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laxuscouldnever · 3 years

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Ushijima Wakatoshi x Setter!Reader

Today was the day of the Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa match. The Shitatorizawa boys' volleyball team were anxiously waiting for their bus to stop at the gymnasium.

"I can't believe they beat Aoba Josai. It's kinda unbelievable," Goshiki said.

"Yeah, I know. The first time they played them, Karasuno got crushed," Shirabu stated.

"All we have to do is crush their little dreams and take the win. It's easy," Tendou taunted from the seat in front of them.

Y/N rolled his eyes while listening to the conversation.

"Are you nervous about facing your brother?" Ushijima asked from beside him.

"Hm. A little, but I'm sure he'll do great," Y/N said.

"Maybe you should be a captain like him, since I won't be here next year." Y/N looked at the older boy.

"Pfft. Yeah right! As if I could keep these losers under control!" Y/N laughed.

"Alright, everyone! We're here. Game faces on!" Saitou yelled over the voices. The boys gathered their things and headed off the bus. Y/N winced at the bright light as he stepped off the bus.

"You alright, Y/N?" Goshiki asked, concerned.

"Y-Yeah. My head just hurts a little. I'll be fine." Y/N said, faking a smile.

Y/N had gotten a concussion about a week ago, and wasn't suppose to play for 2 weeks, but he was the starting setter. Both coaches and Ushijima practically forced him to play, or he wouldn't be joining them in nationals when they won. He didn't really want to be here, but he did what he had to do.

Y/N followed the team into the building, his head pounding. The boys gathered into the locker room to change into their uniforms.

"Are you sure you're alright, Y/N?" Goshiki asked.

"He's fine, stop asking," Ushijima butted in. Goshiki didn't look truly convinced, but he let it go and left the locker room.

Y/N was the last one to join the team and they hurried to the gymnasium to warm-up. When they walked in, he immediately searched for his older brother.

"Daichi!" he yelled, waving. Daichi looked up and smiled, waving back.

"Now isn't the time to talk to the enemy," Ushijima scolded, shoving Y/N to the side.

"R-Right," he stuttered, giving one last look to his brother.

Ushijima kept giving Y/N dirty looks every time he spoke to Daichi. Daichi would notice and point it out to his little brother.

"Does he always look at you like that?" Y/N turned his head and saw Ushijima staring him down.

"He doesn't want me talking to you until after the game." Daichi chuckled.

"Anyways, how are you feeling? I'm surprised you're playing today." Daichi was such an overprotective brother, he always had been. He was really hoping that Y/N would come to Karasuno, just so he could keep an eye on him.

Y/N had met Ushijima after running into him, literally, during one of his jogs. He noticed that Ushijima was wearing a jacket from Shiratorizawa and asked him about the school. After his talk with Ushijima, he knew that he wanted to attend Shiratorizawa.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a small headache." Daichi looked at his brother, concern written all over his face.

"Stop looking at me like that! I'll be fine. Just worry about not sucking," Y/N winked at Daichi before running to join the rest of his team.

"Little brat..." Daichi mumbled under his breath, jokingly of course.

"Do you listen to anything I say? Or do you just hear noise when I talk?" Ushijima said as Y/N stood next to him.

"He's my brother. Am I not allowed to speak to him?" Y/N snapped. Ushijima grunted and went back to practicing his spikes, as if he needed practice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now be announcing each team's starting players." the voice over the loud speaker announced. The announcer went through Karasuno's lineup, and announced Ushijima's name.

"Number 10, Sawamura Y/N." Y/N runs out, a smile on his face and waving to the crowd. He takes his spot and stands proudly.

When the game started, everything was going smooth. Ushijima was getting hits in and they were scoring points. But when the fourth set finished, the whole team was on edge. Y/N could tell Ushijima was stressed, even with his unemotional expression.

When the ball went into the air, Y/N put his hands up for a set. He made contact, but the ball was short and Ushijima wasn't able to hit it. Daichi looked over to his brother and knew he was on the edge of losing it. He could hear the harsh criticism from Ushijima and the coach towards his brother.

After passing the ball back and forth, Shiratorizawa was able to score and another point and were serving. Y/N stood in the serving position. He took a deep breath and the referee whistled.

"Serve properly this time," Ushijima said from in front of him.

That's it. I'm sick of this shit, Y/N thought. He tossed the ball in the air and hit it as hard as he could.

The ball definitely didn't make it over the net, but Y/N had hit it exactly where he wanted to. Ushijima rubbed the back of his head and turned around, coming face to face with the angry setter.

"What the hell was that?" he snapped. Y/N took off his jersey and threw it at Ushijima.

"Find yourself a setter who's willing to put up with your shit because it's not me," Y/N said, turned around, and left the gymnasium.

Daichi felt himself take a step forward, but stopped himself. He wanted to go comfort his little brother, but knew he had to finish the match.

Both teams were shocked at the outburst. Y/N was the best setter on Shiratorizawa, and now he was gone. The coach sent out Semi Eita from the sideline to fill Y/N's spot, but the team felt their anxiety sky rocket. Their best setter had just quit when they needed him the most.

The game ended, the final score being 3 to 2, with Karasuno as the winners. The team celebrated on the court and received their medals. Daichi was happy they won, but couldn't get the idea of his little brother angry and upset somewhere else in the building.

The Shiratorizawa walked back to their locker room, heads hung low. When they got there, the rest of Y/N's volleyball uniform was laying on the bench. Ushijima felt bad, really bad. He liked Y/N, he was a great player, but he felt something more for the 2nd year. He sighed. He knew that Y/N leaving was his fault, he shouldn't have pushed him so hard.

"Alright, everyone. Let's head back to the bus and get home," Saitou said and left the locker room, the team following behind him.

As they walked through the main lobby, they saw Y/N sitting with his bag.

"Y/N..." Ushijima started as he walked over to the boy, but he was stopped by Daichi.

"He doesn't want to talk to you," he said, his face hard. Ushijima didn't say anything, he just gave Y/N one last look and walked away.

"Are you alright?" Daichi asked, his face softening. He heard sniffles and turned around, looking at his brother trying his hardest not to cry.

"Hey, it's alright. Please don't cry." Daichi tried to comfort him, but knew that whatever he said wasn't going to matter.

"Are you upset because we won?" Daichi asked.

"N-No. I don't care about that. It's just...." Y/N paused. "I just wish he wasn't such a jerk..." he practically whispered. That's when Daichi realized. His brother liked Ushijima more than a teammate or a friend. The older boy sighed.

"Come on. We can give you a ride back, if you want." Y/N nodded. Daichi grabbed his brother's bag.

"Are you feeling alright? Does your head hurt?" Y/N nodded.

"It's been pounding since I got off the bus," Y/N admitted.

"Why were you playing? Someone else could've taken your spot!" Daichi exclaimed.

"They said if I didn't play today I wouldn't be allowed to play if we made it to nationals," Y/N said as the two walked.

"Is that even legal?" Daichi was pissed. How dare they force someone who can't even think without their heading feeling like it's going to explode play such an important game? Especially his little brother.

The pair walked out of the building and towards the rest of the Karasuno team.

"Is it alright if he rides with us?" Daichi asked.

"Of course." Ukai felt bad for the kid, he was a great player. Him and Ushijima made a great duo, their skills were right on par with each other's.

"I'll sit with coach so you two can sit together." Suga offered.

"Thank you," Daichi said.

Daichi let his brother sit next to the window, so he could rest a little easier. The boy fell asleep almost immediately after he rested his head on his older brother's shoulder.

The ride home was silent, most of the boys had fallen asleep fairly quickly.

"So, Daichi, do you think your brother is gonna stay with Shiratorizawa?" Ukai asked, turning around to face him.

"I'm not sure. I hope he doesn't. They push him too hard. He wasn't even supposed to be playing until next week because he got a concussion." Ukai looked shocked. This kid was still recovering from a concussion and he was part of the reason they had gotten crushed at the beginning of the game. If he had been at the top of his game, they would've lost within the first two sets.

"It'd be nice to have a setter like him on the team. He's like the setter version of Ushijima," Ukai said.

"He practices harder than anyone I've ever met. It was how he even got into Shiratorizawa."

When the bus finally stopped in front of Karasuno, the boys all stumbled out, tired and half-asleep. Y/N went to grab his bag, but Daichi grabbed it before he could.

"I'm not a baby, you know," Y/N said.

"Yeah, I know, but I don't want you to overwork yourself," Daichi said, walking away. Y/N rolled his eyes and followed him.

"I'll wait out here while you guys have your team meeting." Daichi waited for a moment, but nodded and walked into the gymnasium.

As Y/N waited, he saw a figure walking towards the school. He looked closer and saw that it was Ushijima. He sighed and stood up straight, walking to meet him.

"What are you doing here?" Y/N asked when they were standing just a few inches away from each other. Y/N had to look up, as he was only up to Ushijima's chest.

"I came to see how you were doing. I figured your brother would've gotten you a ride with his team." They both went quiet.

"Well, I'm fine," Y/N said, wanting this to be over with.

When Ushijima didn't say anything else, Y/N turned to walk away.

"I'm sorry," Ushijima said from behind him. Y/N turned to face him.

"Are you saying that just to say it or do you actually mean it?" Y/N glared at the older boy.

"I actually mean it. I knew you were out of it and still made you play. That was wrong of me," Ushijima said sincerely. Y/N was taken aback by the amount of emotion in Ushijima's voice.

Y/N looked down at his feet.

"I tried my best today, Toshi. I can only do so much with my head pounding like this." Ushijima loved it when Y/N called him Toshi, although he would never admit it.

"I know. I should've taken your feelings into consideration before I made you play. It's just...you're our best setter and we needed you to win. I guess that didn't really work out the way we thought it would..." Ushijima looked away from the other boy.

"Y/N? Where'd you-" Daichi stepped out of the gymnasium, looking at the two boys.

"I have to go," Y/N said and walked over to Daichi. Ushijima sighed and walked away from the school.

"What did he say? Do you want me to talk to him?" Daichi said angrily.

"Actually, he came to apologize." Daichi let the anger fall from his face.

"It's gonna be okay. Let's get home." Daichi placed his hand on Y/N's back and the two began walking home.

"Is it ok if I go to Karasuno next year?" Y/N asked as they walked.

"Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to pick a school other than Shiratorizawa. I don't like the way they treat you there." Y/N smiled.

"You're so overprotective, Daichi." Daichi rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, any other school. Even Aoba Josai." Y/N looked at his brother and the concern on his face was like a wave of emotion.

"Yeah. I will." Y/N agreed.

When the boys got home, their parents rushed to congratulate Daichi on their win. They looked over at their younger son.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Are you feeling alright? We saw what happened," their mother said.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I'm gonna shower and head to sleep." Y/N walked into the bathroom and locked the door.

"Is he really alright, Daichi?" his father asked.

"I don't think so. Him and Ushijima were close." Daichi sighed.

"I'm gonna get to sleep, too." his parents nodded and he walked to his room.

The next morning, Daichi decided he would be late to school and walk his brother to Shiratorizawa.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," Y/N said when they arrived in front of the school.

"I know, but I wanted to make sure no one gave you a hard time." Y/N laughed.

"That's such a Daichi thing to do." Daichi smiled at his brother, but it fell when he saw Ushijima staring at them. Daichi cleared his throat.

"I think someone is waiting for you." Y/N turned around and met eyes with Ushijima. He sighed.

"I'm gonna go. Hurry and get to school." Daichi walked away and headed to Karasuno.

Y/N turned and walked to Ushijima.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he said.

"I, uh, I wanted to know if you still wanted to walk to class together," Ushijima asked nervously.

"Why would I want to? So you can criticize me a little more?" Y/N snapped angrily.

"Can we talk? There's something important I need to tell you." Y/N sighed.

"The bell is gonna ring soon," he pointed out.

"I don't care. I really need to talk to you." Y/N was surprised. Ushijima was always on his ass about being on time, yet here he was saying that he didn't care about being late.

The two boys walked behind the school where they could have some privacy.

"What do you need to tell me that's so important?" Ushijima stood up straight.

"I...I like you." he said.

"That's it? That's all you had to say?" Y/N was a little ticked.

"No, I like you. I have feelings for you. I want to be your boyfriend." Y/N was taken aback and felt a blush creep up his face.

"R-Really?" he stuttered.

"Yeah."

Y/N bit his lip. He was embarrassed to tell Ushijima how he feels because he doesn't know how to say it properly. Screw it, he thought. He got on his tip toes and pressed a kiss to Ushijima's lips, which Ushijima reciprocated. They stood there for what felt like forever.

When they pulled away, both boys were slightly panting.

"You could've just told me you like me too," Ushijima said, a teasing smirk on his face.

"I'm more of a doer kind of guy, Toshi," Y/N said, smiling.

When the bell for first period to be over, the students rushed into the halls, but seemed to freeze. The sight of Ushijima and Y/N walking hand in hand through the halls seemed to knock the breath out of them, especially Ushijima's little fangirls.

"Wakatoshi and Y/N are so in loooove..." Tendou taunted, walking next to them.

"S-Shut up." Y/N blushed at his words. Tendou let out a laugh.

The rest of the school day went smoothly. No one said anything to the two boys and no one seemed to be too upset about what happened at the game.

That night, Ushijima walked Y/N home. When they arrived at the residence, Daichi and some of his teammates were sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hey, Y/N, how was sch-" Daichi stopped talking when he saw Ushijima standing next to his brother. He stood up from his spot on the couch.

"What's he doing here?" Daichi growled. Y/N went to explain, but Ushijima stepped in front of him.

"I'm going to marry your brother one day," he said plainly. Y/N felt his entire face get hot with embarrassment.

"Toshi, you can't say that!" Y/N said. Daichi stares him down.

"Over my dead body," he said through gritted teeth.

"We should go upstairs, Toshi. Let's give them some privacy," Y/N shoved Ushijima towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, Daichi!" he yelled behind him.

"Don't make him mad like that!" Y/N said to a smiling Ushijima on his bed.

"It's funny watching your brother get worked up," he commented. Y/N sighed.

"You're such a pain in the ass." he plopped down on the bed.

"You can stay the night if you want. My parents are out of town and Daichi will be too busy with his friends," Y/N said, laying down on his back.

"I don't mind. We're gonna share a bed right?" Ushijima asked. For what seemed to be the thousandth time that day, Y/N began blushing hard.

"Toshi! That's so inappropriate!" he said loudly. Ushijima laughed.

"I'm kidding!" he said. Ushijima laid down next to Y/N.

"I'm glad I have you," he said sincerely. Y/N looked over and placed a kiss on Ushijima's lips, which quickly turned into a heated make-out session.

They pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance. What I did was wrong and I shouldn't have pushed you." Ushijima let his arm wrap around the younger male's waist.

"Forgive and forget." Y/N smiled at Ushijima.

Y/N reached across the bed and flicked off the lamp. He laid back down and cuddled into Ushijima's chest.

"Goodnight, Toshi," he said, a yawn following close behind.

"Goodnight, Y/N," Ushijima replied, his arm tightening around Y/N's waist. With that, the two boys fell asleep, holding each other.

#ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima #haikyuu!!#ushijima x reader #x reader #male reader #haikyu x reader #hq x reader #angst #fluff

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theji · 3 years

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我的世界守则 The Rules of My World: An Analysis

I came across this video while browsing Weibo last night. It was taken during Yibo's rehearsal for his 'The Rules of My World' performance. I've listened to the song countless times and I like it, the rhythm and all, and the dance. But as with many rap music, I don't pay attention to the lyrics. I suddenly realised I don't really know what the song is talking about, save for the few phrases that stood out. That sparked my interest and inspired today's post. I had previously done some analysis of Zhan's songs, so it's Yibo's turn.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional translator or lyricist. And obviously I'm not Yibo nor do I know him personally, so I can't say for sure what the song is really about. The following analysis is purely based on my personal interpretation. It has CPN components. Please skip if you don't believe that BJYXSZD.

