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janeykath318 · 3 years

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Happy BIRTHday! (Shieldshock)

“I should have known your kid would insist on being born on our birthday,” Darcy groaned, clutching her husband for dear life during a contraction.

She’d gone into labor late in the evening of July third, and strongly suspected baby America wouldn’t arrive until the date showed July fourth.

“We’ve still got a few hours yet,” Steve noted, eying her with concern and excitement. She knew he was totally stoked for fatherhood, given how happy he’d been ever since they’d found out she was pregnant.

“I highly doubt he’s just gonna pop out in two hours,” Darcy observed skeptically, slumping against Steve to catch her breath as the contraction eased. “Much as I wish that would be the case. Jane’s kid was definitely the exception, not the rule.”

Jane and Bucky’s daughter had arrived with astonishing speed, and Darcy was deeply envious.

“Alright,” she sighed. “I think I’m good. Let’s get to the hospital.”

Picking up her bag, Steve helped her out to the car, mentally reviewing all the advice he’d received on supporting one’s partner through childbirth.

Meanwhile, Jane was relaxing in bed, half heartedly perusing a science journal while her husband attempted to distract her with kisses. Hearing a buzz from her phone, she reluctantly pulled back to check it.

“Darcy’s in labor.” She informed Bucky. “They’re headed to the hospital now.”

Bucky beamed.

“Another Fourth of July baby? How very Rogers of him,” he murmured. “Do they need anything?”

“Darcy says no and has ordered me to stay put and not pace around all night,” Jane reported, rolling her eyes at Darcy’s typical bossiness. . “She says Steve will keep us updated. I sure hope it goes okay. It’s impossible not to worry when childbirth is happening.”

“As I recall all too well,” Bucky agreed, remembering how scared he’d been watching her go through it a few months ago. “You were such a trooper, doll.”

“I’ll never forget the look on the doctor’s face when he told me I could start pushing and we had barely even got settled at the hospital,” she reminisced quietly, a smile lighting up her face.

Little Rebecca had been in a tearing hurry to enter the world, and Jane had been grateful for that. She’d heard horror stories of how long labor could be and was bracing for the worst, only for her daughter to arrive after only three and a half hours.

“She was impatient to be out and start sciencing,” Bucky said with a shrug.

Jane giggled and poked his shoulder playfully.

“You goof,” she said lovingly, leaning in to kiss him again.

Sharon and Sam received a similar text as they arrived home after a long mission.

“Looks like you’re gonna owe me, Wilson,” Sharon commented. “He’s gonna be a Fourth of July baby.”

“I’ll happily pay up,” Sam admitted. “I should have known Steve’s kid would do that. Is Darcy doing alright?”

“Yeah. But there’s a long way to go yet. First babies take a while, unless you’re Jane Foster,” Sharon sighed. “I’m dead tired, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep while we’re waiting for news.”

She kicked off her shoes and shed her jacket, wincing as her bruises were aggravated. It had been a tough fight, and she was expecting to be sore for a while afterwards, but they’d caught the weapons smugglers, and she was relieved to count it a success.

“Hmmm. Maybe a nice hot bath would help?”

Sam suggested, holding up her favorite bubble bath solution.

Sharon cracked a tired smile.

“Maybe. Will you join me?” She asked hopefully.

“Happily.” Sam assured her with a grin.

It was nearly seven the next morning when James Samuel Rogers finally made his appearance, screaming his lungs out.

Darcy winced a little at the volume.

“I guess he got an enhanced set of lungs,” she gasped out as he was placed on her chest.

Steve chuckled, even as his eyes filled up with tears.

“He’s beautiful,” he whispered. “Our son.”

“Oh, he’s definitely our kid,” she agreed. “He’s got my hair and your stubborn chin. Hey there, James, it’s all right. Mommy and Daddy are right here,” she said soothingly, running her hand along the baby’s tiny back.

Late that afternoon, baby James’s two sets of godparents arrived, eager to meet him. Steve and Darcy hadn’t told anyone the name yet, and greatly enjoyed the stunned expressions on Sam’s and Bucky’s faces when Darcy introduced baby James for the first time.

“Wow, Steve…..I don’t know what to say,” Bucky managed, giving his friend a big hug. “He’s pretty adorable.”

“We’re honored, man,” Sam added, in his turn. “Congrats!”

“Oh, he’s so cute!” Jane agreed, rushing over to Darcy’s side to admire the newborn. “He obviously inherited the Lewis hair.”

Darcy chuckled. Baby James had a thick head of dark hair just like her.

“Yup. But look at his little chin and ears,” she cooed. “Totally Steve.”

“I’ve seen that look before,” Sharon commented, shooting a sly glance at Steve. “He’s got that stubborn Rogers jaw.”

“I call it the jawline of Freedom.” Darcy said, winking at Steve. “He’s also got his dad’s beefiness. Nine pounds, six ounces.”

Sam whistled, Bucky smiled, and Jane winced in sympathy.

“Holy crap, Darcy. You deserve a medal. You better treat her extra special, Steve,” she declared, pointing her finger at the new father, who nodded seriously.

“I will. She’s my hero,” he stated, looking at his wife and son with a very besotted expression that Darcy referred to as “heart eyes.”

“Do they know if the serum affected little James?” Sharon asked curiously. That had been one source of concern for both Steve and Bucky during the pregnancies. So far, Rebecca had not shown to have inherited any super abilities.

“We don’t think so,” Steve said. “But I just wanted him to be healthy. I can tell you from personal experience, It’s no fun spending half your childhood in the hospital.”

He shared a rueful glance with Bucky, who nodded knowingly.

Darcy passed Baby James to an eager Jane to hold and tugged Steve close to her.

“Steve was great. He let me crush his hand and swear at him without breaking a sweat,” she said fondly. “And he told me funny stories about you two to take my mind off the pain.”

She grinned at Sam and Bucky, who only sighed.

“We’re glad we could be of use,” Sam said with a snarky grin. “What stories did he tell?”

“Oh, the one where Spidey webbed you two up,” Darcy revealed with a sly smile. “You got your butts beat by a teenager.”

“A teenager who can lift an elephant!” Bucky defended mildly, making cute faces at baby James, whose dark blue eyes were now open and looking around.

“Hey there, little guy,” Bucky said to him. “I’m your cool uncle Bucky, this is your awesome aunt Jane and your awesome aunt Sharon. Over there is your much less cool Uncle Sam.”

“Quit feeding the kid lies, Barnes,” Sam retorted. “We all know I’m the cool uncle. You’re the embarrassing caveman uncle who scratches his back with random knives and grunts a lot.”

Darcy, Jane and Steve burst out laughing. The ridiculous banter between Sam and Bucky was ongoing and provided a great source of amusement for their friends.

Next, it was Sharon’s turn to hold little James and she too, quickly fell under his spell.

“He’s just perfect,” she admired, gently touching one tiny fist. “Talk about a birthday present, huh?”

“You can say that again,” Darcy said emphatically. “The best,” Steve agreed, a tender smile on his face.

That night, after an exhausted Darcy had fallen asleep, Steve held his tiny son until the baby also succumbed to slumber. “Happiest Birthday Ever”. He thought, kissing James’s tiny head as he laid him in his bassinet.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he whispered to the sleeping Darcy.

#shieldshock #FLUFFY #baby fic #Darcy Lewis #Steve Rogers

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mightydragoon · 4 years

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Darth Vader A+ Parenting.

While Darth Vader in canon ain’t exactly the nicest fellow, this is a Vader or Anakin who has no qualms getting what he wants and using any methods to do so.

Or otherwise known as Darth Vader A+ Parenting.

1. to gain a son Russy

After falling into a trap laid by the Empire and being captured by two Inquisitors, Luke Skywalker wakes up in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man watching over him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019218/chapters/60586045

2. No Time Like The Present PinkEasterEggs

In a Galaxy where Princess Leia Organa and Luke Vader have always known they were twins, a deadly discovery by their biggest enemy throws their entire lives upside down. Yet again.

Now on the run from the Empire, the Skywalker twins find it their mission to bring peace back to the Galaxy once more. And with Darth Vader on their trail, that mission is far more complicated than they originally believed.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754825/chapters/59851300

(Note* Part 3 of the Back To The Future series. Can be read as standalone)

3. The Heir - SpellCleaver

Darth Vader just killed his master and learned a galaxy-changing truth: the child Palpatine adopted, the Imperial prince and heir, is actually Vader’s son, raised by Palpatine to torment him.

Meanwhile, Luke Palpatine just woke up from severe injuries he sustained in a Rebel attack to a galaxy where his father is dead, he is the Emperor, and the figure from all his childhood nightmares is acting suspiciously nice.

They figure it out from there.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024442/chapters/57801529

4. Eclipse - SpellCleaver

Luke and Leia, the twin children of Darth Vader and heirs to the Emperor himself, defect. When they do, it's naturally a dream come true for the Rebellion and the mother they never knew, one that's been a long time in the making.

But they have to get to that point first.

Or: Darth Vader unwittingly sends his children down the merry path of treason... and the ugly, painful fallout.

(Note* Obviously)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18221840/chapters/43109123

5. Walking the Line Between - aradian_nights

After an emotional confrontation on Bespin, Luke Organa has been captured, and his newfound twin Leia Skywalker will not stop until she has rescued him. Even if that means murdering their own father.

( How the Other Half Lives - aradian_nights)

(Note* the entire series is this but more in particular the recent additions, I’ve already discussed this story multiple times before so you know the drill )

6. The kidnappings of a Sith Lord - maedre13

How a certain Sith Lord may or may not kidnap his rebel son. One-shots. Strongly inspired by sparklight´s “Where Our Intrepid Hero Doesn´t Get Away”.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606992/chapters/23453241

(Note* not all these chapters are Vader at his worst but he isn’t exactly a top notch parent in them either)

7. How to Save the World from its Heroes - stardustgirl

Being the Avatar’s—and Fire Lord’s—non-bending heir isn’t what Luke signed up for. He also didn’t sign up for an Agni Kai he can’t possibly win, or for getting dragged into a search for someone who can kill his own dad. Then again, someone has to bring the world back into balance, and if his dad won’t, then Luke might as well give it his best shot. After all, how much worse can things get?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24948487/chapters/60386875

(Note* Only started and already you can see Vader A+ Parenting in all its glory)

8. your heart is full of stars and your hands full of shattered glass -victoriousscarf

Nineteen years ago, Vader took his children off Mustafar, and Palpatine raised them to be Sith, the perfect weapons he had been looking for.

Except the very eve of his greatest victory, the fully functional Death Star, Luke Skywalker defects to the floundering but growing Rebel Alliance. His sister follows because someone needs to watch out for that fool.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242183/chapters/30290415

9. Love of a daughter. - youngjusticewriter

"and yet, so far at least we have yet to figure out what you gain from this." It's a question as well as statement. A chance to explain, to come clean on why she - a unknown Sith- had assassinated they're precious, beloved Chancellor (what fools). But how could you come clean when there is so much blood on her hands? Never-mind the sins and blood on Vader and Luke's when her family had been alive.

When she answers it's not because she's announcing her transgressions in hope that her heavy, dirty soul might be saved. One couldn't repent when they didn't feel guilt in their sin.

"For the love of a daughter." Leia pauses and looks back at Anakin and thinks: I did this to avenge you. After thinking that Leia says one more thing - the last thing actually because she nothing else to say after this.

"And you should have been more careful electing your Chancellor. You never know who is Sith." This has double meaning but she's the only person who knows it.

And she's fine with that (no, she isn't).

Leia wonders if her younger self and Luke will ever become the monsters like her Luke had been and the monster she is.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10924239/chapters/24297558

10. Literal Hell - TreeOfTime

Luke Lars is content as a Moisture Farmer with his father and mother... until two people come to find what was lost to them...

Then all hell broke lose

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22579066/chapters/53957833

(Note* oh dear lord Vader A+ Parenting in its full glory, a Sith Leia for flavour and a non force sensitive Luke. )

11. Dynasty - Valerie_Vancollie: Co-authored by Rebecca Thomson aka Zekkers.

Hit in the leg by a stormtrooper's blaster bolt, Luke falls in the Death Star hanger bay and is unable to escape on the Falcon along with Han and Leia. During the subsequent interrogation, his true heritage is revealed and Vader instantly takes him to Coruscant, determined to reclaim the son the Jedi stole from him. But the glory of the Imperial capital belies its true nature, where politics and power are everything and anything is fair game in the never ending game to reach the top. Not lying, not betrayal, assassination, sabotage, blackmail, nor seduction. As he commences his Sith training, Luke must also learn the rules and etiquette of the Imperial Court if he is to survive as most of his enemies fight their battles with words and political maneuverings rather than military force. Yet, even as he struggles to gain his place within the Empire, Luke learns that his best friend has joined the Alliance...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13111908/chapters/29997507

12. Fractured twists - Annessarose

Timelines are fickle things.

Every line is balanced precariously on the precipice. One shift, one twitch of a finger, one step in the wrong direction, and entire stories change. Lives flicker out, galaxies rise and fall, but the Force is always a constant.

Each moment is carefully balanced. We know how the Siege of Mandalore happened - how the former Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano led her men into victory. How she defeated Maul in single combat and earned the loyalty of Lady Bo-Katan Kyrze. How she rode her ship too late to meet with Anakin Skywalker, and how the galaxy fell and burned under the hand of the Sith.

This is the way it could have gone if Obi-Wan had followed Ahsoka to Mandalore.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24158608

13. Runaway- Valerie_Vancollie

Co-authored by Rebecca Thomson aka Zekkers & a contest winner.

What if Luke had runaway from Tatooine and joined the Imperial Academy?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12976095

14. A Mother's Decision - Valerie_Vancollie

What if Padmé had brought Luke to Vader when Luke was only nine months old?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12915687

15. Descent into Darkness - Valerie_Vancollie

What if instead of waiting for Luke to come to him on Endor, Vader had gone for Luke and the others, capturing them while with the Ewoks?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12908223

16. Avenge and Conquer - arikylo

The Alliance has fallen into a very well laid trap and now Luke has no choice but to hand himself over to Vader. But what does the father have in store for the son? Can Luke handle the torture and the ruthless tactics of the Empire or will he be forced to surrender and embrace the dark side?

The struggle between the light and the dark is strenuous, relationships crumble and all is looking bleak for the Alliance.

Dark!AU set after ESB.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3058115/chapters/6639581

17. The Terrorist - Seasider

High above Bespin in Cloud City, Vader chooses not reveal his identity and instead uses deceit to trick Luke into surrendering. The Dark Lord has a lot on his agenda, so he entrusts the breaking of his son to an Imperial interrogator, unaware that the man has an agenda of his own: revenge.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24810643/chapters/60006952

(Note* Dead Dove do not eat. Contains some reall fucked up shit)

18. Consequences - treenahasthaal

An intense burst of light and a vicious blow to his left shoulder sent him spinning violently backward and he fell...

What if Luke hadn't made it off the Death Star immediately following Kenobi's death?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/809144/chapters/1527145

(Note* It’s also a boba fett/ luke)

19. Instinct - treenahasthaal

There was something about the blond boy in the crowd of detainees that caught Commander Yarryn's attention. Something that pulled at his gut and told him there was more about this captive than met the eye. It was his duty to find out what it was the boy was hiding - and find it he would, for Yarryn was very good at his job.

12 weeks after the destruction of the Death Star.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2185854/chapters/4785594

( Part 1 of the Invictus series)

20. Child of Mine - Oneshotshipper

AU. Darth Vader discovers Leia at a young age. Barely managing to escape her father's clutches the first time, young Leia goes into hiding and becomes the Empire's most-wanted fugitive. If the second time comes, fate will not be as kind. Meanwhile, Darth Vader would tear apart the galaxy itself to possess and keep his child. The Dark Side seems to inevitably be the fate of the Skywalkers.

21. To Catch a Daughter, One must... - ftbprotocol

A variety of AU one-shots where in canon Leia stayed a secret, but in these stories did not. Because there needs to be more Leia and Vader fic!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12173637/chapters/27632673

22. Daughter Over The Son - Keetajet

Work is inspired by ftbprotocol's work "To Catch a Daughter, One must..."

The moment where Darth Vader did not save his son. Instead, he will have his daughter.

Leia's future went downhill the moment she felt her brother die on the second Death Star, leading to their capture on Endor. Only she, Han, and Chewie survived the failed ground assault and they were restrained and being held at gun point.

She has a bad feeling about this.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25354183/chapters/61476130

23. Before the Emperor - SilverDaye

Luke is defeated and captured at Cloud City by Vader. He is then dragged before the Emperor. However Palpatine is dead. Luke's father is alive. And someone else holds the reigns to Vader and the Empire.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950198/chapters/37196351

Tags- to help search for more

Darth Vader's A+ parenting

Dark Anakin Skywalker

Sith Luke Skywalker

Imperial Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader

Leia Organa & Darth Vader

Bad Parent Darth Vader

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brattywriters-anonymous · 3 years

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Shoot Your Shot

I found this meme and it screamed Cray Cray Erik so I chose to try my hand at this lol

Erik Stevens x Kesia (pronounced Kee-sa) Mannor (OC)

“Baaabe you know I gotta find a new outfit for my promotion party! I must’ve looked in my closet a million times and I couldn’t find anything!” Kesia was on facetime with her boyfriend of six months, Erik Stevens. When they first got together, she didn’t know much about him, except for he was in the Navy for six years before getting out and whilst enlisted he got his bachelors and master degrees in Engineering. He kept information about himself simple with Kesia.

“Girl, you look amazing in whatever you wear! Why you gotta go up to that mall? You know that’s where all them thirsty ass niggas be at.” Erik protests. Kesia rolls her eyes, “Aye! What I tell you about rolling your eyes at me?!” Erik’s face goes stoic. It sends a chill down Kesia’s spine as she immediately responds, “Don’t do it.” He nods, “Exactly.” “I’ll only be gone for an hour, I’ll be back at my house and you can see me try it on!” “You got 59 minutes, babygirl. Make em count!”

Kesia puts the finishing touches on her makeup as Erik admires her from her bed, “Damn baby, you sure we can’t just celebrate in the crib tonight? I’d make it worth skipping your party...” He saunters over to her and attempts wraps himself around her from the back, she slivers out of his grasp, walking to the kitchen, “Mmm mm! I worked my ass off for this gig, I’m celebrating with my people, and my baaaabyy.. We can do all of that when we’re drunk and back here!” Erik curses under his breath and accepts defeat. Just as he was about to sit back down on Kesia’s bed, her phone rings. It’s an unknown Oakland number. Erik knows everything about Kesia so he knows she doesn’t leave numbers unsaved. He yells towards the kitchen, “Keeee! Who’s calling you from this unknown number?!”

Kesia freezes in her tracks, “Uhhh.. idk baby. Maybe a telemarketer.” Erik twists his lip, “Hmph.” His “spidey senses” as Kesia loved to put it, were tingling. He always knew when something wasn’t right.. She blames it on his deployments and overall lack of trust in people. He accepts the incoming call.

“Yeee, ay wassup shorty! This Dontay, dude from the mall earlier! Sorry it took me a few to call you, I had a few errands to run. But you free tonight?” Kesia scurries into her room once she hears the stranger’s voice. Erik shakes his head at her and hangs up the phone. “I told you about them thirsty ass niggas at the mall!”

DING! DING!

