#for me it's losing face but closely followed by since i saw vienna | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lipstickbisous · 3 years

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𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | 𝟏

notes: this isn’t gonna be a long series, maybe like three or four parts!! but i feel like something with bucky was much needed! and it’s honestly impossible for me to write a pure fluff for him bc he’s such an angsty character.

and it’s going to sound like a stucky fic but maybe that's foreshadowing, maybe not...and (you’ll see later) but this isn’t skinny shaming!! it’s just sort of to exaggerate how hurt the reader is

pairing: bucky barnes x reader, former!steve rogers x reader

summary: in which steve rogers is the villian, and two stranded strangers find solace in each other.

warnings: ANGST, steve is a dick, mentions of anxiety and not eating,

word count: 3.9k

masterlist - series masterlist

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰ bucky’s alone now, but then again, he always has been. that feeling of emptiness that sits deep inside his stomach and visits him every hour of the day isn’t foreign. in fact, he’s been living with it for seventy years now and in a lifetime, he’s gotten used to it. bucky used to be terrified of the void he’d see when he went to sleep every night. his room in siberia was dark, the walls were drab, and the floors were dirtied with mud and dried blood. thankfully, that was his past. he thought bucarest would be his new home, even if it was a tiny apartment with creaky floors and a leakyceiling, it was his. he’d even placed a few flowers he’d picked in a small vase on his dining table, but they’d died in a matter of days and bucky had never gone flower picking again. however, when the newspapers read of the winter soldier and the attack in vienna, he knew it was time to run again. steve had been waiting for him. he had every reason to be cautious, but to see a face that was slightly familiar--bucky’s memory was still foggy--made him realize that maybe...he wasn’t so alone anymore. maybe steve could explain to tony that it wasn’t bucky at the UN, maybe they would invite him into their home and help him, and maybe he would finally have a family. wrong. bucky felt that it was partially his fault that steve could no longer return to his life. steve rogers was now a fugitive on the run because his best friend couldn’t control himself. but even bucky found hope in that--they could be on the run together. “it’ll be like old times” he’d told himself before falling asleep on the quinjet, only to wake up in a foreign country and steve saying goodbye. if bucky was being honest, his time in wakanda had been the most peace he had in over seventy years. he’d been frozen for six months, but it wasn’t the same way HYDRA had done it. before, he would wake up with freezer-burn bruises, unhealed cuts, and random sore spots. but when he’d opened his eyes to a utopian city-like view, bucky was...relieved. the sight of the jungle every morning was a soothing reminder that the violence of his previous life was over. there was no strange ache in his back anymore. “when healing, the best thing to do after caring for yourself is caring for others”. the goats had been a gift from t’challa, and bucky’s heart was constantly swelling as the year passed and they grew. he’d traded the metal arm for a patterned cloak and lived in the outskirts of the city. it was the quiet, peaceful life that bucky had been looking forward to since 1945. until steve rogers wove his way back into his life with the reasoning that “the world is in danger and we’re the ones to save it”. of course, bucky was glad to see a familiar face after two years, but steve was also a nudge that the quiet peace was over and would be for a while. all bucky could remember was calling out to steve and a dryness in his throat as his stomach rumbled like he hadn’t eaten a single piece of food in months. his bones started to wobble in their places, he lost control of spasming muscles before he watched his fingers, hand, and soon arm turn into particles of ash that would collect on the forest floor of wakanda. his eyes closed and his mind rested. it was almost like being frozen again, except there wasn’t the stinging sensation of ice collecting on his skin. when he woke, a strange man in a red cape was telling him, “we have to go. they need us.” he’d watched tony die without ever receiving a real apology from bucky. not that it was necessary, but bucky still held guilt for every assassination and mission he’d done. he’d comforted steve with the loss of his friend, and just for a split second, bucky had hope. life would be good from then on--he and steve would finally be there for each other. it’d be like life in brooklyn before super heroes and mad titans taking over the universe. he knew that steve would help him settle, find his own place, walk through public without strange stares, and maybe even get a girl. “i’m gonna go back for her,” steve had said one night. they’d been sitting at the dining table in his apartment. he’d been gracious enough to let bucky stay until he could get back on his feet, but the place suddenly didn’t feel like home. “i saw her...when we went back. i just- it felt so right. to see her right then and there.”bucky was speechless to say the least. he didn’t need a name to know who had their hand around steve’s heart. his hand gripped the couch cushion, feeling the stiff stuffing crumple in his palm.

“but what about (y/n)? a-and i’ll need help finding an apartment, a small one in brooklyn is fine, but-”

“you can have this one,” steve shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch. his eyebrows were furrowed in such a way that he almost looked confused, but bucky knew that steve had already made up his mind. he would return the stones tomorrow and never come back. “and she knows, buck, i wouldn’t just leave without telling her.”

it all hit bucky like a brick. “that’s why i haven’t seen her around lately,” he nodded slowly, but there was a pit in his stomach. it left a shaky feeling in his throat and the contents of his dinner were threatening to spill.

steve nodded, but he didn’t seem to be so bothered. “she’s not happy...obviously,” he sighed. “but i went without her for five years. i know this sounds awful, buck, trust me, i’m the one who had to tell her, but...i just sort of got used to life without her, as hard as it was.” meanwhile, bucky was still processing being alone all over again. “but you can have this place. sam will be here, and (y/n)...it’ll take time but i know she’ll heal. it’ll be okay.”

the next day, bucky noticed that (y/n) didn’t arrive to the lake house. she wasn’t there to wave steve goodbye, or to watch him return with gray hair and a wrinkled forehead, to hand off the shield to sam. it was hard to imagine how she felt--a man she’d abandoned her own life for now abandoned her. steve knew she had every right to be mad, but something about the way it didn’t even bother steve to leave her behind was infuriating. bucky had turned from the platform, ignoring sam’s yells of confusion and banner’s frustrated only to see a white-haired man sitting in front of the lake.

he wanted to run towards steve and wrap his arms around him, but the thought of her alone now angered the deepest pit in his stomach. bucky wanted to collide his fist into the old man’s cheek—steve’s been punched before, sure, he can take it again—but bucky froze. steve’s eyes were old and withered, and as heartbreaking as it was, they looked tired. the wrinkles on his cheeks and forehead showed he’d lived his life and experienced it well. and deep down, bucky knew it was what he deserved. but why’d he have to leave the people who loved him to do it?

―

(y/n) was seeing a world of crimson and blazing fire. everything in her mind was crumbling while everyone else celebrated reunions. families were brought back together, loved ones returned, but instead, she was left alone. steve rogers had taken her heart in his palm and toyed with it for seven long years. she’d followed him blindly and let him lead her through flames.when she’d returned, she could sense that time had passed. five years that could’ve been spent with steve—maybe even marrying and finding a home, starting a family—were gone. of course, that was the first thing that came to mind when (y/n) felt herself awaking from a sickening sleep. she had risen in the forest floor of wakanda and noticed bucky by her side, just as confused as she was. but instead of realizing the world needed saving, she thought of steve.

it’d been a month after tony’s funeral. she’d settled back into this new world rather well in her opinion and finally she had a peaceful life with the man she loved. a small apartment in brooklyn was a big enough home for (y/n) when steve was there with her. bucky even stayed during the nights. life felt...normal. she could get used to this. “you know i love you,” steve had told her one night. the tv had been quietly playing a stupid reality show that (y/n) had five years worth of season to catch up on. with his feet propped up on the couch, one arm on the back and one around her shoulders, he squeezed.

there was a giggle—one that steve hadn’t heard in half a decade and missed it dearly. “i know, stevie,” she smiled before popping a chip in her mouth. she offered one to steve, but when she turned to face him, (y/n) was met with a blank expression and a deeper one of discomfort. “hey, are you okay?” panic attacks had become frequent with steve—he’d been alone for so long and having everyone back all at once (while losing a few as well) was overwhelming. he nodded slowly before gently taking the bag of chips from her hold placing it on the coffee table. he switched the tv off and pulled (y/n) closer to him. her eyebrows knitted in confusion before he blurted,

“i need to go back.” from there on, she had no reaction. the salty taste of potato chips was gone and her throat was empty. whatever he said next was hard to hear as her hearing was muffled but the words were burned into (y/n)’s mind. “i don’t belong here, doll, you always knew that. i have the chance to go back, to have everything in a time where i should be. and honey...it’s been five years. i’ve been so alone for five years, it’s hard for you—and everyone else—to just come back like this.”she didn’t fight it. she didn’t argue or slap his chest, she didn’t bite her tongue or cry. there were words she threatened to scream—“i can help you through this”, “you belong with me”, “i can go back with you”, “how can you do this?”—but instead she kept in silence. her lips gently parted with a breath of air, but suddenly, the oxygen in the shared home felt toxic. and it was then she realized it.

steve always sugarcoated things. he could never be the one to tell someone they’ve been diagnosed with cancer; he’d do it so politely the person wouldn’t even realize it. it was in his dna to be kind. (y/n) used to think that steve had inherited it from his mother. but he wasn’t leaving because he belonged in the past. he wasn’t telling her this with honesty. steve rogers was an honest man but even when sugarcoating things he could lie. he was going back to be with peggy simply because he loved her more.

maybe that’s what hurt the most. she could deal with steve leaving—so many people in her life had left and she’d hoped he wouldn’t be one of them—but how was she supposed to live with the fact that his heart belonged to someone else? had peggy been holding his heart while he was holding (y/n)’s this entire time? it was lie that had its truth and she didn’t want any business in knowing it. so she left. gone that night while he slept on the couch. she didn’t even need to kick him out of the bedroom; steve always knew what was good for him. but when the clock read 12:00 in a harsh shade of red, (y/n) had jumped to the closet and began packing as much as she could fit into one large suitcase. she supposed that after he returned the stones and was reunited with his first love, she could come back to the apartment and retrieve the rest of her belongings. when she tip-toed past the living room and kitchen, slipping on a pair of shoes at the front door, there was a stinging her heart. she watched as he soundly slept, large arms clinging onto a thick pillow. steve’s lips let out the smallest snores that (y/n) once found sweet and gentle. but spending anymore time in that apartment would tear her apart, so the next second she was gone.

sure, there’s been at least fifty unanswered and stranded texts and calls left by sam and she had no intentions to respond. he was a constant reminder of a man that she used to (and still) loved. then, one day, she’d listened to the countless voicemails—and a special one left the news that steve had finally left. sam sounded frantic and upset but (y/n) knew there was content deep down that he felt for steve. “this is the life he deserved, i know that,” sam had sighed. “but i’m so sorry, (y/n). from the bottom of my heart and i know steve is too.”

his words meant nothing to her. no apology could mend whatever was left of (y/n). and she knew she wasn’t the only one hurting. instead of giving the apartment—the one that she and steve had bought together as a home—to her, steve gave it to bucky. she’d never gotten to know the ex-soldier, but how could steve, someone she spent seven years of her life with, leave her alone without even a place to stay? (y/n) was ultimately alone. she no longer had steve, along with tony and natasha. the three people she loved the most, one of them a man she thought she’d spend her life with, were gone. and the worst part was, there were people who were trying to comfort her so she wasn’t as alone. she’d managed to find a cramped apartment that, for some reason, always smelled like cheese, and sam would show up at the door with groceries or flowers every wednesday morning. sometimes, he’d stay outside and knock for an hour straight, but (y/n) was stubborn.

“you know, you’ve gotta out there someday,” steve’s voice would talk to her with that brooklyn drawl that she missed. “it’s not good to stayed cooped up like this. besides, i don’t think the air quality in this building isn’t the best, doll.” (y/n) would either shoo away the imprinted shadow he’d left behind in her mind or fall into its dark pit. “maybe none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t left me alone those five years”, “you just weren’t good enough”, “i had to go back, she’s just better than you are.” he’d spew harsh truths to her, ruining good dreams into nightmares and it was becoming constant. when (y/n) awoke in a cold sweat, the sight of steve—with golden hair and smooth skin—still burned in her mind, she’d pinch herself to remember that steve now had gray hair and wrinkles, and he’d lived his life with someone else.

fortunately, (y/n) wasn’t alone. bucky barnes was just as exhausted and isolated as she was. there were countless missions being via mail or through this strange thing “email”, but he hadn’t bothered to check them. he’d locked his doors and closed the blinds, bidding farewell to the outside world. bucky did deserve it--seventy years spent killing and hurting others without a sense of control for himself. he deserved to live peacefully. but it was hard for both (y/n) and bucky to do so when the image of steve rogers lived on in their minds.

bucky knew a life of loneliness wasn’t a life at all. he’d gone by himself for so long, and although he enjoyed staying inside the apartment that still slightly smelled like steve and being able to deny any source of socialization, he was aware that being alone would take its toll soon enough. it’d taken a few tries to get (y/n) to pick up the phone. the first time she had, she’d let it sit by her ear for three seconds before hanging up--three more tries later and a breakfast at the small diner three blocks away was planned.

bucky had been sitting patiently at a booth with incredibly uncomfortable seating, causing him to rapidly jump his foot up and down. he’d worn a black hoodie with ripped hems around the cuffs, but as long as it covered up the metal arm, he was fine. there was a jingling sound as the front door opened and a hissing as it shut. sunlight poured from behind (y/n), casting an elongated shadow across the cliche checkered floor that reminded bucky of his first life.

she wore discreet and dark clothing--something incredibly unlike her. her combat boots hit the tiles with gentle footsteps but something about (y/n)’s entrance set a tension in the air and every person in the restaurant could feel it. however, she walked past them unnoticeably. it’s her job. bucky reminded himself, but felt a little spiral in his stomach when she sat herself down across from him. there was a strand of hair that fell from behind her ear, and it complimenting the frame of her face but she was quick to brush it back.

at first, it was silent--so silent that their ears picked up even the smallest conversations of other customers and waitresses. they scanned over the plastic menus, took occasional sips from their waters, and earned suspicious stairs from their waiter. “breakfast or lunch?” bucky had muttered, looking above his menu to peek at (y/n). her expression hadn’t changed since she entered the diner.

“you choose,” she shrugged, leaning back in the booth and slapping the menu shut. “not that hungry, though.”

he uncomfortably nodded and shifted in his seat before picking his order. their waitress--a short girl with curly blonde hair pulled back into a slick bun with tiny fly-aways, dressed in a cheesy pink dress--returned to their table. “d’you know what you want to order?” she giddily smiled, covering the suspicions she had; why were there two avengers in the restaurant...and why did they look so sad? (y/n) looked up threw the corner of her eye to the waitress name badge. it read ‘peggy’ in capitalized golden letters, and (y/n) suddenly felt sick. thankfully, bucky noticed her discomfort.

“just the eggs and toast,” he politely smiled, but there was a sting in his heart as well and it was getting harder to ignore. “over medium.” he looked over to the girl across him and motioned for her to talk.

“just another water,” (y/n) deeply gritted, barely even moving her lips to speak. her eyes burned into the table and peggy was quick to return to the kitchens. the former avenger clenched the plastic pepsi cup in her hand and spun it around so the melting ice inside clinked against the edges. bucky’s eyes didn’t leave her frame.

he leaned forward on his elbows and held his right hand his metal one he’d covered with a glove. it definitely looked odd to be wearing one glove inside when the summer air was returning, but it was better than the stares he’d get if he revealed the prosthetic. “don’t you think you should eat something, (y/n)?” bucky gently pushed, leaning even closer to make some sort of eye contact. her arms were smaller, her cheeks were hollow, and her jaw protruded from her neck. she covered it well with a bulky sweatshirt but her entire frame was thinner.

with another small shrug, she swished the water around before taking a small sip. it was chilling the back of her throat when a tiny piece of ice made it past her lips. “don’t like breakfast food.” it was a lie and bucky knew it. although (y/n) had been tried to lie her whole life, he wasn’t stupid. her lips slightly twitched to the left with her fabrication. and if there was one thing bucky did know, it was that steve rogers was a believer in good breakfast food. bucky could imagine the countless morning meals he cooked himself for (y/n), but the soldier didn’t push her to talk about it. both were in pain, it was evident to anyone who walked past them. “why am i here?”

“i thought we could talk,” bucky’s shoulders relaxed with the quietest sigh. the sudden aroma of bacon frying and the sizzling of fried eggs filled the restaurant, adding onto the white noise flowing through his ears. “it’s been a month, and i know you don’t want to see him-” your eyes snapped to his and he held his hands up cautiously. “i won’t make you. because i understand.” her left eyebrows arched. “he left both of us. i know sam’s dealing with it, but it’s not hurting him the same, hun,” she internally cringed at the name. “i think--and there’s a chance i’m reaching too far, if i am, just tell me--but we’re sharing the same situation. maybe we can help each other through it.”

before (y/n) could even being to process his offer, peggy returned with a large plate of steaming eggs and bacon. she set it in front of bucky, along with three small packets of butter, and in front of (y/n) a second glass of water. once she returned to her other tables, bucky harshly cut into an egg with his left arm, releasing a screeching noise of metal against porcelain. there was a dark line against the plate and he set the knife down. “still getting used to it,” he motioned to the arm with a hesitant laugh. (y/n) responded with a nod.

“but i’m serious. it’s not this good to be alone, i should know,” he lathered one side of his toast with the pale yellow-colored butter, watching it melt into the grain. “we don’t have to talk about him. although, it might pay off at some point...but what do you say?”

everything was spinning inside (y/n)’s mind. the voices partaking in other conversations were drowning out with the clinking of forks and knives, the bustling in the kitchens, and the clinking of the cash register. eventually, they all began to mix together and soon enough, bucky’s plate was empty. he allowed (y/n) to sit in the silence of their discussion blended with other various noises. the ice in their waters had finally melted so that the drinks became room-temperature and were now untouched. however long they’d been there, they didn’t know. it had been a while since (y/n) was able to sit in peaceful quiet with another person without the constant questioning of steve rogers.

outside the window, the sun was lowering in the sky, hanging by just a thread. (y/n) wasn’t exactly sure about everything going on in her mind, but she found a sense of calm in the man across from her. the new haircut suited him well, sharpening his jaw and chin already more so than before. his stubble contrasted the image of a clean-shaven man that sat inside her mind, but the blue eyes were the same. “sure,” she tried to smile, but pathetically curved her lips in an unflattering way. however, bucky’s heart fluttered. (y/n) extended her arm towards him with her hand flat out.

“friends.”

―

tags: @babyyhoneyydarling @honeysucklesteve @emmabarnes @fallinforevans @saint-bvcky @steverrogers @just-one-ordinary-fangirl @rxcklessly-bratty @brattycherubwrites @hevans-angel @geniedetails @inactivewhore @steebsbabygirl @sultrygoblin @learisa @nony-bear @cloudystevie

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maverickcalf · 3 years

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3, any ship you want!

I woke up in a very trans mood, so we are gonna get some Trans Ethan along with a soulmate au. Some Jack x Ethan, Ethan x Julia But end game Benthan.

TW Internalized Transphobia and Self Harm. Like a good amount of self harm. Please send angst/whump dialogue prompts

3. “Your arm looks…weird.”

Ethan Hunt had always wished for a world without soul marks. Well maybe not always, maybe since he could vocalize that he was his parents’ son and not their daughter. From then on every day he had before he turned 18 was both a blessing and a curse.

Sure, he couldn't transition beyond his parents correcting folks and dressing differently. But at least there wouldn't be a mark burning into his arm, a promise there was someone out there for...was it even for him. Or for a past shadow that never existed?

When he woke up on his 18th birthday with the soul mark on his left forearm. Must mean his soulmate has theirs on their right arm. That's normally what happened, it was like a puzzle piece in that regard. What Ethan hated most about his soul mark was it was actually lovely. A tall plant growing out of a top hat, the trunks intertwining with each other a heart craved into each one. A white butterfly resting on the top.

Ethan had seen so many soul marks that just had people’s names and a heart but this... this was designed by someone in the heavens. And Ethan hated it. That the universe did this for him and didn’t even have the courtesy to give him the body he knew he should be in?

Still his parents were pleased, giving him compliments, saying how beautiful the butterfly was, and they took many pictures of it and then he was off to college, where he was alone, and the hate began to boil.

He was never sure why he decide to first take a knife to it. All he knew is his match would be better off without dealing with all his complexities, without knowing him.

But he went too far, his friend noticed. Sarah noticed after a month, and convinced him that if he really hated it that much he should just cover it and not do something so awful. Really Ethan was just thankful she didn’t report him, he could get suspended for something that drastic, maybe even sent away. Sure he still had to wash it and see it then, but it got better.

Then Ethan met Jack. Now Jack’s soul mark were several electrical wires intertwined to make a heart, his was on his right arm. But Jack was different, he didn’t seem to care about soul marks.

“The way I see it, is a soul mark just shows us who we are most compatible with. Five plus Five may equal ten, but there are many ways to equal ten. The marks are just the most balanced number.”

And it made sense to Ethan, and for the first time in years he felt at peace, he didn’t have to force himself into any box or think about be with someone who expected him to be a certain way. He could just enjoy life. And Life did include Jack, for a time. He even stopped hiding his mark for a few years, he didn’t care that their marks didn’t match. They worked well together, and that’s what mattered.

After he lost everyone, Ethan did relapsed. Thankfully not for long, but it scared him. He covered it up again. He had a few dates and loves after that, but nothing too serious until Julia.

Her mark was a standard heart but instead of in the center had a blood red ruby in the center and the heart was silver not anything in a red tone. Julia was very different than Jack. True, she didn’t care that they didn’t match. The only thing that worried her was the scars the littered his arm. But she loved to study the symbolism of the marks and wished she could have seen it when it was not covered in marks of his self-hatred.

One call to his Uncle later and he acquired his old photos of his mark. He decide to not show Julia any photos where you could see his face or his body, he wasn’t on T or had any sort of surgery, and those parts hurt to see as well.

“I love the butterfly. That’s a male checkered white.”

“Huh? Is it?” Ethan shrugged, “Must mean my match is a guy.”

“Hmm, maybe. But that butterfly is more local to your neck of the woods. I think it is meant to represent you.”

He knew Julia had meant to reassure him, but that made him angry again. Why would his mark label him as male and yet he was born the way he was. It made him hide it again.

Losing Julia to his job was the final straw. He was going to get rid of this thing. Love was pointless, especially for him, having a soul mate was a risk, for him and...whoever matched him. He wasn’t going to take that risk.

When he was done trying to burn it off, it was barely recognizable. Just a vague shape of colors, but the butterfly still was noticeable. But burning it off more in prison wasn’t really a choice. So he just avoided looking at it, hid it again, but now with the reason that no one wanted to see his burn marks, the guards all found it awful to look at it, they gave him a large armband and basically forced him to wear it. Fine by him.

But in all the chaos of the mission after being broken out of jail, he had forgotten to hide not only his marks but his burns. And when he enter the room without it all conversion stopped, all three of their eyes were fixed on his left forearm. Shit.

Benji of course was the first to speak up, “Your arm looks…weird.” Ethan swallowed, he didn’t expect Benji to say it like that, and it hurt more than he thought it would. Benji had always looked up to him but now he could see what sort of man he really was. God, the pained look in his eyes, Ethan couldn’t handle it; he looked away and quickly rolled down his sleeve despite the heat.

“It’s nothing.” He said flatly, trying to indicate through his tone he didn’t want to continue this conversation.