'The Rules of My World' is the 2nd song that Yibo penned the lyrics to himself. The fact that he wrote the lyrics is significant and makes the song worth analysing. 2019's 'Wu Gan' was more 'inward-looking'; about Yibo expressing his own thoughts on navigating the entertainment industry. To me, 'The Rules of My World' is him making a statement, a stand, at the same time, he's sending a message to those he cares about - GG and his (real) fans. Yibo released this song on 30 Dec 2020. The timing is interesting cos it like he's summing up his sentiments based on the events that took place during the year. To outsiders, 2020 was a good year for Yibo. He had many endorsements, projects, high exposure, his commercial value rose. But in CPN reality, 2020 was terrible for so many reasons. GG's incident, him being overworked, crazy fan wars and antis etc etc..anyone who cares about Yibo would be delusional to think he had it good last year.

欢迎你们来加入我的世界 (You're welcome to join my world)

入场券上面有正义的光源 (There's a light of justice on the admission ticket)

DD is giving fans an open invitation to enter his world, to understand him as a person and not just an idol. And he also hopes that his world can bring some light to the fans' world, to bring some positivity, encouragement and guidance to them.

此生面对严厉又仁慈的一切 (In this life we'll face harshness but also kindness)

轻松一点，我们一起度过黑夜 (Just relax, together we'll overcome darkness)

In the entertainment world (or life in general), there will be ups and downs, criticisms and compliments. Regardless of what may come, we can overcome any challenges together. Darkness here could also refer to the antis who seem determined to bring GGDD down. This could be a message to fans - to tell them that they don't always have to rush to defend him, and they don't need to retaliate (aka fan wars). It could also be a message to GG, to make a stand of solidarity and to reassure GG that DD will face any challenges alongside him.

新的征途 (A new journey)

愚蠢的，不好相处 (These fools, they aren't easy to get along with)

愚蠢的，不会打住 (These fools, they won't stop)

但衬托明天更耀眼的路 (But they will set off a brighter path for tomorrow)

It was said that DD matured considerably after the 2*7 incident. Took up more responsibility, became more focused on his career and mindful of future advancements etc. Started to take on more serious acting projects and to shift his career trajectory towards something more sustainable and less 'idol'. The new journey could be a reference to this new path. The fools - the antis, those against GGDD - may have caused damage but their actions have also sparked off DD's desire to do better and to find his footing in the entertainment industry. He now has a clearer view of what he wants, the path he wants to take.

我是我的样子 (This is how I am)

我生来就固执 (I was born stubborn)

讲自己的故事 (I'll tell my own story)

活独特的气质 (Living my unique self)

Follow me, 找到自己的价值 (Follow me, find your own value)

不去迎合别人活才会觉得有意思 (Life is interesting if you don't cater to others)

我的世界不退让 (It's my world I won't give in)

Here, DD is being assertive. This is me, I follow my own rules, I'll make my own decisions, I'll forge my own path, I won't be influenced, I won't give up on my beliefs. So antis, capitalists etc can f*ck off.

It could also be seen as an advice to his fans - to follow his lead and live their own lives. This is also something that GG has repeatedly said to fans - to focus on their own lives, personal relationships, studies, careers etc. Don't devote so much time on chasing idols, online fan wars etc.

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

乐观地，走向前 (Just move forward with optimism)

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

无所谓，多危险 (Doesn't matter how dangerous it is)

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

这是我的世界 (This is my world)

我世界的守则，不许你诡辩 (These are the rules of my world, I won't allow any sophistry)

I see this as DD's words of encouragement, to himself and to GG. Despite all the challenges and hardship, darkness will pass and the sun will come out eventually. And it's shining brightly, there is hope left in this world, there's is much to look forward to. So don't fear, be brave and forge ahead.

Sophistry: the use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving

Poor DD is always hit with industry rumours, about him dating his co-stars etc. Last year, someone even made a false police report against him. Just look at the number of statements his company had to put out. There have also always been ongoing rumours about rivalry between GGDD, tales of backstabbing etc, especially in 2020 at the height of the incident. DD is saying that this is his life, his world. No one knows better than the both of them. So to those who don't know better but continue to spew nonsense about his life and relationships and spread hate, know that I don't care about your antics, they don't hurt me but I won't tolerate them as well.

在我世界行走 (Walking in my world)

什么人生主题你透露 (What kind of life theme do you envisage)

是胆大勇猛所向披靡 (Is it to be bold, courageous and invincible)

或胆小逃避钻进壳里 (Or to be timid and escape into your shell)

喧闹倾诉众人party (Is it to pour out your troubles at a rowdy party)

寂寞相思不停地哭泣 (Or to cry silently non-stop out of loneliness and love-sickness)

都欢迎你来我这里 (All are welcome)

只要跟从自己的内心 (So long as you follow your heart)

跟限制和噪音说一声 bang bang (I'll say 'Bang Bang' to restriction and noises)

怪兽都退散 (Monsters, be gone)

What kind of person am I in your eyes? The cool guy or soft sweet babie Yibo? Here, DD is acknowledging that the public has many different perceptions of him, and fans love different personas of him and he's ok with that. But if you love him, then let him be. Don't try to restrict him, don't quarrel or force him into a certain mould of your preference. He won't hesitate to shoot the haters (monsters) down.

迈出轻盈的步伐 (Take a light step forward)

一声令下 (With a single command)

来宣布告别孤勇 (To announce a farewell to having to fight alone)

On this new path, with a new-found realisation of what he wants, DD is clear of what he wants to achieve and he is no longer burdened by fear, uncertainties etc. Both GGDD now have each other by their sides, they share a common purpose as they navigate the intricacies of the entertainment industry together and work their way to the top. And I think this is something that we're seeing more in the fandom since end 2020 - GGDD seemingly becoming more bold in their actions and messages they put out (silent or otherwise).

想要做盘旋的龙 (Wanna be a hovering dragon)

还想做懒散的虫 (Or a lazy worm)

别打扰我走开没空 (Don't bother me, go away, I have no time for that)

In public, DD is that proud and confident king. He's not a pushover. But behind the cameras, he just wants to chill and relax (and play games). Please don't bother me, give me some privacy to lead my own life, don't tell me what I can or cannot do.

Cue DD's message. He meant it.

Follow me, 找到自己的价值 (Follow me, find your own value)

不去迎合别人活才会觉得有意思 (Life is interesting if you don't cater to others)

我们永远不退让 (We will never give in)

This is a repetition of the earlier verse but what has changed is the last 2 lines. From <It's my world I won't give in>, DD now says <We will never give in>. This was actually the first thing that sparked off my CPN, and hinted to me that this song concerns GG in some ways. Who's We? We all know how GGDD almost always use the word 'we' in their CQL promo interviews and bts, as though they come as a package and all views represent both of them as a entity. This also echoes the earlier sentiments - both of them, after the 2020 incident, have developed a steely resolve. They won't let the antis or challenges or societal views hold them back anymore. Their world, their rules. They will fight for their rights and what they believe in, and they are determined to reach their goals.

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

乐观地走向前 (Just move forward with optimism)

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

无所谓多危险 (Doesn't matter how dangerous it is)

阳光耀眼 (The sun is dazzling)

这是我的世界 (This is my world)

我们的世界不会被改变 (Our world will never be changed)

Again, similar to the above 'we' example. From this part of the song onwards, DD is referring to them both. The last line could also be viewed as an affirmation of GGDD's commitment to each other. Whatever is it, our relationship will not change. We will go through it all together.

Don‘t stop, get it, get it

Let me see you work up on it

Don’t stop, get it, get it

Let me see you all up on it

Let me see you work up on it

Don‘t stop, get it, get it

Don't stop

Hey

I interpret this as DD's words of encouragement to GG. Like don't stop fighting, continue to work hard towards your (our) goals. Go for it, you can do it!

在我的世界 (In my world)

本能很关键 (Instinct is the key)

坚持自己 (Stay true to yourself)

就是你们的世界 (It is your world)

DD's parting words to fans: to stay true to oneself, to build and enrich your own worlds, to fight for your goals, like how he is trying.

Well, I had fun working on this. Maybe I'll do Wu Gan another time. Reminded me of literature class during my schooling days, although I never did Chinese literature back then. Feel free to share your thoughts on the song with me. =D

#wang yibo #bjyx #bjyxszd #yizhan #the ji's song of the moment

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autumnwoodsdreamer · 3 years

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Hey, just wanted to say I kove your blog. Would you mind doing a bit of meta for Avengers Asssemble vs MCU. I’ve also recently developed this sort-of SU where after Endgam MCU Tony wakes up as AA Tony, and goes “actually I like these Avengers more, can I keep them?” And wondered of your thoughts on that.

Thank you for such a lovely ask (and giving me an excuse to gush about Avengers!)

You have no idea how much I dream of MCU!Tony waking up as AA!Tony and finally getting to experience the team as he believed it could be! Might leave my thoughts on that for another post but, yes, I so want to see that too!

Okay, onto the analysis! Gonna start with a little disclaimer: I recognize and respect that the MCU and Avengers Assembe are two separate iterations, told through different mediums with their own unique advantages and limitations. So don’t anyone worry: I’m not gonna hate on either of them. Now that that’s said, here’s why AA is superior...

In a nutshell, the Avengers Assemble team is what their MCU counterparts could have been had they made the choice to stay together.

See, their universes are practically identical up until the Battle of New York. But, in the MCU, they just called it a day after that and went off to fight their own battles like lone gunslingers.

Meanwhile, in AA, the team stayed together after their first victory. Granted, it wasn’t smooth sailing and it didn’t work out immediately: they had some falling out we aren’t shown (Tony repeatedly claims it’s his fault, but given his guilt complex, that may not be 100% true) and they broke up the band for a time. But they came back together in a heartbeat when they thought they had to avenge Cap; then, seeing their potential, seeing that they really were stronger as a team, they chose to stay assembled.

From there on, the universes are so completely dissimilar, it’d be funny if it weren’t so sad.

In AA, they face dozens of bad guys and disasters on a regular basis, and they face them together.

MCU: they have, like, one batch of bad guys in a blue moon and either tackle them alone, or on a good day, maybe two or three of them will team-up. They only drag everyone into the same room when it’s absolutely necessary (though what constitutes “necessary” is still up in the air because I think Hydra-is-actually-SHIELD calls for a full assembly, Steven).

AA: in between missions, they live together in the Tower, training and refining their skills as individuals as well as a team.

MCU: again: lone gunslingers.

AA: they obey just laws, try their hardest to minimalize collateral damage, always take the time to evacuate an area of civilians, don’t rush into foreign countries without clearance.

MCU: See: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

AA: when one of them does something totally out of character (e.g. Tony helping Galactus consume an inhabited planet, or Natasha stealing the Infinity Gems) they don’t take it on face value. It shocks them, yes, but it doesn’t immediately shake their faith. They hold on, try to understand, try to step back and see if there’s a bigger issue at play, and when they find the reason, they throw everything into supporting their teammate.

MCU: whatever trust they have is... tenuous, at best, and they give each other up way too easily. (Both Age of Ultron and Civil War expose this).

AA: they aren’t just a team, they aren’t even just friends: they’re a family. They have inside jokes, they play video games in their downtime, and they pull petty pranks on each other. Shawarma Night is a thing. They are forever stealing each other’s food (“If you wanna blame yourself for something, blame yourself for eating Hulk’s guacamole... because he’s gonna smash me for that.”) They even do each other’s laundry! Now, those things may seem silly, but I can tell you: when you live with a bunch of people for a long time, a good sense of humour is indicative of a good relationship and a healthy environment. My mom once told me that a peaceful home isn’t necessarily a quiet one: it’s one where you feel safe to speak up, to be loud, to laugh or cry. This team has exactly that.

MCU: years and years of supposedly working together, and yet they know next to nothing about each other. (“Do we know if she had a family?” What?!)

AA: reduced Thanos to atoms in their 2nd season; only took eight of them and some civilians with bricks. No one died and they even created world peace for a weekend.

MCU: couldn’t defeat Thanos without messing up a couple of timelines, pulling in entire armies and a bazillion heroes from all over the galaxy, and losing two founding Avengers in the process.

I have so many other areas I could delve into, like their Civil Wars or how much I adore this version of Sam Wilson, but I’ll conclude with: the Avengers Assemble team is what we all hoped the MCU would become. This version of the team knows and trusts and—let’s just say it—they love each other, and that makes them strong and it makes their whole world brighter.

The MCU Avengers... would never have survived the AA universe.

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royallyprincesslilly · 4 years

Text

Title: Quarantine: A Love Story {11}

Chris Evans x Reader Mini Series

Warning: Cursing, Plot, Angst, Scorching Slow Burn, Tease

Words: 6.2k

Note: Okay, so this ask/request came in and I was all prepped to write it as a one shot, but I had so many separate ideas that sprang to mind for it and from it. As of right now, I am going to play this one by ear. Hell, I might just keep writing it as long as we’re all in our quarantine/self-isolation. So, it might be one part every week, or I might change it. I honestly have no idea, so let’s start with calling it a mini-series and see where it goes. Thank you anon for the request, hope it’s cool I tweak, twist and stretch this out.

I hope you guys enjoy this. Thank you for reading as always!!! ❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Slightly Interactive***

