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collecting-stories · 4 years

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Ten Years - JJ Maybank

Request: could u write something abt y/n and jj who have been together since they were like 12 and just make it super fluffy🥰

A/N: so there wasn’t really like, a full plot request so I just kinda went with this...hope you like it!

Outer Banks Masterlist

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

JJ stood in the entrance to the dressing room, phone in hand as he texted back and forth with Pope and swiped through different online stores. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of actual trousers, a far cry from the cheap ones he used to wear when he bused tables at the island club. He was supposed to be trying on different suits but it’d taken you an hour just to get him into these pants, you couldn’t imagine how the rest of the shopping trip was going to go.

“Matching sweatshirts?” JJ asked, holding his phone out to show you a picture of dorky matching sweatshirts that said ‘player 1’ and ‘player 2’ respectively.

You fought the urge to roll your eyes as you rubbed a hand against your forehead and took a deep breath. You should have known that trying to shop would go south with JJ. “I love you so much but there is no way in hell I’m wearing matching sweatshirts with you.” 

“I can’t believe you’re not gonna wear matching sweatshirts with me.” JJ whined, pulling his phone away to send the picture to Pope. “I’m gonna get a new girlfriend who will.” 

“Ask Pope.”

“I am.” He replied, continuing to text.

“Not right now JJ! You’re supposed to be getting a suit anyway, not standing around on your phone shopping for cheesy sweatshirts.” You sighed, finally standing up from the ottoman that was available for seating outside the dressing room. You tried to grab his phone from him but he slid away, socked feet gliding on the laminated floor. He backed further into the dressing area, toward the stall you’d ushered him into earlier.

“What if you didn’t have to wear it out?” He asked, holding his phone out of reach when you tried to grab it again. As much as you enjoyed the sight of JJ in nothing but a pair of nice pants, and you did enjoy the sight quite a lot, he was starting to get on your last nerve. Especially when he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you against him, still holding the phone away with his other hand.

“So what I’m just gonna walk around our house wearing a sweatshirt?” You asked. The little blue ranch house that you and JJ were renting on the cut was set back a little from the road but it wasn’t entirely void of neighbors. Not to mention the amount of times any of the pogues dropped in without warning. When you looked up at him you realized his eyes had glazed over, pupils dilated as he stared, completely unashamed, right down the front of your tank top. “JJ!”

“What...you in only a sweatshirt? Let’s skip all this and go straight to the honeymoon.” He suggested, grinning as he leaned in to kiss you.

You let him, though you finally gave in to the eyeroll as he pulled away from you. It was like trying to corral a child into doing something. “Not exactly doing the big tent wedding here J. Now pick a suit.” 

“But if you don’t have to go out?” He whined, mind still on his stupid sweatshirt idea. You’d never matched clothes before and you’d heard him on more than one occasion mock couples who did, so why he was suddenly interested in the cheesy tradition was beyond you.

“Oh my god, buy the sweatshirt, please.” You groaned, stepping completely away and heading back out of the dressing room, “but finish trying on suits first!”

“Love you!” 

Your mom wanted a big wedding with all the people she was friends with invited as well as family members none of you had even seen in your lifetime but you had refused. It felt silly to do the big white wedding, silly and costly and not like you and JJ at all. The money saved for it had been spent on converting a VW bus that was a nicer version of the Twinkie, that he had parked out front of the house you’d been renting together since you turned nineteen.

Still, even without the wedding, you wanted a semi-nice dress and him in a suit when the two of you went to City Hall at the end of the week to get married.

Married. You were waiting for the word to make you feel different but so far it just felt normal. Like it was just supposed to happen.

“Why are your eyes covered?” You laughed, walking into the living room to see JJ standing there in his suit with his hands covering his eyes. He’d obviously just been smoking before you came in because his juul was still in his hand too, trapped between his fingers.

“I don’t wanna see you before the wedding!” He exclaimed.

“You’re driving,” You laughed, grabbing at his hands. When you pulled them away he had his eyes shut. “JJ, open your eyes.” 

He opened one eye and then the other, slowing smiling as he took in the sight of you in the simple white dress, you’d picked out with Sarah a few weeks ago. It’d been sitting wrapped up in the closet so he couldn’t see it without you in it. “You look really beautiful.” He finally said, kissing you. “You’d look even more beautiful in matching sweatshirts.” JJ teased.

“Oh my god JJ. I’m not wearing matching sweatshirts to get married.” You replied, taking the juul from him so you could put it away.

“Then I guess the dress works.”

“Wow thanks.” You laughed.

Before you could walk away from him JJ grabbed your arm, drawing your attention back to him. “Hey, before we go-“

“We have like thirty minutes to get there.” You said, cutting him off. There was no way the two of you were going to make it in time.

“It’ll be quick, promise.”

“What?” 

“I know we’re not doing vows but I didn’t exactly get any points for a romantic proposal either...considering. So I just wanted to say something before we leave, without everyone else around.” 

JJ’s ‘proposal’ had come about on a Tuesday morning. It wasn’t romantic, there wasn’t even a ring picked out yet. Instead JJ had been sitting on the other side of the island, trying to steal pieces of bacon off of Pope’s plate while he was in the bathroom, when you told him that your mom was giving you a hard time about the two of you living together.

Your mom’s favorite words were ‘just a phase’ when she talked about you and JJ. It was just a phase that you were going through that had you attracted to someone she viewed as a ‘bad boy’ in every cliched sense of the term. Though you highly doubted at 22 that it was a phase. Especially when you’d spent the last ten years basically dating. Since the 6th grade winter formal when JJ asked you to dance with him.

“She said ‘once you get out from under that roof you’ll see’ and I told her that I’m never moving. We’re gonna like get married and get a cat and have windchimes like Lana.” You had said, smacking JJ’s hand, “stop eating Pope’s food.”

“He abandoned it.” JJ pointed out.

“He’s in the bathroom, stop it.” You said, waving the spatula at him. “Anyway...she just...” you groaned, “I can’t stand when she does that like. We’re not in highschool anymore. Why can’t she drop the whole ‘this is temporary’ thing like...do you see these four walls? Not temporary.”

“Marry me?”

“What?” You froze, spatula in hand, staring at him in surprise.

“Marry me.” He shrugged. “You said it yourself, this isn’t temporary. So, marry me.”

The wedding day, though it wasn’t really a wedding, had come quicker than the two of you had expected and now, if you weren’t out the door in five minutes, you knew that you’d be late. JJ was an erratic driver but nothing would get you to the other side of the island on time.

“You’re gonna make me cry before we even get to the courthouse?” You asked, already feeling yourself get teared up. “That’s mean JJ.”

“I just want you to know,” He started to say, trying not to laugh when he realized you were starting to cry, “hey, come on...I didn’t even say anything yet.”

“I know, I know I just-” you looked up at the ceiling and blinked a few times, “oh god this mascara isn’t waterproof.”

“We’ll survive if your makeup doesn’t stay intact.” He promised.

“JJ!” You laughed. “Okay fine, go, I won’t cry. I just...won’t look at you.”

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“Just say the thing.” You insisted, waving your hand for him to go ahead.

“When I asked you to marry me it was spur of the moment but it wasn’t just something I said because I thought it’d be fun or cute or whatever. We’ve been through...hell...together and I know how hard it's been and there isn’t any guarantee that it won’t be hard-”

“That sounds awesome,” you laughed but JJ could already hear the slight crack in your voice.

“-shut up. You never let me finish anything.”

“I do too!”

“You literally just interrupted me trying to be nice and tell you something romantic.”

“I’m sorry...go ahead.”

“No, the moment’s ruined.” JJ shrugged, grabbing his backpack off the table so that the two of you could leave.

You grabbed JJ’s hand, trying to pull him back toward the middle of the living room and away from the door, “no finish, tell me!”

“Fine, fine. You’re such a brat.” He laughed, “I was gonna say-”

The door opened and you groaned as Pope stuck his head in, “yo...guys, lets go.”

“Hold on!” You whined and JJ wrapped his arms around you, holding you close and kissing your forehead.

“I’ll tell you later, while we’re in our matching sweatshirts.”

“Unbelieveable.”

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hadtochangemyurlquick · 3 years

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here’s 5.7k of the unsinkable 8 during the zombie apocalypse. good for fans of leatin and goodfoe. it’s super unedited and i’m mainly just posting it for fun cause i finished it today. some references to world war z the book for fun, and i used the zombies from that too.

A flash of blonde and Dot’s gun went up, pointed directly at the head of whatever made their way toward her. She had two bullets left, six cigarettes, and the last mini of hard liquor she raided from the motel back in Aquilla.

She’d have to get it in one shot, which would be hard sitting down, with her back to it, half delirious.

She grunted as she pulled herself around, her leg still out in the makeshift splint. The zed crept closer, not going at the usual hobbling pace. It definitely had caught her scent though, maybe it was down a few limbs already.

She cocked her gun, flicking off the safety, keeping her finger off the trigger. She’d wait until she could see the whites of its eyes. Get it in one shot.

The blonde head crept closer and she finally tucked her gun over the rocks, making eye contact with it for the first time.

“Shelby Goodkind?”

“Dot Campbell?”

Shelby stared at her, lowering her own gun and Dot let out a breath of relief.

“Dottie, oh my god, I thought you were one of ‘em.” She put away her gun, Dot doing the same and she ran over. “It’s so good to see ya, what’s wrong?” She looked at the leg, her face paling.

“Ankles broken,” Dottie muttered. “Was gonna treat myself to one last drink,” she gestured at the bottle.

“Oh lord,” Shelby said. “Well that’s no good, I got a place not to far from here I’ve been camping out in. Some first aid stuff too.”

“I can’t give you anything back for it,” Dot said.

“We both know two people are more likely to make it,” Shelby said.

She looked sunburned and hollowed out, a little hungrier than the last time Dot saw her, headed with her family to that military base. She was alone, and desperate, everyone was. Because here was how it went in Texas. You could trust a stranger as far as you could throw ‘em, but you needed people to live. So if you had people, you lived. And Dot was people, or as close to people as Shelby was willing to get. She musta lost a lot to lower her standards so far.

“Alright,” Dot said. “We’re gonna have to go slow and you’re gonna have to carry a lot of shit.”

“No problem,” Shelby beamed.

