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navybrat817 · 1 year

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Muse

Pairing: Artist!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: Bucky is thankful to have you as his muse. Word Count: Over 1.1k Warnings: Fluff, kissing, light insecurities if you squint, slight feels (it's me), Bucky Barnes and he's in love (and he’s a warning, okay?). A/N: Nix was kind enough to send me an old edit she made and I ran with it for @the-slumberparty 's Across the Universe challenge. ❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, but any and all mistakes are my own. Banner by the lovely @sgt-seabass and divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Bucky Barnes hadn't expected to find solace in art when he was younger. It seemed more like a path that his best friend Steve would take, though both of them appreciated expressing themselves creatively. Life also taught him that his road came with unexpected bumps and turns. Trading guns for brushes and pencils after he left the army, art helped him process some of his emotions he long kept at bay. It showed him how to look at life from a different perspective. In some ways, it saved him.

Like you did.

"Mmm."

The moan you let out drew Bucky's gaze up from his sketchpad, smiling softly as you stretched your legs out under the sheets. As tempted as he was to rouse you with his tongue, he decided to let you sleep since he already woke you once in the middle of the night. It wouldn't be the first time he sketched you while you slept.

The pad in his hand was already filled with drawings of you, but one more wouldn't hurt. Over the hours and days spent with you, he studied and learned your body well. He had other sketches and paintings of you in various angles and lightning. Those would never be sold.

Some art that existed was for the artist alone.

The pencil began to move across the paper once more when you didn't stir. If you woke up and caught him drawing you again, you'd shake your head and tell him he had more than enough. He disagreed.

There was beauty in his surroundings, but they paled in comparison to you.

"Bucky," you whispered, sending a shiver of excitement down his spine. Like the color red, you speaking his name invoked deep, intense passion within him. He saw hues in brighter shades thanks to you. "Come back to bed."

"I'm almost finished," he promised.

"You drawing me again?" you mumbled, bringing your hand up to cover your yawn as he kept sketching. "You have enough and I'm a mess."

"Maybe. Maybe not," he teased with a tender smile when your eyes opened halfway. "And you're not a mess. You're beautiful."

And it’ll never be enough.

"Careful, James," you teased back, arching your back as you stretched. "Keep smiling and sweet talking and they'll take away your brooder card."

"We can't have that," he winked.

When Bucky decided to pursue art outside of a hobby, he hadn't meant to become a brooding recluse on purpose. He simply preferred solitude while he worked and he valued his privacy. While he was encouraged to promote his work on social media to help build more clientele, he never showed his face. He let his art speak for itself. It worked.

It was how he came to meet you.

Before he met you in person, you were his favorite customer. You bought multiple pieces and left the kindest comments on his page. He often went back to reread them when he got lost in his own head.

"While there are many beautiful pieces of art in the world, Bucky Barnes gives us work that defines, and defies, beauty. His art can move you to tears or give you hope of brighter days ahead. We're privileged that he chooses to share his vision with us and one can only hope to see the world as he sees it."

He may have moved you with his visuals, but you moved him with your words.

"I have to meet her," he told Steve when you commissioned a custom piece.

Steve couldn't believe it since Bucky hardly ever let anyone into his studio. He said it was the least he could do for someone who consistently showed him support. He wouldn't admit at the time how nervous he was to meet you. Or why he felt so compelled to see the person behind the name since he refused to look for you on social media.

He realized that day it was destiny to meet you.

The artist and the muse.

"Back to bed," you ordered, moving the sheets back as he set his pencil and pad down. He used the opportunity to gaze along your naked frame bathed in the soft light, lingering between your thighs. "Please, Bucky?

"Who am I to deny my muse?" he smirked, slowly standing from his stool to stretch. His sweatpants hung low on his hips and he had thrown his dark hair up in a bun to keep it out of his eyes. "Especially when you look at me like that."

I'm littered with scars and you gaze at me like I have no imperfections.

"Have you seen you? You're gorgeous," you said, patting the mattress for him to sit.

“Not as gorgeous as you.”

“Take the compliment, brooder,” you said with a sleepy grin.

When he took a seat with a chuckle, you stopped him before he could lay over you. Instead, you took his right hand and had him stay in place as began to gently massage it. You commented more than once about how long and thick his fingers were and how warm to the touch they were against your skin. Working at his hand in tiny circles, you carefully rubbed out any tension you sensed. While you focused on the task at hand, he took another minute to gaze at you in wonder.

My beautiful muse.

"There," you said, kissing his palm once you finished.

"Thank you," he said, resting the same hand over your heart.

He watched and felt your chest rise as you inhaled. The steady beat grounded him. He was lucky enough for you to let him paint you with his love.

Inside and out.

"Do you ever regret it?" he asked as he traced a small heart on your chest.

Your forehead scrunched as you looked at him. "Regret what?"

"Choosing me," he whispered.

You had a chance to live a life of luxury and you walked away from it for me. Do you regret following your heart when you could've had so much more with him?

You exhaled as you pushed yourself up to face him and placed your hands on both cheeks, making sure he was looking into your eyes. "I will never regret choosing you or being yours," you whispered back.

Bucky's eyes softened as he smoothed his left hand down your back and dropped a kiss to your mouth. He lost himself in the feel of your lips and tongue, an exchange of desire he only got to experience with you. He didn't live a life of glamor, but he would forever give you a life of love.

"Now use me as your canvas," you said as the kiss ended.

Like Bucky said, who was he to deny his muse?

I love Bucky in love. Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

#navybrat writes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes #artist!bucky barnes #artist!bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes au #navy and roo's sleepover #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan x you #nix #nix edit #nixakimbo edit #nix akimbo edit

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melloween-candie · 8 months

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Trouble- Chap. 1//First day

A Judd Birch Story!

Summary

You were the new kid in school, meaning you were fresh meat. You didn't know much about the school or the area you lived in. You were completely oblivious and naive, so much so you didn't even realized you had a growing number of perverts following you around. However, you weren't completely hopeless. You managed to make a few good friends who warned you about a lot of things- including Judd Birch. He wasn't known for his friendly attitude; in fact, he caused chaos wherever he went. You tried your hardest to avoid trouble, but it came to you anyway- in the form of Judd Birch.

Warning! HUMAN RECOURSE AND BIG MOUTH SPOILERS! Cussing, Name-calling, Gossip

Word Count: 3,983

Prologue, Chap. 1 ... [ON HOLD]

Big Mouth Fandom

Fandom Masterlists

/"Talking"//Thinking//Muttering-Whispering/

***Y/n's Pov***

Dear Diary,

It is currently 6:31 a.m. Right now, I'm getting ready for my first day of school here at Bridgeton High. I haven't had the chance to see the school yet, but my mom said it was bigger than my old school. It kind of sucks having to move to a new school after only having this year left..., but my mom said it had to be done.

We had to move due to issues with her old job. It took her a hot minute to find another decent job, but she managed. It's sad, really- she made a lot of money in her old job, but she said she'll make twice the amount here, so I guess that's good.

"Y/n! Are you almost done getting ready? Your school starts at 7:30; I want to be able to drop you off early so you can get a head start, and so we can avoid traffic as MUCH as possible!" Your mom yelled from downstairs.

Quickly you dropped your pencil and closed your diary, finishing the page off with your signature and date.

"Coming!" You yelled, trying to hassle. You rushed towards your bathroom, closing the door behind you. You grabbed the clothes you prepped the other night beforehand and started changing.

***Narrator's Pov*** ~Time skip!~

You had a white tank top underneath your crop hoodie. The hoodie was black with a pale pastel pink bat on the top right, just above your right breast. It was a small design, and the strings were long and blood-red. Meanwhile, the back had wings of bones with red bloodshot flowers growing through the bones as an interkit and in-depth design.

As for pants, you wore a pitched black skirt. It was short and somewhat puffy, with the inside part being white. The skirt was designed to have shorts underneath. That way, no pervert can try and sneak a peek. You wore a red belt around it and had some silver chains attached to it for extra flair~.

Then you put on some simple, long, thin-laced socks. The socks reached just above your ankles, perfectly covering your calves. Meanwhile, for your shoes. They were ankle top heal boots. All black but with a hint of red inside it. (Something like this-)

And lastly, your hair and makeup. Your makeup was simple and cute. You chose to use neutral coloring with just a light pink blush. You also filled in your eyebrows and added some lipgloss. Your hair wasn't really flashy since your mom refuses to let you dye your hair any color other than natural colors. So you choose to dye it all black. Your hair was relatively short, too, so you couldn't really style it. You ended up putting it in two low twin pigtails.

Finally, after finishing up, you brushed your teeth and hair, rushed out of your bathroom, and grabbed your bookbag, stuffed it up with notebooks and pencils, then ran downstairs to find your mom standing next to the front door tapping her foot. Her arms were crossed- clearly, she was irritated.

To be fair, it was also her first day at her new job, and she couldn't afford to lose it. So the more time you got ready, the more time she was losing. "I asked you to be done getting ready-" She looked at her watch. "30 minutes ago!"

You shrugged your shoulders- "Sorry."

Your mom sighed and grabbed your face causing your hoodie to fall. She pulled you close and kissed you on your forehead. Then she lifted your face to make you look at her.

"Well- at least you look more alive today." You smiled. "Thanks, mom."

Some would say otherwise for your mom- She had her hair tied tightly up into a bun, and her edges were done incredibly well. Your mom also went bold with her makeup. She had sharp wings and a deep gold-colored eyeshadow, complimenting her skin color. She also had deep red lipstick on. She clearly wasn't messing around.

The outfit she had on was a simple black women's suit. With a white buttoned-up shirt underneath her smoothed black jacket. Her entire outfit complimented her body figure. She was very curvy, leaning more towards the thicker side. She also wore dark skin tone legging trousers that were laced up in a pretty but subtle pattern, and to top it all off, she had black high heels on that made a clicking sound every time she stepped.

You both walked out the door and got inside the car. You shoved your bookbag down next to your feet as you clipped your seat belt on while your mom placed some documents into the glove box. After you all strapped up, your mom started driving towards your new school. The drive was fairly boring. She had the news playing in the background as she mumbled stuff. Meanwhile, you had your headphones in, listening to music, but once you guys were about to make a turn- a teal van with loads of stickers behind it rushed past, swerving around your car. Your mom started cussing the hell out of it as she finished her turn.

***Y/n's Pov*** ~Small time skip!~

Finally, she made it to the front of your school drop-off spot. She kisses your forehead goodbye and wishes you a good day at school as she droves off. You watched how her car sped by, and slowly, you took in a breath.

"Okay, Y/n... You got this." You muttered, turning around slowly. You stared at the school and were amazed to see how big it was... "Maybe mom was right... I really should have tried to get here early..." You sulked as you started walking with the rest of the herd. As you passed the student cars, you found one that looked surprisingly familiar...