**Images NOT My own. 2nd, 3rd, & 4th found Via Pinterest**

Previous Chapters: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 | Q10 |

~~~~~~~~~~~

-Quarantine: Week Seven & A Half –

“I’m glad that you guys are doing okay, mom. Tell dad not to go on those walks with Mr. Beardsley. Tell him to stay his ass home,” you badgered.

“You know that man does what he wants. The other day he was in the backyard building some abomination he calls a bird palace. Y/N, he made a three-story house for a bird,” your mother informed. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“I sent you the picture. Look.”

You put your cell on speaker and looked at the new message with the photo attached. The most hideous creation appeared on the screen. It was lopsided and looked like it had every board out of place.

“Oh, my goodness.”

“Do you see? Then he had the nerve to ask me if he should paint it to make it more appealing.” You busted out laughing then. There was no way you could have held it in. All you could imagine was this atrocity painted yellow, blue, or even red.

“I didn’t know what to tell him. He worked for hours on it,” your mother went on.

“So, what did you go with?” The line was silent for a while before she sighed.

“I told him to paint the damn thing rainbow colored. Told him it would attract more birds that way.”

The two of you laughed together, not bothering to care how loud you were. After a few minutes, the two of you quieted down. You needed a good laugh.

“How are you, darling?”

“I’m fine, mom. Things are quiet as the world passes me by.”

“So dramatic. Glad to see nothing has changed from when you were a child.”

Rolling your eyes, you took a sip of your Arnold palmer and leaned back in the lounge beach chair. It was another beautiful day. Mother nature was laughing. While most of the world was locked away, unable to fully enjoy the great outdoors, she was serving Spring goals with upper seventy degree and sunny weather days. You were lucky to be near a beach and able to take advantage of it.

“I’m not dramatic, I’m--,”

“Just spirited, yeah, yeah yeah,” your mother filled in echoing the same words the same way you’d said them since you were six.

“I don’t appreciate the shade, mom!”

“Girl, watch your tone.” Pressing your lips together, you got your head on right. Your mother would slap you into next month if you played with her wrong.

“What’s wrong? Is it Chris? Did he look at you and roll his eyes again?” She snickered, and you rolled your eyes again. She was always teasing you about the way you complained about Chris.

“That boy is clearly head over heels in love with you. Anyone with one half good eye can see that.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, mom.”

“The hell I don’t. I am a woman too, Y/N. I know what a man looks like when he’s got it bad. I’ve been married to one for the last thirty-four years.”

Taking another sip from your glass, you burrowed deeper into the chair and watched the waves roll onto the sand. The water was a lot calmer now in the afternoon than it had been earlier this morning, you thought.

“All right, since you want to play dumb, and blind,” your mother sighed out.

“Actually, mom, I have a question. Did you have Chris promise to stay away from me or something along those lines?”

“Why would I do something like that?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“I don’t know. Okay, wait—he has the reputation of being a ladies man.”

“You mean a whore?”

“Y/N!”

“In twenty-twenty, we call people what they are. We don’t sugar coat. He has a reputation for being a whore.”

“He’s a man, an unmarried one at that. He has no reason to be celibate. You also need to remember that just because someone appears to be living one way doesn’t mean that is really what it is,” your mother attempted to reason.

“What does that mean?”

“He could be sleeping around but doesn’t want to.”

You snorted and shook your head. “So he’s being forced to sleep with every blonde, brunette, and occasional redhead he comes across?”

You shook your head, realizing you were actually getting angry about it.

“You sound jealous, babygirl. Jealous women aren’t attractive, plus your jealousy gives away how you really feel about him.”

“Feel? Whatever mom. I don’t feel anything.”

“Okay. Just remember the lies we tell will always be revealed.”

You hated when she tapped into her ancestral priestess side and read you like a book. You knew you were lying. You knew you didn’t feel nothing. You felt something alright, but at the moment, you didn’t know just what it was.

“To answer your question, no, I didn’t make him promise anything.”

“Then who would?”

“Maybe Scott. They’re brothers, and he knows Chris through and through. Maybe he was trying to protect you from becoming yet another notch.”

You thought about her words. It was possible. Honestly, Scott was raising to the top of your list the more you thought about it. It felt like something he would do to protect you. The only thing you couldn’t understand was why he felt the need to make him promise. From the very beginning, everyone has always thought Chris just didn’t like you. The way he acted toward you and spoke about you did not scream that Scott had something to worry about. Since there was no evidence to how Chris felt, then why would Scott make him promise something like that, you wondered.

“Can I take this conversation as you having ended things with that other one?”

Groaning, your head went back to Charles. Things with him were still up in the air. When you made a break from someone, there was nothing left suspended. You made a quick, clean break, usually disappearing without a trace. Everything was just weird. Part of you felt as if you were being too cold with him and that you should give him a genuine chance. Then when you thought that, Chris’s face popped into your head as a reason not to. It was like there was this war inside of you between two guys.

“The other one is—focusing on himself right now.”

“Ah, you kept your wall up, and he got frostbite from being left out in the cold, and he gave you an ultimatum.”

“I hate when you do that.”

“Don’t hate the player, gate the game. Honey--,” your mother began before you cut her off.

“I don’t want to hear it, mom. Not now.”

“Okay. You’re an adult, old enough to make your own decisions and mistakes. You don’t need your mother’s wise years of experience and words to help guide your way so you don’t make as many mistakes as others would. I understand.”

This was the guilt trip no one had mastered like your mother. She could guilt you with so little. Sighing loudly, you finished off the glass. “Fine, mom, go ahead. Priestess me.”

“Maybe use this quarantine time to figure out why you’ve always cared so much what Chris Evans thought of you. Think about what it is you want from your life—for your life. What’s important, babygirl? Maybe the way you’ve lived these last years is not the most conducive to getting what you really want. Maybe you need to open up, lower those walls, give people a chance instead of expecting them to disappoint and hurt you, pull them closer instead of pushing them away. Take a chance on what you really want.”

You sat there letting her words resonate. You knew she knew what she was talking about, and you knew it was all coming from a place of love, but it didn’t stop the feeling of being attacked. You hated when she was right.

“You’ve always liked Chris. This is what this is about,” you accused.

“That is not true. I don’t care that every time I’ve met him, he’s been respectful, kind, and sincere. I don’t care that every Christmas he sends us a gift, and every New Year a card. I don’t care that he also does the same for our birthdays and anniversaries. I don’t care that he’s shown to be a good man despite his philandering ways.”

“Wait, wait, wait. He’s what?”

“What?”

“Mom. He’s sent you guys gifts and cards?”

“Yeah, I thought you knew. He also comes by and checks on us from time to time when he’s in town and calls when he’s out of town sometimes,” your mother revealed.

You were floored. You didn’t know any of this. Your head began to spin, making you feel like you’d put more than a few ounces of rum in the glass. The ringing in your ears did nothing to help matters. All you could hear was your mother’s confession echoing in your head.

“Y/N! Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

You took a few shaky breathes and did your best to calm down. “I’m fine. I just—I didn’t know any of that.”

“Oh. So he’s been doing all this in secret and not to impress you?”

You rubbed your forehead and pinched your nose bridge.

“That means that Air B&B in Los Angeles your father and I stayed at when we went on vacation last year was probably not just a normal Air B&B.”

“What?”

“He set it up for us, said he got a great deal and took care of everything. It was beautiful. Do you think it was his house?”

You remembered that trip. Your parents sent you picture after picture of the view and the interior of the house. You wanted to go back to them now and play detective.

“Oh my god. I had no idea about any of this.”

“Now that you know, what’re you going to do with it?”

Again, your eyes went back to the water, and in seconds, you’d zoned out. “I’ll call you tomorrow, mom. Call me if anything. I love you.”

You sat there for several long minutes just allowing the conversation to swirl in your head. When the words quieted, and your internal freak out settled you scrolled through your phone to the pictures you’d saved because you liked the décor. It took a few minutes, but when you found the set, you sat there zooming in to the max to analyze every inch of the picture. Nothing gave it away to be Chris’s house. Nothing pointed to it not being a run of the mill Air B&B. It was very nice, though. In the last picture, you zoomed in and saw something in the wall that could have been a picture of Chris and his siblings when they were younger, but from the picture, it was blurry, and you really couldn’t make it out. You could have latched on to that and deduced it was his house, but you were scared to face that fact.

For the last three years, while he was being a world-class asshole to you, he was being a prince to your parents. You couldn’t wrap your head around his strategy. If he liked you the way he professed what in his mind said the way to get you was to be a dick to you but make your parents fall in love. It made no sense.

When you finally got up from the chair, the sun was beginning to make its descent behind the horizon. You had maybe an hour before nightfall. You intended to go back to the guesthouse to shower and just mellow out, but your legs decided to walk. When you looked around, you were surrounded by trees and greenery. You had no idea where you were or how long you’d been walking or in what direction you walked. After spinning around a few times, you noticed the worn path before you.

“Where the hell am I?”

Continuing forward, you followed the path that looked like feet had traveled plenty of times. The further you walked, the less condensed the trees and bushes became, and the more your curiosity rose. After another ten or so minutes, you came to a thicket before you that looked to block your path, but upon more observation, you saw the worn path you’d been walking on continued underneath it. There was something behind it.

You pushed at the bushes that were entwined within branches and were shocked when it gave way easier than you expected. They parted like a gate. It was a gate. Before your eyes was the quaintest structure you’d ever seen.

“Holy shit!”

You stood there, marveling at the tiny house in front of you. Tiny wasn’t even the right word for it. The tiny house trend applied to school buses or shipping containers, not this. This looked like an off the grid, half house, or treehouse. You didn’t know what the fuck you were looking at. You continued walking forward while spinning around to take in your surroundings. The entire area was quarantined off with tall, thick bushes, trees, branches, and vines. It was incredible.

The more you looked around, the more you fell under its spell. It was beautiful and one with nature. When you got close enough to the house, you could see scratch marks on the deck. You knew they were from Dodger. This must have been where Chris disappeared to. Stepping onto the deck, you took notice of the two Adirondack chairs, one blue the other red. Trailing your fingertips across them, you continued walking around. Every detail and item you saw, you could picture him either using it or sitting on it.

When you got to the door, you contemplated if you should go inside. This was not your property. You were snooping. It wasn’t right, but your curiosity again won out. When you turned the knob, it moved. It wasn’t locked. You stepped over the threshold and gaped at the space. It wasn’t as big as the big house, but it was in no means cramped. The wooden floors and walls gave you a feeling of comfort. Everything laid around screamed down to earth. It was the vibe Chris always gave off when he wasn’t being a dick.

You looked around what was the living room, and then made your way to a galley kitchen that screamed man. It had the necessities, a stovetop, fridge, dishwasher, a conventional oven, and a sink. The butcher’s block countertop gave you the idea it had been used often. As you made your way through the dwelling, you took notice of a small bathroom that had no luxury, a toilet, a tub, a sink, and an incredible view. When you made it to what you knew was the bedroom, his scent bombarded you. It was the same scent from his bedroom in the house, pine, fresh air, fragrant wood, chocolate, hops, and something that you still hadn’t been able to pinpoint in all the years you’d known him.

You wandered around the room, looking at everything you saw. The things in here looked a lot more personal than of that was in his room before. You saw a signed baseball, family pictures, empty bottles of beer, toiletries, and papers that were strewn around. It took every ounce of strength to ignore the bed in the room no matter how loud it called your name. You wanted to roll around in his sheets and wrap yourself in them, but you knew if you did that, you’d probably never get out of the bed. Without being able to control yourself, you approached it, climbing the few steps to it and touched one of the plaid shirts that were resting at the foot of the bed.

“Don’t do it, Y/N.” As soon as the words left your mouth, the head ignored them and did just what you’d said not to. You took in a deep whiff of his shirt and moaned. Fuck, it smelled so good that your mouth actually watered. Disgustedly you threw the shirt and stomped out of the room, cursing his name.

The more you saw, the more you liked, and the more you liked, the more you wanted to see him in it. You wanted to watch as he cooked in the kitchen, watch as he sat in the Adirondack chair, wanted to watch as he drank bottle after bottle of beer while sitting in that leather chair with a book or his laptop. You wanted to watch how he fit in that tub; it seemed impossible. You wanted more than you’d wanted in months, years—ever.

You opened the fridge and took out one of the many bottles of beer and hit it on the side of the butcher block countertop and took several healthy gulps. When you brought it back down, what you saw took your breath away. The view of the sun setting was breathtaking. You walked out to the front deck and sat in one of the chairs and just watched mother nature’s artwork across her natural canvas.

Before you knew it, you’d watched the sky turn from beautiful hues of purple, orange, pink and red to a navy color with specks of white. You couldn’t get over how the stars were so bright here. You were so lost in the view that when you heard Chris’s voice, you actually jumped.

“Shit!” Your scream was loud, and before you knew it, you’d flung the bottle at him.

“Woah!” You heard it shatter, and Dodger burst into a flurry of howls. You clasped your hands over your mouth in shock.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

“Jesus, they should have signed you to the Dodgers, maybe we’d have won more,” Chris teased.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you repeated. Chris ticked his tongue, signaling Dodger to calm down. Like the good pup he was, he came to Chris’s side and sat then pranced over to you to lick across your cheek.

“Hi, Dodger. How are you, boy? I’m sorry I scared you.” As if he was saying he accepted your apology, he continued licking at your face.

“What’re you doing here? How’d you find this place?”

His questions were serious ones. You avoided his eyes and focused on Dodger, hoping he wasn’t too angry at your trespassing.

“Uh—well, see what had happened was—I was walking and not really paying attention, and I just—found it.”

“Just found it? It’s a ways away from the main house. How’d you even know which direction to walk?”

“I didn’t. I’m telling the truth, I didn’t make a plan to walk this way, I was wandering and came across it.”

Chris didn’t speak again for a little while, but you could feel his eyes on you. Risking it, you glanced at him, and sure enough, his eyes were on you. “And you helped yourself to a beer.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I know it was an invasion of your privacy and trespassing. I’m sorry.” He didn’t speak, but his eyes looked cold. He was angry.

“Look, I’ll go. I shouldn’t have—I’m sorry to impose.” You stuttered as you got to your feet and began walking to the same thicket you’d walked through.

After a few quick steps, he called your name.

“It’s okay, Chris,” you answered without stopping or looking back.

“Go get her, Dodge.” Dodger barked and tramped to you, blocking your path, hopping up on his hind legs to gently claw at your abdomen.

“Down Dodger.”

Ignoring you, Dodger kept clawing at you before he got hold of a piece of your shirt pulling you back toward the house. Your protests didn’t matter, and you were actually pretty surprised with how strong he was. He’d been taking it easy on you this whole time. When he was back beside Chris, he let you go and circled the two of you before he sat blocking your path to your escape.

“Good boy,” Chris muttered, scratching behind his ear. “I’m sorry if I came off terse, I was just surprised. I wasn’t expecting to see you sitting on my deck.”

“No, you have no reason to apologize. I understand. This is your place. I should have turned my ass around a long time ago. No wonder you’re mad.”

“Y/N, shut up. I’m not mad. Surprised. Come on.” Chris walked ahead of you onto the deck and toward the door with Dodger on his heels. When he realized you weren’t following him and Dodger, he stopped and looked to you.

“What’s the problem?”

“Uh—nothing.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

“I wasn’t—planning to,” you responded.

“Come on. It’s dinner time. Let me feed you.”

That was all it took for your mind to go into the gutter and your eyes to drop to his crotch. He must have known too because his hips jutted forward. You had to bite your tongue extra hard, not to say what you really wanted to say.

“Jesus, you’re killing me,” Chris grunted before he walked inside, leaving the door open for you.

Like an idiot, you stood there. You didn’t know what to do. If you went inside, you were worried you’d do something you couldn’t take back. He didn’t come back out or say anything else. After about ten minutes, you slowly walked inside and closed the door behind you. The coast was clear. You walked more in and around the corner and saw Chris in the kitchen with his back turned busy making whatever dinner was.

“Took you long enough. That’s yours,” he said as he turned and slopped two rounded meat circles on the stovetop. It instantly sizzled and smoked. Beside the stovetop, you saw an opened bottle of beer. It was like he knew you’d come in.

“If you took any longer, it would have gotten warm. There’s nothing worse than warm beer.”

“Really? I could think of plenty of things,” you responded before you took a swig.

“Like what?” Chris plopped two more meat circles on the stovetop to add to the sizzle.

Monetarily lowering the bottle, you said the first thing that came to mind. “Blue Balls.”