Back at the camp, an old rusting trailer with some battery Shelby told her she was saving for a rainy day, Shelby re-splinted her, fed and watered her, and they pooled their resources. Twenty-six cigs now, which might get ‘em a few hours in a safe car north, if they wanted it. Or it might get ‘em some food, or a get out of jail free card, depending on the hunger of the people hunting ‘em.

It was late at night when Dot realized she hadn’t even asked yet.

“Family’s gone then?”

“Yeah,” Shelby said. “You?”

“My dad died before this shit show,” Dot said.

“Lucky,” Shelby said. She took a swig from the mini, and passed it over to Dot. “What’s your plan?”

“I heard there was a safer spot near San Antonio,” Dot said. “Running water and shit.”

Shelby shook her head, “Gone, three weeks ago. Heard it on the radio.”

Dot nodded, “What about you?”

“Radio said Hawaii’s better,” Shelby said. “There’s an operation ferrying people there on the west coast. It’s a thousand cigs per person. But there’s work by the dock if you’re willing to do it.”

“Work for you?” Dot asked.

Shelby’s jaw tightened, “I’ll do what I have to do. Lord forgive me.”

Dot sighed, “Sounds like we go west then.”

They hung around in the trailer for three days, pushing the limits of what was safe, and stumbled on to a new place in the area at daybreak on the fourth day. Dot’s ankle wasn’t broken, with the inflatable cast Shelby had in a week or so she’d be something regarding useful, and as long as she didn’t push herself she’d be more than fine.

Spending time with Shelby Goodkind was another story. For one thing, despite the zombie apocalypse, complete destruction of their lives and modern society, the death of her family and everyone in their town, Shelby was still good and kind. She’d clutch at the cross around her neck every time they’d pass a body, and would never touch one, even the ones that were recent and obviously not stripped clean. It made Dot kinda mad, she found five cigs just walking, and she wondered how many Shelby passed off being squeamish.

But Shelby also wasn’t squeamish, wasn’t afraid to take down a zed with a kitchen knife, and with that same hand wipe the gore off Dot all gentle. She called her Dottie, gave her the last blanket, and always volunteered for the first shift so Dot could watch the sunrise. Dot hadn’t been cared for in a long while, hadn’t been around people in even longer. She decided she might love it.

But Shelby was a magnet, always had been, she talked about god’s light long enough that she got Dot believing it all fell on her. It wasn’t a real surprise when she showed up with a stray.

“What the fuck,” Dot said. “Did you kidnap a child?”

“I did not kidnap a child,” Shelby said, picking the girl up with some difficulty and lifting her onto the backseat of the broken down minivan they were holed up in.

“I sent you out to get sunscreen,” Dot said. “How did you come back with a child?”

“She’s our age,” Shelby said. “I think. And listen, I found her barricaded in a utility closet with a bad fever, I knew we had some tablets but I didn’t wanna leave her.”

“Like bite fever?” Dot asked. “We don’t have enough bullets to—”

“No,” Shelby shook her head, “Look,” she gently unwrapped a bandage around the girl’s arm, revealing a bad slice. “It’s infected. Not a bite. We’re okay.”

Dot sighed and nodded. The girl’d probably try and rob ‘em blind but if they watched her hands and got away fast enough they should be fine. They’d be fine.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth,” Dot muttered. Shelby smiled, all sweet and gentle and bright and Dot rolled her eyes.

The girl took the tablets, they washed and changed the bandages, after about fourteen hours she blinked awake, unfortunately while Dot was on watch.

“Who—who are you?”

“Dot Campbell,” she said.

The girl stared at her.

“My friend saved your ass,” Dot said. “Shelby.”

“Um,” the girl inched back, “Why? Where am I?”

“We’re on the twenty-two, not from from the ten-eighty,” Dot told her. “You got a nasty infection there, got any cigs?”

“No, I don’t smoke.”

Dot blinked at her. “Alright then.”

“My friends will be looking for me,” the girl said. “I should get back to them.” She didn’t have an accent, Dot realized, not even a thin one like her own.

“Shelby found you around Mr. K’s, we can draw you a map if you’d like,” Dot said. “Where you from?”

“Austin,” the girl lied, badly.

“Alright then,” Dot said again. “Well we’ll draw you a map in the mornin and you can leave a day break. It ain’t far.”

“Thank you,” the girl said. “For helping me.”

“Shelby’s idea,” Dot said. Neither of ‘em slept the whole time, the girl smart enough to keep an eye out, and Dot’s whole job to watch out. She woke Shelby up when she was supposed to and easily muddled into a slumber.

A nice thing, about the zombie apocalypse, was Dot had gotten a lot better at sleeping. She used to stay up for hours thinking ‘bout how she’d pay the bills, how much her dad’s meds cost, whether he was coughing more that night than he did most nights, but now she hit whatever soft looking rock she decided to call a pillow and conked out until Shelby woke her. Shelby, on the other hand, barely slept a wink, shooting up at the slightest sign of trouble, even when Dot was on watch. Too much time on her own, Dot’d guess.

Before Shelby Mateo wandered with Dot. He was quiet and sweet and she had took care of him as best she could. Shelby didn’t have nobody before Dot. Just her dead parents, and if Dot remembered eighth grade soccer well enough, a couple of dead siblings too.

So Dot pretty much conked out and missed the way the girl and Shelby giggled all night. But even she wasn’t blind to their bond when she woke, the way the girls smiled easily at one another, laughed with each other, kept up with each other.

“Dottie,” Shelby said. “Martha,” so that was the stranger’s name “said you told her we could draw her a map but Mr. K’s ain’t far, we might as well take her.”

Dot grunted, she didn’t wanna waste a day but it wasn’t like Mr. K’s would take all day and they might as well see if they could find any more cigs. She hadn’t met any non-smokers in a long while. Apocalypse sorta took the fun out of being straight-edge, if Dot had to guess.

Dot took the back, a metal bat out and ready, and Shelby and Martha took the front. Shelby had a makeshift spear made, good for longer range, but worse up close, and she gave Martha the other bat they had. To borrow, Dot had emphasized.

One of the other things that never got old about the apocalypse, was walking up a highway. Walking straight up that middle line, knowing no one would dare drive a car ‘round there. It felt like the world was yours and empty, like you were finding it, rebuilding it, building it. It was as close to a cowboy as she had felt since her daddy let her ride on his back. It was as close to free as she had ever felt.

They got back to Mr. K’s and Dot saw the approaching figures first, aiming her rifle right at ‘em, safety off and gun cocked, but her finger off the trigger. It was Shelby’s hunting rifle, actually, but she had handed it to Dot first chance she had, looking kinda pale. She had Dot’s old handgun now, useless with this kinda range.

“Live ones?” Shelby asked.

“Can’t tell,” Dot said. “Just kinda standing there.”

“They could be waiting for me,” Martha said. Dot glanced at her, hoping the girl wasn’t actually as naive as she seemed. She probably was.

They walked as close as they dared, before Martha was able to confirm that yes it was her friends.

She ran at ‘em and one of ‘em collided with her, slamming her into a hug. There were two more, just kinda watching Dot and Shelby.

“We should go,” Dot said. “We did what we said.”

“Dottie,” Shelby said.

Dot sighed and the two of ‘em trudged up to the happy pair, reuniting like they had been separated for years, decades, instead of a few hours. It was a miracle they were reunited at all, Mateo said he’d meet her back at the camp in an hour and she had to bash his head in six months later with a sledge hammer.

“Who’re your friends, Martha?” One of the other people asked. It was four girls counting Martha, lucky, none of ‘em white, but they all looked around the same age as Dot and Shelby.

“This is Shelby,” Martha grinned, “And Dot.”

Dot nodded at them.

“I am just so pleased to make your acquaintance,” Shelby smiled, holding out her hand to the girl who still had an arm wrapped around Martha.

“This is Toni,” Martha said, squeezing the girl’s side when she didn’t take Shelby’s hand. “And Rachel and Nora.”

“Ah,” Shelby smiled, “Toni your sister right?”

Martha nodded, Toni glared. “Yeah it’s great to meet you or whatever. There a reason you kidnapped Martha?”

“I saw her passed out and worried she was alone,” Shelby explained. “I knew we had some tablets back at the camp but—”

“What do you want?” Rachel asked. “We got about six hundred if that’s—” Martha from Austin, Dot’s ass. Money hadn’t meant shit in Texas for awhile. These kids were from up north, probably pretty far up north too. Maine or some shit. Delaware.

“Got any cigs?” Dot asked.

“Yes,” Nora said. “We have a couple packs.”

“Great,” Dot held out her hands and two packs were dropped into them. Nora didn’t make eye contact the entire time, her hands fidgeting with anything. She was covered in scabs and scars, picking at her own skin probably.

“Where y’all headed?” Shelby asked.

“None of your business,” Toni said.

“Apparently the San Antonio Zone relocated to Tyler,” Martha said. “We heard some people talking about it last week.”

“Y’all got a radio?” Dot asked.

Martha shook her head.

“If you had one you’d know that that’s what they’re pulling now, telling people to go to Tyler, they shoot you as soon as you step foot in Athens.”

“So where are you guys headed?” Rachel demanded.

“West,” Shelby said. “Radio says they’re ferrying clean folks to Hawaii. It’s an island so.”

“Clean how?” Rachel asked, taking a step forward and lifting her jaw.

Dot sighed.

Shelby’s eyes widened, “Clean as in not infected, I mean.”

“Chill,” Rachel smiled, all thin, “I was kidding.”

“Great,” Dot said. “Not that this hasn’t been fun, but we should be going.”

“Wait,” Martha said. “It’s just, we might as well go west too. And we might as well go west together.”

“Marty,” Toni grabbed her by her uninjured arm, “I wanna talk to you for a moment.”

They got into a whispered argument for a few minutes. Rachel joined and it escalated but Martha came out on top, smiling as she approached them.

“We might as well go together,” she repeated.

Shelby’s smile was just as wide, “We would be alighted to have you.”

The new girls were a nightmare. Rachel and Nora, sisters as Dot would learn, hated one another. And by hated Dot meant, had a complicated relationship of love without trust or mutual respect. Nora didn’t trust Rachel, Rachel didn’t respect Nora, and they were constantly going at one another. Toni had some sorta toxic jealousy thing going on, despising Shelby because she was monopolizing Martha. She also tended to fly into these rages, making her wander off for long periods that had Dot itching to grab her gun and demanding the girl strip to check for bites. Mateo’s dad used to do the same thing, wander off to check his bite.