Speedy?

It was the same teal car that swerved passed your mom...

Great... I guess Mom's gonna have to deal with him every time she drops me off and possibly picks me up too...

~Small time skip!~ - In the school lobby -

"Thanks again!" You said to the office lady as you left. You now had your schedule in hand. You stood right beside the office door, looking at your schedule as a herd of students walked by.

It read- Y/n L/n Locker Number: A-1 303 Locker Code: 33'54'20

1st period-Homeroom // Mr. Michel // English 4 // Room # 222 2nd period// Mrs. Daisy // Advanced Art // Room # 113 3rd period // Mrs. Jackson // Crime and Literature // Room # 234 4th Period // Mr. Riley // P.E // Room # 202 5th Period // Lunch // Cafeteria 6th Period // Mrs. Dollings // Algibra 2 // Room # 143 7th Period // Mr. Myers // World History AP // Room # 104 8th Period // Mr. Brock // Chemistry // Room # Labritory 3

Then suddenly, someone bumps into you, causing you to drop your paper. It scattered into the herd of loud, chatty high school students.

"Ohh, NO!" Tito appeared. "Just GREAT! You dropped the only thing that gave you guidance around this HELL WHOLE!" You freaked out, getting on your knees, trying to grab the paper that landed in between two random students. Luckily they didn't notice you.

You grabbed it, quickly standing up, pretending like nothing happened. Then you turned around to see who caused this.

"Tch."

You stood there facing a guy's chest. Slowly you looked up to his face... You blushed-

His face seemed like it was stuck in a permanent scowl. His hair was styled as a curtain undercut with longish blue-tipped bangs. Meanwhile, his sides and underback were shaved. He was by far at least half a head taller than you... You just stood there, not realizing you were staring.

"Hey, dunce face. Am I gonna have to move you myself?" He said in a deep, husky voice. It brought chills to your spin as you were pulled back into reality.

"Ooooh~ Okay, big daddy~," Connie says out of nowhere, causing you to blush even more as you stumbled out of his way. You tried apologizing, but all you could muster was a few stutters before he was entirely out of your sight.

Idiot!

You covered your face out of embarrassment.

"Yeah, you're right-" Tito said. "He probably thinks you're a useless loser!"

Connie swung her arm around your shoulder- "Hey, come on now. He may be attractive..., but you're hot too! You two would make cute babies~"

"Yeah, right!" Says Tito. "All the cuteness would be from his genes- AND even so, he would never go for an ugly, struggling teenage girl like Y/n. It's hopeless!"

Connie scuffs, "Well, hey now-!"

You just grabbed ahold of your bookbag straps and started walking towards where you believed your locker was located.

~ Small time skip!~

It took you a hot minute, but you managed. Your locker stood between two people. A girl to your left, who had her hair up in a messy ponytail. Her hair had clips and beads on it. She had pitch-black hair and black eyeliner. She had her right nostril pierced. She wore a gray long-sleeved shirt with a black vest over it- the vest had bold yellow text on it saying the word- RUBBISH in an edgy font.

Meanwhile, there was a guy on your right. He was just about the same height as the lockers themselves. He was also leaning towards the heavier side. He had a pink dress shirt on and tons of bracelets. He closed his locker, causing you to quickly look away.

"Okay, girly." The girl next to you said out of nowhere. She had her arm stretched out. Her palm against her locker, she was leaning on it.

"Huh?" You were slightly nervous. Unsure if she was talking to you or not.

"It's time to address the elephant in the room-" The girl gets closer to you, closing her locker shut. "Your new here? Right- I mean, it's just I've never seen you before, and I know everyone here."

"Umm... Yeah? I am-"

The bell then rings, indicating that breakfast time is over and that you should be heading to your classes now.

"Thought so." She looked at the guy behind you, then back towards you. Quickly she closed your locker and shoved your right shoulder as the other guy did the same on your left, causing you to spin around. Then she grabbed your forearm as the guy did the same to the other. Forcing you to walk with them.

"Listen, kid, what's your name?" Said the girl as she yanked your schedule out of your hands, and before you could even answer- she answered for you.

"So your name is Y/n L/n. Aye?" She said, chewing gum as she spoke.

The guy then leaned in closer- "By any chance, do you know Stacey L/n?" He had a surprisingly pitchy voice. You couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

"Um, no. I just moved here." You replied as they continued to drag you down the hall.

"Interesting..." The girl then gave you back your schedule. "You're gonna have to be very careful in Mr. Michel's class."

"Yeah, I heard he's a pervert..." Said the guy.

"And he plays favorites!" Added the girl as she shoves you against the locker. She pats your arms down, shoving the dirt off you. Then she steps back and takes a look at you... Then proceed to pull your hoodie down... "Perfect. Just keep out of sight, don't raise your hand, and sit in the back- if possible. He shouldn't mess with you then. OH, and always turn in your assignments a day late- he gets lazy and ends up giving everyone an A after the first day of grading."

"Yeah, I once turned in an unfinished assignment in his class, and he still gave me an A..." Added the guy.

Then the girl grabbed your shoulders and gave you a deep glaring look. "Look- just be careful in there." She nods her head towards the door next to you guys. "If he does say or do anything to you during that class, just come to us immediately after, okay?"

"OH! And if he asks if you can stay after class- RE-FUSE-IT! Make up an excuse if you don't want to get- yeah, now... R.A.P.E.D," He spelled.

You gave him a frightening look- "H-how is this teacher not fired yet...?"

They both looked at each other and then back at you- "Ow, sweety, do you honestly think this high school gives a shit about their students?" The guy huffs.

"Yeah, in your dreams. It's survival of the fittest out here." Said the girl.

You just nodded slowly to everything they said, not wanting to believe in what you were hearing. Then the girl lets you go. "Look, you don't have to be scared. He's small and weak. If you really need it- you can always ask one of the guys in your class, your pretty enough to make any guy do dumb shit." She smiles, hitting you with her elbow teasingly.

"Oh, Just don't do anything with Judd." Said the guy.

"Umm... Who's Judd?" You asked, leaning towards the open door, trying to get a good view of the people in there.

The guy then gets behind you and points at a guy with blue-tipped hair. "That's Judd Birch. He's harmless as long as you don't mess with him- AND I MEAN DON'T. The guy doesn't fuck around- a few girls from my grade tried flirting with him before, and let's just say their reputations were completely destroyed."

"Yeah, the only girls who CAN screw with that guy are the girls HE PICKED."

"Wha- what do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it. Just don't flirt with him, don't touch him- just don't interact with him AT ALL. He's just BAD NEWS." The girl then shoves you towards the door. You looked back at them with a worried expression.

"Look, girly, you'll be fine. Um- here!" The girl then pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. "Does anyone have a pen?"

"Oh- here!" The guy then pulls out a pen from his dress shirt pocket.

"Really, Damian? In your pocket too?"

"What?! It's good to carry pens!"

She just rolled her eyes and started writing against the locker.

Then she hands you the piece of paper.

"Text us." Then they both walked away...

You looked at the paper...

It read-

Janis ball - 707 612-8891 Damian Duggless - 424 717-2929 [If you guys don't get the reference... 😭😭😭]

"Text us after class" (P.S We were once also new kids :))

You smiled.

"Heyy! It seems like you already made two new friends!" Emmi was now here, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess I did, ha- also, where were you?"

"Ahh- haha, let's not get into it now..." Emmi giggled nervously as she shoved you into your class.

Once the teacher saw you, he told you to stand there as the rest of the students came in and filled the seats.

~Small time skip!~

You stood in front of the class as you were told as the late bell finally rang. A few more students rushed into his classroom before he closed the door entirely.

Your teacher, Mr. Michels, then fixed up a few papers on his hands- straightening them before grabbing the class's attention.

"Alright! Listen up, Class! This may be the second week of school, but that doesn't mean you all should start acting like fools. This here is B/n L/n-"

"It's actually Y/n- Y/n L/n..." You corrected him. There was a silent pause... He already looks annoyed- shit. before he proceeded.

"Alright then, my apologies Y/n-" He licked his lips and then proceeded. "Tell us a bit about yourself, Y/n." He was clearly cocky...

"Umm... okay- Well. My name is Y/n, but some call me N/n.(If you don't have one- just ignore it.) I just moved here from (Home-place). And- umm... I don't really know what else to say." You stumbled.

"Well then," The teacher placed his hand on your shoulder, roughly catching you off guard. You didn't really know what to do, knowing what they said about him- you felt somewhat uncomfortable. "Does anyone have any questions for our new female?" His grip got tighter...

New female... Your eyebrows scrunched up; you weren't really comfortable with how he introduced you.

A guy in the back with a green hat that had a Marijuana logo on it raised his hand and then proceeded to yell- "DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?!" The class started laughing as the guy who sat next to him gave him a high five. The dude was wearing a red jacket...

You looked towards the teacher in shock... What was strange was that the teacher looked at you as if he expected you to answer... He was smiling too-

"Umm... C-can I take my seat now..?" You asked nervously, trying to scoot away from your teacher.

The teacher paused and blinked for a second...

"Sure- You can either sit next to Judd, who is by the window back there, or Kurt, who is that kid in the back corner there- or ya know, by me." He smirked at his last statement.

"I'm good..." You mumbled, then started walking away with your head slightly down.

Kurt raised his hand- You stopped and looked at him. "Over here, hot stuff!" He pointed at the empty desk next to him as he leaned back against his chair. His leg pushed on his desk, causing him to rock back and forth.

Your face scrunches slightly- I'd rather get murdered by this guy; You look towards Judd... then back to Kurt, then sit with you...

You then continued walking towards the empty seat next to the 'bad boy.'

"You know- I'm pretty sure your teacher was staring at your doo-dahs for a second..." Said Connie.

"What makes you so shore?" Asked Emmi.

"Trust me, Emmi- it's hormone monster logic 101!" She said as she followed the group.

Once the guy named Kurt realized you chose to sit next to Judd instead of him, he fell off his chair, causing a scene. Everyone started laughing... meanwhile, during it all, you placed your stuff down, getting comfy in your seat and ignoring the situation a few seats behind you completely.

(BTW, just to let y'all know- these are two-seater desks...)

Small time skip!~ ***Narrator's Pov***

Halfway into the lecture, and still nothing. Judd hasn't done anything to you at all. You were kind of disappointed at that fact. Personally, you found him to be really cute, and everything those two said about him earlier only made him more intriguing. So much so that you would give him a 'casual' side glance every chance you got. You thought you were being really sneaky about it, but to him, you were practically screaming at him.

"Do you need something?" He said with his husky voice-

***Y/n's Pov***

OH FUCK! You couldn't stop screaming in your own head.

