#he would take a bullet for his kids bur he is not a good man

[ego-meliorem-esse]

July 13th, 1917

Be it from a sense of paternal concern or simply patriotic duty, Arthur made sure to leave his soldiers in the charge of an older Corporal and made his way to the quite pathetic excuse of a medical section where his son was left to rot.

Arthur had heard about the attack. He had been informed the day prior.

He had seen war and famine and sickness, but never like this. Arthur wasn't young, in any sense, and what wonders and strong political oppinions young men had, had left him a long time ago like a ship leaving the harbour in a hury to claim new land. This though, had left shock echoing within his tired, millenia old frame. He wasn't used to this.

Arthur made his way through the trenches with soldiers from every corner of the globe instantly stopping whatever they were doing prior and saluting him as if etiquette and rank mattered in hell. As if it was more importaint to greet the Higher ups than to survive long enough to even write a letter back to family. Arthur did understand that though. Routine and rules were the only thing keeping these poor and wretched souls from being consumed by thoughts of an imminent death.

The path to the section where Matthew was held was quite straightforward and quite familiar. He had marched to and from it hundreds of times and had a sort of automatic rithm in his step. Arthur made his way to the small and damp room with a fast pace indicative of familiarity, only to stop in his tracks in the shabbily built doorframe at the sight that awaited him in the corner.

Matthew sat in the corner of the sad makeshift medical section of the trenches, his back firm against the cold, damp wall.

His once-piercing blue-grey eyes were now clouded over with milky white cataracts, rendering him completely blind. The newly used gas had stolen his sight. His skin, once tanned and healthy, now bore the sickly pallor of a much older man who had endured unimaginable suffering.

Matthew's uniform, discarded in favour of his worn down undershirt, was now a tattered and stained relic of his time in the trenches. The not-white-anymore shirt clung to his emaciated frame as if decency still mattered in hell. The physical toll of the war was clear on his body. Not that Matthew would have to worry about seeing that any time soon. His hands, which had once held a rifle with resolve, now trembled even while resting on his thighs.

Despite his physical and emotional anguish, Matthew remained seated upright, his back pressed against the unforgiving, stained wall. A testament to his resilience if there was any left, a silent protest against the horrors that had taken his sight and left him broken in body and spirit.

As he sat there, his spirit reduced to a hollow shell, Matthew's face bore a mixed expression of utter defeat and complete indifference. His lips were drawn into a thin, lifeless line, and his cheeks were gaunt from the weight of his suffering. His blank, unseeing eyes stared into the abyss, as if waiting for answers and also hoping they'd never arrive.

In that moment, Matthew was not a representation of Canada; he was a young man who had been scarred and broken by the senseless brutality of war. The trenches around him buzzed with activity, but he remained isolated in his silent world of darkness and despair. The young medics job was done. He had patched Matthew up and left him to his own misery. Matthew was grateful.

Arthur stood there silently under the doorframe for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. A strange and unfamiliar twinge of emotion plucked and pulled on his conscience. He hadn't felt guilt in quite some time. This feeling was reserved for drunken nights spent in solitude with the doors to the room he resided in firmly locked so that his sliver of self-deprecating emotion wasn't witnessed by any but himself, while he drunk himself to unconsciousness.

He preferred the emotional solitude to this.

Arthur had believed himself to be capable of most things. Especially conversation and confrontation. He was quite good at those as centuries of existence had proved. He believed himself quite skilful with words. Most of the time he knew what to say and when to say it without it resulting in unwanted and unforeseen consequences, while still making sure his opinion was heard.

Arthur had no words forming as he stood in that doorframe. If Arthur was a good man, his reasoning would be that he felt such strong empathy and sadness that words wouldn't be enough to express the sorrow he felt at that moment. If Arthur was a good man he'd run to his son, assure him that this wouldn't happen ever again and that he was safe. If Arthur was a good man he would fall on his knees in front of his oldest son and beg for forgiveness.

Arthur wasn't a good man.

He could admit to his shortcomings, but to act on them was not in his nature.

So he stood there for another 5 or 6 minutes watching his son shallowly breathe in and out, hearing the boys lungs struggle to keep up with his muscles contraction and need for air.

He must have made a noise, as Matthew's head tilted slightly to the left, almost looking at Arthur but definitely not seeing him. Arthur looked back at him.

The room was quiet, save for the desperate plea of Matthews lungs to be put out of their misery.

Sensing nothing after a few moments, Matthew turned his head back towards the blank wall ahead.

Arthur silently turned his frame around and slowly started walking the path he had taken to get here. As he took a few steps, he released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

How he longed for that whiskey bottle and that dark room where he could lock himself in and slowly drift out of consciousness instead of facing his own mistakes.

Arthur definitely was not a good man.

#ooof i had a field day with this one #father son drama ugh sighn me the fuck up #arthur is def not a good man im sorry to the england stans but he isnt #he lives his kids but he is not a good man #he would take a bullet for his kids bur he is not a good man #hetalia #hws england #hws canada #myart #my art #historical hetalia #my writing #arthur kirkland #matthew williams #hetalia fanfiction

[breadqueen95]

Dress - Bucky Barnes

bucky barnes x fem!reader

wc: 5k

plot: bucky and y/n’s relationship is new, and they don’t want to share with their friends just yet. but something as simple as a dress can change anyone’s mind, even the winter soldier. 

content warnings: kissing. physical affection. flirting. allusions to sex. drinking. being drunk. language. bucky being a flirt. 

a/n: this is for @natasha-romancff and her taylor swift writing challenge! it took me awhile, but i’ve had a ton of fun writing this. so many bucky fics are angsty, and rightly so the man has some TRAUMA. but for my first bucky fic, based on dress by taylor swift, i wanted something happier for him 

***

Damn. That was a lot of leg.

“I don’t know,” you muttered as you stared into the mirror, “aren’t these things…a little classier than this?”

“Uh…have you met Tony Stark?” Natasha grumbled as she continued to scroll through her phone. “The man has never been classy a day in his life.”

“Well I know he isn’t, but fancy people show up to these things. I just don’t want to embarrass myself.” You were currently standing in front of the full-length mirror in Wanda’s room, staring at the reflection of a woman who didn’t quite look like you.

But it was you, wasn’t it? It was just…that you was wearing a very short, very sexy red cocktail dress. The sweetheart neckline was a nice touch, but the back was completely open. And that hemline? Definitely hiked way up past your knees.

“Y/n, relax,” Wanda reassured in her lilting accent, “sure, the dress is a little…spicier…than you’re used to, but it’s in a good way.”

“I’m pretty sure every single person would be able to tell I spend my days in tactical gear. God, I’m not sure I even know how to walk in heels this high!”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Natasha threw her phone down and looked at you in the mirror. Her eyebrows were raised, and she was giving you her usual ‘don’t give me that shit’ look. It nearly had you shaking in your very strappy black heels.

“Are you kidding me, y/n? I’ve seen you strut in enough fancy parties during undercover missions to know that you’ve got this.”

“Yeah,” Wanda scoffed as she took a sip of red wine from her glass, “all she’s nervous about is what Bucky will think.”

Rolling your eyes, you tried to hide how much that sentence affected you.

“C’mon, Wanda. You know Bucky and I are just friends.”

“Do friends undress each other with their eyes whenever they’re in the same room?”

Damn it. Damn Wanda and her stupid perceptiveness.

“You’re reading too much into it, Wanda.” She just laughed at you, acting like she knew so much better.

What you knew and wasn’t ready to admit to your two best friends, was that she was right on the money.

Bucky Barnes, the infamous Winter Soldier, your favorite person in the entire world, was now your boyfriend. He had been for a few weeks now. The two of you were insanely private people. Hell, it had been years before the two of you had finally learned everything about each other. Once you had gotten past the walls the other had so carefully crafted, well…

At that point you were in love.

But the others didn’t need to know that, not yet at least. The Avengers were a family, your family. They were really the only true family you’d ever had. But Bucky…Bucky was finally yours. And you were his. You didn’t think it was crazy to just want to enjoy that, just the two of you, without everyone else sharing their jokes and opinions just yet. They did it out of love, you both knew that, but you just wanted him all to yourself.

As you looked back at your reflection in the mirror, you took a minute to really consider what Bucky’s reaction might be. He had the best poker face in the room no matter who he was with, but you knew him well enough to know how he was feeling just based on his eyes. He’d always said how much he loved red on you, and he adored every and any excuse to touch your skin. Those steel blue eyes of his would absolutely burn once he saw you in this dress.

And fuck, that was something you really wanted to see.

“Well, if you aren’t going to wear that dress, you better pick something else,” Nat said, jerking you from your fantasies, “we need to be there in twenty minutes, and we all need to touch up our makeup.”

“Actually…I think I’ll wear it,” you said confidently, trying to hide your grin as you ran your hands down the silky fabric.

What you didn’t see was Natasha and Wanda sharing a secret smirk behind you, like they’d known what you’d do the whole time.

***

Six weeks ago, everything had changed for you and Bucky.

You’d known how you felt for a long time. Bucky Barnes, despite his past, was the kind of man anyone could fall in love with. He was sincere, kind, generous, witty…everything you’d ever wanted in a partner. He had been your best friend for even longer.

It had been a long time before you could even admit your feelings to yourself, let alone to him. After everything the two of you had been through, who had the time and mental capacity for romance? It just didn’t seem important. You just chalked up your feelings to being such close friends. All you wanted was to be near him, even if you just sat in silence doing different things. Just being in the same room as Bucky brought you a sort of peace you’d never had before. Whenever he touched you, even if it was just a brief hug or brushing your back to get past you, your skin erupted into goosebumps. But that was just because physical touch was still foreign to you, right?