Once he heard it, he looked at you. There was amusement in his eyes, but his lips were not giving anything away.

“Oh, so you’ve had blue balls.”

“What you think women can’t get blue balls? We can.”

“And you’ve had it?”

“Have you?” Your counter question had him scoffing before he took a long gulp from his beer.

“I’m a man in his thirties, of course, I’ve had blue balls,” he admitted.

You finished your beer, hoping it would stop you from asking a highly personal question.

“How many burgers usually fill you up?”

You hopped onto the island and crossed your legs. “How many fill you up?”

“I’m a big boy,” Chris began.

“I’ve heard.”

His smile was an embarrassed one. He looked away from you and to the stovetop to focus on the burgers. You watched him add three more meat circles to it and watched on as he tended to them. When he sprinkled several seasonings on the patties, you smiled. There were plenty of people who didn’t season burger meat with anything but salt and pepper. He’d gone far beyond salt and pepper; you were relieved. In no time, the house filled up with the smell of juicy burgers. Your belly rumbled, bringing his attention back to you.

“Hungry, huh.”

“More than you’ll ever know.” The two of you stared for a few long moments before he looked away.

“Since I know you don’t do a salad with your burgers, if you open the freezer drawer, you’ll find some onion rings. Think you can manage popping them in the oven?”

Obliging him, you did as he asked. The two of you moved around the galley kitchen together. His body was tight, and it looked like he was taking extra care not to bounce you. Every time you got close to touching him, he slinked away from you, creating more space. The first and second time he did it, you found it interesting. By the ninth and tenth, you were amused and ready to tease the shit out of him.

Noticing his bottle was empty, you bent inside the fridge and took two more out. When you handed him the opened bottle, you peered into his eyes flirtatiously. You didn’t know why but something about him brought out your flirtatious side. You wanted to tease him and make him beg for you. When he took the bottle, he took a sip while keeping his eyes on you. The only reason he looked away was the scent of the burgers charring too quickly.

The sound of the conventional oven’s bell had you slinking past him grazing his body with your hip. You heard him hiss out felt his body tense. He was easy, you thought. Once you’d taken the onion rings out, you brought them to the back deck, ensuring to play up the sway of your hips. When you walked back, Chris looked to you.

“These are practically done,” he informed.

“Then you need a plate.” You walked behind him toward one of the cupboards. “Which one?”

“The one on top,” Chris answered.

You reached to the top but still couldn’t reach the platter that was there. After a few moments of struggle, you heard a scoff.

“Too short?” You felt his presence before you felt him. The heat of his body was an unexpected but welcomed feeling. “Don’t worry, I got you,” Chris whispered before his body pressed against your back.

A sigh escaped you that ended on a groan. Then you felt his crotch press against your ass. Your eyes closed, and you bent just a little, so your ass pressed more prominently against him. Chris’s groan was the clue you needed to know he liked what he felt. Neither of you moved. You both just froze and relished the feel of your bodies pressed together in this new way. You felt his beard tickle the exposed skin of the nape of your neck, and you’d never wanted someone to bite and mark you as much as you wanted it now. He didn’t bite you, though. You waited and waited, but still, the dull ache of his bite never came. He did press his lips to your ear. You heard him take a deep breath before he spoke.

“You’re not the only one who can tease, Y/N.” It was a guttural whisper that lingered in the air as long as his body lingered against yours. You were sure your panties were flooded, and that was when he moved from you, leaving you with an ache between your legs you knew was going to bother you all night. You looked up, and the platter was gone.

“Maybe you can grab the beers and meet on the deck,” Chris suggested as he walked away, leaving you in the kitchen with your desires.

When you walked out back, you had two six-packs of beer in one hand and a bottle of whiskey you’d found on one of the shelves. Chris wasn’t there, and your grumpy ass didn’t care. Wasting no time, you popped the cork of the whiskey and poured yourself a glass full before you knocked it back. The burn was excruciating but wonderful. It distracted you from the ache in another place.

The two of you ate in mostly silence. Your thoughts were miles away, thinking of what happened in the kitchen and how easily he’d turned the tables on you. When your mind wandered to your conversation with your mother from earlier, you decided to bring it up.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you check in on my parents and send them gifts and cards?”

Chris slowed his chew no doubt using the extra time to think of what he was going to say. After almost a minute, he swallowed.

“It’s not a big deal. I was brought up to be respectful.”

“Respectful is answering yes ma’am and no sir. What you’ve been doing goes above and beyond. Why do you do it?”

“Why?”

“Yeah. Everyone does everything for a reason. What was your angle?”

Chris scoffed and shook his head, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he put onion ring after onion ring in his mouth as he stared at you. The fact that he wasn’t answering was getting to you, and he knew it. His smirk appeared.

“Well?”

“Who hurt you, Y/N?”

Your jaw dropped. It was an unexpected question. “What?”

“You heard me. Who hurt you? What was his name so I can find him and beat his ass.”

“No one—no one hurt me.”

“Bullshit. There is no way you’re like this for no reason,” Chris countered.

“Like what?”

“So distrustful, so skeptical or everyone.”

“How do you know it’s of everyone and not just you?” Chris stopped mid-chew and stared at you.

“Okay. Is it just me you’re like this with? Are you like this with him?”

You knew he meant Charles. He always referred to Charles as “him.”

“None of your business,” you retorted. Chris snorted.

“Nah, you’re like this with him too. So, who hurt you?”

Feeling naked and vulnerable, you poured another glass of the whiskey and gulped it. This was not a conversation you wanted to have.

“Okay. I didn’t have an angle. I like your parents; I respect your parents. I wanted to do some nice things for them. I was able, so I did.”

“Just like the Air B&B?”

He nodded, confirming it. “Look, if I overstepped, tell me. I’ll stop.”

You thought about it for a few moments and sighed. “It’s fine. I’m sorry for being a bitch. I just—I appreciate you looking out for them.”

Chris studied you then nodded. The silence between you stretched for minutes.

“So it wasn’t my parents who made you promise to stay away from me. That leaves Scott or someone else in your family.”

Chris sighed and leaned back. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” you countered.

“Why? What does it matter? You hate me, end of story. Me promising to stay away from you means nothing because staying away from you would have been inevitable,” Chris ranted.

“I never said I hate you.”

“You sure act like it.”

That stung, but it was true. You did act like you hated him. In hindsight, you saw it was your defense mechanism. If he hated you, you’d hate him right back that way, it didn’t matter how he treated you; you wouldn’t feel any way about it. That was all biting you in the ass now.

“Three years, huh,” you broke the silence with.

“Three years,” Chris repeated.

“This is bizarre.”

“Why?”

“All this time I’ve thought things were one way when they were the opposite,” you explained.

“If you don’t hate me, what do you feel?”

Staring at him, you swirled the glass and thought about just what it was you felt. You knew attraction and desire were in there, but you didn’t know what else. You gulped down the rest of the whiskey and chased it with your beer and groaned.

“I don’t know what I feel, Chris. That’s a problem for me. I always know what I feel. I always know what I want. I have no clue right now. It’s like I’m out of control. I hate being out of control. I want all the control.”

“What will make you feel like you have the control?”

“The fuck if I know. I was doing fine thinking you were a dick, and now I don’t think you’re a dick. I don’t know what to think when I think of you anymore. This doesn’t even matter because you’re supposed to stay away from me anyway.” You stood and walked across the deck, facing your back to him while staring out to the darkness in the trees.

“It’s the hardest promise to keep. You have no idea. For the last three years, I’ve wanted to do the opposite. I’ve wanted you in so many moments. I was at a premiere a few months ago, and I wanted you to be there with me. I’m lying in my bed, and I imagine what it would be like if you were laying next to me. I’m grocery shopping and think about you doing it with me. I see you in so many moments, and I want you in too many of them.”

Holy shit, you thought. In less than two minutes, he’d managed to take your breath away. You turned, and there he was, less than two feet from you.

“Holy shit, Chris,” you whispered.

“I know, that was heavy, but it is just a fraction of what’s going on in my head, in my--.” Clenching his jaw, he looked away from you to the deck floor to shuffle his feet.

“This is new for me, Y/N. It’s new, and it’s only with you.”

As if someone was pulling at the invisible string between you, both of you drifted to each other, closing the space there. Your faces were now inches apart, and with every passing second, those inches disappeared until your foreheads were pressed together.

“Fuck it, I’m going to break this promise,” Chris whispered before his lips crashed to yours.

It was like an “aha” moment. As soon as your lips touched, the wind picked up and blew ferociously around you and through the trees. The kiss was an exploratory one, a timid one—one that reeked of apprehensiveness and fear. Both of you were reluctant to cross the line, but you both knew the line was going to be so far behind you in a matter of seconds. That was the definition of inevitable.

The kiss intensified, and soon the fight was between your lips. You both were battling for control over the other, and neither of you was letting up and giving in. When you heard his deep moan, yours was unleashed seconds later. Chris’s hand wrapped around your waist and pulled you flush against him before his other hand clasped the base of your skull to kiss you more fervently.

Before you knew it, you’d backed him to the picnic table you were just eating on and had pressed his back to it. When you climbed onto the table and straddled him, Chris groaned and pulled at your hair, making you moan louder and want more from him. The way he kissed you had you feeling as if you’d just woken up from a long sleep, a sleep that had held you captive for far too long. You were famished. As your hips began to grind on him, Chris groaned loudly, sat up, stood, and turned you to the table. With your legs wrapped around his back, Chris grabbed your exposed thigh and squeezed before he pulled you to the edge of the table. You now felt his need, and you were ready.

When your hands dropped to his pants to undo them, he allowed you. Once you’d unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and was ready to dip your hand inside, Chris groaned and pulled away from you.

“Mmm, no.”

“What!”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

“Come here,” you bartered.

He looked like he was weak as he took a few steps to you, but before you could touch him, he pulled away again.

“Wait, wait, wait.” You spread your legs wider, tired of waiting. Chris’s eyes dropped to your opened legs, and the clench of his jaw returned, only this time the context was different.

“Y/N,” Chris whined, but he came closer until you laced your fingers behind his neck and plastered your lips to his. This time you took control of the kiss, you dictated how much he got and as you swirled your tongue around his then sucked it you felt his defiance give way until he was again kissing you with as much urgency as you kissed him.

“Take off your pants,” you whispered against his lips. He groaned his response, but he didn’t move to obey.

“Take—them—off—daddy.” Again, he groaned, and you felt him grip the back of your neck before his hand moved to your throat to gently hold you there.

“Say it again.” His voice was gruff as your eyes locked.

“Daddy.” Everything in his eyes spoke of a dangerous desire, one that you wanted all parts of.

“Not like this, Y/N,” Chris whispered, pressing his forehead to yours.

“What?”

“You don’t want me like this. You don’t deserve this.”

“This? Deserve?” Chris kissed you again and continued to suck the air from your lungs while replacing it with unadulterated desire.

“You deserve better than this. Let me give it to you.”

You looked at him, half confused as to what he was hinting at and even more confused why he was talking and not stripping.

“Chris--,” you began before he pulled away yet again.

“Let me be better for you—with you.”

“How?”

“A date,” Chris announced.

“A date? In quarantine? What?”

“Let me worry about it. Let me wine you and dine you and show you how you should feel about me,” Chris proposed. You sat there horny and unable to think past what you wanted between your thighs.

“Fuck, Chris. Are you really saying no to this—to me?”

“Trust me; I can’t believe I’m saying this or even doing this. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into me. I just know I don’t want to just—,” Chris said as he moved his hands around, hoping you got the gist. “Ya know, it feels wrong with you. I want to do this right; I want to do right by you.”

“And a date is doing right?”

“It’s a start,” Chris added.

You were speechless. You were also out of your depth here with him. He was blowing your mind and going against every preconceived notion you’d had of him from rumors and internet sites and even stories from Scott and your friends. You didn’t know the man standing before you.

“What do you say?”

You covered your face with your hands and rubbed it hoping to clear away the haze that seemed reluctant to go away. “Fine.”

“Okay, fine.” His smile was beautiful, so beautiful it did things to you that had your belly doing backflips.

“Fuck,” you whispered.

“Come on, let me walk you back.”

You rolled your eyes half hating him, but you allowed him to walk you back.

The entire walk you were miles away thinking about what almost happened and what you still wanted to happen. When Chris said good night at the door of the guesthouse, he lingered in the doorway, clearly questioning his resolve to leave. The way he looked at you made your skin tingle and your heart race. One man definitely shouldn’t have this much power over women. He was like pure sex on a walking stick. You wanted him more than you’d ever wanted anyone before him—including Charles. That thought was enough for you to run for the hills, but thanks to the wetness between your legs, you remained there and tempted him to give in. When he sighed and dipped his head, you knew he wasn’t going to.

“Good night, Y/N.” Chris came closer and kissed your forehead before he walked off. Deep down you knew it was going to be a restless and painful night. When you closed the door, you pressed your back on it and groaned out.

“Motherfucker! I want to fuck my best friend’s brother.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***If you want to be tagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List:

@chaneajoyyy @sonjashuterbugjohnson @disneysdarlingdiva @bellaamor88 @toniilaney @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @ajspencer1892 @ashanti-notthesinger @90sinspiredgirl @titty-teetee @evemej @areubeingserved @theskullgoddess @caramara3 @champagnesugamama @minton131 @pananegra @scoop93535 @try-n-pronounce-it @dumbchick @behindthesehazeleyes27 @blackmissfrizzle @nervousninjatheorist @dangerouslovefanfic @surmya1907 @give-me-a-million-dollars-pls @thinkxlovexloud @chris-butt @swinchestersgirl @momobaby227 @alyxkbrl @angrybirdcr @d1ff3r3nt-b34uty-official @twinx007 @a-dizzle777 @ab-baybay @patzammit @kreolemami @aysha1447 @cutewylie @disaster-rose @wondersofdreaming @lo-cheu @livinglifeformemyselfandi @magdelen69 @snowpiercer21 @renfrewscorner @thevelvetseries @mery-be @hakunalive4eva @anandalambert @youurkryptonite @mizcaptainphoenix @bobbdylann @emilykjhgsj @littlepreciousangel @ssaarroonn @thummbelina @sweetlittlegingy @art-estrange @torntaltos @rynabarnesrogers @rororo06 @anotherblackfangirl @bernie-k @theonewithherheadintheclouds @hista-girl @coldmuffinbanditshoe @jennmurawski13 @deathstroke-terminated-deez-guts @maxcullen @shadyskit @someone-really-bored @thejemersoninferno @itsallyscorner @cristinagronk16 @shakemeupthanks-blog @acciolove724 @straightforwardly @zsuzstyina @acevansss @evansgirl7 @jovanaprime @deadlymistress24 @sunkissedebony97 @turn-thy-paige @amelatonin @nerdybitchpudding @amennariee @likesfairytales @maverickabull @est1887 @periodtcevans @thotti3par7on @vintageembrace @produtofchina @jd-now-jq @winchwm @jesseswartzwelder @pivictorious @anat2507 @euh-say-what-now @raveviolet @rdjparker @actorinfluence @sadishdelray @041802 @ljstraightnochaser @priya212 @evermcfearless @tashawar @dwights-new-plague @renfrewscorner @baby-iyania @euphoric05 @thelilbutifulthings @winterboobear11 @awaywithtime @problackasfwilson @brownskinafro @miss-jackson500 @siempremamita @theladybiers @evermcfearless @ibe-erynn @marvelatthis30 @kailyndavillier @literaturefeen @richonne4life @ani808 @scifi-fantasist @mizzzpink @creolemimi @cessamjrmr @disconectedswift @i-lie-here-charmed @bamakakechick @captainchrisstan @martinafigoli @almosttherebunot @letsdothemostermash @spxcecxramxl @queenwinchester27 @chrisevansfanfic @thejeneralvicinity @doublesidedscoobysnacks @sophiealiice @imaslutforcaptainamerica @redhairedfeistynerd @mirmirmur @nico-diangelo-grey @ibe-erynn @amazonian-strap-queen @cookinggurl43 @jasmindaughteroftheworld @letsdothemonstermash @almosttherebutnot @munteanhore @blackgurlkillinit @madixii @cessamjrmr @smediumsmeatbae

***There are a few that are bold that I tried to tag but your @ wasn’t coming up. I’m not sure why. I’m sorry.

#quarantine: a love story fic #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x black reader #black fanfiction #angst fanfic #slow burn fanfic #quarantine fanfic #Q11

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13uswntimagines · 4 years

Text

Baseball Showoffs (Rose x baseball Player!Reader)

Request: reader x rose, maybe the reader is a baseball player and is up against the Braves aka Mr. pugh and then maybe the team hosts a watch party for the game

Authors Note: Hey dudes, so I might have gone a bit crazy with the baseball terms. I also happen to be a big Yankee’s fan, so if you don’t like them, you can totally switch the teams. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to send me feedback or just hit up my page if you wanna say Hi!

Team bonding was a normal occurrence for the national team. It was typically a time filled with movies, stupid games like truth or dare and Dawn approved snacks. But today, it would be centered around a different kind of game.

It was the Atlanta Braves taking on the New York Yankees, or as far as the team was concerned, you verses Dansby Swanson (more like Rose vs Mal, but everyone was too afraid to say it).

“I didn’t think you two liked baseball,” JJ muttered from beside Rose, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The woman in question rolled her eyes.

“We don’t, but Y/n looks hot in the uniform, and her little celebrations are adorable,” The midfielder smirked, wiggling her shoulders as if to prove her point. The two of you had been dating for 4 years, and in that time you still couldn’t convince her that baseball was remotely interesting. She only watched to see your bat flips and dance moves. You had recently been traded to the Yankees in the hopes that you could bring them the winning spirit from the Nationals (which they had lost after Jeter retired, or that at least what you told her).