Her phone lights up as an incoming text pops up from the unsaved contact, Kesia reaches toward Erik for her phone, he raises it above his head and out of her reach, “Nah. You need not worry about this phone tonight. Finish getting dressed.” She pouts as she sits down to put her heels on.

Kesia has been entertaining all of her loved ones since she arrived at her promotion party Erik put together for her at a new Reggae club in downtown Oakland called New Karibbean City. Erik has purposefully been apart from her the entire time, yet he has her phone on lock. It doesn’t help that his face unlocks it as well. Kesia has seen enough of him typing away on her phone so she sneaks away from the party as she sees him heading to the restrooms.

“E!” He turns around, “Ke?” He responds in the same tone as her, “Can I have my phone back?” He looks up in the air as if he’s thinking about it, then he hands it to her from his pants pocket. She unlocks it and doesn’t see a trace of the unknown number. Not in the call history or text messages. She raises her eyebrow, “Erik Stevens.. What did you do?” he shrugs, “I didn’t do anything” He embraces his girlfriend as he congratulates her, “I’m proud of you Ke. You really did work hard for the promotion. I’ll see you when you get to the house. The key still under that plant on the porch?” Kesia looks confused, “Uh.. yeah. Where are you going?” Erik lets out a deep, yet scary laugh, “The less you know..” He gives her a long, deep kiss on her red stained lips, then leaves out the back door.

Kesia gets out of her Uber, stumbling to her door. She struggles to unlock her door and get in her dark house, thinking her boyfriend is already sleeping. “Good, I don’t gotta get yelled at tonight. I was NOT tryna hear--” “Hear what, princess?” Erik’s brassy voice comes from the far corner of her living room, Kesia jumps, “SHIT ERIK! Why you standing over there in the damn dark?” Erik ignores Kesia’s inquiry, takes a seat on the couch, whilst grabbing the remote control. “Come, sit.” Kesia does as she’s told.

Erik turns on the television then changes the channel to 2.

“Good evening Oakland! This is Noah Clark for your 10PM News on DWOL Channel 2. BREAKING NEWS from the Eastmont Hills area. Covering the story is our reporter, Rebecca Moore, Rebecca? What do ya have?”

There’s a pregnant pause as the reporter listens in for the host’s question, “Yes, I am here on the corner of 79th Avenue and Hillside Street where this home that you see behind me, has been riddled with bullets around 8:45 this evening. Police that arrived on the scene believes that two to three suspects drove past this residence and unloaded shots from tactical T-91 assault rifles. Our Oakland PD SWAT doesn’t even have these in their possession. A witness who seems to live in this home, tells us what happened.” The program transitions to an interview that was recorded slightly earlier to a familiar face, “Yeah, so.. I was waiting on this girl I just met to pull up on me. I was on the porch. Next thing I know, my dog started barking from the back yard. As soon as I turned to see what she was barking at, I hear shots. I duck down for cover! I don’t know who could’ve done this. I don’t got no enemies.” The sound fades out as Rebecca’s voice forms in the background, “Twenty nine year old Dontay Phillips lives in this southeast Oakland home with his bedridden grandmother who was stirred awake by the 57 shots let off by these military grade weapons. Luckily no one was shot in the melee of gunfire, but it sure did shake Phillips up.” Dontay’s voice pans back in, “I’m grateful to the lord above me and my granny still here.”

Kesia watches the tv in awe. She cannot believe that Erik shot up Dontay’s grandmother’s house, She looks up at her conniving boyfriend, “How did yo--” He slips his hand in between her thighs where her phone rested and holds it up, “I told you.. the less you know..” Kesia slaps his arm, “You could’ve killed them!” “Ke, you know if I wanted Dontay dead, he would’ve been dead. I ain’t know he lived in his grandma house. He flexed to m---to you that he lived alone.” “Waiit.. He did what now?” Erik explains that while you were keeping your friends and family company, he was texting Dontay telling him that you were free for the night, plans got canceled. He sent you--Erik his address and told you--him.. that he lives alone. “He’s lucky I just wanted to scare his bitch ass. If I wanted to kill him, him and his granny would’ve been gone..” Erik cuts the TV off then stares at you.. awaiting for a response. “Why are they saying there were multiple assault rifles? You got somebody to do this crazy shit with you?” Erik flashes his bottom fangs as he cheeses at her odd question, “I got three of those bad bitches! I call em Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.” Kesia rolls her eyes at his names for his guns that could’ve killed some guy you had no intentions of even getting to know. “I just switched em out every 20 or so rounds.. each one got a different serial number on the shells.. all of em are impossible to track.”

Kesia stares at him for a spell, then she bursts out laughing. “Okay so you CRAZY CRAZY? Got it!” Erik protests, “Uhh uh. I told you about them thirsty ass niggas. You had the audacity to give that sucka ass nigga yo number.. I had to regulate. Oh, and I blocked his number after I deleted the text thread and his call.” With that, Erik gets up and snatches his shirt off. That makes Kesia gasp with a hint of a moan. Erik’s ears perk up after hearing it, “So you coming to bed baby? Let’s finish celebrating that promotion.” Kesia grabs his hand and leads him to her bedroom while shaking her head at her crazy boyfriend, “Let’s.”

Hope you all like it! I know I’m rusty as shit but hopefully requests will roll in and I can get back in the swing of things.

@chaneajoyyy What my favorite librarian think about it?!

#bp fanfic #bp fanfiction #bp au #Erik Stevens #Erik Stevens x oc #erik stevens fanfic #crazy!erik #Erik Killmonger #erik killmonger x oc #erik killmonger fanfiction #erik killmonger fandom

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scarlet--wiccan · 4 years

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hi! I hope this isn’t a dumb question or something you get a lot (i tried searching your blog to see if you’d answered it before so sorry if it is) but I’ve often wondered how billy (and tommy) are Romani when I’ve always thought it was believed that Rebecca and Jeff Kaplan were Billy’s biological parents? So wouldn’t he be the same race as them? And that the twin’s “souls” were just from Wanda’s and Visions kids, any explanation if you can would be super appreciated thank you!!!

I'm going to break this down in two parts-- first, what happened in canon, and what the text indicates about Billy and Tommy's nature; second, what this means for the characters in a meta sense, and I how I think readers and writers alike should approach the twins' relationship with Wanda and each other.

Wanda conceived twin boys with her then husband, the Vision, through a feat of magic which is, I believe, the earliest example of her apparent "reality warping" abilities. Much like her other instances of reality warping, however, this was an exceptional circumstance in which Wanda had become a vessel for magic powers greater than those she ordinarily possesses-- in this case, the combined power of six hundred and sixty-six witches. She only held that power for a moment, but it was long enough for her to make a a wish-- that she might start a family with her otherwise infertile partner. Wanda discovered that she was pregnant not long after, and the next nine months went off more or less without a hitch, ending with the birth of two healthy, seemingly ordinary baby boys-- Thomas and William. Although the Vision is considered to be their father, the children were, biologically, born of Wanda and Wanda alone, and take after her in every respect.

The children died tragically only a few years later, when they were still very young, destroyed by the demon Mephisto and his servant, Pandemonium. In her grief and desperation, Wanda sought out Doctor Doom, who helped her perform a ritual which would make her a conduit for something he called the "Life Force", so that she may use it to restore her children. This overwhelming power, combined with manipulation and gaslighting at the hands of her so-called allies, led to the catastrophic breakdown that we see in Avengers Disassembled and House of M. Once again, the reality warping that Wanda performs is the product of outside forces, and the results are unpredictable at best. Although she didn't realize it at the time, Wanda did succeed in resurrecting her twins, but rather than reconstituting their original forms, she caused them to be retroactively reincarnated, essentially making it so that they'd already been born instead of having to reform them. This is why Billy and Tommy are way older than they should be-- their current lives actually overlap with their originals. Billy, as a teenager, even met Wanda shortly before the Life Force incident.

So, it is true that the Kaplans and Shepherds are Billy and Tommy's biological parents, respectively, which is to say that Rebecca Kaplan and Mary Shepherd physically carried and gave birth to them. There's no indication that anything strange or supernatural happened during those pregnancies, but it is confirmed in Children's Crusade that the babies in question were reincarnations of the Scarlet Witch's lost sons. While there is a lot of talk about the "transmigration of souls" in Children's Crusade, there are also numerous indications that the twins are genetic duplicates of the original William and Thomas. We know that they are physically identical to each other, coloring aside, and other characters observe, on separate occasions, that they resemble both Wanda and Erik. Billy and Tommy sharing Wanda and Pietro's powers is frequently brought up as evidence of their relationship, and, at the time, the Maximoffs were canonically mutants, which means that their powers were genetic. If their powers are evidence of anything, they're evidence of a genetic connection. All of this is to say that, while the Shepherds and Kaplans are their birth families, Wanda is also their birth mother--the two incarnations are genetically, biologically continuous, not just spiritually continuous.

The cool thing about comics is that we can accept both of these things as true, even if that doesn't make any scientific sense. The manner in which Billy and Tommy were reincarnated was unconventional, even by fantasy standards, and it's basically a retcon of a retcon, written by somebody who might not have had a solid grasp on the Marvel timeline. It's messy, but anyone who reads cape comics needs to be good at suspending disbelief.

—

So, I usually look at Billy and Tommy's heritage and identity in one of two ways-- taken very literally, they each have three biological parents, and we should view them in a way which reflects all parts of that parentage; taken as a more of a metaphor, their origin is basically an adoption story. Wanda lost her kids as a young mother, and they were adopted by different families and reached out to her as young adults.

The neat thing is that Wanda, through Erik, is also Ashkenazi, so you don't have to lose or change any part of who the kids are to embrace their relationship with her. I'm not erasing any part of Billy's heritage by making Wanda his birth mother-- he is Jewish, and was raised in America by a Jewish family, but he also has Central European Roma ancestry.

It shouldn't require very much imagination to envision somebody with more than one ethnic background, especially since these communities do intersect and have shared history. Mutants and magic and reincarnation don't exist, at least not like this, but Romani people exist. Mixed kids exists. Adopted kids exist. This is a fantasy story, but those fantasy elements don't have to preclude any of the things I just described from existing, or from being visible, not unless we willfully interpret it as such. Remember, this is fiction. Fiction doesn't have to erase real groups of people who inhabit real parts of the world and were part of real history-- that is a choice that we make as real people who create or consume media.

There's a lot which could be said about the parameters of Romani identity, and what it means to have gadje parents, or be generationally removed from one's culture and community of origin, the way that Billy and Tommy are. I'm not the right person to explain that stuff, and I don't think it's necessary information for outsider consumption, at least not in this context. What I will say is that many members of displaced and diasporic communities can attest to having gaps in their family trees and disruptions in their cultural lineage, especially in the generations following events such as the Shoah or the Porajmos. For me, that's what Billy and Tommy represent, because that's who I am. I deserve to have space here, but more than that, I want people who care about these characters to care about the history they represent and be motivated to learn more and do better as allies, even if it is only within the sphere of pop culture. And part of that is looking at questions like these ^ and challenging the patterns of misrepresentation and erasure that many, many people in this fandom uphold. I'm extremely grateful to you, Anon, for approaching me so politely, doing your own research, and challenging your own conceptions. That's literally the only reason I was motivated to write all of this. I hope it's legible and that y'all get something out of it.

#billy kaplan #Tommy Shepherd #Young Avengers #wanda maximoff #bee text #cw shoah #robintext

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redrobinfection · 4 years

Text

(16) Graveyard

SociallyAwkwardFox’s Spooktober (2018) - Day 16 “Graveyard”

~*~

"How about four out of seven?" Tim asked with a shrug, winding up the toilet paper roll again.

Damian, his fellow barista, threw his roll at Tim's head, missing wildly. He glared. "You cheated, Drake!"

Tim rolled his eyes as he retrieved Damian's roll and began winding it up too. "How could I cheat at coffee cup bowling, ‘Wayne’?"

"You wind your roll too tightly. It doesn't unravel as much when you pitch it and thus has more mass by the time it hits the cups."

Tim raised his eyebrows. "What are you now, a physics major? That just sounds like strategy, dude. You are free to roll your roll as tightly as you'd like. That isn't against the rules."

Damian fumed. "The rules you made up! This is why I said we should use the rice crispy ba--customer."

Tim whirled on the spot, seeing that, indeed, a paying customer had entered their little, semi-enclosed coffee shop. Outside, a few students sat or sprawled over the sectional couches that filled the large basement of the university student union in which the shop was located.

Tim turned and vaulted over the counter. He heard a quiet "-tch-" from Damian as he walked to the hinged raise-able section of the counter and let himself in.

Tim straightened his apron and stepped up the register with a smile. The customer stood about five feet from the register, head tilted back, studying the menu board over Tim's head with bleary eyes. The guy was like a zombie, he was that exhausted. Tim cut his eyes over to the clock on the wall. 3:45 am. Hell of a time for coffee.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at Damian, who was reawakening the cranky espresso machine with deft fingers. Seven hours and forty-five minutes with Damian "the Demon " Wayne down, only four hours and fifteen minutes to go. Tim turned back to their customer and sighed. This was going to be a loooooooong morning.

At second glance, there was something familiar about the guy, but Tim couldn't put his finger on where he knew him. The guy had pretty teal eyes, but they were reddened and dull, like he hadn't closed them except to blink in way too long. He was also pretty well cut, Tim noticed, with clearly muscled arms and pecs so defined that Tim could clearly see them through the man's sweater. Maybe that's how Tim knew him? Maybe he'd seen him in the UREC weight room?

The guy's most eye-catching feature by far was the white forelock that curled down over his forehead. He was the third person Tim had met to have a whitened forelock like that; the other two were fraternal twins who had had small patches of albinism right at their widows peaks which affected both the skin and hair. Tim idly wondered if this guy's white lock was natural too. In any case, it looked frickin' cool, a lot cooler than his own; the best thing he could say about his own hair was that he could pull off the 90's curtain cut plus semi-mullet well enough that he could go an entire semester on a single haircut.

Tim was drawn out of his thoughts when dude finally stepped up to the counter and began to speak.

"Uh, hi, could I get a large, double-shot caramel latte?"

"Absolutely. How many pumps of caramel do you want?" Tim asked cheerily.

The guy looked up from digging through his overly stuffed messenger bag. "Uhh…the normal four should be fine."

"Okay, that will be $6.47. Can I get a name for the order?"

The guy didn't look up this time. "Uh, Jason. Gimme a sec', I know my wallet is at the bottom of this thing somewhere."

"No problem, take your time. It's not like we have a line, anyway," Tim joked.

This guy looked so dead right now--inside and out--that if he didn't find his wallet, then Tim would probably just buy the coffee for the guy himself. He understood better than anyone the sudden need for caffeine at odd hours of the day. He's not sure how he would have finished half his computer science projects this term without a much-needed double-espresso every couple of hours, to be honest.

The guy--'Jason' apparently--finally fished out a small money clip then handed over a student ID card. "Put it on my Dining Dollars, please."

"Yeah, no probl- wait a minute!" Tim cut off, staring. Suddenly, it had hit Tim where he knew this guy. "Aren't you that kid who always sits at the front of Professor Hyatt's nine-fifteen, Tuesday-Thursday, Modern European Literature and answers all the questions?"

The dude raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Why…? Wait…" He squinted and leaned in. "Aren't you the kid who once tried to sit all the way back in the AV booth, since, and I quote, 'the back wasn't far enough back'?"

Tim grinned as he swiped the ID card through the register. "Haha, yeah."

Damian moved as if to step up to the counter, the guy's drink in hand, but stopped dead about a foot away. He stared.

"Wait. Aren't you the guy who always comes in, gets tea, and sits in the window over there and reads romance novels?" Damian asked, eying him appraisingly.

The dude huffed. "Yes. My name is Jason--by the way--and they're not romance novels, it's classic lit. Now can I get my coffee?"

Damian handed the coffee over the counter, but raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You mean to tell me Rebecca is not a romance novel?"

"Wait, what!? Do you mean Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca?" Tim asked as he handed Jason's ID card back over the counter.

Damian nodded wordlessly. Tim snorted, then said, "That's not a romance! That's a totally a murder mystery! You must be confusing it with Jane Eyre. I get those mixed up too."

Jason nodded in agreement, tucking his ID away before taking his first sip of coffee. He moaned, his eyes fluttering for a moment as he savored in the sweet bliss of piping hot caffeine at 3:49 in the morning, then he looked at Damian and said, "Well, actually, I'll give you that one, uh…" --he paused to squint at Damian's name tag-- "...'Damian'; Rebecca is a modern romance novel by classification, but it's also a crime thriller just like--whazzatsay?--'Tim' said."

He turned to Tim. "I'm not surprised you'd confuse it with Jane Eyre, considering that a lot of scholars believe du Maurier adapted it from Jane Eyre."

"Wait, really?" Tim said with a laugh. "I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that! Rebecca is like the less boring version of Jane Eyre."

Jason froze halfway into sitting down in one of the arm chairs that lined the wall closest to the door and looked up at Tim as if he had just suggested burning down the library or something similarly unthinkable. "Whaaaaaat?! I can't believe you just implied that any of the Brontë sisters' works is boring!"

Tim laughed again. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I was only twelve when I read Jane Eyre, so maybe I'd enjoy it more if I read it again now--with a mature perspective--but I remember Rebecca being a blast for thirteen-year-old me so…" He smiled, then shrugged.

Jason stared. "Twelve? Thirteen? Jeez. What else were you trying to read that young?"

"I mean, I read Moby Dick the year before that, in sixth grade," Tim admitted, shrugging until his shoulders hit his ears.

Jason gave him a flat stare. "Moby Dick? Moby fucking Dick? You've gotta be kidding me. And lemme guess, you also thought Herman Melville's masterpiece was a load of crock?"

Tim laughed, but shook his head and waved his hands placatingly. "No, no, no. I only understood, like, every fifth word--so.many.whaling.terms!--and it took me four months to get halfway in only to realize there was no way I was going to finish it by the end of the school year--I ended up skipping to the end and guessing for a lot of the AR test questions--but I definitely got the sense that it was a seminal work and that I was just too young to appreciate it. I've always meant to go back and try it again, but I still haven't gotten around to it."

"Why the hell were you trying to read Moby Dick at the age of twelve?" Jason asked incredulously, leaning back in the chair and taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Eleven, but, ah, well, my mom was convinced I had to be The BestTM in everything, so she pushed me to max out my Accelerated Reader level by the end of sixth grade and demanded that I always get the most AR points of anyone in my class, so I read a lot of the 20 point-and-up books." Tim tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think Moby Dick was 47 points...Rebecca was 25...Jane Eyre was 33..."

Jason stared, shaking his head slowly. "So…what? You're fine with Moby Dick, a romance of the American Renaissance, but a gothic romance of the British Victorian era like Jane Eyre isn't good enough for you? Next you'll try to tell me you think Wuthering Heights is a snooze fest!"

"Well, I mean, I never could get into it, so…"

Jason slammed both hands down on the arms of his chair, incensed. "Okay, Mister, get your butt over here and sit down, we need to have a talk about Victorian Gothic and why, hands down, it is some of the best literature ever written."

Tim laughed again, then bit his lip, considering the offer. He glanced around the nearly empty coffee shop. Then he leaned over the counter and looked out into the lounge--there were exactly four people there and only one of them wasn't completely asleep in their books. Yeah, he could probably afford to humor the man.

