i made a digital vw zine, there's a bunch of stuff on here that hasn't been shared elsewhere! if you're looking for a barrage of vw being really clingy and all, look no further :]

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The Oncoming Storm Part 30: Waiting

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

Some comic relief. Kung Lao and Liu Kang have an adult-ish conversation before it turns into a much less mature conversation. Mostly about you. About some other stuff too. Sure hope that no one overheard it or anything.

A/N: Some humor to break up those last few chapters. Saturday is the chapter with the choice at the end then my posting schedule has to swap around a bit, will probably be Monday and Friday? One for Liu one for Lao? That cool?

Part 29 Part 31 Chapter Index

Liu Kang changed his bandages while seated on the floor of his room with his door open. Kung Lao leaned against the frame of the door with his arms folded across his chest. Liu turned his attention to his brother and offered a weary smile. Kung Lao had been checking on you for them both since Chen had sent them away. Liu had suggested that they wait patiently but even he’d had a difficult time not worrying about you. When Kung Lao had told him where to shove that idea, he’d relented. Liu had been the one to care for you when you’d first arrived. He wanted to be the one to care for you now.

Raiden had said something about them both becoming too attached.

Liu hadn’t argued even if he thought that was a ridiculous reason to keep their distance.

“Have you heard anything yet?”

“That woman taking care of Y/N turned me away again and this time she was mean.” The annoyance in Kung Lao’s voice was completely unjustified. His vendetta against the people working in the infirmary was extremely silly. But Kung Lao wouldn’t talk about it and Liu Kang couldn’t make him.

“She needs taking care of, Lao.”

“Yeah, which I am perfectly capable of doing.”

“You are not qualified.” Liu chuckled as he finished wrapping up his arm. It had healed as well as could be expected over the last few days. It would take a few weeks to be back to normal, but he was prepared for the climb. “You don’t even take of yourself when you need it.

“Only because they make me go to the infirmary every time. They don’t trust me to do it alone.”

“Because you don’t do it.” Liu stood and dusted himself off. “When was the last time that you checked your bandages or your wounds? Are you even bothering with them anymore?”

“No, because they’re fine.”

“I think I just made my point. Everyone’s point.”

“You get to take care of your wounds. Why do I have to go to the infirmary to do it?”

“Because I’m qualified. And I actually do it.” He threw away the old bandages.

Kung Lao grumbled and then tilted the door closed behind him before leaning against the nearby wall. Liu sat on the edge of his bed with a heavy sigh. He was listless. Doing nothing and waiting patiently was part of what they did in Raiden’s Temple, but it didn’t mean that he was content to do it. While he composed himself better than Kung Lao, he was just as worried and frustrated by the lack of control he had.

“I’m going to sneak in through her window. She can’t stop me from there. I’ll fall to my death. She doesn’t want to be responsible for that.”

“That’s a terrible idea. One of your worst.” Liu laughed in disbelief at his brother. “Sure, you’ll get in, but she’ll kick you right out after. Not to mention that you’re going to terrify the poor woman. And Y/N’s bed is right beneath the window. You could hurt her.”

“I could just use my hat.” He tapped the brim.

“Same results, Lao.” Liu rested his elbow on his knee and ran his fingers through his hair. “Chen is good at what she does. Y/N is in capable hands.”

Kung Lao took a seat next to him with a frustrated huff. They sat in tense silence.

“How is your arm doing, anyway?”

“It’s healing fine. Stitches will be coming out soon.” Liu patted the bandage on his left arm. He had a relatively high pain tolerance, and he wasn’t the type to complain. It’d hurt like a son of a bitch when the ink had sliced through his flesh, but he’d been more worried about you in the moment. “No more fever which has helped tremendously.”

“I hear that.” Kung Lao was staring wide-eyed in front of him. He had so little patience, which was something Liu usually gave him hell for, but in this situation, he was right there alongside him. They sat in silence again, a frequent occurrence over the past few days. So much had happened since they had last had a chance to speak and neither one of them seemed willing to talk about it. They’d spent plenty of time together waiting for you to wake up, but it had mostly been in frustrated silence.

“Did she tell you?” Lao didn’t turn his wide-eyed gaze away from the floor.

“Tell me what?

“That we kissed.” Kung Lao clasped his hands together in front of him and tapped his fingers nervously against his other hand. Liu Kang heaved a sigh and tried not to let it bother him, but he was sure that his silence said more than enough. He shouldn’t have been surprised.

“No, she didn’t. But I suspected as much after how she behaved in Huangshan. You had her all mixed up.” Liu tapped his foot and then let go of his frustration with a breath. He had gotten into his head that you were his Y/N. This wasn’t easy to talk about for either of them. “I think she was afraid to tell me. Afraid of how I’d react.” Rationalizing it had been enough to wipe the remaining frustration completely away. “She carries more guilt than she lets on, I think.”

“Funny that you put it that way because she didn’t seem to have a problem telling me that she’d kissed you.”

Was Kung Lao trying to get on his nerves? He did that sometimes, but Liu had gotten good at navigating his way around it. He laughed under his breath and Kung Lao seemed genuinely surprised not to have annoyed him.

“You have known her since you were nine, Kung Lao. You have a connection that is deeply rooted in your childhood. It’s nothing like the one I have with her. It is worlds apart.”

“Wow, I don’t think that I’ve heard that kind of jealousy from you since we were teenagers.” Kung Lao smirked. Liu tapped his foot and heaved another sigh. It wasn’t the connection that had caused his renewed frustration. This had gone on for too long.

“I don’t want to play this game anymore.” Liu frowned. “I can’t get it out of my head. I want out of the bet. I never felt good about it to begin with, Kung Lao. It’s making me act differently. I don’t want any part of it.”

“So, you’re chickening out, huh?”

Liu rolled his eyes.

“Why are you doing this, Lao?”

“What kind of question is that? Did I not explain the bet to you?”

“Are you sabotaging any chance you might actually have with someone you care about?” Liu watched Kung Lao instantly stiffen up and knew he’d hit the nail right on the head. “When I was brought to the temple and we became family, you spoke of Y/N so fondly. Now she’s here and you’re willing to risk any relationship that you have rebuilt with her so that you don’t have to do a few chores? It’s absurd, Lao. You don’t think she’s going to be upset? Feel gross about it? Because I feel gross about it.”

Kung Lao clenched his jaw and stopped tapping his foot and fingers and stared at the floor again instead. Liu waited patiently and rotated his left shoulder, feeling the stinging in his arm and the pain that radiated down to his fingertips. He would focus on stretching his muscles until Kung Lao was done arguing in his head. He did that sometimes, especially when he was arguing with Liu. This wasn’t the first time that he’d told Kung Lao a harsh truth and it wouldn’t be the last. Kung Lao had done the same for him, but it had been less necessary over the years. Liu Kang was the type who saw his shortcomings before others did.