“Y/n has been killing it this season. She has like a .370 batting average” Ashlyn snorted, shoving popcorn in her mouth. She wasn’t a giant Yankees fan, but after the Braves defeat of the Marlins, she couldn't support them in good conscience.

“Dansby isn’t bad either though, it’s like a .33,” Kelley argued. She wasn’t a huge baseball fan, but she had to rep for her state.

“Yeah, but y/n has 16 home runs, and it’s only their 12th game, Mr. Pugh is going to have his hands full for sure,” Alyssa countered with raised eyebrows. Sure she didn’t like the Yankees as much as she liked the Cubs, but almost anyone was better than the Braves.

“No offense to y/n, but my money is on the braves,” Kelley said nudging Rose, who nodded in understanding.

“That’s right, gotta rep our home team,” Emily nodded back, giving the frat daddy a high five.

“Aren't they away this week?” Mal asked with furrowed eyebrows. .

“Y/n isn’t in grey so yeah,” Rose nodded. The only reason she knew that was because she thought you looked sexier in the blue pinstripes than the ugly grey one (though she much preferred the red uniform of the Nationals).

“Is that how it works?” Megan questioned, suddenly interested now that the fashion choices were the center of attention instead of batting averages or whatever.

“Yeah, the home team wears white pants and bats 2nd” Kelley nodded, returning her attention to the TV where the 1st inning came to an end after a strikeout.

“Y/n has got a damn good batting average and home team advantage, so she’s going to crush Dansby,” Rose mumbled and Mal rolled her eyes. There was no way that you were going to beat her boyfriend.

“Well Dansby’s up to bat, so we’ll see just how they match up,” JJ laughed, enjoying how riled up the team was getting for a sport that everyone claimed to not like.

*****

The New York sun was bright as you paced back and forth in the area between 2nd and 3rd base waiting for the next batter to be ready. You were frustrated that Dansby had managed to get into first, and with Riley up to bat, you were sure you were going to be getting some action soon.

You squared up to home plate, crouching slightly as Garrett got ready to throw the next pitch. The ball came off the bat like a rocket, slicing towards you as Dansby ran towards 2nd. Just as he rounded the base You caught the ball and tagged him as he passed you for a double play.

“Couldn’t have given me that one?” He winked at you after the 3rd vase umpire called him out. The two of you were pretty close considering you hung out at lots of USWNT matches.

“Not a chance, now stop trying to impress your girl and play smart, shoulda stayed at second,” You smirked back, tapping his chest with your glove.

“Ooh, like you aren’t doing the same thing,” He laughed back.

“Never said I wasn’t, but it seems to be working out a little better for me, I just made an amazing catch” You held up the ball to prove your point.

“Maybe you should go for something a little less subtle,” He shrugged back good-naturedly. Your girls weren’t big into baseball, but you were sure that your leaning catch would at least draw you a “good job” from Rose.

“We’ll see, there’s a time and a place for everything,” You smirked at the man, shoeing him back towards the dugout.

******

The team watch with bated breath as you edged your way off of second plate. It was the bottom of the 7th and your team was still frustratingly tied with Dansby’s (as your 2 run homer had been matched by 2 individual runs from the other team).

“ the braves better be careful, Y/l/n has the highest stealing average in the league,” Ashlyn chimes in, and right in cue you made a break for 3rd base.

The pitcher had been onto you, sending the ball towards Dansby, but you were already one step ahead, leaping over the man and landing safely on the plate.

“God she so cute,” Rose sighed dreamily as you stuck your tongue out at Mr. Pugh.

“She just stole a base and that’s what you say?” Kelley snorted. Yes her team was losing, but she had to admit that you had some serious skill.

“She’s got dirt in her nose,” Rose shrugged, smiling wider when you did a little happy wiggle as your teammate stepped up to bat.

******

The team crowded around the TV, far more interested in the outcome of this game than they thought they’d be. It was the bottom of the 9th, the bases were loaded and your team was down by 2. You needed to hit a run to win.

The women watched as you tightened your fingers on the bat, the commentators mentioning how your famous left-handed swing was similar to Rose’s.

“They should change the names on their jerseys, none of the fans call them by their own last names anyway,” Julie snorted, as the commentator went on about how this matchup was ingesting because you and Dansby were dating USWNT players. It didn’t help that you and him kept interacting every chance you got.

“Y/n and I have the same number, so they don’t wanna confuse the fans,” Rose retorted with an eye roll.

“She’s batting lefty?” Sam asked surprised. Every other time you were at-bat, you had hit righty. It was strange to see you switch it up.

“Yeah, she’s a switch hitter. It’s probably to trip Soroka up,” Kelley shrugged. Their pitcher was known for having issues with lefties, and you guys needed a hit to win, so that was most likely your motivation. They just switched Anderson for him, so you changed that is too.

“Soroka is solid. There’s no way she’s getting another hit off of him,” Emily fired back. The dude had one of the highest strikeout rates in the league, there was no way you were going to get anything more than a double. You were dangerous at-bat, and had already scored big, it was probably why they put him on the mound.

“10 bucks?” Kelley asked with a raised eyebrow, holding her hand out for a shake. Emily snorted, slapping the hand.

“Deal,”

*****

You tightened your hands on the bat, your eyes taking in every detail of the pitcher. The bases were loaded, you were down by two, you needed a hit to keep your team alive. Soroka nodded at the catcher, winding up for the pitch. You had watched enough of his games to know what that windup meant. The ball seemed to move in slow motion as it left his fingers and screamed its way towards home plate, right down the middle in his famous fastball. You took a deep breath and swung the bat, a crack resounding throughout the stadium when it made contact.

You watched the ball as it sailed towards the wall, standing frozen on home plate as it went. The fans roared when it came to a stop on the second deck of the stadium, a wide smile breaking across your face. You flipped your bat high and began the long trot around the bases, the fan’s cheers and the stadium’s fireworks the soundtrack to your success.

“Now that’s how you impress,” You smirked cockily at Dansby as you rounded 2nd base. He was a good friend to you, but scoring a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th was the ultimate euphoric moment and it totally deserved a little bit of cockyness.

“Whatever Y/L/N” The man smiled back shaking his head and low-fiving you as you passed him. You had beaten him in your competition to out show off to your girls this time, but he’d get you next time. Somehow, some way.

As you jogged towards home plate, the camera zoomed in on you. You tapped your number, and blew a kiss towards it, hoping that Rose knew that you had hit that grand slam for her, to impress her. (unknown to you she caught the kiss through the T.V. and put it in her pocket). Sure she didn’t like baseball, but she loved you.

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #rose lavelle x reader #rose lavelle imagine

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2bstudioblog · 3 years

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Sweden is getting worse...

Arrived at work this morning, checking messages and then I go into the Swedish newspaper “Aftonbladet” to discover to my horror that a person I wrote about in an earlier post has been shot dead in a gang related incident.

Einar, the so called Swedish wunderkind of mumble-rap, has sadly left the earth too soon in the suites of a lifestyle I wasn’t sure was real. His song text as far as I understood it was at one point about drugs and criminality, but in a way to make people open up their eyes that even “blonde” swedes end up at the wrong end of the stick and wanted to make a change to their horrible world they were living in. Problem was, nobody listened.

He took the wrong turn

And if nobody listened, Einar didn’t make a change that he could have done to make his life safer, but decided staying in the same area and start flashing his jewelry, watches and the most idiotic thing of all, a bulletproof vest with the LV logo draped all over it. It seems he didn’t take the threats seriously and just mocked the people. By flashing he pissed people off, no matter if he is in a gang or not. But the worst thing he could have done was to talk about things he has never done (wrote about this in my previous post about a year ago.) or experienced. As the saying goes in the rap-circles, especially in the “gangsta-rap” genre, you don’t talk about things you’ve never done or try to imagine. It’s about being REAL and not fake. He made statements that made him into a mytho-maniac and a target at the same time, which is the worst situation to be in. He could have changed his life as soon as he had his big hit, but he decided to stay in the poor neighborhood and in the misery for those living in a lower-middle class standard. This could have been avoided if he didn’t think about himself, but helping his parents, use that money to get into a university or whatever. But with him, the money was just a way for him to get what he wanted and making himself again a target. I thought the touring would kill him for his inexperience, but the inexperience caught him where he ended, with a gun he never fired, but imagined, the false image becoming the disrespect that triggered the killer to “straight” it all out. From my point of view, these rappers behave like 3-year old toddlers with no reasoning skill, who cannot share a toy with others on the playground or to play fair. And now this will go above the rest of us musicians to try to clean ourselves up from this bad image.

Music & Drugs - The Myth

Another misconception are that musicians are using drugs on and off stage because people think they are doing it for the cool factor. From my point of view, I’ve never gotten drunk, I’ve never smoked and I would never in my wildest dreams consider drugs as a way of me becoming on the top of my game. Drugs don’t enhance my musical skills. I don’t think drugs could ever enhance my skills at all, but it could definitely change my perception of the world around me, but that’s not really a reality right?

I remember that back in the 50 to the early 90s, musicians and drugs was like “common”. Miles Davis, we all know he was addicted to some substance, but not as a music-booster. It was just as a sleep-denier during the nightly tour-bus rides which in the end messed up with his system in the end. But on stage the closest thing you would find near him would be a cigarette or 2nd hand smoke. But he was always “crisp” and clear-headed during the gigs. The drugs was just a support with all the stress and extended “safety” in case the bus-driver would fall asleep behind the well.

More and more bands today has started a cleaner lifestyle. We all remembered Nirvana, but we could see right away the stoned eyes of Kurt Kobain. The sole focus was on him and gave the illusion that the rest of the members did the same. However, I’ve felt Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stoneage has always managed to be clean even though the music is gruff, cool, punk-ish and experimental, still has structure of a comprehensive mind. For me, he has become the image every music group should display, happiness in music, interacting with fans and give the world the hope and community through his work with this amazing girl who challenged him to a drum-off during the pandemic. It brought me tears to my eyes because I thought to myself: -”Are we there now where music does not need to be stigmatized with guns and violence and not connect it to music and console-games as the common denominator?” I felt that we have reached a peak once he managed to come up with the brilliant idea of a “free concert for everyone who gets vaccinated”.

1 Gun, Several gunshots, 1 Murder

Sometimes I wonder if Sweden has any laws at all. How can people or teenagers get access to firearms in a country where only the police and the military are allowed to have for self-protection purposes? Sure, we are not as bad as the USA when it comes to gun-violence, but for me this is a big issue. Sweden must do something to make all of this shit relevant and deal with it together with raising the taxes, increase pay for people in the public sector and to let peoples savings for the future in form of pensions not to be messed with.

Gang violence have increased heavily in the last 15 years after I left Sweden. When I did hear about people getting killed in the beginning it was mostly by stabbing with knives. 5 years later guns started to become frequently in Swedish murder cases, hard to solve. Public shootings started in the last 3 years outside nightclubs and daily shootings at people sitting in cafes just to have small talk, having their days ruined and traumatized by these maniacs.

But it takes 1 gun, several gunshots to create 1 murder. The motive was obvious in this case, suspects are already on the police’s radar. The question for me has been “why?”. Anyone who did it is someone we already know, another gang, another rapper. And Einar was about to give his eyewitness account against that gang-member in court just a few days away from today. But he got silenced for tempting and flipping off the same rival who already has been in jail, awaiting a real prosecution for kidnapping and other cases of violence and even murder.

Sometimes I wonder if Sweden works at all. Read in the papers that a rape victim got 20 000 SEK in compensation while the rapist claimed he was treated unfairly, getting 840 000 SEK in his case. This is insanity, not fair. I just get horrified that people can be so blind to reason. The RAPIST should be thrown into the darkest hole without any compensation. Why is this so hard for the Swedish legal system to dodge and find some idiotic loophole when the evidence are piled up against him and he still walks away like a winner? Special case, my ass.

Paranoia is my friend

This is what I have to deal with while I go back to my country every time. Paranoia is my friend. It all starts at the airport. When I get through those doors, lots of people are waiting and even scoping out targets that they’ll try to mark and call to people waiting at the other end to ambush them. I do the only psychological thing that does bite; I look them in the eyes, standing tall, not bending over with my heavy backpack. I want them to know that I see them and it is pointless to try to even hustle me. I also decide to walk where there are cameras and security personnel around me to make it hard for them to even consider ambushing me. But that’s the thing, once I am in Sweden, I never switch off. I am in “observer” mode from the moment I land until I leave. Exhausting, but it has saved my life countless of times just to look the part.

People living in patterns feel “safe”

This is where the problem lies. When you have a schedule, same routine you start switching off your brain and not considering that nothing else where you are could turn into a war-zone with just a single bullet being fired. Most people freeze in shock, can’t move because they are STUCK in their pattern. Sweden is considered safe, but once you walk to an area and you start to see gang “colors”, or people in large groups looking the same. Sweden has become soft and it is time we start solving the problem with GUNS. Again it took another death and nobody has changed an iota about this issue.

#Sweden #Einar #Guns #Violence #Rape case #compensation #travel #Paranoia #Dave Grohl #Foo Fighters #Police #Justice #Safe #Safety

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pina-342 · 2 years

Text

Enemies?

CHAPTER 1

High-school AU+Modern AU+My own AU

Xiao and and Aether are deadly enemies. They see every action of the other as a challenge. Their enemy relationship is well known in the whole school and both of em have pretty much fan girls they even see that as a challenge, the:who has more fangirls challenge currently Aether has 124 and Xiao has 120.

Aether was just sitting at his desk in school and thought about different things, when suddenly a foot kicked his chair.

"hey dumbass I challenge you" it was Xiao aethers deadly enemy.

"to what you weakling?" aether asked

"who is faster I can't belive we've never did this after 7 years or rivalry"

"your right let's settle it right now"

Aether and Xiao both went to the schools sports ground.

After another student yelled:"1,2,3 GO" They both ran as fast as they could.

Fangirls were cheering and so did some of their friends. In the end Xiao finished with ease, while aether was out of breath. Aether wasn't much of the sporty guy but if he would've declined xiaos challenge he would have seemed even weaker.

Xiao was looking at aether. His shaking body and so out of breath gasping for some more air. Xiao smirked and looked away proudly.

"haha very funny Xiao just laugh at me if u wanna I wouldn't mind anyway"

Xiao looked at aether again with a serious face:"as if"

Dear lord Xiao is so h-annoying why can't he just let go of this challenge Thing? Alright Alright it's not as if aether would let go of it either.

When school was finally over, aether waited for his twin sister lumine so they could go home together.

"hey aether" a sweet voice called "hey lumi!" aether answered. his sister has appeared in front of him "soooo did sth happen with that idiot again?" well damn what do you think? He's such a pain in the ass" talking like that they went home together.

After they got home aether made them lunch, since it was his turn today.

His cooking skills were pretty awesome. Their parents were away on a business trip so they've made a cooking and cleaning plan and trx to make their best out that year without parents home. Hours passed and they are now sitting on the couch playing video games

"lumine how the heck are you so good at this game?!"

"hah no reasons I'm just better than you"she answered confidently

In aethers room

Before aether went to sleep he decided to try on some stuff. Stuff he wears in his freetime like crop tops. He would Never wear them to school or anything like that. The thought of Ppl seeing him in clothes like that would be embarrassing. He Slowly took off his tshirt as he suddenly was feeling watched. He checked his window Noone there...

Hm guess it was just my imagination

He continued to try on his new crop tops lumine brought with her for him when she went shopping with Noelle and amber last week but he hasn't gotten the opportunity to try the stuff on yet.

So he was standing in front of the mirror half naked with his hair down and crop tops he's just tried on in his hand.

What a nice sight.

The next day

Breakfast

Hey aether! Did u sleep well?

Yeah yeah I did but I had this rlly weird feeling when I was changing and when I went to bed something was odd.

He decided not to tell her everything about yesterday night...

Pff as if ur just imagining things aether don't worry anyways im soo Horny rn

With lumine?! First of all why did u change the subject so suddenly and 2nd no dudes for u in this house till u turn 18!

Tf u mean till I turn 18? You've had dudes before u turned 18 too!

Well yea but at least dudes can't preggo eachother

Hmpf well maybe ur right can I at least bring a girl?

Wtf man why are u even asking lumine I mean it's good ur asking I guess but uh I'm not interested in ur sexual life sorry lumine

Well whatever

At school

Art class

In art class aether sits next to Xiao unfortunately

welp what could I do about it anyways?

