being a champion was taking a toll on me.  Even now, as I write this, my hand trembles, and I struggle to remember the most basic of my habits.

Perhaps this is because of my patron, or due to human errors or it was simply the hand I was dealt.  I have no doubt that by the time you read this, I shall be dead.  The Cleaners are far too efficient to let me live after what I’ve done.

My words may not come as much of a comfort now and I’m sure that you’ve realised by now that I knew my time was limited when I attacked you as you waited to hear the results of your examination.  I had heard tales of your actions and how you were one of the only Avengers that had not been chosen as a god’s Champion.

Don’t think that my last few hours spent on this Earth were filled with regret.  For those precious hours, I thought about how you are an Avenger in the truest sense of the word.

Alex Lewis.

The letter fell out of your limp hand onto the bed next to you but not before several tears had rolled down your cheeks and splashed onto the paper.  Bucky sat down next to you and wrapped his flesh arm around your shoulders, pulling you into a one-armed hug.  Your ear was pressed into his chest and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat helped to calm you.

Bucky didn’t say anything as your tears slowed and your breathing returned to normal.  Bucky’s embrace felt so warm and comforting that you stayed in that position until you heard another series of quiet knocks on the door that shielded you from the outside world.

Bucky peered down at you with concern and you sniffed once before removing yourself from his embrace.  Nodding, you answered the former assassin’s unasked question and stood up before walking over to the door.

You had a pretty good idea about who was on the other side of the door because of the way that they had knocked.  Your hunch was proven correct when you opened the door to see John on the other side.

You knew from the instant that John looked at you that he registered the dry tear tracks on your cheeks and your reddened eyes.  He was too well-trained to miss those details.  However, you also knew that word about your assessment and the subsequent actions had to have travelled quickly around the Continental because it was such an unusual situation.  So it was quite likely that John knew why you had been crying.

The man held out two gold and silver bracelets.  The gold and the silver on the bracelets blended together seamlessly.  It was as if someone had dipped the bracelets into gold and silver vats and pulled them out exactly when half the bracelet was covered only to dip the bracelet into the other vat.

The bracelets had three charms each on them and on each of the charms there was an engraving.

“These were sent to me by the god that presides over my patron’s realm.  They are meant for you.”

“For me?”  You echoed in shock, “They’re beautiful.”

“And functional.”  John added, “These,” he carefully nudged the dangling charms with his finger, “are runes of protection.  I know they won’t bother you when you are fighting.”

In your mind, you quickly recapped what you knew about the Greek pantheon and you stared up at John open-mouthed when it dawned on you exactly who had sent him the bracelets. 

“Hades sent these to you?  For me?  Why?  Why would he care about the outcome of the contest?  I’m not a Champion.  It doesn’t make any sense.”

John gazed at you with a gentle expression, “Don’t believe everything that you hear about the Lord of the Underworld.  Compared to others, he’s a benevolent ruler.  Besides,” John placed the bracelets into your open hands, “It would be rude to refuse a gift from a god.”

The bracelets must have been imbued with some old magic because as soon as the metal touched your hands, you found yourself quite unwilling to give the bracelets back.  You slipped one on each of your arms and they rested against your wrists.  The weight of the bracelets was reassuring as if you had found a missing piece of yourself that you didn’t know that you had lost.

#mywriting #my fics #avengers au #john wick au #avengers x john wick crossover #female reader #bucky barnes #john wick #john wick x reader #bucky barnes x reader #john wick x reader x bucky barnes #competition for a heart #winston #greek gods champions au

[nerdpoe]

Danny's found a way to dodge GIW trackers, as well as his parents. Their equipment hunts ghosts, ghosts run on emotion; so as long as he keeps his under a tight lid and doesn't feel anything ever, they won't be able to track him.

It works!

He's able to run from them, and goes as far as New Jersey. The plan was to stow away on a ship, and go to literally any country that wasn't America. He goes to Gotham, which hosts the one harbor he knows where no one will ask any questions.

But because of how weird he acted (completely emotionless during a Joker attack), he was fingered by police immediately.

He's handed over to CPP. CPP doesn't know what to do with a teen literally so traumatized that they don't show any emotion at all, ever. He keeps just...walking out of his placements. Just leaves without a sound.

Luckily, he's always caught, due to those placement houses having quiet alarms and him refusing to run.

They call the one foster parent they know who does.

Bruce Wayne takes in the strange, nameless kid who refuses to talk.

