#one of their best songs yet imo

[fuckyeahelenapaparizou]

Helena Paparizou in Melodifestivalen 2014

Heat 1 [x]

Andra Chansen - Round 1 [x]

Andra Chansen - Duels [x]

Final [x]

#helena paparizou #eurovision #melodifestivalen #έλενα παπαρίζου #doesn't feel like it but it was a decade ago #melfest was quite different #app voting hadn't been introduced yet so people had to call/text and there was no age groups. just more calls/texts = more votes #(which means the performances have the phone numbers on the bottom) #(very annoying having to work around them!!! and!! to remove the svt logo on the corner) #(because there wasn't a melodifestivalen youtube channel then either) #and an actual second chance round?? where artists might sing not only once but twice?? #anyways her andra chansen performances are still the best ones imo #melodifestivalen 2014 #gif #song: survivor

[vicsdeangelis]

then rhyming hot chick with hot chick, lyrical geniuses

NO CUZ I'M LITERALLY THINKING THE SAME THING 💀💀💀💀

#just to be clear just because i said the lyrics are bad doesn't mean i'm already hating on the song #i'm gonna see how i feel about it once i listen to it #BUT. the lyrics aren't good sksnsksj #and here's the thing. none of their english songs have great lyrics #imo the loneliest is the best written out of their english songs #BUT the music and damiano's voice make up for it. that's one of the reasons i love mammamia. cuz the music FUCKS and they make the song fun #so this is just an unnecessary disclaimer to say i'm not being a hater — YET #ask

[astrxealis]

tbh considering last night was. legitimately the 1st time someone has been added to my friends list aside from alts/irls/ppl from my former world/dc, i am incredibly happy (≧ω≦)  !!

#⋯ ꒰ა starry thoughts ໒꒱ *·˚ #⋯ ꒰ა ffxiv ໒꒱ *·˚ #i'm ignoring that them and their fc might be kind of sus !! LMAO but it was just really fun man idk. i don't really mind #:O i hope once again we can clear uwu this thurs aaa ... i will honestly be unbelievably happy T___T i have done savage yes but not yet an #ultimate >< it's not dsr or ucob but it definitely is something!! i've only done savages and ex stuff so i'm rlly proud hehe also hmm #w how far we are into it. aka around 20 or 30% on ultima . roulette mechs yk. i THINK i can safely say that this is around e12s difficulty #for sure hmm ... it's definitely something done as a team and you all need to know what you're doing for it to work :O ultimates r harder w #for* healers i think bcs for example. no macrocosmos. in the lower level ones i mean!! so like smn doesn't have gap closer :O #hmmmhmmhmhmhm idk where i'm going w this anymore LMAO anyways if you're reading this though i highly doubt that #i do very much suggest checking ffxiv out :] best story i've ever read imo (esp putting into everything that makes ffxiv. ffxiv) #i've been thinking abt ffxiv endwalker's final zone so much ... the song in particular!! that is. unbelievably good still #wahh yeah tho ig i'm just kinda sad ppl don't rlly interact w my ffxiv posts ... makes a lot of sense but like. T___T

[farthestshores]

villain and violent, infant and innocent, baby both arms cradle you now, both arms cradle you now.....

#this song is so simple yet complex and hypnotising and beautiful.... #one of her best imo

[candy-heart-brew]

I've seen some fans theorize that the lyrics to "Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight" tie into Frank's developing relationship with Eddie, potentially foreshadowing a grisly end for a favorite mailman. The lyrics are incredibly emotional and poor Frank sounds like he's fighting back tears during this entire record, making it feel like there's something more going on under the surface. While it's entirely possible that this is meant to foreshadow Frank and Eddie eventually being separated, I think the song's symbolism could be pointing to a different direction...

I touched a bit on this in a different post but to summarize: the attitude that Frank displays during "Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight" is completely at odds to his reaction to Eddie at the party. During BaBaG he's sad but resigned to fate, he knows that hibernation is inevitable but takes a bit of comfort in the knowledge that it's only temporary and that his loneliness will only last through winter. So, he does his best to power through, keep his personal feelings out of it, and assure his little friends that he'll be alright.

By contrast, his reaction to Eddie's behavior at the party is one of panic and confusion. He doesn't understand what's happening to Eddie or why he's suddenly gone unresponsive, he just knows that he isn't acting like himself at all and he can't accept that. He refuses to leave Eddie alone even after being ignored, continuing to push until he gets a response, at which point he immediately realizes something is wrong and tries to push further, only stopping when Eddie leaves. At this point in the story they don't appear to be especially close but Frank's terrified reaction speaks volumes about his true feelings for Eddie. And if this is how he reacts to him being quieter than usual, I can't imagine that he'd be much calmer or more composed in the event of losing Eddie altogether. IMO, he's far more likely to get angry and demand answers rather than wax poetic. So while "Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight" could potentially foreshadow Eddie's fate, Frank's subdued reaction makes me question that interpretation. I do think there's a deeper meaning to BaBaG, that Frank is singing about something other than bugs, just not Eddie. But then who? Well, as we found out in this last update, bugs are not the only creatures in the neighborhood that hibernate...

Think about it for a moment- Julie is going to be gone for months, leaving Frank all alone without his best friend. Who's going to invite him to games now? Who's going to listen to him about his interests and laugh at his jokes? Who's going to bake gelatin monstrosities with him? Julie is practically his other half so to lose her for months on end must be very difficult for him! He knows that she can't help it and he doesn't blame her but that hardly makes it any easier. All he can really do now is just push that sadness down, wish her goodnight, and wait for her to return.

Under this interpretation, certain lyrics in BaBaG take on a different meaning to me. Lines like "I know it's for the best, I can't keep you," or "I'll be the first to tell you, you just can't stay," could imply an oncoming rift between the two of them. The recent updates have implied that Frank and Julie were written to be a couple and were perceived as such in-universe. We don't yet know how the two of them felt about that but we do know that they were very close to the point of doing basically everything together! But now Frank is falling in love with someone else, someone who may very well come to eclipse Julie in terms of importance to him. No matter how much he loves her, no matter how much they might want to stay together, there are some things you just can't fight and this play-relationship they have can't last forever...

But that's just my interpretation!

#welcome home #frank frankly #eddie dear #franklydear #julie joyful #analysis #don't mind me just desperately clinging onto hope that the gays will live!

[osaemu]

OSAMU DAZAI: ❛❛ MIDNIGHT RAIN ❜❜

.ೃ࿐ his melancholia is addicting. NSFW

contents: fem!reader. smut –> angst. cunniligus, implied p –> v, alcohol consumption. mentions of alcohol and smoking. established relationship.

author's note: somewhat inspired by cornelia street, easily the best song off of lover imo. fight me.

dazai's a stressed man—that's what years upon years of living in environments as active and tense as the mafia and the agency would do to anyone. so on the somewhat rare occasions that dazai softens around you, it's not a problem for you to oblige him.

ever since the two of you started dating, you haven't had a free night to yourself. nights that were once spent on the couch are now spent following dazai through the scarcely lit parts of yokohama, the only illumination of his figure being the soft rays of twilight bleeding from the sky.

on your little nights out, he never lets go of your hand. whether it's to tug you along cobblestone pathways or comfort you in the alleys you used to avoid, his fingers are always threaded through your own.

the more comfortable he gets with you, the more touchy he gets. dazai's arms seem like they were made to wrap around your waist, and you can't help but feel like a part of you's missing when his fingers aren't tangled with your own.

dazai's good with his words, and even better with his hands. only someone as adroit as dazai could make you see stars on your bedroom ceiling with just his fingers.

on nights when the agency works him like a dog, it's all you can do to keep your heart from melting when you see the way he falls asleep in your arms. for him, your touch is dangerously drug-like—something like a sedative, as he tells you the morning after.

dazai wouldn't have it any other way—he'd rather be addicted to you than to cigarettes or alcohol. and, lucky for him, he finds out after your first night in his sheets that you even taste better too.

one crisp evening after one too many glasses of whiskey, dazai's lips find their way to your collarbone, brushing across your skin in an almost ghost-like manner. the way he's holding himself back is almost painful to watch—the longing in his eyes plus the way he flexes his fingers pulls out a plea for him to just touch you from your lips.

one thing leads to another, and within a couple minutes your clothes are discarded to who-knows-where and all you can think about is how good dazai is to you.

and yet, even an hour later, he's holding himself back. despite being under the influence, dazai retains enough of his mind to resist the growing urge to fuck you to his heart's content. only after your pleas turn into full-on begging does he give in, deftly pushing your legs apart and sliding in effortlessly, mumbling praises on just how well you're taking him.

dazai eats you out like a man starved—when you convince him to fuck you with his tongue, he's ravenous. to him, you taste like heaven, and to someone who's certainly going to hell, he can't help but savor the taste of the paradise he'll never set foot in.

someone with such a tainted past like him doesn't deserve such a good girl like you. you shouldn't have to bear any part of the burden that rests on dazai's shoulders—it's not your fault he's so attracted to you.

that's a lie. the blame can only be put on you for being so accommodating, so comforting, so fucking perfect—at least, that's what dazai tells you from his spot in between your legs.

the pornographic sounds that the two of you make over the course of the night fluctuate every time one of you goes over the edge, mind swamped with nothing but thoughts of the other.

the night goes by too fast, marked by love-drunk kisses and nearly-spilt glasses of whiskey. neither of you has any idea how it started or how it'll end—the rumpled sheets tangled in between your legs is enough.

promises of i'm yours fall from both of your lips as the high starts to fade and your breaths start to slow, sleep tugging at the backs of your minds.

as the view around you fades to black, a last whisper slips through your lips. just before your eyes flutter closed, you relish the look of surprise on your boyfriend's face—it's exceedingly rare to catch dazai off guard, and for you, the person he thinks he understands the most to do so? impossible.

and yet the six words you murmur as your head hits the pillow leave dazai open-mouthed for a moment. he's speechless. the words themselves aren't much, but the meaning behind them is everything.

all good things come to an end—as a member of two of the most perilous organizations in yokohama, dazai knows this all too well. being surrounded by death and danger for half your life tends to destroy one's faith in destiny, and yet, as dazai watches you fall asleep on his chest, he dares to let himself hope against all odds.

all good things come to an end, but hopefully, this won't. he's invested far too much into this for it to crumble—if the worst happened, he'd never love again. it wouldn't be worth the risk, not if someone as perfect as you managed to slip through his fingers. he couldn't lose you, too.

so when he hears his thoughts mirrored on your lips, something in dazai's heart breaks. all his life, he'd been taught that permanence was a false promise. everything ended, good and bad, eventually. dazai had been taught to cut people off before they could hurt him, but for you?

if loving you was pain, then by all means, consider him a masochist.

"i hope i never lose you."

#osaemu #bsd x reader #bsd smut #dazai osamu x reader #dazai osamu smut #osamu dazai x reader #osamu dazai smut #dazai x you #bsd x you #dazai x reader #dazai smut #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs x you #bungo stray dogs x y/n #bungo stray dogs smut #dazai angst #bsd angst #dazai drabbles #bsd drabbles

[updownlately]

no, you don’t have to hide (the things you feel inside, i feel too)