Shelby also was wholly focused on two things now: Martha, and Toni’s hate. Dot ambled along behind all of ‘em, keeping the sisters from killing each other, Toni’s voice down, and everyone else alive.

The worst part was it took Dot nearly three days before she caught sight of it.

“You have one hand,” Dot glared at Rachel. Rachel slung the pack over her shoulder.

“You’re just noticing that now?” Rachel asked. “I must be getting better with it.”

“The fuck happened?” Dot said.

“My hand got bit,” Rachel shrugged. “Cut it off before it spread, didn’t even know it would work.”

Dot whistled, low and quiet, like they were all used to being.

“I cut it off,” Nora corrected, sullenly.

Rachel rolled her eyes.

“I’m still quicker on the draw than you,” Rachel said, the words clunky in her mouth.

Dot set her jaw, “So y’all are sticking with the story that you’re from Austin?”

“We’re from New York,” Nora said. Rachel glared at her. “What? You think some group would waste three days on four teenage girls?”

“New York?” Dot asked. “Everyone knows it’s safer up north, why the hell are you down here?”

“You hear about Yonkers?” Rachel asked.

Dot shook her head.

“It was the last op the US military set up before they fell apart. We’d made it out by then but we watched it happen on the news. Someone in a group we had still had a phone and the whole thing was live streamed. All of the death. The group were supposed to go to some military bases up in Canada but we wanted a wide open space with plenty of guns.”

“Texas,” Dot said.

Rachel nodded.

“Stupid,” Dot told her. “You probably came for San Antonio too.”

Rachel sighed, “Nobody was gonna survive those Canadian winters without a base, and we weren’t sure we were gonna get one. Rather get bit than freeze.”

“How’d you meet Toni and Martha?” Dot asked.

“Toni and I got into a fistfight over some Takis,” Rachel said.

Dot nodded, “Fuego?”

“Fuego.”

And yeah they were a nightmare but quicker than Dot wanted they became her nightmare. Still though, she dragged Shelby away from Martha and Toni’s sides, and muttered, “we can still go. Ditch if you want. Whenever. We don’t know ‘em.”

Shelby, in high school, woulda been scandalized, muttered some bible passage at her. This Shelby was a little more grown and only looked at her all serious.

“You knew what I was when you picked me up,” she said. “And I knew what Martha was. We’ll face our consequences, I reckon.”

Dot nodded.

Walking all day, everyday, wasn’t easy stuff. Especially since they had to strip as many bodies as they could find. Nora figured it out pretty quick, mumbling something to Rachel who recruited Toni to storm over to Dot.

“You don’t smoke them, but you’re hoarding them,” Rachel said. “Why?”

Dot kept her easy pace. “These things are currency now, the value’ll only go up over time.”

“Currency for what?” Toni asked. “What are you trying to buy?”

“You think a ferry to Hawaii is free?” Dot asked. “I’m saving for all of us.”

“Dottie,” Shelby walked over, Martha sticking by Nora, “What’s up?”

“How much?” Toni asked. “Really, how much?”

“A hundred each,” Dot said, too quickly.

“Try again,” Rachel said.

“Dot,” Shelby got between them, looking at Dot. “Thou shalt not lie, right? Tell ‘em the truth.” Dot glared at her and Shelby turned back around to Rachel. “It’s five hundred each. We got about a hundred now, so no one’s going to Hawaii.”

“What if there aren’t enough?” Toni asked. “Who decides then?”

“We’ll draw straws,” Shelby said.

It was as easy a solution as anything but the tenseness started building up, Rachel and Toni viewing Dot with more suspicion. It’d fade, over time, Dot knew. Or they’d all die.

The worst it got, was actually Shelby’s doing, the easy peace maker of it all. They hadn’t bothered building a fire, despite how cold and exposed it got in Texas at night, but they huddled together between three cars they found abandoned along the highway that they pushed into a triangle. Someone got to the seat cushions of all three first, so there was nothing comfortable to lie their heads on. It was easy for Dot though, the asphalt as soft as anything to her now.

They stayed up later than they should’ve talking. Trading stories about their old life that all of them knew weren’t doing any good. Toni played basketball, was pretty good at it too. Rachel had a skill for swimming she’d never have again. Nora did quiz bowl, surprising no one. Dot talked about metal, fishing with her dad, what types of pills sold for what. Martha was a dancer, and a vegetarian once. It was something that made ‘em all crack up. When humans become man eating beasts, and once upon a time there were jokes online about vegans. Shelby talked about the yearbook, mission trips, Andrew.

But then cause Shelby started it by prattling on about Andrew Toni got it in her head to talk about Regan and Shelby was talking about Leviticus.

The next morning, Rachel quietly pulled Dot aside and told her to take all the cigarettes and head out. That they could make their own way west. Dot didn’t ask for an invitation to go with her.

They split off at the twenty-five, Dot and Shelby heading for the forty, Toni, Martha, Rachel, and Nora heading for the sixty.

Shelby was heartbroken for a few days, apologetic too, and grateful. Dot didn’t let her have any of that, only said, “It’s cause we’re from the same town. We might be the only ones from there left.”

They trudged on.

In Arizona Dot found the love of her life, her soulmate, Fatin Jadmani. In a completely straight way too. Fatin matched her tit for tat, spoke a language Dot hadn’t realized she’d been born knowing. Her girlfriend was an anxious woman named Leah, who Shelby got on with. Dot had worried, upon bringing the two back to camp, that Shelby would chase ‘em away again, but she hadn’t. Just smiled at the two of them, easily offering up a couple granola bars.

Whenever tenseness came about Fatin just laughed, and Leah rolled her eyes. It wasn’t perfect, Dot knew, there was too much hate for that, but it would last ‘em long enough. The four of ‘em just worked in this great lovely way.

Only problem was their destination.

“We barely managed to get out of LA,” Leah mumbled, she hugged her legs, her head leaning on Fatin’s shoulder.

“LA?” Shelby asked. “That’s where we’re headed.”

“What the fuck?” Fatin glared at Dot, “Dorthy I thought you had more sense than that.”

“There’s some military guys ferrying people to Hawaii,” Dot said.

“Where’d you hear that, the radio?” Fatin asked. She sighed at their nods, “They’re broadcasting out to whoever will hear it, but there is no ferry to Hawaii. The entire thing is just selling and shipping as many girls out as possible. We have no idea where though.”

“So when you say you barely made it out,” Dot said.

Fatin’s face was grim.

“We have to warn ‘em,” Shelby said.

“Warn who?” Dot asked.

“Toni and the others! They don’t know!” Shelby stood up. “I’ll plot out the course now and we’ll start out fresh tomorrow. We aren’t leaving ‘em to—to—we aren’t leaving ‘em.” She stormed off and Dot watched her go.

“She wants to go towards LA to help some motherfuckers who kicked you out of their group?” Fatin asked.

“Yeah,” Dot said.

“Are you gonna go with her?” Leah asked.

“I knew what she was when I picked her up,” Dot said.

“What do you wanna do?” Leah asked Fatin.

Fatin pressed her cheek to Leah’s head, “I don’t know if I can risk you.” Fatin looked at Dot, “Are you gonna be stupid?”

“No,” Dot said.

“Then we’ll come,” Fatin sighed. “Leah that okay?” Leah nodded.

Neither of ‘em were as good at offing zed as Shelby and Dot. Fatin was decent at finding stuff though, scoping stuff, and Leah had endurance none of the rest of ‘em could match. She was like a zed sometimes, just kept going, could keep going, until her knees wore down to dust and then she’d crawl, crawl until her fingers wore down to nubs and then she’d inch, inch until something put her out of her misery. It terrified Fatin and Shelby, but Dot couldn’t help being impressed.

So Dot ambled after Shelby toward Bethlehem on the forty but they were gonna leap back on the interstate and hopefully head ‘em off. Hopefully Martha, Toni, Rachel, and Nora’d be alive, and they’d find ‘em. And if they didn’t find ‘em, hopefully they’d be dead. And Shelby stopped sleeping about a day or two into trek. Would just keep staring at the maps and keeping watch, and taking inventory and thumbing around her necklace.

When Dot woke up on the third day of their walk, Shelby’s hair was much shorter and Fatin looked real scared. Shelby kept walking and walking and, in a fit of rage that matched Toni’s, launched her necklace off the highway. She looked like she regretted it after but they had no choice but to keep going.

They passed an arm and it looked like Rachel’s.

Shelby walked faster. Leah had that glint in her eye. Fatin took Dot’s hand and looked very very scared.

After two more days Shelby said fuck it, and found a car with some gas in it and told 'em to get in.

Dot stood in front, “Shelby,” Shelby glared at her, “This’ll attract every body in the fucking country. The sound, the smell, I’m not just talking about the dead ones neither.”

Shelby swallowed hard, “You gonna stay behind then?”

“Shelby,” Dot said. “If you leave me here I’ll get caught up in the hoard. That what you want?”

“Get in the damn car, Dottie!” Shelby said.

“If we get to ‘em in time, but there’s a fucking hoard following us, we won’t have anywhere to go but on,” Dot said. “Fucking think!”

“I am thinking,” Shelby spat back. She shoved Dot, “I’m thinking about Toni, and Martha walking from Minnesota to Texas only to die in California. I’m thinking about Nora and Rachel watching Yonkers fall and then getting shipped off to who knows where. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“Shelby we can make it,” Leah said.

“No we can’t!” Shelby said. “I’ve done the math, I keep looking at these maps, there’s no way we’ll make it in time without a mode of transportation. No car and they die.”

“Then what the fuck are we going there?” Dot asked. “If it’s too late—”

“It is not too late!” Shelby said, her throat was all closed and choked sounding. “I can save ‘em! Jesus fuckin Christ we have to help ‘em!”

“Shelby,” Dot said, she put a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t take a car, and we can’t make it by foot,” Shelby’s face crumpled. “They’re gone, alright? We should be planning our next move.”

“No,” Leah said. She shook her head, “We have to help them.”

“You don’t even know ‘em,” Dot said.

“I’m not letting four innocent girls go through what I nearly went through,” Leah said.

“I’m with Leah,” Fatin said. “We’ll take the car and play it by ear.”

“Play the-hoard-that-will-start-coming-after-us-the-second-we-turn-on-the-engine by ear?” Dot asked.

“Let’s vote,” Shelby said. “All in favor of going?”

Fatin, Leah, and Shelby all raised their hands.