“I really hate when you call me out on my bullshit.” Kung Lao finally chuckled.

“Call it what you will, Lao. If you won’t let me back out of the bet, then I forfeit. I’ll do your chores. I don’t care. I stand by what I said when you first suggested it. I don’t want to bet on someone else’s feelings. Let her feel what she feels authentically so that I can feel what I feel authentically.” He mussed up his hair in annoyance.

“It’s fine.” Kung Lao deflated next to him. It was comical. His posture had completely changed. “Honestly, I felt pretty terrible about it by the end of our trip to Japan. Like I was… manipulating her. I didn’t mean for it to be like that. I thought it was a harmless and fun thing but you’re probably right. I’m purposely… screwing it up.” Kung Lao unclasped his hands and stood then dragged the chair from Liu’s desk and sat on it backwards. He couldn’t seem to sit still since you had fallen unconscious. Liu had struggled with that too, but he’d always had an easier time focusing than Kung Lao had. “The bet’s off. I’ll tell her about it, I guess. I don’t want to feel like I’m hiding anything anymore.”

“Is that so?” Liu smiled, feeling a little relief. “Not going to make me do your chores?”

“Not over this at least. I’ll weasel out of them some other way, I’m sure.” Kung Lao grinned. He seemed like himself for the first time in days. Maybe it really had been weighing on him as heavily as it had been weighing on Liu.

“Does that mean I was right? Self-sabotage?”

“Ugh, can you not rub it in? Just for once?”

“Not a chance.” Liu Kang laughed, and Kung Lao leaned his arms on the back of the chair then rested his chin on them with a heavy sigh. Whatever happened, he knew that they would be okay. They’d broken the dam when it came to talking about it, which felt nice if not a little daunting. At some point, he had gotten nervous to bring it up again. He didn’t want to hurt Kung Lao, but he couldn’t give up on you either even if he couldn’t get it out of his head that it was selfish for him not to.

“So, she kissed you again, huh?” Kung Lao diverted attention away from his emotions, something he did very frequently. Funny enough, Liu thought that you did the same thing. You were similar in many ways. “…wait, you didn’t want to end the bet because you uh…” Kung Lao sat upright, and alert suddenly then made a motion with his hands that was rather crude. Liu Kang hesitated but then shook his head no. “You didn’t win and not tell me, did you?”

“Those weren’t the terms of the bet, remember? I would have never agreed if it had been.”

“That’s evasive, Liu.”

“I’m just saying that the conditions had to do with her choice and not any physical achievement, Kung Lao. We’re not stupid kids.”

“Wow, this is so incredibly defensive.” Kung Lao whispered in wonder.

“I dislike talking about this with you.” Liu Kang frowned. “Talking about her like this with you. It’s uncomfortable.”

“I hate it too!” Kung Lao laughed and threw his arms up in frustration then let them fall back over the chair dramatically. “Just… look, tell me if I lost. Tell me if I don’t stand a chance. I just want her to be happy.” He said this all with a grumble, as if it were like pulling teeth to say it. It was funny how uncomfortable he was with his emotions.

“That’s what I want too.” Liu Kang nodded to agree. “And I’m not the one to decide who wins or loses. And this isn’t a bet anymore.”

“No more bet.”

“The bet is off.” Liu Kang sighed with a relief. He wasn’t sure that Kung Lao was going to actually let it go. He was difficult to read. “That’s a huge relief.”

“Yeah, I mean… yes and no for me. You called me out and now I have to think about that.”

“Poor, poor Kung Lao. Having to think his own thoughts.”

“It’s a burden, really.”

“We have to tell her, Lao.”

“Yeah, I know. Can’t fix the self-sabotage thing if I don’t. And if you tell her and I don’t then that makes me look bad and we… we all know you and honesty, for the most part.”

“I can lie when I need to but I’m not going to lie about this.” Liu folded his arms over his chest. They sat in awkward silence again. There were plenty of things that they should have talked about, but it still felt weird to. Usually, they would have joked about this kind of thing and had the other to confide in, but they were both worried about hurting the other’s feelings and dashing their hopes.

“You didn’t answer me.”

“Hmm?” Hadn’t he? He didn’t remember not answering Kung Lao.

“I asked if you two… you know.”

“Can you not say the words, Kung Lao? Are you not an adult?”

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to picture you two doing that.” Kung Lao stuck his tongue out and then shook his head as if to dismiss the mental image. “But did you?”

“No. I thought I told you no.” Liu had hesitated again. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to on your trip. No, he had wanted to, but he had thought about that stupid bet and how much it could potentially hurt you to have done that and then found out there had been stakes attached to your emotions. He’d pulled himself back because of it more than once while you were in Huangshan.

“How am I supposed to interpret that, Liu?” Kung Lao was laughing, at least. Liu Kang hung his head and Kung Lao only laughed harder.

“Look, she had a nightmare, so I let her sleep in my bed.”

“I’m sort of disappointed that you didn’t get laid at the end of this story.”

“It was your stupid bet that ruined it.” Liu chuckled but he could feel his face turning red.

“What, did you wake up with a half chub or something?” Kung Lao was teasing him, but he’d gotten to the end of the story before Liu had found a less crude way to tell it and Liu covered his face in embarrassment. Kung Lao was wheezing with laughter. “Liu! You didn’t!”

“In my defense, I was having a nice dream and she was right there in my arms and…”

“Wow, Liu. That’s more me than you.”

“I’m only human, Kung Lao.”

“Just, wow.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Liu pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. His face was still burning but it felt nice to laugh about it with Kung Lao. He hadn’t talked to you about it because that felt like opening a floodgate and he’d needed to end this stupid bet first. Plus, it was kind of a difficult conversation to start. It was easier just to make a move.

“Did she… notice… or?”

“…I hate that you guessed so accurately. I never would have told you outright.”

“It’s amazing.” Kung Lao smacked the back of the chair in glee. “So?”

“Yeah. Yeah, she noticed, Kung Lao.” Liu Kang hung his head again, hands on his knees. Kung Lao was practically choking to death with how hard he was laughing at him. “You could try to enjoy my misfortune a little less.”

“This is the funniest thing that has happened in weeks, Liu Kang.” He wiped a tear away and tried to regain his breath. “Why didn’t you just go for it? I would have gone for it. Wouldn’t have given it a second thought.”

“Well, I’m not you. All I could think about was how hurt she would be if we did that and then found out about the stupid bet. And she had been so frightened after her nightmare. I played it off the best that I could given the circumstances.” Liu was laughing now too. He couldn’t help it. It was funny. And it felt good to laugh after having done nothing but worry and stress for three days.

“You know what, Liu? You are a much better man than I am sometimes.” Kung Lao wiped his eyes and regained his composure. “I never would have let that opportunity pass.”

“I know. I had no intention of telling you the truth either.”

“I’m glad you did. I needed a good laugh.”

“At my expense, of course.”

“Of course.”