He turned to Damian. "Hey, Dames, I'm going to make myself a coffee and take my break. You good to hold down the fort?"

"I told you not to call me that," Damian snapped, but there was no real heat to it; he liked to pretend that he hated the guts of all his coworkers, but Tim knew that he was Damian's favorite. "However, yes, I think I can manage. Go take your damned break, but when you come back I fully expect a rematch in bowling…and don't you dare cheat this time!"

Tim rolled his eyes and groaned, then turned toward trying to coax Ol' 'Spressolino--their affectionate name for the cantankerous espresso machine--into spitting out a double-shot for him. "It's not cheating, but fine, we'll do it your way," Tim replied. "But I'm telling you, you have to buy those rice crispy balls. I definitely don't want to have to explain to Barbara why some of the food on sale looks like it went through the spin cycle in a dorm washer."

Damian grinned smugly. "My pleasure. It will be a small price to pay in order to ensure your swift defeat."

Tim shook his head, grabbed his espresso in one hand and two biscotti off the front counter in the other, ducked under the counter drawbridge, then slid into the armchair across from Jason. He offered one of the biscotti to the other man and Jason accepted the free food with an appreciative smile. He already looked ten times less zombie-like, thanks to the caffiene, and he was honestly pretty damn attractive.

"Okay," Tim said, peeling the wrapper off his own biscotti and dunking it into his bitter cup of joy, "Educate me."

Between sips of coffee and bites of biscotti, Jason began explaining his thoughts on the romantic period of literature, but barely a minute into his lecture, a plastic-wrapped, ball-shaped rice crispy treat about the size of a cantelope whizzed by their feet and crashed into the ten extra-large paper coffee cups arranged in a bowling triangle at one end of the coffee shop, scattering them in a definitive strike.

Jason jumped in his seat and looked around wildly. "What the fuck?"

Tim sighed. "Daaaaaaamiaaaaaaan…"

"Shut up, Drake! I'm practicing. I need to hone my skills and adjust my form so I can thoroughly crush you in our next round," Damian called back. He marched from the counter to the end of the shop to retrieved his plastic-wrapped projectile.

Jason blinked in confusion. "I repeat: what the ever-loving fuck?"

Tim sighed again, then explained, saying, "It gets pretty boring in here during the graveyard shift, so we invented a game, coffee cup bowling. Normally, we'd sleep or study, but Damian finished his exams two days ago and I don't really study for exams, per se-"

"And sleep is for the weak," Damian finished, nodding as he walked past them carrying his sweet, gooey ammunition.

Tim nodded sagely, in agreement. "Sleep is for the weak."

Jason glanced over Tim's shoulder at the coffee cup bowling 'pins' and then over his shoulder at Damian as he lined up another throw. "You guys are insane," he declared.

Tim made a dismissive gesture. "I mean this is my third graveyard shift in a row and Damian here is almost 20 hours into a 24-hour stint. After that much sleep deprivation, you'd lose your sanity too."

Jason tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Fair enough."

"If you want, you're welcome to join us after we finish our coffee and literature talk," Tim offered amiably.

Jason watched as Damian threw another strike, sending one cup so far it landed in the pot of the ficus in the corner, and raised his eyebrows. "You know what…why not." He turned back to Tim with a grin. "I could use a bit of fun before I go back to work on my Native American Lit paper."

"Are you a lit major?" Tim asked curiously.

"I am."

Tim nodded. "That makes sense."

"And you?"

"I'm a CS major--computer science."

"That makes sense," Jason echoed, grinning.

Tim grinned back at him and waved a hand. "Okay, so as you were saying…?"

"Yes, as I was saying…"

Jason continued his little lecture while they continued sipping their coffee and nibbling on the biscotti. When they had finished--the coffee, not the discussion, because Tim was pretty sure Jason would go on for hours about literature once you got him started--they joined Damian in a game of "ten-cup."

It was in the middle of this heated battle of cups and marshmallow-bonded puffed-rice cereal balls that their next customer found them fifteen minutes later. The man, dressed in flower printed leggings and a black hoodie with "Gotham University Aerial Arts" printed across the chest in blue, took one look at them and grinned.

"Oh, hey! Coffee-cup bowling! I love that game! Do you think I could interrupt you guys for just a sec to get some hot chocolate?"

All three of them--the two baristas plus their customer--turned and stared.

"Hot… wait, what?" Jason said, laughing a little. "Man, it's like 4:30 in the morning. Why are you getting a hot chocolate at 4:30 in the morning?"

The man laughed, too, shrugging before he explained, saying, "I don't like tea or coffee all that much, but I just finished a 20 page paper on ethics in police enforcement and I need a pick me up. I need to get my warm fuzzies going again."

Tim rolled his eyes and sighed, moving back toward the counter to get the man his drink. "You're going to end up being the cuddliest cop on the street, Dick."

"You know it, Timmy!" the man--'Dick' apparently--exclaimed, pulling Tim into a bear hug when he made the mistake of passing too close to Dick on his way to the counter. The hug escalated into a full on octopus hug as he lifted his legs to wrap around Tim's hips. Tim, for his part, ignored the grapple, opening the leaf in the counter and hobbling over to the drink bar with the human cephalopod still attached.

Damian and Jason stared. Damian cleared his throat and eyed Dick with poorly disguised interest. "Wait, do you know this man, Drake?"

Tim blinked dully as he turned around, a cup in one hand and a packet of instant hot chocolate in the other. "Yes. He's my brother." Dick made a squeeing noise and nuzzled his head into Tim's neck. Tim sighed. "My adopted brother," he amended testily.

Dick laughed, dropped his feet back onto the floor and stood up. He nearly wrung Tim's neck as he tried to hug him around the shoulders. "Awww, don't be like that, Tim. We haven't seen each other in two whole weeks and I needed my Tim-hugs! Gotta meet my cuddle-quota."

Tim shook his head and handed the hot chocolate back over his shoulder. "You're insufferably, insatiably clingy when you're this tired, Dick. Go home and sleep."

Dick finally released him to take the drink. He took a sip of the hot chocolate, sighing in appreciation. "Thanks, Tim, and yeah, but, only if you do the same. You're just as bad as me when you haven't slept, if not worse."

"Can't. Working," Tim answered curtly, vaulting the counter to escape before Dick's grabby hands could reach for him again. His brother wasn't wrong; Tim was always up for a good cuddle after a long stint without proper sleep, but he didn't like public displays of affection.

Dick took one look at the nearly empty coffee shop, the three of them, their game, and then laughed out loud. "Ahhh, the days of getting paid to drink coffee and make up games at 4:30 in the morning. I kind of miss it."

"Would you care to join us," Damian asked abruptly. Dick brightened.

"Absolutely!"

And so that was how the four of them ended up bowling for empty coffee cups with rice crispy treats the size of spaghetti squash while blasting ABBA’s greatest hits--Dick's terrible, wonderful idea--until the sun rose and their shift ended, at eight AM.

By the time the four of them walked out the door, Dick was trying to convince Damian to join him in the aerials gym before breakfast, and Damian, clearly eager to do anything with the handsome college senior, accepted readily. Jason and Tim, on the other hand, were back to discussing literature over coffee--now focused on the merits and downfalls of contemporary science fiction and fantasy as an art form--and making their way to the East Campus Dining Hall, so they could continue their discussion over breakfast.

Tim snorted softly as he listened to Jason list all the ways Dune defined an era of sci-fi/fantasy, then smiled at the way Jason took his hand--without seeming to realize it--to pull him forward after the crosswalk light changed out of Tim's line of sight. Oh, yeah, this one was totally gay/bi/pan and he was definitely asking him out the minute he saw the opportunity, Tim decided.

He smiled. Who would of thought he'd come out of last night's graveyard shift not only having seen his demon coworker and his older brother hit it off--of all things!--but having met someone for himself too! He laughed, thinking, you never know what crazy things you might see, or the people you might meet, at the campus coffee shop at 4 o' clock in the morning!

#my writing #christmasriverswrites #jaytim #dickdami #tim and damian #pre-relationship #college au #no capes #new for 2020!#barely edited; life is rough right now 🙃

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rebsrams · 3 years

Text

The Enneagram Series - One (Ethan x F!MC)

Book: Open Heart (OHSY)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Rebecca Valentine)

Warnings: angsttttt

Summary: Ethan’s back from the Amazon. MC can’t really come to terms with his decision to cut her off. Based on Atlas: Enneagram from Sleeping at Last.

Word count: 1,249

Author’s notes: I kinda re-imagined part of the beginning of OHSY, actually. It sounded very strange to me that MC would just try to get him back no matter what after he left her like a total coward, escaping his feelings. I just thought that she would have reacted, in some way. And being my MC extremely hot headed, that’s the way it turned out!

Song: One - Sleeping at Last

“Why do you always have to be so goddamn patronizing, Ethan?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you keep fucking up every damn thing that you lay your hands on!”

There they were, roaring at each other again.

The week they had experienced was quite rough, aiming at each other’s throat on every possible occasion and without any valid reason.

Except the fact that after his return from the Amazon, he shut her out for the umpteenth time, and soon it became clear enough to her that he wanted it to be the last.

After the first, big fight they had over Ethan’s words at Donahue’s, he decided that the wisest thing to do was to ignore her and give her time to take his decision in, although it took him an amount of effort that after two months away from her wasn’t ready to face at all.

However, his decision soon turned out to be delusional, as she began to tease him slightly on every possible occasion about his recent recanting, forcing him to stay quiet and bite every bullet in order to keep a vague appearance of dignity across the corridors.

When the situation became unsustainable to him, he began to do the only thing he was used to do when things got rough: he became a bossy jerk, continuously mistreating her to keep her away from him.

The plan obviously didn’t worked out as well as he imagined, because she began to yell at him every time he got a little too much authoritative for her taste and he, for his part, was far too proud for letting himself go the opportunity to stand up to her, his guilt only slightly moderating his tones.

At least they had the decency of fighting in his office, far from prying eyes and especially ears.

But the walls of his office were a little too thin for the volumes reached by their confrontations, and every now and then Ethan happened to notice Harper’s disapproving glances coming his way.

All that he could do was let out a long sigh, pinch the bridge of his nose and go on with his work, waiting for another day to come to an end and for Rebecca to finally draw a line under the whole situation and at least try to forgive him.

But that day, he lost it.

It wasn’t exactly something that she said or done, he deserved every cursing word coming his way.

He was simply mad and couldn’t take it anymore.

Mad with himself, for allowing to his marble heart to break down its walls and letting her in, not even thinking of the consequences.

And mad even with her, for being so incredibly breathtaking, swaying her hips and graciously laughing at the nurse station every single morning.

It was too much for him, for the cold, perfectionist, overachiever Dr. Ethan Ramsey.

He didn’t really mean those things.

He knew perfectly well that she was an excellent doctor, one of the best of her age, and most importantly he didn’t mean to say, by no means, that she was fucking him up.

He was self-destructing himself, staying away for her and forcing himself to push her away every time they got closer.

And though he was the emotionless and imperturbable doctor that Edenbrook came to know, he just wanted to loosen the reins for a bit and allow himself to feel.

Well, if he wanted to feel something, her face after those words was something that could have easily tormented him for weeks.

Totally wounded, for a moment utterly helpless in front of the amount of conflicting feelings she was experiencing.

He could read delusion, sorrow and something that he found rather difficult to pinpoint.

Maybe… Hate? Could it really be that, in the end, she came to hate him?

Well, I’d deserve it, he couldn’t help to think, the weight of what he said totally sinking in.

“Oh, well, in that case… I guess I have nothing more to do here,” she looked around his office, tears dangerously threatening to fall off her freckled cheeks.

“Have a good day, Dr. Ramsey.” She turned around, then stopped on her tracks when she was already holding the doorknob.

“On second thought…”

This wasn’t going to end well.

“I suggest you to let go of all this” she gestured around him “aura of complete perfectionism that you bring. It may sooner or later require something of you that you can’t afford to give away. Think of it.”

With this enigmatic words, she left the room leaving her characteristic wake of coconut and cinnamon mints behind her, the loud, angry thumps of her sneakers on the floor annoyingly drawing attention towards her.

Though he always knew she was the only mystery he wasn’t always ready to unravel, her words resonated loud and clear, like a bolt from the blue. Something he tried to ignore for all his life.

Everything in his existence had got to be perfect. No burrs of defects, from his tie knots to his patients’ charts. He lived strictly following routines and embarking only in situations he knew he could fully manage. Which was definitely not the case, speaking of her.

She came into his life like a hurricane and disrupted all of his plans.

Everything was so simple, before her.

Don’t marry, don’t have any kids, commit to your job completely and take Jenner out twice a day.

That’s all he needed, all he wanted. Until her.

Just needed to look at what he’d done to get over her and put his mind back to wherever the hell it was before.

He didn’t have many friends inside the hospital, but whoever knew him just an inch could tell that spending two months in the Amazon wasn’t exactly what he was aspiring to, at least at the time.

It happened increasingly that he found himself daydreaming of her, cuddled against him on the sofa, with her head on his shoulder and his hand through her ginger locks. He found incredibly hard to admit, especially to himself, that he once fantasized about her in a white dress, with orange flowers in her hair.

To bring things back to normal, he thought he just needed time and space to divide him from her, and the Amazon sounded like the further job offer he had received in the latest months.

It could have been a vaguely good idea only if he had the real guts to remain there and not showing his great punching-bag face anymore. He would have still found out that his feelings for her were still there, of course, but at least he would have spared her all the hurt that followed that unfortunate (but breathtaking at the same time) encounter they had at Donahue’s, the night he got back.

He always needed proof for everything, and that was one of the reasons why he became a doctor.

Laws of biology can’t hurt you, people can. That’s what he repeated himself throughout med school and afterwards.

He searched for predictability, order, perfection. But at what cost?

“Something of you that you can’t afford to give away”

His soul, his heart, his humanness. Things he reluctantly needed, as a doctor and as a hypothetically happy human being.

But he just stayed there, the scent of his now cold coffee floating around the room and his eyes locked on the door she went through mere moments ago.

--------------------------------------------------

So, this is gonna be angsty.

As an aspiring singer and a huge music lover, I often draw inspiration from pieces of music. Also, I’m utterly in love with Sleeping at Last, so this is just part of what I wrote listening to them.

I’m not sure how this series is going to evolve, I just know that it will have (with any luck) nine chapters.

Maybe I will go in chronological order, trying not to mess up with the original plot, or maybe I’ll just write about some slices of life involving my favourite duo.

If you have any suggestion, please write me! :)

Unfortunately, don’t know when I’ll be able to post again. I’m having a huge mole of work to do and I don’t really know where to begin! I’ll try to keep writing as a safe haven in this messy world that we’re living in.

tags: @schnitzelbutterfingers, @choicesfan10, @openheartfanfics

I’d also like to thank again everyone who’s commenting such beautiful things under my works, lots of heart emojis to you 💗💗💗

#playchoices #open heart #Open heart 2 #Open heart book 2 #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #doctor ethan ramsey #Ethan Ramsey x reader #ethan x mc #my writing #my fic

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reidingandwriting · 4 years

Text

10 Things I Hate About You (And 1 Thing I Love)

Word Count: ~2000 words

Ship: Peter Parker x Stark!Daughter, Avengers x Reader (platonic/family)

Warnings: Mild language, but that’s it!

A/N: This was so much fun to write honestly, we love fluffy chaos. It was originally going in a COMPLETELY different direction, but I decided to be nice and give you guys the fluffy version instead 😉 I attached the “10 things” list at the end in case you wanted it :)

You took a breath as you stood at the altar, hands interlocked with your fiancé Peter’s, and you began to speak.

“I hate your jokes, they’re so stupid.” Everyone in the room laughed, including Peter. “You’re the only person who could make such lame jokes funny. I especially hate that goofy laugh of yours that follows, that’s what makes the jokes tolerable. I hate that smile of yours, how it lights up the room. Seriously, it’s so bright, I need an Advil for my headache.” Peter let out a tearful laugh and your thumb brushed over his knuckles.

“I hate how hardworking you are. You built yourself up from nothing, you worked hard in everything you did. You overachiever, I look like a slacker. I hate how my family loves you and how they didn’t scare you off. Trust me, my dad tried.” Your dad called out a ‘hell yeah I did!’ which sent the small venue into laughter again. “My family’s all very guarded, but you smashed through those walls and you became like another member of the family. I hate how even my dog loves you, and he hates everyone. You can ask Dad, the day we took him off the street, he tried to bite him. He never liked anyone that I dated, until I met you.” Peter gave you a smile, which you gladly returned. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you blinked them back.

“I hate how you always know how to make me laugh, you know I hate how my laugh sounds. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much until I met you. I hate how you always want to help everyone, even when struggling yourself. You could be out in the freezing cold, and you would give the shirt off your back to whoever needed it. You’re going to get sick or hurt doing that one day, you self sacrificing dork.”

“I hate how much you care about your friends. I won’t admit it again, but we truly are lucky to have you. Every endless day we spend with you is the best day. Except for our Harry Styles concert, nothing tops that. I hate how you’d lay down your life for your friends- you’d even do it for people who weren’t your friends. That’s just the person you are.” A few stray tears slid down your cheeks now.

“Even with all this complete and utter hatred I have for you,” your tone was playful and Peter was struggling not to cry at this point. You had told him your wedding vows would be a bit unconventional, he expected nothing less from you. You were Y/N Stark after all, being unconventional was a trademark Stark trait. “there’s one thing I love about you that cancels out all of that.”

“You made me feel like I belonged whenever so many people made me feel like I didn’t. From the second I started at Midtown, everyone treated me differently. Students and teachers were either terrified of me and what my dad could do, or they sucked up to me to get in my dad’s good graces. You treated me like I was just Y/N. Not Y/N Stark, daughter of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. I was a regular teen with you, and I can’t thank you enough for that, Peter.” You wiped your eyes, smiling at the man you were about to marry. Your almost husband. “You introduced me to the best friends I could ever have, and you became the best boyfriend I could ever have. Boyfriend turned into fiancé, and now fiancé is about to turn into husband. These losers in the audience may be part of my family, but I can’t wait to start my own family with you. I love you, Peter Benjamin Parker.”

“I love you, Y/N Y/M/N Stark.” Peter smiled, a tear slipping down his cheek. “Now, if we’re doing the things I hate about you, let’s start with that god awful snoring.” The rest of the ceremony went on beautifully. Your dad wouldn’t admit it, but he totally cried whenever you and Peter said your “I do’s” and kissed. Meanwhile, Pepper wouldn’t let your dad forget it that he cried. Once the ceremony was finished, you moved the reception outside. Laura and Clint’s kids played with Scott’s daughter Cassie and your sister Morgan, while the adults continued the reception. The wedding was intimate, with your family of Avengers and Peter’s Aunt May and some friends of yours made up the guest list.

“I can’t believe Y/N’s married.” Natasha stood next to Tony, watching as you and Peter made your rounds with all the guests.

“Me neither.” Clint hummed in agreement, standing beside Natasha. “I remember the day I taught her to flip off the paparazzi.” Tony laughed at the memory, Pepper sending a playful glare to the archer. Tony still had the magazine in his office, the picture of you showing the camera your middle finger on the cover. You were only nine or ten at the time, you were all grown up now. You still liked to give the paparazzi your signature pose.

“How about the time she programmed FRIDAY to play that horrible Rebecca Black song every time we tried to use FRIDAY?” It was Steve’s turn to speak, and he groaned as he got the song stuck in his head again.