You've got it! Nothing.

If already tried everything in my power to get a different seat but apparently it's "impossible" what a drag.

Xiao was looking at aether different today. Not the usual "hah im better than u anyways" face... Just different. In the past 8 years(one year without rivalry) they've known eachother aether has never seen That look on his face. He didn't knew what Xiaos face said or could mean. Xiao slowly turned to Aether and gave him an awkward smile.

Why woudl Xiao smile at me just like that? Aren't we supposed to be enemies?

Xiao would've liked to say something but then decided not to. This awkward situation was weirding aether out so he just said :well then uhhh...u gonna say sth or are we just gonna keep quiet?

Hah as if I'd talk to you Xiao said

But u just did

No I didnt

You did it again

Fuck off aether

Never.

So this was my first chapter of "Enemies" (Xiaoaether fic) and also this is my first fic ever in gonna try my best to make the next chapter longer than this shit and maybe ur questioning why I'm writing on mf Tumblr don't ask me ask the gods. I just can't write anything on ao3 yet.

Ly guys<3

#Xiaoaether #adeptus xiao #aether #genshin impact

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f33itan · 3 years

Text

🎮👾Aʀᴄᴀᴅɪɴɢ Iɴᴛʀᴏᴠᴇʀᴛs👾🎮 (From my Wattpad)

FYI: F/N in this oneshot means "Friend's Name". I don't wanna choose the name because 1. that's restricting names of whoever you want, and 2. Im to lazy to come up with names every time. LOL- (Also, sorry if I kind of switch from 1st person, 2nd person and 3rd person randomly.)

Feitan POV:

"Hey Feitan! Go change, we're gonna go find an arcade!" Phinks yelled from the doorway.

"Shut up, you're, too, loud."

"Whatever, just change, we're leaving soon!!" Tch, that dude so annoying. Why cant I just read in peace? Finally found a good book, yet he just had to ruin it. Damn it. No point in fighting, him and Shal gonna drag me to arcade whether I change or not.

A/N: Imagine him in something like that hehehe, or whatever outfit you want him to wear if you don't like that one. :)

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

Your POV:

"We're finally getting a break, but if you keep taking your sweet time, were gonna be back in class before you can say, Y/N's a slowpoke!" F/N yelled in your face.

"Maybe if you get out of my face, I would go faster!" Even though you guys nagged each other 24/7, you guys were still the closest friends. You had known F/N since 4th grade, when you guys were partners for an animal project. At the time, you both loved lizards, so you both were excited to work with one another. Next thing you know, its college, and you guys both get into your dream school. (Insert college name) had been your goal for years, but its quite a lot of work. This was your first week long break, and you weren't trying to waste it on getting ready to go to an arcade. After you were finished with everything, you and F/N got into their car and drove to the arcade. They were blasting (Insert song name) and singing along, so you decided to record them.

"This will be funny to look back at later!"

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

After about 20 minutes, F/N parked and you both exited the vehicle. They stretched as if they've been in the car for hours, and you thought they were kind of exaggerating.

"Y/N, what if we find you a boyfri-"

"NONONONO I LIKE BEING ALONE NONO BOYFRIENDS NOO!"

"You and your social anxiety need to get out more!" You gave them a little "hmph" before heading inside. You guys played a couple dancing games, 2 player games, a 4D scary game, and some simple joystick games. After a while, you both decided to order some food at a bar, and sat down for a little break.

"What would you two like to drink today?"

(You) "Can I get a -insert drink- and a -insert food/snack- please?"

(F/N) "I'll have an orange juice with a cheeseburger!"

"I'll have your meals out shortly."

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

Feitan POV:

"Hey, look over there! Those people look nice! Maybe we should go talk to them!" Shalnark said. Man, socializing? No thanks. Just wanna get back to that damn book. Well, guess arcade has been kind of fun. I guess...

"FEITAN!!! EARTH TO FEI FEI!!!"

"Phinks, don't call me that."

"Whatever, come on let's go!" Why the heck they dragging me? Wait, why we heading to the people over there-

(You) "Uh, hello?"

"Hey! I'm Shalnark, and these are my friends Phinks and Feitan. We were wondering if you guys wanted to go play some arcade games with us!" Stupid Shalnark, being all friendly. Extrovert girl took fat bite out her burger and gave us a muffled "Sure, once were done eating."

Ew, messy. Guess their friends kind of cute though.. wait, WHAT?

-Small timeskip- also back to your POV :

After eating, you, F/N and the trio went off towards the multiplayer things, and you all decided to find some 4 player games. Each time somebody had to sit out, it would be one of the guys. Feitan always volunteered, but Shalnark made them all decide by flipping a coin. You and everybody else were starting to warm up to each other, when Phinks and F/N had an idea. While a 3 player game started, they both snuck off into a corner and devised a plan on how to get you and feitan to interact. Turns out both of you were quite introverted, and they both wanted you two to put yourselves out there and find a partner. After deciding on what to do, they went back to Shal, Fei, and you. You thought they were acting a bit suspicious, but you just shrugged it off.

"Hey Shal, F/N, lets go do something!" Before Feitan could join, reject, or even realize what was going on, Phinks was already dragging F/N and Shalnark in some random direction. Y/N and Feitan just stood there in silence.

"So uh, whhaaattss your favorite... game here?" Feitan just stood silent, staring at you. But, for some odd reason, the silence was comforting, and your thoughts eventually drifted off into the clouds... so much so that you didn't even notice him grab your hand and start pulling you throughout the arcade. Your body just continued moving though, and you didn't bother to question him. After about a minute of walking, you ended up in front of a little fishing game. (Imagine that game where there's that spinning knob thingy and you have to reel in fish with it)

"Wow, wouldn't expect the emo boy to like little kid games like this!" You laughed and gave him a playful shove, which he returned with a silly eye roll.

"Shut it shortie."

"WHAT? YOUR THE SHORT-" You froze. He moved swiftly behind you, lightly pressing his body against yours. He grabbed your hands and put them on the game joysticks.

"Stop, wasting time. Let's, just play, the game." Both of you were blushing, and you continued playing games and making silly jokes for a good hour or so. Little did you know, that Phinks, Shalnark, and F/N got so many videos and pictures of you two...

EXTRA: PHANTOM TROUPE GROUP CHAT ; ABOUT 1 WEEK SINCE ARCADE

Phinks: Hey guys, you won't believe what I have to show you.

Shalnark: Ahem, WE, and I have some too...

Shizuku: What? What's going on?

Pakunoda: Hm?

Hisoka: Oh, do tell~

Phinks: Feitan, you're here right?

I don't trust you guys..

Phinks: You shouldn't

Machi: Are you guys going to show us or not? You got me curious.

Chrollo: Well, no point in making us wait. Please inform us with your "tea" or whatever it is people say now a days.

Shalnark: Alright, prepare to get your minds blown!

~Phinks and Shalnark send all of the best photos and videos they got, and after a couple minutes of the troupe going through every single one, they started talking again~

Pakunoda: Wow, I didn't expect you to be the caring type Feitan!

Shizuku: I think they're cute together! (ᗒ◡ᗕ) ♡︎

Hisoka: Aw, shes so pretty, might just have to make her mine~

Chrollo kicked Hisoka from the chat

Chrollo: I'm so happy, Fei has finally found a girl 😊

Phinks/Shalnark: When's the wedding?

I'm giving you to count of 3.

I'm gonna torture and kill both of you. Skin you alive.

Shalnark: I have her number!

No-

Word count (including author notes, etc:) 1244

Wrote January 20, 2021

#hunterxhunter #feitan #feitan portor #phinks #shalnark #y/n #hxh #hxhoneshot #thephantomtroupe #spiders #chrollo #feitanxreader

21 notes · View notes

punkpoemprose · 3 years

Text

December 2nd- Jumping for “Joy”sticks

Universe: 1980′s Arcade AU Rating: G (General, Fluff, Meetcute) Length: 4752 Words

A/N: I was not alive in the 80′s, I barely remember any of the 90′s, y’all can start picking on my era generalizations when I hit the 00′s. I had a lot of fun with this, I’m sorry for the pun title, it was all I had. Thanks for all the comments and tags on yesterday’s fic. Everyone’s engagement is what keeps me going!

Working as an arcade attendant wasn’t exactly Kristoff’s dream job, but college was pricey, he hated the idea of making his parents help him out, and the work wasn’t exactly difficult for the pay. It was relatively simple as his main duties were emptying coins out of the game machines, dumping them into the change machine, and keeping kids from climbing to jumping on the game cabinets or anything else. Once he got past the sound of kids screams and shouts mingling with Duran Duran and Wham!, the blinking lights, the smell of teens who needed a lecture about deodorant and hygiene, and the uncomfortable sensation of wiping down whatever sticky substance coated half the games it was actually a pretty cushy job.

Most days he spent more time sitting behind the front counter working on classwork and reading his textbooks than doing anything in his job description because it just wasn’t necessary. He had the good fortune to work mostly morning or afternoon into evening shifts on weekdays, so other than the occasional interruption of a truancy officer looking for a kid playing hooky from school there wasn’t much for him to bother with. When he didn’t have homework or classwork to keep himself preoccupied, he found himself, a tried and true introvert, bored enough to people watch. Mostly it was teens and tweens trying to beat each other’s scores on Pac-Man or Donkey Kong Jr., but every now and then there’s be someone a bit more interesting to watch. A father who would sometimes come in with his young son to play Burgertime, an older woman in her 50’s who liked to kick kids off the Tetris machine, and a small company of mall goths all made the grade for entertainment where his entertainment was concerned. There was one standout though, a young woman who would come alone on Wednesday nights.

Wednesday was the only day he worked where he was consistently scheduled to close. It was one of his few days without evening classes or labs and it was usually the quietest night of the week with kids on tight curfews for school and most everyone else just wanting to get home after a long day. The girl though, for some reason he still couldn’t glean, would come in exactly an hour before closing to play Ms. Pac-Man.

She always seemed a bit out of place despite appearing to be just a bit older than the high school kids who usually haunted the place, and being consequently, just a bit younger than he was. He thought that maybe she always stood out to him because of how she was dressed. Not many women spent much time in the arcade, much less alone, but of the small handful she was the only one who came in wearing L.L. Bean sweaters over a perfectly pressed white blouse with a similarly blindingly white skirt and tennis shoes. Her fire red hair was always held in place by a headband that matched her sweater, though he often noted that despite the clear effort put into her image, on a second glance her hair was a bit wild like she didn’t bother much with it.

The overall impression he had of her was that she’d taken a wrong turn on her way to a nearby country club’s squash court. He really wasn’t even sure what squash was, but he thought that it was something like tennis and was generally the kind of sport rich girls would play. Pretty young women dressed as nicely as she did had to have hobbies he couldn’t understand. He supposed that it might be one of those biases he’d built since starting college that his Ma would chew him out over, and as it ended up whoever the redhead was, she was much more interested in getting a little yellow circle to eat round things than she was in hitting them with a racquet.

Every Wednesday evening like clockwork she’d come in at nine, give him a shy smile like she knew she didn’t belong there, and then would proceed to spend an hour and a pocketful of quarters on Ms. Pac-Man. She was quiet as she played, like she was afraid to make a sound, but sometimes when he’d switch off the music early and start turning machines off, he’d hear the “wokka-wokka” of her machine and the occasional almost inaudible huff when she lost followed shortly by the clink of another coin hitting the slot and dropping down into the coin box.

Their only real interaction beyond the shy smile she’d always give him on her way in and out was the brief exchange of him letting her know that he was getting ready to close up for the night. She’d always thank him quietly for letting her know, and he noticed how red she would get on the nights she apologized for staying so long. He’d been annoyed by that at first, the fact that she would come in not long before close and play right up until he was ready to lock up for the evening. He supposed that it was easy to lose track of time in the arcade if you weren’t always waiting for your shift to be over given the distinct lack of clocks in the space, but it was always bothersome to have to be held up by a customer.

He remembered wanting to tell her the first few times she’d overstayed that she should check her fancy watch if she was going to wear it. It probably cost more than he made in a year, and yet despite the fact he was certain it kept time well, she always seemed to be surprised by the hour passing. However, the annoyance quickly passed when she would apologize for getting caught up and leave promptly after he let her know they were closing.

It was impossible for him to stay annoyed at her, despite his best efforts to not pay attention to anyone at his job more than strictly necessary, the red head with her love for Ms. Pac-Man often were the subject of his idle thoughts. She was polite and she was pretty, and he was a grumpy “old bastard”, but he was a man and he could appreciate polite and pretty when he hadn’t dated anyone in a very very long time.

In fact, he started to look forward to Wednesdays. Even knowing that her arrival would keep him from a early night, he felt strangely like she needed to be there. He didn’t know her, but there was something in her manner that told him that maybe this was where she came to breathe. He would never call himself on expert in communication or understanding others, but there was something about the shyness of her entrance and exit and the way she just relaxed when she played that made him glad she came, that the space was safe for her. She always looked so sad when she left.

It was a particularly slow day when he was informed by a coworker who had been on the shift before his that several machines were out of commission due to what they assumed to be a power surge. On the line of downed machines were Galaga, Frogger, a few other semi-popular games, and most unfortunately, both Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. He’d also been informed that the repair shop had been called, but there was no word on when, or if they would arrive before the end of the week let along the end of the day.

Kristoff knew that it shouldn’t bother him. They were just games after all, and he barely if ever played any of them himself. Kids would find something else to play and the cabinets would get fixed when they got fixed. He did care though, he spent his whole shift pacing behind the counter, watching the door, waiting for the phone to ring, and generally hoping that someone would come and fix something. He cared because it was Wednesday and she was going to be coming in to play Ms. Pac-Man and he, strange as it may be, liked her quiet company. He liked the idea that one of these days he might ask her for her name and maybe talk with her for a little while.

Hours passed, and he only gave up hope when he knew that it had to be past time for the repair shop to close. His anticipant pacing then turned to nervous heel rocking as the last few customers filtered out for the evening and the time of her arrival neared. He wondered what he should say to her when she walked in, or if he should say anything at all. She’d find out that the game was down either way, but he didn’t want her to go right after she found out either. Maybe, he thought, she might stay if he just said the right thing.

He held his breath when he heard the door open, and while he wasn’t exactly surprised when she walked through the door, he was thrown off to be greeted with, not her shy smile, but instead with her rushing past the counter, not looking his way at all. That, he decided, took the cake for the oddest part of an already strange day.

There was of course no obligation for her to interact with him, but there was something in the way that she rushed by that had him feeling uneasy. He really wasn’t a people person in any sense of the word. He preferred the company of family or his dog over any interaction with strangers, but he had an odd sense that even having not spoken to her much, she wasn’t a stranger.

“I’m sorry your game is down,” he said quickly before she got far enough away that he’d have to raise his voice to relay the information, “I’ve been waiting for the repair guy my whole shift but it looks like he couldn’t make it.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, and though she didn’t turn to him, he noticed her shoulders slump. He felt guilty despite it being out of his control. There was something about her that made him want to please her, and while he knew that his sisters would tease and tell him that it was just because she was pretty, he knew that there was more to it than that. She was nice, and despite his initial misgivings about her, she’d never given him any reason to believe that she was the kind of person who deserved karma had knocked out her favorite game and the best possible alternative at the same time.

“Oh,” she said, so softly he almost couldn’t hear it over the music.

It was a defeated sort of sound that made him wonder why she really came in to play the game every Wednesday. Maybe it was more than just a game or needing a break for her. She did always come in like clockwork after all.

“I…” he didn’t really know what to say. It wasn’t as if he were the one who broke the games or something, an apology didn’t really make sense, and he wasn’t sure why it meant so much to her in the first place.

“I just thought you should know, before you got over there and saw it.”

She sniffled and he froze on the spot. He wasn’t unused to seeing crying. Little kids threw temper tantrums when their parents made them leave, some kids cried in frustration when they couldn’t beat a level or a high score, but usually that was confined to people under the age of ten and there was someone else around to deal with it.

“Thanks for letting me know,” she choked out, and he could hear the tightness of her throat in the tone of her voice. She was crying. He couldn’t see it, but he wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t tell. He felt his face heat, not sure of what to do and feeling like every second that ticked past were an hour.

“Are you okay?”

It was all he could think to ask. It was obvious to him that she wasn’t, and in fact he figured that she probably wasn’t okay when she walked in and that it was the reason she hadn’t looked at him in the first place when it was so routine for her to do so.

“Not really, no.”

He walked around the counter slowly, his legs on autopilot. His mother would be proud, he thought absently as he walked over to her, she’d been training him to be a proper gentleman for years. It wasn’t her fault he was so inept with girls, she’d done her best, and his sisters had tried to help. He just considered himself mostly a lost cause.