Silence fell again, but it was at least less awkward. Liu supposed if that came at his expense than he was okay with it.

“What do we do now?” Liu sighed. Kung Lao was avoiding his eyes again.

“I don’t think it’s really up to us what happens next with that.”

“Yeah.” Liu nodded to agree. “…no hard feelings no matter what happens, right?”

“Not going to be that simple, I think.”

“Of course not, Kung Lao. But above all things, you are my brother.”

“Yes. Nothing will change that. It might just be weird while we figure it out.”

“Yeah, probably.” Liu didn’t have much else to say on the matter. Silence again. While he felt relieved that they’d cleared the air and sorted things out, it still weighed heavily on them both.

“…I’m going to check on her again.” Kung Lao stood and stretched his arms before nodding toward the door. “Want to come with me? Might overwhelm her.”

“No, I don’t need to see you harassing that poor woman again. She said that she’d tell us when Y/N wakes up.”

“I don’t believe her, Liu.”

“You have made that abundantly clear.” Liu Kang smiled, and Kung Lao bowed his head to say goodbye. “If I hear any jokes at my expense throughout the rest of the temple, Kung Lao, you will be sorry.”

“My lips are sealed, Liu.” Kung Lao chuckled again under his breath and then left Liu Kang alone with his thoughts.

a vague timeline for things because marvel is fucked all across the board and i need some sense of continuity + solidifiying my past headcanons--this is close to what i had ran with in the past, just typed up again. 

1930: max eisenhardt is born in dusseldorf, germany. the eisenhardt family moves shortly thereafter to nuremburg; max has no memories of dusseldorf. this is the place his parents were born as well. reasonably, max considers nuremburg his home town. 

1933: ruth eisenhardt is born in nuremberg, germany, max’s younger and final sibling. 

1935-1938: max meets magda, the daughter of one of the lady janitors at the school he attended. 

1939: the eisenhardts, following an antisemitic outburst that shamed and injured max’s uncle erich, and a violent interaction with jakob’s former general from the first world war where he was beaten and thrown out of his office, and, finally, kristallnacht, move to warsaw in an attempt to escape the anti-jewish tensions. 

1940: the warsaw ghetto is built around them. 

1940-1942: the very young max turns into a food smuggler in the warsaw ghetto, acquiescing meals for both his family members and other jewish families with other boys. he has his bar mitsvah sometime in this period, despite not being 13, given the direness of the situation. 

1942: deportation to the treblinka camps begins. the eisenhardts flee yet again. on their way back to their hideout, they are captured by nazi regiment. the eisenhardts are executed, but jakob saves his son’s life by butting him out of the line of the bullets. regardless, max is knocked unconscious, and brought to a mass grave where he is dumped alongside his family.

1942-1944: max is found alive in the camp, and put to work for his impressively sturdy frame despite the harrow of starvation. in order to avoid being selected for death, max becomes a sonderkommando. 

1942-1944: this bit is a bit of influence from the xmcu, but something i’ve always incorporated into my canon regardless; max’s mutant abilities laid nearly dormant due to physical illness contracted from exertion and malnourishment, however, in moments of grief and anger, they were still strong enough to rear up. more than once, he’d injured officers, and killed one on accident out of fear. instead of being executed, josef mengele and doctor sinister took interest in him and conducted various physical experiments. when they could not produce the same effects, he was sent back to the work force. 

late 1944: max participates in the sonderkommando rebellion, escaping not only alongside other sonderkommandos, but magda, who had happened to also be interned in the camps. 14 and 15 respectively, they spend the rest of their teens together, and most of their 20s. 

1950: anya eisenhardt is born. max marries magda two months into her pregnancy. 

1957: the identity of “erik magnus lehnsherr” is created by georg odekirk, however i do not implement the idea that erik posed as rroma to “fit in” with the rroma community since i think its kinda.. bad. he’s accepted as his wife’s husband and a jewish man. max becomes erik to protect himself and his family.

1959: the eisenhardts--now lehnsherrs--move to vinnitsa, a then-soviet region, in order to pursue stable work, as erik became dissatisfied with only scraping by to provide for their daughter. he acquires a construction job in the summer, where he worked for another few months before the next incident. 

fall of 1959: erik consciously uses his abilities for the first time, hurling a crowbar at his boss over a pay dispute. when he returns to the inn where he and his family had been staying, he finds it aflame, and anya trapped inside. when he makes an attempt to free her, he is held down by the security his boss had employed, evoked over their dispute, and is forced to watch anya burn to death. finally, in an explosion of 29 years of grief and anger, catalyzed by the loss of his child, erik’s abilities fully emerge. not only does he kill everyone in the immediate vicinity he deems responsible for the event, including anyone who happened to become caught in the detritus and obstructions, he levels more than half of the city. in the ruins and ash, he finds anya’s scorched body and digs a grave with his hands to bury his daughter, where magda in the wake of his destruction approaches him horrified by his actions. he asks her to help him bury their daughter, and in her fear, she proclaims him a monster before fleeing, unknown to either of them, pregnant with the twins. erik is approached by another regiment of soldiers who attempt to shoot him in the head. he turns their guns on them instead, finishes burying and honoring his daughter, and spends some time searching for magda, whom he never finds. after a few days of unsuccessfully looking for his wife, erik packs what little he has left and travels from the leveled vinnitsa to haifa, israel. 

1960: erik volunteers at a hospital in haifa that predominantly focused on helping other survivors of the shoah, where he seeks some modicum of treatment himself, and meets none other than charles xavier. 

1961: after helping charles rescue gabi, erik realizes he and charles’ views are incompatible, and departs from haifa. he is eventually scouted by both the israeli secret service and a western outfit (likely the CIA) whilst hunting nazi war criminals. 

1962: erik hunts nazi war criminals and turns them over to israel for trial. i don’t really feel like going into detail about this one because its a little convoluted but basically erik is “allowed” to turn over certain nazis that are deemed acceptable to turn over to israel by his western control, but when he turns over a nazi that the west does not want him to turn over, agents show up to put an end to his “betrayals”, where he learns the truth of what they were doing and freaks out in a rage and kills them all, where he finally adopts the identity of “magneto”. he moves to brooklyn, new york, in the same year. 

1964: erik meets cassandra michaels, who designs his outfit. this is where this timeline gets fucked to hell because i have to work with 60 years of super old dumbass comics that characterize erik as a super hammy archetypical villain when thats not the character he develops into. 

this post is going to be SUPER LONG so this is a placeholder for me to edit and continue it later in detail. take these points as general points for the future before i write them out fully. 

late 60s is the first instance of asteroid m shit

the 1970s and 80s are the brotherhood heyday before the x-men really exist and they’re the only public figures saving and protecting mutants while also executing violent resistance to mutant oppression. 

early o5 era is around 1990-1999

dark phoenix saga around 2000 

genosha massacre mid 2000s. the “magneto was right” movement begins around this date as well, and che guevara-type merchandise starts sprouting up.

m day and civil war in 2008-ish, a few years following the genoshan massacre. 

utopia around 2011. 

avx around 2014. 