| leah williamson x reader | hurt/comfort | 1.3k | a/n: heard 'lonely eyes' by lauv for the first time today and i got obsessed. whipped up a tiny little h/c fic based on the song! if you want the full effect of the fic (imo) listen to the song as you read! (it's linked above :)) sorry for slightly depressing content, im in a mood.... but anyways, happy reading!

~~~

"i don’t mean to be rude there’s things in myself that i see in you lonely eyes she had those lonely eyes i only know ‘cause i have them too lonely eyes no, you don’t have to hide the things you feel inside, i feel too ‘cause i’m lonely just like you ‘cause i’m lonely just like you"

-

“Had you not moved your arm a few seconds ago, I swear I would’ve called an ambulance or something…”

The words came from the blonde stood above you, her voice teasing yet cautious, softly testing the waters as she took in your sprawled out state in the middle of the training field.

It was much, much past the time practice had ended, Leah’s rehab session what brought her to stay after, to be there to notice your crumpled form on the pitch. 

You, who was still in your training gear, a light hoodie on you however, limbs sprawled out save for your left arm, which was haphazardly slung across your face, hiding your eyes. 

Your hum of response barely audible, had the midfielder’s eyebrows furrowing in worry, head tilting to the side as she crouched down beside you.

“Hey, you okay?”

The gentle words caused you to smile wryly, bloodshot eyes hidden underneath the protective cover of the crook of your arm as you did your best to make your voice sound normal.

Clearing your throat as nonchalantly as possible, you took a deep breath before speaking out. 

“Yeah….why wouldn’t I be?”

Sighing at how you were clearly not okay, the tear tracks on your cheeks very much visible in the setting rays of the sun, Leah shook her head to herself. 

You were stubborn- she very much knew it from having had the privilege of playing with you for the better part of the past season, and if there was one thing she definitively learned about you, it was that you hesitated to show any excess emotions, much rather choosing to let out whatever it may be on the pitch.

Right now though? Right now you looked utterly exhausted, the lack of games clearly taking its toll on you. 

Stretching her neck, Leah decided to take her chances at getting through to you, at least enough so that whatever it was you were feeling right now disappeared, her only goal at the moment to make you feel better. 

Gently tossing her water bottle a few feet away from where the pair of you were, Leah took a seat beside you, leaving a considerable gap so as to not make you uncomfortable.

Legs extended out as she stretched them, the blonde watched as your chest rose unevenly, almost as if she could hear each shaky breath as it escaped you, you still hellbent on trying to claim you were doing alright. 

“You can tell me you’re fine but it doesn’t mean I have to believe it…”

The words were hushed, just whispered quietly enough to stay between you two, even though no one else was around to hear it. 

The blonde eyed you warily though, her eyes scanning your face as she saw you register the words. 

Watching keenly, she saw you clench your jaw impossibly tight, shoulders tensing, you swallowing hard at the words as your breathing stilled for a second until you realized how you had frozen and quickly picked it back up again. 

“You might be doing a good job of hiding it, at least from the others, but- and I don’t mean to be rude- but there’s things in myself that I see in you…and those things aren’t fun, at least in my experience.”

You didn’t realize it, but you found yourself nodding subconsciously at the words, a part of you relieved that your mind wasn’t the only one this messy. 

Seeing the way your head moved had the Gunner beside you smiling slightly, glad to see your walls crumbling ever so slightly. 

Pausing to see if you would say anything, Leah patiently waited, head turning as she gazed around at the scenery around you two, bathing in the calmness of Mother Nature as she gave you a minute or so to collect yourself. 

So caught up in watching a baby bird as it shakily flew from one branch of a tree to another, Leah was pleasantly jolted out of her reverie by your faint voice, your words lowly mumbled, as your arm came to move down from your eyes, revealing your bloodshot eyes to Leah, your gaze not meeting hers one bit as you looked up into the pinking sky above.

“It- it sometimes gets loud, y’know?”

Your hesitant tone, coupled with the tired words and red eyes had the skipper’s heart quietly breaking, well aware of what you were referring to.

Staying silent to urge you to continue, the blonde leaned back on her elbows, humming near soundlessly, 

“The voices up there, they just don’t stop. I wish they did so bad, but they don’t…”

A bubble of comfort took over the both of you at the words, the breeze blowing between as you basked in the freeing relief of being understood.

It just so happened that the blonde unfortunately knew exactly what you were referring to- the little voice, sometimes voices, that never stopped. Reminding you of each mistake in a game, each misspoke or awkward pause in your conversations. Voices that held the weight of the fans’ emotions, their expectations, their disappointment, each and every criticism ever uttered into existence, all meshed into a voice that followed her everywhere, not a moment of reprieve, as the assault battered her down day by day, no matter how hard she pushed through it. 

Nodding in understanding, breathing deeply as she felt herself feel seen, Leah exhaled softly before speaking.

“I wish I could tell you it gets better, but I can’t promise that…”

Her words hung in the air as you felt another wave of emotions cross you, the sentiment not really what you expected nor wanted to hear at the moment. 

Eyes tearing up at the admission, exhaustive frustration seeping into your bones, you sunk deeper into the grass beneath you, too afraid of the hurricane of emotions within you to speak up. 

Doing your best to hold it together, you willed the tears to not fall, keeping your eyes open for as long as possible so that they’d dry out faster, hoping the unshed tears would disappear. 

You were almost successful too, nearly getting a grasp on your emotions, before you heard shuffling from the girl beside you, feeling your arms brush as you just barely tilted your head to the side, watching from the corner of your eye as Leah settled down beside you, joining you in laying down.

Feeling her body warmth near you, you took a shuddering breath, the heavy weight of being alone earlier slowly rising from your chest as breathing became a tad bit easier. 

“What I can tell you- no, promise- what I can promise you is that I’ll be here beside you through it all if you’ll have me. We don’t even have to talk if you want. If you want someone to sit beside you when your mind gets a little too loud, your heart a little too heavy? I can do that. You don’t have to do it alone…I rather you not, to be honest.”

Lips turning ever so slightly as you closed your eyes, head nodding microscopically, you took in a deep sigh, flexing your jaw as your lungs loosened, the weight not completely off your chest just yet, but just enough that you believed for a second, for a moment, that maybe things could be alright.

“I think I’d like that…”

And when Leah intertwined your hands together, letting them rest between your bodies as you watched as the pink sky slowly molded into orange and then purple as the sun finally set, you took the chance to look over at her, her eyes meeting yours at the sound of your movement, two pairs of lonely eyes recognizing your shared emotions, any differences pushed aside as you stripped down to nothing but understanding and relief- grateful to find someone just like you, to be there for you. 

#leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #leah williamson #woso #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso community #woso imagine #my writing #fic #nydhth #hurt/comfort #seasonal depression is kicking in...welp

[masarrysversion]

daylight

summary: love story of sir lewis hamilton x singer-songwriter!reader

inspiration: madame taylor swift’s discography. her new songs “you’re losing me” // her old songs

author’s note: this is my very first social media au ♡ must admit that I’m not satisfied with it and the end was rushed :/ taylor swift released a new song “you’re losing me” and I’ve seen many parallels with her old songs so I wanted to make an AU but with a different timeline than TS’s real timeline

face claim: chloe bailey 

SEPTEMBER

yourusername

Liked by zendaya and 5 345 851 others

yourusername Surprise!!

Out NOW the new version of my album called Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) 💙

This edition has a never before heard track called “You’re Losing Me” and it is the official third single from Midnights!!! (Link in bio)

View all 32 377 comments

ynfan IM BAWLING THE SONG IS HEARTBREAKING

loveyn if you have ever been in a relationship that slowly died in front of you while you tried everything to save it but they acted like nothing was wrong, don’t listen to “you’re losing me” you’ll be agonising

midnightslover “I wouldn’t marry me either” anyone would be lucky to marry you, Y/N 😢

user1 you deserve someone who considers you and praises you for existing

yourusername

Liked by elliegoulding, lewishamilton and 3 465 834 others

yourusername THANK YOU SO MUCH, @brits 💖 I can’t believe ‘You’re Losing Me’ won International Song. This song means SO much to me!! The brit is already safe and warm on a shelf at home. What a magical night and what an honour to have been presented this award by two people I highly respect and admire, @elliegoulding & @lewishamilton 🙏

View all 24 859 comments

lewishamilton 💜😍

Liked by yourusername

lewis44ham well... it sure is a normal way to answer an artist you’ve just met... 👀

LHmercfan @lewis44ham Lewis has always been nice like that with everyone lol. It doesn’t mean anything!

ynlover u deserve it so much!!

user47 you transforming your heartbreak into art and getting recognition for it just makes me happy

-

NOVEMBER

enews

45 295 likes

enews DATING RUMORS ALERT 🚨 Sir Lewis Hamilton and Y/N were spotted entering a building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

It seems like Y/N has made Cornelia Street her temporary abode for a few weeks now as her Tribeca property is undergoing a renovation. 

View all 3410 comments

lavendrshaze NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY

lewissnation They’re not just rumors imo. They have been interacting so much on social media lately!

formulamilton true lmao. and no wonder lewis has posted so many thrist traps since september 🤔

-

MARCH

-

JULY

yourusername

Liked by lewishamilton and 8 416 478 others

yourusername Hi loves, my brand new album ‘wholeheartedly’ will be out this friday. Hope you’ll like it as much as I loved creating it ♡

Comments on this post have been limited.

-

1 YEAR LATER

lewishamilton

Liked by yourusername and 23 456 120 others

lewishamilton Y/N Hamilton, I would marry you endlessly.

You’re way better than a dream. 🤤

I always knew I was a lucky man but when I met you, I understood that I was the luckiest man ever. Fighting and hardwork have always be in my DNA and yet, fighting for your love and happiness everyday is like no other fights I experienced. It still is my best fight to this day. I will never stop working hard to be worthy of your love and consideration. I thought I had everything until you swept me off my feet at the Brits and finally made me complete that night. 

I love you. Thank you for making me and Roscoe your family, @username 😍❤️

Ps: I never thought I would have love songs written about me. In complete awe of your talent 😳

View all 364 924 comments

yourusername You and Roscoe are the loves of my life. I’m the one who is thankful for you, for having found the perfect human being. I have so much love, respect and admiration for you that it is unimaginable. I love you with all of my heart 💜

189 989 likes

#lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #social media au #i apologise for any grammar mistakes i'm french :) #so nerve wrecking to post your writing omg #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton fanfiction #f1 fanfic #mw

[tired-all-the-time22]

ヒアソビ - Camellia ft. Hatsune Miku

“In this one-night-only fantasia,

I’m scorching my fingers in the dissatisfaction”

^ Fic inspiration from this song, idea below v

+7/8/2023 update at the end

mistaken identity fic based on the knowledge that red son is unaware of MK’s monkie form. MK sneaks into a demon gala/formal event to crash any demon shenanigans (aka hang out with red son) any does so by using his monkie form. He finds red son, who, by some miracle, finds Mk completely unrecognizable and assumes that MK is a suitor or a kind of representative wanting to make ties with the demon bull family.

However red son, at this time harboring a crush for MK and possibly pining over him for a while, still recognizes enough features to see a resemblance to MK. Feeling as if he could never actually date MK himself, red son decides to try for second best and ends up flirting with what he believes to be a monkie demon Mk-lookalike. MK, while he does pick up that something is a little odd with the situation, shrugs it off and reciprocates red son’s flirting, ending up in them making mayhem and having cliche formal event-dancing-lights-shipping moments.

The night ends in MK feeling like their relationship has grown (possibly to something more, he hopes), and red son believing he’s fixed his ‘half-sided’ pining issue.

Imo this could be a funny fic like From Three Thirty to Four by Pittedpeaches (will always plug this fic bc it’s awesome and if you haven’t already read it go and do that now bc it’s hilarious) where MK and red son keep coincidentally only meeting like this when MK’s in monkie form and shenanigans ensue,

But alternatively I did originally imagine this as a kind of angst hurt/comfort fic where red son starts to feel dissatisfied with his ‘replacement’ and deals with feeling guilty about dating someone he feels is so similar to Mk while also remaining friends/enemies with him. They would eventually actually get together in the end, but I like hurt/comfort fics so making this art was fun. ^^

July 8th Update - I have decided to write a single chapter for this idea and here is the announcement post for more info - fic isn’t posted yet but if you guys want more when it is make sure to comment/reblog telling me so ^^

#please click for better quality i beg of you #getting used to tiny tablet - big pc drawing #this did take a while though 😓 #I would write this myself but I don’t have the energy nor the skill lol #my art #art #artist on tumblr #digital art #lego monkie kid #mk lmk #lmk red son #lmk qi xiaotian #monkie qi xiaotian #spicynoodles #lmk spicynoodles #fanart #lmk #rkgk #digital illustration #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic idea

[tuliptic]

Crazy Form: My Ego's In This Show

First PAC of the year!! When in real I've been working on it since last year lmAO.

My main personality is peaking through this blog again cuz Ateez is back with another banger and as an Atiny, it’s my calling to do this. This reading is gonna be slightly different imo, tho I have no idea how to phrase myself on how different it is.

Most of us, if not all, have a certain side to us that can be considered crazy. The definition of crazy differs according to people and context, where some can be out of control, unbelievable, mad, or just enthusiastic. One person’s craziness is just another person’s normal, so just treat it as… How you want it to be. 

To me, this song yells about being yourself, not confining yourself to the social structure and expectations of the world. They might think we’re crazy but there’s nothing wrong with being yourself as long as you’re not harming anyone. Just close your eyes and not look if things are not to your liking, and steer away from me. Leave me alone, I don’t mind.