And his smile. God, his wonderful smile…

Bucky didn’t smile much. He hid behind a mask of stoicism, a remnant from the trauma of his horrible history as the Winter Soldier. Showing any sort of emotion, especially happiness, was hard for him. But when he finally let himself smile? It was the most beautiful thing you’d ever see.        

It took several sleepless nights wrestling with those confusing feelings to figure it out. You didn’t just see Bucky as your best friend. You had it bad. Not just “oh my god he’s so handsome” bad, like the “I would take a bullet for you I’m so in love” bad. That revelation? It left you euphoric. It also left you scared.

Because you were so sure Bucky didn’t feel the same. And that thought was like a knife to the heart every time it flashed through your mind.

So you kept it to yourself. You tried to keep things as normal as possible, but your heart kept fluttering whenever he walked into a room. Being so close to Bucky meant you confided in each other about pretty much everything, and he knew you well enough to know you were hiding something.

It all exploded on a Tuesday night in the compound.

Tuesdays were your movie nights. Bucky had a lot of pop culture to catch up on, so on this night every week he would come by your room to watch a movie. It was a weekly tradition that kind of started by accident. You were shocked he still hadn’t made time to watch Lord of the Rings, so you forced him onto your couch with popcorn and The Fellowship of the Ring. He loved it so much, and immediately asked if you guys could watch The Two Towers the next week. How could you say no to him?

Tonight, you were watching 13 Going on 30. It was your all-time favorite romcom, and you figured you could both use a break from all the action and fantasy movies you’d been cycling through. Something with a happy ending was worth indulging in.

“Does that Matt guy look like Banner to you? Or is it just me?” Bucky asked through a mouthful of popcorn.

“Heh, maybe a little,” you said, “Give or take a few years.” He laughed at that, and you forced yourself to laugh quietly. You wanted to blurt out your feelings every time you looked at Bucky, so you’d gotten quieter and quieter every time you spent time with him. It was an awful reaction, and you knew he noticed. But it was better than losing his friendship, right?

After that awful and painfully obvious forced laugh, Bucky let out a huge sigh and paused the movie. He set the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table in front of the couch, then turned to face you. Exasperation and hurt glimmered in his eyes.

“Y/n, what the fuck is going on with you?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Oh come on, don’t give me that,” he said sharply, “I know you better than anyone, and I know for a fact there’s something you’re not telling me. Is it me? Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No, god no!” You exclaimed.

“Well it must be something I did, because you’ve never been this quiet around me and it keeps getting worse. I hate it, and I want to know what I did so I can fix it.”

“Bucky, I’m serious, it’s nothing you did—”

“Then why? Why are you shutting me out?” He cut you off angrily, arms thrown wide. “You’re my best friend, I just don’t get why—”

“I don’t want you like a best friend, Bucky!” Your eyes went wide as the words flew from your lips. In the most comical way, you clapped your hand over your mouth as if you could stop the words that had already been said. Bucky’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

Oh fuck. He didn’t get it. Curse him and his old man ways.

“What does that even mean, Y/n? Are you saying you don’t want me around anymore?”

“Bucky, of course not. God, I would never want that. Never in a million years.”

“Then you better explain, because if you haven’t noticed, I’m over 100 years old. I need a little help here.”

“It means, uh…um,” you stuttered, wringing your hands together. “Is there any chance we can just forget I said that?”

“Nope, not a chance.”

“It means…it means that I care about you. As more than a friend.”

His entire face seemed to crinkle as he processed that. If you weren’t freaking out, you’d be obsessing over how damn cute it made him look. Then his eyes got wide as he began to make the connection. Your stomach nearly fell out of your ass as his eyes lifted again to meet yours.

“I…I think I know what you’re saying,” he nearly whispered, “I just need you to get real specific real fast, because I’m not about to say anything until I know exactly what you mean.”

“It means I’m in love with you, okay?” You burst out. Even through your mortification, there was a sudden sense of relief. A secret as big as that had definitely been weighing you down. Now that it was out there, that was one less thing you had to worry about.

His eyes grew even wider. How that was possible, you didn’t even know. That beautiful mouth of his began to turn up into a small smile as he gazed softly at you.

“You’re in love with me?” He asked, his smile getting wider with each passing second.

“What, you need it carved into stone or something?” You couldn’t help but sass him. Did you fucking stutter?

“No, it’s just…I never thought you’d feel that way about me.”

“Well, clearly I do. So you – wait, you mean you’ve thought about this before?”

“Of course I have,” he said as he shrugged, “I’ve been in love with you for two years now, how could I not think about it?”

You were instantly filled with warmth and pure bliss. In all your obsessing over your own feelings, you’d never allowed yourself to consider that he might feel the same about you. It just didn’t seem possible.

“I’m sorry,” you burst out, holding a hand up, “you’re telling me you’ve been into me for two years and didn’t say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” He shot back, inching closer to you.

“Because you’re my best friend. I didn’t want to lose you because of stupid feelings I have.”

“But…I have those same ‘stupid feelings’ for you. So can we just cut the whole act and get on with it?” Bucky brought a hand up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing along your skin so gently.

“Uh…um…get on with what?”

“Well I’d kinda like to kiss you, if you’re cool with it.”

“Bucky Barnes did you just use current slang to ask if you could kiss me?” You didn’t move an inch as his face moved right in front of yours, breath intermingling as you gazed into each other’s eyes. God, was this really happening?

“Yeah, guess your lessons worked,” he murmured.

“Well you better kiss me, then.”

As soon as your lips met, it was like coming home.

***

That memory, your favorite memory, replayed in your head as the three of you stepped into the elevator. Nat and Wanda were happily chatting about who would be there, what kind of antics Tony would cook up tonight, if there would be music we could actually dance to. You know, normal party things.

All you could think about was how long you had to stay until you could sneak off with your boyfriend.

You were so happy Wanda and Natasha had convinced you to wear this dress. When you’d first put it on, the difference from your normal look was so jarring that it took you a few minutes to get used to it. But now that you had, now that you felt the silky fabric shifting against your skin as you moved, now that you saw how dangerously long your legs looked in these heels…

Damn, you felt sexy.

And that sexy feeling? It made you want Bucky’s hands all over you.

But this was a party. A party thrown by Tony Stark, one of the most perceptive and observant people you’d ever met. If you left too soon, if he thought you weren’t “having enough fun”, he’d be more than a little upset. So you had to stay, drink, mingle, maybe dance a little…and then, maybe later, you could go do what you actually wanted.

The elevator pinged, indicating you had reached the topmost floor of the compound. This floor was home to a huge communal space, often used for just hanging out with the team. But on nights like tonight, Tony went all out and turned the space into something that resembled…a club?

The three of you stepped out into the massive room, upbeat music already blasting from the speakers. Typical Tony – he never really outgrew his love for dancing and parties. The bass thrummed through your body, making you want to move to the music. The lights were dim, but you could still tell who was around. It looked like you were some of the last members of the team to arrive. There was a huge bar off to the side, and Natasha headed that way right away. You turned to ask Wanda if she wanted to follow Nat, but she was already making a beeline for Vision. Smiling, you just turned right back around to follow Natasha. A drink sounded pretty good right now.

As you made your way to the bar, you felt more than a few pairs of eyes on you as you walked. You sneakily looked around as you went, noticing men and women watching you with admiration, and dare you say it, longing. As someone whose job was to blend in with the background all the time, this was a different and slightly addictive feeling. You leaned on the bar next to Nat right as the bartender slid her drink over to her.

“Straight whiskey tonight? Damn, going hard.” You quipped.

“Hey now, you know I can handle my liquor. It’s you we need to watch out for, you lightweight.”

Laughing, you scanned the party guests, looking for the one person you wanted to see. Tony had had arm around Pepper’s waist, both laughing at something Rhodey had said. Bruce lingered around them, drink in hand and looking a little nervous, but still happy to be included. Wanda and Vision were sitting quietly on one of the couches, both looking absolutely smitten with each other. Scott Lang, one of the newest additions, was busting some moves, while Peter Parker laughed as he watched. Thor, who was visiting from Asgard, laughed boisterously as he watched various guests try to lift his hammer. You couldn’t help the smile growing on your face. You loved these people so much.

Then, you saw him.

Bucky was with Sam and Steve, as usual. But even as Sam and Steve were talking animatedly next to him, those gorgeous blue eyes of his were glued to you. There was a kind of intensity in them you hadn’t seen before. Your breath whooshed from you body as he grinned at you. Trying to maintain the suggestive image your dress gave you, you managed to send a flirtatious smile his way, then turned back around to face the bar. Leaning against the counter, you knew he’d get an eyeful of your bare back. God, this was fun.

The bartender finally made his way over to you, and you ordered two tequila shots.

Nat turned to you, one eyebrow arched in surprise as she asked, “And you say I’m going hard? You can’t just down two shots right away, babe.”

“I’m not doing two shots; you think I’m stupid?” The bartender slid the shots over to you along with two lime wedges. “One is clearly for you.”

Unable to hold back a laugh, Natasha put her arm around your shoulders and pulled you into her side as she said, “Why the fuck not, let’s do it.” The two of you went through the process: salt, shot, lime. You couldn’t help but wince as you downed the harsh liquor. Of all the shots in the world, tequila probably tasted the worst. The only reason you kept going for it was the warmth it traced down your body, and you felt your muscles begin to loosen up.

“Two more,” you called over to the bartender.