“Do you, uh… want to talk about it?”

She turned to look at him and he could see for the first time how red her eyes were, how her usual put-togetherness was marred by her hair being even more wild than usual, by the wet splotch on her cuff where she’d been wiping her eyes.

He also noticed for the first time just how much smaller she was than him. He was a big guy, not excessively so, but still taller and bigger than most of the people he knew. He was miles taller than his parents and sisters, and while that had everything to do with adopted, it had taught him how to make himself small at times, when he was bandaging his littlest sister’s knee or when he needed to fit into the frame in family photos.

He put his hands into his pockets and slumped a bit, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible even though his head was spinning with half-thoughts on how exactly he could even attempt to be helpful. The last thing she needed was for him to panic on her. He was sure that she was panicked enough for them both.

“I couldn’t… you don’t even…”

She was crying harder now, the words hardly coming out right as she tried to hold a conversation with him. He felt awful. He thought that maybe he should have just let her see the game was out of order and leave instead of making her talk about it. He wasn’t sure what he would have wanted if the roles were reversed. He wasn’t exactly a “talk about it” guy, and when he needed to talk something out, it was always to his dog. He kind of wished that Sven was with him, girls liked dogs, or at least his sisters did.

“You can, if you want.”

She shook her head but seemed to calm down a little bit, taking breaths slowly. He wasn’t sure whether or not she was going to tell him what was going on until she opened her mouth and started in telling her story, still tearful and hiccupping, but at least with the ability to get all the words out.

“It’s just… the straw that broke the camels back? That’s been every straw today. I failed an exam, my ex-boyfriend showed up at my dorm even though he’s not supposed to know where I live, my sister is out of the country on business and I feel so alone.”

He nodded as she talked, “And you just needed a break?”

The shy smile he was so used to appeared again, her lips turning up slightly, making him feel like he could really breathe for the first time since she walked through the door. He hadn’t really noticed how close together they’d become since he walked around the counter, but now that they were just a bit more than a foot apart, he was noticing other things about her that weren’t immediately evident from the distance. She had freckles.

He didn’t even know he liked freckles, he’d never thought about it, but there was a dusting on her nose and across her flushed cheeks and he realized that yes, he really did like them.

“Yeah. I just… I really need a break.”

He’d like to offer to listen some more, to do something else for her, but he wasn’t really sure where the line was when a stranger unloads their emotions on you. He didn’t want to push, but he also wanted to help. It was making his head spin, and all he could focus on was her eyes, and her freckles, and her mussed hair.

“Well I mean, I don’t really know you very well, but uh, you’re welcome to play something else, I guess Tetris isn’t really as fun as Ms. Pac-Man, but it��s kind of soothing. I’ll close up while you’re playing, I promise no one else is going to bother you today. I’m not really good company or anything, but I’ll hang around if you don’t want to be alone.”

It felt like a lot. He put the ball in her court, she could decide whether she wanted him around, or whether she wanted him to go sit behind the counter until she was done, but even the offer felt like an overstep.

“That would be nice Kristoff,” she said, her hiccupping had stopped, but there was an edge of uncertainty to her tone. “Maybe show me how to play?”

“I uh… didn’t think you knew my name.”

She flushed again, her face going even redder than it had when she was crying.

“It’s… uh… on your nametag.”

It was his turn to blush then. He felt like a bumbling idiot.

“Oh, yeah. It is, isn’t it.”

He could practically hear his sisters laughing at him, like they could telepathically tell he was being a disaster from miles away. He was sure that he’d never hear the end of it if they ever found out just how “smooth” he had been trying to talk to a pretty girl. He only had to hope that she wouldn’t ever tell them. The odds, he thought, were slim to none on that, but nothing was ever impossible.

“I’m Anna, by the way. I thought you should know, you know, with me sobbing in front of you and everything.”

He was glad she told him, he wasn’t sure if he should ask, and he wanted to know. He’d been wanting to know, because now he could tie all the thoughts, he’d been having in his head about her to a name, something solid.

Anna.

***

The only sound in the arcade was the Tetris theme music, the clicking of the mechanical buttons on the cabinet and the chatting of two new friends. Kristoff had been surprised by how quickly he’d warmed up to Anna and in return how quickly she seemed to warm up to him. He really wasn’t used to people wanting to hang around him for awfully long. He blamed it a bit on his gruffness, he knew that he needed to relax a little more around others, but he always found it hard.

Anna made it easy.

She’d told him a lot about her, how she’d split up with a guy a few months ago for lying and cheating on her and how he kept trying to weasel his way back in, how she was trying to get her degree in art history so that she could run her family’s gallery, how her sister ran their family’s importing business and how it kept her away often enough that Anna often didn’t see her for months at a time. She’d told him that she was lonely, and that she came to the arcade because she hadn’t been allowed to go as a child, and now that her parents were passed she didn’t mind being a little disobedient because she knew they would forgive her.

He hadn’t said much about himself, except for when she asked. He told her how he was studying environmental science at community college. They didn’t go to the same school, she was a freshman at the university he was planning on transferring into after he finished his associates in a few months, and she told him how much she loved it there, encouraging him to follow through with his plans to transfer in. He’d told her how his family had adopted him because she asked whether he had any siblings, and it wasn’t exactly a secret. She hadn’t reacted like it was some kind of tragedy like other people sometimes did, which was a comfort to him because he believed that his parents adopting him was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He didn’t even remember his birthparents anyway.

“Oh my gosh, I think I’m beating you! Am I beating you! Oh crap, I shouldn’t have looked, now I messed up my lines.”

Kristoff couldn’t help but laugh. Anna had been the one to suggest they play two player mode on the game, and while Kristoff hadn’t really played it before other than a couple occasions on his lunchbreak on truly boring Monday shifts, he was doing a decent job of beating her at the game.

“I thought all your Ms. Pac-Man skills would have you in the lead,” he teased.

“Completely different set of skills,” she replied, “besides, I just played that one because it looked the easiest. Also, I like that it’s a romance. It’s cute.”

“A romance?” he asked with a laugh, watching as her blocks stacked up on the opposite side of the screen, almost to the top. He wasn’t intentionally trying to distract her; he was honestly curious. But that it meant he was going to win was just a bonus.

“Yeah it’s all about how they… oh damn it.”

He watched as her screen filled completely with blocks and the game informed him that he had, for the third time, won.

“Sorry,” he offered, “You were really close that time.”

She shrugged, gave him a look that was more mock annoyance than irritation, and then laughed. He laughed with her. He hadn’t had so much fun in a very long time, and he was dreading the fact that he could feel that it would be over soon.

“I wasn’t, but thanks for pretending,” she said, leaning over to bump him with her hip playfully, “You really cheered me up tonight. I owe you a lot.”

He opened his mouth to tell her that she didn’t owe him anything, and that he was happy he could help, but she put a hand up to stop him.

“No, really, I mean it. You were so nice to me tonight, and all the other nights. That’s why I kept coming back, even when you were miffed about me overstaying you were always nice about it and I just needed someone nice. I’m sorry I probably made you run late so many nights, but I guess I just needed the company, even if we didn’t talk. I owe you.”

He shook his head, “It wasn’t a big deal Anna. You were really polite and… I guess I started looking forward to you coming in. This is usually a pretty boring job and you were something different for me to think about. Not that I was… not that I was thinking about you all the time or anything, I just was wondering why you’d come in but…”

He wondered if he should just bend down and eat his shoe, speed up the process a little bit.

“You should have asked,” she said with a brighter version of the shy smile he’d come to expect from her, “I kept waiting for you to talk to me. I didn’t want to bug you at work, but I’ve been dying to talk to you for weeks now. I didn’t just keep coming back for the games you know?”

“You didn’t?”

“No,” she said, leaning into him again but this time less to bump him, and more to support her frame against his much larger one.

Kristoff could feel his pulse quicken. He wasn’t sure why, but his hand itched to reach out to hers. He hadn’t wanted to hold hands with a girl since middle school. He felt like he was thirteen again, awkward and just trying to figure out how to get a girl’s attention.

He already had it though, Anna was only focused on him and he could feel the weight of her gaze even though he wasn’t meeting it.

“I thought you were cute. I kept coming in hoping that maybe you’d talk to me and then maybe you know… if you weren’t seeing someone…”

“Oh.”

He didn’t know why he said that of all things. It was all he could think to say.

“Oh… are you? Seeing someone that is?”

She sounded a bit defeated, and as he felt her leaning away from his side, trying to step to the side, he panicked. He let his hand grab hers loosely, not letting her get too far away from his side unless she really wanted to as he turned to face her. Her freckled nose was illuminated blue by the light from the cabinet and her eyes held an uncertainty that he wanted to chase away.

“No, no I’m not. I just… I’m not used to anyone wanting to… I mean, no one’s ever been…”

“Well, if you want to… I mean, if you’re interested, because I do owe you after all… maybe we could catch a movie sometime, or we could grab dinner? My treat.”

He felt tongue tied, but he managed to nod his head at least. He wondered if she could tell how nervous he was. He was sure that she could because her smile and her eyes held an amusement that had quickly replaced her trepidation. Surely, he thought, she must realize that he had no idea what he was doing. But strangely she wasn’t rescinding her offer or leaving, just smiling at him warmly so he thought that it must count for something.

“How about Friday? I only have classes until noon so depending on your schedule we could grab dinner or coffee or something if dinner is too much?”

“Dinner would be fine,” he managed, “Or coffee if you prefer, I get done at three so if you want I can come pick you up after that… somewhere? It can be someplace neutral if you don’t want me to come to your dorm.”

She grinned, “Dinner then. We can work out the details later… Do you have a pen?”

He nodded, reaching into the pocket of the work vest he’d discarded to the side, and realizing in the same moment that he hadn’t yet let go of her hand.

When he slipped his fingers from between hers, someplace he hadn’t even noticed they’d slotted themselves, he felt a vague sense of loss. He tried not to hold onto it, thrilled by the prospect that soon he’d see her again. To that end he handed her the pen, and was surprised to feel her fingers wrap around his wrist.

They were cool from playing the game, and in stark contrast to his sweating palms. He opened his hand in response to the touch, which was evidently exactly what she wanted as she took the pen to his skin and quickly wrote her number.

“You can call anytime after four,” she said quietly, as if it were a secret even though no one else was there, “Or whenever and leave a message. Whatever works for you just…”

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice breathless even to his own ears.

“Don’t forget to call, okay?”

She handed him the pen, stood up on her tip toes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He didn’t have time to react before she was grabbing her purse from the foot of the cabinet and heading out the door. Left alone in the empty arcade, one game to switch off and a door to lock up, he let his fingers reach up to brush the place she’d just pecked. If it weren’t for the fact that he knew his imagination wasn’t nearly so creative, he could have believed he dreamed the whole thing.

He looked down at his palm and saw in black ink, perfectly printed, her number, her name, and a small heart.

Anna.

He had never been so grateful for a dead-end minimum wage job in his life.

#kristannaadvent2020 #kristanna #frozen fanfiction #1980's AU #Arcade AU #Meetcute #Fluff

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prettyinlimegreenboots · 3 years

Text

The Twelve Days of Holly, Jolly Tidings - Day 2

Disclaimers: I watched “Dash & Lily” the other day on Netflix. This story is LOOSELY based on that book and Netflix series. I do not own “Dash and Lily” or Newsies or anything recognizable within the series. There are occasional curse words throughout the series, nothing too horrible but there’s some.

Saturday, December 14

Mornings were the worst for her. It was awful having to drag herself out of a warm bed, only to be cold as soon as her feet hit the hardwood floors. She mentally reminded herself that she needed to purchase some rugs, as the hardwood floors weren’t going to be so forgiving as the winter months continued.

Quickly getting dressed, she threw on a pair of jeans and a festive winter sweater that was cozy enough to combat the harsh NYC December weather. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she padded out to the living room, shocked that she saw colorful lights reflecting against the wall.

Pausing, she distinctly remembered unplugging the tree last night before she went to bed, but low and behold it was lit up. As it was yesterday, a box wrapped in emerald green reindeers was sitting under the lit up tree.

She bypassed the tree, heading into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Waiting for the drink to brew, she shook her head at her boyfriend. His one mission in life was to make those closest to him happy - as long as those he loved were happy, he was happy.

They had met accidentally - he had bumped into her outside of the library their junior year of college. She was studying journalism while he was studying mixed media arts - they should have never met, not in a million years, they had no reason to. He had apologized profusely, before convincing her to grab coffee with him. After a few minutes, she agreed and that was the start of their relationship. She couldn’t stop thinking about him and after a month, he confessed the same thing before asking her out on a date. For the past 5 years they had been together; her effortlessly fitting in with his group of friends and him charming her little group of friends.

The coffee maker beeped, letting her know her cup of joe was ready. She added some creamer before padding back into the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the tree. Taking a sip of the coffee, she sighed in contentment before picking up the box. As she did yesterday, she smiled taking the notebook out of the box, eager to see what Jack had up his sleeve for today. Walking over to the couch, she settled in before opening the notebook to see the familiar scrawl.

Katherine,

Happy 2nd day of Christmas! Based on what you wrote yesterday, it seemed you had fun on your little adventure - that makes me so happy!

Today’s adventure - you’re going to see the Big Guy himself. Head to the Harold Square Macy’s and tell him exactly what you want for Christmas - let your imagination run wild, tell him everything!

Have fun today and I love you!

Jack

Biting back a cuss word, she shook her head. Of course her boyfriend would send her into a department store with only 10 shopping days left before Christmas. Pausing, she smiled - she had confessed to Jack how she loved going to visit Santa as a child. There was something special when her parents would take her and her siblings to visit Jolly Old St Nick and tell him everything they wanted that year.

Maybe Jack knew her better than she thought he did . . .

Later that afternoon

Pounding down the stairs to the D train, she rubbed her hands together vigorously trying to get some warmth in them as she bounced on her toes waiting for the train to arrive. Her ears picked up the sound of someone playing Silent Night on a violin a bit down the platform. Singing softly under her breath, a smile tugged at her lips as she listened to her favorite Christmas song.

The train came into the station with a screeching whine, before coming to a complete stop, allowing passengers to leave and others to hop into the car. She took a seat, her bag on her lap as the train continued its journey.

Secretly, she had always loved the Subway, even as a child, though her parents hated it. She always loved that everyone was together in that car just to get from one place to another. When she was on longer train rides, she would try to figure out where everyone was going to - meeting up with friends or family, first dates, old dates - but as she got older, she stopped playing the game, opting to write on the longer journeys.

She was knocked from her thoughts as the train pulled into her station. Making sure she had everything, she made her way out onto the platform before ascending the stairs and heading to Macy’s. Biting back a groan, she watched hoards of people make their way to the famous department store before walking inside. Sighing, she pushed herself forward and joined the queue to get into the store.

Taking a moment to get her bearings, she inhaled deeply before pushing forward. She headed to the 8th floor, where Santa Land was located. Trying to hold her frustrations down, she put a smile on her face as she made her way up the escalators.

As she stepped off the escalator, she was surprised the line wasn’t very long. Joining the queue, she ignored the looks from the parents in the line, pulling out her phone to see a message from Jack.

Ignore the haters - enjoy your time with Santa. Remember, tell the big guy alllllll the things you want

She grinned, her finger dancing across the screen texting him back. Do you have an in with the big guy? Trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas?

Three dots bounced up and down as he typed something. Nah, your present is bought and wrapped and hidden away. But Race might need some help so he’ll be conferring with the big guy

She threw her head back laughing at his response. He never failed to make her laugh, one of her favorite qualities of his. If Race needs ideas, he can ask me himself. I’m in line at Macy’s.

The three dots returned as she moved closer to Santa. I know . . . have fun.

Her head whipped around the area, looking for a telltale sign of Jack being near. Looking around, she didn’t see him anywhere. Her phone vibrated again in her hand. You’re cold as ice, sweets. Don’t look for me . . . just have fun and tell the big guy everything on your list.

She shook her head, watching a little girl enthusiastically greet Santa. BTW, you look really cute in your Santa hat. After your visit with Santa, look in the notebook.

