#he got a honey cruller
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Special treat for a special boy 🥰
#dogblr#maverick#i took my parking lot photo and then put mav back in the car to go buy my donuts#and they saw me and asked if my dogs name was maverick and i was like yeah#and then i was like hey this is weird but can i bring him in to take a photo with the wall and they were (shockingly) totally fine with it#but mav was extremely interested in the kitchen and the people in the kitchen#so i had to rush and leash him back up so he didnt commit crimes#hes so funny#he got a honey cruller
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Vague ideas for Psychoshift au
So, just gonna say in advance, I’m still working out a LOT of the “who’s who” in this au, so anyone in the ask box has full rights to suggest changing around a lot of it. (Other than the Psy7, I know what I’m doing there)
The order of this will be ROLE - Character - description. Let’s do this. It’s gonna be massively rant-ish, and I will be spoiling Psychonauts 2.
RAZ - Dogen Boole
Dogen is the protagonist. He’s trying to figure out what happened to his grandfather that made his family so afraid of psychics, since Grandpa was lost in a battle 20 years ago. He’s not an acrobat, but he relies on animals for their help, and has a unique bond with them. However, he tends to stumble into situations before he’s really “ready” for it.
LILI - Razputin Aquato
Raz is the middle son of the leader of the Psychonauts, Augustus Aquato. He’s a bit of a rebel, but he enjoys his acrobatics just as much as his skills with water, and uses both to pull pranks on people he doesn’t like. He still kind of idolizes the other agents, but it falls apart a lot whenever he puts it up to scruteny. He’s got a bad habit of getting in trouble, even if he doesn’t mean to, and he’s been stuck going to Whispering Rock for years. Not that he minds-- He loves getting to be around his great-aunt Lucy and his sorta-maybe-kinda girlfriend, Lili.
DOGEN - Lili Zanotto
Lili is just vibing and having a good time. She’s mostly seen around her boyfriend and her friends, but she’s still working on learning stuff other than. Y’know. How to talk to plants and burn stuff. She still sticks around the others, and gets her brain stolen. She does return in PN2, though-- She’s not an intern, but she’s allowed to vibe nearby because her dad and grandpa are in the Psychonauts.
SASHA - ??
MILLA - ??
MORCEAU - ??
CALIGOSTO - ??
FRED - ??
GLORIA - ??
BOYD - ??
EDGAR - ??
CRISPIN - Gristol Malik
Gristol still believes he’s in charge, even though he isn’t, and he’s an absolute prick to the others at the asylum. Just because he can be. He calls himself the king of the asylum, though he does defer to the doctor... usually. If you get him what he wants (A cape, a crown, and a tin of fish) he’ll let you pass.
SHEEGOR - ??
NONA AQUATO /LUCRECIA MUX / MALIGULA - “Mama” Charlotte Wilber / Cassie O’Pia / Caimifeng
[This part is currently being revamped as I do my best to edit and make it much better :) Please be patient!]
FORD CRULLER - Lucrecia Mux
Lucy is known by almost everyone as “Nona”, especially with how she acts at Whispering Rock. Though she takes on many roles, she’s still happy to prank anyone who comes her way, and she loves the children in this place. They all eventually call her Nona, especially Raz. She’s known for defeating Caimifeng, but the truth is that she just erased Cassie’s memories of psychics in the hopes to save her. She was dating Cassie and Ford, and now she’s dating neither, though both relationships are rekindled later on. She’s doing her best to help everyone.
OTTO MENTALLIS - Helmut Fullbear
Helmut is everyone’s favorite member of the Psychic Six. He’s almost always talking to people, and he does his best to keep morale up throughout. He’s a big goofball, and is supposed to keep track of the supplies, but he really doesn’t mind if folks borrow some of the stuff he’s keeping track of. He’s also a big teddy bear, and hugs almost everyone who accepts hugs.
BOB ZANOTTO - Otto Mentallis
Otto, on the other hand, avoids almost everyone. He blames himself for the loss in the Battle of Hangzhou, and he keeps trying to make a device to find a way to find Compton trapped in the oil-like honey. He’s rather frustrated with the failure, though he has invented a few things in the meantime, and he mostly only leaves his laboratory in the gulch to take food for him and Ford to hold out a while longer.
HELMUT FULLBEAR - Compton Boole
Compton doesn’t remember who he is at the start. He doesn’t remember much at all other than that he wants to go cook and he’s got friends who care about him. He’s a great fellow with a lot of anxiety, and once he remembers who he is, Dogen gets super excited and informs him that he’s his grandson. Which causes another mild panic attack about how much he’s missed. Also, there’s some details on his mind here: ( x )
CASSIE O’PIA - Ford Cruller
Ford, for a change, gets a break from being an important character. This time, he’s just vibing in the gulch, trying to keep everything in order and building up as much as he can. He’s still splitting himself in too many directions, but he’s trying his best. Also, he gets to fully embrace his inner cryptid.
COMPTON BOOLE - Bob Zanotto
Bob is not having a good day. At all. He’s had to deal with a lot over the last few days (His great-niece had her brain stolen?? And Truman has been doing what now???) so he’s taking a break in the isolation chamber. He sends Dogen on a fools’ errand only to actually get what he asked for, so he tries to leave the isolation chamber-- Only to immediately get overwhelmed by new information and decide he’s not ready yet. There’s some details on his mind here: ( x )
HOLLIS FORSYTHE - ??
TRUMAN ZANOTTO - Augustus Aquato
Augustus is the leader of the psychonauts, and takes it about as seriously as ever. He does acrobatics to relax, saying that it’s a good way to exercise his body and his mind. When he isn’t doing a backflip just for fun, he’s doing his best to keep everything in line and to keep track of his kiddos and wife. He’s having a nice time for a while, until he’s abducted. The one thing that really tips Raz and Dogen off that it isn’t Augustus’s brain in his body is that he complains about something being heavy, even though it’s nothing for him usually.
NORMA NATIVIDAD - ??
LIZZIE NATIVIDAD - ??
ADAM JOSEPH GETTE - ??
SAM BOOLE - ??
GISU NERUMEN - ??
MORRIS MARTINEZ - ??
GRISTOL MALIK - Crispin Whytehead
Screw Crispin. All my homies hate Crispin. /j
[This segment is under editing. Thanks to those who pointed out the issues with the former idea-- I’ll do my best to fix it properly.]
He’s hiding as a “bright and happy” cook in the noodle bowl, though he can be a bit overwhelming, and he wears glasses to help his eyesight.
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Wasting All These Tears on You (Jurdan Modern Au)
So, I did a thing. This is my first time trying to write fanfiction, and I hope that it isn’t horrible. If you like it, and want more, I would be willing to give it another go. I actually, kinda, had fun. Also, I left room in this fic for their to definitely be a part 2.
This is based off of the song Wasting All These Tears by Cassadee Pope. I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I tried to write it out instead. I really hope you guys enjoy. 1770 words.
Of all the days for Jude Duarte’s car to break down, of course it had to be the one with the downpouring rain. Fortunately, her office was only a ten minute walk from the home she shared with her fiance, Cardan. Unfortunately, she didn’t even have an umbrella, assuming she would have a working car to protect her from the rain. Maybe she could run into the coffee shop five minutes from their house, with the chocolate crullers that Cardan liked so much, a little treat for them both. Jude had been cutting down on carbs since the proposal, when she realized that she would have to wear a wedding dress, and wanting one scandalous enough to offend Madoc and Oriana.
Just as she was about to duck into the coffee shop, Jude saw something through the glass that made her heart stop. Cardan sitting in a corner booth. He was supposed to be at work until six, he said. Something about an important meeting at the firm, a new client. Maybe that’s who he was meeting, although it doesn’t explain the expression on his face, like a love sick puppy. Or the glimpse she caught of the mysterious person, a girl really, who also happened to look extremely familiar. Nope, not a business meeting, Jude thought as she saw Cardan lean forward and kiss his “client” on the lips.
As he leaned back, Cardan looked up, out the window and saw Jude standing there, watching him and a look of absolute horror overtook his face. The girl looked over as well. Nicasia. There was a sly smirk on her painted face, and she snuck a kiss on Cardan’s cheek before getting up from the booth and walking out the door. Cardan followed her, and Jude didn’t know if he intended to stop and explain himself or just keep following Nicasia. She turned away at the last second, feeling the tears running down her face, and began to walk towards her home.
“Jude!” She heard Cardan call behind her, but she was not going to wait. “Jude! Please, let me explain.”
“Explain?” Jude cried, whipping around so fast, her wet hair smacked across her face. “Explain what? That you’re cheating on me? That you’re lying about where you are, so that I think I’m in a loving relationship with a loving fiance.” People were staring, but it was the least of her concerns. Cardan however, was looking around, trying to find a place where they could talk without all the attention.
“Please, Jude. Let’s go home, let me talk, let me explain.”
“No. You can go home. I’m done. I’m going to stay at Vivi’s. I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up my stuff,” Jude turned around again, pulling her phone out of her pocket to call her older sister. Catching sight of the diamond on her finger, Jude ripped it off and threw it at Cardan, shouting “Take this, too. Maybe you can give it to Nicasia, since it seems you care more about her than about me.”
Cardan let the ring land at his feet, not bothering to pick it up. “Jude, dear…” he said softly, but Jude was done listening to his lies. She didn’t want an explanation. She wanted her sisters, and a dozen bottles of alcohol, preferably the strong stuff. Luckliy, that was Vivi’s specialty, being a bartender at the local gay bar.
The phone rang once, before Vivienne answered with a “‘Sup.”
“I’m coming over,” was all Jude said. The tears were running down her face, mingling with the rain pouring from the sky.
There was radio silence, on the other end of the phone, and then “Okay”. No questions, nothing. This was the reason Jude called her older sister first, rather than her twin. She also knew that the second Jude hung up the phone, Vivi would be calling Taryn, and Jude’s best friend Liliver.
The second Jude walked through the door of Vivi’s apartment, she was bombarded with a hug by Taryn, before being traded off to Vivi, and then Vivi’s wife Heather. After she was released, Jude found a bottle of vodka sitting on the counter, placed there by Vivi only moments before. Without any hesitation, she ripped off the top and began to guzzle it down like it was water, relishing the burn in her throat, hoping that it will make her forget the ache in her heart.
She was halfway through the bottle when Liliver walked through the door, saw the look of Jude’s face and said, “Viv, you better have more than just that one bottle.”
She shot Lil a look. “What do you take me for? An amature?”
Liliver just shook her head before coming over to Jude. “Babe, what happened?” she asked, swiping the bottle out of Jude’s hands. Lil took a sip before handing it back to her.
“Cardan cheated on me. I saw him kissing another girl, and not just any other girl, but Nicasia.”
“Nicasia,” Taryn started, “as in his ex Nicasia.”
“The one and only.” Jude took another chug of the vodka and wiped her wet eyes with the palm of her free hand.
“That bastard. Wait until I get my hands on him, he’ll never know what hit him, my baby sister.” Vivi began to pace, until Heather put a hand on her back and handed her a glass of honey whiskey. She had two more glasses, as well as a barely opened bottle. Pouring generous amounts of the alcohol into the cups, she handed them out to Taryn and Liliver. Heather opted for a ginger ale herself, due to the fact that she was 3 months pregnant.