“Uh, no,” Natasha shot at you, grabbing her whiskey, and pushing off the bar, “I’m good with my top shelf shit, you keep going after that gasoline if you want but I’m out.”

“C’mon, Nat,” you called out, “what am I gonna do with two shots?”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone else, babe.” She said with a wave over her shoulder.

Sighing, you turned back to the ridiculously pretty bar (seriously, how much had Tony paid for this thing?). Who else would help you look cool and sexy at a bar for your secret boyfriend?

Okay, that was the cringiest thought you’d ever had. Gross.

As the bartender slid the tequila in front of you, you steeled yourself for the nastiness that was about to happen.

“Fuck, I didn’t think this through,” you mumbled.

“Yeah, you tend to do that,” a deep voice answered on your right. Instead of being the slightest bit surprised, you couldn’t help but smile. You’d know that voice anywhere.

“Something I can do for you, Barnes?” You looked up at him from under your lashes.

“Well, it looks like you’ve got an extra shot there. Thought I could bail you out.”

“Is that all?”

Bucky shifted so that your arms were just barely touching. His hand was right next to yours, and you reached out with your pinky to lightly brush his.

“Doll, you have the gall to show up in that dress and ask what I want as if you don’t already know?”

“Sorry Buck, I’m a little slow, must be the tequila. You should probably be a little clearer.”

Putting on quite the show of reaching for one of the shots, his mouth somehow ended up right next to your ear.

“I want you.”

It was lucky everyone was so distracted and couldn’t see how you shuddered at his words. Trying to maintain brain function, you managed to take the shot with him. You were now fully facing each other. He was wearing the cockiest smirk you’d ever seen, one that would put Tony Stark to shame. You couldn’t help but respond with that same energy despite the jitteriness his three little words had reduced you to.

“Well why don’t you—”

“Hello, my friends!” A booming voice sounded between you as Thor threw a huge arm over each of you. Bucky, with his stupid super soldier strength, didn’t really have a reaction to it. You, on the other hand, stumbled a little under the weight and force of it. “It’s so good to be back with you tiny humans.”

Was…was he slurring his words?

“Thor…are you drunk right now?”

He simply laughed in response. Well, that answered that.

“Of course I am, tiny person! It can’t be a party without good Asgardian wine.”

“Wait…you have literal god wine?” Bucky, who had a look of vague irritation on his face up to this point, now looked interested. Maybe even a little excited?

“Of course, metal appendage.”

“Dude, you can’t just call Bucky ‘metal appendage’—”

“He can if he lets me have some,” Bucky interrupted.

“We have a bargain!” Thor slapped Bucky on the back before scurrying back over to where he had come from, probably to get the wine he had promised.

“Bucky, you can’t even get drunk,” you hissed, “what exactly is the point of this?”

“Since everything happened, I haven’t found any alcohol strong enough to get me drunk. I figure god wine is worth a shot.”

“Bucky—”

“When I kiss you against a wall later, I wanna be a little tipsy,” he whispered in your ear, “that cool with you?”

Unable to keep yourself from smiling again, you nodded as Thor sauntered back over. Ever since that moment a few weeks ago, right before he kissed you for the first time, asking “is that cool with you?” had become your thing.

And the idea of Bucky kissing you against a wall? Yeah, that sounded pretty good.

***

As it turns out, Asgardian wine is just as potent as Thor had promised.

For the first time in over seventy years, Bucky Barnes was certifiably drunk. It made him feel like the Bucky from all those years ago, and it was the most incredible thing. Here he was, over 100 years old, partying, and all his favorite people were here.

Including his ridiculously hot girlfriend.

Even as they both flitted around the party, Bucky and y/n still found each other’s eyes, even from across the room. They would send winks, smiles, even funny faces. All he wanted to do was be right next to her, talk and dance with her all night…

But they had agreed. They wanted to keep their relationship a secret for now, keep the attention off of them for a bit while they got to know each other in this new way.

But god damn, that dress.

Y/n in red was…indescribable. It didn’t matter what she wore, she was always the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. But in red? In this dress?

She was breathtaking.

“Buck, you breathing?”

A hand waved in front of his face, snapping Bucky’s attention back to the people around him from Y/n’s back. He had been imagining putting his hands all over that back later and had gotten more than a little mesmerized. He managed to get his eyes to refocus, finding a drunk Sam smirking right next to him and an even drunker Steve dancing next to him. But what Steve was doing couldn’t really be called ‘dancing’ per say…more like an aggressive wiggle.

“Why wouldn’t I be breathing?” Of all the things he could’ve said to get Sam’s attention off of him, that wasn’t it.

“Uh, probably because the girl you’re in love with decided to show up and show off tonight? Pretty sure you’re drooling, man.”

Despite himself, Bucky slapped a hand across his mouth, only reducing Sam to wheezing laughter. Knowing he had been caught, he rolled his eyes and grimaced a little. Of all the people to catch him, he wished it hadn’t been Sam.

“I wasn’t…staring… at y/n, I just never see her dressed up is all.”

“I never said anything about the girl being y/n.”

“…fuck.”

“LANGUAGE,” Steve yelled out, pointing a finger at his two friends before returning to his shimmying.

Turning back to him, Sam added, “Just go be with her, Buck. You’re not fooling anyone, and neither is she.”

“We’re that obvious?”

“A few weeks ago you’d at least try to hide it. Now I’m surprised you’re not jumping each other’s bones right here right now.”

“Point taken,” Bucky said, lightly slapping Sam’s shoulder before power walking over to his girl.

***

“Nat, if you don’t stop asking about Bucky and I’s relationship, I’m going to kick you,” you called over the music before taking another swig from your glass. It was no Asgardian wine, but the human stuff wasn’t half bad in your opinion. It wasn’t like you could drink the god shit, anyway. If you had even one sip, you’d be swinging from the ceiling like Miley fucking Cyrus. You were pretty drunk as it was.

“Okay, fine,” she said with a shrug as she took a sip of her whiskey, still as calm and collected as ever. “You’re almost as drunk as he is, you’ll be talking soon enough.”

“Oh? Is that your spy master plan?”

Natasha was still looking as unbothered as ever, but as she looked across the room over your shoulder, her face split into a savage grin.

“It was, but it looks like I might not need it.”

“What do you me—”

Your words were cut off as a large, warm hand enclosed around yours. Whirling around, you were suddenly face to face with the man himself. Bucky was clearly having a good time. His mouth was relaxed into the cutest smile you’d ever seen him wear, and he moved without his normal stiffness and intensity. He threaded your fingers together, smiling down at you with so much love it was a wonder Nat hadn’t said anything yet.

Looking back in front of you, ready to explain yourself, you only found empty air. Guess she’d seen all she needed to, but honestly, you really didn’t care. All you’d wanted the whole night was to be exactly where you were right now; hand in hand with the man you loved.

“We’re just kidding ourselves, doll,” Bucky called next to your ear, “Sam said we’ve been pretty obvious.”

“Nat said the same,” you answered with a sheepish smile, “kind of hard to keep my face under control when you’ve got that leather jacket on.”

“You’re blaming me?” He asked with mock indignation. “You’re the one who looks,” he gestured wildly to your whole body, “like that!”

Trying ignore the heat spreading over your cheeks, you shot back, “Like what?”

“Like the most…” he screwed his face up in the most adorable way as he searched for words, “like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” As the last few words tumbled out of his mouth, he gazed at you with such a softness you almost melted right into the floor.

“Wanna get out of here?” You asked, finally giving up the game. It was pointless, really. Now, all you wanted to do was for your boyfriend to keep his promise and kiss you against a wall.

Wrapping an arm around your waist, he answered, “Absolutely.” Without looking at a single soul, the two of you began walking as quickly as you could for the exit. You and Bucky were both leaning on each other a bit, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Stepping out into the light of the hallway, you blinked as your eyes adjusted after the dark room you’d spent the last few hours in. Bucky led you until you were right in front of the elevator, and he lazily pressed the button to go up. There was tension in the air between you, like a thread that was being pulled. Biting your lip, you stared at the doors in front of you. You knew if you so much as looked at the man next to you, you’d jump him right then and there.

The shining doors slid open, and the pair of you walked in, his strong arm still around your waist. His grip wasn’t loose in any sense of the word. Bucky kept you right next to him, even as your legs wanted to drift all over the place. You pressed the button for the residential floor.

As soon as those doors slid shut, that thread of tension snapped.

Bucky whirled you to face him, then walked you backward until you were pressed against the wall of the elevator.

“I promised I’d kiss you against the wall, didn’t I?”

He didn’t even wait for a response. His mouth was on yours in an instant, lips moving together like a dance. The kiss was slow and unhurried. You tried to bring him closer, linking your hands behind his neck and pressing yourself to him. Instead of responding in kind, he unwound your arms from around him and pinned them above your head.

Oh damn.

Okay.

No complaints here.

“You’ve been teasin’ me all night just by wearing that dress, sweetheart,” he murmured in between the kisses he trailed down your jaw, “I think it’s my turn.”

“Would it change your mind knowing I only wore this dress so you could take it off?”

The heat that bloomed in those blue eyes of his was unmistakable. As the doors opened on your floor, he swept you up into his arms and began to walk purposefully to his apartment. All the while, he kept that signature cocky smirk of his you’d come to adore.

“Bucky?” You asked once he’d walked into his unit.

“That sentence was the single most attractive thing you’ve ever said,” he murmured as he set you down. Even still, he kept you pressed against him. “But nah, I’m a patient guy. I think I’ll take my time.” He followed this by resuming his slow and sensual kisses, and you couldn’t help but melt into them.

“I love you,” you whispered against his lips.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing that, doll. I love you too.”