Glaring at her phone, she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth at his text message. She watched the little girl hop off Santa’s lap before the elf gave her a look, motioning her forward.

Walking up the steps, she gave Santa a look before he patted his lap. She grinned, pushing away her embarrassment before taking a delicate seat on his lap. “Hello Santa.”

“Hello Katherine.” Her eyes went wide, as Santa grinned at her. “Merry Christmas. Tell, what would you like me to bring you this year?”

She thought about all the things she could tell him but one thing came to mind. “I just want my family and friends to be happy.”

He chuckled deeply, a typical Santa laugh. “Jack did mention you’d wish for something not for yourself but for others. Now, Katherine, what can I bring you?”

“You know Jack?” She whispered, giving him a look before scanning Santa Land.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, our friend Jack is a mutual friend. But, Katherine, what do you want for Christmas?”

“I want to believe again . . . and a new fuzzy blanket.” She rushed out, chuckling along with his deep chuckles as he shook his head.

“Merry Christmas, Katherine. I hope all your wishes come true.” He handed her a candy cane before a photo was snapped. As she stood, he winked at her before becking the next child in line forward.

She skipped down the stairs, pausing to look at Santa once more before heading towards the exit. She scanned the area once more before heading towards the escalators. She headed down to the third floor, where she knew a Starbucks was located. Walking in, she quickly ordered a Peppermint Hot Chocolate before picking a table. Putting her bag on her lap, she grabbed the notebook from it before flipping it open.

Did you tell Santa I say hello? Did you tell him everything you wished for? Santa and I go way back . . . he’s an old family friend who loves the romance of the holidays.

Now I want you to think about your past Christmas’ - what are the things that stand out when you think about those memories? Write them down . . .

A smirk tugged at her lips as she thought of Christmas’ past. Her sixth Christmas especially stands out because she ended up in the Emergency Room with a broken wrist from a sledding accident gone horribly wrong. And the seventh Christmas when she received Samantha, an American Girl doll that she begged her parents for for months prior to Christmas. She remembers how still she got really still when she unwrapped the doll - absolute shock and awe across her face as she looked up at her parents. Her teenage Christmases were filled with rambunctious yells from her siblings as they uncovered whatever was under the tree.

In that Starbucks, she wrote line after line of precious memories, some of which she had never told a soul. The memories were easily recalled, tumbling into her mind faster than she could write them down. A smile was on her face the entire time she thought back on 24 years worth of Christmases.

Now re-read everything you’ve written down - you’ve had some great memories, all associated with Christmas and the magic the season holds. Now head to the second floor and look for the Teddy Bear display. Leave the notebook with the teddy bear with the green bowtie and there’s a surprise awaiting you.

Picking up her cup, she tucked the notebook back in her bag before leaving the shop. Hopping on the descending escalator, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, sighing and reflecting on the day she’s had. Stepping off the escalator, she went right, eyes wide looking for the teddy bear display.

As she rounded the corner, she found the massive display of more than 50 teddy bears. Stepping forward, her eyes searched high and low to find the teddy bear with the green bowtie. She grinned, finding him in the very center, holding a white box in its hands. Taking the white box, she slid the notebook in between the green bowtie bear and the adjacent bear, making sure it wouldn’t fall. Backing away from the display, she slipped into the doll section, careful to stay out of the way of serious shoppers. Taking the red ribbon off the white box, she smiled opening it up. A smile curled over her lips as she saw the small Santa charm nestled in the cotton. Picking it up, she grinned seeing his little red hat and jolly smile. Putting it back in the box, she put the box in her bag, eye looking at the display but noticing the notebook was already gone. She laughed, shaking her head before heading down the escalator and out into the city.

Meanwhile

He grinned, opening his phone and looking at the photo he took of Kat on Santa’s lap. She had the biggest smile on her face and she looked so at ease sitting up there. An old family friend had been playing Santa at Macy’s for years and was only too happy to help Jack out with his request. Locking his phone, he followed her as she made her way from Starbuck to the second floor where the toy department was. He watched her bounce on her toes, looking for the specific bear he had told her about before finding it, a smile lighting up her face. Watching that she was distracted, he quickly grabbed the notebook before slipping back amongst the toys. He grinned, this was turning out to be too easy and that was the way he preferred it.

Thanks for reading Day 2! I would love to hear your thoughts! Feedback is especially appreciated and loved!

#Newsies #Newsies Fan Fiction #writing #Twelve Days of Holly Jolly Tidings #jack x katherine #Holiday Fic

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aaudace · 3 years

Text

art of loving on

pairing: sam wilson x ava rhodes

word count: 2.5k

notes: the fact that im super late on posting this says a lot about me, so lets just pretend that its still thanksgiving. okay so i know that the title is cliche and this might flop big time, but i wanted to do something a little different besides simply posting gifs. im a sucker for reading sappy one shots so I decided to make my own. this is part one of my holiday one shot series. enjoy!

If you were to ask Ava Rhodes how she felt about the holidays, more than likely she would give you a whole monologue on her hatred for it.

Call her a Scrooge, but her love for the holidays had faltered a year ago after she lost the one thing that was considered a gift to her. Losing the one thing that brought her peace was the last straw that broke her to pieces. Her patience for the holidays had changed dramatically. No longer had she been longing for the joyous laughter and loving smiles that the goodwill season brought along.

Instead with every waking moment, she dreaded it.

However, for at least the next few hours, she had to throw away her personal thoughts about jolly holiday and put on a facade. Her face no longer carried a cold hearted look, but instead her cheeks were burning red with joy and laughter. Although she hated herself for it, the Rhodes girl would volunteer herself to help at the Veterans Affairs Office that was a couple blocks from her apartment.

Even though it pained her dearly to sit through hours of hearing individuals explain their gratitude and compassion for the season, a part of her felt like the peace that she lost was there with her when she volunteered. Before he died, her boyfriend Marcus would spend hours in the exact building that basically became a formulated routine of the two of them each holiday season. The one thing that Ava missed the most about him was his passion for helping others. Her heart sung with joy as she watched him go above and beyond for each individual that walked through the doors. He had a way with words that made people feel good about themselves. Whether you were the poorest individual or the richest, Marcus was willing to do whatever it took to bring the best out of you. At least that’s what he did for Ava.

God, she missed him.

But she managed to put on a brave face as she stood in the same position that he did before. Her mind and hands had been tied up in many things. For the first hour of her time, she served food to individuals that came by the office. Usually within the first few minutes, the small building was packed from the outskirts. So this kept her mind busy. The few next hours, she spent entertaining the elderly veterans with card and board games. The first hour was pretty easy for her, but soon afterwards, she came to the realization that card games and grown men didn’t really mix as well as she thought. Bernard Chapman and Arthur Wilfred, two regulars at the VA did not really understand the concept of a friendly competition. One minute, she was showing one group how to play Connect Four, the next she found herself in the middle of a brawl that involved childish name calling and sailor swearing. This also kept her mind busy.

And now, with time being the thief that it was, she found herself in the banquet hall that once housed thousands of individuals that came from different walks, cleaning up the remainder of the trash that was left behind. Although the help that she once had offered to stay behind and help, she ushered them out of the door. She didn’t mind doing the clean up part. Out of everything, that was the easiest to her. In other words, it kept her mind busy.

As she cleaned off the tables, a sigh escaped from her lips. The silence that had once inhabited the quiet space had come to halt at the creaking sound of the doors being pushed open.

She figured it has been one of the volunteers, Marge coming back to help her out with the clean up. Marge had been one of Marcus’ favorite volunteers to work with. Her sass was nothing compared to what he put up with at home with Ava, however, it was her golden heart that made her stand out. She was different from other volunteers. Marge had been working for the VA office for years after her husband passed away. For her, this place had been a sanctuary of peace. Just like for Ava. Marge had become family for Ava. She was the only person that knew her the way that Marcus had come to know her. Maybe that was the reason why Ava was able to remain stable throughout her time of volunteering.

“Marge, how many times do I have to tell you,” Ava yelled, placing her rag onto her shoulder. She didn’t bother looking up at the entrance way because she knew looking into the eyes of the shameless woman would only make it hard for her to say no to her. “You know, one of these days you are just gonna accept the fact that no means no.”

The sound of footsteps echoed across the room as they began to move closer and closer towards Ava directions. “I swear, sometimes I wonder how Marcus dealt with you. You are worse than me. And sometimes I can’t even stand me....”

At this point, Ava turned from her duty to look up at the shadowy figure. Her green eyes widened as she realized that the body figure didn’t quite match up to the petite figure that Marge had. Instead, it was made up of bicep muscles that hid under a dark leather jacket. Her mouth opened to protest, but she couldn’t find the words. In fact, the only thing she could say was, “Uh, um—”

“Just so you know, Marge was on her way back, I just managed to convince her to go home,” the man said. He moved a little closer, covering the large gap that stood in between them. “I swear, she reminds of someone that I know. Someone that’s kind of feisty, blunt, and can be a little sarcastic at times. Sometimes a little too much, but we are working on that.”

Ava rolled her eyes, “I think the key of life is getting your point across. And there’s nothing wrong with my sarcasm. Some people just don’t have a sense of humor.”

“Or sometimes you can be a little too harsh and you aren’t willing to admit that.”

“If it makes you happy,” she scoffed. “I managed to put away my sarcasm and trade it in for joy and cheer for the day.”

“Atcha girl,” he laughed. “Look at you turning over a new leaf.”

Ava smirked at him. She loved the idea that he was proud of her. It had been a while since she had felt like that before. “But, now that the day is over. I’m putting it back on and I am now returning to my normal sarcastic, feisty, blunt self. Ah, it’s good to be me again.”

All the man could do is sigh and return a small chuckle as a response. Ava smiled back a little. “But besides my issues, what are you doing here, Sam? It’s the holidays, you are supposed to be spending time with family.”

As she said this, she moved past him, focusing on the last of the table that she had to clean. The smell of fresh lemons brushed against her nostrils as she squirted the bottle of cleaning supply that had been resting in her waist apron. One thing that she loved the most about cleaning the VA office was the vast amount of cleaning products they stored. She really couldn’t her finger on why exactly she enjoyed them so much. She just did.

Maybe it was the idea that each of them held a fragrance that held a sentimental memory in her mind. Like the one that smelt like an island breeze reminded her of the time Marcus cleaned up after a man who accidentally spilled his carton of milk on the floor. It had been a slow holiday at the VA office that day. Although the man was generous enough to help Marcus clean up the mess, it was Marcus that had been too caught up with everything that he forgot to place the warning sign for the place that he mopped and managed to slip. That holiday, Ava spent the majority of the night cracking jokes as they occupied the waiting room of the hospital for Marcus’ broken back. The one that smelt like flowers reminded her of her first time volunteering at the VA office. She and Marcus had only been dating for a couple of months. As part of getting to know him better, he invited her to see what he considered his safe haven. When he wasn’t dealing with police business, he would spend his Saturdays, encouraging other veterans who had been down on their luck. Ava would later find out that his dad was the reason why the place even existed. New York only had a few VA offices, but there was nothing like the one that stood on the corner of Baldwin Avenue and 2nd Street.

The one that she loved the most was the one that smelt like lemons. That one was his favorite.

“I could ask you the same question, Ava.” Sam said. She didn’t bother to stop cleaning. “Mariah called and said you didn’t want to come over for Thanksgiving dinner. She said something about you being sick. But knowing you like the back of hand, I knew that wasn’t true.”

Ava laughed a little. She had totally forgotten about the little white lie she had mentioned to her friend earlier. Mariah Riggs, her best friend, was known for doing the most of the holidays. In fact, she’s so much into it that she basically starts all of her planning in the summer. The summer for Christ’s sake. “Well, I was sick, but after a little while I started feeling a bit better. It’s no big deal, I’ll call Mariah tonight and tell her the truth.”

“Which one?” asked Sam. “The truth about you not being sick or the truth of the real reason why you continue to hate the holidays.” At this, Ava stopped her motion and turned to look at him. “Ava, I understand your reasoning, but you can’t keep—”

“Sam, can we please not get into this? I really don’t have the energy.”

He sighed. “Ava, avoiding the topic will only make it worse. You can’t keep burying yourself in this hole of hurt.”

“I am fine, okay,” she spoke, her tone turning a bit harsh. “I just don’t understand why everyone is so concerned. Why is it a crime that I hate this time of year?”

“Because when Marcus was alive you enjoyed it.” Her heart sank. Even though it was unspoken for the two of them, Ava didn’t like it when other people brought up the issue of her dead boyfriend. Usually, her reaction was cold and she was ready to fight the first person in sight. However, Sam never really brought it up before so she really did not how to react. She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. “Marge told me that once upon a time, you were in love with the holidays. Now all you do is make any excuse to get out of anything festive just so you could stay locked up in your apartment. I can’t even get you say one good thing about the holidays.”

Her green eyes begin to water. She cursed at herself for even allowing herself to feel any type of vulnerability. He continued, “You don’t think when I signed up to be your boyfriend that I wouldn’t be prepared for these moments. Babe, you and I are a team. You have to let me in. You can’t keep shutting me out.”

He had a point, but Ava really didn’t want to admit that. However, the tears that streamed down her face said something else. The pair had been together for a little over a few months. And even though they seemed compatible, the thought of them getting closer scared Ava. If she was being honest, she was terrified when her heart started developing feelings for him. She was terrified when he asked out on a date. And she had been feeling this way for a hot second, but ironically, she was terrified of even bringing it up.

The silence stood in between for a moment. Sam stood in front her, his heart beating out of his chest. The longer she stood in silent, the more nerve wracking it became from him. The few months of dating Ava had its moments of challenges. But it also had its rewards. Even though she was tough, she had her moments to where she brought out the good in him believe it or not. And that was something that wasn’t easy. But she did it. And as someone who cared and loved her, he was willing to do whatever it took to do the same for her.

“I-I am scared that one day, I’ll wake up and you won’t be there for me.” Ava spoke, finally popping the bubble of silence. “I am scared that if I let my guard down, life will take away from me. Just like it did for Marcus. Sam, I want to let you in — I really do, but I am just tired of—”

Her words were cut off by the touch of his soft lips on herself. He placed his hands onto her waist, pulling her a little closer to him. Ava didn’t remember exactly when it happened, but sudden her hands were wrapped around his neck. Even though he was a couple inches taller she didn't have to stand on her toes, the heels of her boots did that job for her.

When he pulled away from her, he looked into her eyes and spoke, “Ava, it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than just life to keep me away from you. I am not going anywhere.”

“You say that, but what if—”

“I am not going anywhere, Ava.”

“Okay, but —”

“I could do this all day, Ava. I am not going anywhere.”

She rolled her eyes. As she pulled away from him, she wiped her face from her tears. Maybe life did have a way of giving back. And even though, life had gave her shit for her whole entire existence, maybe in some universal designed fate, life was giving her the gift of love again. And his name was Sam Wilson.

“Well, if that's the case then just know that since you are linking me to you forever, that doesn't mean I’ll go easy on you, Wilson.” she said. He shook his head and laughed. Maybe he was right? Letting him in couldn’t be such a bad idea. “I am known to be pretty grouchy in the mornings when I don’t have my coffee.”

“Noted. That's why I stack up extra coffee beans back at my place.” he laughed. “I love you.”

She kissed his cheek. “I love you more.” He smiled at her. Before she could say anything, he walked over a table just across from them. She didn’t realize it earlier, but he had a big brown bag that he propped on the table.

He placed the bag on the table that she finished cleaning. “So since you really didn’t get a chance to properly celebrate Thanksgivings, I figured I would bring a piece of it to you.” he said. He pulled out two plastic containers along with utensils. “Marge told me you like pumpkin pie, so I managed to get the last two pieces from that diner up the street.”

She laughed. From that moment, she made a mental note to take the time out to thank Marge for the many facts that she managed to learn about her. “Marge knows me well.”

“Happy Thanksgiving, Ava. Here’s to many more holidays together.”

“Cheers to that.”

#a marvelous holiday #sam wilson x oc #ava rhodes #otp: love after war #damage control series #sam wilson fic #sam wilson au #marvel au #my edits #my writings

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