As usual, you can meditate before you pick a pile. However, for this reading, I’d say go for the one you first focused on, as craziness can be spontaneous. Found your pile? Let’s go see what our Crazy Form has for us!

Pile 1 - Pile 2

Pile 3 - Pile 4

Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. Also, I do not consent to my work or images being used by third parties on this platform or other websites as well.

Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Sweet Dreams Oracle Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck, self made lyrics deck.

Pile 1

A card to represent you: Death

For some reason I see you as someone who prolly is into the punk genre? Something metal? You’re constantly transforming yourself, trying new things, finding your way throughout the world probably through means that are not well received by others. Weirdly the word osmosis came to mind? You tend to throw yourself into the exact situation to learn and understand why people react a certain way. It sounds cool, but to people around you, they think you’re out of your mind cuz it could mean that you may go to the extremes to get the experience you want. But to you, you prolly feel proud of it cuz you are constantly growing at an astounding speed.

1. What do people think is crazy about you? - Three of Wands rx

You tend to not credit yourself? It’s giving me the feeling that you tend to look at things from the sidelines, may it be your success or achievements. You don’t mind the credits, but to others they’ll get mad cuz you were not credited accordingly. They tend to not understand why you’d let your work get taken away or used (I think the same too). This appears to be a mystery to people around you, but you know what you want, so you’re chill with it. It’s giving me the feeling where you do things to gain experience and to build yourself, not to gain recognition. May be wrong here, but you know yourself best. OvO

2. What craziness is in you that has not been unleashed? - Seven of Pentacles

You already chose to not take credits over your own work, and it will drive people crazy that whatever you’re doing is not the peak. You’re currently doing things at your own pace, to figure things out as you go. One day, when you decide to unlock a passion and work on it diligently, yet continuing to not take any credits for yourself, the people around you will flip. You know about this, but you’ve surrounded yourself with people who support your vision and share your values, they who believe that you’ll be able to create your own legacy sky. For some of you, you may also feel that it’s weird if you choose to take credit. Maybe it’s because there’s more than what is seen by the eyes in the material realm. For some reason I’m thinking of Saturn energy here, so some of you may be Saturn dominant.

3. How can you use your Crazy Form to your advantage? - Justice rx

What I’m feeling from here is that you can use this to get out of situations, especially unfair situations. It can sound pretty mean but if things take a bad turn, you, being in no leadership role, can get out of it. This is also one of the reasons you dislike assuming the leadership position. To some, you may like assuming the leader position, but you’re not given the chance or you’re currently not there yet to take on the role. You’re also the type who likes to explore stuffs and hence, you have the skills and ability to venture into anything else new that you are interested in. The world is wide and there are a lot of things for you to try, and you probably go crazy with everything you wanna try, ignoring how small your plate can be.

4. What can you achieve from this entire thing? - Queen of Pentacles

For some reason, the word “connection” came out pretty strong. Networking and connection was the first to pop up in my head. Y’know how people have been told to separate work life and personal life? That’s not what you’ll do, probably. You make friends and create connections through work, and they slowly become part of your personal life as well. I think this is a charm of yours where you are just capable of creating new bonds because of your comforting presence and of your communication skills. You don’t necessarily need to be very protective or nurturing; people just find you comfortable to talk to and the new friendship starts to grow from there. Eventually, they become part of your life even though you may not remain in the same workplace.

Overall energy: Justice, Six of Swords rx

I like how Justice came out twice for you, signifying that it’s a strong theme. Justice could mean being fair, but to me, it also talks about being critical in both mind and action. You possess a mind that’s sharp, where you can see and evaluate the various situations that you’re in, noticing details that many people don’t. It’s like… You’re being guided through all of these so you’re able to throw yourself into as many passion projects as you like. However, remember to keep things in moderation else you’ll feel the burn-out or you’ll get overwhelmed with everything going on. Take care.

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Pile 2

A card to represent you: The Hanged Man rx

This card in reverse usually talks about delays, resistance, and even self sacrificing too much. Have you been doing so? Have you been creating a lot of inner tension within yourself, where you try to maintain the exterior peace of the environment and ignore the need of your own inner peace? Remember that external peace isn’t your peace, and that you need to take care of your own needs as well, as you’re in charge of whatever that’s in your life. There are a lot of other ways to maintain a balance out there, you just need to review your priorities and how you’d want to execute it.

1. What do people think is crazy about you? -  Three of Cups

Socialisation is the first word that came into my mind. There’s a high chance that you’re an extrovert, where you gain energy by being around people. Not exactly a party animal kinda feeling, but more of a… Vibe assimilation? It’s like, you throw yourself into a place with a good vibe and you kinda absorb the good vibe and make yourself feel better with it. Once you’re feeling better, you feel that you’re more prepared to face whatever problems you were facing. It’s also the other way round, where you give out good vibes and fun times to those around you who are having a hard time. But also, you need to be aware if this is their preferred love language or you may not be helping them the way they need it.

2. What craziness is in you that has not been unleashed? - Page of Cups rx

Are you a romantic? Cuz this card here is giving me this vibe. It feels like… You’re a romantic in heart, where your heart is open to love as it manifests into the world. Take this as a reminder to not go wild. You can fall in love deep and quick, and can jump to new relationships easily. To you, you just view love as love, and you think it’s alright to get into or break off relationships cuz you’re loyal to love. However, a relationship doesn’t work only on love, but also responsibilities, loyalty, and a lot of other aspects. Ground yourself, find out what is it that you want by getting into relationships. From there, only you figure out how you can work things out without potentially harming other people in the relationship.

3. How can you use your Crazy Form to your advantage? - Wheel of Fortune rx

I feel that with your Crazy Form, you are very capable of changing the courses of lives. Plural. It’s not only your life that you’re changing, where you learn through the relationships and experiences you’ve gone through; but also the lives of others who have been in relationships with you, where they may learn a thing or two, or even have problems with the idea of “love”.  You know that you’re the co-creator of your life and destiny, but also, you need to be aware of the impact you have, how you can also change the lives of others for the better. You now know you have the power, how you’re gonna use it is now up to you.

4. What can you achieve from this entire thing? - The Devil, Page of Swords

You can be the Devil, where you can draw out the worst possible potential in someone; or you can also be the Messenger, where you share your knowledge and wisdom to those who are interested in them. There’s a lot you can achieve, but ultimately, it depends on which path you want to tread on. You, Pile 2, you know you’re fire, you know you can warm people or burn them. I don’t want to repeat things but yeah. You can make a name for yourself, may it be in a nice light or a not-nice light. Whatever you choose, make sure you think through the consequences of your actions, and if you’re alright or satisfied with the outcome. 

Overall energy: Temperance rx, Four of Wands

Overall speaking, there’s a lack of balance in this pile. It feels like the energy is scattered, and that now you’re taking your time to piece the puzzles (scattered energy, self-expectations, better understanding of yourself)  into a nice and harmonious picture (you). You are searching for a community where you are comfortable with, you can work together with. I don’t think this pile has much difficulties in self-acceptance, but if you do, do work on them as it could be your greatest challenge. Once you’re through that?  You’ll be surprised by how much power you have.

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Pile 3

A card to represent you: The Hierophant

I… Am conflicted with how I should word myself. The Hierophant is usually related with traditional and conventional methods. There’s a hint of tradition here, but what I’m feeling is more of a… Fusion? It’s like you’re working with whatever and whichever part of the tradition you agree with, and mixing it with something else to have a new blend. This is you. You are good at combining the best of both worlds to bring forth something new that is comforting to you and the people around you. You may also have been told that you have a healing presence? Or you’re working on your inner healing right now, especially childhood trauma. 

1. What do people think is crazy about you? - Ten of Wands rx

The way you willingly and fearlessly take up responsibilities is what people (including myself) think is crazy about you. Most people will consider and ponder, weighing the pros and cons before deciding if they wanna take up the responsibility to take up something or anything. But for you, it’s like you have some sort of blind faith that you’ll be able to do things and hence, you take up the responsibility. You also have almost no fear in showing or exposing your vulnerability. You understand that being vulnerable doesn’t necessarily mean weak, and you honour that part of you, showing it and proving that being vulnerable doesn’t mean you can’t achieve things.

2. What craziness is in you that has not been unleashed? - Four of Pentacles rx

You’re actually… restraining yourself a lot. Unknown to the people around you (or even yourself), you have always felt the need to exert control over particular things, or even other people, but especially yourself. The controlling side of yours is due to the insecurities that you’ve experienced, probably as a kid, where you need to have a certain control over situations so that you can be assured of your self value. You probably have gone through child trauma and do not hold trust in the world, nor in people around you, which led to you wanting to be in charge of things so you can exert dominance to make sure you’re not on the passive or losing end.

3. How can you use your Crazy Form to your advantage? - The Magician rx, Five of Cups rx

You can use that controlling energy and redirect them to some other things, such as creativity expressions (creating new things to have fun) or even focusing on healing past traumas. All of these require a lot of energy and time, which is something really suitable for you to work on as you expand not only your views on things, but also to learn acceptance and to be kinder to yourself. Expansion is a huge theme where you need to find things out and figure them out as you journey in life. There’s a lot of time for you to figure things out, so it’s best to not rush and learn to take things at your own pace.

4. What can you achieve from this entire thing? - Eight of Pentacles

Success is guaranteed if you put your energy in the right things. You’ll be able to become the pinnacle in whatever fields you have decided to step into. The tenacity you have, the diligence and hard work you’ve put into curating your portfolio and honing your skills will be well repaid in the forms of success, achievements, recognition and even power. However, there’s a need to maintain balance in all things, and to continue striving and improving. Know that you’ll need to constantly learn how to change your controlling energy to something that’s more… beneficial? Something that can help you (and/or the people you care for) in the long run. 

Extra cards: Five of Pentacles

An extra message for you right now is that you still will need to go through some things before you reach there. You’re still in the process of learning, and you’ll face your own trials soon enough. You need to be aware of your own mindset, your own actions; only then you’ll be able to make the necessary changes for you to be able to unlock your highest potential. Your guides are also actively sending you messages. Trust in your guts, your feelings, your guides; they’re your strongest compass and confidant.

Overall energy: Death, The Star

This pile focuses a lot on the importance of change, and how it’s capable of making your life better or worse. However, it also reassures that there’s a silver lining within every dark cloud. There may be a sense of defeat for some who chose this pile, but it is also a sign of telling, where you’re called to surrender the old and limiting beliefs before you can be reborn into limitless possibilities. The process of being reborn is not easy, and you will need help around you to go through those times. Not saying that you can’t handle everything alone, but getting help and assistance from people around you, especially those who are close to you can help you and make your life so much easier. So why go through the long-winded route?

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Pile 4

A card to represent you: The Emperor

I’m getting a… Growl? People probably paint you as dominant or domineering at times (or most of the time). You may have a stronger masculine energy, even if you identify as some other genders. There’s this fire energy that feels like Scorpio as well, where people (including your subordinates and to some extent, friends) may feel afraid. Some of you are aware of this and are pleased with this, but some of you are unaware of this trait of yours. You can choose to either work on it and be a benevolent king, or you can be a tyrant. The choice is yours, you are who you want to become.

1. What do people think is crazy about you? - Temperance, Two of Pentacles

You’re able to remain your balance amidst the changes that are happening around you. There’s just this… Stability in you that assures the people around you. Pluto is in Capricorn and it’s about to enter Aquarius for good. We have seen how things changed around us, and how there were more… THings that have been constantly happening. Yet, even with the never-ending chaos, you still manage to keep your emotions and rationality at a healthy level. You know that you rely not only on yourself, but also your dreams and your spirit’s energy to reach your highest good. But still, you achieving this is just insane in many people’s eyes.

2. What craziness is in you that has not been unleashed? - King of Swords rx