***

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes x you #dress #jenna writes #i love lanie #laniestaylorswiftwc

[inky-duchess]

History Bites: Best Royal Romances

In History Bites, I pick the best moments of history and the antics historical figures in order to give you inspiration for your WIP. Think of History Bites like prompts, only juicer and 90% accurate (results may vary).

Love is one of the greatest reasons to do anything. Love will make people act strangely, become better people and level empires. In a world of arranged marriages and terrible spouses, some royals found happiness.

Antony and Cleopatra were the Ancient World's power couple. After Caesar's death, who had been Antony's mentor and the father to Cleopatra's son, Antony was sent to govern the Eastern Provinces. At Tarsus in Turkey, Cleopatra paid a visit to Antony. During the visit, Antony and Cleopatra got to know each other better and quickly things got romantic. It was not exactly the best thing for a Roman senator to have an Egyptian mistress and an odd thing for a famously intellectual Queen to take a notorious foolish hothead as her lover but the two were incredibly fond of one another. The two of them had three children, who Antony left the Roman Empire to in his will. The will was the final straw for Rome so it went to war with the couple, which ended in defeat. Antony committed suicide and Cleopatra sometime afterward.

Queen Victoria's marriage was an issue from the get go, because she needed a husband who was not her subject (because women were meant to obey their menfolk and a Queen shouldn't obey a subject) and one who was suitable. Victoria didn't like her cousin Albert when they met as teens but feel head over heels in love with him after they met again after Victoria became Queen. The two were rather smitten with each other and managed to pop out 9 kids. Victoria was distraught when Albert died and rarely wore anything but black for most of her life and rarely went out in public.

Josephine de Beauharnais was a wealthy French woman during the French Revolution which claimed the life of her first husband. Josephine caught the eye of the young Corsican soldier, Napoleon and the two quickly wed despite him being 6 years younger. Josephine was the perfect consort for Napoleon, she was an able diplomat and learned. When Napoleon was away, he often sent her raunchy letters which Josephine hilariously replied with nonchalance. Napoleon divorced Josephine because she was barren and he needed a heir. I doubt he stopped loving Josephine.

Charles II was not exactly the most monogamous of monarchs. The Merry Monarch and one of the few English Kings I think fondly of, had one declared mistress about five others. A friend of Charles saw Nell Gwyn playing on the London stage and decided to introduce her to his royal master, a wingman if you will. Nell and the King hit it off well because Nell wasn't as grasping as the other mistresses and knew how to make him laugh. She once took him fishing and when the monarch caught nothing, she tied a fried piece of fish to his line. She bore him too sons but felt as if Charles was not awarding them the right honours. When he came to visit them, she called one son over by saying "Come hither, you little bastard." Charles was angry at that but Nell reminded him that she had little else to refer to him by so Charles created a Dukedom for his sons. When Charles died, Nell remained monogamous to him telling one admirer than she would not "lay a dog where a deer that once lain."

Louis XIV was Charles's cousin and they shared a similar taste for mistresses. Madame de Montespan was married as Louis was but the two started a relationship together. Montespan was rather spoilt by Louis, earning the nickname "How much" by courtiers. Montespan and the King were together for a long period of time, having many children. A scandal came to light which involved a supposed witch and black masses where Montespan bought love potions and cursed the Queen. Montespan was lucky to avoid execution but she was dealt a personal blow: the King fell out of love with her. Montespan haunted the court as Louis moved on, keeping a bedroom for him at all times just in case he wished to visit. He never did. Louis moved on to the nanny of his bastard children by Montespan, the religious Madame de Maintenon. The two were kindred spirits and when the Queen died, Louis married Madame de Maintenon and the two lived the rest of their lives together.

Henry IV of France was married when he began a relationship with Gabrielle d'Estrees, a Catholic noblewoman during the Wars of Religion in France. Henry was increasingly fond of her despite their religious differences, even more than his wife at the time Marguerite of Valois. Gabrielle was a successful diplomat, going between the Protestant King and his Catholic nobility, smoothing relations by convincing Henry to become a Catholic. Gabrielle went to war with Henry, caring for his clothes and cooking his meals while on campaign. Henry was worried about her safety, especially when he saw bullet holes in her tent but Gabrielle refused to leave his side. Gabrielle sold her jewels to fund Henry's wars and once left the middle of a ball to rush to Henry's side. Her devotion led to Henry deciding to marry and crown her as his Queen. Gabrielle died suddenly before her wedding/coronation leaving Henry heartbroken.

Catherine the Great is on my list for worst marriages bur she found love after her husband was murdered. During her coup when she was making an important speech to rally the troops to her, a young cavalry officer named Grigory Potemkin offered her his own sword knot, a missing detail on her uniform. The two met years later and quickly fell in love. Catherine and Potemkin kept up their touching relationship throughout the wars with Turkey and Catherine's other lovers. They were incredibly close, Catherine giving him every honour and Potemkin helping her realise her dream of a navy. Potemkin died on the roadside, collapsing in front of his soldiers leaving Catherine heartbroken. It is rumoured by historians that the pair had been secretly married.

Have you ever seen bibles with King James written on the cover? Though King James was married and had sired numerous children with his wife, James had a string of noble young men as favourites, his favourite being George Villiers. James was incredibly fond of George, calling him "Steenie" after St. Stephen who canonically (no pun intended) had the face of an angel. When asked by Parliament about the close relationship, James replied that George was as close to him as Jesus was to his disciples. Though historians dispute whether they were actually gay (citing the fact that James had a wife and a loving relationship with her), it is entirely possible that James was bisexual. The two sent numerous letters to one another over the years, each rather touching

Inez de Castro is probably Portugal's most interesting Queen Consort. She was exhumed for her own coronation. Inez was the mistress of Prince Pedro and mother to his children. The King, Pedro's father, really did not want his son marrying his mistress so he had Inez murdered. Pedro was distraught at her death and hunted down the men who had done it, having their hearts torn out in revenge. He would never marry again so to make his children legitimate he had Inez exhumed and crowned Queen, forcing the nobility to kiss her hand and hail her as Queen. Nobody bothered Pedro about his kids again.

Though the film The Favourite (2017) is a skewed version of the relationship between Anne of England and Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, there is some proof to attest to the romantic relationship between the two. They knew each other from a young age and once escaped a house together to avoid the influence of Anne's father who at the time was embroiled in a battle to keep the throne against Anne's sister Mary. The two were incredibly close despite their rather differing personalities. Sarah did care for the Queen but had a habit of being quite abrasive and quick with cruel words which eventually ended the long lasting relationship between the two.

Peter I of Russia was an imposing man both in stature and in political policy. Peter dragged Russia toward Westernization and imposed radical reforms upon his country. Perhaps the greatest wave he made, was his marriage to Catherine, a laundress. Peter and Catherine were incredibly fond of each other, sharing an appetite of good living and each other. Peter did sleep about but Catherine joked about it in letters asking him whether he found any laundresses he liked. Peter fathered two daughters on Catherine but instead of handing control to them after he died he made his wife Empress Catherine I.

Perhaps my favourite royal romance story, is between Emperor Ai and his favourite Dong Xian. Emperor Ai and Dong Xian were chilling in bed together one day. Ai had to get up but Dong Xian was still asleep, laying on his sleeve. Rather than waking his lover, the Emperor cut off his own sleeve so he could get out of bed.

Emperor Hadrian is famous for his bitchin wall between Britannia and Caledonia. But Emperor Hadrian's greatest love would be the Greek Antinous. The emperor had Antonius come with him wherever he went and the two were fond of hunting and writing poetry. Antinous tragically drowned in the Nile, probably by accident but foul play cannot be ruled out.

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson or as you might know her Madame de Pompadour was told at nine years old that she would love a king. In her twenties it came true when she caught the eye of King Louis XV of France, earning her the title maîtresse-en-titre. Madame de Pompadour understood Louis in a way nobody else would. She knew how to read his emotions and knew how to keep him entertained. Though the two stopped sleeping together thanks to a medical condition Jeanne had, Louis kept her as his official mistress. Kings were not permitted to attend funerals so when Jeanne died, Louis couldn't go. He stood on his balcony in a downpour as her funeral carriage left Versailles, the only tribute he could pay the love of his life

Elizabeth Woodville's first husband was an early casualty in the Wars of the Roses, leaving her to care for two sons. Destitute, Elizabeth stood by the road to speak with the new York King of England. Edward IV was younger than her and was her enemy, yet the two fell in love and wed in secret. The court was furious at the marriage as Elizabeth was only the daughter of a baron. The marriage was extremely happy despite Edward's many mistresses and the unsettled times they lived in.

Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, was a highly sought after bride in Europe. Henry Tudor, her uncle Richard's enemy, proposed to her from abroad declaring her would wed her in the Cathedral of Reims. Henry invaded England and won the crown at the Battle of Bosworth. He married Elizabeth and the two, despite being born enemies, lived a happy marriage together. Henry was distraught when Elizabeth died and never remarried.

Mary Tudor, the daughter of Elizabeth of York, was at one point Europe's most eligible and beautiful Princess. She was offered as a bride to the Prince of Spain and then the King of France, who she was married to. Mary was briefly Queen of France but her aged husband died soon after the wedding. Mary returned to England but she had a secret, she had hastily wed her brother's childhood friend, Charles Brandon. Henry VIII, her brother, got so cross that he fined and banished the two of them from court. But he quickly forgave them and the couple returned to court where they spent their short but happy marriage.