"OH NOOOO!!! YOU FUCKED UP!" Tito was flying EVERYWHERE. "OH GOD THE ONE THING WE WERE WARNED ABOUT!!!" As Tito started swarming the entire room- Connie tried to swat her away meanwhile, Emmi tried to reassure you- "Hey, don't worry about this- um, just say 'nope' or 'what are you talking about?'" She was clearly just as nervous as you.

"It's just you keep side-eyeing me like a little creep." He chuckled. That made you flustered QUICK, and he clearly knew- You couldn't even face him... this whole situation made you so uncomfortable that your body naturally straightened its posture while your head faced down; you stared at your worksheet so hard that you thought your eyes were about to pop out.

Meanwhile, Judd was just spinning his pencil. Doing cool little tricks with it as he continued to look at you. "Not much of a talker aye?" He stopped spinning his pencil. He tilted his head, too, you noticed... this only made you want to cover your face even more. You tilted your head down, now fully facing your lap, your hair covering your sides nicely.

Your grip on your pencil tightened- Dear god, PLEASE MAKE ME INVISIBLE NOW!!!

A few minutes go by, and he didn't say anything else after. So, you just continued on with your work. Once you finished, you got up and handed the teacher your work. He grabbed it, then winked at you- Gross... Then he proceeded to type something on his computer as you walked back to your seat. You had a good ten minutes left in class, so you just decided to put your head down for a bit.

Sooner or later, you felt a small tap on your head... You raised your head up to look and saw a small piece of ripped-up line paper right next to you. You then completely sat up and looked at Judd as you grabbed the paper. He wasn't even paying attention. His face was the same, could-care-less-about-everything face, and he even had his phone out- I wonder who he's texting...

You were a little suspicious... due to your trust issues, you were a little cautious of whether you should open this note or not- after all, you weren't sure if it was actually for you. Maybe you just imagined the tap you felt on your head just a few minutes ago?

Nevertheless, your curiosity got the best of you, and you opened it. It said-

Your number ⬇️ (If y'all can't see the emoji- it's an arrow pointing down to the line.) ______________

The handwriting was a little sloppy. The pencil was clearly being pressed onto the paper- REALLY hard.

You looked a little confused by all this. You looked at him; he was still messing with his phone, then back towards the paper. Then you wrote, "No." You remembered how your new friends told you not to mess with him- He may be hot, but I really don't wanna get into any trouble right now. All I want is to survive this last year of high school- And I can't do that if my reputation gets fucked.

You slide the piece of paper towards his side. It took him a moment, having to finish his text, then he opened it... Your heart starts pounding, fearing what he might do. You tried to act cool as if you didn't know what was happening.

Then you noticed, from the corner of your eyes. He was glaring at you. You could feel the sweat dripping down your neck... After writing something new down on the piece of paper, he slides it back towards you. You were hesitating on opening it at first but quickly opened it when you found him, still glaring at you... more intensely this time- he was clearly annoyed by now...

The note now says-

Your number ⬇️ (Same arrow.) ____No_____ That wasn't a question, dumbass ___________

Then you wrote down-

Your number ⬇️ (Same arrow.) ____No_____ That wasn't a question, dumbass (XXX) XXX-XXXX (Your number- Your choice 🤭) "Can I at least know why?"

Then you slide the paper to him, and he snatches it out of your hand. You looked at him as he read it. The bell then rings. You grabbed your stuff as he finished reading- "Soon enough, you'll know." He said as he slung his bookbag over his shoulder, pocketing the piece of paper as he pushed past you along with everyone else in his way...

Well, this can't be good... You thought as you walked out of class. "Hey! Put it this way! He wanted your NUMBER! That has to amount to something, am I right!" Said Connie. She had her arm wrapped around your waist as you all walked out of class, minus Tito; of course, she flew...

A/n

The first chapter is finally done! I'm not going to lie, I like it way better than how I had it originally played out... Anyway, I hope this was an eye-catcher for you guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter! 😝

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cevansbrat0007 · 1 year

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How would aj and Andy feel if his friends call his mom a milf ( gp!reader) aj is in his teens

Summary: You're a wife, a mother, and apparently...a MILF.

Warnings: Fluff, Female Objectification, Mentions of Violence, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: This drabble is part of my Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own. Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are appreciated. ___

"Dude! It was just a joke, bro!" The young man sputters as his friend, A.J. Barber, unceremoniously thrusts his gym bag and water bottle into his arms. "I wasn't being serious."

A.J. simply shakes his head as he brushes by his buddy, Max, to open the door before gesturing for him to step outside.

"DUDE!"

"That was my mom, man. My MOM!" The younger Barber huffs, pointing an accusatory finger at Max. "And I don't know how old she is because I'm afraid to ask. I saw my Dad do it one time and it did not go well, okay? But she's not - she's so not a...a..."

A.J. trails off, visibly shuddering as he's unable to finish his sentence. Out of nowhere comes another voice, this one belonging to the Barber family patriarch.

"What's all this commotion about, gentlemen? I can hear you from the kitchen." Andy strides into the foyer, wiping his wet hands on a navy blue dishtowel.

"Nothing." His son grumbles, blowing out a breath as he tries to resist the urge to thrust his friend out the door and slam it shut in his pencil-mustached face. "Max was just leaving."

Andy raises a concerned brow. "Before dinner? But we're making tacos in the wok tonight. Well, your mother is. I'll just be there to supervise."

And by "supervise", he meant hang out in the middle of the kitchen while you cooked so that he could occasionally accost with you kisses. While he thought of it as his own version of moral support, you maintained that he just liked getting in your "fucking way".

Your words, not his.

"He's not hungry." A.J. grunts at the same time as his pal utters the words "I could eat".

"Uh huh." The older man casts them both a suspicious look before crossing his arms over his rather impressive chest. Even in his fifties, Andrew Barber was still easy on the eyes. The budding silver-fox still managed to attract female attention wherever he went, whether he wanted it or not.

But he never paid it any mind, because he was also a happily married man who wore his wedding ring with pride

"Mrs. Barber is a phenomenal cook. My mom can't cook worth shi- I mean crap." Max laughs nervously, his hand going to rub the back of his neck. "She - my mom. Her food is not great, like at all. But, uh, maybe we could eat by the pool like we did last time."

"He's really gotta go, Dad."

"It's okay A.J. - I can stay. Mom's cool with it." Max calmly pats A.J. on his shoulder, trying to ignore the fire burning behind his hazel eyes.

"I mean...I suppose we could do that." Andy responds, a hint of skepticism in his tone. "I wonder if Y/N feels like making her homemade salsa too. I probably oughta ask..." His short, trimmed nails absently go to scratch at his bearded chin that now sported flecks of gray.

For the life of him, he couldn't seem to figure out why his son was turning such a spectacular shade of red. Or what now had him typing so furiously on his phone.

"She definitely should." Max tosses his bag back at Junior as a grin spreads across his smug face. "And you know, they say that a little sunshine does a body good."

"That it does." Andy agrees, noting of the sudden tenseness in his son's shoulders.

"And I know it's true, because the last time I saw Mrs. Barber outside she looked amazing."

Now that stops Andy quick, even as A.J. makes what sounds like a distinct choking noise in the back of throat. But the young man - Max - keeps talking, seemingly unaware of the danger he's just placed himself in.

"I was just telling A.J. here that your wife is definitely a MILF, sir. We talk about it all the time at school. And you can totally tell she works out or whatever, because she doesn't even look like how most Moms look. "

Suddenly, Andy's twitching eye mirrors his son's own.

"Hey, how old is Mrs. Barber now? Like 40?"

Andy clears his throat before casting a withering glare in the direction of his son's friend. "A word to the wise, young man - never ask a woman her age. Especially not if you want to live long enough to see your way through puberty."

A.J. nods along before returning his attention back to his phone.

"Even I don't know how old my wife is, mostly because I'm not stupid enough to ask."

"But then how do you -" Max interrupts, clearly confused by the direction of this conversation.

"If I think I need to know, then I guess. And when I guess, I err on the side of caution. Because I'm smart, and I've come to understand the meaning of the phrase happy wife, happy life."

"Oh."

"However, even without knowing just how many times Mrs. Barber has made the journey around the sun, she's still out of your age bracket. And therefore out of your league." Andy places a hand on Max's bicep, squeezing just hard enough to make the younger man gulp.

"And I would appreciate it if you didn't disrespect my wife and the mother of my son like that ever again. Do we have an understanding, Maximilian Robert Greenwell?"

"Ye-yeah. I mean yes, sir!" He quickly amends when he notices the way the elder Barber's nostrils flare. "Sorry about that. And, um, my bad, A.J."

"I took the liberty of texting your mom. She'll be here any minute." Andy's namesake interjects. "I suggest you wait for her on the front porch."

Without offering up another word, he opens the door and points toward the street. Taking the hint, his friend gathers his things once again and traipses outside. "Guess, I'll just see you at school -" He tries, only to be cut off when the door slams in his face with a satisfying thud.

"You alright, son?"

"Yep." He huffs before flipping the lock.

"You sure?"

"When he wasn't going on and on about Mom, he also threw in how KitCat and Rory were kinda hot, especially for a couple of nerds. But I shut that down fast. But then he just had to go and call Mom a MILF..."

"I understand. I've seen a lot of men do and say plenty of stupid things because of your mother, but Max..."

The two men share a look of quiet understanding. It lasts a full beat before they finally speak again.

"Max is dead to me, father."

"Good man." A.J. smiles when his father affectionately claps him on the shoulder. "We've got to watch out for the women in this house."

"We do. Plus, they'd eat a guy like Max for breakfast. I mean the level of violence I've been subjected to alone - I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, including him."

"Mhm." Andy wraps a muscled arm around the younger Barber, pulling him close to drop a brief kiss on top of his head. "Believe me when I tell you that your Mom's silverware throwing ability has seriously improved over the years. Shit is scarily accurate now."

A.J. simply nods, choosing to take his father at his word. "Well, now that that's over, is it almost time for dinner? Protecting the women in this house can really take a lot out of you."

The elder man sniffs the air, his nose detecting the delicious aroma of fresh herbs simmering in hot oil.

"I think it is. Smells like your mother's cooking now, which means I need to get in my spot." Andy bestows one last kiss against his boy's temple before playfully pushing him to the side. "Besides, I don't think I've given her a reason to fuss at me yet today. Gotta keep the spark alive somehow, kid."

Throwing his son one last wink, A.J. then watches as his father jogs off in the direction of the kitchen bellowing "here I come, baby girl".

With a sigh, the youngest member of Barber brood turns and begins climbing the stairs, laughing when he hears his lovely mother's annoyed shouts coming from the other side of the house.