“Nothing, sure.” Brandt frowned, “Like we are supposed to believe that.”

“Just like we are supposed to you are just an analyst.” Ethan said back sharply. “Who are you Brandt, really?” ---

Despite everything, they made it through. The whole team. But he should've known there would be some changes. They saw, they saw what he did to himself, but none of them spoke to him directly. But they did keep a close eye on him. Good. He didn’t try to do anything again, after all his team was counting on him, knowing they were watching did stop him.

It wasn’t until he was alone with Benji in Vienna did he hear anyone ask about it.

“Ethan, your arm-?” Ethan turned to look at a very nervous Benji, all his confidence from early had seemed to vanish. Still Ethan said nothing, waiting for Benji to say more. “Is that where your mark- was?”

Ethan let out a laugh that was much more bitter in tone than he intended, “It’s still there somewhat, despite everything.”

“Can I see it?” Ethan blinked, he wasn’t expecting that. Still he took off his jacket and rolled up his left sleeve for Benji. He tried to remain relaxed as Benji’s traced his fingers along the outline of the mark, despite the burns making a lot of it indistinguishable. What was something was when Benji rubbed his thumb over where the hearts were on the trunks of the tree, they had been gone for years; How did Benji-?

“Benji?” Ethan asked softly, his heart was racing. Was this really happening?

“I would ask if you miss it but-” Benji bit his lip, “It’s pretty evident you hate it.”

“I just thought...” Ethan swallowed, “I thought my match would be better off, safer without me in their life” Ethan looked into Benji’s eyes, “But...turns out, he is staying...? Right?”

Benji felt his cheeks burn, “How did you know?”

Ethan shrugged, “Just following a hunch.” His face broke out into a smile. After all these years, his friend had been his match the whole time. There were still some hurtles but.. but.. Ethan’s smile faded. There was one major hurtle. Ethan pulled his arm back, rubbing his forearm “B-benji. There is something you... you should know, about me.”

“I know you don’t believe in soulmates, but-” Benji said, Ethan could tell he was trying to hold himself together.

“I am trans. I am a trans man.” Ethan said before he could talk himself out of it. Benji’s eyes widened. “I was always afraid, that, my match would expect someone else. Not Ethan but-”

“I am not expecting anything.” Benji cut him off, “I wouldn’t want you to force yourself into a relationship with me! It’s just a mark on an arm, not legally binding.”

“Do you want to...be in a relationship with me? Even after learning I am trans and how...” He let out a soft chuckle, “How much I hated myself?”

“...Yes. I do.” Benji smiled softly. Ethan smiled back.

There would be time to talk later but for now all they needed was each other. They fell asleep in each other’s arms, Ethan’s thumb gently rubbing the white butterfly on Benji’s arm. His parents were right, it was beautiful.

#threeoaksy #benthan #ya know i could've used this chance for a rare pair #tw self harm #tw transphobia #instead I was like #nah just gonna do three pairs #angst #like so much angst #ethan x julia #ethan x jack #long post #i might post this on a03 #writing

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ficwriterwastakenalt · 2 years

Text

Since i Saw Vienna

this is that paper i had to do for english let me know if its good or not

It’s been 60 hard weeks without her. It's been 60 weeks since I last saw her, her crystal blue eyes, long raven black hair, and pale skin flecked with freckles. 60 weeks of searching for the love of my life, and not a single thing that could lead me to her has turned up. I had begun to lose hope, but Anna's cries for her mother kept me searching for her. Maybe there was only a sliver of hope in me, and the thought that she was out there made me want to search for her no matter what it took.

Maybe that's what made me a wonderful husband, just like she said the night she went missing, I knew she didn't run away and wouldn't leave. Vienna would not leave the only two things she cared about in this cruel world, especially because they were the only things she had left. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stood staring out into the woods, "Dada?" I wiped the tears from my eyes before returning my attention to Anna. She has freckled cheeks and black hair like her mother, but she has my forest green eyes with specks of blue in them. Beautiful.

"Hello princess," I cooed down at my daughter before picking her up and smoothing her black hair out of her face. "Dada, are you ok? do you miss mommy?" she asked. "Yes princess, you know how much I love your mommy," I nodded as tears welled up in my eyes again. My tears fell as Anna nodded and buried her head into my neck. She reminded me so much of Vienna. "C’mon Hun, it's passed your bedtime," I said as I closed my eyes and hugged Anna tightly in my arms. Anna nodded into my neck, and as I carried her back to her princess bed, she asked, "Dada, do you think mommy will ever come back?" I knelt and kissed her head, "I hope dear."

With that, I stood up and covered her in her pink fuzzy blanket before exiting the room, making sure to turn out the light and close the door with only a small gap to allow some light in.

I returned to the living room and glanced out the window. Something about those woods felt strange, so I turned away and went to mine and....Vienna's room and laid down, staring at a photograph of myself, her, and Anna took on the day Anna was born, weighing 7 pounds and 2 ounces. She was so gorgeous that everything made me fall in love with her, and I swear I fell in love with Vienna all over again that day, even though her usually straight hair was a mess, and her makeup was streaming down her face, she looked just as stunning as the day I met her at that cafe.

~ I sat in the closet booth next to the door, listening to the bell jiggle with each new person who walked through those glass doors. I'd look up at the door now and then, and this time a black-haired girl with too many freckles to count walked in with blue eyes that looked like pure water or maybe the sky on a bright day or maybe just maybe it was ice that seemed soft but could easily cut you if it broke. Her eyes were gorgeous, yet they could easily cut you like a razor blade.

When she glanced at me, my heart skipped a beat and a tiny flush appeared on my somewhat tanned cheeks. I instantly looked down, feeling like she was stabbing me with those eyes. I let my dark, unkempt brown hair fall in front of my face in the hopes of hiding my blush. ‘Oh god, she’s pretty please don’t let her walk over here’~

I turned onto my back and clutched the picture close to me, smiling at the memories. "Why did you leave Vienna, what made you leave?" The sound of ringing echoed through the air, causing me to sit up. I laid the picture down and dashed to the back door, looking out the window. Vienna stared at me, she dropped her phone and dashed into the woods. I slid my shoes on as quickly as I could and ran out the back door, slamming it on my way out. I ran to the phone that was lying just outside the woods and grabbed it before following the ravens cawing, dashing between trees and tripping over branches until I came to an opening there stood the sweet woman I married.

"VIENNA," I yelled as tears clouded my vision as I raced towards her. She stood staring as I got closer, but as soon as I was a meter from her, she disappeared...again, my heart dropped into my stomach as I fell to my knees and sobs shook my body. As I sank deeper into the ground, laying on my back and letting the leaves cover me, the cold fall air nibbled at my exposed skin. The damp cold dirt cooled my feverish skin. As I peered up at the trees, my head spun. She was so close but so far away. Why did she have to leave? Why was she back?

What had taken her so long?...

I grabbed her phone and raised it above my head, staring at the black screen where a notification had shown. I double-checked the name it was from...me? before clicking on it; it took me to the Messager app, where I read "it’s a dream..." before the phone's screen turned red. As the words 'virus detected' appeared on the screen, my heart began hammering against my ribs. I dropped the phone and dashed towards my house; someone was in there with Anna.

How could I have been so idiotic to leave my daughter alone? I pumped my legs to run faster, trying not to trip over sticks and bushes. I closed my eyes as tears welled up in them once more until I bumped into something and fell. I opened my eyes to be confronted with icy blue ones. She stood there once again, her black dress hugging her body as she stood there, her dress skirt moving gently in the breeze, as did her hair. "V-Vienna?" I couldn't stop her name from slipping out of my mouth. "My lovely boy," she whispered with a small smile on her gorgeous face, "I missed you," she finished, her words made my heart slow and my face flush "Vienna, where have you been?" I said as my throat tightened.

She approached me and knelt in front of me. I leaned into her hand on my cheek, closed my eyes, till a sharp slap made my cheek hurt, and I sat up in my bed breathless as tears streamed down my cheeks. I clutched the white blanket between my fingers, trying to keep from shaking when a loud knock sounded from the door. I looked at the time, 12:30 a.m., and thought to myself, 'Who's at the door at midnight?' I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to the front door, where two police officers waited.

"We need you to come down to the station for some questioning," the second officer remarked, peering over my shoulder. "Yea, let me just grab my daughter," I responded, turning around to see Anna standing there with Vienna behind her. Vienna's eyes narrowed as she said, "You killed me and you know it William, you will live with this guilt till your body decomposes next to mine" my heart pounded violently against my chest. It seemed as if it was about to burst and land in front of her and my daughter. This must be a dream. I couldn't hear anything it was dead silent; all I could hear was my heart beating in my chest and the sound of blood running through my veins.

I was thrown into the cop car, the cop got in the driver's seat, the other cop staying with Anna. The cop backed up and began driving. It was a short drive, but everything seemed to be moving at a snail's pace-so slow. I was pushed into a room and another cop arrived. I just sat there staring at the grey wall. The cop quickly left, and another entered, yanking me to my feet and pushing me into a holding cell. I fell asleep on the bed; hot tears burning my cheeks as they streamed down my face.

I awoke with a jolt and looked around, but there was no jail cell and no Vienna....I guess I never saw Vienna after all.

The distance is truly futile....

#Spade is a hot bitch #Spade talks #lowkey based off the song #william = wilbur #dsmp #mcyt #dream smp

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thefallennightmare · 4 years

Text

Dorogaya [3/?]

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: angst, swearing, and some fluff.

Summary: It has been sometime since Y/N and Bucky went into hiding but now their past is returning. Can this new relationship survive the Civil War that’s about to happen?

A/N: Sorry for the long delay but here’s chapter three! I feel like it’s not my best one so hopefully you guys like it! I will try and get chapter four posted soon.

“Your hair is different.”

Steve’s soft voice broke my frozen trance and I shook my head in disbelief.

“You sent me that text earlier today,” I muttered.

He nodded. “The police are looking for Bucky. Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” I shook my head with a lie. “I haven’t seen him in months.

Steve let out a scoff before he motioned towards the pile of journals that laid scattered on the counter. My eyes followed him and when they landed back on my face, I couldn’t help the thoughts of our last kiss that clouded my mind.

“We don’t have much time, Y/N. If I was able to find you, so will the police. We have to get you out of here.” Steve tried to step towards me but the new figure in the apartment stopped him in his tracks.

Bucky stood tall as he took his place in front of me, trying to protect me from Steve.

“I told you to leave,” I harshly whispered.

He ignored me as him and Steve stared at each other. The air around us thickened with tension and I bit my lip when I felt the jealousy radiating off of Bucky. The past between Steve and I never came up in our conversations, I made sure of it. But it never needed to; Bucky knew the connection between Steve and I were too strong to forget.

“Do you know me?” Steve questioned.

Bucky nodded. “You’re Steve. I read about you in a museum. Y/N said you two worked together.”

“You’re lying,” Steve sighed.

“Why are you here, Steve?” I asked, interrupting him.

“We need to leave,” Steve reminded us once again. “Pretty soon there will be cops surrounding this building. Looking for you.”

“I don’t do that anymore,” Bucky claimed.

I nodded. “It’s true, Steve. We’ve been hiding here for years, not bothering anyone.”

Steve’s shoulders tensed as his back went rigid. The way a soft breath left his lips before they pressed into a hard line told me everything I already knew.

He was pissed.

“So while I’ve been saving the world and looking for you with Sam, you two have been sitting here playing house?” Steve scoffed.

“I told you not to look for us,” I reminded him.

Anger filled my veins and Bucky, who knew what would happen if I let the anger take over, linked his flesh fingers with my own. He gave them a gentle squeeze while placing a soft kiss on top of my head.

“We don’t need your help,” Bucky turned his attention towards Steve.

“Steve, you need to get them out of there now. Police have been dispatched to their apartment. You’ve got five minutes.”

The deep voice was quiet coming from the com in Steve’s ear but I still knew who it belonged to.

“You didn’t come alone,” I spoke after realizing how serious the situation was that Bucky was in.

“He’s wanted for bombing the U.N, Y/N. A bombing that killed the king of Wakanda.” Steve explained.

“I wasn't in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.” Bucky reminded him while his shoulders tensed.

The worry radiated off of him before he was filled with a slight feeling of fear. But the fear was gone as soon as it came, being replaced with the need to fight. His ears perked up and when I went to grab his arm, Bucky flinched away from me.

“What’s wrong?” I questioned.

“You need to get out of here,” Bucky turned his attention towards me. “They’re on the roof and surrounding the building. You need to leave.”

I shook my head. “I already told you that I’m not leaving you.”

“Y/N-.”

“This isn't up for discussion, Bucky. I’m staying.” I insisted.

He opened his mouth to speak but I didn’t let him get the chance to fight again because I turned my attention towards Steve.

“How’d you find us?” I questioned.

He hesitated for a moment before a soft sigh left his lips. “Sharon. She found out that someone was bragging online that he was hitting on Agent Y/N in a bar one night. He claimed that you invited him over and he sold your address to the press for extra money.”

“That fucking creep,” I groaned once I realized the man from the other night was who Steve was talking about.

“We need to go. Now.”

Steve reached for me but Bucky stepped in the way, blocking him. He sighed before looking over Bucky’s shoulder to me.

“Y/N, please listen to me. It isn’t safe here anymore,” Steve begged.

“I know, Steve. But Bucky and I can handle this ourselves. You didn’t need to bring the whole Avenger’s team to pick us up,” I spat while crossing my arms.

Steve’s eyebrows rose under his mask. “You haven't heard?”

I shook my head. “Heard what?”

“The Avengers are done. Half of the team signed a contract that let the United Nations control our every move. Where we go, who to save. They’re the ones who signed off on the warrant to arrest you two. Sharon gave us this lead to save us time before that happens.”

“You didn’t sign?” I asked.

“It’s not who I am, Y/N. You know that.” Steve admitted.

“I hate to break up this reunion but you’ve got less than two minutes before they breach through the door.”

“You two don’t understand. They have orders to shoot on sight. They don’t plan on taking him alive.” Steve fumed.

“That’s smart. Good strategy.” Bucky agreed with a nod.

Sam’s voice came through the com once more and Bucky let out a sigh this time, slowly pulling the glove off of his metal hand.

“This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck.” Steve reminded him.

I nodded, agreeing with Steve. “Don’t do this.”

“It always ends in a fight,” Bucky admitted with a sigh.

We heard footsteps ascend the stairs outside and I knew that cops were planting themselves outside our door.

“You pulled me from the river. Why?” Steve finally asked the question that was burning inside his brain for years.

“I don’t know,” Bucky spoke.

Steve nodded. “Yes you do.”

Suddenly, the small home that Bucky and I had called home for years shattered around us as flash grenades smashed through our windows. Bucky kicked one towards Steve, who covered the bang with his shield. Cops tried to break down the door but I kicked our kitchen table towards it, blocking them from entering as two cops entered through the windows.

I watched as Steve and Bucky fought them with little to no ease and when we had a second to ourselves, Bucky placed his hands on my face, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Remember our plan?”

I kept quiet, only nodded.

“Good. Do whatever you have to do.” He said while he motioned towards my hands.

As we tried to leave through the balcony, Steve grabbed Bucky’s hand to stop him.

“Buck, stop. You’re going to kill someone.”

In a matter of a second, Steve was on the ground as Bucky punched a hole through the floor and pulled his backpack from the floorboards. The backpack held all of his personal belongings that he didn’t want to lose.

“I’m not going to kill anyone.”

Bucky’s eyes landed on me as he strapped his bag to me. “I’m sorry.”

I gave him a confused stare. “Sorry for what?”

In a quick instant, I felt my body being thrown from the balcony, down towards the roof of the building next to us. A scream erupted from my throat as I could almost feel the concrete getting closer and closer.

But before I could hit with a thud, arms wrapped around me and planted my feet safely on the ground.

I had to blink a few times, the shock of being thrown out of a building disappearing, and found myself smiling at the man that saved me.

“Oh my god, Sam. Am I glad to see you.” I admitted, finally catching my breath.

Sam went to open his mouth but gunshots sounded from the roof next to us and my eyes watched in fear as someone shot bullets from a helicopter towards Bucky. Sam flew towards the helicopter to stop them and I used this moment to follow Bucky, who had jumped from the building.

Once both of our feet were on solid ground, it was then that I noticed someone else was also following Bucky.

“Who’s the dude in the catsuit?” I asked as we both ran towards an underpass, cars flying past us.

“No idea,” Bucky exasperated.

We ran as fast as we could, Bucky faster than me, but I knew that Steve and the other guy were still close. The air was tightening in my lungs and I could feel my feet slowing down but I still tried to keep up with Bucky.

“Y/N!”

Peering over my shoulder, I saw that Steve was driving a car towards me and in one quick jump, I found myself on the hood of the car.

“Now would be the perfect time NOT to crash, okay?” I yelled at Steve, who gave me a quick smile.

As Steve drove the car closer and closer towards Bucky, I perched myself up on my feet and knew that I only had half a second to get the timing right.

Bucky reached for a motorcycle that was driving past and time slowed down as I watched in a slight arousal as he jumped onto the bike with an attractive ease.

I motnined to Steve to get close to Bucky and when we were driving right next to him, I took Bucky’s extended hand and jumped behind him on the bike.

“Hold on!” He yelled.

Not giving it a second thought, I clasped my hands around his stomach and felt my own drop when Bucky sped the bike up faster. We weaved in and out of traffic and my heart leaped when the thought of being free came to mind but it all came crashing down in an instant when we were hit from behind, the bike and our bodies rolling a few feet on the street.

“Son of bitch,” I groaned while pulling myself to my knees.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Bucky asked while he pulled me to my feet.

His metal fingers brushed hair from my face and I nodded, feeling the blood dripping from the gash on my forehead.

Sirens surrounded us as cops raised their guns towards us, ready to shoot on command, and Steve came up to the side of me with his hands up.

“Don’t shoot!”

My fingers burned with the itch to kill and before I knew it, fire spread from my fingertips. Darkness took over my vision and I could feel my soul fighting with the evil that was rising within.

“What's going on? Why are her eyes black?”

Steve’s voice was muffled and before I could second guess my actions, I threw a fire ball towards one of the cops that had their guns pointed towards Bucky.

The screams meant nothing as I continued to throw fireballs towards anyone I could, not having any control over my body.

“Y/N, you have to stop! They’re going to shoot you!”

Ignoring Steve, I could feel the warmth growing and as I was about to hit my next target, cold fingers clasped over my hand. The calm voice seemed to break me out of the dark trance and I gasped when I met those blue eyes.

“Doll? It’s okay, it’s me.”

My lips trembled as I looked at the damage I caused; two cars to the left were set ablaze and one officer was down on his knees, nursing the new burns on his chest.

“What did I do?” I sobbed.

Bucky went to reach for me but he was roughly pushed to his knees by an officer right before I felt myself being pushed face down on the ground.

“Put these on her!”

I watched, frozen, as one of the officers covered my hands with metal gloves.

“Let her go!” Bucky screamed, trying to fight off the officers.

I gave him a quick nod, letting him know that I was okay.

Suddenly metal feet slammed in front of me and raising my eyes, an audible groan left my lips.

“Congrats, Cap. You guys are criminals.”

“Fuck you, Rohdey.” I cursed while being thrown, not too nicely into the cop car.

Tags:

@capstopavenger @just-a-littlebit-of-everything

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #the winter soldier x reader #the winter soldier #marvel #avengers #captain america x reader #captain america #chris evans #sebastian stan

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junggoku · 4 years

Text

Lemon Curls and Latte Art - Ethan Ramsey x f!MC

book: Open Heart

pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Nina Valentine)

word count: 6,679

summary: Ethan’s been having a tough time with a case and desperately needs some coffee and time away from the hospital. His small impromptu trip to his favorite coffeeshop may just become more than he expected. (Alternatively: local doctor man goes to get coffee. Gets roasted for 5 minutes straight by cute barista.) A coffeeshop au

A/N: Soooo first and foremost, I’m super excited about this. I’ve been surprised at the lack of coffeeshop au’s in this fandom so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’d like to give all my love to the wonderful @namkook for keeping me sane through this whole project and for helping me every step of the way. I love you and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you for putting up with my constantly annoying you with this. I typically don’t like my writing, I’m so proud of this one and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did when working on it. Without further ado, buckle in and enjoy! She’s a long one wheew

Sometimes it was easier to just drown it all out. The rustling of the nurses as they moved about. The moans and groans of patients as they anxiously waited for their diagnoses. The shrill voices of interns trying to suck up to him to better polish up on their resumes, instead of focusing on their damn jobs.

On that particularly busy afternoon, Dr. Ethan Ramsey felt it was especially crucial that he drown out all the background noises and forget about his surroundings for a moment, if he was going to hang onto his sanity.

He had been pouring over a patient file all morning, having reached an impasse. When something like this happened, it was best for him to go out and clear his head. Sighing heavily, Ethan pushes out of his leather chair, leaving the mountains of scans and paperwork behind him as he closes the door to his office with a resounding thud.

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

Day 1

The chime of the bell above the door signaled his arrival into Derry Roasters, a soft click of the hinges punctuating through the air as his eyes adjusted to the gentle lighting in the quaint coffee shop.

The scene was completely opposite the hospital, with almost all of the tables here being empty save for an elderly man in the corner with his book. It seemed the cafe was experiencing a quiet afternoon, soft music playing from the small speakers lodged in the ceilings.

Whenever Ethan was stuck with a case he couldn’t quite figure out, he found himself wandering to the coffeehouse, a humble mom and pop establishment that made decent coffee. It was a step up from the caffeinated dishwater the hospital cafeteria served and he didn’t hate it at the very least. It was also close enough to the hospital that he could get to it by foot, but far enough that none of the gaggle of bright-eyed parrots interns would follow him to kiss his ass.

Crossing the distance of the room up to the front, Ethan stops right before the register. Having seen not one soul behind the counter, his hand found its way to the small silver bell waiting by the tips bucket, ringing it albeit impatiently. There was normally always someone waiting up at the front, the usual barista－a short and kindly old lady, her slightly stout face adding to the welcoming atmosphere－felt it necessary to be present at all times to best serve customers so they did not have to wait long. So much for that. Their service is going to shit.

A bright ding reverberates throughout the shop, ricocheting off the walls. With a purse of his lips, he waits for a few minutes for someone to respond to the bell, the dimple in between his eyebrows growing more prominent the longer time stretches.

About to forgo the coffee and just head back, his ears pick up a foreign sound coming from somewhere. Is that...singing?

Singing was perhaps too generous a term. There was a faint humming emanating from behind the door that led to the back, and his ears tickled as it continued for a few more seconds, before the door swung open and a figure stepped out.

Ethan’s train of thought stutters for a brief second as ice blue eyes meet a warm chocolate brown, wide and doe-like staring up at him in surprise.

She’s new.

Silence envelops the room and Ethan finds himself studying the woman in front of him as he does with everyone, an occupational habit he’s honed over the years.

Long, dark brown hair cascades over her shoulder like a wave, a pair of chocolate brown eyes to match the curtains as they peer up at him, a hint of curiosity in them. The new barista is donning a polo the color of mustard paired with the black apron of the coffeeshop. His eyes glance over the silver name tag that brandishes the name “Nina”. Next to the tag, a small frog pin sits crookedly, the silver lining a bit dim from what he expects comes from overwear.