Elizabeth II & Prince Philip have been married for decades. The Queen was only eight when she met Philip and the two became friends, writing to each other during WWII. After WWII, Philip renounced his his Danish and Greek titles to marry Elizabeth, becoming Prince Consort and Duke of Edinburgh. Despite Philip's infamous faux pas and wild behavior, the two have a stable and loving relationship.

Edward III & Philippa of Hainault were only children when Edward's mother planned their marriage to gain the military might of Philippa's father. Their marriage was a happy one that produced 12 children. Philippa accompanied Edward to the battlefield many times.

Edward II is on my list for worst marriages but he was a romantic at heart. Edward was very close to a knight named Piers Gaveston. Edward's father didn't like this bond and sent Gaveston away. Edward's first act as king was to recall Piers and bestowed titles and land upon him like there was no tomorrow. Piers was seen as a bad influence and because of this he was killed by a group of rebelling nobles. Edward grieved for years and eventually went on a revenge war against the nobles who had killed his lover.

Despite being Nazi-Sympathizing assholes, no one could doubt that Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII did truly love one another. Edward was King and Wallis was an American divorcee (sound familiar?), and there were laws starting that he could not marry a divorcee. But Edward couldn't give her up do he gave up his throne for her and the two went off to live in France together.

Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra (then Princess Alix of Hesse) were never meant to be married. Alexandra's grandmother Queen Victoria did not approve of the autocracy of Russia and would have preferred that she marry into England. Alexandra herself dithered on whether to marry Nicholas as it meant a change in religion for her. In the end, the two decided to wed and they had a relatively close marriage. Some of their letters still survive.

#History Bites #best royal romances #writing #writing resources #writing reference #writing advice #writeblr #writer #writer's problems #spilled words #writer's life #characters #louis xiv #Charles ii #mary rose tudor #Elizabeth II #anne I of England #Catherine ii #Catherine I #Emperor ai #wallis Simpson #Emperor Hadrian #lgbt+ History #love #Madame de montespan #nell gwyn #george villiers

[fandom-sheep]

MCC 24 JUL 21

Green Guardians and Pink Parrots Part 1/2

Alright I’m finally back! I’m only half watching while I clean my room but it’s fine.

I’m watching Fundy’s POV on my main screen and Ranboo’s on my phone where I’m typing this.

Ranboo pre game stream let’s gooo.

I’m so very entertained by the background Tubbo noises.

He’s so happy. I don’t know if I have it in my to watch Fundy’s POV even though I’m cheering for the Green Guardians.

Sands of time. Let’s go!

We are going to hear these boys in each other’s backgrounds.

This has “mom can we play Minecraft at our sleepover” vibe.

Phil’s streaming. Where is the fox boy…

Boys trying to out noise each other.

Please tell over to tubbo about how loud he is being. It would be funny.

It’s so much fun watching this boy achieve his goals. I love watching people achieve their goals.

Actual MCC server!!!

Good time for screeny. Nobody is chilling.

BURGER!

I saw him! I saw that fox run past!

“Ahh” - Ranboo

“Aaaa” -Tubbo

“Ahhhh” -Ranboo

“Aaaa” -Tubbo

High school ish age boy in competitive scenario. This will be so much fun.

Microphone magic time!

Hey I hear the boys!

And it works well.

It does echo???? How???

“It was a joint effort. I came up with some bad ideas you came up with the idea that works.” -Tubbo

Also known as every other group chat I’ve ever been in.

Lmanburg flag at rally?

What?

No. Let’s do free clout.

Ranboo being a problem.

Why is everyone in that VC?

What problems are these children causing.

Fundy is live! Where is my iPad time to dual wield streams.

Spatula???

Dual spatulas.

It’s time to start!!!

Where is the fox?

You know. I might reverse it. I might have to watch Pink Parrots mainly and just ignore green guardians.

I’m going to put Wilbur on my iPad so I can see the chaos man. Now to decide which POV I’m listening to. Probably Ranboo. Wilbur on mine is slightly behind.

They asked if Wilbur was going change his skin? That never happens. He had to wear the sweater of shame at Christmas time.

I have them both almost perfectly sinced but it’s at the point it almost sounds echoed.

No it’s just tubbo who sounds echoed.

Nope can’t get it to sync. Just listening on my speaker.

No surround sound here. Unless I get really board.

Manifesting the win?

Manifolding the win.

Bavid.

Time to annoy the other teams.

From here on I’m going to try to be productive while I watch. Wait no. The music isn’t in sync with the one I’ll mostly be watching.

Oh I forgot TapL was there. Nope it’s not syncing. Just going to have Ranboos on my phone be secondary.

Wilbur POV let’s go.

We trash talking. Look at them go.

Ahh. English area codes. What the enigma.

Let’s win pink parrots!!! How do I always end up cheering for this team…

I need to make pink parrot art.

Oh no. Just Wilbur.

Oh no. It’s all Tubbo.

Wilbur reminds me of a good camp counselor motivating his team. Not like one of my coworkers.

My brother isn’t home today so we can’t have a watch party like we wanted.

My mom is confused with my and my brother’s investment in MCC but we told her it was the national championships of Minecraft.

Oh poor Fundy tagging on the other side.

I need to remember to collect channel points.

I’m sorry why is my internet acting stupid. Work you!

Pink and purple. The tween girls second most idea color pallet.

They are over motivating the Soot.

Thought Wilbur was going to explode from peer pressure there.

Yooo. I figured out how to watch Fundy! I can split screen my ipad between the app and the website. Tiny Fundy screen and big Wilbur screen and tiny Ranboo screen on my phone.

They can’t warn fast enough.

Time to watch and ad and support Wilbur because it got too far behind for my liking while I fought with the tiny Fundy screen.

I need to put away the books I’m pressing flowers in. But I don’t want to mess up the flowers.

Wonder how soon I’ll have to start a new post because I ran out of bullet points.

Nah I’m not keeping Fundy’s POV open. I want full screen Pink Parrots.

Music brain made the lyric connection.

I could drink 3 bottles of water every round.

The boys with the superior bladders.

What happened with Wilbur? What I didn’t see anything happen with the stream.

Nox crew role play??? What?

Wait. Did red team just fall into the void?

What?

I found a skirt and I’m wondering why I don’t wear it more often.

It goes down to my knees I could even wear this to church.

Offhand wool!

Time to battle in the box!

Exciting death boots.

Go!!! Do wool! Get em!

Oh wow. They both died. At the same time.

They can hear the Tommy. That’s how well these dudes know one another.

Bragging on each other.

Everyone surprised that Wilbur is entering his old man years.

Woohoo!

Random history moments with Tubbo.

Woohoo (again)!

Ranboos just going to jinx it.

Oh no I need my charger!

Got my charger! Rejoined at “Minecraft butts make big… videos” and am quite confused.

Skilled boys!!

Poof goes the Bur.

They beat Dream???

Casually refolding every bandana I own while watching battle box.

I found a peppermint tea bag.

Come on get mid! Noooo.

Pink parrots doing pretty good from what I see in MCC live.

I thought Ranboo had an actual burger on his face cam. I was so confused for a moment.

Yelling across the room casually.

Wilbur is back. You can hear him.

Wilbur is like a kid trying to get a duck out of the pond.

Sky battle?

Shake? Shake shake shake?

Oh no. Now all the chat is crying over Ghostbur. Myself included.

Pink parrots on top so far! Never mind that didn’t last long.

Go Wilbur! Go Tubbo! Go Ranboo! Go TapL!

Wilbur go poof.

3rd atm.

Oh we’ve gone down.

No he was not good. But he paved the way for TapL.

We’re in 2nd?? Are the other teams dead or something?

If we’re going down and yelling timber.

4th. Not bad.

Woohoo!

Go green guardians!!

So proud of them.

Pants and Boots!

Still in 6th for sky battle.

Bless his heart TapL is so worried.

Red Rabbits and Green guardians are close.

My streams are out of sync. So confused.

We’re in lead!!

WE WON!!!

My iPad is struggling with Will’s stream but it’s going!

Come on Parrots!

Alright got it up again. Got it up again.

If I were a streamer I wouldn’t be good at MCC. I can’t competitive properly. I just like making jokes and being goofy.

Not a good lead but oh well never mind we don’t have the lead.

Red Rabbits YUM.

“Do not engage” as they set off tnt.

Get those stupid rabbits! Or whoever is attacking. I’ve never been good at any sports.

First again!

Hold on guys!

They won!!! With Wilbur hovering on the edge of the void!!!

PINK PARROTS FIRST PLACE (for now but I’m still excited)

Talented team!! Look at them go!

Get your screen shot little Y/N fan boy.

Not surprised we’re more popular than the olympics.

Had to go brag to my parents that there are more people watching MCC than the olympics. They were also not surprised.

Sands of Time. The wildcard game.

Sand sand sand sand.

We have a key for a vault already?

Putting away shoes. Nothing to make you be productive like watching Minecraft peeps play a competitive game.

“Everywhere is a way into somewhere”

Come on boys.

Time to switch to Ranboos POV. See if I can spot that N with my grown up can spot things vision.

Nope don’t see this mysterious letter.

TapL if you got nothing to do bother Ranboo to help him find that N.

Calm Tubbo. Tubbo chill.

Really. The map is broken and they are taking forever helping.

Key!!! Fight Fight Fight.

Ranboo apologizing.

If his team loses this kid will blame himself.

Go Tubbo and Ranboo.

Vault open!

Out of sand = prepare to book it.

1:30 (90 sec) let’s go.

Less than a minute. Evacuate!

Oh no Ranboo is lost. Hurry kiddo!

They made it?

They made it.

Off goes the Wilbur. Now to wait.

Come on pink parrots.