Worker Bee - Andrea Rhodea/Reno - SFW-Ish

Title: Worker Bee Author: Donnie Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Remake Setting: The Honeybee Inn Pairing: Andrea Rhodea/Reno Characters: Andrea Rhodea, Reno, Honeygirl OC: Chastity, Honeygirl OC: Lacey, Honeyboy OC: Darnell, Honeyboy OC: Haddick Genre: Romance/Humor Rating: T Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1423 Type of Work: One-Shot, Part of the Honey Bucket series Status: Complete Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, AU - Canon Divergent, AU - Honeybee!Reno, Burlesque Dancing, Canon Mentions of Noncon, Reno Wears The Honeygirl Outfit Because Andrea’s Cool, Crossdressing, Crossdresser, Some Suggestive Touching Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. Summary: All Work Reno and no Fun Reno made Reno less money. AN: Hey guys, it’s me again! Just thought I ought to say, if you want vague updates and to talk to me more, I have Twitter and Tumblr, too! Twitter is Sunshinecackle, and Tumblr is Writteninsunshine! I also have a writing Discord that is currently pretty dead. xD I can PM it to people who want it on FFN, for everyone else, it’s here: discord.gg/FyaWw25 So, here we are again, with the start of the Honeybee!Reno fics! There will be quite a few of these, and I’m already in love with this AU. Reno works more as a Honeygirl, because he’s allowed to wear the outfit and Andrea is cool with breaking gender roles. Also, who wouldn’t want to put his tits in that outfit? Oof. I can’t help it. Buuut, I hope you guys like this! It’s mildly NSFW but not really more than suggestive.

Final Fantasy VII Fic Masterlist

Worker Bee ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Hands up by his shoulders, fingers curled in, Reno bobbed along with the gaggle of other girls, giggling alongside them to keep up. The quartet buzzed about, getting ready for the show and pausing to give gracious smiles and feather-light touches to return patrons. Reno diverted for just a second to run his surprisingly soft fingers under a man’s chin, drawing his eyes from the floor to see the sparkle in Reno’s own blue eyes.

Rejoining the swarm, he let the bumblebee butt on the back of his outfit bounce, no doubt keeping the man’s attention until he disappeared around a corner. Heading backstage to prepare for the show, a strong hand tugged him to the side and he looked up just in time to catch his boss’ smiling face. It was careful, sweet and gentle, something that fluttered Reno’s heart in his chest. A gentle kiss was pressed to his plump lips and it melted him in his heels, both arms wrapping around Andrea’s neck to keep him from losing his balance. “You’re going to do fantastic tonight, Reno.” Andrea purred into his ear, kissing it softly, “I’m looking forward to the show.” An ear to ear grin blossomed over Reno’s lips and he nodded, leaning in for another kiss to keep himself tided over until he was off work. “You bet your ass the show’s gonna be good,” Reno replied finally, having spent too long pushing back into kisses, lingering and needing more attention, “It always is.” His hungry mouth parted to invite the other’s tongue to explore, and Andrea gave him a fleeting taste of what was to come later. “You make a difference,” Andrea responded softly, breath washing over Reno’s lips as he spoke. He pulled away, finally, gently patting the back of Reno’s thigh, “Off with you, the show is about to begin.” He winked, provocative smile in place as he nodded in the direction that the other needed to go. Reno had to force himself to double-time click-clack backstage, getting into position with the other girls. “Andrea give you a personal pick-me-up, Honey?” Chastity questioned, shaking her head to toss her brunette to blonde ombre hair over her shoulders. Reno took up his spot beside her, copying the motion if only to show off how much longer his hair was than hers. At the very least, she giggled it off, playfully smacking his arm. “Show-off.” “You know he did.” Reno replied with a grin, “And you already know that about me, Honey Pop.” He winked, shifting into position as the lights dimmed on the floor, and the spotlights shone on the curtains. “Good luck!” “You, too, Honey!” Chastity chirped happily, just in time for the music to start. As the show began, Reno executed his moves in time with everyone else, keeping up with a kind of dedicated caution he never showed in his other job. Being a Turk sometimes meant he had to get creative, and he was valuable enough that his occasional upsets didn’t cost him too much. A lecture or two, a few disparaging comments from Rufus, and he was back on his feet with his job still as secure as ever. Here, however, the wild Turk he was in his day job took a backseat to the charm he turned up to eleven every night. The Honeybee Inn wasn’t a place where you wanted to stick out, at least not so much, so violently, and he wanted nothing more than to keep impressing Andrea Rhodea. The better he did at his job, the more the man seemed to grow attached to him. Even off-hours, they spent as much time together as was feasible. It had started as simply offering Reno somewhere to crash one night when he was practically sleeping on his feet, but things could never stay so simple in either of their lives. One night of cuddling in Andrea’s incredibly soft bed had turned Reno onto the finer things in life, and an odd kinship had been born. Around a lot of people, Reno had to tamp down on himself, even if he could get overexcited and his filters eroded under his opinions. Around Andrea, though, he could be himself, he could wear what he wanted to, do what he wanted to. When repairs on his home had become too costly, Reno had even badgered the other man into giving him a night job. As far as he knew, the other Turks didn’t know about his double life, and he wasn’t interested in divulging such things. No, this counted as Fun Reno time, and Work Reno had a restraining order on anything Fun Reno thought was a good idea. Okay, except for the occasional prank to light up the office. But beneath the bright lights, with the music pumping around him and the stage bringing attention to the veritable herd of them, everything fell away. He could cut loose and have the time of his life showing off for total strangers, faces obscured by the fluorescent glare blinding him to the dim room full of half-lidded eyes. Everything felt as comfortable on this stage as it did when he was in bed with the man he would call his sometimes-lover. It was no wonder that Andrea was on his mind more when he was working for ShinRa. Crawling out of his bed and slinking back plateside was the kind of walk of shame he actually didn’t appreciate. Even still, his mind was focused on the end goal, even as the finale of the show began, and he twirled into the arms of his designated partner like he was made for it. Reno was good at physical things, keeping his hands and feet busy kept his mind busier than paperwork every could. With one leg in the air, one arm above his head and his partner dipping him, he finished out the song while panting hard through his nose to avoid looking like he’d expelled too much effort. Following the others off stage, once the curtains cut to a close, Reno grinned at Chastity, who made a beeline for him as they were ushered to the back hallway where the dressing rooms were. Her comically tiny steps only fuelled Reno’s good mood, and she excitedly gestured with her hands as she spoke. “That was so good! I swear, we’re getting better all the time! I sure wish we could do another big show tonight.” “Well, everything else falls into place, don’t it? You get to dance again tonight, don’t you?” Reno drawled, smirking slightly as they rounded the corner towards the private rooms. “Yeah! I’m excited, it’s me, Lacey, Darnell, and Haddick.” She replied, clapping her hands several times in rapid succession as she shimmied along beside him to his usual private room. “You’re on Appointment Duty tonight, right?” “Oh, yeah, and I got some pretty big customers.” Reno almost cackled, shaking his head as he put his hands on his hips, “The kind that might get my shoe shoved up their ass if they try anything funny.” “Isn’t that like, everyone, though, Honey?” Chastity laughed, bending forward a bit to put her hands on her knees as she giggled happily. Parting her lips to speak again, she paused when a hand slid around Reno’s waist and he was tugged back into someone. Looking up, brows drawn in, she grinned the second she noticed it was Andrea. She waved with a little squeak of surprise, before giving a playful wink and turned on her heels to disappear into the crowd. “You did so well.” Andrea purred against Reno’s exposed back, kissing along the freckled skin there as he tugged the smaller in close. With his costume keeping them separated due to the large bubble of fabric and plastic, Reno was half-tempted to turn around, but Andrea managed to slot himself against the Honeyboy’s rump and kissed his ear anyway. “I always love watching you dance. You’re exquisite.” “I always love knowing you’re watching.” Reno nearly purred, finally managing to turn in the other’s arms before squeezing all the air out from between them. Andrea brushed the other’s hair out of his face, leaning in and tilting Reno’s head with two fingers on his chin to swipe his tongue against the redhead’s lips. With a little shudder, Reno melted against him, enjoying the strong hands dropping to his waist as they tugged him in tighter. “You have some work to do still, don’t you?” Andrea whispered against his mouth, and Reno licked at the other’s bottom lip. “I do, but as soon as I’m done, I’m gonna buzz on over to see you.” Reno winked, having to separate from his boss as someone cleared their throat behind him. “See you soon, Boss Man.” The redhead smirked as he gave a mock salute, taking a couple swinging steps backward before turning and fluttering to his first client of the evening. “This way, Honey~ Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: I’ve been really loose with my ships and stuff lately, and honestly, I’m really loving playing with all of these. It’s too much fun, and I hope you guys are enjoying my ADHD brain on shipping the Remake. Reno’s gonna get a lot of attention! There will be at least 16 fics in this series, if every person on the list gets a single fic. We’ll see, though, I’m loving this Honeybeeno AU!