“Or that time she got FRIDAY to play that Black Widow song every time I entered the room?” Natasha’s face morphed into one of annoyance, but there was no real irritation behind it.

“What about the time Lady Y/N came to Asgard and made friends with Loki?” Thor remembered on your fourteenth birthday how you visited Asgard. It took endless tears and begging for your parents to agree. They finally agreed after you made a ten minute presentation, and Thor had promised to keep you safe. You loved Asgard and the people you met loved you- even Loki was fond of the young Stark. During your weekend in Asgard, you had spent equal time with the brothers. Thor gave you tours of Asgard and the castle, while Loki showed you some important spots from his childhood. You hated having to leave, but you came back every time you could. You even convinced Loki to spend more time on Earth (Midgard as he preferred to call it).

“I can’t forget about the time Tony brought in Y/N to the medbay when her hand was broken, he was hysterical. And you remember how she broke it?” Bruce looked at Tony, who rolled his eyes with a faint smirk.

“By punching that Flash kid in the face and breaking his nose.” Pepper shook her head at the memory, looking at the now grown up kids she loves. “They’ve always had each other’s backs. Now they’ve got each other forever. And they’ve got all of us.” Tony smiled as his older daughter walked over, Peter talking to his aunt. You gave everyone a hug, thanking them for coming.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for our dance, Dad.” Your dad nodded, pressing a kiss to his own wife’s cheek before walking to you.

“Let’s dance.” You lead your dad to the dance floor, your arm linked with his. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and Tony’s wrapped around your waist as you began to dance.

“I can’t believe my little girl is married now.” Tony spoke softly as you two danced, your dress sparkling under the lights as you moved. “Seems like just yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time.”

“It doesn’t feel real yet.” You hummed in agreement, looking up at your dad. “It still feels like I should be at home, having tea parties with Morgan, and giving you heart attacks with Peter.” Tony rolled his eyes, remembering how mere months ago, Tony was making a cup of coffee. You and Peter came to the lake house for Christmas, and you two were spending time with Morgan in your room.

Tony smiled as he heard the sound of laughter through the halls, until he heard a loud crash and Peter yell “shit!” which Morgan replied “that’s Mom’s word!” Tony ran to the sound, stopping at the sight. Morgan, holding your phone, stood beside Peter, who was doubled over laughing. Then he saw you, sprawled across the floor, roller skates on your feet. Pieces of shattered ceramic, dirt, flowers were surrounding you, which Tony recognized as the vase of flowers Morgan set up last week. You raised your head, looking at Morgan.

“Did you get that on video?!” You fist pumped the air as Morgan nodded, carefully getting back up. You froze when you saw your dad and looked at your fiancé and sister. “Retreat, retreat!!” You skated past your dad, Morgan and Peter following you as they laughed.

“Y/N, Morgan, and Peter! Get your asses back here and clean this up!”

“You see all these gray hairs? You caused them.” You laughed, giving your dad an award winning smile.

“We add excitement to your life.” Tony laughed, twirling you.

“And I can’t be happier that I have you two hooligans in my life.” You smiled as the song paused and everyone looked around. A familiar song started playing over the speakers, and your dad grinned. The slow song had been replaced by Mr. Brightside, one of yours and your dad’s favorite songs. The rest of the guests came to the dance floor, dancing and singing (yelling) the lyrics. The rest of the night was filled with singing, dancing, and laughter.

You stood beside Peter at the end of the night, swaying slightly as you held your sleeping sister. She was older now, but she never missed a chance for you to hold her. Your eyes traveled the room, taking in the sights around you. The rest of the kids were off by themselves, eating leftover wedding cake and drinking soda out of the champagne flutes. Ned and MJ had taken over the music, playing everything from throwbacks to today’s music, jumping around (as they’d call it, dancing) and laughing. The team of heroes were all broken out into their own groups, everyone getting along fine.

“I can’t believe this is our life.” You spoke after a minute of silence. “I remember when it was just me, my dad, and Happy. I never would’ve thought my family would grow from that group of three to all of us now.” Your eyes landed on your dad, who was laughing with the original Avengers team.

“If you would have told me in the start of high school that I was going to become an Avenger, fall in love with Tony Stark’s daughter, and join the family of the Earth’s mightiest heroes, I would think I was in a dream. And now it’s my reality. I’ve always wanted a big, happy family like this. And you gave it to me.” Peter smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. Your eyes closed, savoring the moment.

“Our family’s about to expand by one more, too.” You whispered and Peter’s jaw dropped as it clicked.

“We’re having a baby?” You nodded with a smile, laughing as Peter hugged you tight, being careful not to disturb Morgan.

“We’re having a baby. Don’t tell my dad you know, he wanted to be the first to know.” You rested your head on his shoulder and Peter’s arm made its way around your waist.

“Our child really is going to have the best family to grow up in.” As you looked at your husband, you smiled to yourself.

‘Yeah.’ You thought. ‘They really will.’

1. Your stupid jokes

2. Your laugh

3. Your smile

4. How hardworking you are

5. How much my family loves you

6. Even my dog loves you, and he doesn’t like anyone

7. How you always know how to make me laugh

8. How you always want to help everyone

9. How much you care about your friends

10. And how you’d lay down your life for them

11. And how you made me feel normal

Taglist: @daughter-of-stark @agent-barnes40 @spideygirl2003 @ditttiii 💖 Taglist is OPEN, please let me know if you’d like to be added. Requests are also OPEN, feel free to make requests :)

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seattlites · 3 years

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╰ ❛ 💉 — › candice patton. cis woman. she/her. . ╯ have you met blair keating yet ? this twenty-nine year old scorpio has been living in the seattle area for four years she makes a living as a fourth year surgical resident, which is best suited for their ambitious, passionate, vindictive, and stubborn personality. 7 rings by ariana grande is one of their favorite songs, and they're written by angie caved.

trigger warnings: car accident, death, ptsd, panic attacks

born is los angeles in november 15, blair was the only child of a film director and the head of an interior design company, former model and failed actress.

due her parents’ jobs, blair was thrown into the entertainment industry from a young age. she was a child model and occasional actress, doing a couple of movies in her teenage years. however, none of the glamour of hollywood really appealed to her. she found it very shallow and superficial and wanted more for her life.

her mother was the one who tried to convince her to take on a big audition for a television network which she ended up getting a week before her letter for university of pennsylvania arrived. her desire to go to college was a huge discussion at home and blair ended up cutting her mother off from her life.

upenn was everything she hoped for and she thrived in an academic environment away from her family. throughout college, blair didn’t know whether to go into medicine or law, being pulled by both directions. she shadowed countless professionals and was part of every club that could help her decide.

CAR ACCIDENT AND DEATH TW: in the spring break of her senior year, she got into a car accident with her friends, that she survived unharmed. her best friend rebecca got killed immediately and barbara, her girlfriend, stayed in coma for one month. this was the decisive factor for blair to choose columbia medical school instead of yale law.

PTSD AND PANIC ATTACK TW: after the accident, blair struggled with ptsd. for the majority of her first year, she couldn’t get on a car with anyone and she had trouble sleeping and focusing for long hours. one of her peers recommended her to see a psychiatrist and at first, blair refused. she didn’t need any help. except the flashbacks started getting worse and with that came panic attacks. that was the turning point for blair to ask for help.

by this time, barbara had broken up with her, a mix of being afraid to commit, resenting blair for escaping the accident uninjured and long distance. blair focused on her healing process and medical school, determined to do greater than anyone else and be the best of the best. she didn’t need anyone else to succeed and she would prove everyone, specially her parents, that she was more than a former child actress.

she graduated as first in columbia med and secured a surgical residency in seattle grace mercy west.

moving across the country was exactly what she needed to leave the trauma behind and she was sure that she meant to be a surgeon. she was able to push her struggles aside by focusing more and more on her work and alongside therapy, she found that she belonged in trauma.

in her third year, she had an long time hook up situation with one of the residents a year below — laurel davis. it was all fun and games until they broke up after laurel tried to poison blair to get in on a surgery (or so blair thinks). now she sees the other as her enemy and nothing else and the blonde annoys her a whole lot. too bad she has to answer to blair.

soon to be a fifth year, she wants to run for chief resident, believing she is the best candidate and will for sure take lexie grey’s vulnerable state to cross her.

#car accident tw #death tw #ptsd tw #panic attack tw #traumaintro #* blair keating : headcanon.

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eskalations · 4 years

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"Hey!" Roy pouted, turning towards them with his daughter still held tightly in his arms. "I'm not useless. If I was, we wouldn't be here in the first place."

Breda groaned, slapping a hand to his face at the innuendo.

Havoc barked a laugh. "I guess we can safely say my boss doesn't shoot blanks!"

A series of oneshots documenting the life and times of the Amestrian First Family.

A/N: It's baby time! I honestly am not as happy with this chapter as I had wanted to be, but I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless!

Thanks for reading!

This was the part Roy hated the most – waiting.

While pregnancies were nothing more than a long, nine-month wait – for some reason, the birthing at the end was more excruciating than the months leading up to it. It didn't matter that the entire process took only a few hours, the wait for news – any kind of news – caused Roy's nerves to stand on end and his palms to sweat.

He hated this part. It had already been seven hours and he wasn't sure he could last for very much longer.

Riza had gone into labor early that morning.

Roy was awoken to a firm hand, shaking him awake and breaking him from his sleep. One look into Riza's wide, amber eyes and he knew exactly what she was trying to communicate, even in the dim moonlight of their room. The baby was coming.

He tried not to think of the fact that it was still a month early. The doctor had warned them that Riza would probably not carry to term because of her age. He also tried not to think of all the risks that came along with the birthing process for both mother and baby. Running over every possible scenario in his head would do no good at this point – what was meant to happen, would happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Oh, how he hated feeling so useless.

To keep himself from losing his mind, he had taken to pacing around the hospital waiting room. He ignored the strange looks he was getting from the other occupants around him, confused as to what had their Fuhrer in such a state of distress. He could care less what they thought, he was more worried about what was going on behind the doors that lead to the maternity ward.

Both Havoc and Breda eyed him warily as he began another round of pacing. He would walk ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back, pause stare out the window for a good five minutes – and then start all over again. Just like clockwork.

"Boss, this is the reason they wouldn't let you wait back there," Havoc reasoned, his eyes following the man as he passed in front of him. The soldier's hair was mused from sleep, evidence of the rude awakening he had received this morning from his superior. Breda looked much the same. "They can't have you wearing a hole in the floor while Riza does all the work."

Roy was too lost in his thoughts to bother with much of a reply. A grunt was the only response Havoc received as the Fuhrer stopped in front of the window once more, his dark eyes staring out into the streets of Central. Despite the snow that covered the ground, sunlight glinted sharply off the sidewalk. This was a stark reminder of the time that had passed since they had arrived at the hospital. He cursed the nurses who had kicked him out upon arrival, acting as though he had no right to see his wife while she was in this condition.

He was the reason she was in the hospital in the first place, the least he could do was hold her hand and offer some words of comfort. They hadn't even let him do it when she had given birth to Elizabeth, but surely they could make an exception now – or, maybe he could….

"I know that look." Breda commented, watching as his superior's brow furrowed in deep concentration. "Don't you dare start thinking of ways that you can sneak back there. Even the Fuhrer has to follow rules."

…well then never mind.

Roy fixed a dark glare on Breda, who's hands automatically shot up in defense. "Don't shoot the messenger, sir. You know that you would do more harm than good back there."

The man wanted to snap at his subordinates, but he found it hard to do when they both had sacrificed their sleep this morning to brave the wait with him. They had even thrown on their uniforms so they could act as his bodyguards for the time being to keep him from having to be around anyone else. If wasn't true friendship, then he didn't know what was.

It was these thoughts that had him remaining silent, his hands clasped behind his back and his gaze staring out at the passing cars beyond the window. He wasn't going to take out his frustrations on his subordinates when the only one he had to blame was himself. It wasn't their wives who were behind those doors, suffering through childbirth – it was his own.

He found himself wishing that Elizabeth was there – just to distract him from his own mind and to remind him how much good came from the physical pains of labor. However, they had dropped Elizabeth off with Rebecca that morning to wait things out before proceeding to the hospital. A waiting room was no place for a five-year-old child and, if things went south, Roy wanted to keep her as far from the situation as possible.

Riza had been so calm through it all – waiting for him as he ran around the bedroom to gather the things she had prepared for the birth. Through every grimace and pain, she had remained steadfast. Her face never faltered from its determined expression. He knew that she was fearful, he had seen it in the way she had kissed a tearful Elizabeth when they had dropped her off – but he also knew that she was strong. She was on a mission and she would not fail.

Once they had arrived at the hospital, he could see that her expression was wavering as the pains became worse. She had gripped his hand tightly as he kissed her one last time, before being ushered from the room. The last thing he saw was her gentle features falling into a loving smile. She hadn't said the words, but her message was clear – I love you.

Roy crumpled into a chair at the memory, his face falling forward into his hands. While the other occupants of the room continued to stare at their frazzled Fuhrer, Breda and Havoc weren't having it.

"Oh, come on!" Havoc stood, seating himself next to his superior with Breda following suit. The blonde-haired man clapped Roy on the back, pushing the man so far forward that he almost fell from the chair. "I had to go through this four times! If Becky can push out four little hell raisers and still be alright, then Riza can certainly get through this. You have to have faith in our girl!"

Roy glared at the man, shrugging his hand off his back before resting his elbows on his knees once more. His expression was grim.

"Rebecca's pregnancies were not considered high risk, Havoc." Roy reminded him, ignoring the way the man's eyes shone with a hint of worry at the words. While they had all been trying to keep such thoughts out of their minds throughout Riza's pregnancy, it was hard to ignore it now that the birth was here. "This wasn't a normal pregnancy. The doctor could hardly believe that Riza was able to make it as long as she did. Even after she passed all her milestones, the doctor warned us not to get content, since pregnancy was only half the battle."

"I know, sir." Havoc reminded him, his hands dancing at the edge of his pant pockets. If he had still been a smoker, Roy knew that the man would have been reaching for a cigarette about now. Old habits tend to die hard in soldiers. "But I also know Riza and she hasn't lost a battle yet. She wouldn't let something as routine as childbirth take her away from you."

His words certainly carried some truth to them. Riza had been shot, she had been stabbed, and she had been forcibly separated from him – however, no one had ever been able to fully sever the bond they shared. Even now, after they had been married and conceived two children, Roy knew that Riza still saw it as her duty to watch his back. It would probably be that way until the day one of them died.

'Which is not going to be today…' Roy reasoned with himself, his hands turning to fist as he clenched the armrests of the chair. They had made it too far to have it all end here. They had far too much to live for now. They had Elizabeth and they had another little life about to wiggle its way into their hearts.

It could not end here.

Roy was broken from his thoughts by a pair of tiny feet squeaking down the corridor. The three men looked up to see who had just entered the waiting room. Roy was shocked to find his daughter making her way to him, her sandaled feet flying across the tile.

"Daddy!"

Roy, ignoring the looks of surprise around him, dropped to a crouch and opening his arms for the girl. Not even worried about the reason she was here, he scooped her up and held her close to his chest. His heart stuttered as she rested her tiny face against the skin of his neck, her arms locking around his shoulders.

Behind the father and daughter, Rebecca strolled over to her husband and his friend. There was a tired expression on her face – however, it softened as she watched Elizabeth cling tightly to her dad.

"She wouldn't calm down?"

"Nope." Rebecca leaned down to peck Jean on the cheek, her hand raising to rest on his shoulder as she took in the scene before her. "She never fell back asleep and the boys were begging me to bring her here. They're probably all napping now, the lazy bums."

Havoc smiled at his wife, shrugging his shoulders as he rested a hand on top of hers. "We should have learned our lesson by now. She doesn't do well being out of the loop. It's probably better to have her wait here anyways."

Rebecca nodded, tossing her curly, brown hair over her shoulder and sending him a sly smile. "It probably is. Plus, now I can go see if they'll let me into the birthing room."

"I should have known you had an ulterior motive."

"I was here for Elizabeth's birth and Riza has always been there for mine." Rebecca's expression was soft as she thought of her dear friend's steadfast nature. The expression only stuck for a moment before she let out a short laugh. "Besides, I knew her husband would be useless. She doesn't deserve to go through this alone on account of him!"

"Hey!" Roy pouted, turning towards them with his daughter still held tightly in his arms. "I'm not useless. If I was, we wouldn't be here in the first place."

Breda groaned, slapping a hand to his face at the innuendo.

Havoc barked a laugh. "I guess we can safely say my boss doesn't shoot blanks!"

Rebecca glared at her husband while Roy cradled his daughter's head closer to him, in an attempt to cover her ears. Havoc simply rolled his eyes at his boss's dramatics.

Elizabeth, fighting against her father's hold, lifted her face from the crook of his neck and gazed up at his with her big dark eyes. While they were certainly the same color as Roy's, their shape had always more closely resembled Riza's. It made her sad expressions that much harder for the man to bear.

"Daddy?" She asked in her sweet voice, worry evident in the crease of her brow. "Is mama okay?"

"She will be now that you're here." He sat back in his chair, bringing Elizabeth along with him. Once he had her situated on his knee, he smoothed back her dark bangs before drawing her close. "Once Aunt Rebecca goes back, I'm sure everything will start running a whole lot smoother."

Taking that as her cue, Rebecca took her leave and went to speak with one of the nurses behind the reception desk. A few moments later, she was being ushered through the doors of the maternity ward. Roy couldn't help but be jealous.

A small hand tugging at his shirt collar brought his gaze back to his daughter's. Her eyes were still wide with fear. He should have known seeing her mother in pain this morning would make it impossible to shelter the girl from the situation. He had learned his lesson the first time Riza had been in the hospital and his daughter had been near inconsolable until she saw her. He couldn't really blame her, though – he had always hated being kept out of the loop, too.

"Do I get to meet her?" Elizabeth asked, resting her back against Roy's chest as she kicked her legs in front of her. It seemed her distress from earlier had certainly abated in the presence of her father. "My little sister?"

"The baby will be here today." He assured her, though he was still nervous himself. He wasn't going to allow his own anxiety to ruin this moment for his child. "We don't know if it's a boy or a girl, though. It could be a little brother."

Elizabeth scrunched up her nose in distaste. "I want a girl."

"What's wrong with a boy?" Roy asked with good humor, although they had already had this argument many times before. "You know, Daddy's a boy. So are your uncles and cousins."

"Daddy's okay."

"I'm just 'okay'?" He tried his best to look offended, though nothing could stop the small smile that found its way on to his features. Sometimes his daughter said the most amusing things. "I'll remember that the next time you ask for an extra bedtime story or a new doll."

"No, Daddy!" The girl exclaimed worriedly, turning her head to the side so that she could see her father, a look of terror on her face. "You're good."

"Just 'good'?"

Havoc and Breda laughed as they watched the two go back and forth. Both were secretly glad that Rebecca had brought the young girl to wait the birth out with them. Already, the Fuhrer was acting more like himself than he had been all morning. She truly was a good distraction.

Time dragged on as occupants arrived and departed from the room. Every time a nurse would come in to alert another family that a child had been born, Roy would nearly jump from his chair. The only thing stopping him at this point was the fact that he had Elizabeth perched on his knee.