On paper, they gave him the filler name of 'John Doe', for lack of anything better to do.

Bruce does everything he can to make the newest arrival feel at home. Damian, for as territorial as he is, actually breaks out of his shell sooner than expected just to try to get the new kid to speak. To emote. To do something. Duke tries the open approach, then tries the 'no one will ever know, everyone thinks I'm an innocent goody-two-shoes' approach. Nada.

Tim even tries to trick him into talking, but nothing works.

Enter Dick; Dick heard about Bruce's new ward, about the situation, and decided to see if he could get the kid to open up.

Danny though. Danny's in trouble.

The Wayne Manor is weirdly secure, and he can't just walk away like he did his other placements. He can't use ghost powers or the GIW and his parents will immediately know where he is.

He really, really wants to take Bruce up on his offer and just spend the day relaxing. Respond to Damian's attempts to provoke him. Overshare about space facts with Tim.

But most of all, he really, desperately wants to get in a Pun Competition with Dick. He wants to laugh at Dick's jokes, and learn coolass gymnastic tricks!

But he can't!

If he relaxes with Bruce, he'll be content, which is an emotion. If he argues with Damian, he'll get annoyed, which is an emotion. If he sneaks out with Duke and breaks the rules, he'll get happy, which, again, emotion. If he overshares with Tim, he'll get excited, which is, yet again, an emotion!

The worst sin of all, he can't even show proper appreciation of the food the Butler keeps making him!

And now there's even more people coming over!

There's a quiet girl who keeps reading his body language and trying to get him to dance ballet, a blonde girl who keeps trying to kidnap him to take him to BatBurger, a guy with a stripe of white who wants to take him to a shooting range, and it just...he really, really wants to!

He wants to do all these cool things with them!

But he fucking can't!

#dpxdc #dcxdp #dp x dc #dc x dp #phanfic #story prompt #danny vibes with dick the most #not that anyone knows that #breaks his little ghost heart that he can't have that pun competition #meanwhile bruce absolutely is running facial recognition #and hitting government firewalls and keeps having to shake off digital tracers #trying to find out who wanted that information #he smells a mystery #and he wants those answer #if cannot get them from their resident Doe #then he'll get it from whoever tortured the boy into silence #sidenote Damian just called Danny Doe instead of John #and danny responded to it quicker because it started with a “D” #that was noticed #now everyone just calls him Doe until his name is found

[mobius-m-mobius]

Tom on more of Owen's s2 improv (x)

#tom hiddleston #owen wilson #mobius #loki #lokius #mcuedit #lokiedit #marveledit #never gonna be a biggest owen fan competition as long as tom's around but i'm not mad about it 😂💖 #the way we keep getting confirmation every moment of the loki series i've loved heart and soul has just been owen in the moment #including the timeslipping effect!? which he visualized perfectly before anyone even had a clue what they wanted it to look like!????? #cool cool cool feeling totally normal about how powerful his mind is 🙃 #(also for the record i called all these moments out the second i saw them lmao the man's humor is just too good) #'SKIN?' you'll always be famous #marvel #owenwilsonedit #dianagifs

[divorceconnoisseur]

There's a beat of silence where they just stare at each other. Eddie's face wavers for a second before he snorts, running his hand down his face. "What are we even doing here, man?"

Steve falters, the inanity of the situation hitting him. "I, uh, I think we're about to actually fistfight over-- over who a bunch of 14-year-olds think is cooler."

Eddie considers that briefly, tapping his fingers against his mouth before nodding. "Yeah, okay, I've heard of worst causes. Dukes up, Harrington, let's go!" Eddie pushes up his sleeves and waves his fists in the air cartoonishly as he starts to circle Steve.

Steve laughs, following Eddie as he goes like a compass drawn north. "Oh yeah, man? To the death, right?"

"Of course. Is there any other kind of fight?" Eddie says, overly serious, and abruptly tackles Steve.

They wrestle for a moment, and it's playful and stupid, but it still takes Steve an embarrassingly short amount of time to get Eddie in a headlock.

"This is just sad, man," Steve teases as Eddie struggles. "Those guns just for show, then?"

"Oh shit oh shit not the hair please, please have mercy O King Steve," Eddie laughs breathlessly.

Steve considers it-- Eddie seems to take as much care in his hair as Steve does, and real respects real-- and in that moment of hesitation, Eddie hooks his leg around Steve's and pulls.