People are seeing the balanced side of you at the moment, but they probably have not thought of you being a person who focuses more on the mind than the emotional side. You probably have the habit of noticing the slightest things, and you’re very capable of putting the small pieces together to form the bigger picture. If anyone ever wrongs you, this side of yours will appear and will probably mess up their life cuz they messed yours. You do put in effort in keeping this side of yours aside as you’re very much intending on keeping things civil.

3. How can you use your Crazy Form to your advantage? - The Chariot

If you ever wanted to take over the corporate business, you’re very capable of doing so. Take the wheel, steer to where you want to head to, and hit the gas. You will not be lost as long as you are sure of where you’re going. Also, because of this introspective side of yours, you can help a lot of those who are in need. I’m somehow seeing you piecing up information to gather evidence against domestic violence cases. You are willing to help, as long as they ask. The same goes to you, where you’ll also receive help from the universe when you ask for them. You just seem to be in sync with divine timing, which is something you can pay attention to.

4. What can you achieve from this entire thing? - The High Priestess rx

I am very tempted to say that you’ll end up losing your feminine and intuitive side, but there’s more to it. Sure, there may be chances of you straying away from the quieter side of you, but it is also a chance for divine intervention where your guides are re-introducing you the importance of your feminine side, showing you how being in-tune with your emotions can bring you to places you’ve never thought of, to bring your the emotional fulfilment that you’ve never imagined. More importantly, it’s an opportunity for you to learn the importance of stability and sustainability, and make sure that whatever you do and learn is gonna be part of your life, part of your identity.

Overall energy: The Hanged Man rx, The Tower rx

There’s quite some blockage here that you’re facing, where you may feel challenged with everything that’s happening around you. Remember that you’re not in control of everything around you, that things happen for a reason, and that it’s okay to go along the flow from time to time. The Universe is trying to guide you to where you’re supposed to be, so stop being stubborn and learn to accept things for the time being. At least, until you’re strong enough to go against what you’ve decided to fight. You’re meant to do great things, to achieve so much more in life. But first, you need to learn to accept your flaws and the harsh reality, only then you can be sure of what you want to rebel against.

#tuliptic #🌷 #pick a card #pick a pile #pick a picture #tarot reading #general tarot reading #crazy form #yes it's another ateez reading cuz i'm an atiny #prolly another ateez one coming up #idk #depending on my mood #i've been working on this since last year and am finally having the energy to complete this #anyways that's it #it's a very different reading to the point idek what to label/categorise this as #have fun #i hope you guys had fun cuz #i definitely did #see ya in another reading #or game #whichever comes first

[chubs-deuce]

I read your post about Chaggie and it reminded me of how I recently made a rewrite of Vaggie to make her more interesting.

For one, NOT make her a love interest right off the bat since it's been shown that by doing so it doesn't allow her to be her own character.

Play more into what being an exorcist was like for her, what made her have a change of heart and how she hates herself for what she's done in the past.

Perhaps during one of those exterminations she witnesses a family getting murdered or at least the husband sacrificing himself to let his wife and children get away, seeing how despite being sinful creatures they still have hearts in their own way.

She would look at herself, her sisters and Adam and how they don't act like that at all and wondered if what they were doing is really right.

And from there everything could be the same with the exception of her and Charlie being best friends instead of lovers and have her arc being more focused on wanting to make sure the hotel works so maybe one day SHE could get redeemed herself and feel like a real angel.

sorry ik this response is hella late I just haven't had the brain juice for it until now

Right?!

Tho imo making them an established couple from the get-go isn't even really the issue so much as Vaggie just constantly being sidelined and reduced to "Charlie's protective girlfriend" and their couple dynamic refusing to be anything but wholesome.

It just feels way too much like Vaggie makes being Charlie's main source of support her whole entire identitiy and at times it even feels a little bit one-sided imo?

I completely blame the fact that the narrative lets Charlie be her own character who deals with situations that don't involve Vaggie directly in any capacity, whereas Vaggie's problems all entirely come back to wanting to help Charlie or the hotel (so... in extension, also Charlie)...

And imo anytime they do interact in a romantic way it feels a bit much like the narrative is just pointing at them going "look! They're using pet names and holding hands! Aren't they cute??? Ship them please" and then... do almost nothing with them beyond that, even when given some great opportunities.

One thing that would've actually saved this ship for me would've been if the writers actually allowed them to have a proper fight about the whole former exorcist reveal.

Like why bring that up if it's not actually going to contribute anything to the narrative?!

They could've easily included the fact that Charlie jumped pretty recklessly into a deal with Alastor as something Vaggie is upset over (reasonably so imo), and then have both of them argue about it for a bit, before putting that whole thing aside for the moment because protecting the hotel is more important right now.

Charlie can still have her talk with Rosie about that whole mess and come out of it with a more forgiving mindset, while Vaggie has her little mini-arc with Camilla (tho imo she should've also been established to want revenge way more in order for the song's message to actually hit right).

Then later, when the battle is about to begin, her and Vaggie could sit down and talk about it and then mutually apologize.

THEN they can have their little duet (which - if you ask me - should've been a reprise of Whatever It Takes, not the father/daughter song...)

In canon there was never even? An apology? Charlie was angry about it for like half an episode and then brought Vaggie a souvenir and suddenly everything's fine? I honestly hated that. They had so much potential to finally add something meaningful to the pairing with this plotpoint and yet chose to omit that, and for what?

To keep them 100% wholesome? It removes any nuance that would've helped make their dynamic more interesting to follow along.

I'm just... so disappointed with how painfully bland this pairing is just because canon refused to take any kinds of risks with them :')

#anti chaggie #I am so sorry for anyone who likes the ship that has to read this bc tumblr's tagging system is wack like that just block the anti tag <3 #chubs answers

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 3 THROW DOWN vs. THIS IS HOW TO BE IN LOVE WITH YOU

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for THROW DOWN:

silly point is that throw down was my top song for this past year and i havent even been into milgram that long so. good song. also i sang it on stage once so. anyway

Flower imagery!!!! god i love flower imagery

the vocals are good

it has a banger es cover too

"ethics are a delusion" is singlehandedly the funniest line to come out of the t1 songs

the mv is SO pretty like. holy shit

the first note constantly jumpscares me

also i like the clock sounds in the background of the verses

the instrumental,,,,

throwdown is just a really nice. calmish song that still has the whole desperation thing conveyed through his voice props to va for that cuz its relatively subtle but really adds to it imo

im reiterating that ethics is a delusion is the funniest thing to me

also i really like the bridge (the whisper part)

irrelevant to the song itself but i like his fit in throw down i'd wear that irl

gardening/pruning as imagery is so fun for a surgeon character

also vocally i just really like throw down its calm sounding yet theres a hint of like. desperation? despair? in his voice and thats really cool to me

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Jackalope's note: Only one propaganda piece... hmmhehe. Well, I'm glad our resident pretty girl got tons of asks! But I feel a little bad about Shidou, so let's let him argue his case at least! Oi! Shidou! Get over here! Oi! Sheesh, it's like he can't even hear me! This is why I need to send the reminders early...

(mod's propaganda: While I love both songs very much, Throw Down has a special place for me in that I can actually sing it. You sing way too fast, Mappi!! I also just think using flower imagery both made the MV one of the prettiest ones we have yet and helped distance both the viewer and shidou himself to the reality of his sin... I also really like the ethics is a delusion bit lol)

Propaganda for TIHTBILWY:

okay so like the thing im most in love with: the VOCALS!!!! this song has an absolutely AMAZING singer and AMAZING vocals!!!! the way the conversational talk-singing lines still feel so musical!!!! the cute cute cuteeeee mahiru voice!!!! it brings you so much energy!!!! its a song sung with so much love!!!! mahirus va brings such an amazing feel to the song with such amazing talk-singing!!!! its very skillfully done and it happens in i love you too!! mahiru songs r the QUEENS of musical talk singing

the silly phone call bit. kurururu~!

the little vocal flourish and the way her voice raises up like an excited exclamation in the final prechorus!! daijoubu nante kirai DA!

its such a fast song but everything flows so well!!!! it makes it feel so bright and cheery and peppy!!

the instrumental is so underrated just LISTEN to that catchy bass line thats so pretty in the verses!!!! no for real even if u dont vote this is how to be in love with you go listen to the bass line in the verses it works to move both the song and the listener forward at mahirus sweeping breakneck pace. and the cute keyboard sounding and synth instruments!!!! its SUCH a danceable song!!!! i cant listen to it without bopping along in my seat

the way the ominous bits are subtly hidden? it all sounds so cute but there are just these Things that she sings that are really kind of concerning and unhealthy when she sings them!! and the veiled desperation to be in her relationship- listening to that and the cheery tone and breakneck, quick song pace, it really does represent mahiru SO well. she throws in all these little bits that just go noooo teehee the relationships just fine!! when it REALLY isnt

i would listen to mahiru talk for hours

the MV!!!!!! HER FASHION SENSE THE MAGAZINE STYLE!!!! the magazine style especially works so well with her character!!!! its so cute and stunning and just looking at it you have a blast. also her birdcage!!!! her birdcage and the bright orange and the pink bars!!!! the way everything desaturates and becomes more sickly looking when she wakes up at the end!!!! its such a happy carefully curated and designed dream and then it drains away!!!! also god all her outfits are stunning. mahiru call me

the way she sings "overheat de~!" cutest thing in the WORLD.

the little faces she makes!!!! godddd shes so expressive

actually the whole songs so expressive!!!! shes putting her all into it!!!! her words have so much expression in them!!!! once more praising mahirus va the way her voice can soften and become bright or subtly desperate so quickly is MASTERFUL control of expression when singing and its so underrated. join me in being insane over miho okasaki delivers her lines. shes such a perfect mahiru.

funniest es cover. hands down. funniest es cover.

this is how to be in love with you is FREE serotonin!!!! free energy right there!!!! this is how to be in love with you sweep!!!!!

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-The song is so cheerful!! I always feel like dancing and singing when this one comes up in my playlists!! Absolute banger, mood definer, kicking sadness in the shin with those high-heels and then hitting its face with a cute purse -THE HIGH-HEELS STEPPING TO THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC IN THAT ONE SCENE (0:50). SIMPLY ICONIC. NO ONE DID IT LIKE HER. -👠💅👝👗 -She is slaying. Look at her outfits. She put so much effort there. She gave it her all. Absolutely serving. -SUKITTE KIMOCHI WAKATTA TSUMORI? NARA KONO MAMA FUTARI O-VA-HI-TO- DE -The storyline of the mv MAKES SENSE and you can form a COHESIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS (unlike other unspecified contestants' mvs you know 🙄) -look at herr 🥺 she beby 🥺 all she did was love too much 🥺 we all love mappi don't we 🥺 she deserved more let her win this pleease 🥺 -No medical malpractice happened in the making of this mv 👍

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I care so much about This is How To Be In Love With You- it's visuals are brilliant in the ways it conveys its themes and narrative. I'm never normal Ever about the "Love as marketing" symbolism that is brought in by the use of magazines. It's a lovely upbeat song but the Horrors are Always Lurking under it, the breakup Ritual line is my Favorite Line cause its so horrifying but its said so casually and its so good oh its so good-

#milgram #milgramtournament #shidou kirisaki #mahiru shiina #(sorry for posting an hour late! I was waiting for some more propaganda asks haha)

[velvet4510]

Ok this is the most random Frodo/Sam thing to be talking about but I must say it.

In the book, two of Frodo’s lines “it did not sound like the old Sam Gamgee he thought he knew” and “[Sam] was a conspirator, and now he’s a jester!” are among my absolute favorites, yet I’ve read a few interpretations of these moments that are so bizarre I feel I must defend and point out their real meaning.

A few chapter-by-chapter analyses/reviews of LOTR that I’ve read, including some on this site, seem to think that Frodo is being condescending here, that because Sam is his servant, he’s surprised to find out that Sam has “actual opinions about things and actual talents other than gardening.”

Clearly these people don’t understand Frodo. Frodo is not condescending towards anyone! That’s one of his best qualities - he treats everyone with respect. Sam and his father both point out how Frodo, like Bilbo, has always treated them with kindness and thoughtfulness.

These lines certainly have a lot to do with the social barrier between Frodo and Sam, but it’s not because of any biases on Frodo’s part. It’s because Frodo and Sam are not close friends. Frodo’s besties are Merry and Pippin, and Sam’s besties are the Cottons. They’re not buddies who hang out and chat all the time at this point. Until now, Sam has always worked outside while Frodo is either inside or lost in thought in a book outside. They’re quite friendly with each other, but they’re not close. At this point there is still a LOT they don’t know about each other. Another reason for this is that Shire life is practically routine. Things are always the same, day by day, and there’s not much opportunity for hobbits to discuss things that are unusual or uncommon to them.

Tolkien wrote these moments to show how Shire simplicity plus the class system has prevented Frodo and Sam from being able to fully know each other. And it’s when they leave the Shire and its class system behind that Frodo learns more about Sam.