“I have a better idea,” said Taryn after draining her glass. “Let’s go out and get wasted.”
Jude looked up at her twin, and saw the devilish grin on her face. “For the record, I had already planned on getting wasted, either alone or with you guys, but I’m in. Anything to make me forget, even for a little while.” She turned to Vivi, “You got something I can wear, cause I’m not going to a bar in my slacks.”
Vivienne ran to her room, returning moments later with a silver mini dress. “The only way you’re wearing this is if you promise no more Cardan tears, cause I don’t need that negative energy polluting my favorite dress.” Jude only wiped her eyes a final time and took the last swig out of the vodka bottle. Rising from the chair, she accepted the dress from her sister and made her way to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face, thanking God for waterproof mascara and proceeded to get dressed. The silver mini was a little tight, thanks to Vivi’s slender figure, but fit nonetheless.
Jude exited the bathroom, and grabbed her phone from her bag by the door. 13 missed calls, all from Cardan. She shut it off and threw it back into her bag, no inclination to call him back.
“Let’s go get wildly drunk and make me forget everything,” Jude loudly shouted, followed by a woot from her sisters and friends. She was beginning to slur a little, the effects of an entire bottle of vodka slowly hitting her brain. Heather noticed this, and also knew that it was only going to get worse.
“As the only person here who can’t drink, I volunteer to be the designated driver and get all of your drunk asses home tonight.” Heather also knew that she would be the only one with a working brain tonight.
The girls piled into Heather and Vivi’s car and made their way to Elfhame, the only bar where ladies get in free at all hours. Even though it was only a ten minute ride, Jude couldn’t hide her delight of the tiny bottles of assorted liquors being handed out from Vivi’s tiny bag.
“Bottom’s up,” said Lil, before shooting back whatever was in the bottle she had been handed. Jude also drained hers, some cheap tequila. Good enough to get her drunk fast, but not enough to avoid a major hangover in the morning.
Two more shots later, they arrived at the club, and were ceremoniously allowed inside. Jude would be lying if she said that she hadn’t flirted with the bouncer a bit in her inebriated state, just for a little extra treatment. It was granted, as the group was corralled into the VIP section and handed complimentary margaritas, mostly alcohol from the smell of them. A sip of her’s confirmed Jude’s suspicion, and she began to take bigger sips. As soon, as she finished the first drink, a second was pressed into her hand, another margarita that Jude drank half of immediately before making her way to the dance floor.
Two hours, and about five drinks later, Jude was having the time of her life. Dancing with her sisters and friends, enjoying herself without the pressure of having a fiance at home who might not be too approving of the dancing she was doing with strangers at the club.
When Jude and Taryn excused themselves for a quick brush up in the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of a guy watching her with profound interest. She knew him too, and allowed him to see her face, and the enjoyment of the night. Valerian just shot her a grin, in his eyes, a promise for something fun later.
“How are you feeling?” Taryn asked once they got into the bathroom.
“Never better,” Jude replied, throwing on another layer of lipstick. “I don’t even remember what I was crying about earlier, or if I was even crying.”
“Good, I’m glad. We haven’t had a good girls night out in a while. I missed this, and I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Jude gave her twin a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick stain behind. Taryn didn’t even bother to wipe it off, she just laughed and pulled her sister out the door and back onto the dance floor, where they were greeted with another round of tequila shots and margaritas.
…
At five in the morning, Jude found herself on the bathroom floor of the guest room she was sharing with Taryn and Lil. She was over the toilet, dry-heaving the alcohol left in her system. As the memories returned to her more sober brain, she began to cry in earnest again. She remembered why she wanted to go out drinking, remembered seeing Cardan and Nicasia together, the fight, the ring. Jude felt her heart break a second time.
#jurdan#breakup#viviennexheather#liliver#thebomb#taryn#jude duarte#cardan greenbriar#cardanxnicasia#club#fanfiction#this is my first time writing so please dont hate it#i tried really hard#the folk of the air#cruel prince#the wicked king#queen of nothing#tusermonique
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The 4 Times Winn Schott Tried to Confess, and the One Time Kara Did It First Part 3/5
Summary: When Clark and Kara haven’t seen each other in a while
A/N: I am so sorry this took to so long to get up, I just got some writers block in the middle but I know I am going to try my hardest to get the next part up
It had been a while since Kara and Clark had actually seen each other so they thought it would be nice to hold a little BBQ with both the Danvers and Kents. Sure, Kara brought along Winn, James, Nia, and Brainy but they counted as family at this point. Especially since James was friends with both Kara and Clark. They planned this a week before it even happened, yet when the day came everyone was beyond excited. They all agreed to meet up at Kara’s apartment so they could all drive to Clark’s farm. Kara had been up since 7, getting some snacks and drinks into a bag for the road trip. She also made sure to pack the chargers and books for herself. By the time 8:30 came around, only James and Alex had showed u p to her house. Kara was just about to say something when there was a knock on the door.
“Well, I’ll get that” James said, sending a smile to Kara. He was hoping it would calm her down, anyone could sense how stressed she was. As James opened the door, in walked Brainy and Nia. Nia carried a small picnic basket, a big smile on her face.
“Sorry we’re late, I got carried away trying to finish these cookies and my mother's famous egg salad. We then stopped by the store to pick up some various food items” she explained as she sat the basket down,Brainy followed by putting down what seemed to be a bag of alcohol.
“Oh please say that’s whisky” Alex said as she tried to rush over to it, but Kara’s arm stopped her.
“Now is not the time for that” she said before glancing between James and Brainy, “Any news on Winn?’ she asked, putting her hands in her pocket.
“Well, I heard that he was running by a do-” Brainy started to say until Nia nudged him, giving him a look.
“He’s on his way now, don’t worry” she said as the look turned into a smile. Kara was confused and shrugged it off,
“Well, let’s get packed up. I think two cars should be enough. I can drive car one and Alex can drive car two” Kara explained as she grabbed her bag.
“Then James and Winn will be riding with me” Alex said, plucking the whisky from the table and heading out the door. James chuckled and shook his head, smiling a bit.
“I’ll make sure to keep on her, both of them actually” he said before following Alex. Kara and Nia looked at each other with a knowing look,
“Disney music the whole time?” Kara asked and Nia immediately nodded. They high fived before grabbing what they needed and heading down to the cars. When Alex got down to her car, Winn was just pulling up to his. He stepped out of his car before going to the drivers side, pulling you a bag and a box. Kara squealed a bit when she saw him. He couldn’t tell if it was because of him or what was in the box. He didn’t care as long as he gotta see her smile.
“Oh Winn, please tell me you got me some crullers” she said as she walked up to him. He didn’t even put his bag away before opening the box to show her,
“You know I did,” he said, smiling at her.
“Oh I love you!” she said,l grabbing one before kissing his cheek and heading over to her car. Winn was frozen in shock, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. James chuckled, putting a hand on Winn’s shoulder,
“I see someone is slowly getting out of the friendzone,” he joked. Winn was just speechless, incoherent words came out of his mouth as he tried to process what was going on. This just made James laugh even more. Then, as if on cue there was a car honk. They both turned to see Alex, rolling a window down.
“Get in losers, we’re going to a bbq” she said, putting some sunglasses on. Both boys laughed before getting in the car. James took the passenger seat while Winn sat in the back. Of course, he didn’t mind it, he could easily fall asleep if he got tired.
“Hey Alex, did you hear what Winn did?” James asked, a small smirk on his face.
“Oh no no no, we don’t have to talk about that” Winn said, hoping they might just ignore it.
“No I did not, but do explain” she said, glancing back at Winn through her rearview mirror.
“He brought your sister some donuts , which earned him a kiss on the cheek”
“Oh really?”
‘Yes but it doesn’t matter, it meant nothing” Winn said, trying to shrug it off. Alex gave him a look through the rearview mirror again. He said, annoyed with how well Alex could read him. “Alright fine… it meant something”
“Oh we know” James said before Alex joined in,
“All of us know about your feelings towards Kara, besides Kara herself. She is just too wrapped up in work and being Supergirl to realise anyone liking her” Winn was just quite the rest of the trip, a blush never leaving his cheeks. It took only three hours to get to the Kent farm, where they all agreed to have the bbq. When Alex, Winn, and James got out of their car Clark and Jereamiah were already at the grill, making various meat items.
Hi dad, hey Clark” Alex said, walking up to them and hugging them both. Winn helps bring various bags and items.
“Aw thanks Winn, you’re such a sweetie” Eliza said, unpacking some food from the bags he brought in.
“Of course, anything for you Mrs,Danvers. Anything else I can help you with?” he asked, leaning against the counter a bit.
“Oh no, I think I’ve got it under control from here but I will be sure to call for you if I need any help” she said before Winn left to go sit with James in the living room. They spent most of the time watching a movie while waiting for some food, soon enough everyone was called outside. There was a few tables with chairs,
“You guys serve yourselves and sit wherever” Clark said as he helped Lois set up a few things at the table. Winn went up, beyond excited to eat the cheeseburger. He grabbed a few before grabbing an empty chair, the chair beside him was soon filled by Kara.
“Hey Winn”
“Oh hey Kara, how’s the bbq been so far?” he asked, striking up a conversation as he ate his burger. He hummed in content at the first bite, he knew Clark could cook but he didn;t think it would taste that good. Kara noticed and laughed a bit,
“Is it that good?” she asked, taking a bite of her hot dog.
“Oh it’s amazing!” he said before taking another bite from the burger. Kara justed watched in enjoyment as the boy beside her devoured his burger, she couldn't help but smile at his reaction.
“So Kara, how’s your love life?” ELiza asked as she ate some potato salad. Kara just laughed, shaking her head before putting a strawberry into her mouth.
“My love life is basically nonexistent. I’ve been focusing on my work”
“So there’s no one who peaks your interest?” her mom asks as she starts to eat some of the steak off her plate. Clearly she had someone in mind but she wasn’t wanting to say it.
“No, Eliza, there isn’t anyone” Kara responded, being adamant that Eliza would listen to her. Eliza sighed a bit, sticking some steak in her mouth. Then, various conversations went around the table and Winn would jump in at certain moments. The dinner finally ended and everyone beside Winn and Kara went inside to play various board games. Winn had thought he was outside by himself, wanting the time to look up at the stars. But when he heard the sound of shoe’s against the pavement, he looked over. That’s when he saw Kara with her cardigan wrapped around her.
“I’m assuming you’re out here for the stars too?” she asked, walking up to her. He chuckled, looking back up.
“Of course I am. I am Agent Schott afterall, protector of the stars” Kara chuckled and tried not to lean against Winn, although she kinda wanted to.
“So, what do you see?” she asked, trying to spark a conversation.
“Well, do you see that right there?” he asked, pointing to a point at the sky. She squinted a bit, sighing when she couldn’t see it, “Come here” he said, gesturing for Kara to come to him. She nibbled on her bottom lip before she moved to stand in front of him. He was honestly shocked, he didn’t expect for Kara to actually move over to him. But he did put her arms around her slightly before lifting one arm up to the sky again. “Well, do you see that right there?” he asked. He could feel the small smile grow in her face,
“Yeah, it’s a constellation. Right?” he asked, not moving from between Winn’s arms.