In his musings, he doesn’t notice the barista, Nina, pursing her lips, “Are you going to order something or are you just gonna stare at me all day?”

Shaken out of his thoughts, he raises a brow at the bland tone of her voice, before deciding to ignore it, “The Vienna.”

Slipping his card from his wallet, he sets it down on the counter as she rings up his order, sliding the piece of plastic back to him once she’s finished.

Wordlessly, he starts moving over to a table nearby when she pipes up, “What? No ‘thank you’?”

He spins around, a brow quirked as he meets her eyes. The slight curl of her lips tells him she’s mocking him and his lack of a response.

“Thank you.” He speaks, voice flat and face unimpressed. Her lips twitch.

“Gee, you’re a real charmer, aren’t you. I do need to know if you want this here or to go,” Eyes lit with mirth, Ethan itches to end this interaction and head back to the hospital. So much for that break.

“To go.”

The smirk doesn’t leave her face as she turns around and gets to work, and Ethan is eternally grateful for the conversation being over.

A few minutes pass by before he hears his name being called. Striding to the pick up station where the barista placed his order of Vienna in a styrofoam cup, her cheeks lifted into a winning smile, one she must use on all her customers.

Ethan picks it up promptly, the desire to get back to work coursing through him strongly the minute he glimpses at her face (his mistake) and finds that she’s still staring at him with a strange amusement lighting her eyes.

“Hope it's to your liking, Dr. Ramsey.”

“How do you know my name?”

Nina raises her brow, and throws a look at the elegant Dr. Ethan Ramsey, etched into the fabric of his white doctor coat, “I’m assuming that’s your name since it says so on your coat. If you were trying to go incognito, maybe lose the coat next time.”

With a wink, the barista spins around and disappears behind the door to the back, not giving him time to answer to her quip. Something pricks at the back of his mind as he watches her go. Casting a quick glance down at his coffee cup, the letters Ethonk are scrawled on the curved surface, and he couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh or groan. More the latter probably.

Sighing for what was possibly the millionth time today, Ethan tightens his grip on the cup and makes his way out, feeling more annoyed than when he had come. I’m not coming back here.

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

Day 2

Why am I here?

He sincerely had no idea why he found himself lingering at the front of Derry Roasters a few weeks later, shoes avoiding the crunch of leaves under his feet as a delicate autumn breeze curls through his hair and rustles the pages of the book he had nestled in his arm.

Ethan had initially planned to not come here again for a long while, having no desire to run into that impudent barista from last time, Nina, her name was.

Annoying.

Shaking away the thought, he pushed the front door open and strode into the cafe, the click of the latch bolt falling back into its frame announcing his arrival once more. The shop was fairly empty again at this time, being so long after the busy lunch rush hour.

As usual, Ethan made his way up to the register, but his steps faltered for a half second when he noticed a new addition to the counter by the pick up area: a small potted cactus, its thorny arms appearing almost golden bathed in the gentle autumn light streaming in through the windows.

A little curious, he continues walking and taps the bell once when he makes it to the front.

Unlike before, the door leading to the back whipped open almost immediately after the ding, and out came the petite barista, long brown hair tied into a loose ponytail today. Small specks of what looks like cream powder dotting her cheek and on the sleeves of her peach-colored blouse, the brunette saunters over and plants herself directly across him.

Chocolate doe eyes instantly find his blue ones and Nina flashes him an amiable smile. Or it would be amiable if it weren’t for the twinkle of mischief he catches in her gaze. He bites back a mental groan.

Ethan opens his mouth, prepared to just tell her his order quickly so he could leave, when she beats him to it.

“Did you see Henry?” Her voice is a little hushed, conspiratorial. Bemused, his eyebrows furrow in place of a question.

“...Henry?”

The barista nods her head in the direction of the pick up station, eyes darting to the potted plant he saw earlier and back to him, “Henry!”

He’s not sure how to respond. Nina waits for a few beats before crossing her arms across her chest, ogling him for a reaction, “We just got it yesterday. I thought it’d be nice to spruce up the place,” She leans forward, her apron brushing against the register.

“You don’t feel a connection with it?” She pursed her lips, brown eyes twinkling with mirth. The furrow in his brows deepens, not quite enjoying the way she was eyeing him.

“Why would I feel any connection to a cactus?”

“Well, you are one emotionally,”

Ethan lets out a short scoff, his expression wholly unimpressed, “We’ve had a grand total of two interactions.”

“And the two were all I needed to know everything,” Nina tosses him a tiny smirk, seemingly relishing in getting under his skin, a frown beginning to mar his features. How tedious.

Sighing deeply and already feeling exhausted, Ethan ignores the quip and barrels forth, “The Vienna.” He tosses his card on the surface of the counter, almost impatient as she gingerly grabs it and rings him up, saying nothing more all the while.

Not giving her an opening, Ethan snatches his card out of her grasp the minute she’s done, and turns around to find an empty table far away from the register.

“I’ll bring it over to you when it’s done,” He hears behind him as he continues moving.

Settling into a table in the back corner of the coffeeshop, Ethan sinks into the leather chair and opens his history book, determined to ignore and forget his interactions with the barista so he can take a break. Why he came back here when he already predicted this happening was beyond him. He won’t repeat the mistake again.

A few minutes later, Ethan feels a presence in front of him and peeks from his book to find Nina placing his cup of Vienna on the table. Turning his attention back to his pages, he reads another line from Robert Service before glancing back up.

She was still standing there. Hands clasped together in front of her chest, Nina was peering down at him, blinking innocently.

“...Is there something wrong?”

“No,” She answers, giving a slight shake of her head in emphasis. She still didn’t move.

“...”

“...Did you want something?”

Her expression shifts promptly, fixing a saccharine smile his way and a sense of dread creeps up his spine.

“Well you see,” Nina sweeps an arm around the expanse of the room, where only one other patron beside him was sitting in the opposite corner, tapping away on their laptop, “no one’s really here.”

He feels a budding headache pricking, “And what does that have to do with me?” He asks, tone flat.

Her large smile widens a little more, “I’m bored and you’re the most entertaining thing here.”

There’s a brief moment where the two of them did nothing, a staredown ensuing with the only sound coming from the ceiling speakers and the tap, tap, tap of the laptop.

Pressure behind his eyes growing, he brings up a hand to scratch at his stubble. Yes, he really regrets coming here today.

“Well what do you want to do then?” The defeat in his voice is evident as Nina starts shuffling over to the chair opposite him, appearing so pleased with herself Ethan could only breathe out another sigh.

“If it’s cool with you-”

“It’s not,”

“-I’m just gonna hang out here with you,” She plops into the leather recliner and beams at him, eyes scrunching into two crescent moons. Huh. “Besides, I’m doing you a favor really.”

His annoyance fading just a smidge, he eyes her, distrustful. Closing his book with a small thud, Ethan leans back, sinking further into the plush material.

“How on earth is you neglecting your work and bothering me when I’m trying to read you doing me a favor?”

Nina flicks her chin at the cover of his book. The glossy surface catches the warm rays of sunshine drifting in through the windows, the text Comrades!: A History of World Communism almost swallowed whole by the natural light.

“I am doing you a favor,” The steam from the coffee mug wafts up and swirls in the air between them, “I’m sure you’re already busy being a doctor full-time, I’m giving you a chance to take a break from your communist endeavors so you can actually enjoy your down time.”

Seeing no point in disagreeing when she looked determined to stay there, Ethan takes a sip of his Vienna, the liquid still warm and settles pleasantly on his tongue. Over the top of the cup, he catches Nina leaning forward slightly as though waiting for his reaction.

Putting the mug back down, he turns his head to the window, content on ignoring her still and watching the people strolling up and down the street outside.

Her quiet voice breaks him out of his reverie, “What’s it like? Being a doctor?”

At the question, Ethan turns his gaze on the barista, finding her peering at him with a mix of curiosity and...admiration?

He shrugs, “It’s alright.”

“...That’s it?” Her head tilts to the side, eyes widening as she silently urges him to elaborate. He’s not sure why he’s humoring her, but he relents and continues.

“It’s...it gives me opportunities to figure out the mysteries of the human body. To find ways to conquer and defeat the things that defeat us,” He keeps his gaze on her, watching as the brunette follows his every word like he’s telling her some universal truth.

Nina nods, seemingly soaking in his explanation and satisfied with it, “That sounds really cool. You’re like a hero,” She laughs a little, a tenderness in it that confuses Ethan, but he doesn’t say anymore on it. Hardly.

A beat of silence falls over them again. There’s no awkwardness in it though and Ethan’s content to let it stretch on.

“I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger.”

The spell is broken and Ethan’s attention is now directed solely at her, the barista tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When he doesn’t speak, she continues, “Always wanted to help people. It just seemed like the perfect job for me to defend those who were fighting for their lives. For their second chances.”

The small frog pin on her apron gleams as she fidgets, light from outside hitting its metallic surface.

“Why didn’t you?” He finally asks, albeit hesitantly, “Become a doctor.”

A wistful look crosses her face and she smiles, “My brother’s health deteriorated and he collapsed as I was graduating from high school. Things just never worked out,” Nina pauses and considers the room, Ethan noticing for the first time that the other customer had left, no more tap tap-ing sound to be heard.

“But it’s whatever. I like working here. And at least I get to keep my sleep schedule,” She jokes, eyes landing on him again.

Ethan doesn’t speak for a long moment, holding her gaze. At the lack of reaction, Nina begins to squirm, appearing nervous, but doesn’t prod him.

Finally, he finds his voice, uncharacteristically timid, “This place is lucky to have you.”

A blink and a beat later, and a glowing grin stretches across Nina’s face. She chuckles, a soft pink flush dusting her cheek.

Waiting another beat, Ethan clears his throat and begins to move, grabbing his book and nudging the now-drained cup of Vienna away, “I should head back. I have work. At the hospital.” He holds back a grimace. Moron.

Nina tilts her head, the action releasing a couple of strands to fall from her ponytail, “I would hope so, since you’re wearing your white coat,” She snorts when she sees the unimpressed expression on his face, “Go save lives, Dr. Ramsey.”

With that, the barista turns and heads back to work, humming softly as she goes.

A feeling he can’t place courses through him, sending a slight shiver up his spine as he steps out into the street. Just a chill. With that, Ethan makes the familiar walk back to Edenbrook, the gentle breeze returning and dances through the soft locks of his hair the whole way.

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

Day 3

“Quit stalling already and drink!”

Grumbling, he lifts the cup to his lips, taking a cautious sip.

The silence settles throughout the room, and Nina leans forward just a little bit, in an attempt to gauge his reaction. He tries to keep his expression blank.

“...Well?”

“...”

Ethan lets the silence linger for another moment before bringing the cup back to his lips. Slowly, a smile begins to bloom across Nina’s face, bright and smug, “Heh. So what’s the verdict, Doctor?”

He refuses to give her the satisfaction of a reply, instead determined to keep his eyes trained on the inside of his coffee cup. His ears pick up a tinkle of a laugh.

“I told you you’d like it,” The barista giggles, her eyes forming crescent moons, as she attempts to stifle the full force of her laughter. Placing a hand on her hips, Nina gazes at him, her self-satisfied grin making a home on the corner of her lips. Ethan decides, right then and there, that he hates it endlessly.

He especially hates how that cheeky ass smirk makes her eyes sparkle more.

Releasing a bone-weary sigh, Ethan sets the mug down on the table and leans back in the chair, training ice blue eyes on the brunette across from him, “I tried it. Are you going to tell me what it was now?”

Still beaming, Nina sinks down into the soft leather chair opposite him, hand coming up to tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ears. Crossing her legs, she glances down at the drained coffee cup, “Espresso Romano. As you can probably guess, it’s a shot of espresso with a slice of lemon served on the side and rubbed on the rim.”

A soft calming song plays in the background, the notes resonating through the air and floats around them, framing the little pocket of the world they were occupying. Nina looks back up at Ethan, holding his gaze as she continues, “The lemon’s zestiness brightens the drink and cuts off the bitterness. Which, no offense, but that looks like something you could use some help with.”

Biting back a retort on the tip of his tongue, he picks up the discarded lemon curl, long fingers absentmindedly playing with the garnish. The silence settles once more between them as he takes in what she said.

In a voice so quiet he’s hoping she doesn’t pick up on it, the words leave his lips: “It’s decent.”

The crescent moon smile she gifts him with tells him that she heard it loud and clear. He doesn’t say anymore, but he doesn’t need to. She hears the rest of what he left unspoken.

“Such a way with words. You really should’ve been a poet instead of a doctor,” Amusement never leaving her eyes, she leans over to pick up his mug and plucks the lemon peel out of his hands, dark brown hair falling over her shoulder at the movement. Soft afternoon sunlight streams in, bouncing off the tan of her skin and for a brief moment, she looks like she’s glowing. Ethan frowns, averting his attention to the space behind her instead.

Humming quietly, Nina stands up and turns, the soles of her white Converse squeaking in protest. Tossing him one more knowing smirk, she begins her trip back to the register, the arm of his empty cup resting on the crook of her finger. A minute later, she disappears through the door into the back area, the gentle music from the ceiling filling up the room in her stead.

Ethan releases a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and glances back out the windows overlooking the street, the faint taste of lemon still sitting on his lips.

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

Day 4

The coffeeshop feels a bit different in the mornings, fresh dew and the gentle rise of the sun blanketing the room, wrapping it in a peculiar warmth. The lack of customers at this time adds to the ambiance, though Ethan doesn’t pay much mind to any of that at the moment. Instead, his attention is aimed at the disheveled barista in front of him and the mayhem surrounding her.

The next time Ethan walked through the doors of Derry Roasters a week later, he was met with what he could only describe as chaos. A collection of discarded coffee cups littered the counter and drops of milk and cream dotted the floor all around Nina. The brunette ran a hand through her long hair frustratedly, apron stained with liquids.

A quick explanation told him that she had been attempting to perfect the craft of latte art, though Ethan would argue that you can’t perfect something you didn’t even have the basics for. Recognizing that her skills were abhorrent and wanting to please customers, Nina had made it a habit to arrive at the cafe very early in the mornings, where she could practice in solitude. And that was what he had walked in on when he dropped by, having thought to get coffee before his shift later that day.

He watches her struggle with the milk for another minute, bumbling around like a newborn, before peeling off his white coat, a strand of hair falling just over his eyes at the motion. Nina turns at the rustle beside her and is greeted with Ethan’s tall figure peering down at her handiwork.

Startled, she takes a half step back, eyes wide in surprise, “What...are you doing?”

In place of a response, he rolls up the sleeves of his button down shirt and helps himself to one of the aprons hanging on the coat rack by the back area.

“Watching you spill milk on yourself like an infant is getting painful. I used to work as a barista through undergrad so I remember some things...” He pauses, gazing inside one particular mug that was housing what resembled more creamy vomit than coffee, “...though I’m skeptical if it could even help you at this point.”

The flat tone of his voice must have irritated her, as she shoots him a mild glare, a cool determination flashing in her eyes, “That sounds like a challenge, Doctor.”

“It definitely will be.”

A couple hours later, the work area resembles a battlefield, thermometer and portafilters thrown haphazardly all over the counter, milk and coffee powder strewn across its surface in reckless abandon.

Ethan shakes his head, arms crossed over his chest and focused intensely on the mess she’s making, “You’re not doing it right.”

Nina groans, the sound tickling his ear. Her grip on the pitcher slackens which promptly spills more of its milky contents all over the counter.

“I’m doing it exactly as you said. You just suck at teaching,” She mumbles, tsk-ing a little at the new addition blooming on her apron. Taking in the growing clutter decorating the counter, Nina lets out a sigh before turning to Ethan, “This feels hopeless.”

“Giving up already, rookie?” He quirks up an eyebrow, a corner of his lips twitching.

She stops and blinks at the nickname, but doesn’t comment on it further, “No!...Just. Ugggh,” With a loud whine that sounds awfully like a puppy’s, Nina sets the pitcher down, knocking it into the thermometer that was sitting nearby. Placing a hand on the surface of the counter, Nina leans into it, sagging with disappointment. The chagrin expression on her face so directly contrasted her usual bright grin that it makes his chest throb strangely.

Clearing his throat, Ethan glances back down at the mugs, highlighting all her failed attempts. Despite the mess, he could still see her progress, the more recent works showing slight improvements.

With a flick of his fingers, he starts selecting some of the cups out of the batch, “These aren’t too bad. The shape is starting to take place.”

Not looking entirely convinced, Nina skeptically eyes the attempts he singled out.

“You sure?” She points to one, “This one looks like a bad rendition of the Scream.”

Gently, Ethan nudges the pitcher and the thermometer towards her, voice quiet but firm, “It’s an upgrade from the foamy blob you made earlier. You’re getting there. You just need to keep working on your technique.”

Releasing a sigh, Nina relents and pours more milk into the pitcher, readying for another round.

Delicate sunshine slants through the windows and catches on the tips of her hair as she bends forward, eyes narrowed at the face of the thermometer. Ethan keeps a watchful eye on her movements, leaning towards her a fraction more.

Despite the intensity coming off of Nina as she tackles the task, Ethan feels curiously light, as though the usual restlessness humming under his skin was dimmed. Hovering a little closer, the weak scent of apples from Nina’s hair tickles his nose, as she turns to heat the milk. Grabbing the steam wand, she inserts it into the liquid and turns it on, the thermometer clinking onto the side of the pitcher.

When she gets to the part of pouring the milk into the coffee, the hand holding the steamed milk trembles slightly as she tips the wide-mouthed cup of the espresso forward in her non-dominant hand. Stepping ever closer and settling right behind her, Ethan leans his head down until it practically rests on her shoulder, her back to his chest, and brings a hand forward to steady her grip.

At the contact, the warmth of her skin spreads through his fingers, scalding in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

This close to her he can hear the intake of breath, the slight shudder in her voice as she continues, concentrating on the feeling of his hand and the milk as it spills into the espresso.

Morning light grows warmer as the sun rises up higher in the sky, and Ethan loses track of time as he watches Nina pour the foam, successfully forming an asymmetrical flower. The minute she finishes with the last drop, the barista sets the pitcher down, staring wide eyed at her work.

Turning her head slowly, she fixes her stare on him, a look of utter disbelief on her face, “...I did it.”

Ethan’s lips quirk and he nods once, “You did.”

There’s a pause as it sinks in.

“...Oh my god! I did it!” Elated, Nina leaps towards Ethan, throwing her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oof,” He braces himself at the force of her knocking into him. Letting out a snort, Ethan finds himself chuckling at the brunette’s joy, a small feeling of pride spreading through his chest, having spent all day trying to get to this point.

The moment lingers, Nina’s arms still wrapped around Ethan’s broader frame, the thumping of her heart beating against his rib cage. In a tiny, slightly muffled voice, “Thank you.”

Tilting her head up at him, she awards him with a gentle smile, the softness of her face accentuated by the tender curl of her lips, “Seriously. It was thanks to your help today. Guess you really are a good teacher,” Nina quips, a levity about her now that made it difficult for him to look away.

Ethan smirks, “Of course I am. I’m good at everything.”

The barista rolls her eyes all the way up to the ceiling, “Glad to see you’ve got a strong ego.”

“Was it not earned?”

“...Okay yes, but it doesn’t mean you have to be annoying about it,” She grumbles, lips forming a pout.

It takes Ethan another minute to realize that neither of them had moved, the both of them still wrapped around each other. The warmth of her skin bleeding through his shirt, the faint apple scent of her hair tickling his nose once more and he unconsciously leans down.

Nina’s eyelids flutter as she moves towards him, and soon he’s close enough that he can count every speck of caramel in the brown pools of her eyes. The pink of her lips. The small shudder of her breath. Every second that ticks by is another he’s falling...Wait, what?

Ethan jolts, his thoughts crashing to a stop, his entire body tensing. Sensing the change of mood, Nina halts as well, pulling back slightly to look at him, brows furrowed in concern, “Are you alright, Ethan?”

No. He doesn’t respond as he starts extricating himself from her grasp, peeling away from her. The groove in between her eyebrows deepen as Ethan hurries to place some distance between them.

There’s another moment of silence that blankets over them, but this one is different. It’s tense, making Ethan’s gut churn a little.

“...Did I...is something wrong?”

Unable to meet her eyes, he holds back a grimace, hearing a tremble of hurt in her voice as she asks. He stays silent for another beat before glancing in her direction, not meeting her gaze, “No, it’s just. It’s...I gotta go. My shift starts soon.”

Not waiting for a reply, Ethan yanks off his apron, roughly throwing back onto the rack before hastily grabbing his white coat and rushing out the door, never once turning back to look at the barista, whose eyes never left his back as he briskly walked off back to the hospital.

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

Day 5

“You’re still here, Ethan?”

At the sound of the voice, Ethan looks up from a patient’s x-rays he’d been examining, finding his colleague, Dr. Baz Mirani, standing in the doorway of his office.

Throwing a quick glance at the wall clock, it read 11:54 p.m.

Damn. It’s this late already? He’d completely lost track of time.

Rubbing a tired hand over his chin, Ethan releases a sigh before packing up his things, and leaving his office for the night, brushing past Baz on the way out. He wasn’t going to be able to do much more tonight.

A full effect of autumn had taken root and blanketed across the town in the past month. Stepping out in the night, Ethan lifted up his face, the scent of the fall leaves and cool evening air caressing the tip of his nose. As he moved closer to his car, a restlessness buzzed under his skin and he was unable to shake it no matter how much he tried.

He’d been feeling this way for about a month now. Ever since then.

A flicker of brown eyes and soft smiles crosses his mind and a gnawing apprehension sits in his throat, one that feels suspiciously like guilt. Guilt and...something else Ethan doesn’t want to define yet.

Sighing once more into the autumn night, he reaches his car door, ready to go home to his bottle of scotch waiting for him. The feeling continues to nip at him though, and he pauses when reaching for the handle of his car, the weight in his backpocket feeling much, much heavier.

Maybe...He suddenly...felt an urge for some coffee.

Before he could talk himself out of it (this is a bad idea), he leaves behind his car and takes off in the direction of the coffeeshop, his footsteps slow and effortful.

The lights are still on when he reaches Derry Roasters, the blinds of the windows all pulled down save for two that overlook the counter. His eyes immediately land on the barista, sweeping away at the floor on the other side of the register, expression tight and disappointed.

The guilt started to creep back in at the look on her face.

This really was a bad idea. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to talk to her yet, after his abrupt exit last time. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready, but he certainly wasn’t today.

Backtracking, Ethan began turning back in the direction from which he came, but the movement catches her eye and right away, Nina glances up, brown eyes connecting with blue ones. Ah shit.

Seeing him, the barista’s expression tightens a fraction more, a cool gleam flashing across her eyes, and she frowns before beckoning him to come in with a quick nod of her head.

A weary sigh leaves his lips as Ethan ambles over, the ding of the bell ringing out like it was announcing his execution. The minute he walks in, Nina folds her arms across her chest, still wearing her black apron over the pale blue sweater she donned today.

“Did you need something?” She asks after a long, tense moment.

He doesn’t reply, the lump in his throat growing as he hears the familiar line, ones uttered by him not too long ago. The circumstances in which they were said so different.

She presses forward when he doesn’t speak, “You haven't been around much lately.” It sounds a little like an accusation.