Plus don’t forget that most hobbits don’t like things that are different. At all. They dismiss anything they don’t understand. Sam has been wondering about Elves for a long time, but when they actually meet Elves, Frodo is naturally assuming/worrying that Sam will change his mind and be like everyone else. He’s thinking “now that he sees just how different they are from what we’re used to, he’ll stop liking them.” And why wouldn’t he believe this? 98% of hobbits think this way about things that are different. This is why Frodo has never fit in and has been outcast and considered “odd.” He feels like there’s nobody besides Merry and Pippin who share his curiosity about new things. And Sam’s father is so set in his ways and indifferent toward what he doesn’t understand, so why wouldn’t Sam feel the same? Frodo doesn’t know Sam well enough at this point to assume any differently.

This is why I just cannot get enough of that “it did not sound like the old Sam Gamgee he thought he knew” line. It’s just like that classic moment in love stories where one realizes they didn’t really know the other at all but is now discovering they have something special in common. Frodo worries that Sam will dismiss the Elves… but instead, Sam says something very insightful and deep about them. Sam struggles to word what he means, but Frodo gets it. And he’s amazed. It hits him that Sam is different too, like him. Sam is actually interested in foreign things and thinks deeply and critically about them, just like Frodo. Sam is a kindred spirit, and Frodo is amazed. IMO, THIS is the moment where Frodo develops deeper feelings for Sam. He discovers that Sam thinks on the same wavelength that he does.

The same thing happens when Frodo says the “jester” line. He says this after Sam spontaneously invents and sings the song about trolls. Improvising an entire song on the spot, with perfect rhymes and all, isn’t exactly something that everyone can do. I certainly couldn’t do that. That takes a certain gift. Sam’s place in the class system has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of rich snobs in the Shire who could never improvise a troll song if their lives depended on it. Trolls are foreign to the Shire and yet another thing hobbits don’t really understand, but not only that, rhyming is just plain HARD. And here Sam does it like a pro. Of course Frodo is impressed. Don’t tell me you weren’t impressed when you first read this part in the book, and I bet you weren’t looking down on Sam for being the servant. Actually this scene shows Frodo giving Sam more respect than Pippin does. Pippin asks “where did you hear that?” assuming Sam heard the song from someone else. Only Frodo can tell that Sam made it up himself. (Side note: there’s another similar moment with Pippin earlier. Pippin orders Sam to make breakfast like one would order a servant; Frodo punishes Pippin for this rudeness by yanking Pippin’s blanket away and rolling him over. Of course Sam doesn’t mind cooking at all and would’ve done it even if Pippin hadn’t asked, but that scene, though subtle, shows Frodo doesn’t like anyone talking to Sam that way. Frodo himself never orders Sam to do anything. My point holds up.)

And it goes both ways. The horrors of the Quest cause Sam to see new depths to Frodo that he never saw before. He sees Frodo’s incredible endurance against both the Wraith wound and the Ring. He sees Frodo’s incredible nobleness and bravery, choosing to take on the burden of the Ring himself. Normal life in the Shire could never have brought out these qualities in Frodo for Sam to see. Sam, too, has a lot to learn about Frodo, and the Quest lets him see Frodo at his best and at his worst.

And everything they learn about each other only makes them love each other more and more.

#lotr #jrr tolkien #samfro #lotr books #lord of the rings #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #frodo x sam #sam x frodo #samfrodo #the fellowship of the ring #frodo and sam

[tibby]

i think it's partly bc of rerecording her albums and having fans love the vault tracks that she now feels she cant leave anything on the cutting room floor just in case

i definitely think that's part of it, but - and i say this as someone who likes a majority of the vault tracks - i think it was a good thing that they were initially left on the cutting room floor. including them originally would have detracted from what the albums were trying to say.

speak now and 1989 are the best examples of this. the point of speak now was two things: taylor wanting to prove she could do it on her own, and each song referencing a specific person or scenario. with the exception of when emma falls in love (the weakest of the lot imo) and castles crumbling (which has a feature), the SNTV vault tracks are more...vague in who/what they're about. and sure, if they'd been released on the original album with the secret messages we might have more context, but that isn't something we can say for certain. speak now is the only album that's about multiple people and we can pinpoint who or what each song is referencing (except maybe sparks fly which was included for the fans, and haunted but that could be because i've never cared enough to investigate if it's about john or joe).

as for 1989, i think the vault tracks are definitely stronger than some of the songs that made the cut (as much as i love WTNY and HYGTG, they're not her best work), but i don't think they would have fit into the story she was trying to tell. whether taylor successfully made an album that is about independence and not love is up for debate, but she claims that was her intention. IION and say don't go aren't great fits for that story, especially since it was one she was trying to tell within the secret messages.

i think red's biggest problem is that it was already too long of an album (which is also part of speak now's problem). i think the red vault tracks fit the theme of all the varying degrees of love, but red TV clocks out at over two hours. it's possible that forever winter in particular was too raw a song to release at the time (has she played it live yet? i haven't kept up with eras tour that much).

and while i love the fearless vault tracks, i do wonder if including them would have earned it less acclaim. they're good songs, but fearless is by far her most polished album imo. even the deluxe tracks, which i also adore, kinda take away from how well rounded the standard album is. it's very possible it's only capped at 13 tracks because cds back then could only hold so much, but i also think that it was a better decision for the marketing of the album itself.

but now, with ttpd and the eight million versions of midnights, it's harder to find the good shit because it's surrounded by so much filler. and yeah, part of it is that some of the songs on those albums are just...not good (bejeweled my deepest enemy), but i think a culling would have greatly benefitted them. ESPECIALLY with ttpd. taylor's always been songwriter who releases stuff that could be diary entries, but at least before it was like...you at least edited this. now it just seems like we're getting every single journal entry as is. and it's tiring. 31 songs is too much. hell, 16 songs for lover was too much.

ultimately i think it comes down to the fact that she no longer gets any push back from the people she works with, and fans are both willing to accept quantity over quality and (for many swifties, but not all) there's just a refusal to criticise her work at all. and i think taylor's desire to constantly release new content (which i think is a combination of a constant need for relevancy combined with the fact she's always writing) combined with being surrounded by yes men and adoring fans is impacting her work negatively. which has been the case since lover if not earlier, but i think midnights/ttpd are her most glaring examples of it.

anyway lmao sorry this got long. sorry for never being on here and then finally showing up to have opinions about taylor swift. do you guys still think i'm hot.

#ask #anonymous

[syndxlla]

best friends don’t look at each other the way we do

A low stakes, high reward and self-indulgent Zelink fan fiction. Canon-compliant. Takes place between both and totk

Chapter Six: This is Home

Read chapter five here

My masterlist

Song: Run To You by Leah Michele

Summary: Link is brought on to investigate a new strange monster plaguing the farmers in Hateno. He is faced with a new type of post-traumatic experience he doesn’t expect to have.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, suspense and horror, PTSD, squint and theres very base-line sexual content, GRAPHIC descriptions of animal mutilations!

Word Count: 3.5k words

Authors Note: I didn’t update for two and a half months and said “lemme give you guys the best chapter yet” (imo). Thank you for being patient with me. I restarted school, closed one musical, opened and closed a 30 performance long run of another musical and literally fell in love with a man 16-years-older than me in that time lol. Also I wrote this in one sitting and I’m starting chapter 7 now 🫡. Its unedited be nice.

Also please do not make fun of me for using a Leah Michele song for this chapter its so good and it works really good so just shut up. Kloveyoubye

The summer starts to get hotter. A week passes and nothing changes, neither of them ever address the hand holding, Link is fixing the hole in the roof and Zelda is reteaching herself how to fix a clock, an activity she originally learned at the age of seven. Everything is so normal, the sun starts to set a little later, and the fireflies have started hatching.

Link never really thought he would end up in a position to do housework. He tried to get Bolson to fix the hole before Link bought it, but it would take a certain number of wood piles and when Link went out to get them he got a little distracted. And by distracted he means ending the sandstorm in the desert caused by the Divine Beast. It just got put on the back burner, and now here he is, using basic tools to hammer in new shingles. He wipes his brow, his shirt off again. He takes a look at the hammer in his hand, thinking about the savage Lynel sword that same hand has swung.

The passage of time is weird.

Maybe he does want to go back to work. Going from Demon slayer to roof repairman in two and a half weeks is a little jarring.

He hears a groan of frustration from inside the house, and makes his way inside, where it's much cooler.

“Everything alright?” He asks, looking at the girl who’s hunched over the kitchen table.

“No, this is absurd.” She slams the machine on the kitchen table. “I can’t remember how to do the most basic thing in engineering ever.” She frowns.

Link chuckles and places a dirty hand on her shoulder as he walks past her. He moves to the water basin and wets a cloth that he wraps around his neck. “I don’t know the first thing about that stuff, so you have me beat.” He shrugs. “Man, what I would give for an hour at Lurelin right now. Or better yet a weekend at Tabantha. I bet the weather there is a comfortable 60 degrees.” He sighs. Trying to slyly put the worm in Zelda’s ear about a possible trip.

Zelda groans, “I agree. I don’t remember it getting this hot.”

“This is just the beginning, wait until it’s the midsummer festival.”

“A festival?” Zelda’s face lights up.

Link nods, “It’s something they started about thirty years ago. It’s right here in Hateno. People from all parts of the kingdom will travel for it.” Link drinks some water, leading against the counter at the hip. Zelda makes special effort not to admire how his obliques curved. “There’s music and dancing, it’s quite fun. I was invited last year as a special guest. The “chosen hero” or something like that.” Link shrugs.

At that moment they hear a sharp knock on their door. It startles both of them. Link moves to answer it, setting the rag and cup down.

“Dantz, what is it?” Link says as he opens the door to a distressed farmer.

“Master Link, so good to see you,” His voice is shaky, “I didn’t know who else to go to.” Link listens more intently, Zelda even stands. “Two more of my cattle have been killed. When I heard you were back in town I knew you could help me. I don’t know who—or what—is killing them, but it's not a moblin. It’s something darker.” He’s speaking a mile a minute.

“Slow down,” Link stops him, “When did this happen?”

“In the night, I came here as soon as I could. They were covered in something… unnatural. Please, Link.”

Link turns back to look at Zelda. “Stay here.”

“What? No. I’ll come with you!” She moves to him and Link stops her. If this is anything like what Cado saw at the castle, he didn’t want her to be anywhere near it.

Link completely turns around and puts his hands on her shoulders, “Zelda, you cannot.” He stays sternly.

“Why? You don’t have to baby me. I can help you.”

“Zel-“

“I’m better! Please don’t leave me-“ Before she finishes the sentence she’s falling back down, like she was going to faint again. She had gotten herself worked up and now her heart was weary again. Link catches her before she falls, her knees knocking together.

“Oh, Goddess.” Dantz says. “Should I help?” He asks and Link snaps, telling him ‘no’ a little too forcefully.

“Zel, come on, let's get you to bed.” He wraps her arm around his shoulder. “Dantz, I’ll be there within the hour. I’m sorry.” Link says in a calmer tone.

“I understand, Link.” He nods and turns to leave.

Zelda can’t get up the stairs and Link picks her up, carrying her up to her room. He places her in bed as she starts to cry.

“Hey, hey it’s okay.” He brushes her hair out of her face. She takes his hand.

“No. It’s not.” She replies. “Stop telling me it’s okay.” She groans. “It’s ridiculous that I can’t do anything without this happening.” It was the second time this week.

“I have to go help them.” His hand is held back by her, but she eventually lets it go.

He turns to leave her, pulling his green tunic over his messy hair, and getting ready for combat. He isn’t even anticipating a fight, but he wants to be ready. He puts his gloves on, and straps both his sword and shield to his back. He even gets his bow ready because he has no idea what it might be. It sounds serious.

It’s the first time he’s been entirely suited-up since the castle. He forgot how natural it feels. He forgot how much he felt like himself.

Zelda has gotten up and stands at the railing of the loft. “Be careful.” She says in a weak voice.

Link looks up at her, he wants to stay here with her and hold her and let her know that it's going to be okay. “Please rest.”

He walks out the door.

The cattle are lying dead in the corner of the pasture. Flies buzz around them. Dantz and Link examine the scene, a pit in both their stomachs.

“What could it be?” Dantz asks.

Link crouches down, getting a closer look. The gunk is a deep maroon color, almost like malice but thinner, almost like a glossy serum as opposed to a thick slime. Link takes a risk and touches a bit of it that was strewn across the grass, rubbing it between his fingers. It didn’t seem to hurt him the way malice did. He sniffs it, it’s rotten and foul. He gags almost immediately. Link wipes his hand off in the grass.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” He admits. “And I’ve seen a lot.” This was only confirming his worst fears.

“The other ones that were killed were left like this too.” Dantz explains, “There isn’t even any meat taken out of them, only their eyes are gouged out.” He points out.

“Whatever is killing them is doing it for sport.” Link stands back up and folds his arms. “This is bizarre, I must say.” It was starting to be late afternoon, he still had a few hours of sunlight. “What did you do with the other ones that were killed?” Link asks.

“We tried to clean them up and butcher them for food. But the meat inside was rotten, like it was poisoned under the skin.”

Link hears a giggle from behind them and turns around to see the two daughters of the rancher watching them from behind a post. When he catches them staring they both hide.

“How old are your girls?” He asks.

“Siva is eighteen and Catli is sixteen.” Dantz replies. “They are my pride and joy, I can’t let anything bad happen to them.”

Link advances towards them, “Girls.” He smiles, charming as ever. They both sneak out from behind the post, sheepish and giddy. The older steps forward.