“Yeah, it’s actually the Little Dipper, in Ursa Minor.”
“Oh yeah, I can see it,” she said, not moving from her spot.
“If you follow the star at the tip of the handle…” His finger moved as he spoke. “You can find the Big Dipper, in Ursa Major. And between the two is Draco.”
“Malfoy?” Winn laughed.
“Well, it is what he’s named after.” he said.
“Wait really?” she said, looking back at him. Although she had to look up a little bit, with Winn being just 2 inches taller than her. Winn laughed and shrugged,
“I honestly don’t know but it’s a safe assumption. They got the name Beetlejuice from the Betelgeuse star”
“God you're such a nerd” she said, chuckling while turning to face him. She forgot she was between his arms before they were nose to nose. They both felt their breathing hitch a bit but they didn’t move. Winn found himself glancing down at Kara’s lips. He wished he had the confidence to actually try to kiss her but instead he cleared her throat.
“Yeah so...I have something to say,” he said, gaining enough confidence to admit something. Her eyebrow quirked a bit, he opened his mouth to say something till they heard the sliding door open.
“Kara honey, could you please come in. Nia and James want smores and it’s too windy for a fire” Eliza said, getting Kara’s attention.
“Uh… I gotta go” she said in a hushed tone before snaking her way out of Winn’s arms and heading inside. Winn sighed, his eyes following her inside. When Kara got inside, she was soon asked questions from her mother.
“What was happening out there sweetie?”
“I..uh.. I actually don’t know” she said, trying to ignore the blush on her cheeks.
“Your blush tells a different story,” Alex said from her spot at the counter, taking a sip of wine after she spoke.
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Robbery @ My Former Dunkin
Prior to giving up my dream of the silver screen I was giving up on a whole different kind of dream. A dead end dream at one of my last “real” jobs where I partially served as and adjunct assistant manager. Honest, hard, and legitimate work. That’s fast food work. Unfortunately, these skills do not effortlessly translate over into working in a chic boutique pulling the espresso bean third wave bars in Brooklyn, but it was a pleasure to sling swirls of chemical confections at a wayward and loyal public. Recently this Dunkin that I used to work at has experienced an attempt of robbery by a white man wearing a face mask, a grey hoodie and gym shorts. This is my Marky Mark Wahlberg styled what if I was on the 9/11 Flight story.
///
Simo, the Moroccan manager, is fasting and lifting weights in the donut, proteins and tots walk-in freezer, frost panes his glasses. Perennial opening shifter Mamadoo is praying on a promotional pop-up deal mat as a makeshift prayer rug. He is surrounded by paper products and plastic cups. An acoustic “Sirius coffee shop” cover of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” performed by the Missing Jonas Brother is playing softly overhead. Business as usual. I am busy memorizing the finer details of the “Charli” hoping that the Tik Tok sensation will drive up past this random Western North Carolinian Dunkin Donuts and feel drawn like a moth to the sucrose. I don’t have a tik Tok account and shame the rest of my kindergarten coworkers who film themselves on the app doing dabs and blowing smoke through donut holes. A young blonde co-worker has quit today and shamed me for being in my late twenties working at a Dunkin Donuts.
One of my beloved customers, and stalkers, Ames, a taller than average in height woman always seen wearing jogging clothing and sun glasses. When I felt her presence bump behind me at a local concert Tune-yards concert I turned around to confirm that it’s her, and yep, she’s still wearing her sunglasses even inside at a dark concert, and when I turn around to clock her presence again she had already moved to the complete opposite side of the theater. Ames, in general, had been causing controversy since the pandemic by trying to order exclusively while riding on her hover board, insisting that she was trying to boost staff morale. When she got up to the window she would awkwardly light up a joint and make sure to shake it all around to make the smoke’s presence known and then blow smoke into my face through her face mask. She wanted pumpkin flavoring all year round and would encourage me through excessive tipping to hide pumpkin syrup inside the storage room walls so that I could slip some in her iced latte. Then without fail after receiving the drink, she then pretends that she has forgotten that she no longer likes the taste of the pumpkin flavoring and bats her eyelashes for another drink. Turns out that she truly wanted the salted caramel and molasses Dunkachino with two room temperature shots of espresso, and sometimes she would order exactly what she wanted, but other times , like today, she was in a mood to play.
Before Ames has a chance to get up to the window, her kneepads clacking together as she struggles to stay balanced on her hover board. A man who refused to leave the cordoned, blocked off former lobby seating area. He ordered a black coffee with twenty creams on the side and kept getting up indicating that he was about to leave, but then set back down on top of an overturned chair. Suddenly, he gathers momentum and approaches the cash register, both hands shoved into his hoodie’s front pocket cradling a pistol.
“Open up the safe and empty everything into this bag. Be careful, it’s a sentimental mesh. Oh yeah, also, I have a gun!”The man widens his own eyes as if he’s surprised by the possession of his own gun and tries to stare down my coworker Afternoon Honey (actual name). She’s about to beat him down, but thinks better of it and hits the under the panic button inside of the base of the Coolatta machine.
Officer Casey Chowderfell, an over bearing cop that has been driving up to this particular Dunkin for decades holding his mouth open to have scalding hot coffee poured down a funnel into his mouth, quickly arrives. According to Officer Casey he tried to eat a taser mistaking it for a Ham and egg salad and ruined the lining of his mouth and can only taste the hottest coffee possible. He is pulling up behind Ames ready to honk and harass her, but because she was a harmless wealthy white woman he gives her another one of her infinite warnings, before his cop car sirens start bleeding ears. The cop car itself appears to be fuming steams as if outraged by the act of attempting to rob a sacred temple of coffee and donuts.
I am attempting to get Simo to listen to me about the robbery that is in progress, but the manager, and fellow Moroccan, Aziz is speaking to him in a musical Arabic language and all I can do is wait patiently. They begin to playfully wrestle each other, they abruptly stop, and put on face masks and resume the wrestling. Fellow co-co manager, the towering beanpole Dickies, tries to get into the wrestling fun, but Simo and Aziz stop and look ashamed at themselves and resume speaking to each other, but at a barely audible whisper volume, and go into the office and lock the door. Money is being exchange, insider Dunkin secrets are being slipped away.
“Gosh Dickie you can never really tell with those guys.” I start cracking myself up. “Oh yeah, someone is trying to rob the store.”
Simo and Aziz burst out of the office the widescreen security camera frozen on the gym short wearing assailant in the lobby.
“Someone is robbing the store! Grab the safe Simo!”
“No one is robbing the store on my watch. Hush Aziz! Let’s get you a cruller and get you on your way. I’d hate if you brought corporate into this mess. Dylan and Dickie what are you standing around for? Go help Afternoon deal with this robber man!”
Afternoon whizzes past us and swings open the back exit. She mumbles, “The cops are already here.” She runs out to the parking lot and gets into her car and drives away to another parking lot to lay low.
I take Dickies’ hand and we both quietly creep up to the front of the store where Officer Casey, Deputy Bumkiss, Sheriff Huffer and the German Shepherd drug enforcer and community outreach supervisor Buttercup. Buttercup is finishing up leaving bite marks on the attempted robbers testicles, it’s her signature touch. Officer Casey rips his face mask off and thrusts himself over the counter. He pushes me out of the way and starts pulling coffee pots out from their stationed burners and drinking the coffee liquid as it pours straight from the percolator. A filthy metallic spigot that has never been properly cleaned in the history of its installation. He goes back around the counter, swinging his hips, and takes the attempted robber by the scruff of his neck. Around the neck of the would be robber is a necklace with a dangling vial of some kind of brightly red colored gas. Buttercup barks at the gas and immediately inhales the vast majority of the gas cloud. The dark lies limp and urinates on the floor. Simo stifles a moan of disgust and tells me to go get a mop bucket ready.
Buttercup goes on a rampage and does not stop until she finishes eating the most vital organs out of each of the three police officers. And none of us doing anything about it. Once Buttercup snaps down on Officer Casey’s heart she’s thrown out of her rage induced trance, whimpers and runs away darting away from traffic, sprinting into a thickly forested area lining the nearby high school. The robber takes the guns out of the police officer’s holsters and looks at us and then starts running away from the Dunkin, but he is stopped by Ames on her hover board. She demands that we name a new drink after her, an official Dunkin drink that gets announced on the company’s social media page. She’s given more to Dunkin than any pre tween starlet!
Simo gnashes his teeth and thanks Ames and tells her that he’ll see what he can do. The Dunkin closes early for the day for a deep cleaning. I am my hands and knees mopping up cop blood off of my Dunkin Donuts lobby. Fast food is real work and it is hard work that goes beyond the essentials.
#dunkin#Fuck corporations#tik tok#robbery#short story#fiction#short fiction#memoir#food#fast food#tater#coffee#barista
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Tony Stark’s Guide to Being a Functional Adult
Step 6: Go Back to School (AO3)
TW: Ableist Language
A couple of weeks later he came out of his room to find Bucky on the couch, buried in a blanket and staring at the dark TV. “Good morning,” he said cautiously.
Bucky made a noise and as Tony came closer, he said, “I can’t today.”
“Can’t what?” When Bucky was silent, Tony went over to see that Bucky’s eyes were dull and tired as they looked up at him from under the blanket and hood of his sweatshirt. He reached over and squeezed Bucky’s shoulder. “Alright, it’s fine. I got it. I can take care of the shop today.” He started to get up but frowned when he saw the date on his phone. “Wait, isn’t today doctor day?” he asked. When Bucky just grunted, Tony squeezed his shoulder again. “Hey, I know these days are grueling, but you always feel better when you’re done, right? So how about we just close the shop for the day and I’ll drive you everywhere you need to go.” When Bucky didn’t respond, Tony tried a different tack. “If you don’t go today, you’re going to need to call and cancel and reschedule,” he said, smothering a smile when he saw Bucky’s glare. “It’s easier to just go,” he wheedled. “You don’t even need to talk to me, I’ll just be your chauffeur.” After a long minute, Bucky sighed.
"Fine,” he said, sounding defeated even as he kicked off the blanket and got off the couch. As he shuffled towards the door, clearly intending to go to all of his appointments wearing his pajamas, Tony hurried around the house making sure he had Bucky’s wallet and his phone and the medical paperwork he’d stacked on the counter the night before. He steered Bucky towards his own car instead of Bucky’s, because his car had heated seats and that seemed like something Bucky could really use right about now. “Thank you,” Bucky mumbled as he fastened his seatbelt. “I’m sorry for making you drive me around today.”
“You’re not making me, I offered,” Tony said firmly. “I demanded, really. Besides, we’re a team, right? Just let me do this for you today.”
The first stop was Bucky’s therapist, where Tony dropped Bucky off out front and waited in the car for him to finish, wanting to be respectful and give him as much space as possible. When he came out, Bucky seemed to be a little lighter, standing a bit straighter, though he still had the hood to his sweatshirt over his head and his feet were shuffling as he walked across the parking lot. Next was Bucky’s physical therapist, and this time Tony followed him inside because he was tired of sitting in the car.