“C’mon,” Dot begged. She looked at Fatin, “You told me not to be stupid!”

“So don’t be stupid,” Fatin said. “Get in the car.”

Dot sighed, wanted to punch something, wanted to cry, was too tired to do either, got in the car.

The car attracted so many fucking zed, they wouldn’t be able to stop, and they had to hope there was enough in the fucking tank to get them to wherever the four were. Dot watched the dead bodies creep closer, at their slow hobbling, relentless pace. Fatin drove, Shelby used her pike to spear any who got too close, Dot watched the maps and steadily got herself into a panic.

They were gonna die trying to save the asses of some girls they spent a couple days with.

This was not what Shelby was when Dot picked her up, this was not what she was. Shelby had gone behind Dot’s back and fucking grown as a person, hadn’t she? How the fuck was Dot gonna get away from her? She’d have to pack Fatin in a suitcase and then Leah too and that would mean entirely abandoning Shelby to be on her lonesome oh god.

Dot was stuck, wasn’t she.

As they kept driving Shelby had to keep spearing zed. It started off as one or two, but as the hours wore on they were leaning on five, six, a steady growing mass ambling behind ‘em.

If that had really been Rachel’s arm, they were probably dead. All of ‘em. Or maybe in the mass behind ‘em. And if they weren’t, they’d hear the car coming and head for the hills, assuming it meant a hoard was close behind. Which it was.

This was such a fucking terrible idea.

“So what, we just wait for a sign to say welcome to LA and then give up? We won’t find ‘em like this,” Dot said.

“Shut up!” Shelby said, she speared another.

“At least check you ain’t offing one of ours,” Dot said. “They could all be zed, for all we know.”

“I said shut up,” Shelby turned to glare at her and a zed slammed against the door. She speared it and Dot’s mouth clamped shut. “We just gotta keep going,” she said. “We’ll be fine, we just gotta keep moving.”

“You’re crazy,” Dot said.

Shelby didn’t have anything to say to that.

It was worse at nightfall, with visibility down, and they just had to keep going, to hope their car wasn’t stripped when they went over the bumps of mutilated corpses still hungry for a last meal.

“We’re almost to LA,” Shelby said. “We got nearly a hundred cigs, we might be able to bribe someone if they jump us.”

Leah snorted.

They were driving through an empty enough part of Nevada though, less corpses hurling themselves off the road and towards them. Still the ever growing mass behind ‘em now, maybe fifty, seventy five, but about twenty out.

“I gotta piss,” Dot said.

“Hurry,” Fatin said.

Dot stumbled out, no one noticing her grabbing her pack. The zed would follow the car, she’d make a clean break. She’d survive.

She was only seven minutes south, judging by the north star Shelby taught her to find when someone’s hand grabbed her. She pulled out her hand gun, jamming it into the head and flicking the safety off.

“Dot! Jesus Christ!”

The girl was wide-eyed, tan, hollowed out, empty and desperate. Reminded her of the empty pill bottles around her house after her dad died.

“Toni?”

Toni nodded, “Why are you here? Fuck that I don’t give a shit, you got water?” Dot handed it to her and Toni downed it. “The other’s are close, c’mon.” She stumbled as she got up, clearly dizzy, and Dot grabbed her forearm.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you guys,” Dot said.

“Don’t tell me it’s you in the fucking car,” Toni said. “We’ve been running from that thing for ages.”

“I fucking told Shelby,” Dot said.

“Shelby?” Toni asked, she was almost too exhausted to sound disgusted, but she managed it.

“Listen, LA isn’t safe, we found out. They’re not taking kids to Hawaii, they’re taking them.”

Toni went pale, “Fuck.” She even sounded choked now. “Shelby’s having a fucking aneurysm worrying about you so I don’t even think she’s that fucking homophobic. I’ll get everyone back to the car, you tell ‘em I’m coming.”

Toni nodded, stumbling towards the street and Dot walked back to the direction Toni pointed to before she left. Rachel, Nora, and Martha were all in various points of disarray. Exhausted, dehydrated, starving, aching and bleeding. Dot had to half carry, half drag Nora with Martha and Rachel had to get a stick to lean on as they stumbled toward the street.

“We got like ten minutes,” Fatin said. “People are gonna have to double buckle, and before anyone else makes a decision, we’re going north.”

Dot strapped everyone in and found herself sitting next to Shelby who met her eyes in a hundred yard stare.

“You took your pack.”

“Yeah.”

“But you came back.”

“Yeah.”

“Fine.”

They started on again. Dot saw Toni keep sneaking glances at Shelby and Shelby kept sneaking ‘em back.

They weren’t far from Mt. Tobin when the two finally stopped dancing around each other.

Dot convinced everyone to ditch the car near LA, walking as quickly as they could once they did, knowing it’d take awhile to ditch the hoard too. Dot watched Toni talk to Shelby in low tones, Shelby full of apologies and panics and Toni keeping her cool longer than Dot had ever seen it.

Martha took to Fatin quickly, everyone did, and Nora and Leah spent long hours walking beside each other mumbling about books or something. Not anything Dot gave two shits about.

Rachel ambled along with Dot most of the time. Whenever Fatin and Leah were all over each other and Dot didn’t feel like third wheeling. Rachel was always listening to the radio and as time passed it became clear that the two of them were the most capable of keeping everyone alive. And not in a more knowledgable way. Because Nora knew what plants were edible, and Shelby was a better shot. Or in an emotional way, because Fatin and Martha handled that. But in a planning sorta way. Because Dot knew how to get them to point B, while Rachel was working on point E.

“We should go to Washington,” Rachel muttered on one of the late nights they spent keeping watch while they poured over maps. “We might be able to find a boat to Victoria.”

“Victoria?” Rachel pointed her out.

“It’s a Canadian island. Canada lasted a little longer than we did, Victoria might not be in such a bad way.”

“Less guns in Canada,” Dot said. “And there might not be a boat that’ll take us there. Plus, we don’t know the currency.”

“We’re eight teenage girls,” Rachel pointed out. “We stick around so close to Cali, we’re asking for trouble. We need to put an ocean between us and whatever the fuck they’re doing there.”

Dot sighed. So they’d go to Washington.

On the way they’d probably run into another group who’d tell them Washington was overrun but there was something decent in Wisconsin. Half way to Wisconsin someone would tell ‘em their information was bad and they need to get south where there were guns and space. They’d almost be in Georgia when someone would tell ‘em there was some real government up in New York again.

They’d follow pipe dream to pipe dream to pipe dream. They’d probably die young.

Toni curled around Shelby, holding Martha’s hand. Fatin and Leah held on for dear life. Rachel didn’t take her eyes off Nora. Dot watched them all.

Yeah they’d probably die young. Better than dying alone.

#gus writes #the wilds #the wilds fanfic #goodfoe fanfic #shoni #leatin fanfic #leatin #dot campbell #leah rilke #fatin jadmani #shelby goodkind #toni shalifoe #rachel reid #nora reid #martha blackburn #the unsinkable 8 #the unsinkable eight

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quirkdotcom · 4 years

Text

Hey everyone !! I am super excited to post this as part of a collab with my fellow members of BNHA Sanctuary! The prompt was " _____ is concerned bc (y/n) isn't sleeping." I chose Izuku Midoriya as my character because he needs a little more love ! So I hope everyone enjoys! Don't forget to check out the other collab writers fics too !!

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Technically, Midoriya wasn't supposed to have anyone over in his dorm, even in college he had tried to follow that rule knowing that if he didn't, Iida would probably find out and scold him, but as he flipped over and looked just above your shoulder, his All Might themed alarm clock read out "4:12AM" with red numbers, and he gave a small sigh.

Tonight was one of the first nights that you had been able to sleep before 5am, but the reason was unknown. Midoriya had asked you plenty of times, each time you resulted in you shaking your head vigorously and eyes watering until he just hugged you tightly, saying that you would find another time to talk about it.

Slowly, scooted closer to you, wrapping an arm around your side, pulling you closer to him.

The movement, which Izuku had thought he was being slow with, actually woke you up. You blinked a few times before turning and nuzzling into his chest, quietly mumbling, "Are you awake Izu?"

"I'm definitely sleeping…are you awake (Y/n)?"

You hummed, starting to wake up more now, "A little bit," Yet despite your words, you didn't make any effort to move, "What time is it?"

"4:14 in the morning," he responded, pulling back a little so he could look at you

Slowly you sat up, pulling yourself free from his grasp, suddenly wide awake.

"Baby?" He sat up next, eyeing you slightly as growing concern seeped in.

You looked back to him, offering up a smile, "Don't worry Izu, I'm still tired enough to sleep,"

He seemed to relax some, the tension slowly leaving his body, "I'm glad then, because I think it's too early to get up for the day, and that's coming from me of all people," he then proceeded to lay back down, hugging the comforter to his chest

You laughed lightly, then paused, letting out a heavy breath, "Hey Izuku, I owe you an explanation, I shouldn't make you worry all the time and have to have me over in your dorm like this,"

Again, he sat up, scooting closer to where you were sitting, "Whatever the reason is, I'd be happy to help you over and over again, okay?"

You nodded, leaning against him, glad to have that reassurance of support.

"Well...my quirk has some nasty side effects…" You paused, closing your eyes and allowing the shadow like mass begin to rise from your body.

It was a lot like Tokoyami's dark shadow in the sense that it was almost another being but attached to you. It could take a multitude of shapes, and most items couldn't pass through it, rather instead would get stuck to it.

Most of the time you used it to create a large beast of sorts, and it only grew stronger from the fear or unease of your opponents.

However it's main and personal drawback was arguably the worst.

"When I don't use my quirk enough, it turns on me in my dreams…well nightmares. The Mass as I call it, separates from me and chases me down. In the end it envelops me and...well I start to suffocate. So I've been staying up late to try and put off the dreams as long as I can,"

In the dark of the room, your quirk was even more unsettling. It looked to be wriggling around, crawling amongst the edges of the room. But the one area it wouldn't go near, was the spot where Midoriya sat.

Instinctively he wrapped his arms around you, feeling your trembles. He thought for some time about what you had said until finally, he knew what the root of this issue was.

"(Y/n) my love, don't let it feed off you,"

You turned at his comment, looking up to him, his oddly calm demeanor throwing you off guard. Normally, most people tended to draw back from you and your quirk, but Midoriya never did.