“My coffee machine’s working again. So I didn’t really need to come here anymore,” He tries to hold back a grimace at how calloused he sounds.

Nina’s frown morphs into a glare and Ethan’s sure he’d rather be toughing it out in the Amazon right now than having to be the object of this woman’s current woe and ire. He’d rather be anywhere else.

He regrettably continues to dig his own grave, “There wasn’t much else this place could offer since I could just get coffee from my office now,” Why the fuck-

“Well sorry I don’t have much to offer a world renown doctor,” A tinge of bitterness laced in her tone and he holds back a wince.

It was strange how easy it was for him to deal with the people at the hospital, never finding any need to mince words with idiots with fat pockets, and vultures trying to increase their profits at the expense of others. With his patients, always doing his best to be honest with them as they faced their own battles everyday, fighting for their lives. But here, in front of this woman who miffed him and intrigued him to no end, Ethan always found himself hesitating and clumsy with his words.

He stays quiet for too long and his silence, his lack of anything annoys her.

“You really are a cactus,” Nina mumbles, tightening her grip on the broom, keeping her eyes trained to the ground.

Taking a steadying breath, the barista glares pointedly at the crack in the floor before speaking up again, “You’re always like this, you know. I’ve talked to you like five times, and even I can tell you what you’re like.”

He doesn’t speak, the tension in the air making it difficult for him to cut through, his throat closing.

Nina holds up her hand, dainty fingers curled into a fist before she begins counting, “You always have to be sarcastic or ironic about something,” She lifts up a finger, “You’re always grumpy and kind of an asshole,” She puts up another finger, “You’re so closed off it’s sometimes so hard to talk to you because I have no idea what you’re thinking,” She pauses, ticking off another finger as the edge of her glare starts to fade, “...You never say what you mean. You’re so emotionally constipated and you make a habit of running away. You can’t just admit you like something and you always have to find a roundabout way to-”

During her tirade, Ethan had inched closer to her, slipping out what he had hidden in his back pocket. In one swift motion, he presents it to her, shoving it right under her nose and effectively cutting her off mid-rant.

Nina blinks, staring down at the trinket. A small frog keychain sits in the palm of his hand, the plush material appearing velvety under the beam of the ceiling light.

“...What?”

His other hand reaches up to scratch the back of his neck as she peers up at him, wide-eyed and confused at the gesture, “I saw it a while ago. I don’t know why I thought of you but I bought it.” He nods at the pin clipped dutifully on her apron, right next to her name tag.

A long stretch of silence envelopes them and Ethan’s not sure what to classify this one. It didn’t feel comfortable nor was it tense like before. The brunette continued to stare at the item in his hand before gingerly, almost shyly taking it into her hands, rolling it a bit between her fingers.

After another long moment, she speaks up, “My brother...always liked frogs,” Voice airy, she keeps her eyes on the plush and continues, “He got sick a lot, and they always made him feel better. So I would always be wearing them and bringing them to him whenever he got sick again.” Nina glances up at him finally and he notices her eyes glistening with emotion.

“He’s alright now, but I guess old habits die hard. I’ve grown attached to frogs myself,” She chuckles.

Ethan watches her, blue eyes lingering on her frame before finding his voice again, “I’m glad your brother is fine now. You’re a wonderful sister.”

Nina remains quiet, eyes still fixed on the gift and Ethan’s not sure why he feels the need to keep going, “I found it in the gift shop at the hospital.”

There’s another pause as Nina freezes again. As the seconds stretch on, Ethan’s worried he overstepped. Maybe don’t tell her that. Preparing to backtrack and excuse himself from this scenario, he readies an apology on his lips, when he’s interrupted by the sound of a snort.

She’s...laughing?

Bemusement takes over his face as he blinks, watching as the barista starts curling over, laugh growing in intensity and volume. One peek at his face and she’s launched into another fit.

Nina continues to laugh, her body shaking as the amusement runs through her small frame. Ethan stands there silently, not sure what he should be doing as the barista keeps giggling, hand clutching the keychain tight in her grip.

Finally, after what feels like ages, Nina’s laughter subsides, fixing her posture and settling her gaze on him, something that Ethan can’t define sparkling in her eyes.

A fond sigh leaves her lips as she regards him, “You make it hard to stay mad,” She lets out, voice delicate like a whisper.

Nina links her hands behind her back, expression happy and radiant, and he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from her. In his daze, he doesn’t notice her moving, approaching quicker than he has time to form a coherent thought.

Nina practically skips towards him, closing the distance between them. Ethan almost reflexively took a step back, the sudden proximity shocking him speechless as he catches the caramel flecks in her eyes, sparkling and utterly captivating.

“So,” Drawing out the one syllable, Nina’s eyes crinkle into those familiar crescent moons, as she lifts herself up on her tiptoes and leans towards him, noses almost touching. Ethan finds himself rooted to the spot, completely at a loss before her as her eyes reflect like stars.

“Are you gonna ask me on a date or what?”

Fin.

taglist: @openheart12 @ethandaddyramsey @noboundariesplease @drethanramslay @ethanramseysgirl @senseofduties @messrprongs @x-kyne-x @ethxnrxmsey @newcolonies @choices-love-affair @sekizincimektup @nooruleman @fightingtheinevitable @kaavyaethanramsey @agent-breakdance @blueacacias @edith-eggs1

#open heart #playchoices #choices oph #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #ethan ramsey fanfiction #my writing #SHES SO LONGGGGGG #please don't let this flop i will swear off writing forever #so help me gOD #no seriously leave your comments and what not i'd love to hear your thoughts #i'm so proud of her sHES MY BABY #my shitty writing

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just-dreaming-marvel · 4 years