Steve yelps as Eddie cackles, dragging them both down into the grass.

He hits the ground with a choked gasp, breath knocked out of him, and he squints up at the sky, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a grin.

He turns his head to say something to Eddie but loses his breath a second time for a very different reason.

Eddie's still giggling to himself in little fits, winding down, and there's a lightness to him at this moment that Steve's never seen, only heard described by the kids pre-Vecna. Laughter suits Eddie Munson, much better than terror or guilt or seriousness, and Steve's suddenly aware that he would do anything in this moment to keep that surprised look of happiness on his face a second longer.

Eddie catches his eyes and turns his head toward him. He's got grass stuck in his hair, and Steve doesn't think before he reaches over.

It's soft. Softer than he was expecting. He's careful not to catch any of Eddie's hair as he pulls out the grass and ends up lingering longer than he means to, setting a curl back to rights before realizing that this is, like, maybe a little weird.

He jerks back, and the back of his hand brushes Eddie's cheek, which is-- which is--

Warm. Soft, too, but with the rough start to stubble, and the feeling of it lingers against his hand like a brand.

Eddie's eyes, dark and impossibly wide, watch him, quiet for once. He wets his lips before speaking, and Steve's eyes catch on that, too, before darting back up to Eddie's. Which, god, what even was that? Why-- why is he--?

"A draw, then," Eddie says, turning over onto his stomach and kicking up his feet, and the weird atmosphere vanishes like it never was. "You are a worthier opponent than I realized, Steve Harrington."

"Oh yeah?" Steve says, relieved and disappointed. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."

Eddie clicks his tongue and fans himself. "You're too kind."

Steve looks away, tracking the clouds passing overhead. "No, really. I know I haven't exactly been, y'know, the world's best welcoming committee-"

"Was pretty convinced you hated my guts, yup." Eddie agrees, nodding.

"I don't. I never did. You're just--" Steve wracks his brain, trying to fit a word to the squirming feeling in his chest that Eddie inspires. "You're really good, y'know?"

"I... don't know, actually." Eddie's voice goes flat, and when Steve turns back to look at him, he's looking at Steve like he's a live snake, or something else dangerous and close to his vulnerable bits.

"You're good with the kids. Good for the kids, too. God, Will's really opened up since he joined your dumb nerdfest. You're good with and to the girls, too, and Jonathan, and Argyle, and probably anyone else that crosses your path. You are, patently, a good dude."

Eddie's mouth opens and closes, but Steve barrels on, feeling electric and more than a little crazy. "And, and it's just-- I don't know, I just--"

"Harrington, if you're about to tell me you think I'm a better man than you, I will lose it," Eddie interrupts regardless, voice high and reedy. "I know you're being, like, genuine and honest right now, but I will laugh in your goddamn face-"

"No, it's not that."

"Okay, I know this directly contradicts what I just said, but the speed with which you said that... Ouch."

"No," Steve shakes his head, frustrated. "I didn't mean it like that. It's-- it's not a competition."

Eddie's eyebrows leap up. "It's not? I invite you to remember what we've spent the last few weeks on."

"That was just an excuse," He snaps his mouth closed the second the words leave his mouth.

"Excuse?" Eddie repeats slowly.

"I just. I don't know, man. Maybe," he swallows. "Maybe I just couldn't handle the thought of you being good to me."

"... Why not?" Eddie asks, eyes focused on him, open, not judging, and god, this is exactly what Steve was worried about.

Eddie looks at him, and Steve--

Kisses him. Can't really do anything else but kiss him.

And when Eddie, after the longest moment of Steve's life, starts kissing him back? It's like the answer to a question he hadn't realized he'd been asking.

Turns out it's not the kids' attention he'd wanted-- or not just the kids' attention, anyway.

When Eddie pulls back, lips red and wet, eyes dark and focused just on him, Steve knows he's finally won it.

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #been sitting on this one for a bit and have finally come to terms with the fact im probably not going to write the rest of it so... here! #i really like this little scene #in my heart it's at the end of a 5+1 fic where steve and eddie do a bunch of very dumb competitions to prove who's cooler to the kids #... enjoy lmao! #writing outputs

[dreamsy990]

when i was a kid i fell in love with dandelions. when i told my parents, they said they were just weeds, not flowers at all. i was always upset on the dandelions behalf- why didnt people love them too? why were they a problem when they were just as pretty?