“You’re the hero.” She puts her hands behind her back. Link nods.

“Can you girls show me the edge of your property?” He asks, wanting to test a theory. They both happily nod and start to lead him, he notices especially how Siva looks at him as she walks by. She was very agreeable: long, dark and curly hair and alluring eyes. He follows them. They take him past the fence and through the forest, the younger chatting and asking questions about his quests and whatnot. He just smiles and nods, answering with basic “yes’” or “no’s”.

Link’s theory starts to prove right, he sees a set of two acorns on the ground, then a pair of two foot tracks, and eventually, at the end of the property, where two songbirds lay dead at the bottom of a tree, both covered in the same strange goop. Whatever this is, it’s looking for things in pairs. Like two sisters.

Link would never imagine putting these girls in danger, and would send them home in about an hour or two when it started to get dark, he just wanted to lure out whatever was killing with a pair.

He sat down at the base of a tree, and listened as the girls talked themselves up, clearly competing with one another for who can be the most impressive to the hero. Link decides to let them have their fun, it’s not like he was getting this attention from Zelda.

Zelda.

She’s all he could think about. He listens to the girls for a full hour, but doesn’t comprehend a word they’re saying because all he can do is think about the woman he left at home. He wishes he hadn’t left her home, she’s probably sad and lonely. Or maybe she isn’t, perhaps she’s enjoying some alone time. He doubted it, though. He was sure she was fuming at him for just leaving her, for going in such a rush. Proximity can cause problems, maybe this was good for them.

Link must have zoned out because all of a sudden the younger sister was gone, and he was left alone with Siva. This was dangerous territory.

“Where did your sister go?” He asks, clearly uncomfortable.

“Oh! I told her to go get her tapestry to show you! Of course.” Siva says in a tone that was a little too flirty for Link’s liking. She sits next to him, facing him. Link knew the look on her face, and he knew he should stand up and put an end to whatever was about to happen. “Because you know… now we’re alone.” She sighs and leans in.

Stop. Stop. Stop. He tells himself but doesn’t move, he lets her place her lips on his.

Link is not an experienced kisser. He’s had a few drunken nights in the last three years where he ended up in a Gerudo’s bedchamber or a stable-workers hideout, and while those were all agreeable experiences, he’s never actively sought them out. It was always nice to get the tension from his journey off, though.

Link makes the mistake of kissing her back, and she’s sighing into his touch and he’s pulling her in. Being alone with a woman he’s been in love with for three years and not being able to touch her or talk to her the way he wants to has left him with a lot of pent up energy, it felt good to get it out.

Link puts his fingers through her hair, and starts to kiss down her jawline and neck and she’s letting out the prettiest little sounds.

And then he starts to think about Zelda. The sounds Zelda would make, the feeling of her hair intertwined in his fingers, how her lips would feel against his…

Zelda.

Zelda.

“Zelda.” He sighs, and then Savi is pulling away.

“Hm?” She asks, and Link is dazed and confused, thinking with anything other than his brain. He doesn’t know how long they were kissing because suddenly it's much darker outside, and if Dantz caught them like this, Link would be the one hunted down and killed, not whatever monster is out there.

Link immediately feels stupid, this was a rookie mistake. He shouldn’t have let it happen.

“What?” He responds to her, and then out of the corner of his eye, he sees something run behind the tree. “Shit.” He jumps up. “You need to go. Right now.” He pushes her back towards the house. It wasn’t far, she’d be okay. “Please don’t tell anyone about this.”

She nods, also remembering their reason for being out here. She runs back home and Link shakes his head, trying to refocus. He sees it again, it’s fast, moving from tree to tree, but further away. Link grunts and starts to slowly follow it. He isn’t sure if it saw him. It’s tall, and it’s dark. He would guess it’s a Moblin by its size but it's much too fast to be a moblin. Perhaps a wizzrobe? But he could hear its feet on the grass. Link starts the stalk, prowling towards it like a predator.

He doesn’t think it knows he’s following, because he’s able to follow it halfway up Madorna Mountain before he accidentally steps on a branch that snaps loudly. Again, a rookie mistake. Link was out of practice, rusty. He silently curses himself for that. The beast turns around to look at Link, but he’s able to hide behind an oak tree. It was still a little light out, and the lights from down were getting smaller and smaller as they worked their way up the mountain.

Link stayed vigilant. It’s been a long time since he’s had to fight a new enemy, and he wasn’t sure how powerful this was going to be. It gets quiet, he doesn’t hear it move. Even with Link’s impaired hearing, he had a knack for the details, but not today, not now. A cricket chirps but it’s silenced halfway through its sound. The wind goes still. A cloud covers the moon.

He girds up, and moves from behind the tree to keep following it, but he’s met with a horrific sight.

The creature is standing there, about six feet away from Link.

It startles him. He’s met with a feeling of dread.

It’s tall, probably seven feet. It’s hunched down, a humanoid-sort of beast that looks like a shadow covered in the same maroon gloop as the animals.

Link freezes up, he is paralyzed with fear because he knows exactly what it is.

He knows who it is.

It opens its eyes, those awful, yellow, glowing eyes. He chuckles at Link and it fills his skull. It wasn’t quite human, like it was a pile of goo that was regaining its strength and slowly rebuilding itself into a human. Into a phantom.

They stare at one another, his laughter taunts Link. Link can hear his heartbeat in his ears. His palms start to sweat. He is met with the images of three weeks ago. The battle, the castle, the evil.

Ganon.

Or at least some form of him.

He doesn’t move, he just laughs at Link. The boy swallows, and he wants to run, but he rolls his shoulders back.

“Courage and Bravery are two different things.” Zelda’s words ring in his memory.

He grabs his sword.

The Master Sword unsheathes with a light ring, and it glows in the darkness.

In an instant, the monster is screeching and howling like a Lynel and melting away from the light of the sword. The pure power of the holy blade made the beast slowly melt into the ground, like an ice cube in the desert. It covered its eyes, and screlted into the forest, echoing no doubt into town.

Link walked closer to it, waving the blade, spinning it in his hand until the creature was completely put away.

Whatever that was, it isn’t very strong. It will surely get stronger, though. Link had a feeling this was not the end of it. It left behind a puddle of goop. Link’s stomach dropped when he realized why it was killing for sport and in pairs of two. It was probably seeking Him and Zelda. Unable to differentiate what living things were hylian and what was cattle or animals. The stealing of the eyes surely had something to do with it regaining its strength, but what?

How did it know to come look in Hateno already?

After sheathing the sword and thanking the Goddess, Link took a moment to bury the secretment. He still felt sick to his stomach. Why did he freeze up like that?

Maybe that final battle had more of an effect on him than he thought.

He heads home, explaining to Dantz what had happened and what he saw, sugar-coating it a little and just saying it was a ghost. Link wasn’t sure how long it would stay away for, but hopefully long enough he could talk to Impa about it. Clearly the Master Sword was protecting him. He made a special effort to avoid Savi.

When he gets home, he drops his equipment off, pulling his gloves and boots off and leaving it all in his little corner downstairs. He pulls his shirt off. He would sleep out with Epona again tonight, he would need to to avoid the nightmares. His Mare had that effect on him. The feeling of safety and home.

Zelda was asleep, snoring lightly in her bed. He stayed quiet and went to sit at the table, grabbing a baked apple to silence his rumbling stomach. Guilt washed over him as he remembered what he did today. Savi came onto him, but he knows he shouldn’t have let that happen. He was ashamed of his conduct.

The laughter of the phantom rang in his ears. Flashes of its grin and glowing eyes projected in his mind. He felt ill.

Link disassociated. He sat at the table for three hours and it went by in minutes.

What snaps him out of it are the screams of terror he hears from upstairs.

His mind immediately jumps to the worst possible situation. He grabs the master sword and sprints upstairs. He sees nothing but a scared girl, crying from a nightmare.

“Zelda, what is it?” He asks, setting the sword town and running to her. He kneels by her bed and takes her hand. “I’m here, what’s wrong.” He whispers.

“You’re here?”

“I’m here.”

“B-but. The guardian, it got you. It killed-”

“It was just a nightmare, it wasn’t real.” Link reassures her. “I’m here, breathing, alive as ever.”

Zelda shakes her head, she’s clearly so traumatized that she cannot differentiate dream from reality anymore, she probably thinks him saying that is the dream.

“Here, feel.” He grabs her hand and places it against his chest where his heart is. “Feel that?” He asks, “Bum-bum. Bum-bum.” He whispers. “That’s my heart. Its pumping, it's beating.” Zelda sobs and he pulls her into his chest. “It’s okay, I got you. I’m here.”

He holds her for a moment and then stands up, “I’ll get the stool if it will help you sleep.” He turns to go.

“Stay with me.” She asks, tears wetting his collarbone.

“I’ll be right here, I’ll grab the stool.” He says.

“No, stay with me.” She says, and gestures to the bed.

“What?”

“Please. I cannot sleep without you by my side. I’m too afraid I’m going to lose you again.” She sniffles.

“Zelda I can’t-“

“Why?” She asks. “Because of decorum? Because I’m royal? Because you don't want to get caught?” She picks up her hands ‘None of that matters anymore’ she signs.

Link nods, “Are you sure?”

“Please.” She pleads.

Link moves back to her, trying to control his racing heart. Zelda scoots over to she’s closer to the wall, and Link carefully crawls into the covers of the bed. There wasn’t a ton of room, there would be no way for them to lay in the bed without being in full contact. “Is this okay?” He asks as he pulls the covers up.

She nods.

“Hold me?” She asks.

Link looks at her and it takes every ounce of his self-control not to kiss her. He nods and lays his head down, his chest facing up. He pulls her into his chest, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm over his stomach to her waist. She tries to control her breathing, and it gets easier as their hearts begin to sync up.

Link wants to cry too, because this is the safest he has felt in a hundred and three years. This is the most at home he has ever been. He mentally-pinches himself because he’s sure he’s dreaming. But he doesn’t wake up, in fact, he starts to fall into the deepest sleep he’s ever had.

Every muscle in his body starts to relax, his eyes get heavy, and the scent of the girl on his chest fills his dreams with images of fairy forests and gentle ocean waves and the time of day when the sun moves into twilight.

This is home.

#fan fiction #tloz #zelink #zelda #botw #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #zelda fandom #zelda tears of the kingdom #link x zelda #best friends dont look at each other the way we do #zelda fanfic #link zelda #zelda totk #zelda botw #tloz link #link fanfic #loz link #zelda x link #sm/ut #zelink fluff #fluff #angst #horror #smutty smut smut

[traveler-at-heart]

Broken Beds and Healed Hearts

Summary: Bucky has a best friend that charms the Avengers with smiles and cookies. What happens when Natasha becomes a bit too enchanted with her?

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader, Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader (Very Platonic but cute imo)

A/N: Probably one of the first fic ideas I ever had... and only wrote it now. If you must know I loooove Bucky so this is all for me lol.

 I’ve been away for too long! Love you all. Hope you like it :) 

As soon as you set foot in the Compound, you’re reminded why you’ve always avoided the place. The high tech, the setting, the people in the halls are foreign to you.

Unsurprisingly, the guard doesn’t buy your story of bringing cookies to the Winter Soldier.

“What did you say your name was?” he presses and you sigh. You should have definitely stayed home.

“She’s with me” a harsh voice says behind the man and he recoils when a metal arm lands on his shoulder.

“Sargeant Barnes” the guard stutters.

“Give Miss Y/N L/N her own card”

“Mister Stark requests a full background check…” a look from Bucky and he stops talking. “Right away”

“Be nice, Buck” you ask when the man walks away. “He was just doing his job”

“Yeah, but what did he think? That you could hurt me?” he laughs and you elbow him.

“I totally could”

“Yeah, yeah”

“So… I brought some cookies… and wanted to ask how was your date with April”

The man hangs his head in defeat. You were right; you could be scary in other ways.

“It was fine. She’s great… I’m just not ready to date yet”

“Right” his answer is not a surprise at all. “Well, she had a great time. And I just want you to be happy. You know that, right?”

“Your cookies make me happy” he says, taking the container and holding it close to his chest.

“Well, just remember you can’t date them” you grumble, watching him stuff the biggest one in his mouth. You’re about to scold him, when your eyes meet green ones.

You’ve heard of her before. Seen her on television and papers. Hell, Bucky mentions her once in a while.

But nothing can prepare you for those striking eyes and her fiery hair.

“I should… go. Your friends are waiting for you” it’s hard to form words when you feel those eyes on you, so you shift your focus to Bucky and squeeze his cheek. “Be good, Grumps”

“Wait, you still need your pass” he shouts after you.

“You’re coming with me to the movies tomorrow. Bring it with ya”

“Fine”

-

“I’m sure it’s fine” Natasha says, but still follows after Sam.

“Uh, someone was asking for Barnes at the front desk. Barnes. Who does he hang out with other than us?”

“You just want to gossip”

“Hell yeah, I do. And, I was right” he nudges her side, head tilting towards Bucky’s back. He’s talking to a woman, a smile on her face as she rolls her eyes, handing over a container.

She’s placing a strand of hair behind her ear when her eyes drift away from Bucky, meeting Natasha’s across the room.

The redhead can’t look away, not even when she notices the woman is clearly flustered by her presence.

Sam has the decency to wait until she’s gone to approach Barnes.

“Is this why you bring cookies all the time?” he sing songs, wiggling his eyebrows.

“It’s not like that. Y/N is just a friend”

“A friend who brings you cookies to your place” Sam insists, making Natasha even more upset. “Damn, awesome cookies on top of that. Romanoff, try one”

“Pass” the redhead mumbles, staying in place. Even if you’re dating Barnes, she’s eager to learn more about you.

“It’s not like that. First of all, I don’t want to date. Second, she’s my friend. Plus, she likes broads”

“No one says broad anymore, man. And anyway, maybe she has a sister…” Sam looks up, scheming. Natasha snatches the cookie he’s holding. “You mind?”

She chuckles and walks away.

Damn, those are good cokies.

-

There is laughter coming from the kitchen.

Natasha hears Yelena and Clint, immediately assuming they are up to no good.