His parents were crazy about each other, that much he knew. But the older he got, the more he was beginning to realize that there was a little more to it. They were actually still in love with one another.

And that was cool. Sometimes, it even made him the envy of his friends whose folks were either divorced or barely tolerated each other. He was cool with that too.

Just don't ever call his pretty Mama a MILF. Because that shit right there...that wasn't cool no matter how you spun it.

END

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cowboy-robooty · 11 months

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What art supplies u use for ur traditional drawings

i use anything i can get mai hands on lol i LOVEE using multiple mediums x3c. i mainly use my moms office supplies (pens for notes, highlighters, mildliners, sharpies, etc) because i dont like buying art supplies. but also i still use micron pens, a japanese calligraphy pen i got for christmas, faber castel 4 pen pack, TOMBOW WATER BASED BRUSH PENS, copics, general store colored pencils, posca pens, etc. I'm trying to use more high quality supplies because i recently found out i dont hate watercolors i just have been using the most shitty watercolors known to mankind. my art class has a lot of high quality art supplies on hand and the teacher lets me use it whenever im in there for lunch which helps me a lot in exploring what i like. but thats all besides the point gommene! basically I use anything i can get my hands on but mainly for stuff i post its

- colored sharpies

- microns

- highlighters/mildliners

- colored ballpoint pens

- japanese calligraphy pen

- TOMBOW WATERBASED BRUSH PENS

anyways YAYY i went way back in mai camera roll for this lol cuz i dont have my sketchbook rn YIPPIE OLD DOODLE!

#draws #ask #u can see my un-screentoned luciano below it lol #hetalia #aph germany #aph italy #hws germany #hws italy #sorry i add these tags bc i use them to sort shit on my blog

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pedropascal-y · 1 year

Text

Look Away From Me - Joel Miller x Reader

joel miller x f!reader

MDNI, 18+, ageless/empty/under 18 blogs will be blocked.

word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Domestic abuse, mentions of domestic abuse, cussing, violence (typical TLOU stuff), age gap (26 to Joel's 56), ‘cheating’, please lmk if I missed any.

While there is no smut in the first couple of chapters, there will be eventually, and thus the 18+ requirement

Summary: In Jackson, WY, you are one of the teachers in the community. You are quite young which means Ellie takes a liking to you and she’s not the only one.

a/n: please share your thoughts! I’m not new to fanfiction writing but it HAS been a while. I am a massive Joel Miller girl. I will try my hardest to avoid ‘y/n’ but it may happen occasionally. You do have a nickname, Sunny, that your father gave you before he passed.

(i made the mdni & arrows picture, credit me if u use it.)

Index:

Chapter 1 - Fruits of Labor - 04/13/2023

Chapter 2 - X - Coming Soon

Wyoming summers are unbearably hot, at least this one was. I pulled my desk drawer open and set my planner and journal inside. He would never let me have something private, so I kept my journal locked in my work desk. “I haven’t patrolled something in a while and Jackson is so large,” Ellie said, drawing on a piece of loose paper. The other students have grouped off to chat while they finish up their assignments for the day.

“You’ve got this, Ellie, you’re stronger than the majority of the kids here.” I smiled at her, watching her try to hide her blush. Ellie preferred to sit next to my desk and talk to me, rather than the other kids. She was more grown than the others which broke my heart. At fourteen, she lived through more than some of the adults in the community. Besides, unspoken social rules went out the window the moment the world ended. Being friends with a fourteen-year-old was the least problematic thing I could do. Dina placed her paper on my desk and smiled at Ellie.

“Are you coming to the summer party this week, Sunny?” Dina asked me and looked back at her friends.

“When have I ever missed it, Dina?” I smiled at her, grabbing the paper from the corner of my desk and sliding it into the basket, “Ellie, you and Joel should come! The community hasn’t seen much of you two.”

She dropped her pencil and brushed her loose hair from her face. “I’ll see if I can get the old man to get out of the house.” Ellie grabbed my calendar and looked for the party. Since I’ve no clue what day it is exactly or what month for that matter, I’ve made a calendar specifically used for keeping track of schooling for the kids. The community picked up on using it because their kids spread it around.

The classroom fell silent as I stood from my chair and dismissed them for the day. I tightened the braid in my hair and grabbed my apron from the shelf beside me. The sun was shining brightly, the heat was radiating and everyone was wearing as few clothes as possible. The farm was a decent walk from the building they designated as my schoolhouse. I wasn’t one to complain, I loved being in nature. Whenever people were needed for runs, I volunteered to go. There was nothing like a Wyoming forest, the scenery of the hills and mountains was breathtaking, even the thirtieth time around.

“Hey there, Sunny,” Judith waved to me before bending back down to tend the carrots. I waved back quickly before pulling my apron on. My dress was a pale yellow with small daisies on it. I wasn’t worried about dirt getting on it but if I could minimize the amount of dirt, I was going to. Ellie made eye contact with me as I picked up the small basket for weeds I pulled. She waved and continued walking with Hayden, the teenager who was also assigned to patrol duty. He was interested in her and it was obvious to everyone who ever looked their way. Ellie? Ellie is a, and I am quoting her here, “hardcore lesbian.” I kneeled down in the dirt and started tugging away the weeds around the strawberry bushes. I sank my hands under the freshly turned dirt and took a deep breath. The sun shone on my face and warmed me both inside and out. Ellie stood at the gate of the patch and watched me. “Sunny?” She called out.

“Yes?” I answered.

“Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

“I like being in nature and they don’t care that I help them out.” I shrugged, gently pouring some water onto the leaves of the strawberry bush. Ellie waved Hayden off and opened the gate. She knelt down beside me and pulled a strawberry from the bush. “At least help me pull weeds if you’re going to steal produce, Ells.” I laughed and nudged her. She laughed and tugged on a small weed near the bush she stole from.

Ellie and I stood up from the ground and high-fived each other for our work. “Ellie?” Someone called out for her. We turned around and I locked eyes with Joel.

“Hey, old man!” She yelled to him. Ellie watched as Joel locked eyes with me, “This is Sunny, my teacher and part-time gardener.”

“Sunny isn’t actually my name, my dad gave me that nickname.” I smiled and brushed the dirt from my apron and dress.

“It’s a good nickname,” Joel said, his eyes still locked on me.

“Ew, stop staring, Joel!” Ellie exclaimed and left the gated farm patch.

“I wasn’t staring, let’s go get dinner.” He groaned and waved goodbye.

They continued to bicker with one another as they walked toward the canteen. Judith had left the farm not too long ago leaving me alone to put the supplies away. I tuck the emptied basket into the shelf I retrieved it from and pull my apron off. The walk to my house was quiet, the majority of the population was headed to the canteen or eating in their own homes.

“Ace?” I called out as I opened the door. Snickersnee rubbed his face on my leg, meowing softly as I shut the door. “Is your daddy not home yet?” I asked my cat. He chirped at me in response. I pressed a soft kiss to Snickersnee’s head. He was probably still working. The house was quiet and still, not even Snic made a sound. It felt uncomfortable to have a quiet home, as a child before the outbreak my house was never quiet. It was always filled with life and music. My dad made sure of it.

I climbed the stairs and flicked the bathroom light on. I had some dirt smeared onto my face and my hair was half in a braid and the other half a mess. My face was red and sweaty from working so hard. I pulled the towel off the wall and put some of it in cold water. My dress was clean for the most part which was a win on my part. I wiped my face down and relished in the cool fabric cleansing my face. Snickersnee was sat on top of the toilet seat, quietly watching me. I tossed the towel into the hamper and let my hair out. My brush ran through my hair smoothly until I reached the ends of it. Snic hopped onto the counter and rubbed against me. He pressed his forehead to mine and began purring. I pulled my hair into a half-up half-down hairstyle and left for the canteen.

“Sunny! Come sit with us!” Ellie yelled to me as I entered the building. I nodded and headed to the food line. Today’s menu was chicken parmesan, we had more than enough chickens to spare. I piled my plate on and grabbed water before making my way to the table Ellie and Joel were seated at. “Your hair looks good,” Ellie said as I sat down across from her. Joel was on my left, quietly finishing his dinner. “Joel,” She nudged him, and he grunted, “Tell her she looks pretty.”

He looked at me for the first time since I entered the building and I smiled at him. Joel took a moment and nodded, “Pretty.” Ellie rolled her eyes and mouthed an apology. It made me laugh. Although they weren’t blood-related, those two were family. Father and daughter without a single doubt in my mind. The canteen was loud and busy, a signal that today was a good day of work for everyone. Tommy and Maria loved when the canteen was full and lively. It reminded them of all the work that goes into the place. Maria and Tommy walked in with their daughter, Zarah. An infant, she was born two weeks ago and they were on top of the world. The older women surrounded them immediately, desperate to hold the baby. It made me smile, and the community was so willing to help new parents. Bittersweet is how I would describe it. I always wanted children but not with my husband. I don’t want to bring children into our relationship. Ace has been pushing the narrative that he and I have been trying for a baby but we use every precaution possible and we haven't had sex in the past 4 weeks. For that, I am thankful if not concerned. Why would my husband not want to have sex with me? I guess the only time he wants his hands on me is when he’s beating me.

“Alright, well, I’m all done,” I cleared my throat and looked at Ellie, “Wanna help me do dishes for the kitchen crew?”

“Hell yeah.” She exclaimed. I wouldn’t have expected her to be excited about cleaning dishes but she and I were close and loved spending time together. I took Joel’s empty plate from him and placed a hand on his shoulder before heading to the kitchen.

“Joel,” Ellie nudged me, “Tell her she’s pretty.”

I rolled my eyes before looking up at Sunny. Her hair was nicer than when she was knees in the dirt and she was freshened up. Clean. She was gorgeous. I cleared my throat and muttered, “Pretty.” Such a weak word to describe how she looked. Ellie knew it and mouthed an apology she thought I didn’t see. I kept shoveling my food into my mouth. My back had been killing me all day and I was starving. Tommy made me miss breakfast today because he needed a crew to help lug the bodies of raiders to the river's edge.

“Alright, well, I’m all done. Wanna help me do the dishes for the kitchen crew?” She asked Ellie. Ellie agreed quickly and snatched her plate up. Sunny grabbed my plate, placed a hand on my shoulder, and tapped before heading to the sink to wash dishes. Tommy sat down in Sunny’s seat with Zarah. Maria was grabbing herself some food. “She’s married, Joel.” He spoke first, wiggling his finger for Zarah. He had named her after Sarah, he had brought the idea to me a day or two before Maria gave birth. Ellie helped me come to agree with it, my niece is beautiful, with the deepest brown eyes and chubbiest cheeks.

“Who?”

“Sunny.”

“Ah.”

“I see the way you look at her.”