By the time the clock hit thirteen hundred hours, Elizabeth was dozing on her father's shoulder, a small trail of drool staining the fabric of his shoulder. If he hadn't been so worried himself, Roy might have been tempted to nap as well, the events of the morning finally catching up to him – however, his eyes remained glued to the double doors. Beside him, Havoc and Breda were well on their way to joining Elizabeth in dreamland, both men sitting back in their chairs with their heads thrown back and eyes closed.

The room had gotten so quiet that the sound of the doors swinging open and hitting forcibly against the wall had the soldiers standing at attention. Poor Elizabeth was jolted awake by the force of her father standing from his chair. She gave a quiet whine of discomfort before burying her face into his neck and falling easily back to sleep.

Rebecca stood before them, panting heavily from her run down the hall. At the reception desk, the men could see a pair of unimpressed nurses at the sight of such behavior, but the they paid little mind. All of their attention was on the woman who stood in the doorway of the maternity ward. Roy could feel his heart begin to race.

She was smiling.

"The baby's here!"

The announcement had both Havoc and Breda whooping in celebration, while Roy fell back into the chair behind him, his legs feeling as though they had been turned to mush. The sense of relief that rushed through him was enough to knock him off his feet. Elizabeth, as confused as ever, looked at her father with sleepy confusion.

"What's goin on?" She slurred, rubbing her dark eyes with small fists. Affection flooded her father's body as she blinked up at him with curiosity. "Sister?"

Roy laughed, though it came out sounding more like a puff of air. He was far too relieved to do much more than breathe. In a rush of affection, he placed his hand behind his daughter's head and brought her in close, hugging her tightly to him as he wrapped his other arm around her.

"Maybe." He remarked, subconsciously rocking back and forth in his own euphoria. Elizabeth took it in stride and positioned herself so that she could reach both her arms around his neck, returning his embrace. "Mommy had the baby. They're both okay."

Roy could feel the young girl smile against his neck, her dark hair tickling the sensitive skin beneath his chin. Fighting the slight discomfort, he held her closer and buried his nose into the top of her hair, giving her a long kiss right at the top of her forehead.

To say he was grateful was an understatement.

As though he suddenly remembered where he was, the man glanced back up at the three people who were watching the scene quietly. Breda stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a wide grin on his features. Havoc had his hands in his pockets, though when he saw his boss looking up at him, he took one out to send the man a congratulatory thumb up. Rebecca, still panting from her foray down the hall, couldn't hide the beaming grin on her features. Upon seeing his eyes on her, she gestured for him to stand.

Roy didn't have to be told twice.

After giving Elizabeth one last kiss to the forehead, he passed her off to Jean, who held her in his strong arms as her father and Rebecca disappeared behind the double doors of the maternity ward.

A frown appeared on her features.

"Uncle Jean?" The girl asked, her eyes never leaving the doors, even long after they were closed. The man raised a brow at her to acknowledge her question. "Where is Daddy going?"

"To see your mom." Havoc answered, patting the little hand that was resting on his chest. He fell back into his seat while Breda beside him did the same. He thought that was enough to abate Elizabeth's curiosity – however, it appeared the girl thought differently.

"Why can't I go?"

Jean groaned inwardly at the question, knowing that if he answered incorrectly, it could mean a fresh round of tears and a couple of unhappy nurses. Moments like these made him grateful that he and Rebecca had never been able to conceive any little girls. Sure, Elizabeth was cute as a button, but she was one of the most emotional children whom he had ever met.

He hoped for Roy's sake at least that this one was a boy.

He was careful as he thought of an answer, aware that Breda's eyes were on him, begging him to choose his next words carefully. They both knew they were dealing with a ticking time bomb here.

"Because the baby is kind of gross when it comes into the world." Havoc said slowly. It wasn't the greatest excuse, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. His kids had looked like little gremlins upon exiting the womb and they had smelled the part, too. "They're going to get the baby ready to meet you."

Breda nodded, though he looked very unimpressed with Jean's choice of excuse. "He's right. It's kind of like a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Yep! It's a surprise!" Jean agreed with his friend, bouncing Elizabeth gently on his knee, making her giggle in glee. "You're sibling doesn't know you're coming! You're the only one who knows."

"Because she's been in Mommy's belly?"

"Uh huh."

Elizabeth nodded, seemingly accepting this as an appropriate answer. Both Breda and Havoc heaved sighs of relief, settling back into their chairs to prepare for the wait ahead. Both were so caught up in their own thoughts that they didn't even notice the pensive look that had fallen over Elizabeth's features.

"How did she get in there?"

"Come again?" Breda asked, not quite certain what the young child was asking. Havoc wasn't even paying attention as he watched a small boy and man enter through the doors of the maternity ward with flowers in hand. Although, Elizabeth's next words had him nearly falling out of his chair.

"How did my sister get in Mommy's belly?"

Both men froze in fear. While neither had ever faltered in the face of danger, this situation was completely different. Breda went into a wild coughing fit, as several pairs of alarmed eyes looked on at them from around the waiting room. Havoc tried to ignore the looks.

'Damn kid, you had nearly nine months to ask your parents, why ask NOW?' Jean couldn't help but think to himself as his brain struggled to come up with some kind of answer. He had never had to deal with this with his boys. Sure, they were curious little beings, but it was easier to deter them from topics he did not wish to discuss than it was with Elizabeth. Being the daughter of a sniper and alchemist, the kid had a natural curiosity that was hard to fight against.

Oh, how Jean wished someone had made an attempt on the Fuhrer's life that morning, just so he could have flung himself in front of a bullet. If that had happened, he wouldn't be here now. That was sounding more and more preferable as his mind kept drawing blanks.

"Uh…"

At that very moment, the double doors to the maternity ward burst open wide for the second time in the past hour. The nurses at the reception desk couldn't veil their annoyance now as they glared at the woman who had thrown herself through them. Once again, Rebecca paid them no mind as she made a beeline for her husband.

Havoc thanked the high heavens for Rebecca's notoriously great sense of timing.

Not even acknowledging her husband, the woman grabbed for the child in his arms and hauled her up into her own. The movement had Elizabeth giggling as she held tight to her aunt's slim shoulders.

"Are you ready to go meet the baby?"

Elizabeth cheered, her concept of hospital etiquette non-existent as she squirmed in Rebecca's arms. Ignoring the high-pitched squeals, Havoc couldn't hide his surprise at his wife's words.

"Already?"

Rebecca gave him a gentle smile, her soft brown eyes sparkling. "Riza wants to see her."

Havoc should have known it wouldn't be long before Riza was asking for her daughter. Just as she was forever protective of her husband, her child had fell under that category as well upon her birth. Now she wasn't only Roy's shadow, but Elizabeth's as well. The last time she had been in the hospital, her daughter had been one of the first things she had asked about upon her return to consciousness.

'What a trio,' Havoc thought fondly, as he watched his wife whisk Elizabeth away and through the doors leading to the maternity ward. It was the last time he would be able to think it, now that the family of three had become four.

"Who would have ever thought that the boss would become such a family man?" Breda remarked, leaning back further in his chair. It was as though the man had read the other one's thoughts.

Havoc chuckled, his body sagging in his seat as the events of the morning finally caught up with him.

"I would have definitely lost that bet if you had ever asked me."

Elizabeth could barely contain her excitement.

She tried her best not to wiggle in her aunt's arms as they made their way down the hall. They passed several rooms and doctors, the anticipation causing the beating of Elizabeth's heart to pick up rapidly as time went on.

She wanted to see her mommy – and she definitely wanted to see the new baby, too.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to the small child, they reached a room with two military officers stationed outside of it. Elizabeth recognized them as a pair of bodyguards that usually accompanied her and her parents to and from daycare. Once they were in view, the two soldiers snapped to attention as Rebecca knocked on the door quietly, before swinging it open to reveal the scene taking place behind it.

The hospital room was standard, although since it was in the maternity ward, there was no second bed beside that of her mother's. Speaking of her mother, the girl couldn't fight against her urge to squirm once she had set eyes on the woman.

Riza Mustang looked like she had just walked straight through a battlefield. Her usually immaculate, straight blonde hair was drenched in sweat from her efforts over the past few hours. Rebecca, having taken pity on her friend, had pulled the hair back into a loose braid to keep it out of her face. The braid now fell over the right sleeve of her hospital gown and dangerously close to the precious package she had bundled in her arms.

Rebecca set Elizabeth down on her feet, the girl calming once her shoes hit the floor. A slight hesitation rushed over her as she observed her father lean close to her mother and push back the sweaty bangs plastered to her forehead. After he was satisfied with his work, his dark eyes darted down to the baby cradled in it's mother's arms – a loving smile blossoming on his features as he took in the sight.

Elizabeth suddenly felt like an outsider. That was, however, until her mother glanced up and made eye contact with her.

Seeing the five-year-old hesitating in the doorway, Riza smiled tiredly. While the action spoke volumes of the physical exhaustion she was feeling after laboring for most of the morning, the love behind it was just as strong and evident as it usually was when she looked at her child.

"Elizabeth…"

The young girl watched as her mother raised a hand to beckon her near. Although she was being given permission to step forward, by both her mother and her aunt who was pushing against her back gently, she felt frozen in place. This was all so different from the time that her mother had been in the hospital before.

Roy, picking up on his daughter's hesitation, smiled at the girl from his spot on the other side of the bed. While rumpled, the man had never looked more content than now.

With careful steps, so as not to spook her, Roy walked around the hospital bed to retrieve his young daughter. Once he was in front of her, she leaned back a bit, still uncertain of all that was going on – but Roy proceeded. He picked the girl up in his arms and positioned her firmly on his hip.

"Lizzie, don't you want to meet the baby?"

His words were gentle, the man fully aware of the fragile emotions of his daughter. He knew she had been excited about the baby earlier, but he also knew that she tended to draw back into herself when faced with new situations.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rebecca shaking her head at the scene, still so unused to seeing the Fuhrer in such a domestic state. He imagined it surprised everyone, really – but he didn't care.

Elizabeth slowly nodded, eyeing her mother and new baby sibling over the shoulder of her father. From behind, Riza gave her an encouraging smile in an attempt to make her more comfortable. Finally, the girl heaved a sigh of resignation.

"Yes, Daddy."

Holding Elizabeth a little tighter than before, Roy walked back around to the other side of Riza's bed. Husband and wife shared a look over their daughter's head as the girl curiously looked down at the bundle held in her mother's arms. Riza scooted over so that Roy could deposit Elizabeth on the bed beside her. At the action, Elizabeth leaned back closer to her father in an attempt not to jostle her mother. Riza smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging fashion.

"This is your little sister, Elizabeth."

At the words, Elizabeth's dark eyes immediately lit up. A sister! She had been hoping for a sister!

Roy placed a firm hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, smiling down at her as he watched her expression morph from fear to excitement. At the little girl's reaction, Riza's grin grew even bigger. As if sensing the shift in emotions around her, the baby began to fuss in her mother's arms.

Elizabeth frowned at the sound.

"What's wrong with her?" The girl asked in concern as she shifted closer to her mother to get a better look at what was hidden beneath the blankets.

"Nothing's wrong." Riza assured her, pulling back the cloth from the baby's face to give her eldest child a better view of her sister. "I think she knows that you're here."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as she got her first glimpse of her baby sister. The face wrapped up in the blankets was delicate with features so small that the young girl could hardly believe they belonged to a baby and not a doll. She was surprised to see that the fuzz that lay on the baby's head was the color of wheat – so very different from her own. The sight had Elizabeth sighing in awe - she was absolutely beautiful.

While she stared at the baby, a small fist made its way out of the swaddle. Seeing this, Elizabeth's eyes widened and her mouth formed a surprised 'o'. Such tiny fingers belonging to a human were a foreign concept to her. The reaction caused Roy to smile.

Using a gentle touch, Roy took one of Elizabeth's hands into his own and brought it close to the baby's fist. There was a slight resistance on Elizabeth's part – however, once the baby's tiny fingers latched on to her sister's, the fight flew out of her. She was entranced.

The family remained silent for several minutes, the only sound in the room coming from that of the machines by Riza's bedside. So caught up in the moment were they, that none of them noticed Rebecca take her leave.

Elizabeth, still holding her sister's hand, looked up curiously at her mother.

"What's her name?"

Riza smiled, cradling the baby close to her chest so that she could use her other hand to gently push back the bangs that lay across her daughter's forehead. After a moment, she looked up at Roy for confirmation, which she received in the form of a firm nod.

"Her name is Mae."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up once more while her voice rose in excitement.

"Like Aunt May!" The girl was giddy as she bounced up on her knees, trying to get closer to the baby. "Wow, she's going to be so excited when she comes to see me!"

Roy and Riza smiled at their daughter's actions, watching as she cooed at her baby sister in abandon. All it had taken was a few minutes to get her to finally warm up.

However, their daughter hadn't been entirely right in her assumption.

"It's not just for your Aunt May." Roy said, his eyes never leaving Riza's as they shared a smile. "It's also for your Uncle Maes."

"Elicia's daddy?" Elizabeth asked for confirmation, turning to her father. Elicia often watched Elizabeth, when Roy and Riza had state business and Rebecca wasn't available. They imagined she had heard many stories of the man in her time spent with the effervescent teen.

"Yes." Roy nodded, patting his daughter on the head. She smiled up at him in return. "You know Uncle Maes and I were good friends and he saved my life more than once. We thought it would be nice to name the baby after him."

"But…" Riza cut in, drawing their daughter's attention back to her. "We also wanted to honor your Aunt May for saving my life all those years ago. Without her, you and your sister wouldn't be here. We figured it would be a nice way to thank her for what she did."

Elizabeth nodded vigorously, agreeing wholly with her parent's judgement.

What the girl didn't know was that they had considered giving her the same name when she had been born several years ago. However, when they had seen her upon her entry to the world, it just hadn't seemed to fit. This baby was a different story, though.

The moment Riza had met the dark eyes of her newborn child, she knew that the name would fit her perfectly. It was almost like an instinct she had received upon her induction into motherhood. Just as Elizabeth was an 'Elizabeth'; Mae was definitely a 'Mae'.

Roy had said the same thing upon his first glimpse of his daughter.

"You're going to have to tell me what position you use to keep getting these girls."

The family of three – now four – looked up from the baby to see Havoc, Breda, and Rebecca standing in the doorway of the room. The comment, of course, had come from the smirking lips of an amused Rebecca who looked at her friend with unconcealed curiosity.

"Rebecca!" Riza exclaimed, her voice still hoarse from birth. The mother raised her hands to cover the innocent ears of her daughter. Rebecca laughed at such a reaction.

"Well, it's another girl for you – eh, boss?"

While Havoc's comment was meant in jest, the smile on his face spoke of different emotions. He was happy for them. He always had been.

"I'm not complaining." Roy glanced down at his family, totally content with the way his life had ended up. "In fact, I've always been told that I have a way with the ladies."

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #fma #fullmetal alchemist #fmab #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #royai fic #royai fanfic #royai fanfiction #fma fic #fma fanfic #fma fanfiction #heymans breda #jean havoc #rebecca catalina #fanfiction #royai baby #royai kid

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ainereads · 4 years

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The Coffee Readathon TBR

This month I am participating in The Coffee Readathon. I’m nervous about this as I’m starting back to school this month so I don’t know how much time I’ll have. All book descriptions are from Goodreads.

LATTE - read a hyped book

I picked Exciting Times by Noaise Dolan for this prompt.

Ava moved to Hong Kong to find happiness, but so far, it isn’t working out. Since she left Dublin, she’s been spending her days teaching English to rich children—she’s been assigned the grammar classes because she lacks warmth—and her nights avoiding petulant roommates in her cramped apartment. When Ava befriends Julian, a witty British banker, he offers a shortcut into a lavish life her meager salary could never allow. Ignoring her feminist leanings and her better instincts, Ava finds herself moving into Julian’s apartment, letting him buy her clothes, and, eventually, striking up a sexual relationship with him. When Julian’s job takes him back to London, she stays put, unsure where their relationship stands. Enter Edith. A Hong Kong–born lawyer, striking and ambitious, Edith takes Ava to the theater and leaves her tulips in the hallway. Ava wants to be her—and wants her. Ava has been carefully pretending that Julian is nothing more than an absentee roommate, so when Julian announces that he’s returning to Hong Kong, she faces a fork in the road. Should she return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith?

ICED COFFEE - read a summer read

I picked Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman.

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.

TURKISH COFFEE - read a book written by an author of middle eastern origin

I picked Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon for this prompt.

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right? His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck… As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

ESPRESSO ROMANO - read a book with a unique plot

I’ve picked Wildcard by Marie Lu.

I won’t put the description as it’s a sequel.

CAFE CREMA - read a book with less than 750 ratings on Goodreads

I picked Here is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan.

Ana Kelly can deal with death. As an estate lawyer, an unfortunate part of her day-to-day is phone calls from the next of kin informing her that one of her clients has died. But nothing could have prepared Ana for the call from Rebecca Taylor, explaining in a strangely calm tone that her husband Connor was killed in an accident. Ana had been having an affair with Connor for three years, keeping their love secret in hotel rooms, weekends away, and swiftly deleted text messages. Though consuming, they hide their love well, and nobody knows of their relationship except Mark, Connor's best friend. Alone and undone, Ana seeks friendship with the person who she once thought of as her adversary and opposite, but who is now the only one who shares her pain -- Rebecca. As Ana becomes closer to her lover's widow, she is forced to reconcile painful truths about the affair, and the fickleness of love and desire.

CAFE CON LECHE - read a book written by a Latinx author

I have picked We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia.

At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme. On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE - read a book set in Asia

For this prompt, I picked Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life. Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines. Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

BLACK COFFEE - read a classic book

For this, I picked Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers.

I won’t put the blurb as this is a sequel.

IRISH COFFEE - read a book with a sassy/fiery character

I took this prompt literally and decided to go with Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.

An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the Wizarding World. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books - the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur Magizoologist.

PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE - Spooky/Witch/Autumnal Read

For this, I picked A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro.

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar. From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

And that’s my entire TBR for this readathon. I’m so excited to complete it!

#tbr #reading #reader #readers #book #books #coffee readathon #readathon #book blog #book blogger #fantasy #ya #middle grade #bookworm #bookworms

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rosequartz-queen · 5 years

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Notes on Pink/Rose that we know of:

The youngest of the Diamonds. (White seems to be oldest, potential for Yellow-Blue to be same age (if not one slightly older than the other; I’d pick Yellow for oldest over Blue), then Pink.

It’s hinted at by Blue Diamond in Change Your Mind- while Steven has a dream-flashback of Pink in the tower- that Pink Diamonds antics were making White upset, threatening to take away her Pearl if they kept up.

(So “White” Pearl- aka Pink Pearl- was taken away for this reason? Replaced by this other Pearl- our Pearl- to keep her more in line, perhaps?)

Noteworthy that Pink has ALWAYS cared too much; she saved some animals/creatures from a planet either Blue or Yellow had as a colony. Saved them from death, but also set them loose during the Ball.

Edit: Just watched the flashback dream from Jungle Moon; I think those creatures were from the planet Yellow was conquering in that flashback?!? Geezums, Rebecca Sugar...

Also, Pink was locked away in a tower for her mischief on Homeworld, often subjected to Blue’s powers unintentionally as part of her “crimes.”

Spinel was gifted to her somewhere before Pink Pearl was taken away; Pink Diamond seems to have learned juggling from Spinel and shows off to her Pearl what she learned.