While Bucky slouched in the chair in the waiting room, Tony wandered around the office, looking at the informational posters and brochures they had on the wall. He picked up one for prosthetics, curious, and sat back down next to Bucky.
“I tried one of those,” Bucky said, glancing over at the brochure. “Hated it.”
“Why?”
Bucky shrugged and made a face. “It just…it’s not an arm, you know? Doesn’t move like one, doesn’t look like one. I’d rather have no arm than a half-assed arm, I guess. It was just more trouble than it was worth.”
“Huh.” As Tony looked down at the pictures in the brochure and read through the stats, the nurse came out to call Bucky’s name. He folded the paper up and put it in his pocket, then spent the rest of the hour while Bucky was doing physical therapy on his phone doing research.
(More after the break!)
*****
“So? What do you think?” Tony asked nervously. “I know it’s a lot different than my application, but-”
“Unfortunately, for a project like this you really need to be in CUNY’s biomedical engineering program, they are the ones on the cutting edge of prosthetics research right now,” the professor said regretfully, leaning back in his chair and tapping his pen on the desk. “Tanden really just doesn’t have the expertise and equipment you need.”
Tony felt his stomach drop. “But the fall semester starts in a month!”
“You might be able to get a transfer, doctoral programs are a little more flexible about this sort of thing than undergraduate programs.”
“But what about my financial aid? Will that transfer?”
“Financial…aid?” The professor repeated, baffled. “You’re not-“
“Never mind,” Tony said, wiping his hands over his face. He’d figure it out somehow. “Um, so what do I need to do about this transfer?”
“I know the head of the department over there, so I’ll give him a call and he will start working on it from his end. If you don’t get an email from me in the next day or two, give me a call, ok?”
“Thanks.” Tony shook his hand and was searching up the phone number for the financial aid office of CUNY before he was even out of the professor’s office. He spent twenty minutes on hold with them, then another twenty minutes on hold with NYU’s financial aid office, and then even longer with the FAFSA office, only to get the same information from each person – it was too late to transfer his financial aid grant to a new university. Doctoral fellowships and grants had already been awarded, along with all of the graduate teaching assistant positions and the myriad of other ways students financed their PhD. His choices were clear: he could either stay with NYU and keep his aid package, or he could go to CUNY and pay out of pocket. And CUNY was going to cost significantly more than the couple of hundred dollars he had in his pocket.
“Fuck,” he said, sitting down heavily on the nearest bench. He buried his face in his hands for a moment, trying to concentrate on breathing and not freaking out, then he scrubbed his face and reached for his phone.
“Hey, Jarvis,” he said. “I’m sorry to bother you but are you free? I really need to talk.”
Because Howard was in town, Jarvis and Ana met him at the bakery around the corner from the house, where they had sometimes gone for breakfast on Sunday mornings. When he got there, they had ordered him a glazed cruller and hot chocolate, just like every Sunday since he was a child. When he saw that Tony had to look away and count to twenty in Latin, afraid he was going to cry if he let himself. Cry again, that is, since frustration had already gotten the better of him on the drive over.
“Tony!” Ana said with delight, and they both rose to hug him as he came over. “How are you doing?” She framed his face with her hands and studied him, looking concerned. “Oh dear. You are not doing well,” she tsked. “What’s wrong?”
Caught before he could even get a word out, Tony sighed and rested his head on Ana’s shoulder, shoulders slumping. “Everything,” he said pathetically.
Ana let him sit down and she and Jarvis listened attentively while Tony told them the whole situation. They exchanged glances when Tony mentioned the marriage, but thankfully held their tongues until Tony was finished speaking.
“So you and this – Bucky, you said? – are fine?” Ana asked. She put a hand over Tony’s. “It’s just, this marriage thing seems so sudden.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” Tony said honestly. “I just, care about him so much and I want to be able to help him, but...” He blew out a breath. “Despite everything, it seems like it’s coming down to money.”
“Have you not looked in the box Maria sent you?” Jarvis asked with surprise.
“No. I thought it would just be, I don’t know, letters or drawings from my childhood or something, and I haven’t been in the mood to deal with that. Why?”
“Honey,” Ana said, part sympathetic and part exasperated. “You know your father isn’t the only wealthy one in that marriage, right?”
“I know.” Tony rolled his eyes. Maria had been old money, from a high society family that had not been impressed with how Howard had made his billions. Her parents had died when Tony was pretty young, so he only had dim memories of a fancy piano room and Howard’s periodic grumblings about those “snooty bastards.” “But I can’t ask Mom for money. If Howard found out…” Tony could just imagine the gloating, the condescension. Even if Tony got rich on his own right, Howard would still say that he only did it because of Maria’s money.
Jarvis shook his head. “Maria’s parents gave you money for every birthday and holiday since you were born,” he said. “They were very excited to have a grandson, and fought with Howard constantly about seeing you more often.”
Tony stared at him blankly. “Are you saying that there is money in that box? My money? Why didn’t they ever say anything about it?”
“It was for an emergency,” Jarvis said. "I'm sure your mother never thought you would need it."
Ana nodded. “But for you, sweetie, I think this situation is rainy enough to qualify.”
After that, Ana and Jarvis could tell that Tony was anxious to see if his mysterious inheritance was in fact what was in that deceptively small box from Maria, so they made excuses to leave as soon as he was done eating so he wouldn’t feel guilty about racing home immediately. Bucky was in the garage under a Toyota, singing along to the radio, so Tony shouted hello as he raced up the stairs and dug the box out from under a pile of dirty laundry. He realized his hands were shaking as he opened up the box and forced himself to take a deep breath. With controlled movements, he leafed through the papers inside and found his birth certificate, his social security card, the title to his car, and, at the bottom, just like Ana and Jarvis had said, recent statements for a savings account in his name, with Maria’s parents listed as custodians.
“Jesus,” he whispered, looking at the account balance. Every year from his birth to their deaths, his grandparents had given him the maximum amount they could without it being taxed by the IRS; last year, it would have seemed like a pittance, but right now it felt like a fortune. He was still in a daze, sitting on the floor of his bedroom with all the papers scattered around, when his phone rang. He jumped and fumbled it out of his pockets, frowning with confusion when he saw it was Bucky.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I don’t know if you want to come downstairs, but your dad’s here,” Bucky said, and Tony could tell that his voice was tight with anger. “He’s asking for you, but if you want, I can tell him to go piss off.”
“No, I’ll be right there.” Tony shuffled everything together into a pile and set it on his bed before jogging down the stairs.
“Anthony,” Howard bit out as soon as he saw Tony. “What in the hell do you think you are doing?”
“You are going to have to be more specific,” Tony said. “I’m doing a lot of stuff, and thanks to you, exactly none of it is your business.”
“Oh, really? If it’s none of my business, why did I get a phone call from someone working at the county clerk’s office asking for twenty thousand dollars or they will sell the news that Tony Stark just married some nobody from Brooklyn to every tabloid in the nation?” Howard shoved a faxed copy of Tony and Bucky’s marriage license in Tony’s face, almost hitting him in the nose.
“Well, it’s not my fault that someone at the county clerk’s office is a money-grubbing asshole,” Tony said calmly, taking the paper from Howard and crumpling it into a ball. “Do what you want with the information, I don’t care.”
For the first time in Tony’s life, Howard seemed speechless. “This has gone on long enough,” he finally said. “This little experiment. Clearly this marriage is just meant to get my attention and you know what, it worked. You’re going to come home, well get this…this marriage,” he said with distaste, “annulled, and if you are still insisting on this doctorate insanity we’ll see if you can do it part time or something.”
Tony stared at Howard in disbelief. “I’m not going anywhere,” Tony said finally. “My marriage,” he said, echoing Howard’s snooty tone, “has nothing to do with you, and neither does my doctorate.”
“Oh please,” Howard sneered. “You can’t convince me that this guy is anything other than some handicapped, money grubbing-“
“You will shut your goddamn mouth right there, do you understand?” Tony said dangerously, taking a step closer to Howard. In the corner of his eye, he saw Bucky surreptitiously reach for a wrench from the work table, and felt a rush of warmth that Bucky was ready to leap to his defense. “Bucky is a better man than you will ever be, do you understand? He let me into his home, he gave me a job, and he’s been gracious and caring and none of it had anything to do with your goddamn money. Do I love him? I don’t know, I might. But I’m starting to suspect that because of you, maybe I have a fucked up idea of what love feels like and looks like, so despite your gracious offer,” Tony said with a snarl, “I think I’m just going to stay right fucking here living my fucking life because I am doing just fine without you!” Tony didn’t realize he was starting to yell until he finished his sentence and was out of breath. He pressed his lips together tightly because he was pretty sure that the only other thing that was going to come out of his mouth was going to just be a string of profanity.
Howard narrowed his eyes and started to speak, but just then Bucky stepped up beside Tony and said, “You need to leave,” with a look in his eye that said leave or I’ll make you. Howard took one look at him, at the wrench in his hand and the set of his shoulders, and turned on his heels.
“Have it your way,” he said. “I give the paparazzi a couple of hours before they are swarming you.” Then he slammed the door on his Aston Martin and peeled away with a screech of tires.
Tony exhaled and his shoulders relaxed as his father drove away. He heard the clank of Bucky putting the wrench down and then there was an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into Bucky’s chest. “Well, that was intense,” Tony said, resting his head against Bucky’s collarbone.
“Oh yeah,” Bucky agreed. “Want to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about? You were here for the whole thing.”
“Not your dad,” Bucky said, sounding like he was grinning a mile wide. When Tony drew back from the hug and looked at him with confusion, Bucky’s smile somehow got wider. “The part where you said you might love me.”
#winteriron#tony x bucky#tony stark#bucky barnes#no powers au#tw ableist language#prompts#dracusfyre
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I’m Not Her- Ch 4
I’m Not Her- Bucky Barnes x Reader. Bucky can’t stop a girl getting killed in a robbery gone wrong, but what happens when he sees her all over the place.
Previous Chapter / Master List
Warnings: Just a little more fluff to establish the relationship.
Steve has been so happy the last few weeks. He sees Bucky healing again. Sleeping through the night again. It seemed like he had just gotten his friend to a stable place before the ‘incident’ happened, setting Bucky back months worth of work. The fact that Bucky walked into the compound with the same dark cloud, that Steve thought he got rid of for good, has his stomach in knots. “You ok there Pal?” Steve’s hand goes to Buck’s shoulder getting him to look up, instead of at the floor.
“Yeah...I mean, no. I just don’t know anymore.” Bucky shakes his head and slumps against the warmth of his friend’s hand, leaning into it.
“Lets go to my room and talk, ok?” Bucky just gives a nod as an answer and they walk the short distance to Steve’s room. Door shut firmly behind them, Steve walks with Bucky to the couch to sit. He waits until Bucky is ready, not wanting to push, but still kept physical contact to keep him grounded.
“I saw her again today, my mystery girl. I did like you said too, got her number.” Steve nods when Bucky looks to him for approval, using his chin to let him know to continue. “She’s actually amazing.” A smile formed on Bucky’s lips that he wasn’t even aware of. “She stole my food.” Steves eyebrows shot up. Even he knew better than that. “Said it was compensation for the cruller she shared with me the other day.” Steve chuckled lightly. “She’s smart and quick witted. We joked about how I could kill her with a toothpick and she could kill me with something called a spork? It was great, but after I asked for her number I got to thinking, is this wrong? It was her twin sister for God’s sake. She’s not alive because of me.”