“You better not have eaten my… chips” she barges into the room, and it’s too late when she notices you’re there with them, while Bucky sits at the dining table.

“Your chips are safe, sestra” Yelena rolls her eyes. You chuckle and Natasha looks your way, trying to figure out if you’re annoyed at her sudden presence.

All you do is smile reassuringly, awkwardly waiting for her to say hello. Technically, you two haven’t been formally introduced.

“Want to join us? Y/N here is teaching me some basic baking to surprise Laura and the kids”

“I wouldn’t want to impose”

“You should join us”

Again, an awkward pause settles when you both speak at the same time.

“Alright” she nods and approaches the island, full of ingredients. You’ve barely started and you can already tell the Avengers are gonna be messy bakers.

“Lucky you, I have an extra apron” you offer, placing it over her head. Natasha fumbles with the strings and you smile, touching her lower back to keep her steady, securing it around her waist. “Here. Is that good?”

“Perfect” Natasha’s voice falters a little, but everyone knows better than to bring it up.

For the next hour, you take over the kitchen, giving what you’re hoping are clear instructions, supervising Clint while Yelena and Natasha team up to make some cookies.

“Don’t be gross” Natasha reprimands her sister as she licks the wooden spoon with the cookie mix.

“What? It’s delicious, here!” Yelena pushes the spoon all over Natasha’s face, practically forcing her to taste it.

“How’s everything going here?” you appear all of the sudden and at least Yelena stops annoying her sister.

“I was telling Natasha that my mix tastes delicious” the blonde argues. Before Nat can protest, you dip a finger in the mix and lick it clean.

You let out a low moan, nodding in approval.

“Nat, come on, you have to try it” you insist, bringing up the spoon close to her mouth. Her eyes never leave your face as she tastes the mix.

“Yeah, that’s… uh… delicious”

“Nice job, Widow team” and before you leave to check Clint isn’t burning the kitchen, you run your fingers across Natasha’s cheeks, flour spread across. You smile once you’re done. “All better”

You fail to notice the redhead blushing at the contact.

“Shut up!” Natasha grumbles at Yelena when the blonde cackles.

“I thought you were a spy! I can read you like an open book”

“No idea what you’re talking about, sis”

“Right”

Luckily for her, Clint is having trouble with his cupcakes, so you spend the next half hour supervising everything he does.

After putting everything in the oven and cleaning up, you all settle in the dining room next to Bucky. Natasha sits in front of you, hoping she can learn more about you.

Clint talks about his family and you listen intently. Just as Yelena is showing you pictures of Fanny, your phone pings and your hand flies to Bucky’s arm.

“Our movie!”

“Oh, damn” he checks his watch, offering his arm. “We better get going”

“I trust you can turn the oven off without blowing it all up” you ask, standing up and smiling at the group.

“We’ll manage” Yelena promises.

“You” you point at Bucky, smiling as he pouts. “bring the coat I left in your room, please”

“No popcorn if we’re late” he warns you and you roll your eyes.

“Enjoy the movie! And thanks for teaching me” Clint says.

“Anytime” you smile at him. You look at Natasha and you’re hesitant to say something, since she seems to be avoiding your eyes.

“Last one to the car buys the tickets” Bucky rushes past you.

“Not fair!” you squeal, leaving in a rush. “You’re cheating, Buck!!”

Natasha wishes she’d say something more.

The worst part is she has no idea when she’ll see you again.

—

Movie night was something Natasha usually avoided. For her, it was far more enjoyable to watch any film alone and say the lines along the characters.

Still, when Bucky mentioned he might bring a guest, she was suddenly interested in spending some time with the team.

“Hey, everyone” you greet, walking behind Bucky. “I brought some cookies and pie”

Sam cheers, but he sighs defeated when Bucky keeps staring at him.

“What, Barnes?”

“Move”

“No”

“Y/N and I can sit together. Move to that chair”

“Y/N can sit with me and you can sit on that chair” Sam shoots back.

“Guys, I really don’t mind…” you begin to say, looking over Bucky’s shoulder.

“She can sit with me” Natasha offers. Everyone turns, alarmed. Not only did she actively avoid most movie nights, Natasha also sat way in the back of the room to sneak out before it was over.

“Yeah, that works” you nod, hoping no one notices how nervous you suddenly are.

“Well, maybe we should let our guest pick the movie” Clint proposes.

“Not unless you want to watch Mean Girls” Bucky mumbles and you throw popcorn to the back of his head.

“Hey, that’s a good movie” Yelena chimes in and you nod.

“Yeah, but she only likes to watch it because she has a crush on that redhead girl”

“Oh” Clint perks up and you look down at your hands.

“That’s not the only reason…” you mumble but Bucky can’t keep his damn mouth shut.

“Yeah, you definitely have a thing for redheads. Remember that movie we watched with the spy? She was a redhead too”

“James, if you don’t stop talking” you threaten, pinching the bridge of your nose and clearly blushing.

Of course he’d say that right as you sit next to a redhead spy who happens to be literally perfect.

“Now I wanna watch that movie” Clint says, turning to the screen and searching for the title. You nod in confirmation when they find the movie and try to control your breathing.

As the film keeps going, you finally settle in your seat, leaning against Natasha.

“Sorry” you say but she just smiles, placing a cushion next to you. “Thank you”

“No problem”

“They all make it really hard to enjoy the movie” you laugh, watching the boys argue over what they would have done in the character’s situation.

“I know. This is why I prefer to skip movie night”

“But you stayed today” you turn around, looking at her for the first time.

“I don’t know” she shrugs, toying with her hands. “I guess I enjoy the company more than the movie”

“Well, you’re not asleep or asking too many questions so you’re already better than Buck” you both laugh at that.

“There’s this movie…”

“I was thinking…”

Again, you speak at the same time, but Natasha looks more mortified than you.

“What are we watching? Who are you?” Tony Stark appears out of nowhere, talking a mile per second. Before you can answer anything, he’s already tasting a cookie and speaking again. “You made these? Can you make like 300 of these for my kid’s birthday party?”

“Uh.. yeah. I can”

“Happy will send the details. Really great cookies” he says before disappearing.

“Sorry, he runs on caffeine and God complex” Natasha mumbles.

“What just happened?”

“I think Tony hired you for Morgan’s party” Natasha whispers, leaning against you.

“That’s what I thought. Wow” you look back to Bucky and lean forward, whispering in his ear. Natasha feels a surge of jealousy as he takes your hand and squezzes reassuringly.

“If you’re sure it’s alright” you confirm, going back to your seat.

“Yes, doll” he winks and you smile.

You’re no longer paying attention to the movie, focused on all the ingredients and work you’ll need to bake 300 freakin cookies in a week.

“What’s your type?” you blurt out all of the sudden.

“Excuse me?” Natasha blinks a couple of times.

“Chocolate, red velvet, chocolate chips, vanilla” you mention all the flavors as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’d go with chips. But red velvet is good too”

“Yeah, I like reds too. I mean velvet. But also… yeah. Redheads” you stumble with your words, hoping the blush on your cheeks is not so visible.

Natasha chuckles and whispers in your ear.

“You’ve got good taste, if I do say so myself”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”  she nods and you smile.

You’d definitely forgotten how long the movie is because once the credits are rolling, you’re fast asleep, head resting on Natasha’s shoulder.

“Come here. You can stay in my room” Bucky offers and you barely notice his movements.

“She can take my bed” Natasha says a little too quickly.  Yelena has better sense to keep quiet about it.

“It’s fine. I usually sleep on the floor” he says, and you walk behind him, eyes barely open.

“Night, Tasha” you wave before going inside the room.

How she wished it was hers and not Bucky’s.

-

Next week goes by in a blur as you get ready to prepare 300 cookies and a birthday cake for the Starks.

Apparently, Morgan is in her fairy stage so everything requires sparkles and rainbows.

“Come on, fellas, chop, chop!” you walk in front of Bucky, Steve and Sam, all of them carring trays. You give them instructions to place everything.

The party is taking place in an open space, with bounce houses in the shape of castles and a playground.

Yelena is jumping around with Morgan in her arms, while Clint chases after his kids.

“This ok?” Sam says, his hands hovering over the trays he set down. You look over his shoulder and smile approvingly, squeezing his arm.

“Perfect, soldier”

He chuckles nervously and waits until you’re gone to speak to Steve.

“Yeah, ok, I see why Barnes lets her boss him around”

“I got a feeling someone else would like to be bossed around too” Steve looks over at Natasha, following your every move as you help Bucky carry the cake.

“Oh, damn. She’s gonna turn greener than Banner” Sam says as you stand on the tip of your toes to clean some of the glitter that got to Bucky’s cheek.

“Ew” he protests when you lick your thumb and then clean his face.

“Suck it up, Barnes” you say but he’s already laughing.

Tony meets you at the table, looking over at all the cookies and the cake.

“This is perfect! Pepper asked me to take care of one thing and that was the cake. So I’m certainly out of danger” he picks one of the cookies and bites, humming appreciatevly. “You’re staying, right?”

“Well…” you turn to Bucky and he offers his arm. “Alright”

You end up sitting next to Natasha.

“Hi” she says, trying to think of something to ask you.

“Doll, try this” Bucky calls over, handing you a tray of food and you moan as you taste it.

“Holy crap, this is delicious”

“If only Stark had more than one kid to throw a party to” Sam sighs. “By the way, I fully expect it to be named after me if you have another one. I saved your ass on that last mission”

“Not fair, I’m always saving his ass” Natasha protests.

“Well, we already named Nathaniel after you” Clint points out.

“That’s after you? That is so cute” you comment and Natasha blushes.

“Why are you all arguing? There is no child to name” Tony argues.

“We always gotta argue over something” Steve points out.

“Here” Tony sets a tray with some cookies and eadible decoration. “Whoever does the best cookie will name my hypothetical child. Y/N will pick a winner”

“Fine. But I’m leaving to get a drink. Surprise me when I get back” you get up, but lean forward to whisper in Natasha’s ear. “Good luck”

You wander around for a little, stopping to talk to Yelena and greet Morgan. Once they go back to playing, you walk over to get a drink.

“We’re gonna need five more minutes” Sam shouts at you, while the rest of them argues over what they’re doing.

“Take all the time you need” you say raising your drink, looking amused.

“So, which one is yours?” a brunette with long, wavy hair approaches you.

“The one with the metal arm and permanent frown”

“Oh, that’s neat. I didn’t know Bucky was dating someone”

“What? No. No, we’re just friends” you look back again, this time focusing on Natasha. “Plus, I think an Avenger is way out of my league”

“Well I think it’s the opposite. They could use someone who is normal, to bring them back to Earth. I know Clint does”

“So, you’re Laura!” you finally connect the dots and smile at her. “I’ve heard so much about you”

“All good things, I hope”

“The best, I promise” you’re tempted to ask how close she is to Natasha, considering one of their children is named after her, but just as you’re about to speak, Tony calls you back to the table. “Gotta make sure they’re playing nice”

“Good luck” Laura nods.

“Alright, kids. What have you got for me?” you look to the center of the table.

“There can only be one winner” Tony warns you and you nod.

One of them is decorated with the Falcon’s symbol, so it is not a mystery who did it. Most of them just have simple shapes done with frosting and sprinkles added on top.

But there’s one that stands out.

“This one” you immediately pick it up, admiring the work. Chocolate chips are forming a circle, simulating the seeds of a sunflower, while the petals are done with yellow frosting.

“That’s mine” Natasha says, smiling at you.

“It’s really beautiful, Nat”

“Not fair, I demand a trial by combat” Sam complains, but the redhead levels him with a glare.

“Can I sit now and enjoy my drink?” you plead, taking your place next to Natasha. Admiring the cookie, you put it aside. “Really nice job, Miss Romanoff”

“Thank you” she smiles again. “It reminded me of you. I mean, you were wearing a sunflower dress the first time I saw you” Natasha stutters, playing with the ends of her hair.

“That time I went to see Bucky at the Compound? I remember”

“I was a little jealous”

“What for?” you say, amused at the idea.

“That you were there to see him. I just thought how lucky he was”

“Well, whenever you want me to be there to see you, just ask”

Natasha keeps smiling, even hours later when she realises you uploaded a picture of the cookie next to a heart.

Yelena won’t shut up about it for the next week.

-

The Avenger’s gym is the last place Natasha would expect to see you and yet, there you are, chatting and joking with Sam and Bucky.

Clint’s the only one to notice Natasha stares a second too long, but keeps quiet about it.

You do some cardio and warm up, complaining the whole time. When Bucky starts doing push ups, you climb to his back and sit, asking him all the time if he’s tired.

He pretends he can’t hear you.

“We could be at the movies right now” you mumble and of course Bucky hears that.

“Exercise is good for you”

“Then why do I feel like I’m having a heart attack?” you shoo him away, sitting on the floor and sighing. Natasha is behind you, throwing some punches and sneaking glances at you.

“Should have invited your girlfriend” Clint sits next to you.

“Huh? I don’t have a girlfriend, Clint”

“Oh, the girl that drove you here” he says casually, knowing full well Natasha can, and is in fact, hearing everything.

“No, that’s April. My friend, who is VERY interested in Bucky” you try to get your friend’s attention but he ignores you. “Ass”

“I take it you’re not a fan of working out either”

“Is that so hard to tell? There’s just this really weird guy around my building and he’s not dangerous at all, but Bucky insists that I need to learn self defense. Or at least be able to run without keeling over”

“Well, we could teach you, right Natasha?” Clint perks up and you look behind you, blushing at the idea of being so close to her. On those very form fitting workout clothes, you might add.

And of course, you’re sure you’ll make a total fool of yourself in front of her.

“Yeah” she mumbles and then clears her throat, making sure her voice is more firm. “Yes, we can”

The three of you stand in the sparring mats, and Clint starts by asking you to throw a punch. He catches your wrist and shows you your own hand.

“Congrats, you broke your thumb”

“Huh?”

“Thumb goes curled below your tucked fingers” Natasha jumps in, being more gentle with her movements. She takes your hands, and shows you the correct way to make a fist.

You only nod to show you understand, sure that your voice will break otherwise.

After that, they teach you a couple of moves and it turns into something actually fun. Natasha thinks it’s adorable how you celebrate everytime you get something right.

“I think Natasha should fight you to practise some moves” Clint says after a while, trying to hide his smirk.

“What?” you both say, looking at each other.

“She’ll go easy on you, right, Nat?”

“Yeah. We’ll go easy. Don’t worry” she squeezes your shoulder and you blush again.