#this story reminded me of roxas so i wanted to draw him with dandelions #this is a true story though lol #idk if this is a thing other kids did but #when we were in elementary school everyone would get excited for spring because of dandelions #we would make competitions of who could blow off the most seeds in one breath #and we called them wish flowers because you were supposed to make wishes on them when you did #but your wish would only come true if you could blow them all off at once #anyways yeah i love dandelions #i was always so pissed abt people not respecting dandelions #people never listened to me when i tried to argue on their behalf #i think it only made me love them more lol #doodles #roxas #kingdom hearts

[proxythe]

akiras smile when ryuji gets them a boat… akira not helping jack shit on the boat bc ryuji isnt bsck yet… ryuji defending akira against shido… im really nauseous…

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #ryuji sakamoto #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #pegoryu #THEY ARE BEST FUCKING FRIENDS!!!!!! #i cried btw a lot #ryuji.. my heart and soul #if u dont love ryuji this is not a safe space #ryuji is beloved by all btw #when im in a loving ryuji competition and my opponent is joker

[i-lavabean]

I have to believe he keeps his promise in some way, that she's never alone

#my art #lavabean art #candela spoilers #circle of tide and bone #circle of Tide and Bone spoilers #candela obscura #Candela Obscura fanart #rajan savarimuthu #elsie roberts #rajan/elsie #Noshir and Aabria and Ashly in a competition to see who can break everyone's hearts the hardest #i need the bittersweet epilogue okay? #give me a The Ghost and Mrs. Muir thing #just.. give them something

[f1extras]

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for Google Pixel (x)

#lando norris #oscar piastri #f1 #landoscar #plenty of heart eyes for those gif makers here #love to see them being stupidly competitive over everything #winner?

[cerealbishh]

"Whoever put you on that bull screwed you over, you're better than that. Unless you've gotten a lot worse over the last five years."

"... I was surprised to see you there."

#outer range #outer range s1 #rhett abbott #maria olivares #lewis pullman #isabel arraiza #rhett x maria #... it's been two years and i still don't know their ship name #i just wanted to make a gifset about all the times she's been at his competitions #idk i just miss them #we still have a little over a month till we get them back #outer range 1x01 #outer range 1x03 #outer range 1x08 #pls her little giggle and the hand over her heart is everything to me #if maria has 1 fan i'm all 1 of them #pls the way she was just staring at him until he looked her way...

[stuckinapril]

i literally have the bestest friends ever. like of all time

#i don’t have a single right to feel lonely having such an amazing core unit of friends around me. i am surrounded w so much love #got this text while sitting on the ground w my textbooks sprawled around me alternating between 8227 different subjects #reaching a fucking CEILING #then i read this. and my heart is full and i got this #life is GOOD i am good i am happy and one day i will be a doctor helping people and i can’t wait #she’s in med school/was pre-med w me but there’s literally no competition bw us. no toxic pre-med culture #we push each other to grow and are proud of each other’s accomplishments and tell each other so much #insane how we met through my ex of all people. the main reason i dont regret meeting him #literally cannot wait to see her this weekend i’ve missed her sm #i’m so blessed. that’s all #p

[lostinalem]

MORE HIGHLAND GAMES !!!! DEAD MONEY FARMER'S CARRY !!!!!!!

might do one more with non-companion characters :3 any suggestions ?

#ulysses would dominate the competition fr #sorry I drew the nightkin and ghoul together again I just think they're silly #fallout new vegas #fnv #ulysses #lonesome road #joshua graham #follows chalk #honest hearts #dead money #dog/god #christine royce #dean domino #drawling pitchers #also sorry i didn't draw waking-cloud #if someone wants me to draw her I will idm

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

Competition for a heart

Tagging: @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky, @jointhehunt67

If you want to be added to the tag list for this fic, send me an ask or leave a comment on the fic.

Chapter 4

AN: This chapter contains mentions of nerves and battles. Don't forget to vote in the poll here for the final pairing! Voting closes this coming Tuesday. Thank you in advance for voting.

Winston seemed to be satisfied with your response and he disappeared into the shadows once more leaving you alone with John who turned around and left the room.  Following John’s lead, you accompanied him back to the concierge desk where Charon was waiting for you.

Charon slid a key card across the desk.  “This will grant you access to your room and some of the training facilities for as long as you are able to stay.”

Your mind was still reeling a bit from the events at the Tower and your meeting with Winston so your voice was a bit shaky when you asked Charon what he meant by the last bit of his sentence.