“You know that’s not true. Everyone has told you that.”
“Yes but if I wasn’t there, she might still be alive today. If it had been you that went in instead, she may not have stepped in front. I know it sounds insane but I think she did it because it was me. She knew me Steve, and it seemed more than just ‘you’re an Avenger’ sort of way.”
This wasn’t the first time they had this conversation, he had hoped since seeing the changes in him after your talk he wouldn’t have it again. “You can’t keep doing this Buck. She doesn’t blame you, no one blames you but yourself. She seems like a great girl and I want you to be happy, but if it’s going to be too hard to look at her without thinking about all the negative events, maybe you shouldn’t call her.”
Bucky’s lip was red and raw where he was chewing on it, listening to Steve talk. “It’s not about that. Yeah they’re twins but they don’t look exactly the same. I just don’t want to hurt her too. What if she changes her mind and comes to resent me?”
Steve smiles. “If that’s what’s concerning you then I think you know your answer. You obviously like her if you’re more concerned with her getting hurt than yourself. You gotta trust that she knows how she feels and will be honest with you. That’s the only way you can start a relationship.”
Bucky cocks his head at his friend. “How did you get to know so much about relationships, punk?”
“Nat.” Steve said simply.
You had a skip in your step as you walked out of the gallery. The interview went great and you were supposed to start the following Monday. Apparently they had a new showing and needed extra hands quickly. It was a stable job and paid pretty well too, your sister would be proud. Thinking about her now didn’t bring up the gnawing sadness or the hitch in your throat like it had done just a few weeks ago. You were finally at peace with with happened.
The vibration from your pocket pulled you out of your thoughts and you brought out your phone, checking the ID. Bucky’s name shone out like a beacon, bringing a smile on your face.
“Hello?”
“Hey doll. Catch you at a bad time?” Bucky sounded more comfortable on the phone then he had in person asking for your number. His voice light and playful.
“Not at all. I just got out of a job interview so you caught me right on time.”
“Good.” Bucky’s voice on the phone reminded you of warm honey. Thick and smooth, sinfully sweet. “Did you get the job?”
“I did indeed.” You tell him happily.
“Congratulations. We should go out and celebrate your new found employment. Dinner tonight?”
You stopped in your tracks, annoying the people walking on the sidewalk behind you. “Dinner?”
Bucky’s voice stuttered and wavered a little. “Yeah...I thought...did you not want to?”
“No! No, of course I want to. I’m just surprised is all. Why would a superhero want to hang out with little ol’ me?” You start walking again.
“I’m no hero doll.” You heard the sadness in his voice, even if he was trying to cover it up with sarcasm. “I just like being around you, talking to you.”
“I’ve had a nice time talking to you too.” You tell him fondly. “Dinner would be great.”
“Text me your address and I’ll pick you up at 7. That work?”
“Looking forward to it.”
Bucky got off the phone, a grin spreading on his face. He had a date! His first since the ‘40s.
“What’s got you so happy looking Mr. Frost?” Sam walked into the kitchen to find Bucky sitting at the table grinning at his phone.
“Date.” Bucky replied gruffly, stuffing his phone in his pocket and moving to escape the room, not wanting Sam to ruin his good mood.
“Really? I can’t imagine there are still women around your age that are spry enough to date you. Might want to see their last check up first, don’t want them to break a hip.” Sam laughed at his own joke.
“You’re just jealous that no one wants to date you. I keep telling you it’s the ridiculous costume you’ve got, birdbrain.” Bucky did always find it nice that Sam didn’t walk on eggshells around him, but sometimes he wanted to strangle him.
“At least I’ve got a sidekick instead of being the sidekick.” Bucky rolled his eyes at this.
“I’ve told you before I’m no one’s sidekick. I use to be Steve’s bodyguard, but then he grew up. Now I try to keep him out of trouble.” He grumbles.
“And how’s that working out for you.” Sam says with a knowing grin.
“You know you could try to help out with that. I know you worship him and all, but damn!”
“What’re we arguing about this time?” Steve walks in, interrupting them.
“Nothing.” Both Bucky and Sam tell Steve, who looks thoroughly unconvinced.
Bucky hightails it out of there before Steve can use his new found ‘I’m Captain America and I’m disappointed in you’ look. He heard Tony call it his Jedi mind trick powers. Could make almost anyone feel guilty with just a hard stare. He already had enough to feel guilty about thank you very much. Another flash of your sister’s face grinds him to a halt and he has to shoot an arm out, steadying him to the wall to keep upright. So much guilt to go around. He swallows back the lump in this throat. This has to be a good idea, Steve said so. You just make him feel so good and normal that it just has to be right, right? Pushing off the wall, he remembers your smile and shoves all the negative down, masking it with his soldier mask that comes so easily now. Stalking his way out down the halls, intent on getting to his apartment in time to get ready for his date.
Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten all that he knew about wooing women. He shows up right on time at your door, a bouquet of flowers behind his back that he got from the corner stall. It was full of wildflowers, unique and colorful, just like you. Smoothing a hand over his hair one more time, he presses the button to your apartment.
“Hello?” You sounded winded, out of breath.
“Doll, it’s me.”
“Bucky, right, good. I’ll be down in just a minute.”
It was more like fifteen before you came rushing out of the lobby door, almost knocking into him.
“Slow down doll. There isn’t a rush.” He chuckles at you and your flustered face.
“Sorry.” You huffed out, catching your breath. “You are right on time, did you know that? It’s unexpected.” You giggle.
“Is that not a thing people do anymore? Be on time?” He chuckles.
“Maybe it’s just the assholes I’ve dated in the past.” You shrug.
“Well let’s start over shall we?” He pulls the bouquet from behind his back. Watching your eyes light up was worth the over priced bundle in his hands.
“They are beautiful!” You exclaimed, lifting them to your nose, happy smile on your face. Your torso half turns from him to the door, back and forth, wondering if you should take them upstairs or with you on the date.
“You can go put them down.” He whispers in your ear, so close it makes you jump.
“What?”
“Has no one gotten flowers for you before doll?”
You open your mouth, racking your brain, but come up empty. Jaw snapping shut, you just shake your head at him. His eyes go wide, before settling back with a softness you can’t understand. “Go upstairs and put them in water. I’ll be right here when you come back.” His voice soft and calming.
Turning, you’ve got the door open before you look over your shoulder. “You don’t have to stand out here, you can come in if you want.”
He chuckles. “It’s ok darlin’, maybe next time.” A smirk on his pretty lips.
You flush a bit and go running up the stairs to the second floor, wrenching open your door. Grabbing a glass out of the cabinet, you mentally added ‘buy a vase’ to your to-do list, filling it with water and putting the flowers in. You pause to really appreciate them on your countertop before rushing back down to join Bucky.
“Ok, all set.” You grin at him.
He extends his elbow for you to take and soon the two of you are walking side by side down the sidewalk.
“So tell me about this new job.”
“It’s at a little art gallery in Greenpoint, nothing like the ones in Williamsburg or anything. Besides, it’s nothing special. I mean you save the world, you save people. My little nothing job can’t compare.”
He snorts. “It’s not what I pictured I would be doing after I hit 100. Hell growing up, people were lucky to make it to 60.” He shakes his head, looking at his feet. “It’s all I know how to do doll. Plus I have to make up for all the bad I’ve done, or at least try.”
You squeeze his elbow with your arm to get him to look at you. “YOU didn’t do anything. Hydra did. I know I’m not completely up to date, but I heard enough. Plus after I found out it was you that was there for my sister, I did a bit of research. There was a lot of bad information out there, about you and Steve, most of it was just wild speculation, but after meeting you, talking with you, I can tell you with 100% certainty that you, Bucky Barnes, are a good man. That I have no doubt.”
Bucky’s eyes got big at your confession and looked away suddenly, concentrating hard on the concrete sidewalk. He’s quiet for a while and you didn’t want to push him to say anything back, so you just walk beside him as he leads you wherever you’re going.
“I don’t know how you do it.” Bucky says quietly.
“Do what?”
“I tell you what’s bothering me and you put everything in perspective in just a few short sentences.”
You snort. “If I was that good I would be making more money being a psychotherapist.”
“Nah, what you really want to do is be a psychologist. They get the drugs.” He smirks at you and the heavy tension is lifted.
The two of you walk a bit further until he stops in front of a very old looking Italian place. “Here we are.” He tells you opening the door so you can go first.
You’re seated in the back of the restaurant, his back against the wall so he can face out towards the entrance and the rest of the dining room.
“I don’t think I’ve been here before.” You tell him glancing at the menu.
“Really? It’s been here forever. I was surprised it was still around. Owners have changed a few times but it’s nice to have something familiar.”
“I guess that’s really strange huh? The two of you waking up in the 21st century. So much has changed, even in the last 20 odd years. Technology has exploded.”
“Steve gets frustrated with all the gadgets and gizmos, but secretly I love it. I was always a big fan of sci-fi, and now I get to live it. Plus Tony gets all the new toys, not that he lets me play with them or anything, but what good is it to be a stealthy assassin if you can’t sneak around.” He winks at you and you giggle thinking about him sneaking into Tony’s lab to mess around with the latest tech.
The two of you order your food and have a quiet meal talking about what pop culture he’s caught up on and you make a few movie recommendations. Mostly comedies since they see enough action and horror in real life. It’s a lovely night as he walks you back to your place.
“I’ve had a great time Bucky.” Standing on the bottom step so the two of you are more eye level, you tuck a piece of hair behind your ear.
“Me too.” You watch him hesitate. It’s been a good night and now you’re at the goodnight kiss part, but you can see the conflict in his eyes. Deciding you wouldn’t let him overthink this, you lean in, hands tugging at the front of his button up to keep steady, and place a soft chase kiss to his lips. It seems to wake him up and before you can move away far, he’s pushing toward you, hand going to your lower back to press you against his chest. The kiss is needy and desperate, like he’s pouring 70 years of loneliness into that one action. He pulls back much quicker than you would like, but keeps his forehead pressed to you.
“You want to do this again?” You ask him after a few minutes of just standing there, pressed close enough together that you can feel his breath on your face.
His eyes are closed and you can feel the hand on your back tighten and squeeze for just a moment before he answers. “Yeah.” Bucky steps back at that, but you see the slight smile on his face. “Tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” You grin. The same breathless inflection that he had.
He steps forward once more to quickly press a swift kiss to your forehead before he turns to walk away. “Goodnight.” He calls, which you repeat to him before stepping back into the lobby of your building.
Next Chapter
I know this is supposed to be all angsty and depressing but I have to make them happy first right? *Evil laugh*
Anywho, tags are still open. Let me know what you think!