Text

FORTY FOUR - THE HARD STUFF

LEGACY: A Tony Stark Daughter Story

MASTERLIST

< previous

Word Count: 2,150ish

Summary: Bailey tries to understand her place in the whole Accords situation while trying to be there for both Tony and Steve.

~~~

I was still sobbing into my knees against the fence line when Tony left the common room and went looking for me. When he couldn’t find me in my room, the lab, or the training room, FRIDAY finally informed him of my whereabouts when he was just about to call for a search party. I heard a suit flying towards me, but didn’t bother to lift my head from my knees. I knew it was Tony and I knew why he was coming. He landed and immediately knelt down in front of me, his helmet disappearing into his suit.

“Kid,” worry was in every bit of his tone, “What are you doing all the way out here? What’s wrong?”

“I know about the Accords,” I whispered, still not lifting my head up.

“What? How?”

“It’s not that hard to break into the security room. I saw the whole meeting with Secretary Ross and even some of what followed.”

“Why did you—“

I snapped my head up and began to frustratedly wipe away my tears. “Vision told me that you didn’t want me at the meeting. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. You want me on a list?”

Tony shook his head quickly. “You’re miss understanding the situation—“

“And General Ross believes that there are more enhanced beings here than just Wanda. I’ve sensed it. And if he finds out the truth, if the Accords go through, I will be one of the first people on the registry. Do you really want to risk that?”

“No, of course not! I won’t let that happen. They won’t be able to get to you.” He went to rest a reassuring hand on my knee, but I moved away.

“But then that would be breaking the Accords, wouldn’t it? Since I’m pretty sure you’ve already signed them.” I swiftly stood up and began pacing, trying to control the growing anger in me.

“It’s not breaking them if you’re not in the public eye. Like 3 people outside this compound know who you really are and what you’re capable of, and I know that they won’t rat you out. You will not be put on the registry. I promise.”

“What is the point of you signing the Accords if you are just going to turn around and break them? Huh?” He didn’t answer, so I took a deep breath and continued on. “Be honest with me… You were never going to let me become an official member of the team, were you?”

“Bailey, I—“

“I know, I know. You’re just trying to protect me, you were going to tell me when the time was right. Blah, blah, blah… I’ve heard it all before! But I can protect myself. Do you know what I need more than protection? I need a father. A father who trusts me, who has faith and believes in me. A father who cares about my wants, my desires, my needs. Who will cheer me on and support me. And I need my family. The Accords will tear my family apart. Can’t you see that? The only true family I have ever known will be gone. Please, Dad, find another way. There has to be another way.”

“I’m sorry.” He quickly grabbed my hand. “I really am. I’m just doing what I believe is right.”

“I don’t need to hear an apology. I need you to show me that you’re sorry. And to keep my family together. I can’t bare to lose them. Any of them. Haven’t we all been through enough?” I took a deep breath once again, gaining the courage to hopefully get him where I wanted him. Where I believed he needed to be. “Haven’t I been through enough?”

He looked down and then nodded. I stared at him until he finally looked me in the eyes. “I will do my best to keep everyone together. But I can’t make the choice for others.” He took a deep breath. “I’m needed in Vienna in three days to help ratify the Accords.” He put one of his suited hands on my cheek. “I’m going to keep you off the list and everyone together, I promise.”

“I wish I could believe you,” I whispered.

“You can… You can.”

I watched him in silence for a moment, trying so hard not to peek into his thoughts. I so very badly wanted to know what exactly was going through his head. I also wanted him to ask about my full thoughts on the Accords, but that might be putting too much faith in him. Tony finally looked at me again and spoke up.

“Now enough government talk. I want to spend time with my favorite daughter. Come on,” He said grabbing me by the waist, “Let’s go eat some ice cream.” I wanted to fight him more on this, but I knew it was pointless. He was done with the conversation so there was no point in continuing. His mask shut and we lifted off. The roof to the lab opened up and we landed in it. He set me down and then his suit opened up. “So what flavor of ice cream do we want tonight?”

“Cookies and Cream. Can I change and shower real quick though? I trained a bit before everything, and I’m beginning to smell.”

“That’s what that smell is? Make it quick, kid.” He sent me a wink.

I let out a laugh as I jogged off to my room. I sprinted up the stairs and then down the hall. I slowed down when I noticed that my bedroom door was open. I remember closing it when I left it last. I carefully peaked around the corner, wondering who could possibly be in there. Steve was sitting there on my bed. I could sense a strong sadness in him.

“Steve?” I questioned as I walked in, “What’s wrong? What are you doing in here?”

He quickly stood up. “I— um—“ He nervously paused, “I was just— just coming in to check on you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah?” I didn’t fully believe him. “Is this about the Accords?”

“I know you overheard what happened in the conference room. I just wanted to hear how you are feeling about… well, about everything.”

“Oh—“ I started pulling clothes out of my dresser, “I— I do believe that the Avengers need to be put in check. But I don’t believe that enhanced people should be put on a list.”

“I don’t trust the government to be able to put us in check.”

“I know, Steve, I know. I don’t either. But the Accords are going to be ratified no matter what and then I’ll really never be able to leave this compound again. It’s not like I’ve ever really been able to leave anyway, but whatever. Plus it doesn’t matter what I think, because I’m a nobody. I’m not an official member of the team, so I’m not allowed to choose whether to sign the Accords or not sign them, and I’m not publicly known as Tony’s daughter. My opinion doesn’t matter.”

Steve came up to me from behind, put a hand on my waist and turned me around. “Your opinion always matters to me. And you are definitely not a nobody.”

“You were right though…”

“About what?”

“If they find out my abilities, they’d run tests on me.”

“I wouldn’t ever let that happen.” He brushed some hair out of my face. “I will always keep you safe. They won’t be able to hurt you… Remember my promise?”

“Of course,” I whispered. “You promised to protect me and that you’d always keep the promises you’d make to me.” I sighed. “You won’t always be able to keep them though…”

“I’ll do my hardest to try.”

He lovingly pulled me into a kiss. My hands found their way to his neck to keep him close. His arms held me close to him like this could be the last time he would ever held me. I pulled back when I felt I tear on my cheek, and I knew it wasn’t mine. Something else was definitely up. I could feel it, but I didn’t want to search is mind to find out the truth. I wanted to hear it from his lips.

“Steve?” I tried to get him to look at me. “Steve, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Peggy.” That’s all I needed to hear. I knew what he was going to say. She was gone.

“I’m so sorry Steve.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

“I don’t know… The funeral’s in London, in a few days. I’m flying out in the morning. I… I wish that I could take you with me. I don’t think I can do this without you.”

“I wish that I could go with you as well, Steve. And you aren’t doing anything without me. I’m always a phone call away and always in here.” I put a finger on his chest, right above his heart. “I’m always right here.”

“Thank you.” He gently kissed my head. “I should go pack.”

“Yeah, Tony’s waiting for me down in the lab.”

“I love you.” He gave me a quick kiss.

“I love you too.” I caught his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he turned to walk away.

He walked out with a sadness about him that I had never felt, especially from him. He really did love her. It was a different love than the one we shared, and I couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I hurried into my bathroom and turned on the shower. I put on some music and turned it all the way up. I was rocking in that shower. It was always a good way for me to clear my head and relax a little. I jammed to two songs and then got out when I figured that Tony was probably done waiting for me. I quickly put my hair up in a bun and got some exercise leggings and a sweatshirt on. I skipped down hall and all the way into the lab. I swung open the door and Tony looked up from his computer screens.

“What took you so long?” He asked.

“Oh, I was talking to Steve. He stopped by to tell me that he’s heading to London tomorrow,” I answered.

Tony looked back at the screens and continued to move things around. “What for?”

“Personal reasons,” I lied. Part of me knew that Tony would want to know about Agent Carter’s death, but I didn’t want to be the one to break it to him.

“You and Rogers seem really close these days. Practically attached at the hip.”

“We’re just friends,” I quickly tried to shrug him off.

Tony glanced up at me from over at his workstation. I could tell he was starting to get suspicious. He looked back down at his screens.

“I don’t think he sees it that way,” he muttered.

“What makes you think that?” I wondered as I moved over to my own workstation.

“He was just very wor— no, very distressed about your place in the whole Accords situation.”

“Steve’s just looking out for me.” I pushed some buttons, causing my suit’s blueprints to show up on the table.

“Yeah, I guess…” Tony mumbled. He finally looked up, squinting his eyes to see what I was working on. “What you got there kid?” He stood up to try to see better.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” I dimmed the screen. I wasn’t ready for the fight that would ensue when he found out what I was working on.

“Oh, nothing, is it?” He sat back down with a playful smirk plastered on his face. “Then you wouldn’t mind if I had FRIDAY mirror your table on mine. FRIDAY?”

“On it Boss.”

“Dad, no! FRIDAY!” My table was quickly mirrored onto Tony’s. He immediately began to swipe through my sketches and blueprints.

“Interesting,” he mumbled.

“Please don’t be mad. I was going to tell you. I was just waiting—“

“Just waiting until you were finished with it, right?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke.

“Dad, I—“

“FRIDAY, I think it’s time.”

“Should I unlock section B?” She asked.

“Unlock it and bring it up,” Tony directed as he walked over to me.

“What’s going on?” I looked at him, completely confused.

“Close your eyes,” he commanded.

“Why? What are you do—“

He put his large, rough hands over my eyes. “Just do it. My hands are just a precaution.”

“Fine,” I huffed and closed my eyes.

“Bring it all the way up, FRI.” It was the longest fifteen seconds of my life, before Tony spoke up again. “Okay. You can look in 3, 2, 1…”

next >

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fykimtaehyung · 4 years

Text

[ARTICLE] Break the Internet: BTS

PAPER: What's the greatest challenge you've faced as a group, and how did you overcome it?

RM: Seven grown men always staying close together and experiencing work and life at the same time means that we come face to face with numerous contradictions and differences. But I think we overcame that by working on understanding and caring for each other over time.

Suga: Seven men with different values living together was not easy. It was difficult for all of us to focus our thoughts on one single point, but looking back, they are all good memories.

J-Hope: There was a time when we fought each other quite a bit because we all came from different backgrounds and our personalities were so different. But we were able to overcome that after frequently talking to each other and living together for a long time. We now know what each of us are thinking just by looking at each other.

Jimin: Because each member was so different, I think it was hard for everyone to understand each other. But we didn't give up, and now we are a team where each member is irreplaceable.

Jungkook: When something I said or did caused an issue or made people feel disappointed, I realized that I should think twice before I do anything, and not forget where I am, no matter what situation I may be in.

If you could switch talents with one of your bandmates for 24 hours, who would you choose and why?

RM: I would like to dance like J-Hope just for one day. What would that feel like?

Jin: V's ability to memorize choreography. I want to say to RM, "Have you already forgotten [the moves]?"

Suga: RM — I want to be good at English.

J-Hope: Suga's amazing producing skills!!!

Jimin: J-Hope's smiley face. Looking at J-Hope, I think his smiley face is really adorable.

V: I want to borrow RM's brain and make a whole bunch of songs.

Jungkook: RM. I want to write really nice lyrics and have deeper thoughts.

Do you ever feel pressured, in the face of global fame, to present yourselves a certain way to the world? What do you do when you feel overwhelmed to be “perfect"?

RM: It would be untruthful if I said there was no pressure. Still, on stage I want to do really well.

Jin: I try to keep myself on the right lane.

Suga: I would not be telling the truth if I said there's no pressure. But what can you do? Pressure is also one part of life.

J-Hope: I can't say we don't. These days, I feel like I live with a sense of mission. Rather than thinking, “It has to be perfect!," I do what I have to do, making sure I remember the really important and fundamental things and trust that the results will follow.

Jimin: All things aside, I always think that I have to show a performance that is at least close to perfection for everyone who comes to see our performance.

V: I feel the pressure of showing a performance that is close to perfection, but I also think that being natural is important, too.

Jungkook: The pressure is always there. But I want to show them that I am improving.

Is there any advice you wish you could give your younger selves?

RM: If you're debating whether to go or not, go.

Jin: Jin, study English!

Suga: Please study English.

J-Hope: When things get tough, look at the people who love you! You will get energy from them.

Jimin: Silence is golden. Don't waste time.

V: You worked hard! [Pat on the back.]

Jungkook: Don't lose the people beside you because of your mistakes and wrongs. And live [your life] to the fullest.

You recently took an extended vacation in order to rest and get some relaxation after a long span of releases and promotions. How did you spend your vacation?

RM: I slept, worked out and went to art museums quite a lot. I went to Jeju Island, Venice, Vienna and Copenhagen.

Jin: I played games at home. I also went fishing with Suga.

Suga: I focused on resting and worked on some songs. It was a time [for] looking back at myself.

J-Hope: I went to film the music video for "Chicken Noodle Soup." I felt and learned a lot of things! I can't call it a rest time, but it was a meaningful time. After that, I came back home, I had good food and rested well. I also played with my puppy.

Jimin: I just kept on the move and went to a bunch of places. It was an opportunity to think about [the group] in the past and in the future.

V: I took a good rest. It was an eat-play-sleep routine.

Jungkook: I worked on music.

Are there any music styles you haven't tried yet as a group that you're excited to dip into in the future?

RM: I want to show our various sides that reflect the progression of our age as well as our emotions and sensibilities.

Jin: I want to try something in the genre of rock. I think it will come out great because our members are pretty charismatic.

Suga: There are so many I don't know which one to say. There's plenty of things to show you, so please look forward to it.

J-Hope: Now it feels like BTS is just BTS. Whichever [style of] music or performance, it comes out in BTS style.

Jimin: There are so many things I want to try, but I don't want to be too specific about it.

V: I want to try doing music in the style of Conan Gray or "All Tinted."

Jungkook: It's different from time to time. I just hope I can widen my vocal spectrum regardless of what that might be.

Your fans, ARMY, are one of the most passionate, mobilized music fanbases in the world, especially on social media. How would you define what makes your fanbase so special?

BTS: It's an honor that people around the world love our music and messages. It seems like there's no language barrier. We think that ARMY helped us spread our music across the world. All of this would have not been possible without ARMY.

Another theme in your music is dreams. With all the heaviness of the world today, do you think dreams help people find meaning and ambition to move forward amid uncertain times?

RM: We just hope that we can be of help. We did say that you don't have to dream, but living a life without dreams or hope would be quite dim, wouldn't it? I think everyone needs motivation and milestones in order to move. Whatever that may be, we want to be of help, even a little, for them to move forward.

So many of your dreams have come true since you'd made your debut: No. 1 albums around the world, sold-out stadium tours, Grammys and U.S. award shows, becoming the first Korean music group to perform on Saturday Night Live…What new dreams have sparked for each of you now that you have these accomplishments crossed off the list?

RM: I want to head in a straight path without losing sight of what I feel now. [I want to] keep our passion burning bright and walk straight.

Jin: I talk to Producer Bang quite often about how we should work together for a happy life. How to live happily...I think about that frequently.

Suga: I would like to have a hobby since I never had one. I would love to have a lifelong hobby.

J-Hope: To stay healthy! So that we can keep doing what we're doing now!!!

Jimin: I know that many people are cheering for us for who we are now. I think about how those people would love seeing our new, better music and performances. What I'm trying to say is, my dream is to show them more performances and better music for a long, long time.

V: They're not new dreams, but dreams that we never imagined could achieve. I'd like to keep them going.

Jungkook: I wouldn't want anything more than to keep doing music and performances just like now.

What do you hope to get better at or improve upon?

RM: Dancing! And knowing "myself."

Jin: I hope that the team always gets along and everyone is happy.

Suga: Without a question, English.

J-Hope: Our team's health! And happiness! They are the path to growth!

Jimin: I want to be good at what I am currently doing.

V: I want to widen my spectrum and become an artist who has a variety of talents.

Jungkook: If I had a chance to improve every aspect of myself, then I would work hard to make it happen rather than just sitting idly by.

Your fans, ARMY, are one of the most passionate, mobilized music fanbases in the world. How would you define what makes your fanbase so special?

What music is exciting you right now? What's on your personal playlists?

RM: I'm listening to Post Malone's latest album.

Jin: Taylor Swift's “ME!" The song has a bright energy, so my mood is lifted when I listen to it. I want to try that kind of music, too.

Suga: Post Malone's “Circles."

J-Hope: I listen to older songs these days: The Fugees' “Killing Me Softly" and Cheryl Lynn's “Got to Be Real."

Jimin: I prefer songs that fill me with emotions. Nowadays, I listen to our song “Jamais Vu."

V: I'm listening to DaBaby's new album.

Jungkook: I'm listening to Jang Beom June's songs these days.

What did it mean for your album to be nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards for Best Recording Package?

BTS: It truly was an honor. We were happy to be invited as presenters to such a big show, with such great musicians. We also became members of the Recording Academy this year. We hope to be invited to the show next year as well.

The importance and power of “loving yourself" is a cornerstone of the BTS message, in your lyrics, speeches, music videos and beyond. But when and how did the notion of self-love become something you were all so passionate about?

BTS: Our LOVE YOURSELF series bears the message that “loving yourself is the beginning of true love." The “love" that we aim to convey can be both the individual experience and a message to our society today. We once saw somewhere that “being able to love is also an ability. If you don't love yourself, you can never love anyone else." Reflecting on the ways you love yourself, we thought that this question could give the answer for many different aspects. We wanted to focus on that searching process and find the answers. [We] think LOVE YOURSELF has a positive impact. [We] also ask ourselves, “Do I really love myself?" So, [we] looked back one more time and put that notion into the lyrics.

What are the key differences in performing for audiences back home vs. elsewhere in the world?

BTS: Fans all over the world are cheering for us. We get on stage with the mindset to give them the best performance. Every occasion to meet our fans is important and meaningful.

How has social media and the Internet impacted the way you're able to reach listeners?

BTS: We like communicating with our fans. We communicated [with them online] even before our debut. Fans enjoy it and so do we. Our Weverse app was launched recently, which is a platform for our fans. We can see their messages and leave comments there. We feel that the whole world is truly connected as one through social media. Language is not a big barrier anymore, and we think that with good music, sincere messages and the effort to communicate, fans from all around the world will show their love.

What can you share about any upcoming new music?

BTS: We are currently practicing and working on new songs so we can show you the best sides of ourselves. Please look forward to it.

#191120 #taehyung #v #bts #bangtan #t: interview #t: article

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afewmarvelousthoughts · 4 years

Text

Only For A Moment Epilogue

Master List: @afewmarvelousthoughtsadmin

Pairing: Bucky X Reader

Summary: On a peaceful afternoon you reflect on the past couple of years while Bucky naps in your lap.

Warnings: None

A/N: Wow. Weird. Somehow more weird than posting the last chapter... Endings are strange things y’all. Only For A Moment is over, like really really over.

These two had an intense journey together throughout “Part One” and I’m really glad so many of you went on that ride with me. Now before we head into a new side of this story (and likely a new title) I thought it would be good to kind of post a little wrap up and something that can live with Part Two for those who maybe don’t want to read all of Part One and the drabbles.

As always, you’re all wonderful.

(P.S. If you’re seeing this and want to read Only For A Moment, the Master lives both on my profile and linked in the admin profile above.)

TAGS ARE OPEN

“Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature.”

The line from Frankenstein makes a lump rise in your throat. It feels like a lifetime ago that Mr. Goldstein quoted it to you in his cozy little bookshop in Bucharest. At the time it made you think of Bucky, the man whose depths you’d only skimmed. Now, a continent and a few years separated you both from the people you’d been as you stood in that shop.

You hadn’t read Frankenstein since your time in Romania but when you saw a copy in a bookshop in Wakanda you knew you had to have it. As you devoured the words you could almost smell the shop, hear the gentle cadence of Mr. Goldstein’s voice, feel the soft fur of the shop cat Victor.

It seemed wrong to feel homesick for Romania. Bucharest was supposed to be a stopgap, a place to lay low while you attempted to figure out what it meant to keep living your life after what Hydra had done.

There had been times there where you’d considered ending it, so tired of fighting and so unsure of what it was you were even fighting for. Your family - small and chosen and so precious to you - had been erased, any semblance of home destroyed. They’d even made you feel like a stranger in your own body, this body they honed to be their weapon. Hell, you could disassociate for days, just a ghost trapped in a shell she didn’t understand and didn’t want. It wasn’t like you were living so why go on?

But you did. Some part of you unwilling to let them win, hearing your brother Nix’s voice in your head reminding you that giving up meant letting the bastards win.

Then Bucky happened. A smile tugs at the edges of your mouth as you look away from the book pages to the lake sparkling in the later afternoon sun, remembering those early days.

He’d recognized you from your time in Hydra, though he hadn’t remembered the details until you talked about your first encounter - he’d tried to save you, and he did get you out of the facility, though you’d been caught days later. When he sought you out you hadn’t trusted him but it took mear hours for you to see your own reflection in him.

You were both broken, but in a way that only the other could truly understand. Bucky saw you, all sharp edges and shattered pieces, and didn’t flinch once.

It had been rough at times, each of you so terrified of what may come, of who may come, even of the people in the mirror. Still - despite nights punctuated with night terrors, days peppered with flashbacks, and moments of deep dissociation - you held tight to one another, weathering the storms as they came. It made you both stronger, together.

So, without meaning to you built something of a life in Bucharest. Days spent training for unknown battles to come or helping in the bookshop nights together watching old movies and learning bit by bit how to be human beings again.

For a time it had felt like enough.

Losing Mr. Goldstein had been the beginning of the end of your time there though. You’d both been in one place for too long and without the old man’s grounding warmth… well, there was nothing left to tie you down. Together you laid out a plan to start again in Vienna, fresh identities, a clean slate, still on the run but this time together. You never got there though - Helmut Zemo made sure of that.

A chill passes up your spine as you remember seeing Bucky’s face on the staticky TV at the laundromat, the terror that grabbed you as you watched SWAT descent on the home you’d shared. It had felt like the sky was falling.

Even now you struggled to comprehend how everything that followed had only taken a little more than a week. You’d chased them across Europe to get to Bucky only to watch in horror as his worse nightmare came true - being brought back under someone’s control, being The Soldier again - and been unable to stop it. From there you’d fought the goddamn Avengers, had your chest clawed open by someone who was now your friend, been arrested, tortured, rescued. It was one hell of a week.

The months that followed had hurt almost as much. You didn’t know where Bucky was, if he was truly safe, or what he was going to put himself through to make sure he wasn’t a threat to your safety ever again. Sometimes you thought you wanted to throttle him for leaving and others you knew you’d forgive him anything as long as you had him back.

There had been a few silver linings to your time apart because, well, nothing made close friends like being international fugitives.

After Steve, Natasha, and Hill sprung those who were interested from The Raft, yourself included, you’d laid low with what was left of The Avengers. They became your friends and, in Steve’s case, family. You trusted each of them, even Nick Fury, with your life and knew you’d give anything to protect them.

Leaving them behind had been hard. Even though it meant being with Bucky, even though it meant safety, the temptation to say no to T’Challa’s offer to shelter in Wakanda was stronger than you’d ever admit to anyone other than Steve.

At least Steve was able to visit here and there bringing updates and even letters from your wayward friends.

Sam bitched about Steve’s antics, how he had to cook everything with you gone, and always asked after your wellbeing. Natasha entertained you with explicit tales of her international exploits, proving that few could say no to her - in another life you certainly wouldn’t have been able to. Wanda’s letters were filled with questions you knew she didn’t ask anyone else - about love and loss and being different from those around you, sometimes it was easy to forget she was still so young.

A soft snore brings you back to the present. Bucky’s head rests on your thigh, sound asleep. The soft lapping of the lake, the humming of cicadas, the goats romping about - one munching on the remnants of your picnic - it was all so peaceful, this life you were building here. Gratitude didn’t even begin to cover how you felt.

You missed Sam, Wanda, Nat, Steve, even Hill, and Fury deeply but you’d forged strong bonds here in Wakanda too.

When you decided to stay you couldn’t have foreseen the sisterhood you shared with all of the Dora Milaje but especially Okoye. Without hesitation, she’d brought you into the fold, unfazed and, honestly, unimpressed with your ability. She trained you just as hard, if not harder than the rest of her soldiers - you had catching up to do after all - and made sure your training was varied so you were honing your power and your body at the same time. You’d come to not only respect her as a leader but to trust her deeply as a friend.

Much to Bucky’s chagrin you and T’Challa loved to poke fun at the fact that you’d basically all tried to kill one another when you first met. He found it far less amusing than the two of you did, but if you didn’t laugh about it what else could you do. T’Challa was a strong king, though you’d argue he was an even better man. You were often in awe at his level of compassion and wisdom.

Shuri, was honestly the most amazing human you’d ever encountered. You had to often remind yourself she was half your age, which wasn’t too hard when she brought up some new trend or artist you were completely unaware of - maybe you were getting old. Even if she tried to write it off, she’d given you Bucky back by doing what seemed impossible in removing the effects of decades of torture and conditioning. Then she went even further to help you understand your own inner workings in regards to your telekinetic abilities and the enhancements Hydra had forced on you.

There were so many others too. Nakia, though often out in the field, had become a fast friend. T’Challa and Shuri’s mother Ramonda, with her gentle welcoming spirit - she and Bucky had actually formed quite a bond. Even, M’Baku most days, was someone you’d welcome to your dinner table - only when it was a meatless night that was.

A grin makes your cheeks ache.

You’d been trying to convince T’Challa to allow Steve and the others to visit for the last few weeks. Just imagining Okoye, Natasha, and Nakia together was enough to make you giddy with excitement. And while the world may not survive it, the thought of Sam and M’Baku bantering was enough to make a little laugh bubble from your chest.

Bucky shifts in your lap a bit at the noise. Tenderly you pull a lock of this thick dark hair away from his face. Suddenly you’re overwhelmed by just how much you love this man with his gentle heart and easy smile.

You’d endured a fraction of what he had and it was almost enough to destroy you. But James Barnes was made of far stronger stuff than most. Nothing they did had truly broken him, you suspected there was nothing in this world that could.

Tears sting your eyes.

“Doll?” Bucky’s soft voice almost startles you. Looking down into his grey-blue eyes, you force yourself to swallow more tears. “Sweetheart, what is it?” His fingers, calloused but so very gentle, wipe a tear from your cheek.

“Just happy,” you say with a shaky voice.

It was more than that. This was the happiest you had ever been in your life. For the first time, you looked toward the future with hope and excitement without the looming shadows of fear and uncertainty threatening.

Maybe you’d grow old on this little farm, Bucky caring for the goats and helping out others in the area, you working with the Dora Milaje maybe finding some new passion to pursue. Or maybe you’d move into the city, convince Bucky to take classes, maybe in literature or creative writing. Maybe a little of both.

Maybe you could figure out a way for Steve and the others to be granted refuge in Wakanda as well. The idea makes you dream of Friendsgiving meals, potluck Sundays, and movie nights.

“I’m glad, baby,” he says with a sweet smile.

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky #bucky fluff #bucky fic

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minimin1993 · 4 years

Text

B/L 29

Warning: Violence.