"You said that your quirk grows stronger when people are scared or uneasy, and I think that it applies to you as well. It's easily taken over the whole room by now. "

As you looked to the room, watching as the Mass would slink around the room, at times catching a ray of moonlight, seemingly drowning the light in itself.

The longer you looked, the more it started to grow, your heart raced, you couldn't find a spot for your eyes to stop, they just kept looking. No one spot in the room was safe from it's grasp.

Before you could fall further into its depths, two arms circled around your waist, pulling you close, "(Y/n)...you're safe…"

All at once, the mass receded, leaving the room as it was before.

With that, you laid down, pulling Izuku with you. While you didn't fall asleep very fast, you still knew that you'd be able to come back tomorrow to try again.

And you did. You continued to do so for about a week, every night repeating as it had been the first night of that week.

You still got hardly any sleep, and were starting to fall behind in both your classes and your training. In fact, there would be times where he would catch you fighting the urge to doze off while just hanging out with friends.

Midoriya found himself asking for the help of your best and closest friend.

"Hey, Tanako, can I ask you something?"

The water vortex hero-in-training looked up, as she was currently focusing on a book, "First, Midoriya, you can call me by my first name by now, but what's up?"

"Ah sorry Katsumi…" he gave a sheepish smile and took a seat across from the brunette, "You know how (Y/n) stays up all the time? I've been trying to help them but...nothing is working,"

Katsumi dog eared a corner to her book, closing it as she hummed, "Well, when we were younger, we used to sleep in forts, and had lights strung up so that it wasn't so dark," she met brown eyes to his green ones, "I'm not sure if it would work now...but I think it's worth a shot. "

Izuku nodded, standing back up, "I'll need to get some lights then..and figure out a good setup for a fort, Thanks Katsumi ! Have fun reading!"

He started to walk away but didn't get too far before your friend called back out to him.

"Oh and Midoriya, thank you. We've all gotten pretty worried for (Y/n),"

He nodded, turning back and going over his plan in his head.

His first stop would be the store, finding some fairy lights to hang up. He also decided to buy a few extra blankets, and another pillow.

With that being done, he headed back to the university dorms, making his way to his own and luckily for him, he had some time before you were supposed to come over.

He started to move things around, pulling the bed over towards the window, and his desk to the other wall. From there, Izuku started to round up all his extra blankets, grabbing extra tacks to hold them up.

What took up the most of his time was the fact that he couldn't settle on a good way to have the blankets and the overall shape of the fort, after all he only had so much room to work with.

In fact, he was still working on putting up the blankets by the time you had let yourself into his dorm.

"Uh..Izuku?"

Midoriya jumped lightly, and turned around to face you, a blush spreading across his face as he realized he had been caught, "Uh..surprise?"

You took a moment to look around his dorm, noticing the changes in where your bed was, and where he was currently sitting, blankets in hand.

"Are you...building a fort?"

Despite all the evidence you had already seen, he quickly glanced around and hid the blanket behind his back, smiling embarrassedly, "I uh...I was..I mean yeah but…"

But to his surprise, you barked out a laugh, letting your bag slide off your shoulders and to the floor as you made your way over to him, "That's cute ! Let me help!"

And so, together you both figured out the best set up, easily hanging up the blankets and lights, then using the rest of the blankets to create a comfy space on the floor underneath the fort. Midoriya pulled out his laptop, playing your favorite movie and starting it as you grabbed a few snacks.

Once fully settled in, he wrapped his arms around you, and let you rest your head against his body.

In his arms was perhaps the safest spot for you to be. He was warm, comfortable and you knew that you wouldn't have any troubles as long as he held onto you. In fact, you could hardly keep your eyes open in the moment.

Within the next ten minutes you fell fast asleep. Izuku flicked his eyes to the clock in the corner of his laptop, smiling as he read that it was only around 9:38pm. H3 let out a small and content sigh, holding you a little tighter and closed his own eyes, getting ready to sleep, letting the movie play out in the background.

"I love you, (Y/n)..." he murmured, though you couldn't hear him, he was sure that you knew...and you did.

#boku no hero academia #my hero academia #boku no hero academia x reader #my hero academia x reader #bnha #bnha izuku #izuku mydoria #midoriya izuku #mha izuku #midoriya x y/n #Midorya x reader #Izuku x reader #deku #mha deku #bnha deku #deku x reader

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not-close-to-straight · 4 years

Text

Lost and Found (Sixteen)

Ughhhh Tissues Needed

Also Generic WS-typical warning for mentions of slightly torture-y things

MASTERLIST HERE

*****************

“Sir, could I remind you that use of this particular suit results in more wear on the arc reactor? With numbers pushing 70%, surely you don’t want to risk it?”

Tony called James from the suit as it blasted towards Washington D.C., ignoring the warning numbers on the screen as the arc reactor surged to maintain the suits demand for power and the projected poison levels in his blood climbed higher.

“Tony?”

Just hearing James’s voice made Tony’s resolve falter, and he was glad he’d programmed in the auto pilot for D.C. as the need to turn around and forget what he’d learned, forget about Project Resurrection and the Ghost Protocol climbed strangling up his throat.

“Hey.” he tried for bright, but was afraid it only came out miserable. “Why don’t you fly out to DC tonight? Have Pepper come with you in the jet. I have to get to a meeting that’s taken about three years to arrange, so I took a suit.”

“I can just wait till you get home again, sugar.” Happy called something in the background and James laughed and the sound almost killed Tony. “What sorta meeting was so important it took three years to set up?”

“Nothing you should worry about.” Tony lied. “But it would be fun to have dinner in D.C. or something, right? I’d like to see you tonight.”

James’s voice got soft, “Dunno how I feel about getting back into D.C. but I’d like to see you tonight too. You feeling better? Last night you were real tired.”

“I’m feeling better.” Tony promised and he’d never lied so much in his life. “Let me know when you guys land and I’ll send a car for you. See you soon?”

“See you real soon, sweet thing.”

********

From Rhodey: Pep says you’re in D.C.? If you aren’t sucking face with soldier boy, let’s get dinner.

From Tony: Only if it’s one of those giant steak eating places.

From Rhodey: Tones, last time we ate at one of those I threw up for three days.

From Tony: And you were gorgeous the entire time.

From Rhodey: I hate you

From Tony: Smooches!

It was so damn easy to lie over text message, maybe that was how Tony should handle every conversation from now until 100%.

It was warm out, but Tony still wore a long sleeve to hide the handcuff on his wrist that attached to the briefcase at his side. Eventually--if he had time-- he was going to tap the tech into a watch that would form into a gauntlet and then a suit from there but for now he had to carry the admittedly stylishly packaged armor at his side.

JARVIS was right, using the suit took more energy than the other ones simply because it assembled in place instead of using robotics to piece together around him, but it had been worth it to get to D.C. so quickly...

...and it would be worth it tonight if everything went right and he needed to leave. If everything fell into place the way it should, but the way Tony kept secretly hoping it wouldn’t, he would leave and not take anyone with him so the suit was perfect.

Perfectly like a prison he kept willingly locking himself into and wasn’t that a piece of poetry worthy of writing down or at the very least making into a tragic movie or maybe he could request it got put in his biography because there should be at least one true thing amidst all the crap they were going to write about Tony Stark.

At least one line should be truth, even if everything else was written by people who had never known him at all.

But he shouldn’t think about that. Not yet. Not at only seventy percent, he had another ten maybe fifteen percent before he had to think about a biography, right?

Right?

Christ, it was getting hard to think.

The SHIELD headquarters were ostentatious and ugly, an eyesore at the banks of the river and a clear warning to anyone who thought to look twice at the city and dare to take a shot. The Pentagon might house the dressed up generals who gave out orders, but SHIELD was the real power behind the United States Government right now.

The ugly building housed all the best minds, all the best weaponry, and spoke of a clearly visible statement Director Fury and Secretary Pierce had been less and less subtle about in the past few years-- Fuck. Off. America is done playing nice.

Not that Tony blamed them for being so blatantly bold. There was no need to be subtle when there was an actual legendary super soldier leading the charge to protect America’s interests both at home and abroad, right?

Tony and Fury met in a little cafe along the river, the eatery quiet and unobtrusive in a way that was meant to be as visibly invisible as possible. There was nothing particularly interesting about the staff or their uniforms, the menu didn’t boast anything that would garner extra attention, there was never a chalkboard out front with a gimmick or sale to draw pedestrians in to try a daily special.

It was the sort of cafe someone either went to as a habit, or never even noticed on their commute and it was exactly the sort of cafe where Nick Fury preferred to get his tuna melt sandwich.

“Well this is quaint and terrible.” Tony sat down across from Fury with suitcase settled between his feet and sunglasses firmly on his face. “What happened to high profile business meetings at steakhouses, or at the very least good greasy pizza? And are you eating a tuna melt? With a fork?”

“Contrary to what you might believe, my Ma didn’t raise a heathen.” Fury was a sight to behold in his trademark trench coat, intimidating eye patch and somehow more intimidating single eye, a napkin tucked neatly at his collar and a knife and fork held daintily to cut his sandwich into bite sized pieces. “And this isn’t as good as hers used to be, but it does just fine for our conversation today.”

“Alright then.” Tony motioned to the waiter, and pointed towards Fury’s plate. “Could I have the same thing please? Make mine with pickles.”

“You’re pushing it.” Fury warned. “You don’t disrespect a sandwich by putting pickles on it.”

“Ma’am, would you make that extra pickles please?”

“Damn you, Stark.”

“Don’t tell me how to eat a sandwich and I won’t tell you to not do all of--” Tony made a vague motion to encompass all of Fury’s look. “--all of this. You look like the Grim Reaper.”

“And you look like a man the Grim Reaper isn’t too far from visiting.” Fury stabbed his fork at Tony bluntly. “Lookin’ like chicken shit these days, Stark. What’s going on?”

“Nothing that matters.” Tony waved off the Director’s sarcastic concern. “I need to talk to you about two things and then we can move on.”

The Director made a ‘go ahead’ motion and went back to eating. Tony watched the knife and fork dissection of a perfectly respectable tuna melt for a moment and then stated, “I don’t trust Pierce. I went to his party a few weeks ago and got a real sketchy vibe from him.”

“Uh-huh.” Fury nodded. “And?”

“And since you have the whole all seeing eye thing going on, I thought you’d want to know.” Tony smiled up at the waitress when she brought him the sandwich, and with eyes firmly on Fury, took a huge bite and crunched deliberately through the pickles. “How do you feel about him lately?”