“Got no clue what you’re talking about, Tom.”

“Oh fuck off. You’re my brother.”

“Watch your language.”

“She’s not even a month old. I can say what I want.”

My eyes drifted toward Ellie and her doing dishes. Sunny reached for an extra sponge from the shelf and her dress lifted up. Purple. Her upper thigh had a purple bruise on it and rage bubbled. Tommy was too distracted trying to get Zarah to laugh to notice my fist turning white. The idea of someone laying hands on a woman enraged me already but one as kind and beautiful as her? I wanted nothing more than to murder that son of a bitch she called her husband. “Who’s her husband?” I asked, trying my hardest to restrain the anger in my voice.

“Ace Hutchinson,” Tommy said.

“The doctor?” I asked him, looking away from Ellie and her.

“Yeah, so stay away from her.”

“I wasn’t the one who invited her to sit with me, that was Ellie.”

“Ok, whatever you say.”

I watched as Tommy went and sat at the table with his wife, leaving me alone. Ellie splashed Sunny and laughed loudly. It was nice seeing Ellie enjoy herself and break out of her shell. I was glad someone got to see what I get to see every day of my life.

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stuck-in-2012 · 6 months

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A proper Christman gift

S01E03 Doomed

“I made an exact mashed potato replica of principal coulson!” Sam smiled as he held out the faux head on a tray.

“...and a potato sculptor,” Peter thought to himself.

S01E09 Field Trip

“Hey check it out!” Sam turns over his shoulder to show the coloured sketch he drew to Peter. “Pretty cool right? I’m gonna see if Fury will pay for the spikes.”

S01E17 Snow Day

“Uhh my bad.” Sam frowned down at Luke as he dumped out the sand he intended to use on his now ruined sculpture.

S02E02 Electro

“You just got own-dizzled, old style!” Sam held out the large paper he'd been using for the game of pictionary.

AKA: no one talks about how much of an artist Sam is! / The first holiday episode made me mad, so I added a happy ending.

“Bunny slippers are just… ach!”

Danny and Peter made eye contact at Sam’s reaction. Pete had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing and spoiling everything, though he could see the tiny hint of mischief in Danny's smile.

After getting the oversized hat, Peter looked back at Sam’s disgruntled face, allowing himself to snerk and giggle. Sam made a glare and went to lash out at Pete being an ass but was cut off when Danny also gave a small huff. Peter took off the hat, smiled, and reached behind the couch. “Dude, we’re not that mean.”

Pete pulled out a large wrapped object. At seeing the colourful paper, Sam shoved the gag-gift and box onto the floor. The boy was skeptical given the relation between Spidey and Nova, but Danny was in on it too -and Peter said “we”- so Sam had some trust that whatever was in this box would actually be a gift. The fact that it was a semi large box didn’t hurt his intrigue, either. The box was about two by one foot but only three inches tall, give or take.

Peter stepped over to Sam's place on the couch and handed him the box, Sam's hand bobbed down, surprised at the weight. Not heavy, but heavi-er than he was expecting. Peter and Danny both had beaming smiles, they almost seemed more excited for Sam’s gift than he was.

“Ya gonna open it or what?” Ava snarked.

Sam rolled his eyes at her and tore into the paper. The first satisfying shred exposed a leathery texture. Sam ran his fingers over the surface, again surprised, before continuing. Revealed, was a large though thin case with golden coloured clasps and handle to carry.

“A brief case?” Sam had no issues this evening sharing displeasure.

“It’s what's inside the case, moron.” May nudged Peter lightly at his insult.

“We do believe you will be rather fond of its contents.” Danny’s smile had only grown bigger as the case was unveiled.

Sam flipped the latches in sinque and leant back as though something would jump out at him. He opened the case a crack to get a preview of what may be inside and was greeted with some odd shapes and bright colours. When the case was open fully, one would think it was full of cash with how Sam’s face lit up in wonder. His jaw dropped gently as his eyes practically sparkled.

“ih… It’s ok if you don’t like it.” Peter’s brow knit with worry.

Sam slammed the case closed and hugged it to his chest. “Don’t you dare!” He gave Peter a noticeably exaggerated expression of ‘I’m warning you’ and gave an extra lean away for emphasis.

“What is it, Sam?” May asked, almost coy. She knew of Peter's plan to do a gag gift but wasn’t aware of what the proper gift was.

Sam stumbled over words as an unbreakable smile stretched across his face. Not able to get out any coherent words, he opened the case back up and lay it flat on his lap. All along one side was a smooth gradient of coloured pencils. Stretched across the bottom, another pallet of oil paint tubes. White and metallic ink pens, oil pastels, a paint brush array, and collection of charcoal and graphite pencils.

“Damn,” Luke dragged out in approval.

Excited at Sam’s joy over something he did, Peter bounced with an open smile. “Oh it gets better.” Sam looked over in excitement and bafflement. How could this get even better?! “You see the little loops in the middle of the bottom? Pull.”

Sam did as instructed and the inside came out and split into two supported shelves. Underneath was again a full pallet of water colour paints and fancy markers. Sam sputtered and floundered over all the supplies.

“Sorry the top doesn’t open, too.” Peter teased apologetically.

Sam sputtered and waved his hands over the rainbows in his lap looking at Peter with a gleeful face. He, May, and Danny laughed happily at Sam’s reaction to the gift. Sam’s hands hovered over the different supplies, hesitant to disturb the pristine packaging each different material had.

Ava gave a light laugh as she said, “I think you broke him.”Sam sent a heatless glare at the girl before finally audibly laughing. He gave Peter and May an inquisitive look before giving a reverse not in Danny’s direction at the realization. This was no doubt expensive. There's no way the Parkers would be able to afford it without some juggling or over time but thankfully Pete went to Danny about it. If just Peter had busted his ass to make the cash, Sam would take it with no hesitation but seeing as May seemed in on everything, Sam didn’t like the idea of her putting in so much extra effort for something so frivolous. But Danny’s loaded, so forget all of that.

[continue?]

#i have ideas to extend it and add bits about pete being jewish - would anyone read it?#sam alexander #nova #peter parker #ultimate spider-man #ava ayala #danny rand #spider-man #luke cage #aunt may #christmas #holliday #fanfic #one shot

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n0brainjustvibes · 4 months

Text

Found my old art hehe, thought it might be fun to do a little retrospective.

2018-2023 pencil drawings :P

Retrospective: the first two really aren't a fair comparison. The first one I was going for a cartoon style, the second one I got scared and fell back on realism because I thought realism was "better" (and still couldn't stylise for shit).

For some fairer comparisons... (long, extremely self-indulgent post that's mostly just art you've already seen below)

^ same character, attempting stylisation in both. 2020-2022

or this:

bird photo studies, 2021-2023, worth noting that the second one was done in way less time and on a new tablet. Also in the notes app.

Or here's a good one! Comfort bird art (well, griffin). 2021-today. Think I actually used the same lineart brush.

Even this is a pretty fair comparison, I think - similar style in mind, similar time input. (2020-2021-2023). Also all photo studies to an extent (final one was based on a pic I took of my own arms).

Interesting to look back on my high-effort pieces... you can see exactly where I went in for harsh geometric shading (2021) and how I got looser with it and started exaggerating colours. Hit a peak w/ the John art where I was like "whoa, may have gone too far" lmao.

I'm proud of where I've come, it's got much easier to be stylised and expressive in a way that looks natural (I hope), and that's something I've been aiming for since long before 2018.

Final piece that's not a comparison, just something old I'm still proud of :]

#art progress #art improvement #if I do say so myself #these are the more tolerable picks... I've DEFINITELY improved from the bottom-of-the-barrel failpieces #vibes art #'what did you do in 2022?' the international baccalaureate diploma programme

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giacosketch · 6 months

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Hi, I'm back and I drew a Chasmosaurus!

Hey hi!

It's been a while, huh? I'm going to dust off this old blog and see how things go. I like being able to archive my work, and having the opportunity to talk about it is also pretty nice :)

So anyways here's something I drew recently;

The Chasmosaurus!

Known for its huge, square like head, the Chasmosaurus is a ceratopsid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period in North America.

Recently i went to the Royal Ontario Museum to film a project for school. While i was there i was looking at the Chasmosaurus mount they had on display.

I've seen it before. I love going to the ROM, and I've always liked this mount. It has a nice bit of motion in the pose. When I saw it, it looked as if the left front leg was raised, like it was mid-stride, and the head being slightly cocked down, as if it was grazing or showing off its massive frill.

Looking at it now, I can tell it's more of a flat pose, but the damage was done. I wanted to draw this!

I went home with the idea in my head, and a day or so later, I whipped up this pencil drawing.

I added a few things that the original fossil didn't have, such as the Chasmosaurus's horns. I'll admit I wasn't sure whether this was a male or female fossil, nor that the horns could've been lost to time on this specimen. I also added spikes/horns on the side of the frills that the original fossil also didn't have. I also included small hints of picpycnofibers on the back of the animal, a trait that many ceratopsians had.

when I was happy with the pencils, I moved onto the inks

I had fun with this. I live streamed the inking process over on my Instagram (@giaccosketch) i used two zebra brush pens to ink this.

and then I cleaned it up in Photoshop

BAM!

Blacked out some of the cross-hatching, as it didn't really translate well in the scan. I also cleaned up some of the lines and scan debris. I think I did a good job!

After I was done, I sent this over to Procreate and coloured it all in. I used a colour palette I made a while back for some fan art.

After some time, the final product came out, and I was really happy with it! This was the first time in a long while that I went through a whole process like this for a piece, and I think I'm going to do it again really soon.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked what I had to say. See you next time!

#paleoart #dinosaurs #illsutration

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eiirisworkshop · 5 months

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Shorn

An Old Guard ficlet Available to read on Ao3 here, or as an author-read podfic here.

Joe finished drying his hair, hung up his towel, threw on some clothes that he was pretty sure were technically his—either way they fit, which was the important part—then he went downstairs to where the rest of his family was gathered. Nicky and Nile were both at the table—Nile with her tongue caught between her teeth, sketchbook open in front of her, Nicky frowning intensely at a book half his age, lips moving silently as he read. Booker was sprawled on the couch, feet up on the armrest, laptop on his chest. Andy and Quynh were laying on the floor, working their way through the biggest book of word puzzles they'd been able to find.

He came to peer over Nicky's shoulder, lay one hand on his back, also frowned at the book—fucking Russian cursive—then bent to kiss his cheek. Joe felt the moment Nicky realized the difference—something like a flinch, then his hand coming up quickly to caress Joe's cheek as he turned, smiling, to press their mouths together. He pulled away just enough to look at Joe, clear eyes bright with the excitement of surprise, and brushed his thumb over Joe's cheekbone. “You shaved.”