Is it bad I can’t see sands of time coins in MCC live or am I just crazy?

5th. Better than I expected.

THEY ARE STILL FIRST???

Barely. But they are.

We get to vote now?!?

Quick to the voting!

I had to fight Twitter to vote.

The app didn’t want to work.

What’s the acronym one?

I’m sorry did I just hear that Wilbur taught Tubbo how to spell fuck?

Ranboo has the iron bladder.

I drank so much water but I just kinda do that.

Listen to Wilbur getting soft and encouraging Ranboo in his first game.

And Wilbur wanting him back. And planning to manipulate Scott.

Doesn’t surprise me that Wilbur would manipulate Scott. I know he probably doesn’t but still.

Look at all us audience beings.

Hooray David. I don’t know who you are but sup.

I’m sitting on a yoga ball to type and I about fell off. That wouldn’t have been fun.

All of Wills chat blessing him.

David just did the vocal equivalent of 👍🏻

Ooo I found a dollar.

And of course Tubbo likes the olympics. Trampoline boy should love them.

Nooo. Not tubbo!

Whoopsy. There go the parrots.

Why does my Wilbur stream keep goofing. See this is why I don’t actually liveblog I am so behind it’d be delayed anyway.

Instead of replacing with Phil replace with Kristen.

Keep it up Pink Parrots keep it up. *clap clap*

Where is my old cheerleading book?

Oh this is so behind. I saw ranboo fall on his POV then waited a few moments to see him on Wills.

Let’s reset it again for now. Look like it’s close. And I got an ad this time.

If it gets super behind again I’m going to just switch to Ranboo on my iPad and see if that works.

Wills is slightly ahead now. That’s how I like it.

Wilbur is such a motivating human. I swear I keep thinking that I’m hearing my coworkers encouraging campers at a kickball game or something.

Oh we’re dropping. But we’re still going.

How the actual hay are we still here.

Keep it up TapL!!

2nd!

300 and a bit to get back to first.

Look at Ranboo and Wilbur. So happy.

Ok singy boi with the ability to do one sound for a long time.

I want TapL on DSMP. It would be funny I like this guy. What does this guy stream? I want to start watching him.

Ace Race? I love ace race.

Ooo buildmart. Used to be my favorite but now no one hates it anymore.

I like least liked games. Least liked games act as great equalizers. No one is happy and it’s funny.

“You have such a way with words” -TapL (?)

“Thanks I’m a song writer” -Wilbur

Why are we doing dramatic monologues?

Sounds neat. I like this deep story.

Who is dying? What? I zoned out for a minute.

Cant wait to see that audio appear on tiktok.

You go Wilbur. I believe in you.

You go Ranboo become a lover or hater of Ace Race.

“I keep on stabbing people in the butt with my fork” -Ranboo

Again can’t wait to see that audio appear on tiktok.

I love Wilburs angry “which glitch” he’s experienced all of them.

No don’t stop Wilburs channel! I’ll watch an ad but let me watch ace race.

Ranboo has learned to dislike ace race.

Feels like a achievement. You have made Ranboo hate ace race.

Tubbo did it! Whoop!

Good job Will!

Good Job team!

Second team to finish!!!

Wait it says they are in 3rd on MCC live?

Phil Head!

Hey 1st. Good job Parrots!

The perspective I watch doesn’t matter. All I see is shifting at Wilbur either way.

Ranboo booked it.

Techno. Oh how we miss him. He was there last MCC but still.

Wait why are they in the soggy? I missed it?

Dunk tank?

End on build mart! Everyone sounded so sad! I’m so happy! I picked the right team!

Oh acronym is terra swoop force!!! Go Philza.

I’m practical shot who will win.

Pink Parrots doing actually pretty good according to MCC live.

Good job guys!

Resetting Wilburs stream while nothing is happening so I don’t miss anything later.

OH WAIT STUFF IS STILL HAPPENING I SEE IT ON RANBOOS!

Oh final text block. I’m going to have to make 2 posts.

#mcc #minecraft championships #pink parrots #Wilbur soot #ranboo #tubbo #TapL #delayed liveblogging

[manifestoonmoralmanlove]

Soulless Riffing: Brainless Ch. 7 + 8

I got a supernatural action/romance book series as a gift that’s just riddled with stuff that I hate….and as a steampunk Victorian London action romance story filled with werewolves and vampires…it’s yeah gonna be easy to poke fun at.

I just want to say, it’s totally cool if you like this story or ones like it!  It’s certainly a better caliber than a lot of what I make fun of…however…I can’t help but want to make fun of it.

Over here for the 1st chapter, 2nd chapter, 3rd chapter, 4th chapter, 5th chapter, and 6th chapter.

7 is a short one so I’m doubling up.  SO FUCK IT HERE GOES!

We have another page and a half of our dip-shit leads making out before they decide they can’t get carried away.  Of course, just as they’re gathering themselves the good professor and Ivy (inexplicably) show up.  The prof whispers urgent BUR news to Maccon.  So Maccon rushes off to deal with it, with the promise that he’s going to send someone to replace Lyall on guard duty cause he looks 8 levels of exhausted.  Immediately after that Alexia begins to grill Lyall on what the BUR business could possibly be, since she’s on that case too.

HAHA JUST KIDDING!

She instead grills Lyall on werewolf courting rituals.

Gotta say Prof. Lyall is a fucking saint, cause even if I was highly energized I would have no patience to continuously consul a 26 year old woman going, “Okay he just told to me, to my face that he likes me…BUT DOES HE LIKE ME!?”

He basically tells her that women are supposed to make the moves in werewolf culture and that he does in fact like her.  But thankfully Prof. Lyall  is relieved of babysitting duties by a polite, meathead-looking dude who goes by Mr. Haverbink.  When the girls head into another room, Ivy turns to Alexia and says,

“Ah, for the countryside, what scenery there abides…,”

Alexia congratulates her on saying something wicked. And like huh??? There’s no mention of where Haverbink is from.  I tried looking up that quote, in case there was some context I’m missing but it only brings me back to this book.  I think she’s trying to say that Mr.Haverbink is hunky? Or the opposite?  Oh well! THIS IS DEFINITELY A WELL-WRITTEN BOOK!

Say something Nice Faps:

During this chapter’s making-out Alexia takes charge and bites the hell out of Maccon’s neck while he squirms in ecstasy.  I hate these two, but I love sexually aggressive women and enthusiastically submissive men.  

Also biting is hot, I am here for that.

I’m headcanoning Ivy’s perplexing quote as her being horny for musclemen, and Alexia celebrating that horniness.  I’m so glad Ivy isn’t framed as some pathetic outcast that Alexia keeps around to make herself feel better.

Chapter 8

This chapter starts with Alexia’s clones I MEAN AWFUL FAMILY showing up and bragging about the expensive clothing they just bought. Her step-father shrugs exasperated at this, for he is a cucked man holding the purses of the women whom he serves. 

Sorry author I can’t hear your implicit judgment about how terrible ~passive~ men are over the sound of MacDougall squealing in delight as I crop the hell out of that sweet tushy.

Alexia judges the hell out of her family for buying expensive clothes, while wearing a forest green carriage dress with gold filigree buttons down the front, and an elegant new broad-brimmed straw hat.

You can’t make yourself sound like one of the ~good ones~ when you roll your eyes at your family for buying expensive clothing on a whim considering you have an extensive wardrobe and you never had to work to pay for any of it. So tutting at your sisters for THE SAME FUCKING SHIT YOU DO is such dog shit.

GO TO HELL!

Also Alexia makes a bitchy comment about how her mother dresses younger than she should, which causes her mother to punish her and storm off.  But for her sisters to respond (when momma is out of sight), “Ya u right, what an awful woman for dressing how she wants. Haha way to own her!” Like, this is supposed to be fun for us?  Literally the only bad things you can claim her mother has actually done in the text so far is make some benign judgmental statements about vampires and scientists.  Which like, is better than a daughter telling her mother, to her face, that she can’t wear pretty clothes anymore because she’s old and hideous.

I cannot wait for the triumphant scene where Alexia calls her family judgmental.  I may even take MacDougall’s cock out of my mouth long enough to gasp in feigned surprise.

This author puts a lot of effort into making her male villains, villainous but almost 0 into making the female baddies detestable.  I honestly think she’s just banking on a self-misogynistic crowd reading and she’s not fucking wrong.

But after this she heads to bed.  She is awakened by a fight outside where her new vampire guards are battling that zombie thing. Eventually the REAL instead of SUPERNATURAL police show up. (Why are there separate ones? EH) and the zombie thing runs off.  But lord, they describe the police as having a gun that shoots silver bullets for werewolves, that’s all well and good, but they also have one for vampires that shoots wooden stakes, and just wow.  It’s hard for me to imagine something lamer than a Springfield that spews splinters.  Maybe a sap/blackjack but instead of lead balls it’s full of garlic cloves? SHEESH!

YOU DO REALIZE that silver is supposed to hurt vampires too right?

Anyway the zombie makes its escape. Alexia sleeps in the next morning to find that Lord Maccon has been waiting for her for an hour but refused to have her woken up.  Which like? Okay?

She goes in and Lord Maccon calls her family, “fibberty jibbitus.”

YES this manly werewolf hunk called her family fucking FIBBERTY JIBBITUS! HAHA KILL ME! But like, of course he thinks her family is shit cause we’re supposed to assume a protag’s family is bad hardy har har.