By the time they landed in Siberia, Linda started to strap up with her old gears that was still on the jet.

“You guys never removed me.” Linda said silently.

“How can we, you were my right hand woman. I was simply waiting for you to come back.” Steve said patting her back before walking over to the opening hanger door standing next to Bucky.

“You remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?” Steve asks looking at Bucky

“ Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?”

“ You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead.” Steve said making Linda giggle.

“Freakin Casanova.” Linda said shaking her head.

“ You still agreed to marry me.” Bucky said smirking at Linda making her playfully roll her eyes. “What was her name again?” He asks looking at Steve

“Dolores. You called her Dot.”

“ She's gotta be a hundred years old right now.”

“ So are we, pal.” Steve said clamping his hand on Bucky's shoulder.

“Excuse me I am actually older than a hundred.” Linda said.

“Technically Luna is, you are barely 100.” Steve said with a smirk on his face.

“He’s right.” Bucky said winking at her.

Steve walks with Bucky and Linda up to the entrance set in rock to find the door is still open.

“ He can't have been here more than a few hours.” Steve said “Long enough to wake them up.”

Steve leads them into the cast bunker traveling down into the depths inside a caged elevator, it stops in the bowels of the bunker, doors slide open. Linda conjures her whip ready for an attack as they walk down the corridor. When they walk up the stairs, they heard a door open behind them causing them all to turn weapons ready at the noise.

“ You ready?” Steve asks

“ Yeah.” Bucky and Linda said in unison.

The door then parts force open by Tony, Linda and Steve stares at him in surprise watching him walk towards them before his suit helmet opens up “You seem a little defensive.” Tony said “It's been a long day.” Steve said walking towards him with his shield covering his body. “At ease, Soldier. I'm not currently after you.” “Then why are you here?” Linda asks “Could be your story's not so crazy. Maybe. Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself.”

“ Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork.” Steve said lowering his shield. “It's good to see you, Tony.”

“ You too, Cap. Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop . . .” Tony said pointing to Bucky’s gun which was still pointing at him. Linda places her hand on his shoulder as he lowers his gun. Now with Tony on their team the 4 of them starts to explore the corridor together.

“ I got heat signatures.” Tony said as he scans the area with his suit

“How many?” Steve asks “Uh, one.”

They enter the vast chamber the lights come on. Hazy, yellow mist descends within the capsules.

“ If it's any comfort, they died in their sleep. Did you really think I wanted more of you?” Zemo said, Bucky looks inside one of the capsales seeing a single bullet straight in their head.

“ What the hell?” Bucky whispers.

“I'm grateful to them, though. They brought you here.” Zemo said turning on the light in the control room. Steve throws his shield hitting the window but flies right back without any damage. “Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“ I'm betting I could beat that.” Tony said “Oh, I'm sure you could, Mr. Stark. Given time. But then you'd never know why you came.”

“ You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?” Steve asks as they walk right up to the window.

“ I thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you're standing here, I just realized . . . there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw.”

“ You're Sokovian. Is that what this is about?”

“ Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No. I'm here because I made a promise.”

“ You lost someone?” Linda said realizing what happened.

“ I lost everyone. And so will you.” Zemo said playing a surveillance footage from December 16th 1991. “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumples from within? That's dead . . . forever.”

“ I know that road. What is this?” Tony said once he walks over to the screen along with Linda who already knows what was on the tap since it was a memory she saw from Bucky. Linda closes her eyes tearing listening to her once beloved friend Howard get his face bashed in before hearing the cries of his wife next to him. When the video stops Linda steps in front of Bucky between him and Tony before Tony prepares to lunge at Bucky.

“Tony. Tony.” Steve said holding Tony back.

“ Did you know?” Tony asked looking Steve.

“ I didn't know it was him.” “Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?”

“ Yes.”

“Linda? How can you? You even knew my father.” Tony said.

“He had no control of it Tony. I’m sorry.”

Tony steps back, his chin jutting upwards twitchy before he reengages the Iron Man helmet and punches Steve away. Linda flicks her whip onto Tony arm constraining him but he activated a booster flinging Linda away from Bucky. He then grabs Bucky and flies across the chamber, slams him onto the floor holding down his arms preparing to blast him but Steve tosses his Shield at Tony distracting him before running into him with his shield sending him off Bucky. Tony turns around sending shackles to lock onto Steve legs. Bucky punches Tony who just lifts him and slams him against a machine. Iron Man raises a hand preparing to fire but Bucky twists it destroying the mechanism. A rocket shoots out of Iron Man's arm, but Bucky turns it away from him as it blasts the machine in the lab instead. Linda conjures her second whip and whips them both onto Tony arms pulling them back dropping Bucky before the piller twists and falls around them

“ Get out of here!” Steve said to Bucky.

Bucky bolts Iron Man fires toward him but Linda appears behind Bucky deflecting the shots before Steve lands in front of her. She turns to follow Bucky who hits a control panel and the silo-styled door overhead starts to open. Tony flies up with Jet boot kicking Bucky to the side preparing to shoot him again but Linda whips her whip grabbing onto his arm yanking it downward smashing him onto the lower floor. Linda jumps over to help Bucky up before Steve catches up to them.

“He's not going to stop. Go.” Steve said looking down at Tony before Linda and Bucky runs again, when they were almost at the top Tony blasts the giant hinge holding the hatch destroying it as it slams shut knocking Linda and Bucky down. Bucky got up before Linda grabs a metal pipe to swing at Tony but he blocks it before grabbing Bucky neck from behind choking him.

“Do you even remember them?” Tony whispers

“ I remember all of them.”

Bucky pushes them both from the walkway dropping them off when Linda whips her whip trying to hold them up but Tony fires a blaster right at her causing her to fall as well. Steve jumps into them to deflect their fall, Bucky lands on a platform while Tony, Steve, and Linda land on the concrete floor multiple floors down knocking the wind out of them. Linda tries to stand up but couldn't because a nasty gash on her side and a few misplaced ribs from the blast Tony sent to her. She pulls herself onto the wall waiting for it to regenerate when Steve stands up.

“ This isn't gonna change what happened.” Steve said looking up at Tony who also stood up.

“I don't care. He killed my mom.” Tony said before flying over and punches Steve, they exchanged a couple hit before Tony pins Steve down punching him. Bucky notices Steve Shield near him and picks it up before leaping down to help. Linda whimpers pushing her ribs back into place, as the two super soldiers fist fight with Iron Man the shield changes hands between them until Tony manages to zap Steve who is thrown back into the wall near Linda. Bucky struggles to hold Iron Man at bay as he unleashes an energy beam, then he forces Iron Man against the opposite wall. He grips the glowing core in the chest of the Iron Man Suit until Tony sends a blast of energy knocks Bucky down, metal arm completely blown away, Tony zaps him again knocking him out on the floor. Steve rushes him with his shield up and Iron Man fires right at it before Steve punches Tony back against the wall and goes to town on Tony. After a few seconds, Tony starts to see Steves fighting pattern and starts to counterattack on Steve points where it counts knocking on his knees in front of Bucky.

“He's my friend.” Steve said

“ So was I.” Tony said punching Steve before throwing him away from barns. “Stay down. Final warning.” “I can do this all day.” Steve said struggling to stand up.

Linda stares at Bucky who was unconscious on the floor and something inside her snapped. Linda/Luna stood up and waves both her hands up glowing blue before she blasts Tony with all her might, Tony puts his hands up trying to block the blast but couldn’t feeling his suit getting fried knocking him over before she lands right on top of him punching his mask until it falls off. She stares at Tony who has a shock look on his face before she prepares her glowing hands for a final blow before she hits his suits core draining all its powers.

“I’m sorry.” Linda/Luna said before she grabs her head screaming in pain stumbling off of him before falling on her knees near Bucky. Steve was about to rush over to her but Bucky crawls himself over to her.

“Linda… whats wrong?” He whispered painfully not knowing what is wrong until she opens her eyes and see it flicker from black to normal.

“Linda… I’m.. losing her…” Luna said before passing out.

#bucky x reader #james buchanan barnes #sebastian stan #sebastian x reader #steve rogers #the first avenger #originl character #chris evans #original character #winter solider x you #winter soldier #captain america #infinity war #marvel

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katehuntington · 5 years

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How You & I Will Be - part two

Fandom: Supernatural Timeframe: mid-season 2 Main characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer (mentioned), Ellen & Jo Harvelle (mentioned), Ash (mentioned), Mary Winchester (mentioned), Reader’s mom (mentioned) Pairing: Dean x Reader (eventually) Series summary: When a hellhound case in the mountains goes sideways, Dean and Y/N find themselves trapped in a small cabin, miles from civilization. A serious injury forces the two hunters to come to terms with their true feelings for each other. Rescue is on its way, but will it be in time? Warnings part two: minor angst, some fluff, pining, swearing, description of blood and injury, bittersweet memories, Dean’s bad singing voice. Music: ‘Hellhound On My Trail’ by Robert Johnson, ‘Piano Man’ by Billy Joel Word Count: 2341 words Author’s note: Part two of a five part mini-series. This part might feel like short pause from all the drama, but I promise you it’s only the silence before the storm. @idreamofhazel and @littlegreenplasticsoldier, thank you so much for being awesome betas!

Find the ‘How You & I Will Be’ masterlist here!

“You know what I want?” Y/N pulls up one knee to her chest and fold her arms around it, trying not to move the injured leg as she does so. It took a little while, but the abandoned cabin is finally starting to warm up now that a fire is growing under the chimney. Thankfully, Dean found some wood in the backroom, although they will run out soon enough. Flames flicker playfully and every now and then the wood cracks, lighting ambers up into the air. “Please share,” he replies before he rests his head against the wooden wall and closes his eyes for a moment. “A beer.”

He chuckles and gazes at her, a sense of pride and amusement on his handsome face. He straightens himself, his shoulder rubbing against hers, and smiles. Man, is she one cool chick or what? “Right there with ya. I’d kill for a Budweiser,” he agrees. “Or a good glass of whiskey,” she imagines, closing her eyes imagining the drink. “Jack Daniels.” “Johnny Walker.” They both sigh at the same time as a silence follows, and for a while they dwell in their thoughts. Chances are, though, that neither of them is ever going to have that drink. Surely, Sam is a smart guy and a fantastic hunter, but he can’t work miracles. The youngest Winchester is right; for as far as they know, there is nothing that can kill a hellhound.

Tired out, Y/N stares at the fire, the same fire she saw when she looked that monster in the eye as it sneaked closer, growling, blood dripping from its mouth. Apprehensively, she swallows; this is going to result in some nightmares, of that she’s sure. Looking for a little affection, she leans in towards Dean and rests her head on his shoulder while her gaze slides down to her leg. Her friend bandaged it to keep it clean, but she can feel it throbbing. She lost a fair amount of blood, enough to feel sleepy and light headed. It’s clear as day that she needs to get to a hospital, and that says something coming from her. Yet they are stuck on a mountain slope, miles away from civilization, miles away from help. Y/N wants to keep her hopes up, she does, but even an optimist would have to admit that it's looking pretty grim.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Dean asks softly, laying his cheek against her hair. A small smile forms, the corner of her mouth curls up a little. She has known the Winchesters for quite some time now. They are like her brothers; she would die for them and they would do the same for her. Both boys have the ability to see behind the mask she claims to wear so well. It’s not often that Dean is this affectionate, though. Him almost losing his friend probably has something to do with it. "We're in deep shit, Dean," she acknowledges. "Can't deny that," he admits. "But we'll get out of this mess. Sam is working his mojo down the mountain and we will figure out a way to kill those chihuahuas, okay?" Y/N looks up at him, into his emerald green eyes. He seems so calm, so confident. It eases her a little, and so she lets the air escape from her lips as he slips his arm around her and lets her lean in against him. Her eyes fall shut; it's starting to dawn on her just how tired she is. A mixture of fear, lack of sleep and blood loss, she assumes. But laying here, so close to Dean, it makes her feel all kinds of other things too.

Safe, no matter how many hellhounds are on their doorstep. Warm, despite the freezing cold outside. Loved, even though she knows Dean doesn't love her the way she loves him.

Y/N always had a soft spot for the oldest Winchester brother, but in their line of work it seemed stupid to get involved with the hunter. Of course she has wondered, asked herself ‘what if it works out’ and ‘what if this time it won’t hurt.’ But since everyone she cares for has either left or died, she reluctantly kept her distance. It’s what got her into this business in the first place. The losses she suffered left scars so deep, that she promised herself that she would never let anyone close again. And then Sam and Dean walked into the Roadhouse and bought her a drink.

She chuckles. The Roadhouse, man, did they spend a lot of time there. She thinks about the bar for a moment. The worn leather stools, the pool table that Ash sleeps on when it’s not being used, the old jukebox that is full of R.E.O. and other mullet rock. “I wish I brought my iPod,” Y/N comments. The silence in the cabin is bothering her and a little music would have helped cast out the sound of the dogs rustling through the snow outside, barking every now and then. "Yeah, I could dig some rock tunes right now,” Dean agrees. Y/N watches how he picks up the backpack and digs up a snack. Her upper lip twitches at the sight of the protein bar; she finds them disgusting. Dean offers one and she refuses. “C’mon, you have to eat something,” he pressures. “I’m not hungry.” Dean lifts his eyebrows and glares at her sideways, holding her gaze. “That’s a new one,” he comments after which he takes a bite from his bar. “Have some Gatorade then.” He hands Y/N the plastic bottle with the blue sports drink inside. “Dean, stop nursing me!” she refuses chuckling. “You need to keep up your strength,” he argues. “For what?” “For when Sam gets here. Who knows what stunts we might need to pull off when we get your fine little ass out of trouble,” he replies, after which he takes another bite from his bar and grins while chewing.

Rolling her eyes and sighing reluctantly, Y/N takes the bottle and drinks. When she restores eye contact, she shoots him a ‘Satisfied?’ glare. Dean smirks, amused with her attitude, takes the bottle back and has a swig as well. Y/N can’t help but to steal a glance. My God, isn’t he gorgeous, she thinks to herself. Watching how he has his head tilted back, his strong jawline and rough stubble standing out, throat exposed, then licking his lips after he brings the bottle back down. It reminds her of the times she had a beer with him and his brother. The three of them rode out plenty of nights, to find a quiet spot where they sat on the hood of the Impala under a night full of stars. Dean kept the beers coming, she played some music, Sam made sure they got home okay. Y/N smiles at the memory and flips through to the next, not noticing how Dean is studying her.

“What?” he wonders, looking at her intently. “Remember how we basically fought for a month because I wanted to bring my guitar along on the road and you thought it was a waste of space?” she recalls. Dean looks away as the smile on his lips grows wider. “Yeah, I remember that. And I had a point too. Baby is not a tour bus.” “It’s one guitar, Dean! You have an arsenal big enough for a small army in the trunk!” “Exactly! No room for your musical instruments,” he exclaims, but smirking nonetheless. Y/N lifts her head victoriously because they both know who won this battle. “Where is my guitar now?” Dean clears his throat. “In the car.” Both have a laugh, the grim mood lifted for a moment.

“You brought your harmonica?” he asks curious. Y/N opens her jacket and takes the tiny object out of her inner pocket. “Who needs an iPod then,” he responds, delighted. “Play something.” Looking forward to her performance, he straightens his back and turns to face his partner. He always enjoys it when she plays or sings, somehow it always seems to calm him down. Dean watches as Y/N leans against the wall again, trying to think of a suitable song. Then she holds the harmonica in front of her mouth with one hand and partly covers the exhale holes as she lets the air flow through, creating that unique sound. Waiting for Dean to guess the song, she plays the tune. He’s a little slow on the uptake, but then she notices the expression of recognition on his face. “Hellhound On My Trail? Seriously?” he comments.

Y/N pauses and laughs. She was wondering how long it would take for him to figure that one out. Content with herself she holds the harmonica in front of her, tracing the delicate initials in the silver with her fingertips. There's a story behind this instrument, the first she learned to play. "It used to be my Mom's," Y/N shares, when she feels Dean's lingering stare. "She taught me to play it. Guitar, too." The line on Dean's lips curve up, listening to her story. "She was a great singer. I remember when I was really young, she would sing me lullabies, but not always usual ones." Dean chuckles; that sounds familiar."My mom didn't appreciate the traditional lullabies either." "Really? What would she sing to you?" she asks intrigued. "Beatles songs, mostly. 'Hey Jude' was her favorite," Dean recalls. His gaze drifts away as he takes a short trip down Memory Lane, trying to grasp what recollections he has of Mary. Afterall, he was only four years old when she died.

"Mom was a big fan of Billy Joel," Y/N remembers. “She usually lulled me to sleep by singing ‘Vienna’ and ‘Lullabye’.” “Why don’t you play one of his songs, then?” Dean offers. “I thought that wasn’t your thing,” she assumes. Dean shrugs. “Maybe not what I would normally listen to, but I sure can appreciate it. Play something you enjoy for once.” He’s got a point, because Y/N usually plays what he likes. Truth be told, she would practice songs by his favorite bands for hours whenever they weren’t together, just to impress him. It worked too, she will never forget the sparkle in his eyes as he watched her absolutely nail the riff of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ by Led Zeppelin.

Again Y/N takes a moment to find a song in her memory to play, then the ultimate Billy Joel track comes to mind. “Okay, imagine…” she holds out her hand, painting a picture as she’s telling the story. “Imagine the Roadhouse. Old worn furniture, hunting antiques and vintage beer signs on the wall. Pool table over there, a U-shaped counter on this side. It’s crowded, but not too crowded, y’know? Hunters are having a drink, laughing, writing in their journals, exchanging stories. Jo and Ellen are there, Bobby too, Ash is drinking his PBR. It feels…” Dean watches her in awe. There’s something about her, that’s a given fact. But when she’s passionate and lets her imagination run free, he just can’t stop looking at her. She’s so vibrant, all big eyes and wide smile. Damn, she’s beautiful, he thinks to himself.

She pauses, feeling Dean’s eyes on her and meeting his intrigued gaze, causing her to lose her breath for a second. Their eyes remain locked and she can feel him drinking her in. It’s a good thing that she knows he’s not in love, otherwise she might start to believe he is. “It feels… cozy, and happy… and warm,” she continues. Then Y/N breaks eye-contact and points at the other corner of the little cabin. “Over there is a piano. A man walks over, sits down and starts to play.” She brings the harmonica to her mouth and starts the music. Although Dean would probably consider this kind of music too soft, the joyful sound of his laughter mixes with the notes. Y/N breathes out relieved in the break; she hoped she would get to hear that sound again. The melody repeats with a playful variation and she closes her eyes in enjoyment.

“You know the first verse?” she challenges. “What? Me?” Dean glares at her, surprised. “I’m not asking the dogs to howl along. Yeah, you!” she grins. “Yeah, I know the song,” he sits up and prepares. Y/N nods excited. “Alright, you do first verse, I’ll do the second.” Again she hits the note and Dean comes in right on cue. His impression of Billy Joel is not entirely on key, but it’s amusing nonetheless.

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sitting next to me Makin' love to his tonic and gin

He says, "Son, can you play me a memory I'm not really sure how it goes But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete When I wore a younger man's clothes.

Y/N can’t help but to laugh, but keeps on playing and Dean keeps on singing. She takes over the lyrics of the second verse and they join together for the chorus.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see To forget about life for a while And the piano, it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you got us feeling alright

Read part three here

Thanks for reading the second part! Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think.

This series is already finished, so I expect to update soon. Stay tuned for more!

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the-zodiacs-written-in-the-stars · 5 years

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Chapter 10: Babara Burkhart

When Babara had been barely a baby, her mother had died to save her life with the power of love-

Babara had never met her father, but never could she have guessed he was a god and that--

In her past life, Babara had been the princess of the moon, before her tragic death---

Okay, okay, okay, so maybe Babara wasn't a Potter or a Jackson or even a Tsukino. She was a Burkhart without tragic backstory, or meaningful parentage, or a Great Prophecy.

Babara Brunhilde Burkhart (thanks for that, mom...) had been born on a chilly November-night in Vienna, born and raised in Austria all of her life. She had two loving parents, neither of them dead or abandoning her or having some deep, dark, life-altering family-secret. They weren't rich but also never had to worry about having food on the table or getting new clothes.

And every summer, she got to spend at her grandparents' farm in the alps. Because her parents thought that Vienna was too much of a big city and that she shouldn't lose touch to nature (her mother having grown up on her grandparents' farm). But that was okay, because her grandparents were great – and she wasn't the only one who got to spend the summer there. Her cousin, Sebastian Weinberg, was also sent there every summer by his mother for the very same reasoning. That only made the summers extra awesome, because Sebastian was only two years older than her and he lived all the way in Berlin in Germany, so the two didn't really get to see each other a lot. But every summer, they got to be together at the farm and have adventures together.

Sebastian was a total nerd and the two cousins didn't have a lot in common aside from that, so it was even better that they got to form this bond. As a single-child, Babara liked to experience what it was like to live with another child like that, so that even when they grew older and their parents didn't 'force' them to go anymore, they still opted to. To see their grandparents and to see each other.

When Sebastian was seventeen, the introverted nerd met his best friend – Melanie Maguire. Online, writing Harry Potter fanfiction. For Babara, who had always been the heart of every social event and had an easy time making friends with anyone she met, the concept was slightly odd, but she was happy for him. Especially when the two got to meet for the first time and Babs came to realize it was more than just some random stranger on the internet Basty liked to text with. That was a real friendship. So real, in fact, that the two made plans to move to the same city, country not further narrowed down. Somehow, Babs didn't really like the idea of Basty leaving for good.

Using the puppy-dog eyes of doom (patent pending), Babs convinced Sebastian to take her with him. That the two should move together. After all, that best friend of Basty's wasn't going to move there alone either, she had a little brother she was very close to and didn't want to part ways with.

That was how, in the year 2011, Babara Burkhart and Sebastian Weinberg moved to Los Angeles together, shortly thereafter followed by Melanie and Michael Maguire.

Nothing about Babs' life qualified her to be some great superhero.

There was no tragic loss in her background – her grandparents were happily alive too. Her family was very normal and not magical or anything. She worked hard to get to where she was now, with some missteps but who didn't have those. Yet somehow, for some reason, she had been chosen to become a superhero, a protector of Earth. Scorpio.

~*~

“Y... You reckless idiot!”, exclaimed Babs angrily, throwing her hands up. “Oh, Bee, you shouldn't go on solo missions. That's dangerous, Bee. You should have called me, Bee.”

Jamie grumbled and winced as he sat down on his bed, holding his ribs. “I deserve that.”

“You deserve much more!”, grunted Babs annoyed. “Take off your shirt.”

“Hah. So you only want to get me naked too”, sighed Jamie dramatically.

Babs gave him the stink-eye, while Scorpio and Leo curled together on the small couch in the corner, grooming each other. With another wince did Jamie start to peel his shirt off. Biting her lips, Babara rubbed her hands together and closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate.

“How are you stitched up?”, asked Babs surprised when she saw the wound.

“Matt and Mike called a doctor friend of theirs”, mumbled Jamie, cheeks heating up a little.

“You are so damn lucky that they took you with them and you didn't get caught by the bad guys”, grumbled Babs with a glare as she rested her hands on the wound, making Jamie wince. “That's what you get for nearly getting yourself killed. Idiot.”

She had been training her healing skills. Working with the water inside the cells to close the wound. It took time and it exhausted her, but the others were going to ask questions if they noticed. Even though Jamie would totally deserve to walk around with that wound until it healed naturally.

“Don't worry me like this”, sighed Babs softly. “I don't know what I'd do if you died, Jay.”

“I'm not going to die”, promised Jamie, resting his forehead against hers. “I swear.”

“Besides, I wouldn't know how to explain it to Jess”, grumbled Babs with a glare.

That made Jamie laugh and wince a little. “Sorry. Yeah. Okay. No dying.”

“Or you could just tell your sister”, offered Babs just to sigh and lift her hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, okay. I kno—ow you're not going to 'drag her into this'...”

Jamie narrowed his eyes at her in warning. The two were usually so close and agreed on everything. There was just one thing they might never agree on. And that was Jessie. Ever since their mother had died, Jamie had been the sole caretaker of his sister. Ten years. Jamie had only been sixteen himself back then. It figured that he would become overprotective, because that was the role he had always played in their relationship. The overprotective big brother, shielding her. Personally, Babs thought it would be easier to tell Jessie so Jessie knew where they went, so Jessie knew to care for the kids and knew what might happen to Jamie and Babs. But Babara knew she couldn't tell Jamie how to handle his own family. He'd have to make that decision himself.

~*~

“Don't think too hard, you might fry something.”

Babs scowled and turned to glare at Jessie. The brunette raised one eyebrow as she tried to look over Babara's shoulder at the newspaper. There was another article about Sagittarius, Cancer, Aquarius and Taurus. They were doing... good. Better than the first time Babs and Jamie had met them, really. Still, there was something about Aquarius...

“I'm picking the kids off from school later. Want me to get something from the store?”, asked Jessie.

“I... think we're good”, replied Babs and shook her head.

Lifting up the newspaper, Babs took a closer look, squinting at the photo some more. Jessie huffed.

“You want me to leave you and the newspaper alone...?”, asked Jessie.

“Ha, ha, ha”, drawled Babs unimpressed. “No. I... I gotta... uh... I gotta go.”

“Where? What—Babara!”, called Jessie after Babs.

But Babara was already out of the apartment, the newspaper in one hand, grabbing her leather-jacket with her free hand and hurrying through the bar, not minding anyone.

~*~

Reaching her destination, Babara started knocking on the door hard and repeatedly. A glare was etched into her features as the door opened. Moments later and the door opened to an unusually disheveled Tanya. Her normally so meticulously put-up hair was only in a loose pony-tail. She was wearing her favorite turquoise dress. Frowning at her, Tanya tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Babs? What... can I do for you?”, asked Tanya slowly. “It's been a while since you came over.”

Eyebrows drawn together in determination, Babs held the newspaper up and into Tanya's face. “That's you. Aquarius. That's you. Of course it's you.”

“Wh... What are you talking about?”, asked Tanya, the look of a deer in the headlights on her face.

“Don't lie to me, Tatiana Yevgeniyevna Tarasova!”, exclaimed Babara in warning.

It always paid off to learn middle-names – or in this case, father's names – for maximum efficiency of scolding. Tanya immediately looked like a scolded small puppy. Rolling her eyes, Babs pushed past her ex and into the apartment. It really had been a while since she had last been here. Things had been majorly awkward for a couple months after their breakup. Curiously, Babs looked around. It made her smile, because it still all looked exactly the same as she remembered it. After all, Tanya was not a fan of change, even the smallest. It had been very... tiresome for Babs back in the day, when Babs had been living with Tanya for a while. Everything had its very specific place and Tanya always fussed when it was out of place. That was, in retrospect, probably why the two had broken up because Babs considered herself creative-chaotic. They just clashed too often.

“You don't actually-”, started Tanya again, rather weakly.

“Tanya”, grunted Babs in warning, glaring at her. “I know your boobs.”

“...What?”, asked Tanya confused.

Babs rolled her eyes and motioned vaguely in the general direction of Tanya's chest. “Your boobs. I spent months sleeping on those. Among other things. I know them. And the rest of you. Like, that's you, in a very tight dress and sure with your hair open, but still it's you.”

Ducking her head with a troubled expression, Tanya joined Babs on the couch. “Did... Jamie figure it out too then...?”

Babs snorted and shook her head. “Please. That boy walked right past me when I had blue hair last year. You wear your hair open and put on a mask and he is completely lost. I love the boy, but he has absolutely no abilities to recognize people when they change their appearance.”

Tanya laughed softly and nodded. It was true. Jamie really sucked when someone changed a major part of their appearance. So Tanya, who always wore her hair pinned up, with flowing curls? That alone would already throw him off but an actual mask...? There was no way Jamie was going to figure this out, Babs knew that. Which only made things harder for her though...