@katykyll, @avengersrulez1536, @ultrafreespirit, @wantingtobekorra, @i-had-a-life-once, @ghostssss, @babybeluuga, @bodhi-black, @kanupps06, @hatterripper31, @grandloser, @reniescarlett, @kjidhzyx, @normanreedus5150, @ilovethings-somuch, @spiderman-2013, @bloodyvalentine93, @xx-raven, @passionghost, @prettybubblesintheair, @averyrogers83, @stevieang, @albinotigerpython, @ria132love, @whom-the-fack, @paintballkid711, @lilypalmer1987, @the-strandedgypsy, @serenaphoenix81, @theonelittleone, @spidey-babe-parker, @stanclub
#bucky barnes x reader#bucky x reader#bucky barnes x plus size reader#plus sized reader#marvel fanfiction#I'm not her
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The Klainemas Waltz
Day Three: Careless
Blaine took in the snowy exterior as the car transporting them to the airport drove along. His mind was buzzing with all the things they needed to get done when they got home. He would have rather not left Gallwick so soon before the holidays, but his mother had insisted. This would be his last holiday as prince, as his coronation was due shortly into the new year.
“I can’t wait to get home, there’s so much to do.” Blaine muttered, but smiled when his mother laid her hand on his arm.
“Like your Christmas Eve speech?” Pam teased. “I see your notepad is still pretty blank.”
“It’s all up here.” Blaine said, tapping his temple. “I’m quite pleased with what I have so far.”
“It’s in five days honey bee, not the time to be careless. I don’t have to tell you how important it is that this address goes well. The prime minister is already trying to pull spotlight away from the royalty and what with you being crowned soon,,,”
Blaine looked into his mother’s eyes, smiling reassuringly. “I have it completely under control, just like dad did, and every king before him. I’ll...make him proud.”
“I know you will.” Pam said, turning her eyes towards the window, trying unsuccessfully to hide her watery eyes at the memory of her late husband. “Do you think we have time to stop for a tea before we go? I’m not used to the wintery weather anymore.”
“There’s a coffee shop up ahead ma’am, I can stop if you like” said the driver, and the queen nodded her head in acceptance. Blaine volunteered to go, giving him a chance to stretch his legs while his mother composed herself. He waved off Sam, his assistant, letting him go back to conversing with the staff who had already gone home on an earlier flight to ensure everything was prepared for their arrival home.
~
Kurt hummed along quietly with the holiday music playing in the coffee shop, placing his order for his usual non-fat mocha. “Oh, and can I have one of those Christmas crullers as well?”
“It’s buy one get one free.” the barista said with a smile, handing off his cup to the coffee artist.
“Oh I don’t need more than one.” Kurt replied, and turned around in the line to see a downright gorgeous man in a very stylish suit behind him. “Do you want one?” At the man’s puzzled expression, he continued “A Christmas cruller, they’re buy one get one free, you can have my free one if you’d like.”
“Oh, no thank you, I’m just here for tea.” the man replied, a slight accent in his voice, but not distinct enough for Kurt to place. He shrugged and picked up the bags, moving off to the side for his coffee, sighing internally at the lost chance for his very own meet-cute, but figured he could give the other cruller to his dad, if he had been following his diet.
Blaine stepped up to the counter, trying not to let his eyes wander over to the very handsome stranger who had offered him a...cruller? The man who was currently proclaiming over how delicious said cruller was while Blaine awaited his tea.
“You’re missing out.” the man said, waving the cruller.
“If you like pastry and ever find yourself in Gallwick, you should try the Yule Cake.” Blaine replied.
“Oooh, what’s that?” Blaine had to glance away for a second before he got caught in the swirling greens and blues of the man’s eyes or focussed too hard on how the stylish red sweater fit his frame.
“It’s a puff pastry with French vanilla cream in the middle, covered in chocolate ganache and sugar crystals on top.” Blaine replied, and the man glanced down at the pastry he was holding.
“You literally just described this.”
“It’s not the same, I’m sure.”
“Well how do you know if you won’t try it?”
Blaine hesitated. “I don’t generally accept food from strangers.” He had in fact, once had all his food tested beforehand during an attempted coup by a viceroy, but now tended to be less cautious.
The man wiped his hands down with a napkin and then stuck it out for Blaine to shake. “Kurt Hummel. And you are?”
Warmth filled Blaine when their palms touched, but he tried not to react. “Blaine.”
“Blaine.” Kurt smiled then thrust the second bag containing the cruller into his hands. “Merry Christmas!” he smiled and went back to waiting for his coffee, leaving an befuddled and slightly endeared Blaine in his wake.
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how was your day?
I went to tim hortons this morning to get breakfast except I can’t physically eat it, but my dad wanted to get honey crullers so bad so I gave in. the person in front of us literally ordered a billion doughnuts so he only got ONE honey cruller and I got a chocolate dip. It was really so damn good but I’ve been having some digestive issues recently ???? so throughout the whole time I was out I literally went to the bathroom 9 times. we went to superstore and we bought chips and bread and then I went home to made a snow angel in the snow. now I’m lying on the couch listening to this horror compilation while my dad is trying to make sense of guardians of the galaxy 2. I think or @ least I hope I’m having seared salmon tonight and I am pretty excited about that. the star lord just shot his dad
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Ideas are like beards.
At some point, I went back to see the coffee guru like he'd requested. I don't remember his exact words, but I remember being excited for some reason. He didn't look happy to see me, though.
"You took so long I forgot what it was I wanted to teach you."
"My mom always said, 'if you forgot it, it wasn't that important,'" I replied. "Give me the fanciest thing you got and I'll sit here for a while while you remember." That one was a tongue twister, how did a language let you put 'while' in a sentence twice in a row?
He gave me the same thing as last time: a plain latte. I sipped it slowly at the back of the seating area. Away from the window, really. I couldn't let myself be seen at a Starbonks.
My... friend? Acquaintance? Fellow human? walked through the door. None of those terms were quite right, but whoever she was, that person walked through the door. The sort-of goth who was sort-of vegan. That girl. She came in and also indirectly ordered a latte, then spotted me and came over.
"Hey," she droned, and sat down. I could smell the cologne following her in a haze. Cologne?
"What are you wearing?" I asked her.
"I'm sort of trying out a new look." She turned toward me, "I got this shirt for only two dollars." She shifted a bit more into my vision.
"No, you smell like my grandmother. She says she wears my grandfather's cologne. I think she bathes in it."
"Oh, I'm sort of wearing this thing, I think they call it toilet water, but in French. It's ‘high sewing.’"
"I don't get it," I admitted.
"That's sort of the point." She looked sort of miffed.
I sipped my latte and considered my sort-of, or pseudo-, acquaintance. She was pseudo- so many things that I decided to call her Sue. Way shorter than 'Fellow Human,' and it was less trouble than asking for her name.
I looked back over my shoulder at the guru guy. He waved me over conspiratorially. Maybe he was ashamed to be seen at a Starbonks, too? I went over and leaned over the counter.
"Ideas are like beards: men don't have them until they grow up."
Sue had followed me and seemed to appreciate this more than I did. She looked especially thoughtful. Or maybe 'glazed over' was a better way to put it. Like a honey cruller.
I stroked my wispy stubble as I looked at his mane. That wasn't a great word for it—too majestic—but they were about the same level of unkept. "Thanks, I guess. I suppose I'll just wait until either one happens."
I decided to do my waiting back home.
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I needed a Danvers Sisters scene after last nights episode since we’re likely not going to get one.
So I wrote one.
Part of the Family by BridgetteIrish
Kara pounded on Alex’s door. “Alex, let me in.” There was no response. She shifted the donut box and coffee holder to her other hand and tried the doorknob. Locked. Alex never locked her door. “Alex, your bike is parked out front, I know you’re still here.” She knocked again. “I’m sorry,” her words caught in her throat and she forced them out through hot tears. “Alex, I’m sorry. Please, just talk to me.” She was tired of crying. Tired of being wrong, of being right, of being responsible. She wanted her sister back, like it was before. Before everything had changed. “Please,” she whispered.
The door swung open to reveal Maggie, already dressed in charcoal slacks and a black button-down. Her holster and badge were already affixed to her hip. Tiny as she was, she cut an intimidating figure and Kara swallowed before offering her one of the coffees. “Morning, Maggie.”
Maggie relieved Kara of her entire burden, setting donuts and coffees on the counter before turning back to Kara, fire in her eyes. “Y’know, I may be the girlfriend in this situation, and not the sister, but I can deliver a shovel talk as good as anyone, so be nice to her.” Maggie stared down Kara as if she was ten feet tall.
In the blink of an eye and a puff of wind, Kara stood before Maggie, emptying her glock’s magazine onto the counter with a raised eyebrow.
Maggie couldn’t hide her smile. “Touche, Little Danvers. She’s in the shower. I’m off to work. Just, don’t destroy the place, okay?”
Kara nodded, fighting back another wave of tears at the care this woman had for her beloved sister.
“You alright?” Maggie asked. She lifted one of the coffees to her lips and cocked her head to the side. Kara looked as if she was barely holding it together.
Kara nodded again and waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, nothing Alex can’t help with. Go. We’ll be fine.”
Maggie squeezed Kara’s wrist and left, shutting the door softly behind her.
Kara let the tears come. She pulled a cruller from the pink box, took a bite and looked around her. She’d been in this apartment hundreds of times, but she’d never felt like a stranger here, until now. Pieces of Maggie were everywhere. Her NCPD coffee mug, her leather jacket, a jar of local organic honey on the counter next to the coffee pot and a fleece throw emblazoned with the National City Sharks logo. Alex hated the Sharks. This really was love, Kara thought as another tear slipped down her cheek and she swallowed the rest of the cruller.
“Come to gloat?” The voice from the bathroom door pulled Kara from her thoughts. Alex was in sweats and a t-shirt and was drying her hair with a towel. “Come to say ‘I told you so’ and remind me what an idiot I’ve been?”
Kara was out of her seat and across the room in the blink of an eye. She pulled Alex into her arms and hugged her as hard as she dared. “I came to see my sister,” Kara sobbed into Alex’s shoulder. “I came to make sure she was okay after losing our father… again.” Kara felt Alex collapse against her and let herself be comforted. “I came to beg for forgiveness and find out if I’m still part of our family.”
This time it was Alex who squeezed. She gave every ounce of strength left to Kara who continued to hold them up.
“I’m sorry Alex. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Kara repeated the mantra over and over, hoping her sister would hear her, just once.
“I know, sis. I know.” Alex pulled away and wiped a tear from Kara’s eye before crossing the room to gather the donuts and coffee. Alex sat on the sofa and Kara followed suit. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Kara. After all, you were right. And now Dad’s...”
Kara took Alex’s hand in her own and swallowed her own tears. This wasn’t about her. It was about comforting Alex. “I’m so sorry we lost him, Alex. We’ll get him back, I promise. I know there’s still good in him. We just have to remind him who he used to be.”
“How could I have been so blind? God, Kara you were right and I didn’t mean…”
Kara shook her head vehemently. “Winn… Winn was right, Alex. It was never me.” She dipped her head and caught Alex’s eyes. “And it was never Mon-El.” Alex furrowed her brow in confusion. “He may have been right to be suspicious, Alex, but it was Winn that convinced me to look deeper, not Mon-El.” Kara looked down at her fidgeting hands and continued. “It doesn’t matter if he was right or not. You were right too. My loyalty should have been with my family.” The lump in Kara’s throat caught her words. “I’ll never forgive myself for-”
“No.” Alex interrupted. “No, Kara. You were right to question. As a scientist, I know better. God, we missed so much. Mom and J’onn and I, even you at the beginning. We missed a cybernetic arm for God’s sake, what kind of biologist am I?” Alex scooted closer. “You will always be part of this family.” Tears shined in her eyes. “Do you hear me, Kara Danvers? You are my sister. And I love you. No matter what.”