He talks about how the BUR headquarters were burgled and that they know for sure they’re targeting Alexia specifically.  I mean that literally happened last night, this isn’t new information but okay fine.  Neither he nor his pack can protect her tonight because they’re on lockdown for the full moon. Do you know what else the full moon means? Maccon be horny. They over describe it and use this wonderful line,

“his mind possessed all the clarity of pea soup full of ham-hock-sized chunks of need, “

This is the same problem E.L James has.  She tries to write like cutesy, dumb horny lines for funsies...but they’re so beyond dumb it makes it sound as if it’s somebody discovering they have gentiles for the 1st time.  You’d think readers who are self-aware enough to seek out horny material....would maybe be okay with characters who have been horny more than once?

Alexia asks him if he likes her, this time he says he does in much more round-about and awkward way with such brilliant lines of (word for word)

“it very difficult to imagine not, not disliking you on a regular and intimate basis for a very long time to come.”

They get in a bit of a spat over who should apologize for that dinner where they ignored each other like petulant brats but forget they’re fighting to MAKE OUT SOME MORE.

Alexia is sure he doesn’t want to marry her but she is way down to ride that dog dick so she asks him if he wants to be her Mistress. Apparently she doesn’t know what a male lover is called….Maybe just LOVER YOU TWIT?

Lord Maccon exclaims angrily at this and that makes her family BURST IN!

OH NO!? HOW WILL ALL THESE CHILDREN HANDLE THIS VERY BENIGN SITUATION!?

Say something Nice Faps:

PLOT happened this chapter!...Sorta?

The action scene was overall described well.

Alexia was close to saying, “Yo dawg, wanna be my bitch?”

#soulless #brainless

[waeziverse]

Desert Rose, the Legend From Nowhere

The sun burned like hell. The air was dry like the sand. Sending a horse out in this kind of weather would be beyond cruelty.

But Rose passed through the wasteland, unbothered by the heat. Alone.

Finally, after many a day’s traveling, she arrived to the place she had been looking for.

Roger Gulch. The town of desperadoes. Where the toughest, most baddest men of Nowhere could found.

It was quiet. The many bullet holes and the red spots on the ground indicated that it not long ago had been anything but quiet. Not a sound to be heard on the street. Except for a cheerful whistling. It from the undertaker,the richest man in town who was on his way back to his little shop.

Rose found the saloon. Above the door hang a sign with the bar’s name: The Mermaid Lagoon.

As she entered the saloon, everyone inside paused at whatever they were doing, looking at the feared lady who had entered the not so respectable establishment. The cowboys who bragged about their accomplishment the the barmaid mermaids who listened lost all color in their faces. The poker playing Indians dropped their jaws as well as their cards, revealing that all four of them held nothing but aces. The piano player stopped hammering the keys and began to bite his nails. The mermaid on the scene choked in her own singing. The bartender began to grab as many of the liquor bottles as possible, trying to save them before all hell broke loose.

The only one who hadn't noticed Rose was Buffalo Bob. He sat by the bar counter. In his mind, there was no one in the world beside him and his beer mug. He didn't like to be bothered as he sat and pretended that the rest of the world didn't exist.

"Hey, you! Bob! Yeah, I'm talking to you, ugly!"

Bob threw his beer mug at the bar mirror, shattering both. "Who said that!?"

"Down here, cupcake!"

Bob looked down at the bar desk. On it stood a little fairy. She was about as tall as his beer mug, was dressed in a red hat and a grey-white poncho with purple stripes and holes on the back for her blue butterfly-like wings. And she looked like she was in a very bad mood.

"Can't ya let a man have his beer in peace, shorty?"

"You can drink all you want after you helped my, dirtball."

Bob stood up and kicked his chair away. Everyone else but Bob and the fairy left the saloon in a hurry.

Bob ground the few teeth he had left in his mouth. "Why you little- Don't ya know who I am?!"

"Don't YOU know who I am?!"

"I'm Buffalo Bob, squirt! I'm a wanted man! Two million and three dollars for whoever brings me in, dead or livin'!"

"And I'm Desert Rose. I'm wanted myself! Five million and seven and a half dollar for whoever gets me, dead! Now, are you gonna be cooperative or do this have to get ugly?"

"Ugly THIS, ya broad!" Bob hammered his massive hand at the desk, attempting to smash Desert Rose like a bug. But the fairy was fast and flew up and kicked him in the face with the force of a horse, sending Bob flying to the other end of the room. With an animal-like roar, Bob grabbed a chair near one of the poker tables and began to swing it around like an angry baseball player. Bob wrecked a few tables, the bar counter, the piano, but not the fairy. Bur Desert Rose hit him, first by rocketing herself in his stomach, taking the wind out of him, then on the chin as she made a uppercut with her tiny but powerful right fist.

Bob landed on his tail. His chin was hurting and his head felt dizzy. The fairy landed on his big nose. "Now then..." She said. "Are you gonna help me? Or maybe you still feel like tussling?"

Bob crossed his eyes at Desert Rose, made it clear that he was giving her his full attention. "No, NO! I give, I give! What ya want from me?"

"I'm looking for someone. And I hear that you are the only one who knows where to find him."

"Who ya talking abo- wait... No...NO!  You talkin' about Stinky Pete?! No way, ya crazy dame! I ain't telling ya nuthing! He's mad, I tell ya! He will eat me for breakfast if he knows I rat him out!"

"Well, that's unfortunate for you, Bob." Rose's eyes narrowed as she cracked her tiny knuckles. "Because if I don't know where to find Stinky Pete ten seconds from now, I shall squeeze you. And I shall keep on squeezing you until all of them man juices run dry!"

Bob gulped.

"... He's in Marooners' Rock."

***

"GOLD! I FOUND GOLD!"

"So what? I found me some diamonds!"

"And I just found chocolate!"

Marooners' Rock was the place where you could find anything as long as you had a pickaxe and enough patience. Stinky Pete's gang were hacking and digging inside the mine, looking for treasures and sweets of all kinds.

"Phew, I'm exhausted..." Birdnose dropped his axe, stretching out. "I'm going out for some fresh air. You wanna come too?"

"Na, I'm good." Hairless kept hacking the rocky wall with enthusiasm. "But how about you go get me a soda?"

"Sure. Chubby, you want something?"

"No thanks."

"Be back in a sec." Birdnose picked up a lantern and left.

But he didn't come back.

After a while, the boys had noticed that their friend had been gone for about ten minutes.

"What's taking him so long?" Hairless dried his bald sweaty head with the back of his dirty sleeve. "I could use that soda right now."

"Hey, there he is!" Chubby pointed toward a small light that came toward them. "Birdnose, what took you so lo-"

BLAM!

One of the three glass lanterns that laid on the stonefloor shattered in a thousand pieces by a gunshot. It wasn't Birdface who had arrived.

It was a fairy.

A little fairy who had her arms around the handle of a pistol and could just about place her tiny fingers around the trigger.

"Stick 'em up, brats!" She said. "Or I will shoot!"

The two boys exchanged looks. Then Chubby said; "You ain't for real, are ya? Seriously, You are the least threatening thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a kitten when it-"

BLAM! BLAM!

Chubby and Hairless made a small scared jump as their pickaxes were now only half sticks. They both now held their hands above their heads.

"Can the smart talk, or the next bullet will burst that fat tummy of yours, kid!" Rose now pointed her gun directly at Chubby. "Now, you are going to bring me to your boss, or you won't need worrying about breathing no more."

***

"I don't like this..." Chubby gulped. "Pete won't be in a good mood, knowing I helped someone find his private home."

"You like holes in your head, kid?"

"... No..."

"Then keep moving."

Chubby led Rose through the secret underground tunnel that only the Long Gone Boys knew about. Chubby was unsure what to be more scared of: the fairy who illuminated the dark tunnel with her glowing body(who also held a gun with it's barrel toward his neck), or whether or not his boss would be merciful despite him betraying his trust. After some time, they finally saw some light at the end of the tunnel.

"Please..." Chubby wimped. "Don't make me go in there."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine! Beat it! Get outta here."

Once Chubby had left, Rose dropped the gun. Her arms were tired, and they were hurting like hell. Sure, she was tough, but steel was still not too comfortable near her fairy skin.

Rose took in a deep breath. The years of training, the weeks of searching, all of it was going to pay off today.

She could finally avenge her.

Rose cracked her knuckles and neck, and then entered the underground cave that was the home of the kid known as Stinky Pete.

It was as if daylight was inside this cave. Orange crystals were attached to the stone walls and roof. Their glow illuminated the cave. On the ground was soft, fresh grass. mannequins were placed around the home of Stinky Pete. They were all dressed in blue nightgowns and wigs with curls. They had arrows sticking out of their heads. In the middle of the room was a tipi, and next to it, a goat. The animal noticed Rose and began to bleat loudly.

"Ah, shaddap, Wendy." A voice came from inside the tent. It was the voice of a boy. "I already know we have guests."

Out of the tipi came a boy wearing an Indian chief war bonnet. The kid had hair red as fire and a naughty smile.

"You named the goat?" Rose asked.

"Yep. At first I wanted to name it Maimie." Pete nuzzled the goat between its horns. "But then I decided to name it Wendy instead. Because it's stubborn, won't listen to me, AND it smells. Kinda like her."

"Sentimentality doesn't suit you, Peter Pan."

"Stinky Pete. My name is Stinky Pete. I change my name when I remodeled Neverland into Nowhere."

"Remodeled it?!" Rose grinded her teeth. "You TORE IT APART, then made it into this... this..."

"What?" Pete began to pick his nose with his little finger. "I can do with this place as I please. It's mine. So if I get tired of pirates and jungle island adventures, I replace it with the wild west. Goes well with the Indians when you think about it."