“You have to promise me not to tell him”, stated Tanya, with a surprising amount of seriousness. “No one should know. You shouldn't either. But you have to promise to keep my secret, to not tell anyone. Not Jamie, not Basty, not Jessie. No one. You promise?”

Babs winced, even though she had known this was coming. “Of course I promise. I'm not one to spill other people's secrets, Tanya. You know that.”

And Tanya smiled at her confidently, knowing this to be true. Because it was. Which was a problem. Because heaven forbid that Babs can have it easy, huh? Just tell Tanya that Jamie was Leo and tell Jamie that Tanya was Aquarius and then they could all work together. It'd be so easy. But she knew she couldn't just tell Jamie's secret identity to anyone, not even someone she knew Jamie trusted. And now that Tanya had made her promise, she couldn't just go to Jamie either. Urgh.

“How? I mean, why? You're not exactly the type to... you know...”, drawled Babs awkwardly.

“It just... happened”, replied Tanya, tucking her hair behind her ear and frowning. “I just... it's a responsibility that I can't just shake off or ignore. That's not who I am, Varya.”

Okay, that was true. Tanya was a hard-working and serious person who never avoided any task, regardless of how hard it was. She wouldn't just duck out of becoming a hero. Still, Babs couldn't quite imagine Tanya battling monsters. Then again, supposedly she had already seen it. Aquarius. She had seen Aquarius and Taurus fight side by side.

“Oh... Your sword-fighting lessons”, drawled Babs with wide-eyes.

Tanya had learned traditional sword-dancing as a child and later on taken to learn sword-fight too, since she had already mastered the blade in her own ways. That did explain the big sword.

“The problem is that we have not much experience. Sure, we've been going out for over a month now. And we have some... vague... idea of what is going on, but I feel like Leo and Scorpio know more than us, but they... they refuse to work with us.”

Tanya frowned in frustration, balling one fist. Eyebrows knitted, Babara reached out to grasp Tanya's hand and try to sooth her a little. Tanya looked up and took a deep breath.

“You just... have to prove yourselves to them”, offered Babara gently. “They're a team and they don't know you. It figures that they can't just... trust strangers blindly? Who's to know who the good guys and the bad guys really are?”

“We!”, exclaimed Tanya annoyed. “We're supposed to know who the good guys are! There are twelve Zodiacs. They are supposed to be the good guys, the protectors!”

Babara knew that. But she wasn't supposed to know that; the general public knew nothing about what was actually going on and what the meaning of anything really was. They were just scared of all the monsters and knew some heroes were protecting them in colorful costumes.

“Oh, really?”, asked Babs in fake surprise. “What do you know? I mean, what is going on?”

It'd be a good chance to get a grasp on what the new guys knew compared to what Babs and Jamie knew. Tanya frowned for a moment before she got up and motioned for Babara to follow her to the bedroom. Even in there, everything was still the same, all the way to the exact position of the light-turquoise flower-vase next to the bed with exactly three white tulips in it. Babs remembered having regularly bought her girlfriend such tulips too, after she noticed that Tanya liked to keep them next to her bed. It always made the blonde smile in a cute, pleased way. Babara paused when she noticed that one thing had changed in this room. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the wall opposite the bed. There had been some weird modern art piece of blues and greens and whites that was horribly obnoxious in Babs' opinion. Now it was gone and replaced by a large white board.

In Tanya's neat, nearly print-like handwriting were things written on it, magnets pinning pictures next to the writing. AQUARIUS, TAURUS, SAGITTARIUS, CANCER. In the upper left corner, in big, bold letters, each with a newspaper clipping with a picture of them beneath it. Not even self-taken photos. Clever. Just in case the wrong people followed her home and found this. There was a rounded square around the four, indicating that they were a team. In the upper middle of the board was written LEO and SCORPIO with a picture from last month's front-page. There were further notes scribbled in the circle around their names and pictures. Team Lionheart, potential allies. Beneath the LEO was also marked down fire-elemental, uses sword, incarnation of former leader. Mh. Interesting, but not surprising that their companions had given them some background information of past incarnations too. And yes, in most cases, Leo had been the leader. Zeus, the king of the 'gods'. Beneath SCORPIO, it said water-elemental, whip-wielder, wild-card. Babara grinned pleased by that. Be it Hermes or Serket or Abonde, Scorpio really had partnered with a wild array of different personalities, unlike say Cancer who had always picked the greatest, strongest warriors – Ares and Tyr and Sobek. Vaguely magic and healing and deliveries. A jack of all trades, as Scorpio had told her, which was why those under her patronage were always known for multiple realms – Hermes, the god of travelers and thieves and tricksters and the deliverer of the gods, Abonde, the goddess of magic, snow and misery, Serket, the goddess of healing and magic. And that suited Babs just right. Being so specialized in only one or two skills seemed rather boring to her. Jamie too, he had more than one specialization. The lightning of Zeus and Thor was as much the heavenly fire as Amun-Ra's sun-fire; still, lightning was a fire-power only Leo could control.

Shaking her head to make herself focus again, Babs turned toward the rest of the board. In the upper right corner it said LIBRA, with a large question-mark beneath; a picture missing. Potential enemy?, misguided? was written beneath it. Good questions that Babara couldn't answer either, sadly enough. When they had first met Libra, Babara had thought they had made an ally. The betrayal, learning that she was not on their side... Shaking her head again, this time more violently, Babs looked to see what else there was beside the ones she knew about too.

Much to her surprise, there was some new information on there. In the lower left corner, beneath GEMINI, was a dark, not good photo of a person in an ally at night. Looked like a screenshot from a surveillance camera. Frowning, Babs knelt down to see. Air-elemental, vigilante, works alone, uses batons, protects. Huh. That... That was actually news to Babara.

“Who's this? I never saw them in the news before?”, asked Babara innocently.

“Gemini. Or at least I think so. He – well, I'm actually not sure on that one, the costume isn't very revealing about body-shape or anything, really – has been working as a vigilante, since around the time Leo and Scorpio first appeared. I went through the local news all the way back to the date the Zodiacs arrived, to see if I can find any more. After all, there should be twelve. The only solid lead I found was a vigilante who has been keeping the streets at night safe. Beating up robbers and rapists, predominantly protecting girls who are out alone late. Usually, there is a symbol left behind with spray-paint, right above the tied-up criminal. Four lines that cross in a square. But I think it's not a square; I think it's a hastily drawn Gemini-sign”, explained Tanya. “Whoever it is, they're good though. Good at fighting and good at dodging people who try to approach...”

Babs hummed and made a mental note to look into this too. Interesting. She and Jamie had been wondering where the rest of the Zodiacs were too. Seemingly, Gemini really was the only one Tanya had a lead on though. VIRGO – earth-elemental, ARIES - fire-elemental, CAPRICORN - earth-elemental, PISCES - water-elemental, they all stood empty. Four Zodiacs still stood unaccounted for. Were they aligned with Libra...? Had they gotten lost at their arrival on Earth? Were they still training to not go out there completely unprepared? Or were they entirely declining the responsibility and danger of becoming heroes...? Who knew.

Babara sat down on Tanya's bed, leaning back onto her hands and looking at the chart. In dead-center, the villains. She grinned fondly at the name Tanya had given them.

“Snake Nest Villains?”, asked Babara amused.

“They're snake-themed”, grumbled Tanya with a faint blush. “Their leader is Serpentarius. Literally the snake-bearer. The second-in-command, from everything I've seen so far, is Serpens, the snake. Then Hydra and Hydrus. Sure, there are plenty of... one-off-minions. Constellations that... admittedly, mainly Scorpio and Leo had beaten. Monsters possessing innocent civilians. But those three – Serpens, Hydra and Hydrus – are the reoccurring ones. They're... bigger.”

“You're adorable”, grinned Babs fondly.

“Oh, shut up”, huffed Tanya embarrassed and crossed her arms over her chest.

But true enough, inside the largest circle, the one for the villains, she had written those four names the biggest, SERPENTARIUS in the center, the other three in a triangle around it. A sheet of paper was pinned there, a printed-out list of all 88 constellations, with those crossed out that Leo and Scorpio had already defeated. She really was diligent and loved details. Maybe Babs should get onto such a wall and list too. It would make the job easier. Then again... she lived with two nosy children and an equally nosy Irish woman. Such a chart would stay hidden for like half a day.

“Promise me you'll call when you're in a tight spot”, stated Babara after a beat.

“Varya, there's nothi-”, started Tanya with a chuckle.

Babara got up, standing to her full height in front of Tanya (and effectively being on eye-level with Tanya's boobs...), head tilted back to stare up at Tanya with her most serious look. It shut Tanya up.

“Promise me you will call if you're in a tight spot”, repeated Babs. “There are things I can't say, but if you need me, I will always be there to help you, Tatiana.”

Tanya nodded, albeit reluctantly. If Tanya took this clue to figure out Babs' secret all on her own, then good. If not, oh well. Babara was going to find a way to solve this mess sooner or later anyway. With a sudden, sunny smile did Babs pull Tanya into a hug.

“Stay safe, blondie”, whispered Babs softly. “Don't you dare get yourself killed.”

“I'll do my best”, promised Tanya with a chuckle, wrapping her arms around Babara. “Thank you.”

~*~

An hour later, Babara was once again knocking hard and obnoxiously against a door. It took considerably much longer for this one to open and the face greeting her was by far not as friendly as Tanya's. Sebastian Weinberg glared, hair messy, no shirt and pants on backward.

“Basty! My favorite cousin!”, exclaimed Babs with a bright smile.

“I'm your only cousin”, grunted Basty annoyed, ruffling his ginger hair. “And I thought I got rid of you when you moved out. What do you want...? I was busy doing... something.”

“Hello, Angel, I guess you're 'something'?”, greeted Babs, waving past Basty.

Angelique Lamour was flushed a bright red, less from embarrassment and more from... exercise, Babs guessed. She was wearing one of Basty's light-green hoodies and nothing else, rubbing the ankles of her long, pale legs against each other. Her fingers were playing with the thick, blonde braid laying over her shoulder, on her lips a smile that was pure amusement.

“Ye—ep. I'm something”, confirmed Angel lightly. “But it's okay. An orgasm gets better with built-up and delay anyway, so come on inside. What's going on?”

“A... Angelique!”, hissed Sebastian, his face dark-red. “You can't just-She's my cousin!”

“You're so cute when you're a prude, mon amour”, laughed Angel delighted. [French trans: my love]

Babara grinned impishly as she just ducked beneath Basty's arm and walked over to sit next to Angel on the couch. She used to live with them. Well, she used to live with Basty, back when they first moved to Los Angeles. And then, five years ago, after Angel and Jamie had broken up a few months prior, Basty finally got the girl. Oh, he had had a crush on Angel ever since he met Jamie's then girlfriend at the St. John's Pub. But he had thought he stood no chance with Angel, especially since Angel and Jamie had been dating. The fates were on their side though and after Angel and Jamie broke up, Angel found her way to Basty – and the two were just perfect together. Babs had never seen Basty with anyone the way he was with Angel. She brought out the best in him. Regardless of how cute she thought they were, they got rather obnoxious to live with after Angel started spending most of her days at their apartment, which was the reason she had ultimately moved out and decided to move in with Jamie and Jessie.

“No—ow, what's up, Babsie?”, asked Angel and threw her long legs over Babs' lap.

“Don't call me that”, groaned Babara and wiggled her nose.

“Aw, you're so cute”, grinned Angel and bopped Babs' nose.

Babs grumbled a little and got more comfortable. “Okay, so... hypothetically speaking... Say you know a secret from a friend and if you were to tell another friend, that would actually be beneficial to both parties. Do you tell the second friend or not...?”

“Mh...”, drawled Angel thoughtfully, twirling a bright-blonde strand around her finger. “If they will both benefit from it, then they would be grateful in the end, so I would tell them...”

Basty scolded, which was his default facial expression anyway. Far too serious. Babs raised an eyebrow, looking at her cousin and waiting for him to express what annoyed him.

“You shouldn't tell your friend's secret”, stated Basty as he started pacing. “Mel is... hiding something from me. And I would be rather mad if someone else were to tell me. Because that'd mean I hadn't yet earned the right to know that secret. Whatever it is, it's Mel's to tell and she will tell me once she's ready. I know that, so I'm not pushing and I wouldn't want for anyone to get involved, Babs. It's a matter of trust, simple as that.”

That gave Babs a pause. In a way, Basty was probably right. Even though she knew Tanya and Jamie could trust each other... in the end, it should be their decision when or if to trust each other about this secret. Groaning, Babs ran her hand over her face.

“Ange—el, this isn't the answer I wanted”, groaned Babs frustrated.

“Basty, mon amour, go get the ice-cream?”, requested Angel with a smile.

“And put on a shirt, cuz! No one wants to see that!”, called Babs out.

“Now, that's just factually wrong”, chided Angel, wagging her finger at him.

Babs chuckled and got more comfortable as she waited for her cousin to bring the ice.

~*~

“This looks like you've been... busy... What is this, Bee?”, asked Jamie carefully.

Babs bit her lips and looked up at him. Scooting over a little, she motioned for Jamie to join her on the floor, which he reluctantly did. Printed articles were spread out in front of her.

“Okay so I did a little bit of digging, because it's really weird that there are only seven out of twelve Zodiacs accounted for, right? And I found this. A vigilante who's mainly been protecting women from rapists at night and people from robberies. They always leave this sign on the wall where they leave the tied-up criminal for the police to find and I think it's the symbol of Gemini.”

Babs pointed at the crime-scene photos from a newspaper article three days ago. Some tied-up thug with the symbol sprayed right above his head. Jamie frowned and pulled it closer to look at the symbol. It just looked like the Roman number two, so it was a bit of a stretch...

“It makes sense, I guess. Became a hero too, but without a team, staying small-scale”, mused Jamie thoughtfully, tilting his head. “So, do you want to... track them?”

“I figured that could be interesting”, shrugged Babs with a grin. “See who they are, what they're up to. We're only two. We're supposed to be twelve, Jamie. We need to find and approach the others.”

“But-”, started Jamie with a serious frown.

“I know, I know, you still don't trust the Unicorn Princess Squad”, huffed Babs.

“Is... Is that really what they're called?”, asked Jamie doubtfully, frowning.

“It's what the newspaper dubbed them after seeing the unicorn and, mistakenly so, Aquarius look all princessy”, chuckled Babara amused. “They figure she's the leader and so far, Sagittarius is the only companion the newspaper caught on camera. I think it's cute and I'm glad we picked our own name before the news could. That'd have been a disaster...”

“Oh yeah”, grunted Jamie before he shook his head. “But no. I don't trust them yet.”

“They've done heroics all on their own”, argued Babs. “They took down Musca all on their own last week. If they are aligned with the bad guys, this would be the most fucking elaborate scheme to gain our trusts ever! You have to see that, James.”

Jamie frowned at that. It was rare for Babs to call him 'James'. Babara crossed her arms seriously and glared at Jamie, awaiting his answer. Running his hands through his hair, Jamie leaned back against the bed and sighed. He looked up at the ceiling with an even deeper frown.

“I'm still not convinced, Babs. I just...”, drawled Jamie.

“Jay, we're supposed to be a team of twelve. We are supposed to trust ten other heroes. If you keep standing in the way of that and keep rejecting anyone who offers to help us... then we will fail. Fail this city and planet and the whole purpose of why we got these powers”, argued Babs urgently, taking Jamie's hand. “Yes, this version of Libra betrayed us. Yes, she nearly killed you. Yes, you not breathing and nearly bleeding out in my arms will haunt me to my dying day. But that only means we really do need allies, so I will never have to stand there alone. So we have back-up. So we can liberate Libra from this human and find a worthy human host.”

There was doubt and caution in Jamie's eyes as he regarded Babs and mulled her words over. She knew he'd need some longer, but she also knew that she was right.

Read here on AO3!

Previous Chapter <- || Masterpost || -> Next Chapter

#Scorpio: Babara Burkhart #Zodiac: Scorpio #Story: Written in the Stars #Own Story #Superheroes #Zodiac Superheroes #Project: Written in the Stars

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ritebeforeyoureyes · 6 years

Text

Softie

This is a bit rubbish but it’s for the anon who requested a fic of Z comforting Tom after the football match.

Also, as some of you may or may not know I am being sponsored by loads of generous donors to from Vienna to Budapest for a charity called First Story. I will be completing this venture very soon so my uploads and interactions may be very limited over the next few weeks!

Masterlist - Plot: Zendaya watches the World Cup with Tom and his family and friends.

Softie (One-Shot)

The night started off like any other when their friends and family united. There was a plentiful stock of beer, a soft flow of music infiltrating the room and smiles that could light up London till the new year. But, once commentators started speaking and the all mighty English national anthem was sung, everybody quietened down. It was like somebody had pressed a mute switch; the house silencing almost with an air of comedy.

Zendaya and Tom found themselves on a couch together, Z’s body pressed tightly up against him as he buzzed with an excitement that the whole country was feeling. With an arm draped across her shoulders and his face inches away from hers, Zendaya could feel Tom’s excitement radiate and she found herself getting engaged with the soccer game that she usually possessed no interest in. Despite not knowing anything about the technical terms, she rested her head against her boyfriend’s chest and watched intently like everybody else in the room.

And as England scored within the first five minutes of the match, Zendaya found herself being thrown out of Tom’s hold. Him, Harry, Sam, Tuwaine and the rest of the British lads jumped out of their seats in an uproar that could rally that at any Trump protest. They were screaming and embracing and Zendaya couldn’t help but chuckle at their overt patriotism. It was infectious and she found herself joining in; her logic instructing her that she had an affiliation with the country now that her boyfriend was British.

But as the game slowed down a little, Zendaya found herself zoning in and out. She was still getting used to the time difference between L.A. and London and her head would lull downwards as sleep took over her. She was always in that in between phase, never really asleep but not one hundred percent awake and that meant that every little sound had her eyes flying open. The boys would scream at the TV and she’d jump up, somebody would call for a beer and she’s sneak an eye open. And gradually, the interruptions grew more frequent. As the yells grew louder and louder, Zendaya forced herself out of her restfulness to join back in with the English festivities.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” As Z peeled her eyes open, she was met with Tom kneeling on the floor in front of her; Harry and Sam on either side of him. It was an amusing sight but from the look of pure fright on their faces, Zendaya knew now was no time to laugh. “Come on, come on-” As she took in the sight of the scores in the top left hand corner of the screen, Zendaya realised why the Holland brother’s were so intently attached to their television screen. It was extra time and England were down by one with just minutes left on the clock.

“We can do this.” Sam spoke with a nonchalance that nobody really had much faith in as the timer in the corner slowly drew to a close with Croatia in the lead. It was like watching the countdown to the New Year but in an alternate universe; everyone was sad about it. The numbers ticked unbearably slowly and the room’s previously buzzing atmosphere dropped to that of great mourning.

“I saw it coming.” Tuwaine was the first to speak after England’s tragic lost and his version of ‘I told you so’ was met by an influx of protests and cushions to the face; everyone’s wounds still too fresh. “Hey, don’t hate the messenger!”

“Ass.” Tom muttered jokingly as he got up off the floor with an empty beer bottle in his hand. He silently began to pick up the mess that had accumulated throughout the game and Zendaya instantly noticed his sullen mood. Despite his mocking tone with Tuwaine, Zendaya could see the frown lines in his forehead and she wordlessly followed him into kitchen. Even though she saw the match as just a game, she knew it meant more than that to Tom. Him and his family religiously followed the sport and had been doing so since they were children.

“Hey.” As Tom set his bottles onto the counter top, Zendaya put a hand to his shoulder. “It’s okay-”

“I’m fine.” Tom shrugged her off casually and busied himself with fussing over dirty napkins and cutlery. Deep down, he expected her to ridicule him for taking the football so seriously. Zendaya was just like Paddy and Haz sometimes; she’d tease him whenever she got the opportunity. Sometimes there would be a snide remark about his height or his inability to talk about her without grinning like a Cheshire cat and now that he was genuinely upset about England’s lose, he wasn’t in any particular mood to entertain her witty (and sometimes ruthless) banter. “I’m fine.”

“Tom,” Zendaya adjusted herself between the central island and where Tom was stood, immediately halting his movement. Even with their close proximity, Tom’s gaze refused to meet Zendaya’s and she knew he was taking this harder than he tried to portray to her. “Will you look at me-”

“Z, come on I’m just trying to tidy up-”

“It’s okay for you to be upset, you know?” With a speedy movement of his chin, Zendaya forced his face upwards, their nose brushing as a consequence. She pecked his surprised lips tenderly, both of her hands cupping either side of his face. “You don’t have to lie with me, loser.”

In that moment, with her hair all natural and a cheeky smile on her face, Zendaya and her Marvel Comic Universe character, Michelle Jones, were one in the same. And Tom couldn’t stop the small smile that ghosted across his features. Michelle was a misunderstood character who had such a depth to her that, on the surface, many people misunderstood and in a way, Zendaya was the exact same. Behind her celebrity facade, her Dad jokes and her devastatingly beautiful looks, she was a softie. He had expected her to make fun of him and yet here she was, trying to comfort him. She was a loyal, kind, humble person and her desire to make Tom feel better after the football was an example of the kind of person that she was - the kind of person that Tom was proud to call his girlfriend.

“I love you, you know that, right?” Tom kissed her this time, his previously tense frame melting under her touch. Whether or not the football was coming home, he knew he’d be coming home to Zendaya and in his mind, that was all that mattered.

If you enjoyed this piece and would like to help further me and my work, please support me whilst I get through university. The money you donate will go towards assisting me in my student fees, rent etc. It is one hundred per cent a voluntary pursuit and greatly appreciated, however, your lovely comments, likes and reblogs are always welcomed too. Thank you for being the greatest: https://ko-fi.com/D1D072V0

#tomdaya #tomdaya fanfiction #tomdaya fan fiction #tomdaya fan-fiction #tomdaya fanfic #softie #ritebeforeyoureyes #tomdaya one-shot

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winterandiron · 6 years

Text

cafuné.

pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader.

summary: bucky always asked you to play with his hair and when you finally question why he does it his answers surprises you.

genre: fluff.

warnings: none aside from some swearing and Sam being a major dick.

a/n: this is the first time I write on english so please have in mind that this is not my first language.

You were used to it at this point. It was a regular thing that everyone in the team thought was weird while you didn't wanted to put too much thought into it. It was nothing. He just liked having his hair played with and you were the only one from the team friendly enough to ask that to. That's exactly what you told yourself every time Bucky would request your hands on his long, soft brown locks so you wouldn't fall deeper in the dark hole that was being in love and not being corresponded.

Of curse you didn't told a soul about it, not that you were really friends with anyone in the compound, unlike what the word seemed to think you didn't gossip with Wanda and Natasha while painting each others nails, so you didn't exactly had someone to talk about it, which only made it worst.

Movie night was something you actually did, most of the time the whole team was in the common room getting ready to watch whatever movie has been picked and just silently enjoy it together. You would usually bring your own pillow from your room and that one big fluffy blanket that everyone would try to steal from you throughout the movie and sit on the huge couch while some of the guys preferred to lay on top of the furry carped on the floor. tonight was no different.

"Come on (Y/N), you need to learn how to share, girl" Sam shouted at you from the floor trying to pul the blanket from your legs.

"Fuck you, Sam. The blanket is mine I don't have to share anything" With that he let go of the blanket and murmured something under his breath.

"Can you stop acting like children?" Natasha entered the room wearing her black pajama shorts that usually made Steve's eyes go wide. But he was nowhere to be around.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y can you tell antique 1 and antique 2 to move their asses down here so we can start the movie?" Tony ordered the AI.

That's when your anxiety started to show up. Because movie night was the most common occasion for Bucky to put his head on you lap as soon as he could and you knew tonight wouldn't be an exception, which made you nervous, even if you did it every sunday.

The two super soldiers finally appeared and it was pretty obvious they were in the training room before since they looked somewhat tired. They both looked like they just got out of their showers and were wearing clean comfy clothes. Steve's hair was still wet from what you could see but Bucky's was completely dry and looked like a mess which was a certain indication that he just used the hair dryer on his bathroom and didn't bothered to brush his hair afterwards. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a plain black V neck and fuck did he looked good on them.

"Jeez, Tony, we're here. Calm down" Steve said as he sat down in the empty space between Natasha and Tony.

That only free spot left on the couch was between Wanda and Clint, but Bucky just let himself fall in the carpet right in front of you and without a word he placed his head on you lap.

"What are we watching?" Steve asked, to which Tony was quick to answer.

"We're watching Narnia and you two don't have a say on it because you're late. F.R.I.D.A.Y roll the movie" After Tony's command the screen came to life and the lights went down.

A couple of minutes later you were really into the movie and the beautiful cinematography of it when you felt the head on your lap constantly moving and shifting it's position. You knew it was just a matter of time befor-

"Doll?" He kept his voice down so he wouldn't disturb the movie for the rest.

"Hmmm?" You eyes remind on the screen but your heartbeat was going faster.

"Would you mind putting your hands in my hair? I mean, if it doesn't bothers you..." He was always nice about it, even if you have never deny it since the first time he asked you, he would always make sure you were comfortable with it.

You didn't say anything, just letting your fingers get lose in his hair, it felt fresh clean because of his shower and it was super soft as usual. Your nails ran lightly over his scalp and behind his ears, you didn't have to look down to know that made him close his eyes and relax his whole expression.

"Why do you only let Y/N touch your hair, Bucky?" Wanda's voice caught everyone's attention.

"What?" Was Bucky's only response as he opened his eyes and pulled his head up from your lap to look at her.

"I mean... you always ask her to play with your hair but you don't let any of us even come close to touch it. Why?" You watched carefully for any odd reaction but he just shrugged and ignored the question.

"Come on, man. When are you going to have the balls to actually show some of your feelings?" Sam stated, apparently bothered for some reason.

"Sam, shut up!" Steve used his captain voice and that meant he was serious.

"No, I mean it, he's never going to adapt if he doesn't stop being such a pussy". The room fell silent after that.

You felt Bucky tense up against you legs, the darkness in the room didn't let you see much of his face but he didn't gave you, or anyone, a chance to try to see closer. He stood up and left without a world.

"That's just fucking great, guys, brilliant!" You glared at Sam and Wanda before standing on your feet and following the soldier.

Running through the hallway where the rooms were you stopped in front of Bucky's door and hesitated before knocking. Wanda made valid point, you never saw anyone else touch his hair, not even steve. So why let you do it? If it was a thing he would only let girls do, the why not let Natasha and Wanda do it? After all he wasn't much more intimate with her than he was with them apart from letting her play with his hair.

So why?!

Finally you let you knuckles hit the hard wood of the door and waited to heard something from the other side but you didn't.

"Buck, it's me... open up, please" You keep you voice soft so he wouldn't feel threatened.

The knob made a noise and the door was open, all the light inside seemed off but you still stepped in slowly. There was a soft light coming from a little lamp on his night stand that let you see him sitting on the edge of the bed, his face hanging low, probably so you wouldn't see his face. If the situation was reverse you would for sure be embarrassed too. Closing the door behind you, you walked getting closer to him till you were right in front of his figure but not a word was said. Your hands felt the silky texture of his locks and your fingers ran through it letting you thumbs slightly rest over his cheekbones.

"Hey..." He didn't answer but you could see the light pink bush covering his face. "Are you going to talk to me?"

His eyes went up and stared right into yours, if you didn't knew better you would say he was staring through your bare soul, your heart rate speeded up and your chest went up and down with each breath you took. It was an intense moment for both of you. You could tell he was affected too.

"What do you want me to say, doll?" His voice sounded raspy.

"Actually... I'm really curious as to why you only let me touch your hair" You caressed his hair a little more, almost encouraging him to tell you. He sighed before speaking again.