“I did,” Joe confirmed, chuckling as Nicky took the opportunity to press kisses along his jaw.

Everyone else in the room had looked up at them. Andy wolf whistled. Nile let her pencil roll to the center spine of her book, and shoved back from the table, shaking her head. “Nope, no way, that's not Joe.”

“Mm, I promise it is,” Nicky said between kisses. Joe rolled his eyes.

“I don't believe you.” Nile got up from her chair. “There is no way.” She came around the table.

Nicky planted one more smooch against his smooth cheek, “Beautiful, isn't he?” then released him and gave him a little shove towards Nile, who immediately caught his face in both her hands and shmushed it like an overly affectionate aunt might do to a small child.

“So cute!” she cooed, which may or may not have been in agreement with Nicky, and continued to shmush his face, rocking her hands back and forth.

“Allahuma Alhemna Assabr,” Joe said to the ceiling—at least, he tried to. It was hard to talk with his face being kneaded like bread. Nicky wasn't even trying not to laugh at his predicament.

“Really though, oh my goodness.” Nile let go of him for a moment then started rubbing his cheek again—just one, though. “How old does your passport say you are?”

“Uh, fifty-five.” Head bobbing slightly as he was petted, Joe started to chuckle.

“No one would believe that!” She stepped back and crossed her arms. “Book, what were you thinking?”

“I made that one a while ago,” Booker said with a shrug. He'd sat up and was grinning behind his hand.

“When?” Nile asked. “The 80s? Joe, how old are, were you when—” She waved a hand vaguely between him and Nicky.

“I killed him the first time?” Nicky finished for her. “Thirty-three.”

“No.” Nile shook her head seriously and looked at Joe. “You're seventeen. You've been seventeen for a while.”

“I understood that reference!” Booker said brightly.

Nile blinked a couple times and pivoted towards the couch. “Hang on, you've seen Twilight and The Avengers?”

“Mhm.” Booker levered himself off the couch and stepped towards the table. “I'm French, I need all the escapist coping mechanisms I can find, and in hindsight I should have punched Jean-Luc Godard in his stupid fucking face when I had a chance.” Grinning, he noogied Joe's cheek playfully. “And you never get to say again that I overreacted the first time I saw you beardless.”

“Quit that.” Joe shoved Bookers hand away. “Well, I'm not shaving again for a century.”

“Nah, don't do that.” Andy got up from the floor, stretched, and came over to take her turn groping Joe's face. “If you do, you'll just get the same response.” She kissed his cheek, then patted the other. “Shave frequently, desensitize her.”

Joe wrinkled his nose and hummed noncommittally.

Stonefaced, Nicky put a hand on on Andy's shoulder. “He would never break my heart like that.”

“You'd forgive him,” Quynh said with utmost confidence from the floor.

“I've murdered him over less,” Nicky said darkly.

Joe shrugged. “Not recently.” He smiled as Nicky kissed his cheek again, returned the kiss, then looked to Quynh. “You're the only one who hasn't felt up my face.”

“I'm the only one with any boundaries left.” She rose gracefully from the floor, smiled wickedly, and skipped over to nuzzle her face against his.

“What boundaries?” Joe laughed, nuzzling back.

“So I'm the only one who gets shoved off?” Booker asked indignantly.

“You're the only one who did something that hurts!” Joe reached out to scrub his own knuckles over Booker's cheekbone.

“Aie,” Booker flinched away, “okay, okay.”

#eiiri made this #fanfiction #podfic #the old guard #the old guard fic

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leggyre · 8 months

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You got any adivce for someone who's considering dropping drawing completely since they don't like what they're making at all?

honestly i've been in the same struggle recently bc it just hasn't been a good year for me. i haven't been drawing a lot bc most of the time i'm either sick or i just.. can't. I've been picking myself up as of late and it's a really difficult grind, but honestly the fact i've been able to actually start this grind is already good for now. I guess that counts as advice; be patient with yourself. Self-esteem doesn't come easy and the little steps are worth so much more than you think.

ok so uh,

-if you just started, don't think about it too much. we all start with the weird scribbles. if you stop now you might never get back to it -if you've been trying to doodle often and always end up hating the result, just take a break. art block is seasoning for burnout and you might just be tired. a lot of times i've felt bad about my art i kinda "gave up" for a while and when i came back to it it was like "wtf this easy what was my issue (it was burnout)". so take a break, play some videogames or hang out with your friends for a week. idk write essays about the media you like? it feels like you're being unproductive but resting IS part of productive because just pushing yourself will just result in nothing being done at the end of the day. -look at your favorite work! im not quite out of my latest artblock yet because its a tough one(it's been teaming up with depression caused by health problems it suuuuucks :/), but when i went long enough without being able to draw I kinda started feeling like I can't do shit and can't call myself an illustrator at all specially bc what i do isnt that big of a deal compared to others(<- comparison also big mistake remember youre the only one who can make YOUR art), going through my folders and seeing the stuff I like the most gave me a LOT of motivation to keep going, even if I was still unable to start drawing right away. not giving up is so important. -so yeah love your art. focus on drawing things you like because it's a gift from you to you, and you should treat it as such. i know it's really hard to be positive about it all the time but it can be really good to go through all your artwork at the end of a day and look at the things you like about it, even if it isn't much. -on that note, find something you really like drawing!!! back in high school i had massive periods of depression that kept me from drawing but i occasionally found sort of a 'life hack' for myself which were things i was always able to work with even during the worst times. one of them was just.. bees. i just doodled random characters as these bees and made og designs too and it was fun. the other one was using colored pencils instead of a regular one bc i just like colors and it made me happy :] it didnt matter that they always had the same overall shape or if i couldnt erase when i messed up, i was just feeling good being able to draw something that i liked. -experiment more!! expand your palettes and download some new brushes. i even change from my newest to my old busted tablet that still sorta works occasionally because using a tool that feels different is.. refreshing somehow? idk -when you need to get yourself back up, do the little steps at your own pace. do a little doodle every day. it's okay if it's always the same thing. the same character. the exact same idea. it's okay if it sucks or if it's unfinished because you struggled. Just give it little pushes. What matters is to try. and it's okay if you can't do it every day. maybe every other day if you need a slower pace. -and remember. engagement doesn't measure your skill. art is subjective anyways!!!!! i spent YEARS doodling and posting only my ocs and getting little to no notes. i think one of my favorite artworks from the time i had ~100 followers had like 0 notes for the longest time. to be honest i don't even know if it has any likes at all nowadays i'd have to look it up bc it's a bit buried

#ask the leg

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madfantasy · 2 years

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Dear Blogging

Hope ur doing well🍀

When I realise my updates are futher apart in time, it makes me sad. I don't have much new to say, I am in the same trance following no time yet feeling every passing second. In progress that I can't feel because of how much I'm used to pain and nothingness. I am okay, finally had the brain power to make words today, the last months were exceptionally difficult as I mentioned the unrelenting near 50° heat. And for the majority of that time I spent it without any means to cool off, which periodically made me sick and kept me in bed too long. Even more bits of my teeth broke off, rendering me unable to smile or eat without jolts of pain. My unstable network provider topping off the misery.

Since I moved to my "sunny room" I couldn't use the net I waste money on for because of the weak signal, so I had not much sources of distractions or solace. Nothing separating me from the continuous good old times; living in absolute isolation. I don't think I have online connections anymore and wouldn't blame anyone for forgetting me. I'm sorry, I feel absolutely disconnected, I don't know what I want or what to do or how to dare be involved. And in all honesty, I am functioning on 1% energy spent on drawing..

I was trying to have a goal to compete that, to keep my faith up and have hope and project it. Wanting a red and black room was one, but I gave up on it because I didn't have enough work to afford it, and really the experience of buying stuff online only to find the advertised color was a lie, specially if its red was a huge waste of time and money. And my guardians fed up with me asking them to return things, ungraciously. I liked my room eventually

After prolonged periods of depression, I found myself longing for my traditional art, flicking through my old diary. I craved to return able to draw on paper again, and the few times I tried, memories, good and bad gushed through. Relived again how it was to draw in secret and to love things you are constantly told are not for you or called it not natural and be punished severely for.. just made me cry over how culture always just hurt for the sake of hurting and uses religion as a loose cape, mourning them using it to exclude while it was something aimed to be harmonious with all and they never focus on being actual good people over keeping appearances.. for the longest time making me wonder if something was actually wrong with me beyond just being different than them.. now there's plethora of mental things thanks to their abuse. Starting with my inability to look at people without feeling quick to panic discomfort. Making me see this isolation as they say, a "blessing in disguise ". I don't know how to take that as, tbh, I still to this day get nightmares of when I used to live in big houses with multiple families, or the endless schools I went to.

I started drawing on paper bit by bit. The minute I find myself overwhelmed I stop. With time I felt I can enjoy it again, and recalled all what passer through my mind as kid, how I fantasised of owning the chunkiest coloring tin or the thickest drawing paper. So decided to get sketchbooks and notebooks and try everything new, I didn't care

I didn't know where to start, so I got randomly selected sketchbook and one lockable journal, so I can hopefully write diary again like i used to. I show everything i get to them but already Guardians couldn't help themselves and flick though it, I didn't say anything but my inside automatically clinched and turned into an angry imp snatching to have it back, like i used to actually react when they searched my school things for doodles.

I changed the lock c:

I learned of the existence of more mechanical pencil sizes so I got every possible one, carefully not breaking my law of owning only red and black things, hehe. Also some essentials so my guardians won't comment on my spending ways. Like a tooth brush, and the best bonnet ever. I also got myself a backpack for my pen people to live in, for the longest time I wanted a shark backpack but this one just screamed Mani (it was cheaper 😝). As kid I had a red bag with snoopy's face on it, it was my literal safe zone that I carried it everywhere, pretended to travel in cardboard boxes with and had many garbage things stored in it that ment something dear to me, already that blissful feeling is regenerated when i wore it. And hopefully next month I get work to buy colors..

I got my eyes on those atm

(Also something funny, I can promise you I got the talk about devil worship from them for getting horns, and here's the thing; they know about the actual sketchy devil worship practices, its a common knowledge in our surroundings. To me, having red horns it felt Mani like, style euphoria, I love being a polite naughty gentlethem and that spoke of it clearly to me so I didn't care too much)

I also in my careless defiance rush, bought a shoulder- abaya that resembles more of a cloak, to me at least. To help dim my dysphoria even for the tiniest bit and maybe give me one point of courage to want to go out when possible. 'Cause the only thought i have when I'm out is absolute fear, or brain blanking out on me and i freeze in my place

I was stressed for so long that they might fight me on it because they never allowed me to wear but the cover ups of their choice from the dark ages, one I could not walk in or see where I was headed in (i actually wear glasses to see), but I presented it to them and I don't think they noticed.