“I feel like the world’s most reckless billionaire should be more concerned about the effects all that poisoning is having on your complexion and less about what those of us in trench coats are doing.” Fury wiped his mouth and pointed over his shoulder to someone Tony couldn’t see. “Brace yourself, Stark.”

“Brace myself for wha---OW!” Tony jumped when a needle jammed into his neck, delivered courtesy of one rather spandexy clad Natalie Rushman. “Christ! Natalie, what the fuck!?”

“I forgot you still think her name is Natalie.” Fury pushed his plate away and then dragged a chair over for the redhead. “Tony Stark, meet Natasha Romanov. Former KGB agent, former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, former traitor to that particular country and defector to this one, and currently my favorite agent at SHIELD.”

Tony rubbed at his neck a few times and scowled at Fury, then over at Natalie/Natasha. “Former KGB? That was dismantled in ‘91, and you’re only twenty four. Nice try.”

“You do pass for a very convincing twenty four, Tasha.” Fury took a sip of his water. “In fact Mr. Stark, Natasha here is an absolute beauty at the ripe old age of--”

“--you tell him I’m a day over thirty and I’ll cut your tongue out.” Natasha said coolly, and Tony blanched but Fury didn’t so much as blink. “Tony, I just gave you a shot of lithium dioxide. It’s not going to solve anything with the palladium, but it’s going to temporarily slow down the effects so you can focus. I know you’ve been struggling with it for a while, there’s no other way to explain how scattered you’ve been.”

“First you stab me, then you insult me? You are fired.” Tony breathed in slow and purposeful, then out again when his headache started to ease thanks to the hypodermic hit to the neck. “Warn a fella before you shank him, is this foreplay to you scary spandex types?”

Natasha gave him one of those always consistently enigmatic smirks and Tony accused, “How’d you get here so fast? Pretty sure Pepper told me you two were shopping today. In fact, I’m pretty sure she took the jet to Vegas just to spend a gross amount of money.”

“The moment you hung up with Director Fury I excused myself from Ms. Potts and headed towards D.C from Vegas.” Natasha held up her hand to stop the next words from Tony. “And yes, I know there’s no civilian aircraft that could possibly get me to D.C. faster than your suit would, but you left an hour or so after me and also, as everyone is now aware, I am not a civilian.”

Still literally and figuratively wounded from the jab to the neck, Tony only huffed at the redhead and went back to eating because honestly, a new secretary turning out to be a secret spy wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened. At least she was on their side, right? Later Tony could get a little hysterical about having a former KGB agent helping him pick out ties, but for right now, he had other things on his mind.

“Alright then. Ms. Romanov. How do you feel about Secretary Pierce?”

“I don’t think that’s the question you’ve come to ask.” Natasha deflected, green eyes glittering curiously. “So ask the other one.”

“Okay I will.” Tony put his sandwich down and pleated the napkin between his fingers until it tore. “How long have the two of you known the hundred year old prisoner of war Sergeant James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was camping out in my house in Malibu?”

“If it makes you feel any better?” Director Fury shrugged. “We just thought he was the Winter Soldier. Wasn’t one hundred percent on the Barnes angle until recently.”

“The Winter Soldier.” Tony repeated, and this time his mind snapped into place with out the stuttered click click click of trying to process. It was almost like being him again and even though Tony knew the lithium oxide was a poison all in itself, he was already wondering how many shots of it he could take to remain lucid up until the end. “Ghost assassin from the sixties and seventies, silver arm, once thought to be Steve Rogers risen from the ice and back to seek revenge. It was James, instead. Product of Hydra experimentation, amiright?”

“And then some.” Fury nodded. “When Project Resurrection came to be and the Captain woke up, he asked for his best pal Bucky and then his best gal Peggy in exactly that order. SHIELD had been aware of the Winter Soldier for decades, but we couldn’t have imagined the connection to the missing Sergeant Barnes. The Captain saw a surveillance photo, said he’d recognize that scowl anywhere, and went off half feral trying to track him down.”

“Half-feral.” Tony glanced between the two of them. “Captain America. Are you serious?”

“I spent almost two years at his side.” Natasha spoke up. “Half feral is an understatement. I’ve never seen a man so determined to burn the world down if it meant finding his friend.”

“Two years.” Fury echoed. “And then just over a year ago, a few months before Stane engineered your trip to Afghanistan, the Winter Soldier dropped off the map. Guess Hydra got tired of having their spots blown to shit or something like that, decided to cut their losses and run.”

Tony only blinked and Fury explained, “Turns out the Captain isn’t exactly the aw shucks good ol boy those posters made him out to be. Anything that stood in the way of finding his Bucky went up in flames, and the man didn’t care if anyone was left inside. On more than one occassion, Romanov went into the rubble herself because the Captain wouldn’t do it. It was a wasted effort though, there were never any survivors.”

Tony looked around and then lowered his voice. “Captain America let people die like that?”

“Not the aw shucks good ol boy we all thought.” The Director repeated. “Never seen a man so angry in my life when we lost the Soldier. Definitely never could have predicted you’d show up with him as your date at a few high profile event. I see a lot.” Fury pointed to his one good eye. “But even I didn’t see that coming.”

“Does the Captain know about James?”

“We thought it was best to feel out the situation and see if we were dealing with the Winter Soldier or if we were actually seeing Sergeant Barnes.” Fury hedged. “Wanted to be sure we weren’t going to walk into a situation with a still activated super assassin when from all appearances, he’s just a nice kid with some memory loss situations. Captain Rogers isn’t the sort to knock and ask to come in, he would have brought that fancy Malibu house of yours down into the ocean trying to get his friend.”

“That seems a little over the top, but--”

“--but you’ve never been seventy years out of your own time looking for the one person in the world who can understand what you’ve been through.” Natasha interrupted. “I’m telling you, there isn’t anything that would stop the Captain from trying to get to his Bucky.”

“His Bucky.” Tony echoed faintly. “Is that so?”

“I’ve been watching James for several weeks now.” Natasha’s voice dipped in sympathy when Tony’s face flickered with misery. I don’t think he remembers anything about his time as the Winter Soldier, but you’re closer to him. What do you think? Do you think he knows who he was?”

“No way.” Tony denied tiredly. “James doesn’t know anything. Not his last name, nothing about technology or recent history. He panicked about using too many eggs the other day and now that I know what I still can’t fucking believe I know... it makes sense. In some weird way, everything I know about James makes perfect sense now.”

“So Sergeant Barnes doesn’t remember anything before he showed up in D.C.?”

“Nothing at all.” Tony said adamantly. “He remembers waking up beneath a bridge and then everything’s a blur for a while and he’s not sure how much time passed. He thinks he lived a year in D.C. before meeting me, but he doesn’t know anything beyond that.”

“That could be for the best.” Natasha muttered, and Fury nodded.

“Well you can be sure we will be keeping an eye on the situation.” the waitress came by for the plates and Fury waited until she was gone before mentioning oh so casually, “I have something that belongs to you, by the way. Your dad left it in storage along with instructions to give it to you when you were ready.”

“I have everything I want of Howard’s and none of it’s worth anything at all.” Tony shook his head. “Forget about it, I want to meet the Captain.”

“You’re going to want this.” Fury countered, and pulled up a photo on his phone. “The real thing is about ten times heavier than anything I’d ever want to life, but take a look at it anyway.”

“I’ve seen this.” Tony barely glanced at the picture. “It’s Dad’s diorama model of the Stark Expo. I used to race my cars up and down the roads until he screamed at me to stop. Why would I want a giant piece of cardboard that holds so many shitty memories for me?”

“I don’t know why you want it.” Fury put his phone away again. “And I don’t know why Howard wanted you to have it. Something about how you’d see the design when no one else could, and how he wouldn’t ever have access to the tools necessary to make it a reality, but you’d probably be the one to invent the technology to make it happen.”

“That’s nice.” Tony pulled out a couple twenties and dropped them on the table to cover the bill. “Put it in the mail and I’ll open it when I get back to Malibu. I’m feeling normal for the first time since Afghanistan and I’m not going to waste it on some homework from beyond the grave. Take me to see the Captain.”

“He’s going to be cranky.” Fury tried one last time to stall the stubborn billionaire. “He doesn’t really sleep much, and since losing track of the Soldier, I don’t think he sleeps more than a few hours a week. Maybe you don’t show up as your patented brand of asshole, huh?”

“I do what I want.” Tony stood up and patted the Director on the shoulder. “I’ll see you and Mrs. Super Spy later on. We should talk about Pierce.”

“I know what you’re doing Stark.” Fury said then, and Tony paused. “You’re getting everything set up so when that poison kills you off, your boytoy is set with someone he knows and loves.”

“Oh, you think so?”

“I’d say it’s admirable, but really I think it’s cowardly.” Fury shrugged. “You’re doing all this without even trying to fight, without figuring out a way to beat it. Gonna sign ye olde master assassin over to the Man with a Plan and then jet off somewhere dramatic to die. Cowardly way out.”

“I’ve exhausted all my options.” Tony said flatly. “I’ve tried everything over and over and nothing works. Now my option is to make sure the people I care about can keep on going with out me. How is that cowardly?”

“This might shock you, but the world will keep turning without Tony Stark in it.” the Director retorted, and Tony shot back, “Yeah well, at least this way it keeps turning with my loved ones well taken care of. Send the address to my phone please, I’ve got a star spangled super soldier to meet.”

Natasha sent a text with directions to Tony’s phone, and after Tony had stalked out and hailed a cab, she turned to ask Fury, “Why does he want to talk about Pierce?”

“Don’t you worry about Pierce.”

“Director--”

“Ms. Romanoff, I am already dealing with Secretary Pierce. Don’t you worry.”

“Do you really think he’s being cowardly?”

“I think if Tony Stark wasn’t so tired of living in pain, he’d realize he could just invent something new to cure himself.” Fury stated. “I watched his dad create scientific miracles out of every day things. Watched his Auntie Peggy create unbreakable codes based on her knitting patterns. He’s been so obsessed with being Iron Man that he’s forgotten he’s Tony Stark. If anyone can fix what is literally killing them, its a Stark. Hell, he did it once in a cave with a box of scraps. He should damn well be able to do it in a state of the art lab.”

Natasha’s lips tipped up at the corner. “You like him.”