The Draw (12)

Summary: The whirlwind starts at the 2018 ACE Comic Con in Phoenix but you’re not sure where it will end...

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x reader

Warnings: Language. Smut. NSFW-ish under the cut.

Word count: 3383

AN: Sorry for the long wait, this whole chapter was a struggle. I honestly thought this was going to be the last chapter, but I just can’t seem to quit this and so I figure there’ll at least be another two chapters to this story. However, I would love to hear what you think though or if you even want me to continue, so if you like this story so far, please comment or reblog :)

Masterlist

“So you’re leaving Wednesday, right?” your brother asks, his mouth still full from the spoonful of ice cream he’s just shoveled in.

“Yeah,” you reply, laughing then because Sarah wacks Nathan in the head for talking while he’s got food in his mouth. “I’ll be back on the tenth.”

“Do you need us to drive you to the airport?” Sarah offers, Jake nodding enthusiastically next to her.

“That’s very kind,” you reply, “but Lauren’s already offered to drive me.” You smile then, “It’s sort of our tradition, you know?”

Sarah nods while Jake looks a little disappointed and so you offer him an extra scoop of ice cream instead, ignoring his mother’s protests that he’s already had enough with a wink.

You wait until Jake’s finished his dessert before you start clearing the plates, a little surprised when Nathan offers to help you with the dishes. That is it’s just you two in the kitchen and he bumps shoulders with you, “Remind me again why we have to lie to Mom and Dad for you about this “business trip”. He uses his fingers to air-quote the last word, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Technically it is sort of a business trip,” you answer quietly, “what with me working in the New York office.”

“Sure,”

“It’s just,” you start, a sigh then. “It’s Mom and Dad and you know how they get. I don’t know,” you hesitate, trying to find the right words, “I just don’t want to get them all worked up about this. Not until-”

“Not until when?” Nathan jumps in. “Until you’re well and married?” He leans against the counter, arms crossed in front of him, “Listen, I know they can get a bit carried away sometimes, I mean, Dad will probably cross-examine the guy the first chance he gets, and Mom will want to know if he ever plans on having a big family within seconds of meeting him, but it’s just because they care, you know? You’re their little girl,” he does nothing to hide his eye roll, “and they just want you to be happy and-”

“I know,” you bite back. A little softer then, “I know, but I’m still trying to figure everything out myself, ok? And it’s hard enough as it is without Mom and Dad around.”

“Is it, though?”

“Well yeah,” you counter, “this feels different. There’s this whole world that he’s a part of that I’m still trying to make sense of. Either he’s on a movie set, or doing press somewhere, or going to a premiere or an award show or-”

“But that’s just work though, isn’t it?” Nathan says quietly. He looks at you then, eyebrows raised, “Don’t set this up for failure by coming up with excuses as to why this is doomed from the start only because you act like it’s something special.” He holds up his hand when he sees you want to say something, “I’m not saying it isn’t something special, don’t get me wrong, but at the end of the day, you are just two people who like each other very much and it shouldn’t matter if he’s famous and you’re not. If you like each other, really like each other, well, that’s what’s most important.”

You want to argue, really you do, but deep down you know he’s right. You’ve been trying to come up with reasons as to why this would never work ever since you first saw Sebastian in Los Angeles and so far he’s proved you wrong every single time. And after Nate’s speech, maybe it’s time to prove yourself wrong too.

Without warning you throw your arms around your brother, pulling him in for a hug, “Thanks, Nate.”

Taking one last look around your office to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything, you shut off the lights before you hoist your purse a little higher on shoulder and grab your laptop bag off the floor. You stop one door down, at Deb’s office, and poke your head inside, “Alright, I’m off. See you in three weeks.”

She looks up at you from over the rim of her reading glasses, the slight nod she gives you as encouraging as the smile she wears, “Don’t let those New Yorkers get to you, kid.”

“I won’t.”

“You’re one of the best out there,” she continues, looking extremely proud, “they’re lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, Deb,” you say as you smile back. The woman holds a special place in your heart, giving you a chance to work alongside her ever since you graduated college and teaching you the ropes every step of the way. A true mentor and definitely something you aspire to be to some young kid one day. She isn’t the affectionate type however, and so you know better than to walk over and give her a hug, instead opting for a quick wave, “I’ll keep you updated.”

“You do that.”

“Ok, so,” Lauren says, practically jumping out of her car, joining you on the curb, “on a scale of one to ten, how excited are you?”

You laugh, because she asked you the exact same thing a little over four weeks ago, when she dropped you off for your flight to Los Angeles. “A solid ten,” you reply this time.