Maybe now i can feel comfortable in it, throughout the years I never really adjusted to wearing it— having almost no occasion to leave the house 3/4 of my life. It was never something i felt connected to, been only a reminder of pure shame and embarrassment. From the very first day I started to cover my face at middle school, was forced to do that the day before, non of my guardians taught me how to wear it. And the minute it fell from my face thanks to my clumsy attempts at tying it, my face was welcomed with— not the fresh air and 4k sight clarity, but a slap that knocked me back into the car. Followed by an entire hysterical berating, calling me a sl*t and what have you, for everyone who was dropping their kids to see and hear.

I didnt know it at the time, but i was also mocked of how I wore it many times by my peers, while some took petty on me and dressed me themselves. I merely envied those foreign students who wore it just to follow the school rules and offed it the minute they got into their cars to leave. I still have no answer to what I truly want, and thats okay..

I forgot to mention how they can be super pricy, so I got the cheapest I could, resulting it being thick, strings jutting everywhere, way too big on me and all of its buttons fell. So I had to do some long hem shortenings and buttons sewing, I think I started to like it

I now just need someone to hold my hand and never let go, to take me to the hospital and hypothetically be my voice till mine return... manifesting

Oh and i did drew alot of snarry cuz it was my only cure during this time of dissociative routine, ofc endless of sketches that did not make it and 2 did, and still more to come hopefully when I continue to feel better

I wish you all the best in this world my dears, your burdens ease and your heart beats with your desires met , mani loves you ❤️‍🔥🍀🕊🙏

24.6.2022

#text #drawing journal

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volfoss · 1 year

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Doll faceup under the cut (pic heavy)👍

I wanted to redo Clarimonde's faceup because after I had done the scar work on my last faceup, I felt I could do better + the lipstick just didn't suit the doll to me. So i wiped the faceup and got to work making a wip with the inspo of changing the vibes to a more stylized 1920s silent picture actress dramatic makeup inspired with a hint of traditional goth. As always I love to play by the doing stuff I have NO clue how to do rules which was definitely the case in this faceup (if only I knew just HOW much that would become the case later on)

I used my same mockup image as before but decided to go a slightly less sickly approach and do more dramatic makeup since I enjoyed that last time and then wiped the head clean (or as much as I could lol)

^ before and the mockup

I did what I've done in the past to build up subtle shadows, with doing 1 coat of sealant at a time and got to work laying a good foundation down for the work I was about to do. The part I was most nervous about was for SURE the brows as I would have to use a watercolor pencil and have very steady hands as I did so (I do NOT have steady hands) or use acrylic paint with an even steadier hand.

First layer was pretty basic as I just needed to start on the lip shades and getting the smallest amount of blush on there. My phone camera picks up more pink than there should be so it looks very heavy handed here :/

This was definitely the scariest part as I had predicted as not just getting the brows precisely thin but also pretty even was HARD.

Started on the acrylics and had noticed that i had a weird patch of lighter resin towards the nose where the eyeshadow just wasn't building up nicely and kind of panicked but decided to leave it for a bit later and try and press on

^ caption at this point was me being so so convinced i would not have to do something to fix the eye area. Unfortunately it was bothering me VERY badly

This was the first time I'd drawn on lashes other than VERY tiny ones so I went big and did very large and over exaggerating to match the upper eye which I ended up covering in acrylic to make it match better. There was no going back by this point and I was pretty scared I was going to have to wipe it all and try again until I put an eye in to see how it looked

It had all kind of worked out as it made the eye pop a lot more and the blue under the eye really brought out the blue in the eyeball so I did my last bits of sealant and put the doll back together, as I needed to get the scar paint a bit later (ran out of red paint)

I was THRILLED as it finally felt i had gotten the vibes for my doll down and that was what I wasn't getting from the old faceup. The scar position had changed as well from my old faceup for this doll, so I was a bit nervous about trying to replicate my mockup lines as well as getting the scars to look ok.

I tried a new mix of paint for the scar color this time as I felt it came out too bright red in the past and mixed a more brick red into my already brighter red in a 1:1 ratio and got pretty much the perfect color! I did two coats on that (using cheap paint so it's VERY thin already which is honestly good for the scars since it adds texture to it with the brush)

^ scars finished and textured! All that's left is to seal and put the doll back together :)

#twist rambles #bjd posting #clarimonde #im very happy w this 👍 ill post pics when hes done and theos done bc im working on him too #i really feel i get happier w my faceups the more i do and i really worried id regret redoing this one but im VERY glad i did redo it #i really enjoy trying to mimic the umm very old bjd style faceups so it was fun to do something similar to how one of my fave flickr users #did their faceups (very dramatic and fun)#cannot wait to get this lil guy all back together like 👍

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daily-rayless · 1 year

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10 Happy Things

Thank you for tagging me @thunderboltfire

I love making lists (let’s call this an eleventh thing I sneaked in) and thinking about this really picked up my mood.

1. Graveyards: I don’t mean this in any dark or edgy way. I feel like graveyards are extremely peaceful, reflective places. I love wandering through and looking at the headstones -- seeing the different sculpture designs, seeing the names, and inscriptions, making little guesses at these people’s histories. I like the newer graveyards where people make so many unusual design choices (an entire recipe on the back of a headstone! a stone that looks like an electronic device!) and I also like older graveyards where you can feel the passage of time. When my mom was little, her family sometimes would eat their lunches in graveyards on road trips, so I was never raised with the idea that it’s disrespectful to talk and laugh in a graveyard. They’re pleasant, welcoming places.

2. Brush-tip markers: Along with being smooth and velvety and blending so nicely, they let me pretend I’m a Master Painter Painting Masterfully.

3. Used Book Stores: This is a little similar to graveyards. Broadly speaking, there are two types of used book stores, and they’re both good. 1: Bright colorful bookstores with more recent used books, lots of paperbacks from the last twenty years, books you’ve been interested in but didn’t want to buy at full price and here they are. 2: Brown, quiet used book stores with much older books, lots of hardbacks who’ve lost -- or never had -- dust jackets, lots of foil-stamped covers and thick pages with huge margins and frontispieces protected by translucent paper, books you’ve never heard of, without Amazon reviews or back-cover blurbs, that you decide to take a chance on.

4. Finishing a journal and lining it up on the shelf with my other journals: Along with the sense of accomplishment and thinking I’ve made a bit of a record, my journals are mismatched, lots of them gifts from people, and they remind me of those people.

5. Really Old Stuff: This may be because I come from the States, so there isn’t a lot of really old stuff around me, and even the oldest stuff usually isn’t very old. Really old trees, old houses, old knickknacks -- I love these tangible proofs of the past, thinking about where they’ve been and the people who’ve interacted with them. This exact knickknack was sitting somewhere the day I was born. People were clumping across these wooden floors when they heard the Titanic went down. It’s a neat feeling.

6. Meeting Animals: I don’t currently have any pets, so meeting other people’s cats and dogs and horses and goats feels like a treat.

7. Character Building: Landing on just the right name for an oc, or drawing an oc and finally seeing their personality in my pencil lines. I can “see” the character in my head, but putting that on paper can be really hard. Some characters, like Arsen, still haven’t really “appeared” on the page for me yet.

8. Wandering around in fandom spaces and finding art of a favorite character I haven’t seen before. Extra points if something about the art is so good and so spot-on I want to incorporate it into my own headcanon.

9. Names and Words: I haven’t studied it very deeply, but I’ve been interested in name/word derivations for a long time. When I find out that two words, deep down, come from the same root, it’s magical. My dad once speculated that foal and pullet might have a common source, and I didn’t believe him, but he was right. The other day I learned that Lucy and Luna come from the same Proto-Indoeuropean root, and it means both “to shine” and “to see”. There’s something fascinating about the history of the very words we use, hidden meanings and connections we don’t even know.

10. Hot cocoa: I used to drink hot cocoa regularly, but not so much anymore. It’s the best hot drink, in my opinion, and I don’t take it for granted these days.

Please consider yourself tagged, especially if we’re mutuals. This picked up my mood, and I’d love to spread that around.

#10 happy things #meme

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penmansparadise · 2 years

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Fred Benson ~ The Set Up

*I DON’T OWN THIS GIF* *CREDIT TO GIF OWNER*

Pairing: Fred Benson x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: None

a/n: This was a request from my Wattpad. This is just straight fluff, and I hope everyone enjoys reading it. I don't usually find it difficult to write for characters, but it is just so hard for me to write for Fred lol. I really hope that I am doing his character justice!! Also, I have recently learned the difference between imagines and one shots, and let me tell you, I feel like an idiot haha. You all will have to forgive me because I am literally an old lady. Anyway, my next post will be an Eddie Munson ONE SHOT (lol), so be ready for that one!! As always, thanks for reading!!

Nancy’s voice was far away as a long sigh fell from your lips, and you propped your head in your hand. You knew you should have been paying attention to what she was saying, but you couldn’t. Instead, you watched as Fred worked on making copies at the printer. This was your daily routine ever since Nancy convinced you to join The Weekly Notice. Every morning you walked into the room, found a seat, and went to fawning over the tall skinny boy. It was hard not to stare at Fred when you had a crush on him for ages. You couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment you started to fall for him, but your feelings only grew when you joined the news crew. But you were never one to act on your feelings. You were far too shy. So, instead, you watched him from afar and relished in all the short conversations you had with him. Nancy knew this and would constantly pester you. She would say time and again that Fred liked you as well, and you should just tell him how you feel, but you just brushed her off. Sure, you may have caught him staring at you here and there. And when he talked to you, he would start blushing out of nowhere, but you still didn’t believe Nancy. You were too scared.

You let out another sigh, and that’s when Nancy started waving her hand in front of your face snapping you back to reality.

“Y/N?” She said, moving her head into your line of sight, “You there?”

“Huh? Oh,” you said, sitting up in your seat and straightening your items on the table, “y-yeah. Sorry, I just…zoned out.”

Nancy’s eyes narrowed before she turned her head and looked where you were just staring. When she turned back to you, her lips pursed, and she tilted her head to the side. You had been caught. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at you, causing you to drop your head into your hands and groan. You could hear her let out a breath before you felt her hands on your arms.

“Why don’t you just talk to him? I’ve told you on numerous occasions that he likes you too.”

You snapped your head up to look at her, forehead creased.

“How do you know that, though? Did he tell you that?” You asked, the questions coming off a bit harsher than intended.

Nancy wasn’t fazed by your outburst. She just rolled her eyes and said, “He doesn’t have to tell me, Y/N. It’s pretty obvious by the way he looks at you.”