Kara nodded. “Everything’s changed, Alex.” She looked around the apartment. “Our lives, our homes, our friends. You know I don’t do well with change.”
Alex shrugged. “We’re both in love, little sister. Things are bound to change.”
Kara shook her head. “You. You are in love. I. I am hopeless.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot towards the ceiling. “Trouble in paradise, already? Where is the Martian Manchild, anyway? Aren’t the two of you joined at the hip?”
Kara stuck out her tongue. “Very funny. First of all, calling him a Martian anything is an insult to the noble Green Martian race. Second,” She took a deep breath. “I kicked him out this morning.” Kara bit her lip and reached for another donut just so she’d have something to do.
“Nope.” Alex snatched the donut from her. “Story first, then donut.”
Kara flopped against the arm of the couch and stared at the ceiling. “He wanted to stay in bed all day.”
Alex’s lip curled of its own volition. “Okay. I’m going to pretend that doesn’t gross me out to no end. Go on.”
“I have to work. I can’t just call in sick because… I only get paid when I write, Alex.” Kara waved her hand vaguely. “Anyway, I told him no, I had to work but while I was in the shower, he called Snapper and told him I was sick, that I wouldn’t be in.” Alex’s jaw dropped and Kara shrugged sadly. “Three strikes, he’s out. I told him if he was incapable of listening, we were done. I told him not to come back.” This time, when Kara reached for her donut, Alex let her have it. “By the time I got to work, Snapper had already redistributed all my assignments. He told me to go find my free will and a story about a proper feminist and kicked me out of his office.” Kara looked up sadly at her sister. “So I came here, hoping to fix us instead.”
Alex took Kara’s hand. “We’re gonna be okay, you and me. And you’re gonna be okay without him.” Kara nodded. “I think I owe you an apology for pushing you towards him.”
Kara shook her head. “No, I think you were reading what I thought I wanted. And how could you do that accurately if I didn’t even know what I wanted.”
“No,” Alex reached for a donut of her own. “No, I was being selfish. I thought if you had someone, and I had someone, we could have someones together and I wouldn’t feel so bad about leaving you alone and spending more time with Maggie, like I did on your birthday.”
“Oh, Alex,” Kara pulled her sister to her again and Alex laid her head on Kara’s shoulder. “I adore Maggie, you know that. And I have to admit… it was nice having… someone.” She felt her sister smile. “He just wasn’t the right someone for me, I guess.”
“There’s someone out there for you, Kara. I promise. And you deserve the very best someone.”
“Yeah,” Kara smiled, holding her sister tighter. “Yeah, I do.”
She sat up and grabbed for another donut. “C’mon, let’s finish breakfast. I have an unexpected day off, and you’re taking me shopping.” An evil look crossed Kara’s usually sweet features. “I gotta find something to wear that will kill him the next time I see him. Remind him what a girl with free will looks like.”
“Atta girl, sis. Kill him with couture.”
“Well…” Kara winked. “I didn’t work for Miss Grant for two years and not learn a thing or two.”
#danvers sisters#kara danvers: ambassador to the stars#alex 'face journey' danvers#fix-it scene#missing scene#supergirl spoilers
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Story: As Your Friend
Summary: Kik's always found making new friends tricky, which was why the mysterious Stevonnie swooping in out of nowhere and taking her under their wing was equal parts surprising and exciting. But it seems that Stevonnie has something to tell Kiki, something that'll make this friendship trickier than she could have ever imagined.(But then again, maybe not.)
Wordcount: 3,321
ao3 link
note: This fic has spoilers for the recent Kiki+Stevonnie comic. Nothing life shattering, but if you're planning on reading it, I do suggest you do that first, 'cause it's great. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy!
Kiki was not a people person.
“That’s ridiculous,” Jenny would say, whenever Kiki brought this up. “Just look at you in the restaurant! You’re amazing with customers!”
“That’s different,” Kiki would say, because it was. When she was working, she didn’t feel like herself, not exactly. The uniform gave her confidence. She had a job to do, a script to follow. ‘Welcome to Fish Stew Pizza, may I take your order?’ ‘Let me tell you today’s specials.’ ‘Here’s your bill! Thank you so much for coming!’
But just… talking to people? As herself? There were no scripts. And that was nerve wracking.
Jenny didn’t get nervous, least not about things like that. She loved talking to people, and people loved talking to her. Friends, classmates, teachers, store clerks, musicians, complete strangers… Sometimes it felt like the only people she didn’t want to talk to were customers, based on how much effort she could put into getting out of work. But point was: people flocked to Jenny like bees to a flower.
Kiki just didn’t get how Jenny did it; how she could makes friends as easily as breathing. Kiki had friends, of course, pretty good ones. Tracy, Mona, and Chantelle. Kiki wouldn’t trade them for the world. But they felt hard won, and their friendship entirely accidental, based mostly upon chance meetings and shared group projects. She wasn’t entirely sure how to repeat it with someone else. And they all lived outside of Beach City, which mean that unless they were at school, they didn’t get a lot of chances to hang out.
Which was why Kiki was so nervous about hanging out with Stevonnie.
Kiki knew it was stupid. Stevonnie wasn’t scary. They were the exact opposite. They were cheerful, silly, and almost aggressively friendly, at least one-on-one. Dress shopping with them had been fun. (Clothes shopping! Fun! Who’d have believed it?). The prom had been great too, and so had the movie, even if it had been sorta kiddy. Kiki liked them. She wanted to hang out again.
… she was just terrified she’d mess it up, somehow.
So when the restaurant’s doorbell chimed and Stevonnie’s voice called out, “Kiki? You here?”, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Here!” Kiki called from the kitchen, hurrying out into the restaurant proper. ‘How’re ya doing today?”
“Great. I’ll have a large pepperoni with bell peppers, please.”
Kiki blinked, and reached for her notepad. Stevonnie giggled.
“Sorry,” they said. “It’s just that you’re still wearing your uniform.”
“Oh.” Kiki laughed, a little nervously. “For a second there, I thought you were only hanging out with me for the pizza.”
Stevonnie winked. “Nah, I’m here for the fish stew, too.”
Now Kiki’s laugh was genuine. “Well, that’s okay then.”
As Kiki took her apron off, Stevonnie asked her how she was doing. “‘Bout as well as I can after a four hour shift.”
Stevonnie grimaced in sympathy. “You wanna just go and… sit and relax somewhere?”
“First I wanna stretch my legs. Then sure.” Kiki’s stomach gurgled. “Long as we get a bite to eat.”
“That can be arranged,” said Stevonnie, grinning. “Don’t know how you manage to work here. I’d just eat everything myself.”
“It’s called ‘self-restraint’.”
They tapped their chin, brow creasing. “Nope. Never heard of it.”
Kiki snorted, and finally turned to hang up her apron and hat, which was when Gunga appeared to say hello. Stevonnie chatted with her politely for a few minutes, until Gunga finally waved them off, telling them to “Go have fun! Be back by ten, so I don’t have to convince your father not to ground you!”
Just as the pair of them were slipping through the doors, Gunga gave Kiki a wink. Kiki swallowed a sigh and rolled her eyes. Her grandma was convinced they were dating, even though Kiki had told her that they’d agreed to be friends, instead. She supposed it was only natural, considering that they had been each other’s date to the prom, but still. Kinda annoying.
She and Stevonnie made their way down the boardwalk, just chatting about stuff. Nothing in particular. Favourite subjects (Kiki liked PE and English; Stevonnie said they weren’t picky, but that art and history were probably theirs). The TV shows they were watching (Stevonnie loved Under the Knife, while Kiki was trying to catch up on Weirder Stuff.) Stevonnie asked if Kiki had had any luck getting her own room, and Kiki dove into nearly a five minute description about how her Dad had finally agreed to convert her Mom’s old ‘study’ into an extra bedroom, and how she’d spent ages picking out paint colours and stuff.
“Technically it’s Dad’s study, too, but he basically never uses it,” Kiki explained. “I think he was mostly just keeping around cuz of… nostalgia, or something? But Gunga talked to him, and he figured Mom woulda preferred one of us having it, instead of it just sitting there empty.”
(It occured to Kiki that she’d never actually told Stevonnie about her and Jenny’s long standing fights about how they both wanted their own room. But that wasn’t too weird, was it? She was pretty sure that she’d mentioned it to Steven, and Stevonnie was pretty obviously related to him. Probably not a sibling, but maybe a cousin? Steven had probably mentioned it to them.)
Kiki was just about to ask about that, when she noticed the downcast expression on Stevonnie’s face. “You okay?”
“Huh? Oh. Yeah. Fine.” They shook their head. “Sorry. Just thinking ‘bout how I kinda took over my mom’s old room, too.”
“You lost your mom?”
“... yeah. Childbirth.”
“Sorry,” Kiki said.
“It’s okay.” Stevonnie shrugged, and Kiki recognized their expression as that of someone who was sad, but held no real grief.
“I was three when mine died,” she said. “Stroke. Really unexpected, apparently. I remember how upset Dad and Gunga were when it happened. But... I don’t really remember her."
“Sorry,” Stevonnie said, and Kiki got the sense the apology was more for the memories than the death.
They walked in silence for a bit, neither sure how to continue the conversation. Thankfully by then they’d nearly reached the Big Donut, and the promise of food. Wordlessly, they both made a beeline for it. Something sweet would really be appreciated.
Inside, it was the usual two employees on duty: the smiley blond girl, and the rude guy who sometimes hung out with Jenny. Both their eyes bugged out when they entered. The dude even took out his earbuds, which seemed, from Kiki’s limited experience, a minor miracle.
“Uh. Hello!” said the girl. “Stevonnie! And, uh, Kiki, right?”
“Yep. Er, and you’re… Sam?”
“Sadie,” she corrected. Kiki felt her cheeks flush, and she was grateful for her dark skin. How long had this girl been working here, just down the street from her place, and Kiki’d never learned her name?
(The dude didn’t offer his name. He was just staring. Rude.)
Stevonnie seemed to have the place’s menu memorized, and ordered one chocolate donut and one strawberry glaze, right off the bat. Kiki was less certain. “Uh,” she said, “what’d you recommend?”
“Oh, well,” said Sadie, “the honey crullers’s probably my favourite.”
“Sounds good! I’ll have that, please.”
Their hands brushed when Kiki passed Sadie the change. It was just a moment, but their eyes met, and Kiki felt herself flushing all over again.
Kiki pulled back her hand a little quicker than perhaps necessary.
“See you later!” Stevonnie called, and Kiki barely managed to stammer out a goodbye of her own.
Back outside they went, to snag one of the outdoor tables and enjoy the sunset. Kiki bit into her donut— and wow, it really was sweet— swallowed, and asked, “What’s that guy’s name again?”