“As you are no doubt aware, this hotel houses many types of clientele,” Charon paused and the meaning of the sentence began to become clearer, “while the rules of the Continental forbid business being conducted on the premises, there are no rules about business being conducted outside of the Continental.  Many of our clientele have a certain disregard for government officials and agents. As such for your own safety, you will be tested to ascertain your level of skill.”

“There’s always something,” you groaned mentally when Charon finished speaking.  You also heard the other unspoken part of his sentence, “if you’re not up to our standards, you’ll be asked to leave.”

“Is there any chance that I’ll know when the test is going to occur before it occurs and what the test will involve?” You asked.

Charon shook his head with a faint smile, “To inform you about what the test entails would defeat the purpose.”

“That doesn’t exactly help with my nerves.”

“If I may offer a word of advice?” Charon questioned.

“Yes please.”

“If half of the stories that I have heard about you are true, then you should not worry about the test.  When you are in the midst of battle, you do not have time to dwell on the what-ifs or your doubts.  You simply need to do your best at that moment.”

Feeling some of the tension in your stomach abate, you smiled at Charon, “Thank you.”

Charon inclined his head, “John, would you like to show (Name) to her room?  I have no doubt that today’s events have taken a toll.”

“Of course,” John’s velvety voice startled you because you had forgotten that he was there.  At a leisurely pace, John walked through the Continental with you closely behind him.  There were some occupants of the Continental who openly expressed their surprise at seeing John such as a heavily tattooed man who upon glimpsing John walking down the corridor, retreated into his room.  The door locked with an audible click.

Other inhabitants of the Continental were more subtle when they saw John.  Many of them looked between you and John with blank expressions and slightly narrowed eyes.  A few of them did double takes at how calm you seemed to be in John’s company.

You and John walked down a few more corridors and up one more flight of stairs before he stopped in front of a door.  “This is your room,” he explained, tapping his key card onto the card reader, “you’ll find a bathroom fully equipped with towels, shampoo, soap, and some clothes waiting for you as well as a bed.”

“A shower sounds great right now,” you groaned wistfully before the last part of John’s sentence sunk in, “how did the clothes get here?”  You thought it was better to ask that question now and then you resolved to ask the second question on your mind about whether the clothes would be the right size for you.

John’s answer was a simple word, “Winston.”

Realising that that answer would be the only one you would get on the subject and giving in to the temptation to have a shower, you thanked John and made your way inside the room.  You took extra care to lock the door behind you before making your way into the bathroom.

You stayed in the shower for a while after you’d finished washing yourself, letting the water run down your skin and occasionally adjusting the temperature so that the hot water could soothe your sore and tired muscles. 

Eventually, you decided that you needed to finish your shower and you wrapped yourself in one of the towels provided.  The towel was soft and fluffy.  It hung around your ankles as you walked towards the wardrobe, hoping to locate the clothing that John mentioned.

As you opened the wardrobe, your jaw dropped.  There was a large variety of clothing in the wardrobe and the items of clothing all looked like they were very expensive.

“This stuff is the type of clothing that Tony would be familiar with,” you thought as you examined the clothing before selecting a few clothing options that would allow you to move quickly and with flexibility, just in case Winston’s test occurred sooner rather than later.  You did your best to ignore the pang of worry that shot through you as you thought about Tony and wondered what had happened to your friends and teammates.

Just as you were contemplating curling up in the bed, resting your head on what looked like several soft pillows, and taking a nap, there was a knock at the door.  Your hand shot out and grabbed one of the coat hangers from the wardrobe to arm yourself before you remembered Winston’s words about no business being conducted in the Continental.

The knocking continued as you returned the coat hanger to its original position and padded over to the door.  You peered out of the peephole to see John balancing a tray of food, two plates, and some cutlery in one hand and with a raised fist on the other side of the door.

A smile crossed your face as you unlocked the door and stepped to the side to let him in.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like to eat so here’s a bit of everything,” John explained, “I hope that’s okay.”

You nodded, “It’s more than okay,” you said as you closed and locked the door behind him, “thank you.”

“Some habits are just a bit too hard to shake, aren’t they?” John asked rhetorically when he heard the lock click.  You had a feeling he was also referring to the fact that your first instinct when you heard the knocks on your door to arm yourself.

John placed the tray of food onto a small table and sat down at the other end of it as he waited for you.  The mouth-watering smell of the food wafted over to you and your stomach gurgled in response.