“I think he’s a spoiled brat with a small man complex.” Fury picked up the dessert menu. “But I think our world is a lot better off with him in it, so yeah. I’d appreciate if he didn't keel over and die.”

“You like him.”

“You’re pushing it, Romanov.”

*************

It was fifteen minutes to a low rise apartment building, three flights up stairs and then down a long hallway until Tony could raise his hand and knock at the door of a piece of American history

Two knocks and then three more just because Tony was impatient even on his best days and today was not one of his best days.

Besides, when else would he have the chance annoy an actual living Smithsonian relic by knocking too many times at their--

“Can I help you?” The door swung open to Big and Blond and Patriotic, deep blue eyes and a square jaw, ruggedly handsome in a way that the old posters and pictures had never come close to capturing, and the sort of bulging All American Muscles that belonged on a Lumberjack’s Weekly pin up calendar.

Holy Spangles, Batman. Tony thought, and then grinned internally because that hit to the neck might have hurt but at least it had given him back Grade-A witty one liners. Thank you, Ms. Rushman-Romanov.

“Captain Steven Rogers.” he finally dragged his eyes away from the muscles and up to the piercing gaze. “It's nice to officially meet you. Name’s Tony Stark, long time fan, first time fanboy. How are you?”

“Tony Stark.” Captain Rogers extended a hand big enough to cover Tony’s entire face. “Howard’s boy, isn’t that right? Director Fury has mentioned you a few times. Figures you’d know about me being awake, though I’m a little surprised it took you this long to track me down. Howard wasn’t exactly the patient, subtle type and Fury made it seem like you inherited all those qualities as well.”

Tony blinked, and Captain Rogers grimaced. “Ah. Sorry. That came out worse than I intended. I’ve never been quite as charming as those old movies like to pretend I was.”

“No that’s--” Tony blinked again. “It’s fine. It’s actually a little hilarious-- um--”

“I was real sorry to hear about your parents passing.” The Captain’s blue eyes dimmed in sympathy. “I didn’t know your Ma, but despite me and Howard’s differences, we worked together for several years. He was a good man.”

“He was an asshole even on his best days.” Tony finally found his words, and offered a smile to his childhood nemesis hero. “But that doesn’t change the good work he did, so thanks. And yes, I inherited all of his less than charming traits and created a few more of my own which is why I’ve known about you and Project Resurrection for a few years now but just couldn't muster the interest to give a damn.”

“Any by the way, if you were a brunette, I’d be charming your pants off.” Tony winked because he couldn’t stop himself from flirting with an American icon. “But you’re blond, so consider yourself safe from my efforts. That and it’s hard to think sexy thoughts about the literal embodiment of the American flag.”

Good God, even the Captain’s laugh was patriotic, head thrown back and a hand over his heart like he was pledging allegiance to hilarity and Tony looked away to hide an answering grin. Shit, he didn’t want to like Steve Rogers, he had spent his entire life trying to measure up to the bastard, he didn’t want to be making friends when they had more important things to talk about.

“If it makes you feel any better?” Captain Rogers was still cheesing a grin. “Under all that patriotism I’m just a loudmouth Brooklyn kid with a big mouth and not a single shred of self preservation.”

“Eh.” Tony made a show of shrugging. “You’re still blond. I tend to prefer them brunette--”

--he hesitated, then pulled out the picture of he and James together at the redwoods. “--And smolderingly intense in a scary ex soldier sort of way. You know the type?”

All laughter fell away in an instant, the surprisingly easy conversation Tony hadn’t expected to find with Captain Rogers ground to a halt, the smile on the big blond’s face wiped away as quickly as it had appeared.

“I took that in the redwoods last week.” Tony actually took a step backwards when powerful shoulders squared up and one of those massive hands closed into a fist. “Me and James-- we’ve been living together the last couple months. Figured it’s high time you and he got together again, you know?”

“James.” The Captain’s throat jerked when he swallowed. “Not Bucky. He goes by James now?”

“James is the only name he knows.” Tony watched him carefully for any sign of what might be rage, but there was only heartbreak on the rugged features. “We’ve been looking for answers into his past, but it wasn’t until early this morning I came across a family link and traced it backwards. You can bet I was surprised as hell to find myself looking at a picture of you two when the facial recognition software finally pinged him.”

“I see.” The picture shook in the Captain’s fingers and nearly tore between his grip. “Mr. Stark--”

“Call me Tony.”

“Tony. I think you’d better come inside.”

****************

The apartment housing the Greatest American Soldier was sparse to the point of being bare, clean to the point of being sterile, and warm enough that Tony broke into a sweat just walking through the door.

“Sheesh, Captain.” Tony undid a few buttons at his collar. “Tropical, much?”

“Sorry, I’ll turn it down.” The Captain really was massive, had to turn sideways to get down the narrow hall and to the thermometer. “I uh-- I’m always cold, you know?”

Tony waited with a raised eyebrow and Captain Rogers pursed his lips, shoved both hands into his pockets self consciously. “I did seventy years in the ice, Tony. That’s the sort of chill that gets into your bones. Into your soul. I’m always cold. Can’t seem to shake it.”

“I can fix that.” Tony spoke before thinking, the words eerily similar to his very first thought about James. Was it the super soldier thing that drove him to offer help? Or just the countdown and toxicity monitor and desperately tallying marks on the good karma side so maybe it would get him into heaven?

“I can fix that.” he said again. “I’d think a super soldier would run hot because of your metabolism, so the cold is probably psychosomatic and a weighted blanket or even a sweater with heavier threads might take care of it. People equate weight with warmth, and being covered with being safe so if you let me get some sizes I could have my AI run some programs and figure out a material that could--”

He stopped when the big blond just looked at him. “Sorry, Captain. I tend to ramble. Alot.”

“Call me Steve.” the Captain went for some water and handed a bottle to Tony, then sat down in a nearby chair and clasped his hands between his knees. “And you know, your Dad did that too? He’d get an idea and talk for an hour and you’d start the conversation not even knowing you needed the thing he ended up handing you when he was finished.”

“Sounds like Dad.” Tony agreed. “Guess I did inherit all his annoying habits.”

“You must get your looks from your Ma, then.” Steve said casually, and when Tony about fell out of his chair in surprise, he grinned. “Oh no, not for me. I mean sure, I can appreciate a good lookin’ fella just as much as the next guy, but I used to tell Buck if he got together with Howard--”

“I might actually throw up if you finish that sentence.”

“--then we could double date, but he said he’d sooner kiss Dugan.” he finished and Tony breathed out noisily in relief. “If he likes you, you must look like your Ma. Buck couldn’t hardly stand to be in the same room as Howard.”

And then almost awkwardly, “No offense meant.”

“None taken, most days I couldn’t handle it either.” Tony rolled the water bottle between his palms. “So um, how are you adjusting to life in the twenty first--”

“Tell me about Bucky.” Steve interrupted and Tony’s mouth clicked shut. “I wanna know everything. Where did you find him? How did you find him? Does he know who he is? Who I am? Does he know about--”

He clenched his jaw. “--does he remember being the Winter Soldier?”

“Captain.” Tony began slowly, but Steve cut him off again, “It’s just Steve, Tony. Captain Rogers, Captain America, that’s not who I am. I’m Steve. Call me Steve.”

“Steve.” he started again. “James--er, Bucky-- and I met a few months ago in a diner right here in D.C. I don’t know if you watch the news at all, but I was mid Senate meeting and mid nervous break down, apparently he was just there having breakfast. I saw he was missing an arm--”

“--his left arm?”

“--his left arm.” Tony nodded. “And since I have a weird assortment of various robotic arm pieces laying around the house, I told him I could build him a new one. I gave him a whole spiel about wanting to do some good and that he didn’t have to take me up on the offer but he told me--”

“--that you got a pretty smile.” Steve interjected. “Yeah, you’re just his type. Dark hair, pretty eyes, big smile. Just his type.”

The simple statement from the soldier warmed Tony clear down to his heart, and he ducked his head to hide a barely there flush. “Uh, anyway. He came home to Malibu with me and we’ve been there ever since. He’s getting better. No more panic attacks and his Brooklyn accent comes out more every day and um--”

It felt awkward talking to a total stranger about his boyfriend--partner? He was too old to call someone a boyfriend, right?

It felt more awkward talking to a total stranger that wasn’t really a total stranger considering how Tony knew everything everything about Steve Rogers and Howard had literally helped create the soldier. More awkward talking to a not-total stranger who actually knew James Bucky better than Tony could ever hope to. More awkward talking to a not-total stranger who knew Bucky better than Tony did and would be around at Bucky’s side after Tony--

--after Tony--

“--sometimes I think he’s remembering things, but then I don’t really know.” he finished lamely. “Captain, er Steve. I’ll be honest, it seems weird to tell you about your best friend. I can tell you that he doesn’t have nightmares anymore and that he hasn’t had a panic attack in weeks. He likes Rocky Road ice cream and looks great in the color red and when he calls me sweet thing I actually melt a little bit inside. What else do you want to know?”

“I just want to know if he’s okay.” Steve said softly, softly, spread his hands helplessly and made those All American baby blues as heartbreakingly earnest as possible. “Tony, I woke up from the ice and found a picture of the Winter Soldier and spent the next two years trying to figure out what the hell had happened to my best pal. How did he survive the fall? Who captured him? What have they been doing with him? To him?”

The Captain’s throat jerked when he swallowed. “Does he-- does he smile? Do you make him smile? Or is he real quiet now? Did they ruin him? Break him?”

Steve got to his feet to pace, rubbing his hands down his thighs in agitation. “I’ve read all the Winter Soldier files, Tony. I know what they did to him. You know they-- they didn’t do that stuff to me. Howard juiced me up and sent me out the door but Bucky? He was always a good soldier but there’s a lot of steps between a good soldier and a master assassin. What they did to him to make him into the Soldier…”

His steps stuttered, faltered, and when Steve turned around to pin Tony with a look, his jaw was set stubbornly. “Tell me how he really is. Did they break him? Is he even Bucky anymore?”

“I don’t know if he’s Bucky anymore.” Tony said slowly, honestly. “But I know he’s James, and he’s a good man. Not broken. Definitely hurt, but not broken. He’s-- I think he’s okay, Captain. Or at least he’s getting better.”

“Okay.” Steve dropped back down onto the chair and the springs groaned under his weight. “Okay okay okay. Have you done any research on the Winter Soldier? About what he did?”

“No.”