"It's not yours! It was NEVER yours! The fairies lived here first! They ALLOWED you to live here!"

"Their mistake. Like it was their mistake to tell me what to do and not to do with Neverland when I made it into Nowhere."

"So you had to kill them all?! Even-" Rose breathing got funny. A tear fell from her left eye. "Even... Tinker Bell?! She did everything for you! She only wanted you to be happy! She loved you! You were her world! Didn’t that mean ANYTHING?!"

Pete laughed. "Who the heck is Tinker Bell?"

Screaming like an angry bird, glowing harsher than ever before and filled with rage, Desert Rose flew like a tiny comet toward the boy who would never grow up. Pete laughed as he fetched his tomahawk, ready for battle.

The fairy was sure that this would be the day where she would avenge her love.

The boy was just as sure that this would be the beginning of a beautiful enemyship.

#waeziverse #short story #tinkerbell #peter pan #western #neverland

[iamashamedofmyfanfics]

Running [8]

Running (by iamashamedofmyfanfics)

Pairing: None, B.A.P ot6 Genre: Friendship Universe: Gang AU Rating: PG13 Warnings: crime, violence, death mentioned Length: Chaptered (ongoing) Chapters: [First] [7/Previous] [9/Final]

Notes: I just want them to not be betrayed for once is that too much to ask?

[ao3 version]

Summary: It starts in high school. It starts with running away. It starts with a home. They should probably regret it, but they don’t

It’s loud. Junhong bursts in loudly, calling for help from Daehyun and Himchan. With fumbled words about the warehouse being attacked, and the others being in danger from Junhong, Himchan is on his feet quickly, ready to help.

It’s loud. The gunshots can only be so silent. It’s likely only the placement of the building that keeps the cops from later being called. Gunshots ring out, and Himchan feels a boiling under in his blood. His gang, his team, his friends are being attacked, and he feels sick to his stomach. Himchan’s shots are precise, meant to kill, and he doesn’t hesitate until he thinks they’re all gone.

Everyone thinks they’re all gone. although they aren’t letting their guard down, Himchan is still surprised, still not fast enough. Himchan is shot.

It’s loud. Himchan clutches his gut, to stop the bleeding, and wonders if it hit anything too important. Jongup is at his side in a second, helping him to the ground. There’s a pounding in Himchan’s head that nearly overwhelms him, but he tries to focus on what’s going on.

Youngjae moves quicker than Himchan expects. If anyone, it’s Yongguk or Junhong who he expects to move first, but Youngjae is disarming their last attacker by the time Himchan reaches the ground. There’s an expectation that forms in HImchan’s mind when he realizes this; that Youngjae will shoot the man and everyone will check for remaining attackers- just in case- and get Himchan a doctor.

Instead, Youngjae takes to physically beating the man. Himchan is startled- the others seem to be too- before Daehyun is pulling him back, and Yongguk is finishing the job with a single bullet. It’s loud. There’s chaos, as everyone scrambles to make sure they’re secure, and rush Himchan to help.

It’s loud. Himchan has assumed having an apartment, and thus neighbors, would have quieted the group down a bit. It doesn’t. There’s noise- food being made, arguing- from outside his door and he groans, not in the mood to deal with any of them. He’s recovering- now, weeks later- rather well, but he still doesn’t feel great. Yongguk laughs at the annoyed noise he makes.

“You okay?”

“Why are they always so loud?”

“They’re young.”

“We’re young.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.” Yongguk sighs. HImchan nods, shifting to sit up. “It feels like a long time since we left.”

“Yeah.”

It’s loud. His parent’s voices reach him from the other room and he presses himself against his door, phone in hand. They’re going to be even more upset, he knows. They’ll be disappoint and angry, and, and, and. HImchan sends a message.

Let’s do it. For real. Let’s run away.

Yongguk agrees.

It’s loud. The sounds of passing cars a bad lullaby while trying to sleep in alleyways. Yongguk doesn’t seem to be getting any rest, either. Himchan sighs. He wonders, silently, if this was a good idea. If trying to escape expectations was worth it.

It’s loud. Himchan has never been a fan of the club-like environment of the ‘bar,’ even if he agreed to help keep it running. While it’s filled with patrons it’s loud, and reminds him of his headache. He drinks, again, and the owner gives him a raised eyebrow. He shakes his head. Himchan is fine, not yet drunk. Besides, he was only just cleared to drink again.

Jongup drops into the seat next to him at the bar. Himchan feels momentary panic when Himchan turns to him, and Jongup offers a smile. Himchan sighs, remembering Jongup’s face isn’t so commonly on the news anymore that he can never go outside. Though they’re still careful.

“What is it?”

“I’m taking a break.” Jongup shrugs.

Himchan nods, turning back to his glass. Jongup sits there, staring back at the crowds of people. They don’t speak, for a while. Despite the noise around them, it feels silent. Himchan speaks. “Jongup, why’d you leave?”

“The dance floor?”

“Your life.”

“Oh.” Jongup frowns. “Oh. I… didn’t want to be a lawyer.”

“I see.”

“Why did you?”

“I didn’t want to be… anything they wanted me to be.”

“I get that.”

It’s loud. Himchan hasn’t heard gunshot is a while, so his heart races in his chest, even though they’re the ones who initiated the fire fight. The gang is lead by the man who sent people to attack their warehouse, months ago. Himchan ignores his beating heart, anger running his actions.

Youngjae is the first to signal that they’ve won, that there’s no one left alive. Despite this, everyone seems wary, uncertain. Himchan sighs, understanding how on edge they are, and tells Yongguk and Daehyun to check for anyone left alive. When Himchan turns back to the others, Youngjae is pulling open boxes and cabinets, Junhong looking over his shoulder. Jongup stands at Himchan’s side, unsure what to do.

“What is there?”

“Money, mostly,” Youngjae answers, shrugging. Then, he freezes, and takes purposeful steps away from the box he was leaned over. Junhong follows, eyebrow raised. “I didn’t touch it.”

“I know that.” Himchan sighs. ���Jongup, why don’t you and Youngjae count up the money?”

“Can do.” Jongup makes his way over, Youngjae looks confused even as he too goes to do so. Junhong turns back to Himchan.

“I don’t have anything for you to do, sorry.”

“I’m okay with doing nothing.”

“I’m sure.”

It’s loud. Himchan would like to believe he’s used to the energy and volumes of Youngjae and Daehyun. Yet he finds himself burring his face in his hands, papers on the table in front of him, unable to concentrate. Yongguk laughs, then clears his throat to pretend he hadn’t when Himchan glares.

“Why are they always like this?”

“They’re young and full of energy. Didn’t we just have this conversation a few weeks ago?”

“I just...” Himchan sighs. “The younger ones aren’t like this.”

“Junhong is sometimes like this.”

“Jongup isn’t, at least.” Himchan nods to himself. “He’s a good kid.”

“Sure.”

A screech echos out from Daehyun and Jongup’s shared room- though Jongup isn’t in there, and is instead in the kitchen- and Himchan sighs again. It’s loud. “How am I supposed to plan anything like this?”

“Here,” Yongguk motions for the papers, “let me see what I can come up with.”

Himchan hands the papers over, watching Yongguk scan them. He only turns his attention away when Jongup emerges from the kitchen and places a mug of tea in front of Himchan. This gets a raised eyebrow, but Jongup only shrugs.

“You seems like you need it.”

“Thanks.” HImchan takes the cup in his hands, then nods again to himself. “You really are the good kid in this gang.”

“Is there any ‘good ones’ in a criminal organization?”

“Sure, why not?”

It’s quiet. Himchan presses himself against a wall, glances over to Youngjae. The gang- one that had been slowly getting closer to their area of control, clearly not having learned from previous gangs- isn’t prepared for them. Yongguk and Junhong are on the complete other side of the building. Jongup and Daehyun are outside, prepared to run in should things go wrong.

Youngjae looks over to Himchan, waiting. Himchan nods, and they move into the next room, quiet and ready to catch the gang off guard.

It’s loud. One shot echos out, and then noise is all that surrounds them. Youngjae is quick to dive behind cover- a relief to Himchan- and Himchan presses himself behind a wall, calling out to Youngjae for cover. Then he pulls out his phone, sends his already-written text as quickly as possible, and then gets ready to fight.

It’s quiet. Himchan sighs. Yet another fight won. Yet another silence, filled with the knowledge that they’ve killed again. Youngjae looks to Himchan, as if worried, before smiling. Himchan tells everyone to check, just in case, and Yongguk pats him on the shoulder as he passes.

“What’s with all of you?”

“You’re stressed lately,” Youngjae answers, shrugging. “We’re worried you’ll get hurt.”

“I wont.”

“You already did,” Junhong adds, before leaving the room when Himchan glares.

“He’s right, though.” Daehyun shrugs. “We don’t want that happening again, you know?”

“I know. But I’m not getting hurt again, you can trust me on that.”

“Good.” Yongguk laughs when Himchan turns his glare to him. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Perimeter is clear!” Jongup’s call breaks the atmosphere, and everyone goes to their usual tasks.

It’s loud. Himchan finds himself yet again questioning the loudness of their gang members. Yet, for some reason, he finds himself smiling. Likely, he thinks, it’s because he’s not currently stressed about anything else. Youngjae and Daehyun laugh about something. Junhong and Jongup seem to be having a completely different conversation, despite having started out talking with the other two. Yongguk has fallen asleep, somehow.

Himchan smiles.

It’s loud. Somehow he’s gotten used to it.

#all of bap #friendship #crime au #pg13 rating #violence #death #chaptered #marylynnwrites #completed