Also, Pink abandoned Spinel around the same time she was gifted her colony, Earth. (Apparently a crisp 6,000 years before the start of the show...if a little less, if we assume it’s a perfect six thousand by the time of the movie.)

Likely done as an attempt on Pink’s part to run away from her problems AND let go of “childish” things in one fell swoop. (Not accounting for how Spinel would feel about this, since it was likely PD assumed nothing of what could happen to her until far later, if at all. Also, we ALL know by now she’s horrible with figuring out emotions that other people deal with; other people’s emotional problems are a mystery to her on a deeper level.)

PD obtains Earth and Pearl, likely as help to get work done. (Could this mean Pink went without a Pearl for a few hundred/thousand years? It’s possible, since it’d be like taking a toy away from a troublesome, disobedient child... Except that “toy” is a living being all their own. The Diamonds are fucked up.)

However... Colonies are actually SUPER boring. Pink realizes this too late, as well as the fact she’s not allowed to make friends with her new, growing court. (Blue and Yellow are looking over her shoulder a LOT; where’s White??)

Cue Pearl helping Pink realize the freedom she could have by disguising herself as a Rose Quartz to hang with the Amethysts. Whoops Number 1.

Rose- in this way- learns about the beauty of Earth. Because her sympathetic butt doesn’t want to hurt the Earth anymore, this starts up a new phase: Pink doesn’t want to continue the colony nor the plans for it. However, Blue nor Yellow won’t have her backing out now.

It’s shown Blue COMPLETELY shuts her down. (Can’t Go Back) Yellow isn’t even looking at Pink... Very likely was yelling at her/getting into a screaming match over the colony. (Yellow very much has a temperament; we’ve seen this before.)

“...too many organics...cities too hard to dismantle...” Sounds like Pink’s been thinking of every excuse in the book to save this planet.

Blue even gave her the idea. If Pink isn’t there to rule...guess it’s nobody’s planet then, is it?

Bismuth likely came up with the Breaking Point around this time, wanting to shatter the Diamonds. Rose, who didn’t want internal fighting nor to be LITERALLY SHATTERED, could only find one solution: attack Bismuth when she argued her literal point, then bubble her, hiding her gem away in Lion’s mane.

(Lion existed around this time, too?!? Rose, what the he-)

Cue the eventual “shattering” of Pink Diamond. (A Single Pale Rose) This allows her to be Rose Quartz full time; no more Pink Diamond.

This registers with her gem as a new form, as well. (Can be seen in Change Your Mind.) However, doesn’t stop her gem from being a full Pink Diamond... Thus, the poofing problem. (And why Pearl got so sacrificial over Rose during this time.)

Cue the Corruption Song. This marks the “end” of the war, but no side wins. Rose and the remaining CGs are stuck on Earth with no way back. Their forces- Homeworld and CG alike- corrupted with no cure. The Diamonds mourning the “death” of Pink Diamond.

It’s unknown if Rose realized what she meant to the Diamonds after this. Either way, it didn’t matter; she couldn’t confess anything, anyways. She wouldn’t want to, either.

Rose gets a shitton of boyfriends and girlfriends and datemates. She seems to love Pearl- on occasion- but also doesn’t take anything seriously, leaving her pining Pearl on the sidelines while she has short-lived (literally) relationships left and right. For thousands of years.

Some time during (or before?) this, the Temple is founded. (Definitely wasn’t during the war, but also in time for Amethyst to have fused with everyone, creating Obsidian, who is the Temple Fusion. Also was before the first Dewey landed in Beach City.)

I also personally HC that Rose’s Fountain was the main hub of Crystal Gem activity during the war. It’d certainly make healing cracked gems easier, if Rose wasn’t around to personally do so.

Greg eventually shows up and turns everything on its head.

Originally treated like all the other humans- a toy-like or pet-like commodity to play with and not take seriously- it’s him pushing her to become...human. To realize what it means to REALLY love and care about someone...and that means equivalent exchange. Give back what you’re given.

This very likely blossoms into a relationship where Greg does a lot of teaching for Rose, helping her be more mindful and kind... However, considering her background at the hand of the Diamonds, it’s incredibly likely she still slipped up and said some insensitive things, on occasion.

Greg confirms to Steven that Rose tried to tell him everything at a later date. (Steven’s Dream) Greg potentially knew Rose had been Pink Diamond? Though it sounds like he either stopped her before she admitted it or heard as much as she wanted to say, stopped her from rambling, and then- more or less- forgot about it. (Judging by how he responds to Steven, however, I’d say she told him, he knows, but he still doesn’t care.)

Meeting baby Sourcream influences Rose to want a child of her own. Immature when meeting the little guy, but now determined and excited to make new life with someone she loves.

Rose is many, thoughtless things, but I still strongly believe in Lion 3: Straight to Video and Storm in the Room; Rose was far more invested in a child who was half her, half Greg....all new. There was no intentions to run from old problems with Steven/Nora, nor have her child have to DEAL with those problems.

She sincerely believed the problems were over with. The Diamonds would never come back to Earth. The war was over, Earth safe. The Crystal Gems weren’t needed, including her...and Spinel was likely forgotten due to everything that had happened.

Her last act of “cruelty” would be to leave the remaining Crystal Gems behind, but it’s also a little unfair to put the blame on Rose. In trying to set everyone free, she accidentally put herself BACK in the role of the idolized leader. Something she’d been trying to run from as PD. Pearl had never gotten past her programming, Garnet was inspired by Rose, and Amethyst...saw Greg as her best friend and Rose as a mom-figure. (So she lost someone that was her world, and blamed him for it due to some emotional immaturity on her part. Not that I can blame her, either...)

Garnet can’t stop this, but can’t ask questions due to an accidental Diamond Command Rose issued. Pearl can do nothing but panic and cry and lash out in blind anger. Amethyst...very likely did her best to face facts and be excited, but the realization she’d be losing Rose hit her just as hard as the rest.

That’s BEFORE mentioning Greg... Poor guy met the love of his life and he has to watch her belly grow, knowing in nine months, he’ll have lost his love, gained a child, and have forever three other gems hovering over and around him. Judging him for a decision Rose made.

(I love Rose/Pink so much, but considering how codependent so many of her friends/followers were, I have to admit... It’s true. She is better off “dead” as she is... Nobody would have reached their full growth if she was still alive. Nothing short of her running away again would’ve changed them and- without meaning to- she kinda did just that by having Steven. She NEEDED to leave for them to find themselves and Steven to show them what they really need.)

(...But also, FUCK, give my son a break?!? JFC, he’s NOT YOUR THERAPIST...!!! #Let Steven Take a Long Nap 2k19 and 2k20.)

On a sidenote from the timeline: Love Like You is from Rose’s POV. It’s been said before, but I need to say it again.

“I always thought I might be bad, now I’m sure that it’s true, cause I think you’re so good, and I’m nothing like you.” ( @ Greg)

“Look at you go; I just adore you, I wish that I knew... What makes you think I’m so special.” (I can see this still being aimed at Greg, but I also imagine Steven a lot with this line; Steven also very much idolized Rose and I feel like she wouldn’t understand why her son would feel like he couldn’t match up or was so great. I truly feel that- later in life- Rose realized her flaws and is rightfully ashamed of them.)

“If I could begin to do something that does right by you, I could do anything, I could even learn how to love like you.” (More things at Greg. He was her biggest motivation...)

Also, this would make an interesting contrast to how Greg viewed Rose in the early years. RE: Destiny and Let Me Drive My Van Into Your Heart.

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virtual-lara · 4 years

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AVault - Philip Campbell Interview - Tomb Raider 1: Unfinished Business

Interview appeared on AVault website, dated sometime 1998. Article was written by David Laprad.

On Friday, March 20, Eidos Interactive gave legions of Lara Croft fans a very nice thank you in the form of four free add-on levels for the original game. Called Tomb Raider Gold, these never-before-seen levels were designed by Phil Campbell, producer and designer for a number of Eidos titles. The new levels are split into two sections: Unfinished Business and The Shadow of the Cat. Unfinished Business consists of two expert levels chronicling Lara's dramatic return to Atlantis, where she must destroy a hidden alien hatchery. The Shadow of the Cat levels take players back to the City of Khamoon to embark on an all-new adventure. The Adrenaline Vault was able to catch up with a busy Campbell and get his insight into the Tomb Raider Gold design process and all things Lara Croft.

AVault:

Thank you for taking time to speak with us. How long have you been involved with the world of Tomb Raider?

Philip Campbell:

I have been doing Tomb Raider-related work since March of last year. I was not involved with the original game at all. When Jeremy and Adrian Smith saw my work on another Eidos project, they asked me if I would like to design some expert levels. I worked at Core in England for a couple months creating concepts for a number of possible levels. Subsequently, I designed and built the two Unfinished Business levels. Later, I designed the Shadow of the Cat levels with the help of Rebecca Shearin, a senior artist here at Eidos.

AVault:

What other game development experience do you have?

Philip Campbell:

I started work at Domark in San Mateo a few years ago. Before that, I had been an architect for 15 years. Initially, I was art director on a couple of projects, and now I am handling producer and designer roles on a number of projects. Currently, I am working on Vermin with Kronos Digital and Omikron with Quantic Dream. I guess I am the office handyman! I try to get involved in all design related projects, ranging from external development to Tomb Raider publications, comics, and merchandising.

AVault:

Where does your work take you?

Philip Campbell:

Technically, I am a senior producer and designer working for Eidos USA and based in San Francisco. However, my current schedule has me spending six weeks in Paris working on Omikron and two weeks in Los Angeles working on Vermin. In Paris, I just completed the recording and motion capture sessions, and am currently concentrating on level designs. Although I work for the publisher, I supplement the Omikron design team. On Vermin, Tom Marx and I form a production team, helping the external developers with design issues. We have been very involved with this project from the beginning and are trying to break down the traditional concept of publisher and developer relationships by working closely with the team on all aspects of the game. Back in the U.S., I am currently designing a marketing, packaging, and website campaign for Omikron with the marketing department, and working on another Tomb Raider product.

AVault:

Working on another Tomb Raider product? Do tell!

Philip Campbell:

[to the sounds of his hands being tied by public relations] Soon! Very soon!

AVault:

Why is Eidos publishing Tomb Raider again, this time with extra levels?

Philip Campbell:

Tomb Raider Gold is an added value product. The four new levels, extra goodies, and the low price make it a great deal. There are probably a lot of new converts to Tomb Raider following Tomb Raider 2, and we wanted to make it easy for them to pick up the rest of the story.

AVault:

It is rumored the Unfinished Business levels are for expert players only. What special challenges confront players in these levels?

Philip Campbell:

The two levels that detail Lara's return to Atlantis are meant to follow directly from the end of the original game; therefore, we had to make sure the difficulty was as high, or higher, than the preceding levels. I do not think they are that difficult, but the player who really wants a test should play them before the Shadow of the Cat levels to limit the number of pickups and weapons.

AVault:

You do realize cruelty in game design is a punishable crime.

Philip Campbell:

I do not think we are being cruel! Devious, yes. Even sneaky. Hard, but fair. I think the levels reward careful play. No enemies materialize from thin air, nor are there random deaths, except for that one situation....

AVault:

Do the new levels concentrate on adventure-style puzzles, similar to the King Midas brain-buster from the original, or are they more focused on action, like the sequel?

Philip Campbell:

Both, although there may be a slight emphasis on action. The nature of the Atlantean foes makes them very tough enemies. On the other hand, the first Unfinished Business level is like a puzzle box. You must have an understanding of where rooms are in relation to one another. The Shadow of the Cat levels are more focused on mystery and mysterious puzzles. The player can get cat visions, and some objects transform. I loosely based a series of room puzzles on the Nine Lives of the Cat, an Egyptian hierarchy of gods. For instance, there is the Sun God room, where everything looks like it has been bleached out by the intense rays.

AVault:

Describe the conceptual development of these levels. Did you do any special research, and run into any unique design problems? I imagine you drew upon your experience as an architect.

Philip Campbell:

The Unfinished Business levels are based around a tight architectural construct. There are a lot of transparencies highlighting the connections between the various spaces. I imagined a giant underground hatchery, built out of the synthesis of a crumbling ancient architecture and a horrific kind of gunk. This is why you will find some very organic areas growing out of some fairly formal sets of rooms. Of course, everything is built upon the fiery red lava, and I wanted the lava to be constantly bubbling and popping throughout the levels. I worked around a lot of concepts I felt constituted good level design, such as foreshadowing events, allowing the player overall tactical views before a confrontation, building up the intensity as the action progresses, all the time considering dramatic camera angles and dramatically designed spaces. I did the Shadow of the Cat levels because I loved the Egyptian look in the original game, and wanted to add to the mythology of Khamoon. I did do a bit of research into Egyptian lore and culture, but mostly I imagined huge outside spaces, vast expanses of desert, and gigantic pyramids.

AVault:

Describe the actual dynamics of constructing the levels.

Philip Campbell:

The editor was a joy to work with. Rather than feeling like I was building models, plane by plane, vector by vector, I felt as though I was sculpting space, taking a solid block of matter and carving out an environment. Designing Tomb Raider levels involves a lot of late nights, on-the-spot testing, and subsequent tweaking and rebuilding. One of the great advantages of the editor is you can test as you go along.

AVault:

How easy was it to pick up the editing tools?

Philip Campbell:

The tools are geared to results, and I think part of the success of the original game is due to the quality of the level editor. It is very simple to build, test, and revise. The original did have some limitations, but these tended to focus the design rather than hinder it. Of course, my challenge was to build levels with the same high quality as the original, and I hope players find the maps challenging, compelling, and enjoyable.

AVault:

Do you think the editing tools could be mastered by the Internet community? What are the chances of them being freely released?

Philip Campbell:

Anyone with a creative eye could build playable levels, and I hope you will soon have a chance to do just that.

AVault:

You mentioned working with Rebecca Shearin on the Shadow of the Cat levels. Is there new art in Tomb Raider Gold?

Philip Campbell:

Rebecca and I came up with some concept designs the Shadow of the Cat levels, and she made some great new textures, many of which have a feline flavor. We had to stick very closely with the original textures for the Atlantean levels for continuity's sake, but I had a free hand as far as structures and constructs were concerned. For the Egyptian areas, I started out with pretty much the same texture set as the original, then gradually introduced new material as the mystery progressed. We were also aiming for more dramatic outside spaces than the original, so the levels ended up being pretty huge.

AVault:

What is your take on the Lara Croft phenomenon? Do you feel there have been any missteps along the way?

Philip Campbell:

Of course not! The whole Lara Croft and Tomb Raider franchise is the current preoccupation of many talented people at Eidos and Core. Everything is carefully geared to respond to our audience's wishes, and each step is meticulously planned. With a movie deal now in the works, it is critical for us to generate a quality script. Eidos makes sure experts are employed to deal with every conceivable expansion area for the franchise.

AVault:

Where do you see the franchise going?

Philip Campbell:

Tomb Raider is both a series and a franchise, and has potential to develop in many directions. The movie is an exciting opportunity, and as long as people want Lara Croft games, we will continue making them.

AVault:

Describe Vermin and Omikron, as you are able.

Philip Campbell:

Briefly, Vermin is an exciting 3D arcade action game, and Omikron is a real-time action and adventure title. Both look to be potentially great games, and we will be releasing more details as they develop. Certainly, they will both be featured at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year, alongside our many other titles.

All rights belong to AVault and/or their affiliated companies. I only intend to introduce people to old articles and preserve them before they are lost.

#Tomb Raider 1: Unfinished Business #TR1UB Interviews #All Interviews #VL Posts

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jokerfan99 · 5 years

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'Friendly' Reunion by Necroceph

*RVB Opening Theme*

In the mess room, at Blue Base

Now that's a hand! Tucker thought to himself. Four kings and an ace. He's on a winning streak and had just won another of Kai's little 'toy' collection and Caboose's Master Chief 3: The Sang-Man movie disk. He turns his eyes away from the cards and to his opponents. Behind those visors, must be faces riddled with worriedness and fear. He could even hear Kai breathing heavily through that helmet. Confident to win this again, he raises.

Tucker: Raise!

He grabs something from beneath the table and puts it on the table next to his other pile of stuff he has betted none has yet to win. First his stash of porn, his XBOX 1000 and now a rocket launcher aka the SPNKR.

Tucker: Behold the SPNKR! Now who has the balls to beat Tucker The Undefeatable! Kakaina: No fair! I've only got a few stuff left to raise with! Caboose: And I'm running out of Master Chief movies! Tucker: Well you could just give up and walk away. As they say, there's no shame of losing. Kakaina: Ohho I'm not walking away! How about this, I'll bet you... for ME! Weiss: My God, woman. Don't you have any dignity in you?

All players turned to see Weiss standing by the doorway.

Caboose: Hi, Weiss! We're just playing poker. Wanna play? Weiss: Ugh, poker? Why of all games would you all be playing something that involves wasting all of your earnings? Tucker: We're not betting with money, we're betting our stuff. Kakaina: Yeah and this asshole took all of my toys! Weiss: I don't want to think about that. Anyways, stop playing and head upstairs! Tucker: Why? We're heading to the good part. Alright you two, prepare to face the wrath of my hand! Weiss: Our 'friends' from Red base are at our doorstep you dope! We- Tucker: SHH!!! No talking please. Alright you two, prepare to face the wrath of my hand! Kakaina: Bring it!

Tucker reveals his four kings. Kai reveals two pairs, eights and nines. And Caboose... does not reveal his yet for whatever reason.

Kakaina: NOOOOO!!!! Tucker: Fuck yes! Make sure you wear something nice tonight! Caboose, show us yours. Caboose: Uhm, Tucker, can I ask you something? Tucker: Shoot. Caboose: If I win, does that mean I can have all your stuff here? Tucker: That's right, if you can. Muahaha! Caboose: Okay!

Caboose finally revealed his hand. Tucker was about to laugh in victory, but instead he gasped in horror once he witnessed Caboose's hand. A straight flush! One of the few hands that can beat four kings. The Teal One drops his head onto the table in great defeat. Tucker's stash is now Caboose's!

Caboose: Hooray! Tucker: NOOOOO!!!! Kakaina: Pfft HAHAHAHAHAHA! Looks like the 'Undefeated' just got his ass defeated! Haha! Tucker: Not my yearly porn stash! Weiss: Hehehe... ahem! Now that you're all done playing, can we get back to the matter at hand? Caboose: C'mon, Tucker. Let's go see what my brother and his friends want. Tucker: I don't wanna... sob! Kakaina: Oh don't be such a baby!

Outside the Blue Base.

Sarge: First my markswoman's rifle, NOW MY WARTHOG? Your Blue existence disgust me! Church: Well sorry, I've must've mistaken it for a trash disposal truck cause uh... it kinda look like one. HA! Sarge: Why you dirtbag... Ruby: You're such a nasty bunch! Simmons: Yeah and it took us four hours to get the smell off! Lopez: ¡Y otros seis para limpiar el motor!

Church is in the middle of argument with the entire Red team below him. Last night, Church pulled off a prank by throwing all of the base's trash on the warthog with the help of Caboose. The results of the Reds' reaction were, shall we say, astounding. Footsteps behind him caught his attention, it's about time Weiss got the whole team up here. Weiss approaches Church to ask about the situation as she puts on her helmet.

Weiss: What's the enemy's status? Church: Still pissed off.