Once you had sat down, John spooned some of the different types of food onto your plate and offered it to you.  You accepted the plate of food and seconds later, John handed you some cutlery before spooning some of the food onto his plate.

“Just before we start to eat, I should warn you that Charon is quite meticulous when it comes to keeping areas tidy.  It took a great deal of time for me to convince him to let me bring this food to you.  We may need to vacuum the area after we eat.”

You were about to reply that that wasn’t a problem and then you saw the amusement dancing in John’s gaze as he waited for you to realise that he was joking.  A laugh bubbled out of you but you still made sure that you were careful as you loaded bits of the food onto your fork.

The food was delicious and you stretched out on the floor after you had finished eating.  You felt the need to say something to John and you debated with yourself about what you wanted to say for a while before settling on thanking John for the food again and telling him that it was delicious.

“It’s good to hear that you enjoyed my cooking,” John replied.

A thousand thoughts bounced around your mind at his confession.  You meant to ask why he had decided to cook dinner for you but you stumbled over the words.  John waited patiently as you tried again.

“Why did you cook dinner for me?  We only officially met today.”

“Because I’ve been where you are now and I didn’t want you to go through that alone,” John answered.

#my writing #my fics #avengers x john wick crossover #greek gods champion au #avengers x reader #john wick au #female reader #john wick spoilers #competition for a heart

[kathaynesart]

*pulls up a chair* So I have a goal for the @tmntaucompetition

My goal isn’t to win. I know I can not. In fact I’ve never held out for such a hope with any of the past polls I’ve been in. That is not why I compete. I enjoy these competitions simply because it’s a fun way to get to meet other creators, draw sillies, and to learn about new AU’s. I am rather shy you see, so if I’m given an external excuse to get to interact with people it makes it easier for me haha.

But now… I have a goal. My one goal is to last long enough that I get to compete against Cass’ AU. If I do then I have a proper excuse to draw out a crossover between @somerandomdudelmao CassTurtles reuniting with my ReplicaLeo and they can finally hug and cry out all the feelings after their tremendous loss.

No I’m still not over it.

I’m never going to be over it.

I need this closure, okay?

Heck I might draw even more! I have a several ideas!! But really I just need to see Leo give a couple of hugs and then get pummeled into the ground by the absolute SWEEP that will occur. That’s my one goal. I don’t know if I can make it that far. Or even if anyone on Cass’ side will still be alive since it seems like the story is going to be jumping ahead soon. But I’m gonna try! NOTE: I am not asking anyone to vote for me if you prefer the competition! I wanna earn this moment fair and square. I just needed to express what my endgame is and see if that’s something others would want as well.

To be honest, I wasn't planning on mentioning this little goal of mine (because again, I'm shy and don't want to feel like I'm calling anyone out), but after several days of constantly being bombarded with sad fanart and Cass' latest update earlier today, I had to get the emotions out.

Sorry and thank you.

#this is what happen when you all keep pummeling me with heart wrenching art #cass is so far away on the other side of the board #maybe someday #tmnt au competition #replica propoganda #kind of? #man I just want them all to hug #I’m sorry

[coastalwind]

If I wasn't already completely in love with Matthew Lillard this episode of Dragula definitely did it

#dude went to judge a horror competition wearing a heart t-shirt 🥹 #and a rainbow heart pin 🥹 #i love him #matthew lillard #dragula #boulet brothers dragula

[erabu-san]

i love love love your pfp. cyno gazing at me with those big ass heart shades. the vibes are immaculate.

I KNOW RIIIGHT I love it so much too !!! I had two drawings I made of Cyno i used as pfp I love so far

man looking cool and such cool vibe and he slay with bears cap and heartshapes glasses 🗣

#reply #cyno is my actual comfort character #and when I draw him like this i want to be the same #he thinks he looks cool no matter what bahahaha #tHE WORST IS THAT IT WORKS SOMETIME #he wants to be the best and he is competitive #let him cook #and he has the same expression too hahaha #anyway he has a special place in my heart.

[overly-hubristic-mad-scientist]

I like to think that Herbert and Dan occasionally have game nights where they exclusively play operation

#And Herbert gets really intense #Like I feel Dan would originally organize it so they can both decompress but Herbert’s competitive perfectionism does the opposite #By the end they’re acting like it’s actual heart surgery and yelling at each other and shit #reanimator #herbert west #dan cain #bride of reanimator