“Good,” she agrees, as she leans against her truck while you grab your suitcase. Her arm around your shoulders then as you stand next to her, squeezing you close, “I’m so happy for you babe!”

You think you hear her voice shake and so you turn to her, not completely surprised that she’s a little teary-eyed, “Laur-”

“I know, I know,” she says as she lets go of you, “I shouldn’t get this emotional, but you know how I am.” She waves her hands in front of her eyes to stop the tears from falling, “I just want you to be happy.” She sobs then, “And I just know he makes you happy, but with him living in New York and-”

“Laur,” you interrupt her, your voice soft, because of course you know what’s bothering her, “I’ll come back. This is all still very new, ok?” You wait for her to nod before you continue, your hands on her arms now, “Maybe, one day, you know? But this is the first time we’ll be together for more than two nights and who knows how things will work out.”

“But-”

“No,” you say, sternly this time, “You will always, always be my best friend, Laur. No one can change that. I’m not leaving you. Never.”

She’s crying for real then, and so you pull her into a hug and hold her tight, because even though she acts like nothing fazes her, you know that she doesn’t do well with change.

It takes a while for her to calm down, but when she does she can’t help but laugh at the way she’s reacting, “God, we are a couple of drama queens, aren’t we?”

“You know it,” you agree, pulling her in for one last hug.

“Safe travels, babe,” she says as she lets go of you, “Love you.”

“Thanks, babe. Love you too.” You grab your suitcase before you turn back to her, "I’ll let you know when I’m there, ok?”

Your flight is delayed for almost three hours, and you’re pretty frustrated by the time they finally let everyone board, the talkative elderly lady you’re seated next to only getting on your nerves more and more as the flight progresses and so you’re not in the best mood when you finally land at JFK. Baggage claim is your own personal form of hell when there are three kids screaming and crying with their parents doing nothing absolutely about to stop them and to make things worse your bag is one of the last to get on the belt. 

By the time you exit the airport you’re pretty much done and you’re so lost in thoughts that you forget Sebastian’s organised for someone to pick you up and so you have to track back from the AirTrain station to the pick up location Sebastian texted you before your flight took off. To say you’re in a bad mood would be putting it mildly.

You scan the signs the drivers are holding up, looking for one that has your name on it, while figuring you’ll use the ride over to get yourself together and freshen up a bit, when you spot a familiar figure across the parking lot, your heart skipping a beat when you see him looking up at you with a mischievous smile. 

He’s wearing the same black baseball cap he had on when he came to Charlotte, and it seems he’s not drawing any attention but still you’re careful when you walk over to him. You’re not sure what the rules for public displays of affection are and so you stop just in front of him but he leans forward then, kissing you softly even though there’s a need to his kiss that tells you he wants more. You feel all your build-up frustration melt away at his touch and smile into the kiss, your lips the only part of you touching him even though it feels like you’re hanging onto him for dear life.

He pulls away then, his voice barely above a whisper, “Hey.”

Your knees actually fucking buckle then and it makes you wonder if you’ll ever have the same effect on him until you see his cheeks are a little flushed and you can’t help but smile.

“You ok?” he asks as he takes your suitcase and puts it in the trunk.

“Yeah,” you nod, before your smile grows wider. “Better now that I’m here.” You let him lead you around the side, a little surprised when he says he’ll join you in the backseat but of course he has a driver. It’s New York, nobody owns a car here.

The car is one of those luxury town cars, with a blacked out window between the front and back seat that Sebastian closes as soon as he tells the driver you’re good to go. There’s still a little bit of space between you, but God you’ve missed him and so you scoot closer and snuggle up to him, letting out a content sigh when he puts his arm around you.

“I like you,” he whispers quietly, before he presses a kiss to your temple.

He drops your bag at the door and holds out his hand for you to take, “Come on. I’ll give you the tour.” 

You’re standing in a long hallway with doors on either side and and a view into the living room on the far end. He gives you a quick rundown of the first three doors, with the guest bedroom on your left, and the master bedroom and toilet on your right.

The second door on your left leads to the open plan kitchen and from there into the living room, and you actually gasp when you see the view it offers of the city. The windows are big, starting about three foot off the ground, running all the way up to the ceiling, dark blue curtains framing each window perfectly. There’s something about his living room that makes you feel at home right away, because even though the furniture and decor are all pretty masculine, it’s also cozy and you can tell the pieces are put together with care.  

From the living room he leads you back into the hall, still holding your hand as he opens a door on your left, revealing the master bedroom. The walls here are a dark green color that you fall in love with immediately and you realize it’s because the color somehow just fits Sebastian. 

He points to two doors in the room, one for the bathroom, the other for the walk-in closet, before he quietly says, “I’ve cleaned out some space for you to put your things.”

You’re taken by the way he insecurely runs a hand through his hair before he rubs his neck and so you press a kiss to his lips, “Thank you.” You’re about to pull away, but his hands are on your hips then, pulling you closer. You smile into the kiss, your hands finding their way into his hair, stopping at the base of his neck. You open your mouth then and his tongue does something that makes you moan into the kiss, a little weak in the knees for the second time that day.

Sebastian’s hands move a little higher, lifting you up and you wrap your legs around his waist almost instinctively, grinding down a little until you feel the bulge in his pants pressing against you. He takes a few steps forward before he carefully lowers you onto his bed, his lips never leaving yours. His hand finds its way to your thigh, pushing your dress a little higher, his fingers slowly making their way up before he teasingly presses his hand against your already wet panties.

You buckle your hips, aching for his touch, hoping to increase the pressure, but instead he removes his hand and you whimper at the loss of contact. He stops kissing you then too and all you can do is look at him with your eyebrows raised.

He chuckles, lips a little swollen, cheeks a little flushed, “Don’t worry, I’m about to make it up to you.”

You wake up to the sound of a doorbell ringing as well as some eighties rock music playing somewhere in your proximity. It takes you a moment to figure out you’re at Sebastian’s place, but then the memories from earlier that afternoon come rushing back and you feel the heat rising to your cheeks when you remember how you screamed his name not once, not twice but three times already. You hear the door open, a muted “Thanks, Joe.” coming from Sebastian and for a moment you keep still, trying to figure out of he let someone in, but after a few quiet minutes you figure something must have been delivered because if you remember correctly Joe is the doorman.

It’s then you smell food coming from somewhere and as if on cue your stomach starts to growl. Getting out of bed you find your dress somewhere discarded on the floor and so you put it on before you walk to the kitchen. You find Sebastian behind the counter, plating up what seems to be a Thai curry, while softly singing along to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ from Journey.

“Hi,” you say, but your voice is still a little raw and so it comes out barely above a whisper.

He turns around, a warm smile on his lips, the laughter lines around his eyes crinkling, “Hey, you.”

You end up next to him and you throw your arms around his waist as you rest your head against his chest, “Smells good.”

“I don’t really cook,” he says, almost apologetically, “so it’s almost always take out or a restaurant.”