“Alright, do we have a set of rules?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like Cobra Kai, strike first, no mercy? No? Nothing?” you insist as they look at each other. “Well, at least now I know what we’re all watching for next movie night”

Natasha begins to walk towards you, while Clint reminds you the basics of the training. She throws a very slow, gentle punch and you manage to get out of the way.

“Fuck yeah” but a second later, she comes behind you and locks you in a tight position.

“Don’t lose your focus” she whispers in your ear and you’re sure your brain stops working completely.

As she lets go of you, you start all over again. Natasha goes slowly at first, but increases speed when you gain confidence, making sure you’ll be able to anticipate her moves.

At some point, however, her muscle memory gets the best of her. After throwing a punch of your own, she completely defies gravity, her legs going around you and throwing you to the ground.

There’s a moment of silence when you both land on the floor, Natasha on top of you. She stares wide eyed for a second, until you erupt in laughter.

“Holy shit! That was so fucking cool!! Can we do it again?”

“Are you ok?” she says, not leaving her place on top of you.

The proximity and how hot it was to see her do that make you a bit bolder, so you wrap your legs around her waist and squeeze.

“Oh, I’d say this is more than ok, Romanoff”

Her eyes grow darker at your words.

“Alright, I wanted her to work out, not kill her” Bucky jumps in and Natasha stands up. You miss the weight of her body.

“I’m fine, Grumps” you take Bucky’s hand and stand up, a bit disheveled.

“Fine, I give up, let’s go to the movies”

“You’re no fun” you complain, laughing at how annoyed he is.

You wink at Natasha, leaving after your best friend.

“So when are you asking her out?” Clint grumbles.

He isn’t prepared for the leg sweep Natasha throws his way.

“Damn it, Tasha, I’m trying to help”

—

Clint was right, but he’d never hear Natasha admit it. She should ask you out.

But there’s one thing she needs to do first.

Just as every morning, Bucky is going at war with one of the punching bags. She knows better than to speak to him, which is why alarm bells immediately ring for the soldier when Natasha approaches.

“Hey, Barnes”

“Romanoff” he groans in acknowledgement, hoping that the exchange stays at that.

It doesn’t.

“I wanted to ask you something” Natasha waits a second, hoping he will engage but he keeps punching and grunting. “It’s about Y/N”. At the mention of your name, he punches just a little harder, and faster.

Natasha realises it won’t go well, but she’s too far gone to take it back.

“Can I ask her out?” the redhead blurts out, a bit too rushed.

“I don’t know, can you?” Bucky grumbles and she rolls her eyes.

“You know what I mean”

“You’re both adults, nobody needs my permission and it’s certainly none of my business” he finally stops throwing punches, but refuses to meet Natasha’s eyes, going to fetch his water bottle.

“But you don’t approve”

“It doesn’t matter”

“It matters to me” Natasha insists and he finally turns around, annoyed.

“I don’t want her to get hurt”

“And you think I will hurt her”

“I just don’t know if any of us has a shot at a normal life with the way we live”

“Clint has a family, they make it work alright”

“Sorry, is this just about a date or are you asking for her hand in marriage?” he snaps.

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never thought about my life in that way”

There it is.

“When you date someone, there are expectations. I’m just saying you need to make sure you’re ready to meet them”

“Fine, forget I even asked”

Bucky calls after her but she’s gone in the blink of an eye.

—

It’s very clear to everyone that Natasha is in a mood.

Yelena is the only that actively engages with her sister, though her efforts to cheer her up are in vain. It all clicks into place when it’s movie night and you’re there, but she isn’t.

“No Nat tonight?” you seem disappointed and the blonde perks up.

“She’s on a mission”

“Nothing dangerous, I hope” you try to hide how anxious you actually sound.

“She’ll be back in a day or two” Steve eases your nerves and you nod.

The whole time, Bucky is frowning, barely paying attention to the movie.

“I’m getting more popcorn” you announce to no one in particular, leaving the seat next to your best friend empty. Yelena leans forward, whispering in Russian.

“What the hell happened?”

“It’s nothing”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire” Yelena pulls him by the ear, just as you go back into the room.

“That only works in English” he bites back, rubbing his ear.

“What does?” you chime in, taking your seat again and they both pretend to be focused on the film.

Yelena doesn’t let it go, however. Just like her sister, she decides to interrupt James’ workout time.

The blonde is a little less sublte, unplugging the treadmill and making him fall to the ground.

“Stay down” she commands, her accent thicker than usual. “Barnes, whatever it is you said or did, you better fix it”

“Or what?”

“Or I will annoy you every day for the rest of our lives until one of us is dead. My first thought was attaching magnets to your arm. Nothing dangerous, something silly like those that are shaped like letters. I thought about spelling “STUPID” with them” she lets out a chuckle at that. “Yeah, that would be actually very funny. I also thought about calling Papa and telling him you want to train with him. And you know how annoying he gets around other super soldiers.”

“Fine. I’ll fix it”

Bucky can’t take another one of Alexei’s visits.

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear” she smiles, as if she wasn’t ready to kill him.

-

Natasha is at the kitchen island, eating some cereal and thinking about the movie night she missed. And how she missed you.

It’s probably for the best, seeing as Bucky doesn’t agree with the idea of you dating.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a constant buzzing. The redhead looks around, puzzled by the sound until she spots Bucky’s phone.

She gulps when she sees your name on the screen. You call two more times and by the third one, she decides to pick up.

What if it’s an emergency?

“Did you have a senior moment and forget you were supposed to help me with my apartment?” you say, amused.

“Uh… hi.”

“Nat? Is Buck ok?” you say, anxious.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He left for a mission. Won’t be back for a couple of days. Guess he forgot his phone”

“Oh” you sigh with relief. “That’s weird, I thought he was leaving tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know”

“Do you need any help?” Natasha asks, in spite of everything. She can’t stop herself if there’s a chance she could see you.

“I do, but don’t feel like you have to help me. I’m sure you’re tired from your mission”

“It’s ok, just a short recon and some doors to knock down” she smiles, playing with the food on her plate. You laugh at her casual tone.

“Did you do the thing with your legs? I’m so jealous of those bad guys right now”

She’s glad you can’t see her, because Natasha’s cheeks are as red as her hair.

“Anyway, if your offer stands, give me your number and I’ll text you the address”

“You got it”

—

Natasha is alarmed at the speed of your steps after her first knock. Her hand is still in the air, ready to hit the door again when you open it and look at both sides of the hall.

“Quick, come in” you pull her by the belt loop of her jeans, surprising Natasha with your strenght.

“What’s…”

“Y/N, is that you?” a voice says and you curse under your breath. Pulling Natasha back, you peak past the door and smile. She tries to control her breathing at how close you are, especially with those shorts and tank top.

“Hi, Mrs. Patmore” you say to the woman, hoping the conversation is quick.

“Is James there?” she asks, fixing her gray hair and pushing up her big glasses.

“No, no, Mrs. Patmore, it’s just my friend Nat”

“Oh, well” the woman looks disappointed and you try to stiffle a laugh. “Let me know when he comes over and I’ll make him some sandwiches”

“Yes, Mrs. Patmore” you begin to close the door, relieved when your neighbour goes back to her own apartment. “Sorry about that. My 70 year old neighbour is a bit in love with Buck”

“Oh, is she?” Natasha says in a tone that lets you know she’ll use this information for her own benefit.

“It’s sweet except when we’re late for something and she keeps talking to him”

“Well, she’s still too young for him”

You snort at that.

“Never thought about it that way”

Natasha feels a surge of pride for making you laugh. It’s quickly forgotten when you take her hand and lead her around the house, giving her a quick tour.

“Buck was supposed to help me paint the bedroom and assemble the bed. Got a new one because my back was killing me”

“Alright, let’s get to work”

“Not in those clothes. Bet that jacket costs more than my couch”

“Oh, it’s fine”

“No worries, I got you” you ease the other woman, handing over a lose t-shirt and another pair of shorts.

She looks way too good wearing something so simple.

Time passes by and as you paint the room, soft music plays in the background.

“Can I ask you something?” her voice interrupts the comfortable silence and you hum. “How did you meet Bucky?”

You chuckle at the memory.

“Went in to my store crying about a surprise party and how the cake was his responsibility but he had no idea what to bring. So I helped him. Came back to thank me a few days later. I thought he was a mess. But a nice one” you smile.

“That was for my birthday” she informs you. “And he was right, that was the best cake I’ve ever had”

“Thank you” you blush a little. “I kinda figured it was for you since he said it was for a pain in his ass with very red hair and a hate for birthdays”

“What an ass” Natasha mutters and you laugh. “I really thought you were dating… I mean I guess it’s easy for people to assume since you’re so close”

“He’s not my type because I’m… well, gay. But he is my best friend. I want him to be happy, even if he thinks he doesn’t deserve it. And he’s kind and has a big heart. As much as he tries to hide it. He’s my Grumps” you say affectionately.

Natasha regrets bringing it up. Now she knows for sure she could never ask you out. She’ll screw up and then things will be awkward for everyone.

You finish painting and then wait a little while for the walls to dry. It doesn’t escape you that Natasha seems lost in her thoughts but you let her be, bringing out the assembly manual for the new bedframe.

The first fifteen minutes are spent reading it over and over again.

“Everything alright?” Natasha says, clearly amused and your frown deepens.

“It’s like it’s written in Russian”

“Well, lucky for you…” she smiles and you roll your eyes.

“Fine, if you think you’re so good at it” you hand over the manual and smile, bringing your face closet to her, eyes darting to her mouth. “I’m gonna make us a snack”

“Y-yeah. Ok”

You smile, glad to have corrected some of her smugness and go back to your kitchen to get something to eat. The redhead is stubborn, and won’t eat until she’s done with the bed.

“Is this how all spies act? I swear I’m arguing with Grumps” you mumble but she doesn’t even listen, shooing you out of your own room with a flick of her hand.

Giving up, you scroll on your phone, answering messages about new orders for the bakery.

“Done!” Natasha claps her hands together and you leave your seat at the bar stool to inspect the work.

“I’m impressed”

“It was nothing” Natasha says, shrugging her shoulders.

“Except there are some nails and pieces left there” you point with a smirk to the floor.

“Those are spare parts” she sounds less convinced this time and you approach the bed.

“So if I were to, you know, jump here, it wouldn’t just fall to the floor?”

“I stand by my work”

“Huh” you sit down, feeling the sturdiness of the frame. “Well, that’s only me, but if we…” you think out loud with a smirk, and before Natasha knows it you pull her down with you.

She lands on top of you, and she can feel you shaking with laughter beneath her.

“Gotcha” you say, looking up and Natasha smiles. She doesn’t have time to pull away when you kiss her, slowly but passionately.

“Can I take you out as a thank you for helping me today?”

“I’d love that…” she smiles, but a second later remembers why she shouldn’t, so she stands up.

“But…” you sit up too, watching her expectantly.

“I don’t want to make things awkward”

“Whatever it is Bucky told you, please ignore it. I’m sure he means well but I’m a grown woman and I can make my own decisions. I really like you, Nat”

“I like you too” she smiles, wondering if it’s selfish of her to give up so easily.

“Leave Grumps to me” you promise, pulling her back down to the bed. “And meet me back here at 7. We’re having dinner to celebrate”

“Ok” she nods and you kiss her again, smiling against her lips.

-

It’s nice to be home, Bucky realises once the Quinjet lands and he sets foot in the Compound.

He’s in a hurry to check his phone and call you. He spent this week planning how to fix his mistake with Natasha.

“Hey, Grumps. Who you calling?” a familiar voice says behind him, and he turns around to see you entering the kitchen.

“Ah. You”

“Well, I’m right here”

“How did you know I was coming home today?”

“I didn’t. I’m here to see Natasha. For our third date” you shrug your shoulders and smile. You’ve practically spent every moment together after fixing your apartment.

“But when… how…?”

“I’m the one who asked her out, if you must know. And I don’t know what happened before but it doesn’t matter” you reach out for his hand and smile. “You are my best friend and nothing changes that. I’m still going to go with you to all those silly horror movies”

“I just want you to be happy”

“I am. And I love you, even if you act weird when I say it out loud”

“Agh, too much emotion for me” he pretends to run away, but you hug him and he gives up, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Hey… everything good?” Natasha walks in, looking between you two. Bucky stops smiling and walks up, dangerously close.

“Uh, Buck?” you say, holding your breath.

“She’s my best friend. Don’t hurt her”

“I won’t. I promise.” Natasha gives in and you come between them.

“Jeez, sooo much drama. I’m just a baker, you guys. Chill out. Come on, before we miss our movie, unless Bucky wants to join us and watch the most recent rom com?”

“Pass” he says, picking up his bag and sprinting down the hall. You both laugh at the way we practically slams his door.

“Alright, what time is our movie?” Natasha says and you put your hands around her neck, pecking her lips.

“Actually, I was thinking we could…” you play with the lapel of her leather jacket, and smile. “Test how strong the bed actually is… you know what I mean?”

“Yeah” she nods and you smile against her lips.

-

“I told you” you laugh against Natasha’s neck and she chuckles. The bed gave in after 15 minutes of some very intense make out session.

Not that it stopped either one of you.

“Well, in my defense the manual was most definitely not written in Russian”

“I’ll tell Grumps to fix it”

“Make sure he knows why we broke it”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” you smile, your hand going up and down her toned abs.

“Kidding me? I get to brag about being with you and make him uncomfortable. Double prize”

“Evil” you both laugh.

“What you thinking about?” Natasha says after a moment of silence.

“What’s your favorite thing I do? Cookies or cupcakes?”

“That’s what you’re thinking about?”

“Yeah” you sound hesitant, feeling a bit silly now that it’s out there.

“Let… me… think” Natasha kisses every inch of your face between words. “My favorite thing… are your kisses”

“Sap” you say, melting at her intense gaze. “In that case...”

You lean forward, your lips moving against hers slowly.

There’s no rush, with Natasha next to you in a broken bed.

You’re the happiest you’ve ever been.

#Natasha Romanoff x Reader #Natasha Romanoff x You #Natasha Romanoff x Y/N #Natasha Romanoff Imagine