“Lars?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Kiki shook her head. She didn’t like to say bad things about people behind their back, especially people she barely knew, but…
Stevonnie had clearly read her expression. “He’s not so bad. Er…” their mouth twisted. “Yeah, okay, he’s kind of a jerk, but I think it’s just a shell he puts on. He can be nice, if you get to know him. And Sadie’s great.”
“Mmm?” said Kiki.
“We should ask her to hang out sometimes.” Stevonnie was looking at her, a knowing gleam in their eye.
“That would be nice,” Kiki said, words coming out a bit fast. “Hey, you’re not cold, are you?”
Stevonnie blinked. “Cold?”
“Yeah. It’s a little chilly,” said Kiki, just as a stiff breeze off the ocean grabbed some of Stevonnie’s hair and tossed it in their face. “And you don’t have a jacket or anything.”
(Stevonnie had a look that Kiki wished she could pull off. Almost always wearing with that too-small red star t-shirt, and everything else super tight and form fitting. Today they had on jeans that cut off at the knees, suspenders, and a frilly purple undershirt. They looked awesome, but not particularly warm for mid-spring.)
“I’m fine!” said Stevonnie, brushing the hair out of their face. “Guess I’m warm blooded.”
“‘Course you’re warm blooded, you’re human. That doesn’t mean you can’t get cold.”
“Haha, yeah,” Stevonnie laughed. Then, abruptly, they stopped, and looked down at their donuts.
They picked at the food despondently, and Kiki finished her own donut, wondering if she’d said something wrong.
“Kiki,” Stevonnie sighed. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“Huh?”
Stevonnie didn’t immediately answer. They didn’t look cold anymore; they were sweating, visibly, their face was flushed. They were twisting their hands around the paper donut bag.
Every second they waited, Kiki felt her stomach sink lower and lower. “What do you mean?”
“Okay, there’s no not-weird way to say this so… I’M STEVEN UNIVERSE.”
“What?”
“I mean— I’m half Steven Universe, the other half of me is Connie Maheswaran, you’ve never met her, she’s Steven’s friend, and sometimes we turn into a single person through alien magic—”
“Woah, woah, slow down,” said Kiki, feeling overwhelmed, and not even sure where to begin.
Stevonnie ran their hands over their face. “Okay. I’m just gonna show you, alright?”
Before Kiki could say anything, there was a flash of pink, and two shapes tumbled out of the chair. Kiki jumped to her feet, craning over the table, to see two kids picking themselves off the ground.
One was very clearly Steven— and okay, that did explain why Stevonnie and Steven both apparently had the same shirt, which they each wore exclusively. He was wearing it now, and the jeans. The other was a girl Kiki recognised in a vague sort of way; she thought she’d seen her around town a couple times. Slim, purple dress, brown skin and black hair, blinking nervously around while Steven pulled over another chair.
“Well,” said Kiki. “That’s something.”
“You’re not… I mean… you’re not surprised?” asked the girl.
“Oh, I’m surprised,” said Kiki. “But not that surprised. I mean, I already knew Stevonnie was related to Steven, and that Steven’s family is kinda unusual.”
“How’d you know?” Steven said, looking genuinely surprised.
Kiki raised three fingers. “One: Stevonnie picked me up under the giant beach statue where you live. Two: your friend Pearl was our chaperone. Three: we drove to the prom in your dad’s van.”
“Oh yeah…” Steven said, while the girl face-palmed.
“So... Connie right?” Kiki asked, and the girl nodded. “So… how’s this work? Do you remember me?”
“I remember everything Stevonnie did, yeah,” said Connie. “And I know… some other things. Hazy impressions about who you are, from Steven’s memories.”
“Oh,” said Kiki.
She had about a dozen questions, but she had no idea where to begin or if it was exactly polite to ask them. Wasn’t like ‘your friend suddenly split into two smaller people’ was a social situation that came up a lot.
And… oh man, this explained some stuff, actually. Like, now Steven and Connie’s clothes fit them perfectly, so that was why Stevonnie always looked like their outfits had been artfully shrunk in the wash, and why they must’ve been so excited for clothes shopping, or knew stuff that Kiki had never told them. And why they’d been so pumped to see that kids’ film. Or why, they’d freaked out so much when they’d slow danced—
— Kiki stopped that train of thought, right there.
Stevonnie didn’t need a reason to not want to go out with her, of course, beyond ‘not wanting to’. But yeah. ‘Actually two kids’ was a pretty good reason not to want to.
“Oh, man,” said Kiki. “How old are you guys, anyway?”
“Fourteen. And a half,” said Steven.
“What? Really?” Kiki had thought he was way younger. “We’re only like a year apart!”
Steven shrugged.
“I’m thirteen,” said Connie. That surprised Kiki in the other direction. She guessed the girl didn’t really look that old, it was just that compared to the baby-faced Steven… And together they made a single person who looked sixteen or seventeen, easily.
“Oh, man,” Kiki repeated, rubbing her head.
“Uh, are you okay?” said Steven.
“Fine,” said Kiki.
“Are you… mad?”
“Mad?”
“Because we lied to you,” said Connie.
Well. She guessed they had. “You kinda more just… didn’t tell me something.”
“That’s a lie of omission,” said Connie.
“… True,” said Kiki. She didn't feel mad, exactly. Maybe a little annoyed, but mostly curious. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We didn’t mean to, at first!” cried Steven. “We just forgot!”
“It’s really easy to forget you’re fused!” said Connie. “We didn’t even realise!”
“Then by the time we did, we just— didn’t—” said Steven. “It was kind of cool. Like having a secret identity.”
“But then we felt bad,” said Connie.
“But we were scared to tell you cuz—”
“— what if you didn’t want to hang out with us?”
“What if you thought it was weird?”
“After all, humans don’t exactly fuse every day, and we weren’t sure how to explain it!”
“Stop!” Kiki cried, throwing up her hands. She was feeling a little dizzy. It was pretty easy to see how these two could somehow transform into a single person. “Guys. Please. I’m not mad. Maybe a little hurt…” Immediately their faces fell, so Kiki hurried onto the next part of the sentence. “But I get it.
“But Steven. Of course I wanna hang out with you. We’re already friends.”
“I…” said Steven. He smiled a little. “Right.”
“And I mean, after the whole ‘dream warrior’ thing, it’s not like I could be more surprised by your powers, y’know?”
“‘Dream warrior thing’?” echoed Connie.
“Don’t you know?” said Kiki. “From being in his head?”
“Stevonnie’s head,” Connie corrected. “I only got hazy impressions of you, I said. Stuff like… you’re really nice, and funny, and make great pizzas.”
Kiki wasn’t really sure how to respond to that.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to, because Steven immediately dove into a longer explanation.
“I would never let Stevonnie know something that I know about you if I thought that you wouldn't want Connie to know.”
Kiki ran a hand through her hair, trying to sort that sentence out in her head. It made sense, weirdly enough. “O-kaaaay,” she said. “Well, long story short, I was having these nightmares for a while, and Steven used his dream powers to help me get rid of them.”
“Aw, cool,” said Connie.
“Yeah, it was super cool,” said Steven. “At least at first.”
Kiki felt a wave of old guilt. Her hands clenched. She said, “Sorry, again.”
Steven waved her off. “Don’t apologize. I wanted to help. And seriously, it was fun. Just… kinda tiring.”
“Why don’t you ever visit my dreams?” asked Connie.
“You never asked?” said Steven.
“Well, I’m asking now,” said Connie. “This sounds awesome. I like, never remember my dreams.”
“Well, maybe I have been there, you’ve just forgotten.”
Connie narrowed her eyes at him. “You already admitted you haven’t been in them.”
“Darn,” Steven said, outwitted. “Okay, I’ll try to pop in tonight.”
Kiki listened to all this in interest. “So… you’ve never been in each other’s dreams but you’ve… shared a body? How’s that work?”
“Oh, those two things are really different,” said Steven, waving his hands in a vague movement. “When I’m inside someone’s brain… well, it’s like, I’m there, y’know? Separate, just watching. But when you’re fused…”
“… it’s like you’re not there anymore. Not really,” said Connie. “Stevonnie's the one there, instead.”
“So you… disappear? That sounds… um… scary.”
“It’s not, really,” said Connie. “Not usually.”
“It’s hard to explain,” said Steven.
Kiki wanted explanations, however hard. She wanted to understand how Stevonnie— the person she’d gone shopping with, and danced with, and shared popcorn with— could somehow be two completely different people. How did it work, how did they all fit together, what did it feel like?
But Connie was staring down at the table, and even the usually exuberant Steven seemed uncertain, and Kiki pulled herself back. She wouldn’t want to be… interrogated about something personal by a new friend, and this seemed… pretty personal.
So instead, Kiki asked, “So, Connie, do you live in Beach City, or…?”
She didn’t, it turned out. She lived about a half hour drive out of town. It was a bit of a hassle coming to visit, sometimes. Kiki more than understood, since her other friends had the same problem.
“I’ve got a car,” said Kiki. “Or, well, my family does. But I’m allowed to use it! Sometimes, at least. If you ever need a lift, I’d be more than happy to help.”
“That’d be great for when Lion’s being lazy,” said Steven. And that just set off another round of questions. About how Steven’s weird pet Lion could apparently teleport, and how it had a sword in its head, and Connie had been training with it. And then the two of them got to talking about their training routines, with Connie giving Kiki tips on how to build upper-arm muscles, while Kiki explained the best way to improve endurance. And from there, somehow, they got onto the topic of shoes, and teasing Steven for his stubborn refusal to wear anything other than a single pair of sandals.
“They’re comfy, okay!” he exclaimed.
Before Kiki even knew it, it was dark, and Sadie and Lars were closing up shop. The two groups waved at each other, before Kiki checked her phone and figured she should probably be getting home. She still had a good hour before curfew, but she did have homework to finish.
Connie had to head back soon, too, but there was still enough time that she and Steven said they could walk back to Fish Stew Pizza. Once they arrived, they stood at the door doing the awkward dance that was goodbyes.
“This was really fun,” said Steven.
“Yeah. Thanks for hanging out with us,” said Connie. “And for… well, understanding.”
“No prob. It was really nice hanging out with you…” Two? Three? “... all. Say bye to Stevonnie for me?”
Connie raised an eyebrow. Steven grinned. He asked, “How about you say bye to them yourself?”
It wasn’t as fast as when Stevonnie fell apart, but still quick enough that Kiki almost missed it. The pair’s hands reaching out for each other, Connie pulling up Steven’s arm, the boy spinning— then a bright flash of pink light and—
There Stevonnie was.
“Hey,” they said.
“Hey,” Kiki repeated. “That was… wow, really cool. Is that all it takes?”
“Yep! Just a dance. Sometimes even less than that.” Stevonnie gave them a long look— curious and nervous and uncertain, and asked, “I could teach you, if you want?”
“I— really?”
“Yeah, sure! I think so, at least. It can be kind of hard… but it can’t hurt to try, right?”
Kiki considered. She still thought the whole thing sounded kind of confusing, and scary. But Stevonnie wasn’t scary. So she smiled and said, “Sure. How’s… this Tuesday sound?”
Stevonnie beamed. “Sounds great.”
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