"Before the war I used to take a lot of ladies out on dates, as you probably have heard, and my hair was something that they all were fascinated with for some unknown reason" He frowned.

"Maybe because is soft and cute" You smiled at him while messing his hair with both hands.

"Well, point is, after I could finally scape from Hydra I was constantly moving from city to city, and I realized than people had become a lot bolder these times." You felt him shiver before he could continue. "I could be on a supermarket in Vienna, buying protein bars and some random girl would come and ask if she could run her hands through my hair, in the 40's I would have laugh and say yes, in that moment? I had a panic attack and ended up running away from the place without saying a single word." He sounded extremely sad, even if that was a memory from years ago it still hurted him. "Even when I got here, everyone kept asking, boys and girls... I even through about cutting it so I didn't have to face that problem anymore, but I never actually got around that".

"I'm glad you didn't". You mumbled as your grip of his hair got a little more firm.

"And then when you came around I started to feel this urge..." You breath got caught in your throat when you felt his hands firmly grab your hips and pull you a closer. "I wanted you close, I wanted to have your scent always around and... well I did wanted you play with my hair." His words warmed your heart and leave you totally speechless but he wasn't over yet. "At first I didn't knew why I felt like that, but the it was pretty obvious I had developed feeling your you, doll"

"Y-you have feeling for me, Buck?" The words shuttered their way out and he giggled at that.

"Of course, Y/N, it's pretty damn obvious" he smiled at you, apparently not embarrass anymore. "So I couldn't resist anymore, I asked and you said yes, from then every time I have the chance to have you close I took it".

He just displayed his feeing for you and there was not a single muscle on your body that wasn't shaking, you crush of 3 years have confess he had feelings for you and now the only thing you could think about was kissing him.

"So you don't have any urges left?" You asked with your stare glued to his lips and his fingers dipped in the skin of your hips.

"Fuck. Doll, don't go there" His breath became superficial and you let your thumb ran over his lower lip as a result of the rush of feelings going through you at the moment.

"Why not?" Looking at his eyes again so you wouldn't miss the feelings they displayed.

"I've wanted to kiss you for so long, (Y/N). Don't play with me like tha-" You cut him off by kissing him finally.

You had anticipated the moment for so long it didn't felt real at first so both of you were afraid to move and break whatever kind of spell was in the air. Until you did and everything became so real, the intensity of the kiss went up and you could feel each others breaths against the skin of your faces. His arms closed around your waist and all you could do was hold onto his shoulders so you wouldn't fall down on his arms. But finally you both gasped for air, breaking the kiss but remaining close.

"Woah..." You giggle and hide you face in the croak of his neck. "Doll face?"

"Hmmm?" Your smile pressed against his skin.

"Would you mind playing with my hair for a while?" The smile could be heard in his voice and when you pulled back you saw he had a smirk on his lips.

"Only you would let me kiss you some more, Sergeant".

And then the only thing that was heard on the room was your scream when Bucky grabbed your waist and pulled you with him towards the bed behind you.

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witchymarvelspacecase · 7 years

Text

An Enemy on the One Hand: Pt 3.

Summary: (Reader Insert - Soulmate AU/Enemy AU) The universe determined your soulmate and enemy at birth, giving you one hint for each; their initials on one of your wrists. BUt what happens if BOTH sets of initials are for the same person? Set during CA:CW

Word Count: 2109

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of violence, angst(ish), CA:CW spoilers (but seriously, what are you DOING here if you haven’t seen that yet?)

A/N: Okay, I’m taking a stab at this. I wanna thank @writingwithadinosaur (as usual) for helping me with EVERYTHING EVER, and being totally fabulous! And @imhereforbvcky for encouraging me to try in the first place.

I tagged everyone who liked/reblogged/commented on the announcement post cause I am a needy bitch, I need validation! But I am MORE than happy to add OR remove you if you’d like.

An Enemy on the One Hand Masterlist

Updated: 8/20/18

It was two years before you felt anything again.

In that time, you’d been on countless missions and made a place for yourself among the Avengers. You’d met Wanda and Pietro, and you were in the room when Vision was “born”. You fought against Ultron, and saved thousands of lives, including Pietro’s. You’d flown in at just the right moment and managed to knock Clint, the child he was protecting, and Pietro out of the way of the bullets. Wanda, Pietro, and Clint had become your closest friends; Natasha pretended to be put out about it, but she was happy that you had fit into the family so well.

Tony had needed a lot of help after Ultron. Since Bruce was AWOL, Tony had taken all of the blame for their creation, and though he honestly felt that it was all his fault, the blame sat very heavily on his shoulders. Tony seemed to harbor a lot of self-hatred, and Ultron just gave him another reason for the hate. He covered his hate in jokes and sarcasm, but if you waited long enough, you could find him in his broken moments; moments where he’d lose his facade.

Natasha had needed help too, but she was as shielded about it as Tony. Neither of them wanted to talk, to anyone, but you’d managed to get them to open up, if only a little.

Tony was easier. If you could catch him in the kitchen at about 4:30 in the morning making his umpteenth cup of coffee, and you just happened to be awake, you could get him to talk. It was easier for him if it seemed like a coincidence, although judging by the small smile that spread across his face when he saw you every morning, he was aware that your early morning trips to the kitchen were for him.

You wore down Natasha over time. She already trusted you, but she never allowed herself to really have problems. Like Tony, she accepted fault and blame because she felt she deserved it. Not because of self-hatred like Tony, but because she felt that due to the bad things she had been taught to do, due to the “red in her ledger”, she deserved whatever came her way. It was like she thought that she should have to live with the guilt and hatred as some sort of atonement for the wrongs she’d committed. As if she felt that in order to balance the cosmic scales, she had to suffer. Bruce leaving had hurt her; not because she loved him, (because as she’d say “love is for children”) but because he had needed her. She had been necessary. Even if it was just for the lullabies, she had been needed. Need and want were different things though. You did your best to convince her that even if she didn’t feel especially needed, she was definitely wanted.

Then came the “Accords” situation. Tony and Natasha’s feelings of guilt drove them to support the restrictions that the accords imposed. Rhodey and Vision sided with them as well. Wanda was in no state to make a decision either way; she still felt incredibly guilty about what had happened with the recent bomb incident. You, Pietro, and Steve had done your best to reassure her, but you could tell she still felt the blame. Ross blaming her outright for not only that incident, but several past incidents as well, hadn’t helped. You’d had to physically restrain Pietro, who’d wanted to throttle Ross for upsetting his sister; you had to debate whether or not to let him.

You had been present at the meeting in Vienna, not to sign the accords, but to show unity among the Avengers, even if it was just for appearances sake. You’d been relatively close to the blast, but avoided most of the shrapnel.

Steve called you as soon as you left the building. “You okay?”

“Well, I’ve definitely been better, but I got off pretty easy.”

“They’re claiming Bucky did it.” Your head was still ringing from the blast, so it took you a moment to process what Steve had just said, but when you did, you had an instant response.

“Couldn’t have,” you coughed into the phone, “I didn’t feel anything.”

“What?” Steve asked. You coughed hard several times, clearing your throat before speaking again.

“I didn’t feel anything, Steve. He couldn’t have been here. I would have felt something.” Either of your marks would have burned if Bucky or the Winter Soldier had been present, even if he wasn’t in the building. You’d felt nothing.

Steve exhaled heavily before responding. He gave you an address to meet up with him and Sam. You hung up just as Nat approached you.

“You okay?” she asked, repeating Steve’s words.

“My head’s still ringing, and I imagine my makeup is a wreck, but I’m good. You?”

She raised her eyebrows a little, but nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but her phone rang.

After a few seconds, you realized that Steve was on the other end of the line, and you took your moment to escape. If Nat had seen you leaving the scene, she would have followed you. Natasha didn’t have the marks, whether they’d never appeared on her wrists or they’d been removed somehow by the Red Room, you didn’t know. You only knew that she was a skeptic when it came to the marks. She likely wouldn’t have listened to what you had to say about your marks. So you snuck away.

…

Steve and Sam were remarkably close by. You called them from your car instead of going inside the bar that they were hiding in. The car was from Embassy, you’d removed the tracker, but you hoped to switch cars soon.

“You look like shit,” Sam observed as he Steve climbed into borrowed sedan.

“Thanks for noticing. This is my ‘I just got blown up’ look,” you said, not really caring about his sarcasm. You knew you were bleeding through your shredded clothes. “Where are we headed?”

“Do you have a change of clothes with you? Your gear?” Steve asked.

“Yes, it’s in the trunk. I don’t have all of my gear; most of it’s still at the compound.”

“I grabbed what you had in the locker room,” Sam said, “we just gotta stop and pick it up.”

“Awesome. We also need to ditch this car. It’s the Embassy’s. I removed the tracker, but it’ll still be pretty easy to find.” The guys nodded.

You left the car and picked up the gear while Steve found an alternative vehicle. Once you changed into your gear, you put on the loose fitting sweatshirt and joggers that you’d had in the trunk of the embassy car. They weren’t fashionable, but they hid the leather and spandex of your tactical gear, which would have drawn quite a bit of attention. Not that fashion should have been one of your worries; Steve’s idea of a “low profile car” was a rusty old volkswagen.

...

“Can this thing even go freeway speeds?” you asked. It had been hours since you’d squished yourself into the back seat of the VW and your cuts and bruises were throbbing, and your ass was numb.

“Barely,” Sam grumbled from the passenger seat. Steve elected to ignore both of you, so you asked a different question.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“Bucharest.”

“So another 3 hours then,” you sighed, scrunching yourself back into the seat, trying to get comfortable.

“Just about,” Steve replied, looking at you in the rearview mirror, “Are you sure okay?”

“Just scrapes and bruises, Cap; I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about Bucky.” And what could happen to him if the others got to him first…

The rest of the drive was uncomfortably silent.

…

Bucky had made a life for himself; a small one, but one of his own. He had an apartment that he’d sparsely decorated, and a kitchen that appeared to be well used. The windows were all covered, but inside the one room space, you could see a personality coming through. Steve found a journal filled with notes, memories and thoughts that Bucky must have jotted down whenever he remembered something. The covers and pages were worn, but not damaged, as if he opened and leafed through it often, like he would read through his notes to remind himself of who he was and where he came from.

He was rebuilding; you felt hope spreading in your heart. You also felt a slight burning on your right wrist. It started to burn just a little, but the temperature increased as Bucky got closer to the building, and eventually headed to his room. When he opened the door, Steve was the first person he saw.

Steve asked if Bucky knew who he was, and Bucky seemed to avoid the question, saying he saw the exhibit at the museum.

Slowly, you stepped into Bucky’s line of sight. “Do you remember me? We met in D.C. a while ago.”

“Yeah, I remember you.” His eyes darted from you to Steve, then back to you, and you saw his right wrist twitch.

“Remember what I said about your wrist?” you asked. Your wrist wasn’t burning anymore, it was more of a tingle now.

Bucky nodded in response before meeting Steve’s eyes, “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.”

“We know you weren’t there,” you said quickly, drawing his attention back to you, “but people who think you were are on their way here. And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

“That’s smart. Good strategy,” Bucky deadpanned. Your heart squeezed; he really didn’t value his life much did he?

Bucky and Steve were still talking, but Sam called a breach and a grenade flew through the window a moment later.

Everything after that seemed to pass in a blur. Bucky said he wasn’t gonna kill anyone, and aside from some rather devastating blows, he appeared to keep that promise. Then he was jumping off the building, and landing on the roof of the building across the street. It was an easy leap for you, with your powers, and you landed just in time to tackle a man who was wearing what looked like a black cat costume, who had almost been within reach of Bucky. Landing with a thud, the man rolled to his feet very quickly and he was off after Bucky again, attacking him with sharp claws that protruded from the fingertips of his suit. He swiped quite close to Bucky’s face and you tackled him again. Bucky managed to escape the roof and headed for the nearby freeway underpass. You weren’t able to hold off the attacker for long, but while he was fast on his feet, you could fly.

You caught up to Bucky as he ran down the highway, against traffic. You were just behind him when the cat-man caught your leg and threw you to the ground. Hissing in pain, you rolled to your hands and knees. As Bucky sped away from you, your wrist began to burn again. When he had been near you, it had been a tingle, but as he moved farther away it became a burn.

There were puncture wounds around your calf, and you were pretty sure your shoulder was dislocated, not to mention all of the wounds you already had from the bombing that were now reopened and bleeding freely. The guys had left you in the dust, but as you closed in on them, all you saw was flashing blue lights. As you got closer, the burning lessened again, not that you noticed much, you were much too preoccupied by the scene in front of you. Sam, Steve, Bucky and their attacker were all surrounded by armed officers, and Rhodey in his full War Machine suit.

You kept to the shadows, wanting to avoid notice, but you needed to know what was going on, and where the boys were being taken.

Berlin, as it turned out.

Exhaustion threatened, but you knew that you needed to beat the transport to its destination if you were going to be of any help to the guys.

You had to be able to make Natasha, and anyone else there, believe that you hadn’t had anything to do with what just happened in Bucharest; otherwise, the guys didn’t stand a chance of getting out. So, shoulder throbbing, you launched into the air and headed for Berlin. You had to stop in Vienna on the way there though to grab your things; it wouldn’t do to leave anything behind.

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#AEOTOH #an enemy on the one hand #part 3 #Bucky Barnes #bucky x reader #captain america civil war #CA:CW #soulmate au #enemy au

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summerrrluvvv · 4 years

Text

Chapter 9: Part 1

Day 8 in Miami:

Tye:

I turned over in my bed feeling for Samar, but he was not there. “Uhhhh” I groaned. I looked at my phone to angry messages from Samar.

I palmed my face. I got up and started getting ready to go pull up on this crazy ass best friend of mine. I walked out my room and went downstairs. Zion was sitting at the bar reading a magazine and sipping some wine. I looked at my phone it was 2:37 p.m. “You are drinking early, and You still read those?” I said. She sighed. “Well I need a break from wanting to text Kyrell and I needed this drink”. I sat on the bar stool next to her, “What happened last night? I saw you with Kyrel one minute and the next minute you were gone” I asked. She closed the magazine and looked at me to tell me the story. “Well I got drunk and high and my dumb ass picked the wrong time to tell Kyrel we should just be friends, he got mad and left me at the party, so this nigga I met at the party took me home” She said. “You need to text him and make shit right Z” I told her. She shrugged her shoulders, “I really hurt his feeling Tye, he was pissed” She said. “So, text that man, you got time before we leave. You see Ari or Mel?” I asked. She nodded. “They upstairs sleep, Ari got in this morning, and Mel was here when I got home last night” She said. “Last night was crazy for me”. I stressed. “Hey” Ari said as her and Mel walked into the kitchen. “Well now that we all here what the fuck happened to yall last night?” Ari asked. Mel grabbed the liquor at the top of the fridge and took a shot, then grabbed a seat at the table near the bar, since the bar only had two seats, “Well a tiny dick man tried to rape me” I told them. “What?!” They all said. I shook my head. “I know it sounds crazy, but it happened, we were going to fuck no lie but when he dropped the draws nothing was there at all like just a little Vienna sausage. Then he got mad and was like Nah you going to give me some and then Samar busted into the room and told him to leave with his gun, now he mad at me” I rolled my eyes annoyed cause I would have to deal with this nigga soon. Mel was trying not to laugh, “I’m sorry that happened to you Tye, but what could he possibly do”. I shrugged “He was going to do something; he could have an extra piece in his pocket” I said trying to be serious. “Tye, maybe it wasn’t hard yet” Ari said. I looked at her crazy. “Bitch, it was hard, and it look like he put his pinky finger through his jeans” I said getting annoyed. Zion was also trying not to laugh. “Okay I see this is a joke to yall but I was scared this man would have killed me to get it in” I grabbed a shot glass and angrily poured me some liquor. “I’m sorry Tye” Zion said. She got up and hugged me. “Me too” Ari said coming to hug me too, and Mel followed. “Yall get off of me” I playfully said. “Now what happened to you Ari?, I ain’t see you after Anthony came and got you” Zion said. She groaned “Did anybody pop them pills they gave us at the door?” She asked. Mel raised her hand. “I did” She said. I had to think if I did. “Nah I got one but left it on the kitchen counter” I said. Zion was trying to remember. “Yeah I don’t remember no pills” Ari palmed her face, “Well Anthony and I popped them and then we started feeling frisky, like frisky but you know we ate the edibles and them we was drinking and shit, but we went upstairs and I was like a savage sex demon, and we had sex in like this office or something cause all the rooms were occupied it was like an orgy everywhere but anyways it was bomb as fuck” She said happily. My eyes got big wanting her to rewind back to the orgy part. “Wait orgy?” I asked. She nodded. “Yeah bitches were fucking in rooms it was hell of people getting they freak on, on both levels” She said. Damn it, I should have taken the pill and then made Samar take one I thought to my crazy self. “But that is not all, so then we came back downstairs still Lit, then Marlon dumb ass showed up with Shantelle fucking wilding. Marlon started to fight Anthony then I had to fight Shantelle for getting in my face. We got kicked out then ate food then had sex some more at Anthony’s” She said. “Hold up, so you was fucking saw some orgies then got into a fight with your boo thang then fucked and ate some good food? sounds like a good night for you Ari” Mel laughed. I nodded. “No for real it’s not a lituation if Ari isn’t snapping or popping off” Zion said. I nodded in agreement, Ariana will either yell at somebody or fight somebody it is not a good night if she didn’t do it.. “What happened with you and Z?” Ari asked Mel. “Um Isaac and I had sex in the bathroom at the party, I had took the pill too so I know the feeling, but then Malachi showed up and my dumb ass tried to leave with him so Isaac wouldn’t see him and we got into into then Malachi asked me on a date but I told him I had a lot going on and I let him know and then I went to Isaac Airbnb to explain but he just kept accusing me of fucking Malachi and so we kind of just called it quits” She said looking sad. “Mel just go on the date with Malachi then since Isaac tripping like I aint see him leaving with some bitch” I told her. She looked at me shook. “For real?” She asked. I nodded. “Some thot ass hoe” I told her. She rolled her eyes. “Fuck him” Z said. Ari nodded. “Yeah you weren’t thinking about him when we got here in the first place Mel” I nodded agreeing with her. “That’s true”. “Mel don’t worry, my dumb ass told Kyrel we should be friends now he won’t talk to me”. Mel looked at her with a stank face “Why the fuck would you do that?” She asked. “She got scared” I said getting up ready to leave. “Z you need to text that man, Mel go on your date, Ari keep doing you boo. I got to go see Samar, so I am going to take one of the jeep’s” I said grabbing the keys. I texted Samar letting him know I was on the way.

I pulled up to his Airbnb and parked in the driveway. I grabbed my shit and went to the door and knocked. The door swung open. “Get in here nigga” He said. I rolled my eyes. I walked in and went to his living room he slammed the door. “Bro if you pull I another stunt like you did last night, so help me Tye I will go off on your ass, you are too old to be leaving with complete strangers. That is some hoe shit, and you aint no hoe, what if he killed you huh? Then what my nigga? You got to think bro like use your brain” He stressed. “First of all, Samar you never cared about me and strangers any other time but all of sudden you tripping, look I get it was a bad situation last night but don’t be slut shaming me. I’m a grown ass woman this is my motherfucking body and I can do who and whatever I want just like you, but I don’t try to control You!” I snapped. He came up to me mad. “I didn’t give a fuck before because I didn’t care who you fucked but now I do care and I need you to not fuck any nigga you meet Tye, and yes I’m saying that’s hoe behavior” He said to me. I got up ready to go. “You care now because why?!, why do you care now Samar? You jealous?!” I yelled. He stood looking at me. “Yeah, I am jealous, maybe I don’t like the thought of some rando fucking you, cause you like my sister” He said. I palmed my face. “Your jealous because I’m like your sister make it make sense Samar. Admit that you are attracted to me, and ever since we fucked you cannot stop thinking about me, because things have changed between us”. He sat down on the couch sighing. “What you want me to say Tye? Yes, I feel some things aight but why does that matter”. I braced myself for what I was going to say but I am tired of holding it in. “Samar, I’m in love with you okay. I been in love with you since high school and the night we had sex meant a lot to me even if it was fucking in the kitchen these niggas don’t mean shit to me they just try to replace how I feel, and it hurts when you say you see me as a sister ” I told him. We stood there looking at each other. “I don’t know what to say Tye, I been had these feelings for you too, but I just reminded myself you like my sister and us being best friends is amazing. Like we kick it we can be ourselves and everything but that couple shit complicate things like what if I lose you?” He just kept looking at me. I was feeling a lot of emotions. “So, you are in love with me too?” I asked. He shrugged “Shit I might be so what, fuck it we not going further than this. My feelings will eventually go away” He said. I laughed in disbelief because I finally hear what I want but this nigga cannot commit. “Wow okay Samar well have fun with that, but don’t tell me what to do cause you’re not my man, and you don’t want to be so I can fuck anybody” I said grabbing my keys. I got to the front door when he put his hand on the door. “Samar get the fuck out my way!” I yelled. I turned to look at him and he shook his head. “You not leaving”. I pushed him out the way and he pushed me back almost causing me to fall. He got in front of the door and folded his arms. I just looked at him cause at this point we was about to fight for real. “Move” I said. He looked at me shaking his head. “Nah”. I tried to move him away from the door. He grabbed my arms and backed me up into the wall. Our breathing was intense. He then started kissing me, my lips moved with his. He moved me from the wall and into the nearest room. We fell unto the bed still kissing, “Mmmm” I moaned into the kiss. He got up to take off his shirt, and I started taking off my clothes. Once we were both naked, he started kissing my lips then down to my neck, I did not even want all the sensual shit, baby I was on Go! My thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of his doorbell. Samar got up and looked at me. He put on his pants and his shirt and left the room. “Hey baby” I heard from a female voice. I got up and put on my clothes and fixed my hair. I went into the living room and seen it was a familiar female. Diamond, Samar’s ex-girlfriend. I rolled my eyes at the sight of her. She ran over to me and hugged me. “Tye, hey girl how have you been?” She asked me. I forced a smile. “Hey” I simply said annoyed as fuck. “What you are doing here Diamond?” I asked confused because they ended on bad terms. “I called Sami last week, and we talked about seeing each other since I was coming down here to DJ for Lit and Wild, so He said I could stay with him and we can catch up” She said hugging all over Samar. Samar looked at me, as I burned a hole in his face with my eyes. “That’s great, well I’ll be going” I said pissed off at this point. “Yo, Tye let me walk you out” He said. I shook my head “Nah, I’m good” I told him, but he followed me out anyways. “Tye, I’m sorry” He said. He grabbed my door before I could close it. I laughed a little thinking he be sorry about inviting Diamond to stay with him. “Of course you are, let me guess it was a mistake and it shouldn’t have happened because I’m like your sister, that’s cool I’m just find me a distraction, while you fuck Diamond” I said. He smirked; I know I struck a nerve. “Yeah, I’m glad you understand” He said slamming my car door. I got out my seat belt so fast and opened the car door. “Fuck you” I said to him. He just closed his house door on me. I got into my car and sped off. I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I pulled over into a parking lot and just started bawling. I calmed down after 30 minutes and went to the liquor store because I was going to get fucked up.

When I pulled up to the house, I seen Mel walking out and an Aston Martin pull up. So, I knew she was going on a date with Malachi. I got out of the car as she was locking the door. “Oh, hey Tye, I’ll be back. Ari and Zion are gone” She told me. I nodded “Okay girl” I said as she went to get in his car. I slick was happy cause I just wanted to get drunk and cry myself to sleep. I turned on the speakers to the house and connected my phone and pressed shuffle. “I’m selfish, I want you all to myself, I swear you don’t need nobody I swear, I want you all to myself because I’m selfish” PNB Rock played. “How Ironic” I said as I chugged the Dusse’. I normally needed a chaser but fuck it. After 30 minutes, I started to fix me a sandwich because I was feeling the liquor hard. I’m a motherfuckin' train wreck, I don't wanna be too much. But I don't wanna miss your touch. And you don't seem to give a fuck. I don't wanna keep you waiting. But I do just what I have to do” I sang along to “Boyfriend” By Ariana Grande and Social house. “You ain't my boyfriend, And I ain't your girlfriend, But you don't want me to see nobody else, And I don't want you to see nobody”. I jumped at the doorbell ringing. I went to the door drunk, I answered the door, seeing Samar. He was looking high as fuck and holding up a bottle of Henny and a bag of food. “Eww nigga what you want?” I asked. He rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him. “You know you belong right here inside my arms, ooh la la la la la” Tinashe played. “The fuck you doing nigga? Partying without me?” He asked. I held up the Dusse. “Yep, where Diamond?” I asked chugging more of the Dusse. “That’s what we are doing?” He asked. He opened the Henny and started chugging it, like we were in a competition. I grabbed the bag from him to see what it was. I smiled to see he had got me Honey Garlic Wings and tater tots. “For me nigga?” I asked. He smirked and nodded. “I’m sorry about D” He said. He lit a blunt and handed it to me. I smoked and started eating the wings because I had not eaten all day. We smoked and talked and cracked jokes, after awhile my home girl downstairs started to wake up. I was trying to keep it together, but I was about to pounce. “Grab all that shit and come upstairs, I’m sleepy” I lied. He grabbed the liquor and the weed and followed me upstairs. I went in the bathroom to brush my teeth because I just ate, and I then got into the shower to wash up. As I was about to get out, I was then startled by Samar coming into the bathroom and opening up the glass shower door and getting into the shower with me. “Um?” I said looking at him. He once again intensely backed me into the shower wall and started kissing me and grabbing my face. I pulled him towards me as he kissed me with so much passion. He then turned off the water and grabbed my hand and led me into the bedroom. I was soaking wet literally I was concerned about getting my bed wet, but he was taking the thought from my mind when he laid me on the bed and continued kissing me like he was earlier from lips down to my chin, till he got to my neck making me hot with anticipation. He then made his way down to my breast and kissed all over each one, his kisses trailed to my stomach down to my pelvic area, he then kissed my thighs and looked at me with so much lust, I let out soft moans and he kissed each thigh slowly not taking his eyes off of me. I bit my lip not being able to take it anymore, I pulled him up to me, and he still did not drop his gaze as he looked felt for the hole, “This it” He said feeling on the wrong hole, I looked at him sideways “No nigga!” I snapped. He smirked at me as he put his dick in slowly, I don’t know why it felt like I was a virgin or like I never had sex with him before but his slow strokes were taking my breath away. We kept eye contact with each other, He kissed my forehead and then down to my lips. This was not fucking; this was love making. “Fire & Desire” by Drake was softly blasting through the house speakers. “But you get real on the pill and I like it, you just like my side kick, I just want to wife and fulfill and your desires, keep you in the front and never in the back and never on the side” Drake sang as Samar strokes intensified. “Tell me you love me” Samar softly said to me as he kissed on my ear, I almost melted into the damn bed feeling every inch of him, I pulled him closer to me. I was trying hard not to moan so loud cause soon the girls would be back but honestly; I did not care. “Tell me” He said again. “I fucking love you”. I told him, he kissed me with so much force, I was confused but turned on and if I was dreaming bitch I did not want to wake up. He started putting his all into every stroke “Samar” I moaned out. Drake faded out and H.E.R “Could’ve Been” started playing. He then got up and singled me to get on top of him, “We could’ve been and we tried to pretend, Every now and again, we don’t dream about don’t think about what we could’ve been” the song played. As I rode him, my eyes were closing as I was almost about to cum all over this man, he softly caressed my breast then up to my neck, he rubbed my face. “Look at me” He demanded sounded sexy as hell. I looked at him as he turned me back over and started going ham on top of me, I can tell by his face he was soon about to cum, and so was I. I let out a moan as I was cumming and He quickly pulled out. “Sorry” He said. This man came all over my sheets. Afterwards we cleaned up and smoked. We did not even talk I knew not to say anything to ruin the moment.

Part 1 Continued>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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