“Sounds good,” you say with a smile, because really it is, although you promise yourself to surprise him with a home cooked meal somewhere in the upcoming days.

“You sleep well?” Sebastian asks when he sees you walking into the kitchen, handing you a cup of coffee and giving you a kiss as you pass him.

“Yeah, although the first night somewhere else is always a little weird,” you admit easily as you sit down on one of the bar stools at the kitchen island, “I think I woke up a couple of times before your alarm went off.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he grins, “I always have an early morning training session on Thursday.”

“It’s fine,” you reply with a smile.

“Oh yeah, before I forget, here is yours,” Sebastian says suddenly, like it’s no big deal, pulling something out of his pocket.

You however, are at a loss for words when you take what you suppose is the key to his apartment from him, holding it tight in your hand as your eyes follow Sebastian across the kitchen. He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and puts it into a gym bag that’s lying on the counter, before he sits down on the bar stool next to you, shifting a little in his seat so he’s facing you, smiling, “I don’t want you to have to wait around for me. You should just do as you please.”

“Ok,” you say, slowly, not sure where he’s going with this.

“You’re going to have to go in to work, right?” he asks, a little uncertain now.

You nod, “Yeah.”

“Ok,” he echoes, smiling again. “I’ve tried to keep my schedule as empty as possible, but I couldn’t clear everything, plus I have a couple of things I really have to go to. You know, meetings, training sessions,” his voice drops then, his smile fading, “therapy once a week.”

You put your hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Hey, no judgment here. I went to therapy for almost a year after I broke up with Mark.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You smile, “If I ever was president for a day I’d offer everyone free therapy sessions. It’s still so underrated and frowned upon, but it’s so good for you and your mental health.”

“Thank you,” he replies before he leans in and kisses you, his hand resting on your leg. “So, uh, yeah, you just do your thing, ok? And I’ll do mine and then let’s at promise that we’re back here every night at six?”

You nod, “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Alright, well, I’m headed to gym in a couple of minutes, then I have a meeting with my agent and after that I should have a pretty good idea what the rest of my week looks like, so I’ll let you know, ok?”

Holding three pretty full grocery bags in your left hand, you search for your key with your right, groaning in frustration when you realize you put it in your left pocket. Switching hands you find your key and let yourself into Sebastian’s apartment, walking straight into the kitchen where you put the bags onto the counter before you take your bomber jacket off and drape it over a chair.

It’s Saturday and you’ve just been to Tucker Square Greenmarket, getting everything you need to make that home cooked meal you promised yourself you’d make for him. You let your phone connect to Sebastian’s sound system, thumbing through your playlist until you’ve found one with nineties music that you put on while you start unloading the bags.

You’ve still got some time left before Sebastian gets home and so you take it easy, pouring yourself a glass of wine before you set about the meal prep, softly singing along to whatever song is playing while you’re at it.

By the time the chicken is in the oven and the potatoes are roasting, you’re two glasses of wine in and so when ‘I’ll be There for You’ from the Rembrandts comes on you can’t help but turn up the volume and dance through the kitchen, using a courgette as a microphone, singing at the top of your lungs. It isn’t until the songs ends that you notice Sebastian standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame.

“I was just-” you start, still panting a little, resting against the counter to catch your breath and realizing whatever you’re about to say next is futile from the way he’s grinning wickedly. You wipe your brow, “How long have you been standing there anyway?”

“From the first time you tried to clap along,” he says, trying to keep a straight face.

“It’s hard,” you say, trying to defend your off-beat clapping, pouting for extra effect.

He laughs out loud then and shakes his head, “You are something else, you know that?”

“Free entertainment, apparently,” you mutter, but you can’t help but smile. Laughing then when he takes your hand and spins you around before he kisses you.

“I like you,” he says, before he eyes the oven timer, “Still thirty minutes left until dinner, huh?”

You follow his gaze and nod, before you look back at him, one eyebrow raised, “What you have in mind, Stan?”

He doesn’t say anything, just grabs your hips and pulls you closer, before he moves his hands and scoops you up, making his way to the bedroom. His voice low when he says, “You just wait and see, sweetheart.”

An age and a half ago, @tavsancuk tagged me in a 10 characters in 10 fandoms meme.  I am finally filling it.  I have laid myself some ground rules.  I will choose and present to you, in no particular order, my ten favorite male characters.  I will also include explanations for my picks.  I am strongly considering doing a mirror post with my ten favorite female characters with explanations.  Also, some of them are coming with fic recs.  Sorry not sorry.  Most of those recs will route you to FFN.  That, I am a little sorry about.  Since this is explanation heavy, I’ll put it under a read more.

Finn (Star Wars) This fabulous man turns his back on everything he has ever been taught because he realized it was wrong.  He broke more than a decade’s worth of programming to free Poe Dameron, and then he went back for Rey despite his fear of the First Order.  That takes serious guts, and I have so much respect for his character.

have you heard by peradi Finn sparks a stormtrooper revolution.

Jess Mariano (Gilmore Girls) Jess grew so much over the course of the series.  We did not get to see most of it happening, but he went from a really messed up, angry at the world teenager to a well-adjusted and very successful adult (based on what we’ve seen).  Also, though he and Rory had their issues as a couple, he was the only one of her boyfriends who she did not feel the need to change for.

Of Books and Music by once-was-serendipity.  Instead of cutting off all contact with Rory when he left in season 3, Jess sent books with his margin-notes to Rory.  We see him deal with all of his shit. Pay the Piper by Iscah McKrae.  Immediately after Rory’s disastrous visit to Philadelphia, Shane contacts Jess to tell him they have a daughter who she wants not part of.  Jess winds up taking full custody.  Incomplete. Truths Universally Acknowledged by 12cubed.  A Jane Austen report assigned by Mr. Medina spirals out of control as Taylor announces a Jane Austen festival.  Season 2 style Rory/Jess pining. Tide and Moon by once-was-serendipity.  Jess and Rory’s relationship over seasons 2 and 3 plays out a bit differently.  Mostly, Jess get’s his shit together earlier.  Incomplete.

Zuko (Avatar the Last Airbender) Over the course of the series, Zuko realized that his father was evil and everything he had been taught (by someone not-Uncle-Iroh) was either a lie or immoral.  Once he finished being in denial about it, he took action, ultimately changing sides and working to atone for the wrong he had done when he still believed in his father.