Church points Weiss at the entire Red team below them. She looked down to see Grif and Simmons fully armed to the teeth with flamethrowers. Though what caught most of her attention is the Red with the red cape around his neck. Must be their sniper Church talked about. The one that trashed the base weeks ago. The way he's wearing that cape kinda reminded Weiss of 'her'. But that's not important right now.

Weiss: I see you brought enough firepower to bring this place to ruin again. Now what do you want? Sarge: We're here to have payback, not a tea party! If you don't come down here like real soldiers, we'll teach you with these fully customized fuel propalled flamethrowers filled with a special sauce me and the boys have cooked up. Delicious! Donut: And I even took the liberty to add a bit of 'pizzazz' on it. Weiss: Flamethrowers? I hate to break it to you, but 90% of this whole place is comprised of concrete and steel. How are you going to burn it down? Grif: Who says we're going to burn your place up? Simmons.

Grif and Simmons approach the old tank. Once their flamethrowers are at a proper range, they both pull the triggers. But instead of fire spewing out the muzzle, an unknown green substance is sprayed onto the tank.

Tucker: Paint? Yeah right, we can just wipe it off! Simmons:You might wanna turn your air filtration off. Blues: Uhm... okay?

The Blues raise their hands next to their helmets and push a small button at the side. Suddenly, a horrifying pungent smell stang their noses, burning up their senses. They all started coughing up and spitting as if they smelled something horrible before pushing the button again, turning their air filtration back on.

Weiss: BLAGH! Kakaina: My nose is FIRE! Caboose: YUCKY! Tucker: PFT! PFT! PFT! Oh my God, why did I spit in my helmet?! Church: YUCK! Jesus Christ that smelled horrible! What the hell is that stuff?! Simmons: Our 'special sauce'. A formula made out of your trash, rotten cheese, excrement, sweat from Grif's socks, the local plantlife, local alien skunk, all the smelly things one can expect to find around here. Grif: How's it feel to have a stench much worse your trash! Ruby: The process was digusting but it's worth it. Church: But... PFT... we can still wash it off... PFT... YUCK! Grif: Good luck with that! This smell will stick on you for weeks, possibly months! Sarge: Ready... aim... FI-

BANG!

Out of the blue, two bullets flew straight into Grif and Simmons' flamethrower canisters before big gasses of green smoke disperses into the air. The stink formula has been released! Ruby yelps and runs away from the stink gas as it engulfs her entire team, thankfully it hadn't touch her. The rest of the Red team on the other hand. Once it disappears, all five of them are covered in the smelly substance, now colored in a hint of green! EWW!

Weiss: Try washing that off, idiots! Ruby: Oh dear. Simmons: AAAHHHHHHH!!! IT'S ON US! IT'S ON US! THE CONTAMINATION!!! Grif: Well... shit. Donut: EWW EWW! I just mosturize myself! Lopez: ¿Por qué te estás volviendo loco? Es solo ... oh espera, cierto. No puedo oler Sarge: Damn you, Blues! You can shoot us, stab us, and mock us all you want, but you can never, EVER, sullied us like this! Except for you, Grif. Grif: Hey! Weiss: Using a substance for the purpose to sting your enemies' sense of smell is a terrible idea for chemical warfare. We have helmets, remember? Ruby: That's no way to treat my friends! Weiss: Excuse me, are you talking to me Red? Ruby: Yeah I'm talking to you... uhm... big meanie! How can you call yourself a soldier by sitting up there and mocking your opponents like a coward! Weiss: A coward?! Now you listen here...

Weiss turns to Church

Weiss: What's her name again? Church: Uhm... Rebec... Rebecca. Tucker: It's not Rebecca, it's Raina! I think. Caboose: RUH-ROH! Weiss: How can you guys forget a name? You all said you heard it! Kakaina: Not me, I was hanging out with a bunch of ODST guys that time. Man they were fun! Weiss: You disgust me. Church: It's been two fucking week! You can't expect us to memorize it everyday! Plus you interrogated Grif and Simmons, didn't they tell you? Caboose: Oh they didn't. They were too busy shivering in fear cause Weiss was always screaming at them. Weiss: Sigh. Follow me, all of you.

Weiss jumps down with the rest Blues following her and drops on the dirt in front of the Red team. Weiss the approaches the Red in the usual angry manner. While she gets mocked and teased all the time, she however does not tolerated being called a coward, even if it were by her own teammates.

Weiss: Now you listen to me very closely! I still don't forgive for what you did to my base. But you do not, DO NOT, mock my position as a soldier! Ruby: Look I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, I'm just saying that you shouldn't act like an 'ice queen' all the time. Simmons: Not only that, you're mentally unstable! Grif: Plus your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard! Weiss: What?! My voice does not sound like that! Am I right guys? Church: With the exception of your singing. Caboose: That's always the good part! Tucker: HOOWEE! It's like hearing a thousand sexy angels coming down to hook up with me. Weiss: Thank you. Grif: Wait that was you singing that night? I thought you guys were listening to Casey Lee! Church: That was her singing Casey Lee, dumbass.

The talk between the teams gets silenced by the blast of Sarge's shotgun to the sky.

Sarge: We're here to fight! And these dirty Blues need to pay dearly for what they've done to us! Church: If you so much as touch us with that stench, I'll blast your head off! Sarge: You think me and my man would fight you in this disgusting state? Simmons: We're giving up? Sir, that ain't like you! Sarge: Of course not. But they'll be fighting... her!

Sarge points to Ruby who startswaving her hand friendly at the Blues.

Ruby: Hi!

The PTSD kicked in. Church, Tucker and Caboose gulped their throats and slowly moves away to the base's door. After what she did to the base, she's a force to be feared of in this canyon.

Weiss: Where are you guys going? She's just one Red! Church: Didn't you hear of what we told you? She's a MONSTER! Tucker: And a hot one too! Church: If you had been here, you could've seen how terrifying this bitch is! I mean look at those eyes!

A shot of Ruby's visor cueing the *Suspenseful stinger music*

RubyL What? Weiss: And I thought you all to be brave reliable soldiers, not a trio of cowardly conscripts. Oh wait, no offense. C'mon Kai, let's show her how the Blue army deals with Reds. Kakaina: Nah, I'm cool. Weiss: What?! Don't tell me you're scared too? Kakaina: Nah, I kinda feel two-on-one isn't a fair fight at all. It's just doesn't fit my 'code of honor'. Tucker: ... She'll only do it when it comes to having sex with hot babes. Kakaina: Her body is considered fuckable! Weiss: Ugh. Fine then, one on one it is! Sarge: That's the spirit! So what will it be? I suggest hand-to-hand combat! Ruby: Uhm, Sarge. I'm bad at close quarter combat, remember? Sarge: Oh right. Hmm, let's see. Aha! How about, Grif ball! Grif: There's only two players. Sarge: Dagnabbit! Sniper duel! Simmons: We're out of 14.5x114mm rounds, sir. Maybe the Blues can share- Church: Good luck with that. Your monster destroyed half our ammo supply, including all the sniper rounds! Sarge: Wrestling match? Donut: We don't have a wrestling ring. Tucker: And tight bikinis.

Everyone, mostly Ruby and Weiss, yells various comments of disgust at Tucker.

Tucker: Oh come on, don't female wrestlers wear that? Kakaina: Not in your "wrestling". Weiss: Hold on everyone! I think I know a good old fashion way can resolve this problem. Get two pistols!

The Reds and Blues gathered together at the middle of the field where the 'old traditional way' will take place. That is the old 19th century pistol duels. Sarge clears his throat before making an announcement to both teams.

Sarge: The rules are simple. Both opponents will only have one shot in their pistols. On a count of three, they must walk away from each other, back to back and after they finish ten paces of walking, they'll turn around and start shooting each other in the faces! Which I think we have a higher chance of winning. Ruby: You're too kind! Sarge" The first one able to shoot their opponent, be it knocking, injuring or killing them, will be declared the winner! Oh and there's a catch, both duelist must turn off their armors' energy shielding. If Red wins, the Blues will have no choice but to cover themselves and their base with the stink formula. A proper punishment for the Blues, buahaha! Church: And if we win, you'll have to cover your base with that shit too. Simmons: Wait a minute, does that include the interior? Church and Sarge: Yes. Donut: I just painted a new layer in my room! Oh, for God's sake, please win! Ruby: Don't worry Donut. I can shoot this jerk on the face with both my eyes close. Grif: Please don't do that. Sarge: One more thing. If both duelist missed their target, we'll have to restart the round again! Seconds, prepare your duelist!

Both teams prepare their duelist. As Caboose and Tucker get the M6 pistol ready and loaded, Church discuss Weiss about her plan to beat her Red adversary.

Church: So what's your plan? Weiss: Even with both our energy shieldings off, the armor will still protect me from 50 Magnum caliber rounds. Same with the helmet's visor, though it'll get a nasty crack. That's the good news. Church: The bad news? Weiss: The unarmored parts of my body are still exposed, mostly the neck area. If she shoots me at the neck, the shockwave of the round will rupture my jugular vein, killing me in an instant. Church: Can't you deflect bullets with your glyphs? Weiss: She'll see it the moment I summon it. You did say she's a sharpshooter right? It'd best not to underestimate her, just like last time. Church: What do you mean 'last time'?

Weiss kept quiet for a while before responding back.

Weiss: Best to keep it that way.

At the Red's place, Sarge discuss Ruby about her plan to beat the Blue menace.

Sarge: My best guess is the neck! The face is a good target but the helmet will still protect that dirty smirk of hers. Ruby: Nah too gruesome. Ooh! What about the arm? You said we can win by injuring them, right? Sarge: That's your decision, as long as I hear that Blue screaming. Grif: This is stupid! Sarge: I beg your pardon? Grif: Isn't this 'pistol duel' stuff old school? The last idea was a lot better. Ruby: EWW! Not you too! Donut: Hey at least they wear clothes in this! Lopez: Además, nadie tiene que masturbarse en secreto en este caso. Simmons: Okay everyone, the gun's lock and loaded. Sarge: Great! Now give her a good Texan payback!

Simmons hands the pistol to Ruby. With both duelist ready, they approach to one another with the pistols in their hands. Their teammates keep their distance away, leaving them alone to their pistol duel. Just when the match is about to start, Ruby raises her hand to Weiss as if to give out a handshake which in fact she does wants to. Weiss is confused of this.

Weiss: What are you doing? Ruby: Just in case if you shoot me first. Weiss: Why would I shake a Red's hand? Plus didn't you destroy my base week ago? Ruby: Yeah about that. Sorry. I wasn't able to control myself, but I'vefinally learned my lesson. Weiss: 'Sorry' isn't enough. And let's not forget the fact that we're still enemies. Ruby: But that doesn't mean we have to be 'real' enemies. Even if we're here to kill each other, we should at least act like good duelists. Weiss: Well that's true. It would be impolite to refuse a handshake, even from an enemy.

Weiss accepts the handshakes. But once she touches the hand, it felt as though she once touched this hand before. Ruby had the same reaction when she touches hers too.

Ruby: That kinda felt weird. Weiss: Yeah. Before we can shoot each other, what's your name? Ruby: My name is- Sarge: Alright you two! Let's get this started! Ruby: Later. My leader's a bit impatient. Weiss: Same here. My team can't wait for your blood to be spilled. Maybe if we survive, we might talk a little. Ruby: GASP! Does that mean we can be friends! Weiss: No.

Ruby and Weiss turn each others backs, ready to start the duel. Sarge begins the countdown.

Sarge: One Mississipi... two Mississipi... THREE MISSISSIPI!!! Start walking!

Both of them started walking. Ruby counts the paces silently while Weiss counts them in her mind. One... two... three... four... five... It's almost close, Ruby thought. Even if she just had a friendly chat, she has to remember that's the Blue's her opponent and she's here to kill her. She must do the same. In order to win this, she'll need to think of her opponent's face as her's, her damn fucking face, that way she'll be able to pull the trigger! Six... seven... eight... Weiss tell herself that she can do this. Though confident, she was furious to witness the cape the Red's wearing because it reminds it of someone she knew. But she stays cool and reminds herself of the duel. Nine... ten...

RUBY AND WEISS TURNS AROUND AND BOTH PULL THE TRIGGERS SIMULTANEOUSLY!

BANG!!!

Both fell onto the ground. Red and Blue rush to their respective team members. They take a look at them, and noticed both their visors helmets' have entirely been cracked. Sarge is horrified to see his favourite soldier seemingly lying dead on the ground. Despite being covered in shit, he hold her body in his arms, before crying out in grief.

Sarge: NOOOOOO!!! Don't you die on me! You still haven't gotten next week's promotion for destroying the Blue base! Simmons: Wait isn't next week my promotion? Sarge: It's been rescheduled. Talk to me! SPEAK TO ME! Grif: Huh, guess she's dead. Welp, off to get the shovels. Ruby: Ow... (muffled) Sarge: Scratch that, she's alive! Thank the Lord himself! Grif: Fuck. Donut: Ruby, are you okay? Ruby: I've... been through worse. Ow! (muffled) Donut: Uhm... come again?

The Blue's reaction on the other hand, wasn't as dramatic as the Reds.

Caboose: Are you okay?! How big is the boo-boo? Weiss: Just a minor bruise, that's all. Nothing to worry about. A little help? (muffled) Caboose: ... Church, I think I'm deaf. Church: You're not deaf! Something's wrong with her helmet!

He's right. The visors have gone yellow to black, same with the Red's. The HUD's memory card slot isn't emitting any light, indicating no electricity in there. The helmets have gone dark! Weiss tries to take it off, but the helmet is locked onto her undersuit's fabric nmagnetic locks.

Weiss: Church, what's going on? I can't take it off! (muffled) Church: Calm down. Your helmet must've been damaged. Weiss: What? (muffled) Church: I said your helmet's damaged! Weiss: Oh, what? Damn it, speak up! (muffled) Church: YOUR... HELMET'S... DAMAGED! Weiss: ... Church ... Weiss: Then why didn't you say so? Get this thing off me! (muffled) Church: What? Weiss: Get this thing off me! (muffled) Church: Shit, now I can't hear her. Caboose, help me out!

Church and Caboose grab the side of Weiss' helmet.

Church: Heave ho!

They pulled it together and successfully removed the damn thing on Weiss with the sound of a pop. Weiss heavily breathes in the air around her. Wearing that unfunctional helmet almost gave her an asphyxiation.

Church: You okay? Weiss: Next time... I'm buying a new helmet. What about the Red, is she dead? Church: Well... you're not the only one with a stuck helmet. Weiss: You've gotta be joking.

The Blues witness the Reds attempting to remove their recruit's helmet. They're having a hard time. Four of the Reds are trying to pull the helmet off as Ruby tries to push it. Lopez also helps them, prying it off with a crowbar on the back of her neck. With one last heave, the helmet finally came off. Ruby breathes in and out like a fish in a water.

Ruby: Oh sweet cool air! Sarge: How are you feeling? Ruby: Fine!

As she recovers, she noticed Weiss, now helmetless approaching her. She must've had the same problem as she did. And the other news, her opponent's hand is unscathed. Oh no, she thought to herself. She has hesitated again. Oh well, she can try again in round two.

Weiss: I'm impressed. I expect you to shoot me by the neck. Ruby: Yeah, I got a little hesistant that time. If I were thinking of someone I would have... easily... shoot... you? Weiss: Well try not too this time. Come on let's start the... next... round... oh my God.

Upon seeing each other's face, the world felt into a silence. Even the rest of the Reds and Blues didn't mutter a word when they noticed their teammates making a godly shocked expressions at one another.

Caboose: Ooh! Are we playing the quiet game? I love playing this!

Well except for Caboose, that is.

Weiss: R-Ruby? Ruby: W-W-Weiss? Weiss: What are you...? Ruby: What are you...?

They kissed. WROOOONG!!! Both girls smash their heads together like two mountain goats. They start growling at each other with wrathful looks forming on their faces and their eyes that are making contact with each other are filled with extreme hostility! As if you eyes were being deceived, their bodies begin to glow bright.

Weiss: What are you doing here YOU UNDISCIPLINED BRAT!!! Ruby: And what are you doing here YOU BACKSTABBING JERK!!! Everybody: Hah? Huh? Wha?

Reds and Blues are completely confused if what they're seeing right now. Just now they were dueling each other like gentlewomen, and now they're growling at each other like rabid dogs! Not only that, THEY KNOW EACH OTHER?!?!

Grif: Okay can anyone explain what the fuck's happening? Kakaina: Do... they know each other? Tucker: I think they do. Caboose: Wow, Church! Weiss has a best friend! Church: Had. I doubt they're friends, right now. Simmons: Sir, what do we do? Sarge: Nothing! I wanna see how this goes!

Back to Ruby and Weiss.

Weiss: It's no wonder why that cape and touch felt so familiar! IT WAS YOU!!! Of all the thousand planets in the galaxy, I've been deployed here only to see YOU HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BOX CANYON WITH THE RED ARMY!!! Ruby: I expected to be away from you, FOREVER AND EVER! Until you showed your EGOISTIC COWARDLY FACE OF YOURS HERE!!! Weiss: I AM NOT EGOISTIC AND COWARDLY! I was ordered to move! Ruby: 'CAUSE YOU CARE ONLY FOR YOUR CAREER MORE THAN YOUR BEST FRIENDS! Weiss: AND YOU FAILED TO CARRIED OUT YOUR ORDERS! IT WOULD'VE ENDED DIFFERENTLY IF YOU HAD LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAID, YOU SCYTHE SWINGING BITCH! Ruby: Boohoo! Daddy, a peasent girl like me is being bullied by a mean Ms. Rich Gal! Weiss: Is that an INSULT?! Ruby: As a matter of fact, YES!

Weiss had enough, she punches Ruby right at the nose with blood spewing the nostrils! Despite the tears flowing and nose bleeding, Ruby quickly recovered and give Weiss a nasty uppercut to the chin! Then they grabbed each other, trying to pin the other to the ground, but they were equally matched and none had yet bring the other down. This is starting to become pure entertainment for Reds and Blues, mostly Sarge and Tucker. Been a while since Tucker had last saw a good catfight.

Tucker: That's right Weiss baby! Keep them fists flying! Sarge: Don't let that dirty albino Blue pin you down! Swing the legs, the legs! Grif: Wow, this is a lot better then the last duel! I'm betting for the white haired chick. Tucker: The brunette! Kaikaina: Red haired chick! Caboose: Fight! Fight! Fight!

Some however were not so keen to seeing this fight.

Church: Should we stop them? Donut: Of course! Ruby's going to get herself killed! Church: Why worry? She launched a one man war on our base, I guess she'll be fine. Simmons: What about your recruit? Church: Good point. But I'm not going near that psychopath! Lopez: ¿Qué tal si agarramos a Ruby primero y luego obtendrás el tuyo? Simmons: How about we grab Ruby first, and then you'll get yours? Church: Good idea. Lopez: Eso es exactamente lo que acabo de decir.

Simmons and Donut, quickly grabs her before she could bite Weiss' throat off. Despite two men holding her, they couldn't hold their grip as she violently tries to wriggle off them to finish her business with her "friend". Thankfully, Lopez was around and restrains her with his mechanical strength.

Ruby: Let go of me! She's EVIL INCARNATE! Donut: Please, Ruby, control yourself! Ruby: You don't understand she... left... sniff sniff... hehehe...