She used her head to motion behind her, and when you looked, you were met with Fred’s beautiful blue eyes. You could feel your face heat up, but you didn’t look away, and neither did he. For a minute, it felt like the whole world was slipping away as you let his cerulean eyes wash over you. He held your stare for a beat longer before quickly turning away and returning to the copier. When you looked back at Nancy, she was trying and failing to stifle her smile. You propped your head back in your hand and turned your attention to the notepad sitting in front of you.

“Nothing is that obvious,” you grumbled more to yourself than to Nancy.

You didn’t bother looking up at her. You knew the look she would have given you. That why-are-you-so-stubborn-it’s-clearly-obvious-that-I-am-right-and-you-should-just-listen-to-me look. So, instead, you picked up your pencil and started doodling on the paper. You could feel Nancy’s eyes boring into you, but you kept your head down. That is until you heard someone clear their throat next to you. When you looked up, Fred was standing there, hands clenching his notepad and the stack of papers he had just printed. You could tell he was nervous by the way he swayed back and forth on the balls of his feet. He hadn’t even said two words to you yet, and his face was already turning red. One of his hands flew up to adjust his glasses and flatten his hair.

“Um, h-hey, Y/N. It’s good to see you,” he stuttered out.

A small smile pulled at your lips as heat rose to the apples of your cheeks.

“Yeah,” you agreed, “it’s good to see you too.”

He didn’t avert his eyes, and you took that moment to take in his features. They weren’t sharp. They were soft, something you didn’t see very often. Your eyes followed his scar from his forehead down to just above his upper lip. You couldn’t help but let your stare linger there on his lips for a moment before looking back into his eye. You thought you saw the hint of a smile before he finally turned his attention to Nancy.

“Nancy, I was just curious when you wanted to meet up tonight to cover the basketball game.”

You weren’t looking at Nancy at first, but then you felt her stare on you.

“You know,” she said, turning her focus to Fred, “I actually won’t be able to make it tonight.”

You tilted your head to the side as she gave Fred a sympathetic look and a shrug.

“Sorry, my mom needs me to babysit my little sister.”

“What?” He asked, incredulous. “And you’re telling me this now?”

You were waiting for Nancy to show some remorse, but she didn’t. Instead, she sat up a little straighter and grinned.

“Don’t worry. Y/N will take my place.”

Your eyes widened, and your mouth fell slightly agape before you regained your composure.

“I’m sorry?”

Your stomach was doing somersaults, and you knew you looked mortified, but you couldn’t bother to hide your anxiety at the turn of events. Nancy nodded at you.

“Yeah. You don’t mind, do you? You’d really be helping me out.”

A small noise that was something between a squeak and a choke came out of you. Your mouth opened and closed a few times until your wild eyes landed on Fred. His irritation was gone as he stared at you in anticipation. You swallowed hard and shook your head.

“Um, no, I don’t mind. We can meet in front of the gym before the game.”

A wide grin spread across Fred’s face, crinkling his eyes a little.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you later then.”

He gave a nod before shuffling out the door. You waited for him to exit before turning and glaring at Nancy. You could have smacked the smug look off her face, but instead, you crossed your arms over your chest, gripping yourself as a way to control your anger.

“What the hell was that?”

“That,” she began, pointing behind her, “was a boy who is very happy that he gets to spend the evening with the girl he has a crush on.”

You threw your hands in the air and scoffed, “Nance.”

“No, listen,” she said, smacking her hands on the table. “’I did this for you. Tonight is the night you finally tell him how you feel, Y/N. No more excuses, okay?”

The anger you were feeling only moments ago was replaced with the familiar queasiness of fear. For Nancy, it was easy. She had two boys chasing after her all throughout high school, and she dated both of them. It wasn’t that simple for you. Sure, you had feelings for Fred for a while, but you couldn’t just tell him without knowing if he felt the same. Nancy’s hunch wasn’t enough. What if she was wrong? You could be committing social suicide. You shook your head, but Nancy took your hands in hers and nodded.

“You can do this.” She gave a squeeze and dropped her voice a little. “Stop hiding from him, Y/N. He likes you. Like a lot, I can tell. And you like him and have been swooning over him for months now. And you may not see it, but everyone else sees him swooning over you too. So, just tell him. Tell him how you feel.”

You nibbled on your bottom lip as you took in Nancy’s words. It was as if there were an angel on one of your shoulders and a devil on the other. One was saying to just ignore Nancy. It was easier to just keep how you felt a secret. But the other was screaming at you to jump in headfirst. Why should you keep how you feel a secret?

Nancy raised her brows and gave your hands another squeeze, and you sighed.

“Fine. I’ll tell him.”

An enthusiastic smile spread across Nancy’s lips, and you rolled your eyes.

“If you’re wrong about him, I swear, Nancy.”

She chuckled as she stood up to leave.

“I’m not. I promise.”

You just shook your head before gathering your things and exiting the newsroom.

On the drive home, you were running on adrenaline. You had just agreed to tell your long-time crush that you had feelings for him. It was invigorating. But by the time you reached your house, the high was gone and replaced with panic. For the couple of hours before you left for the game, you paced your room. It was too late to back out now. There was no way of getting ahold of Fred, and you already knew Nancy wouldn’t go since this whole thing was her idea. So, when it was finally time to head out, you stopped pacing your room, dragged yourself back to your car, and drove to the school.

You were hardly paying attention to the road as you drove. Your mind was reeling, and your stomach was rolling. You gripped the steering wheel the entire way there. When you finally reached the school, you parked and slowly made your way up to the gym. As you approached, you could see Fred standing out front, waiting for you. He was like a breath of fresh air. After all the anxiety you were feeling, just seeing him settled your mind, even if just for a moment. When he noticed you, he gave you a bright smile.

“You’re here.”

Your forehead creased at his statement.

“Did you think I wouldn’t show?”

The same crimson from earlier in the day crept up his neck and found a home on his cheeks. He shook his head and looked down at his feet.

“Wha-uh, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I,” he stopped and took a deep breath before lifting his gaze to meet yours again, “I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

Your heart leaped in your chest.

“Oh. Yeah, me too.”

You stood there a minute before Fred held his arm out toward the gym, and you walked ahead of him. He opened the door for you, and soon you were standing on the sidelines of the basketball court. The game was intense, but it was hard for you to focus on what was going on. You were standing so close to Fred that every few seconds, his arm would bump into yours, sending a string of shivers down your spine. And with those little touches, the panic from before was back with a vengeance. Your eyes flitted around, looking at anything but Fred. But even so, you could see that he kept sneaking glances at you. Throughout the game, neither of you spoke. Instead, Fred jotted things down in his notepad while you watched the game absentmindedly.

When the game finally ended in a Hawkins victory, the crowd was wild. You and Fred did your best to push your way through the mob of celebrating teenagers, but when it got too difficult, Fred placed a hand on your lower back. You could feel everything in your body tense at his touch. Then, he leaned in from behind you until his lips were inches from your ear and said, “Let’s go this way.”

He gave a little pressure on your back as he guided you through the crowd until you were outside, standing off to the side in a secluded alcove. He didn’t remove his hand right away, but when he did, you felt a sense of longing. You kept your eyes on the ground in front of you, staring at Fred’s old shoes. The anxiety you were feeling was like a wild animal inside of you, constantly eating away until it felt like you were seconds away from a panic attack. You watched as Fred took a small step forward.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out a hand but stopping short of touching you, “are you okay? You’ve been acting a little off all night.”

You felt like you were about to pass out. It was all coming to a head now. There was no more hiding. You let out a long breath.

“I’m just,” you stopped and finally looked up at him. “It’s Nancy.”

The surprise was evident by the way he reared back a little at the mention of her name.

“Nancy? Like Nancy Wheeler?”

“Yes,” you said, the word coming out in a huff. “She told me to do something that I just think is dumb and reckless even though it probably isn’t.”

You started pacing in front of Fred, throwing your arms in the air.

“I’m just scared, you know? I’m scared that it’s a huge mistake.”

You didn’t even give Fred a chance to say anything before you continued with your rant.

“And what if she’s wrong? Then what? I look like a total fool. But if I don’t do it, she’ll get mad at me because she set this whole thing up. She purposefully faked having to babysit so that I would have to come in her place.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Fred asked.

You kept pacing for another minute before finally stopping in front of Fred and letting out a defeated huff.

“I like you, Fred.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “I like you too.”

He was looking at you like you were crazy, and you knew he wasn’t picking up on what you were trying to say. So, you shook your head.

“No, you don’t get it. I really, really like you. I have for months now, but I’ve just been too afraid to say anything.” Fear felt like it was about to swallow you whole as you looked into Fred’s bright blue eyes and said, “But I’m done hiding my feelings, Fred. It’s time you knew.”

Fred just stared at you with a blank face, and you could feel the embarrassment about to take you under. You dropped your head, trying to control the tears that were threatening to spill out, when you felt Fred’s slender finger under your chin, lifting your eyes to meet his.

“That’s it?” He asked, and you couldn’t help the way your heart fell in your chest.

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’?”

His lips pulled up as he moved his hand to cup your cheek.

“Y/N, I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you how I feel for weeks. I was so happy when Nancy said she couldn’t come because it meant I’d finally get the chance to be alone with you.”

A swarm of butterflies was rumbling in your stomach, and your heart was running wild in your chest.

“Really?” You asked, barely above a whisper.

Fred nodded.

“Yes. I’ve had a crush on you from the first time you walked through The Weekly Notice’s door. I was just too shy to say anything.”

Your whole body was tingling with the joy overflowing inside of you. You didn’t think you would ever hear Fred say that to you, and now that he had, it was like you were floating. Fred removed his hand from your face and dipped his head down for a second before returning his stare to yours.

“Well,” he began, his hands wringing in front of him, “since you were brave, I guess it’s my turn. Are you busy this weekend? I’d really like to take you out. Maybe dinner and a movie?”

You bit your bottom lip to contain the wide grin that wanted to spill out over your face and nodded.

“I’d love to, Fred.”

He let out a breathy chuckle, and you could see his shoulders relax at your acceptance. Then, he extended his arm toward the parking lot.

“Shall we?”

You nodded before getting in step next to him. Fred walked you to your car and even opened your door for you after you unlocked it. The two of you stood there, looking at everything but each other, before you finally gained the courage to bend forward and plant a sweet kiss on his cheek. His hand moved to where your lips had just touched, his fingers barely brushing over the spot.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Fred.”

“Yeah,” he whispered, “see you tomorrow.”

Then you got into your car, waved goodbye, and drove off. A smile was plastered on your face as you drove home. You had never been so excited about something in your entire life, and you owed it all to Nancy. You would be thanking her for the rest of eternity, but you were fine with that. You’d thank Nancy every day if it meant that at the end of it, you’d get to be with Fred.

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