Embers by Vathara.  At the beginning of season 2, Zuko discovers the secret of healing fire, and then things get super AU, super fast.  Lots of worldbuilding, and I swear to god this author’s a goddess.  Has been described as “Atla in the style of Game of Thrones, minus the sex” Mismatched by Kimberly T. In season 1, Zuko discovers an Earth Kingdom baby with mismatched eyes.  Because local superstition claims the baby is a witch-child and bad luck because of it, Zuko adopts him.  This speeds his realization that everything he knows is wrong by quite a bit. Incomplete. Second Nature by lazyartisan.  At the end of season 1, Zuko is captured at the North Pole.  Angst ensues.  Essentially, the author upped the stakes and ignored the “kids show” genre.  Incomplete-ish.  The author told the story she wanted to tell, but ends the story at the end of season 2 rather than resolving everything.  She may eventually update again, she may not. Another Brother by AvocadoLove.  Zuko was scarred much younger than in canon and is found by Chief Hakoda almost dead on a Fire Navy ship.  Hakoda takes him in, and he is raised in the Southern Water Tribe alongside Sokka and Katara.

Steve Rogers (MCU) Steve Rogers’ moral compass is so on point it’s honestly terrifying.  His entire morality basically boils down to “I don’t like bullies or trust the people in power not to be bullies,” and honestly that’s the kind of role model we all could use.  He is uncompromising, but he’s right with an alarming consistency.  And he’s genuine, which warms the cockles of my own way-too-honest heart.  (It should, perhaps, be noted that this is why Benjamin Tallmadge is my favorite Turn character and that these traits are reflected in one of my most formative female characters, Keladry of Mindelen.)

Serenade by CSI Clue. Happy fic.  Steve gets a girlfriend and everything is adorable. Choice is Not a Word a Bullet Knows series by bomberqueen17.  Winter Soldier followup, so much poly capfam, at least one really awesome OC. A Pretty Boy with a Bird Tattoo by Kryptaria and rayvanfox.  Steve/Bucky/Nat OT3, punk college AU.  My favorite of their collaborative works (because Nat), but their other stuff (stucky, all of it) is super awesome too.  Source Code by Closer.  Steve is tired of everyone thinking he’s a robot clone or whatever the conspiracy theory of the week is. Freezer Burn series by Domenika Marzione.  Comics/MCU mashup that follows a different Avenger in each of the major stories. Freezer Burn follows Steve, Thaw follows Clint, Revenant follows Nat.

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) Spencer Reid gets put through such shit by the Criminal Minds writers (and the fandom, honestly.  We love to watch him suffer), but he continues to be dedicated to justice and peaceful solutions.  In addition, he is one of the biggest nerds and genius’ on TV, and is generally way less obnoxious and improbable about it than others of his type.  It should be noted that I am not up to date on this show, having missed almost every episode that aired while I was at University, and that I am refusing to watch the current Reid-in-prison-without-his-memory arc.  Because that was a bridge too far.

Foxtrot Whiskey Bravo by Kuria Dalmatia.  Reid and Elle have a friends with benefits relationship.  Very unangsty for my possible Reid picks. The Comstock King’s Daughter by TheKnittingLady.  Reid/OC.  Reid and his date get kidnapped by an Unsub, things go better than they could.  The least depressing/angsty story by this author, the story by this author requiring the fewest content/trigger warnings.  This author is *very* good, but her work is pretty messed up.  Writes almost exclusively Reid-centrics, usually Reid/OC. Liar by Addicted Archangel.  Reid is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.  Somehow not as angsty/whumpy as the current canon storyline.  Begins with his conviction, ends with his release.

Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) Honestly, who doesn’t love Gilbert?  Pining away for Anne and being generally adorable.  No long winded explanation here, but can we all just take a second, think of Gilbert Blythe, and smile?

Blythe Spirit and Unromantic Ideal by Morte Rouge.  The first three books of the Anne of Green Gables Series from Gilbert’s POV.  I promise it’s not repetitive.  Some grammar issues.

Christopher Perry/Halliwell (Charmed) This tortured soul happens to fall right in the middle of one of my favorite tropes: Time Travel.  Chris travels back in time to prevent his older brother, the most powerful witch to ever live, from turning evil and taking over the world.  He lost literally everyone, led the resistance, watched his brother kill his fiance, and when he went back in time was hated by the younger versions of his family for being so driven and not letting them have a life and also for breaking up his mother and father (they, of course, did not know who he was). Also, he’s a sarcastic little shit.  It’s like he’s the definition of my preferred angst-button.

A Pair of Ragged Claws by cunneware.  Wyatt’s most deadly assassin arrives from the future.  It is revealed that she has been magically enslaved by Wyatt, and when that magic is lifted, she decides to aid Chris in his mission to prevent Wyatt from turning evil.  Ultimately, it is revealed that Chris is the sisters’ son/nephew. The Last Horcrux by Stonage Woman.  Crossover with Harry Potter, AU from book 6.  Taking place in the original future where Wyatt is evil, with all the accompanying super-depressing things that come along with that.  Harry is in his 40s, still fighting Voldemort, and essentially adopts Chris.  If you would like to know where my angst-o-meter sits, this one registers at like an 8 of 10.

Edmund Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) Edmund is generally a shit in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  Nobody will argue that point with you.  What’s important to me is how he grows.  He decides to become worthy of Aslan’s sacrifice.  He decides to live up to his sobriquet “The Just.”  He acts to atone for his selfishness and live a life of service.

Harold and Morgan: Not a Romance by rthstewart.  This is super a romance.  Edmund got married in Narnia to a banker from the Lone Islands.  It’s adorable, and I’m quite convinced she’s on the autism spectrum. The Stone Gryphon ‘verse by rthstewart.  The Pevensies deal with being back in WWII England, mostly by being ridiculously badass. Not a whole ton of Edmund yet, but it’s awesome, I love everything about it, and could hardly write Narnia recs and not include it. Letting Go by Lirenel.  Prince Caspian AU in which Edmund arrives separately from and substantially before his siblings because he wasn’t holding their hands at the train station. The Ledbury Run by Maddy Carr. Back in England, Edmund and Peter participate in a cross-country race and find in their path a downed German paratrooper.

Simon Tam (Firefly) Simon had it all.  He had money, he had his dream career, he had parents who were pleased as punch to have him as their son.  He gave it all up to rescue his sister from government experimentation and subsequently became a fugitive.  He has some trouble adjusting, as you can imagine, from golden child to desperate man on the edges of society, but he never considers going back.  Not once.  Because his sister was more important to him than all the accolades he could earn.

Alec Hardison (Leverage) Hardison is a hardened criminal.  Ish.  He takes immense pride in his hacking ability and would be offended if I said he was one of the best in the business.  Because he’s the best. But really, Hardison’s a soft touch.  He was the one most easily convinced to join the Leverage team and use his crime powers for good.  His first heist? Hacking into the Bank of Iceland to pay his Nana’s medical bills.  He decided that the Leverage crew was his family, and promptly adopted them all.  He’s the team-builder, the block they all built on.  He provided the space, he provided the nurturing eye, he paid attention to what his team members wanted and gave it to them.  Though he’s a criminal, he’s the moral center of the Leverage crew.  Also he’s a giant nerd and completely hilarious.

The Justice League Job by Eatsscissors.  Casefic about a stolen comic book. Hardison/Parker.