Ruby forget she's not wearing her helmet anymore, thus leaving her nose vunerable to her team's smelly state, causing her to barf out her breakfast.

Grif: That solves our problem!

Seeing the oppurtunity, Weiss charges at her unconscious enemy, but was stopped once Church grabs her shoulders.

Weiss: Let go off ME! Church: Calm down will you! Weiss: I WILL NOT... sniff... oh no... UGH!...

Weiss too have fallen victim to the Red's stink formula, fainting on Church's chest. The Blues sighed in relief. Church hands Weiss to Caboose and carries her unconscious body on his shoulder. The Reds and Blues then looked at each other for a while. With Ruby and Weiss both now out of commision, I think it's time to call it a day.

Church: This was a fun day. Well see you assholes tomorrow. Sarge: Where do you think you're going? Round 2 hasn't ended yet! Grif, give Ruby your helmet. Grif: I'm not getting knocked out too! Sarge: Or would you prefer the old shotgun to the face? Simmons: Sir, there's no need to 'cause...

Sarge turned to see the Blues no longer in front of them. They already left before he notices.

Sarge: Dagnabbit.

Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/necroceph

#ruby rose #weiss schnee #rwby #monty oum #Rooster Teeth #Red vs Blue #michael j caboose

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geminimoonbeamx · 6 years

Text

Sugar Rush: Part One

A/N: So I’ve kind of been dying to write any kind of Sub!Sebastian story for ages. Just because I’m obsessed with reading Stucky stories(porn) and more often then not he’s a bottom and I live for that shit. So I thought I’d try my hand at writing some real kinky shit. Also if you guys haven’t read Suga Mama by Emotchalla, please fucking do. Her story along with the massive amount of Sugar baby Stucky fics are why this idea has seeded itself into my brain and wont go away.

Also- I don’t have time to be writing another 25 chapter story lol. So this fic is going to be paced kind of fast, and at some points be one shots that are barley connected. Kind of just a way to get out my fantasies- no novels here.

Word Count: 4k+

Warnings: As with all of my stories there’s a permanent warning of cursing. I have a mouth like a sailor and express myself through the word fuck.

Summary: Bucky is a College student in his early twenties who seems to be drowning in the struggle of adulthood. When he meets Y/N, a well off Magazine CEO and gets the proposition of a lifetime, he takes on a title he never even could have imagined. Sugar Baby.

Bucky Barnes was no stranger to hard work. To the struggles of life.

He, along with his little sister Rebecca, had been in and out of the system up until he was nine; group homes and foster care were things that he was familiarized with at a young age. But so were heroine needles and that look that junkies get in there eye when the were high- he’d take sleeping in a clean bed in orphanage over listening to his mother tweak in the next room any day. He’d been adopted by George and Winifred Barnes two months shy of his tenth birthday, and they were the best people he’d ever met. Kind, and loving. He truly believes that they were heaven sent(if you tasted Winnie Barnes’ country fried steak, you’d think the same) but it’s not as though his life was suddenly a cake walk. He grew up the eldest of five- four younger sisters.

Yeah, if that sounds a little hellish, that’s because it was. He loved those little brats with all his heart, but damn, had they forced him into the “mature older brother” role.

He’d done well in High School- both athletically and academically. Played Varsity baseball and stayed on the honor roll all four years. Was it hard? Balancing the two along with his flourishing social life(because everyone love Bucky, that’s just how it went)? Yeah, maybe. But he did it.

…The hardest, most unexpected endeavor that he’d ever have to face came when he was eighteen- the car accident. The one that had left him mangled and broken. So fucked up- no one ever knew if he’d be able to recover-

But guess what? He had.

He liked to think his best personality trait was resilience. Throw anything at him. Any-fucking-thing. And he’d endure it, and bounce back.

But being a college student, living in New York City? Now this was some rough shit. If he wasn’t working at one of his two jobs, the ones that barley covered his rent, phone bill and tuition payments- he was in school. Studying his ass off, desperately attempting to get his degree. He barley had money for food most of the time. Thank fuck that he and his roomates had a “grocery jar” that they all contributed too- or else he surely would have starved. His diet consisted mostly of frozen foods and PBJ’s

He was living that early twenties struggle. The one that he knew everyone had to go through- to build character and all that. But fuck, was it killing him.

He was running on fumes, which wasn’t out of the norm, but still was starting to take it’s toll as he shook a bag of Cheddar Ruffles into his mouth. Breakfast of champions. He was listening to his roomates as he clambered around the kitchen, only having five or so minutes to spare before he had to go catch the subway and get to school.

It was a discussion they’d been stressing over heavily as of late.

Steve had moved out a month prior, finally taking the next step with his long time boyfriend, Sam- and Bucky was happy for him.

“Finally, punk” He’d grinned and slapped the back of his friends head. would he miss him? Yeah, he would. Bucky had a lot of friends- but Steve was his best friend. His first friend. But times changed, and they were getting older and Steve still lived in Brooklyn, so there really wasn’t nothing to spill tears over.

Except for the fact that now, they had to figure out how to cover that missing gap of rent.

There was still him, Scott and Clint- and now he had his own room(which he’d won fair and square in an arm wrestle, thank you very fuckin’ much) but making the nearly two thousand dollar rent payment every month was going to be harder. And it had them all on edge.

“I’ll pick up some more shifts at the café” Bucky deducts, chugging down the rest of his coffee.

“And how are you gonna’ do that? And go to school? What are you gonna’ do? Astral Project?” Clint gave him a dead pan look and Bucky shrugged. He’d do what he had to.

“How fucking cool would that be though? If you could really, you know, like astral project…why are you guys looking at me like that?” Scott ended his sentence defensively as both Bucky and Clint stared at him pointedly. Bucky with a hint of amusement, and Clint with his arms folded across his chest.

Scott was most definitely the child of the group. The one that you found passed out in the bushes at parties…which was why when they’d found out his ex girlfriend was pregnant a few years ago- they’d all, to be frankly honest, had been fucking terrified for him. He was actually a pretty decent father though. His daughter spent one weekend a month with them, and Bucky thought she was just about the cutest thing ever.

“Can you take this seriously for a second, man” Clint stressed and Bucky just sighed and grabbed his back pack. He really couldn’t handle anymore stress at the moment and he was kind of happy he had to be at his 9 o'clock lecture. At least he could escape this conversation.

“It’ll be fine, okay guys? We’ll figure it out. Don’t stress it so bad” He soothes as he walks past them, giving them each a pat on the shoulder.

“We’re going to have to become strippers! You do realize that, right?” Clint calls to him as he’s half way out of the door and he chuckles.

“Well I do have the ass for it” is Bucky’s parting statement.

The trek across the city, to NYU was as it always was. He spent it on the subway, his head phones blaring in his ears as he went over his homework and got a little more studying in, even though his eyes kept crossing from exhaustion.

He really was considering Clint’s suggestion- stripping didn’t sound so bad right now. If not for his scarred up arm, he probably would have done it ages ago. Because Bucky wasn’t a judgmental prick, and he considered strippers and sex workers as just that- workers. People trying to get by. He didn’t really care how people got their money.

He rushed across campus and managed to make it to his Poly Sci class not only on time, but early. He knew it’d earn him some brownie points with Professor Xavier. He was unpacking his laptop- which was horribly outdated, and his text books when you walked in. He’d been looking up at someone passing by his desk when he’d first laid eyes on you. It wasn’t the way you looked, although he cant deny, you looked damn good. With your sleek black pant suit that clings to your curves(and you’re nothing but curves) and bag hanging on your arm. Your makeup done impeccably and your hair shiny- you looked expensive. Well manicured. You looked like money.

No; it was more the way you carried yourself. The confidence in your strut. The way that you held your chin high, and not in a douche arrogant way…but more in an elegant self assured way. He cant help but watch you, the way that you smile brightly and give Professor X a warm hand shake, squeezing his with both of yours. When you’re introduced to the class as the guest speaker the professor had invited, Bucky grins.

“This is Y/N Y/L/N, a former pupil of mine. Former writer for the New York Post and current Editor and Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D Magazine”

Ahh, so you didn’t just look like money. You were made of it.

S.H.I.E.L.D was a global Magazine- a household name. One that covered most everything; entertainment. Fashion. Politics. He found himself flipping through one almost every day at work.

Listening to your speech was almost hypnotic. You were humble, and yet commanded the room. He learned that at the ripe age of 32, you were the magazines youngest ever Editor and that you’d worked tooth and nail to get there. You talked about the importance of public relations, and knowing what was going on in the world- no matter what subject one might go into. Covered the best ways to get into any business-

“Persistence!” You’d encouraged with a smile “I mean excuse my French, but annoy the shit out of them! Make yourselves memorable. Don’t be afraid to break away from the norm, because the most special parts of you- the ones that will get you places- are buried under your insecurities”

It was honestly one of the most interesting, engaging classes Bucky had ever sat in. You gave real tips, talked about real life in a way that was so blunt; it was refreshing. At the end, right before you were set to end your discussion, you took questions.

You were answering a girl who sat next to his question about you’re travels while writing when you catch him staring at you.

It’s a hot gaze. A heavy one. His gunpowder eyes seem to…look deep into you. Set you alight from the inside out. When you meet the gaze, boldly meeting his eyes its like…

Fuck.

It’s like nothing Bucky has ever experienced. He wants to crawl out of his skin, wants to crawl to you. Wants to taste what that gaze promises. It feels like it lasts an eternity, but really its only a few fleeting moments, before you break the stare. He feels like something inside of him breaks too, as you look away. As he packs his things back up into his book bag. As the bell chimes singling the end of the period and he leaves the classroom room.

He knows he’ll probably never see you again and that thought alone upsets him way more then it should. He hadn’t even said a word to you. Why was he such a fucking idiot? He should have asked a question- or something. As he goes on with the rest of the day, he finds himself unable to keep you out of his mind. You keep popping up. You’re pearly smile. You’re E/C eyes, and those lush lashes that framed them. He’s drifting into the thought of you as he works; making coffee for teachers and students alike.

He works at one of the many campus cafes’ part time, and today he’s behind the coffee bar. He doesn’t mind it, he actually likes barista-ing. The business of it makes time go by faster. Because everyone needs their caffeine fix, there’s never really a slow moment. He’s always busy. Which is why he doesn’t notice you when you walk in. Doesn’t even realize you’re there until you’re right in front of him, next in line.

He almost chokes on his fucking tongue.

“Um- Hey. Hi” Smooth, Bucky- he hisses at himself in his mind.

Your lips widen, grinning in recognition and his stomach flip flops.

“Hello again” You greet him, trying to reel in your own shock. What kind of fucking serendipity was this? After the entire day of giving your guest speech to class after class- you couldn’t get the stormy eyes out of your head. And now here he was. About to make your coffee. “Fancy meeting you here-” your eyes peel for his name tag.

“Bucky” He inturupts with a nervous little smile.

“Bucky? Hmm” You roll his name over in your mouth. Tasting it. He watches his name slip from between your lips and he can feel a twitch in his black work slacks.

“I like it” you decide and he chuckles and thanks you, telling you he was pretty fond of it himself.

“Well, what can I get you?”

“A large, iced skinny white chocolate mocha with extra whip, please- And what’s good to snack on here?” your eyes scan the large, clear display box full of goodies an Bucky’s more then happy to help you. Anything- to keep talking to you. You end up on a ham and cheddar bagel- he says he can testify to their delicacy. He ate two every day-

“You’re in pretty good shape for treating bagels like their own food group” You teased, but only party. He was gorgeously built- not “body builder bulky” but tall and broad shouldered, his biceps prominent under the long sleeves he wore. You wanted to bite them.

“I work at a gym part time” He chuckles back as he runs your platinum card “Gotta at least try to look the part”

He obviously misses your ogling as you give a relaxed hum in response, taking your purchases and shooting him one last heart stopping smile and goodbye as you retreat. Everything inside of him screams in fear, and its so confusing. Because he had just met you, had maybe said a dozen words to you, and yet he’s terrified of you walking out of the door and him never seeing you again. It’s that same alarm going off on his head as earlier after class. He’s relieved when you choose, instead of leaving, to take a table in the back corner of the café.

“Okay, who the fuck is that? And why did she make you react like a twelve year old boy?” Darcy, one of his co-workers, asks. Her thin, dark brow raised and her pouty lips pulled into a shit eating grin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”- he almost face palms at that. At how childish and unbelievable he sounds.

“Um H-H-Hey. Hi. Hello” She snarks, teasing on the way that he had greeted you and he bumps his shoulder to hers lightly, telling her to fuck off under his breath as he goes onto another costumer. Happy for the distraction.

You sit in that little café for far too long. Sipping on your iced coffee until it’s nothing but ice. Nibbling on the ham and cheese bagel- he was right it’s delicious. You pull out your tablet and get some work done- making sure that everything’s going smoothly. Checking in with your assistant. You sit there for almost an hour before you’re forced to leave and you cant help but feel a little huffy. Why hadn’t he come up to you? You can feel that intense stare of his on you. You don’t have the time to wait for him- and yet the idea of never seeing his handsome face is not something you’re willing to face. So you reach into your bag, and pull out one of your business cards and a pen.

Bucky cant seen to take his eyes off you for more then a few minutes at a time- its like you’re magnetic. The way your hair falls around your face, the way you cross your thick thighs. He adverts his eyes every time he feels like he’s about to get caught though. Darcy’s right. He’s being a twelve year old boy.

When you walk over to him, your red bottomed heels clicking, his head snaps up.

“Thanks for the bagel. It was delicious” You grin as you slide a bill and a card across the counter to him. His eyebrows pull together.

“What’s this?”

“A tip” You shrug…“It was really nice to meet you, Bucky” You purr, looking at him pointedly before you’re walking out of the door. He’s glued to the sight of your wide ass in those tailored pants for a moment- before he’s looking down at the paper in his hands.

His eyes widen, to an almost comical degree as he takes in the cash. You’d left him a two hundred dollar tip! Two fucking hundred dollar pills, crisp and neat sit under your business card. Which has your name and number printed on it in elegant scroll. He flips it over and is surprised to see there’s more.

-I know how hard tuition can get and working two jobs cant be easy.

I’d love to help, handsome. Give me a call sometime- xoxo, Y/N-

He cant believe what he’s looking at, he cant seem to draw air into his lungs to clear his head as he stares at your loopy, cursive hand writing. We’re you insinuating what he thought you were?

“Oh my god, you lucky bitch” Darcy’s voice comes from over his shoulder as she also stares down at what he’d been left “If you don’t call her, give me her number so I can!”

The first person Bucky actually does call, once he’s home and in the sanctuary of his room is Steve. Because Steve is his best friend, and Steve will know what to do with this information.

Of course, the asshole laughs at him for the first five minutes of the conversation. Until Bucky is huffing and threatening to hang up.

“I’m sorry, Buck. It just reminds me of when Mrs. Levinstien used to only pay you to mow her lawn. That dirty old lady had the hots for you so bad” Steve chuckles in defensive and Bucky grimaces at the memory.

“She’s not like that, though, Steve. She’s- she’s fucking beautiful, and successful and sexy. You should have seen her man” Bucky trails a hand through his hair as he thinks back at his interactions with you, and the mark your presence had left on him.

“Then what’s the problem?” That’s Sam who replies and Bucky rolls his eyes. Of course Steve would have him on speaker phone. Him and same we’re like connected by the tip of their dicks, so he was used to it.

“The problem with him pimping himself out?” Steve’s voice came out incredulous over the receiver.

“I mean, he already seems to like this girl. So he get to be with her and be paid for it? That doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me” Sam argues and they’re just making Bucky’s tired head ache.

“All I’m saying is that working those two jobs obviously aint cutting for you man. Call her. What’s the worst that could happen? You get to see a girl who you obviously have the hots for again? If you’re not into it, just leave. Its that simple” And when Sam say’s it like that, it really does click into place. It really does seem that simple. Even with Steve insisting that she could be a serial killer.

Bucky takes the night to sleep on it. He dreams of your lips, dreams of fucking that pretty mouth that seemed to spew nothing but charm of intelligence. Dreams of you sucking and sucking until he’s screaming. He hasn’t come so hard in his pants since he ACTUALLY was twelve. He wakes up to stickiness in his boxers and his cock pulsating and he knows he has to call you.

Why he’s so nervous? He doesn’t know…he keeps making excuses. Maybe you’d changed your mind over night? Maybe you we’re too busy to take his call…he finally musters up the balls after he’s getting off of his job at the gym a few days later, the sun setting on the city. It only rings twice before you pick up and he’s greeted with your bell chim like voice.

“Hello, this is Y/N speaking”

“Hey” His voice is too deep, gravely, but he cant help it. He’s nervous “This is Bucky- from school. I mean from the university- that you lectured at the other day-”

Why? Why does all cognitive thought leave him when he attempts to talk to you?

“Bucky, huh? I was starting to think you we’re going to call me” You tease him, but he can hear the smile in your voice.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ve been really busy” He lies- he’d just been a chicken shit.

“Mmhm” You don’t sound amused by that “We’re all busy people, and time is of the essence. I knew I should have gotten your number”

He chuckles at your directness “Now you have it”

“So I do. What should I do with it, hmm?”

“I don’t know… You tell me” He feels a little idiotic saying it, but he’s truly curious to what happens next.

“Why don’t you let me take you to dinner?” You’re nearly purring again and Bucky has to bite his lip to keep himself at bay. You were so straight forward, so unlike any of the girls he’d ever come into contact with in the past.

“Really?” He’s never let any one take him out to dinner. He was always the one to ask, to lead. But he had all of twenty dollars in his bank account(that two hundred you’d given him had gone to his part of the utility bill) and honestly, he wasn’t sure how he was going to stretch it til’ his next paycheck. Even if he wanted to be the one to take you out, to wine and dine you, he couldn’t.

“Mmhmm, really. Are you free Friday- at eight?”

“Um yeah, that could work” He was supposed to be working at the café that night, but he’d have someone cover him.

“Alright. Do you like Cajun food, there’s a new restaurant that opened in SOHO that I’ve been meaning to check out”

He liked any food that didn’t come out of his freezer, and so he agrees eagerly. You tell him to send you his address so that you can send for him, and he only faintly tries to protest, you reassure him that it would really be no problem.

“‘Kay then, it’s a date. I’ll see you then”

“I can’t wait” He’s overly eager, he can hear it in his own tone but the giggle you let out is warm and seeps into his bones instead of embarrassing him.

“Me neither. Have a good rest of your day, Bucky” and then you click end and he stands in the middle of the busy side walk, his phone still pressed against his ear. He feels hot all, the butterflies ricocheting in his stomach. He swallows it, pushes it down, feeling ridiculous and “unmanly” for the affect you have on him as he pushes on down the street.

Yeah, Bucky’s struggled.

But things seem like they may just be looking up.

@buchonians @papi-chulo-bucky @geekyweed @4theluvofall @peacefulwriter88 @missrobyn81 @prettybubblesintheair @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @papi-chulo-seb @shayla-markele @thatawkwardtinyperson @docharleythegeekqueen

Okay ya’ll let me warn you now this one is going to be KINKY as a motherfucker. Prepare yourselves. And let me know if you’d like to be tagged for this little series!

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x plus size reader #plus size reader #sub!bucky #college au #college!bucky #domme!reader #bucky barnes smut #this ones going to be KINKY #curvy reader #twink!bucky #young Bucky #sebastian stan #steve x sam

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