“Don’t.” That super soldier strength showed up when the arms of the chair splintered beneath Steve’s fingers. “Tony, for your own sake. Don’t. I haven’t read the mission files because it makes me sick to my stomach but I saw enough of what they did to him to know there can’t be anything good in the other ones.”

Tony’s whole body went cold, horror stricken and wanting to scream thinking about his soldier, his Brooklyn being hurt for however long he’d been captive as the Winter Soldier. “What they did to him?”

“Experiments.” Steve muttered hoarsely. “Testing his strength, his healing factor. Whatever super juice they gave him, they had to make sure it worked so they experimented. Broke major bones to time how long it took to heal up again. Put bullets close to major arteries wondering if he’d bleed out. Made him run until he was vomiting and couldn’t take another step to check his endurance.”

“Shit.”

“They wiped his mind after every mission.” the Captain continued miserably. “Got him to the point where all he could do was carry out orders. That’s not even human, they took his soul Tony. My best friend and they took his soul. Wiped it away every time they hooked him up to that damn chair--”

“Chair?”

“--it had straps.” Steve made a motion and Tony’s heart sank, then sank further still when he added, “I crashed a set up once and it was this monstrous chair. Straps and hooks and this helmet thing that went down over his head to fry his brain.”

“What--” Tony wet his lips, flashes of that first awful panic attack hitting him like a punch to the stomach. “-- What did you do to the chair?”

“Broke it apart with my bare hands and then snapped some bad guy’s femur just because I wasn’t done breaking things.” Steve said coldly, calmly. “I can’t read the mission files, not after seeing that. I don’t think you should read them either. Buck deserves to have people who look at him and don’t see everything he did as the Soldier. He deserves to be loved by people who just see him.”

“Yeah, I--” Tony dug his fingers into his knees and bit back a heartbroken noise. “Yeah, he does. So what did you do with the data? It can’t just be out there, that’s not--”

Even now, his brain was shifting into gear, trying to figure out the next step, trying to figure out what he could do to fix what had happened with James or how he could make sure it never came back to ruin his soldier’s new life. “--it can’t be out there for someone else to find. What did you do with it?”

“Natasha dumped it all.” The Captain informed him. “Burned it, erased it, whatever she does. I’m not really up on all the tech of this century yet. But she swore it was gone, and that’s all I care about.”

“You trust her?”

“...I do.” Steve’s smile was almost… melancholy. Almost lonely. “Most people wouldn’t, but she hasn’t lied to me once so I have no reason to think she would about this.”

“Alright.” It was a relief to know the Winter Soldier’s actions weren’t out there for anyone to find, a relief to know someone else was looking out for James the same way Tony wanted to. “That’s-- that’s good. If Captain America can trust her with that, I can trust her too.”

“Yeah.” Steve screwed his eyes shut tight and pushed out a long breath. “Tony um-- can I see him? Feels weird to ask permission to see my own best friend, but I think you know him better than I do at this point. Can I see him? Will you bring him back to D.C., or could I come with you to Malibu? I searched for him for so long, Tony. The canyon below the train-- I spent days there. Days in the snow trying to find him, and I spent the first years waking up trying to find him… can I see him?”

Quieter, almost afraid, “Do you think he’ll know me?”

��I don’t know.” Tony said honestly, and Steve’s shoulders hunched in like the words physically hurt. “But they should be landing here in D.C. in a few hours and I already sent him this address.”

“Seriously?” Steve’s head snapped up. “You would-- you didn’t even know me. You told him to come here when you hadn’t met me yet?”

“You’re Captain America.” Tony shrugged carelessly, shrugged like his heart wasn’t tearing in two right there in his chest as everything he’d feared started falling into place. This was the right decision but it hurt and his heart could have collapsed under the strain. “And he’s Sergeant Barnes. There’s no question you two should be spending time together, in fact, I’m probably just in the way. I’ll bring him in and as soon as I know James is okay, I’ll leave you in peace and let you get reacquainted.

“That’s amazing.” Steve lit up with a mega watt grin. “Tony, thank you. Thank you. You’re giving me a piece of my life back, I swear. I don’t even know where to begin to thank you.”

“Just...take care of him.”

“I promise I will.” the Captain swore. “I promise. I’ll help him readjust to life and we’ll figure out… I dunno. Netflix together? I’ll help him Tony, I will.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Tony tried for a smile that didn’t feel like it was crumbling at the edges. “Now. Are you a enough of a rebel to have a beer in this place while we wait? Or still too good ol’ boy for that?”

“Are you kidding?” Steve laughed again, and yep, Tony would have been seeing stars and stripes if he hadn’t been blinking back tears. “Good beer is the best part of this century! And I don’t get drunk, so I’ve been trying them all! Come on and pick one out!”

“Picking out a beer with Captain America.” Tony struggled to his feet with a hand over his chest and followed the blond to the tiny kitchen. “How could anyone pass that up?”

“Tony!” Steve sounded immeasurably lighter, the smile on his face evident in his voice as he called, “Does Bucky ever listen to music anymore? Have you ever heard of the Andrews Sisters? We heard them sing the night he shipped out for the war, this was his favorite song!”

Before Tony could object or protest or fall to his knees and beg for mercy because he didn’t think he could take another second of this self inflicted torture, the all too familiar beginning notes of ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ floated through the apartment and everything got worse.

“Me and Pegs used to dance to this.” Steve tossed Tony a beer he could only barely catch. “She made Buck dance too even though he didn’t have any interest in the other dames. She always said one day he’d find a fella to dance with too, have you guys danced together yet?”

“Once.” Tony said faintly. “Just uh-- just the once.”

He closed his eyes when the song got to the chorus, when the beat changed and he could almost feel James pulling him in closer like he’d done that night in the lab when everything changed between them.

“...just the once.”

**************

“Hey babydoll.” James was confused when he finally made it up to the apartment door, confused and stiff when he bent to give Tony a kiss hello. “This is uh--” he cleared his throat. “Don’t like being back here, Tony. D.C. doesn’t have any good memories for me. I didn’t want to come.”

“I know.” Tony stood on his toes to chase one more kiss, gratified when James automatically wound an arm at his waist to hold him. “And I’m sorry but this is important, alright? What we’re doing here is important.”

“Important like the way Pepper’s fancy parties are important?” James teased halfheartedly, and tugged at Tony’s shirt sleeve. “Let’s get out of here. I’m a real big fan of the way you’ve blown off work the last few weeks to spend time with me, we should keep doing that.”

“James.” Tony tried for words and failed, squeezed at James’s fingers and tried again, “I’ve got someone you should meet. Re-meet. Someone you used to know and I think it’s important you see him again. I think he can fill in a lot more blanks, help you out a lot more than I can, alright?”

“I don’t want anyone helping me but you.” James glanced around the hallway, glanced at the door and out the far window, then back down at Tony, shoulders set uncomfortably tense and jaw clenched. “Tony, can we go? Something feels weird here, I don’t like it.”

“It will feel better in a few minutes.” Tony promised. “Just um-- be brave, Brooklyn. Okay?”

“Brave? Tony, I’m telling you this don’t feel right, I don’t want to be--”

Tony turned the knob and shoved the door open before James could finish the sentence, pushed the soldier through into the living room and then hung back to just watch.

Be brave, Brooklyn.

“Bucky.” Steve stood in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets and chin ducked like he was trying to look small, the unmistakable shield sat prominently on one of the chairs, that old picture of he and James from the Smithsonian propped up on the table.

“Holy shit.” The Captain choked out a strangled sort of laugh and freed his hands to run them both through his hair, tugging at the strands and then rubbing at his eyes as they filled with tears. “Bucky. It’s really you.”

James narrowed his eyes at the big blond, at the picture and at the shield, then looked back at Tony in confusion.

“Bucky? Who the hell is--”

Click click click.

“I had ‘em on the ropes.”

“Yeah Stevie, sure you did.”

Click click click.

“Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

Click click click.

“You’re keeping the suit, right?

Click Click Click

“I’m with you to the end of the line.”

Click click click.

I know him.

Stevie.

“...Stevie?”

The Captain covered the room in two big steps and James met him in the middle for a bone crushing, desperate hug. James’s legs crumpled and Steve caught him halfway down, Captain America crying unashamed tears and swearing under his breath as he smoothed Jame’s hair back from his face to get a good look at him.

“Stevie?”

“Christ, Bucky I can’t believe I finally found you. I finally found you and I’m never gonna let anything happen to you again, I swear it. I swear it.” ----

--- Tony closed the door to the apartment and walked alone down the hallway, took the stairs up to the roof and stood for a long time looking over the city, over the monuments in the distance and the barest glimmer of blue from the river.

His phone rang and it was James but Tony ignored it so he could undo the latches on the briefcase suit and step into the boots, shivering as the armor climbed his body and encased him in cold metal before it warmed to his temperature.

His phone rang and it was James, and the picture on the screen was of them at the redwoods, the name beneath “Sergeant Barnes” because already James wasn’t James anymore, he was Sergeant Barnes, he was Bucky.

His phone rang and it was James and JARVIS intoned, “Sir, it’s Sergeant Barnes calling.”

“Send it to voicemail.” Tony whispered and the call shut down as the suit powered up.

“May I remind you sir that extended use of this suit specifically strains--”

“I remember.” Tony closed his eyes for a minute. “Send a message to Rhodey? Tell him I won’t make dinner tonight. He won’t be surprised, I’ve missed at least a hundred dinners. Call Pep and remind her that I owe her something expensive and sparkly and to pick out whatever she’d like.”

“...Yes sir.”

“JARVIS.” Tony’s chest tightened until he couldn’t breathe. “Enable Ghost Protocol.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just like we talked about.” Tony was shaking inside the suit, grateful for the exoskeleton that kept him on his feet. “I won’t let this be catastrophic and I-- I can’t watch while James realizes he doesn’t need me anymore. Start the process now.”

In the lab in Malibu, lights in the lab started to dim and the myriad of suits Tony had worked on for months drew back into the walls. The lock codes blinking on each panel changed from Tony’s preferences to ones coded to Honeybear, to Rhodey, to Sourpatch and Platypus, on and on the list went.

Computer screens flickered as dozens of letters went out to various charities and foundations, notifications of soon-to-be-arriving checks meant for specific projects that desperately needed funded. Signed paperwork irrevocably keeping Pepper as CEO and turning over any stock held by Tony Stark to her after a death certificate was produced was sent off to the proper compliance departments to make sure everything was legal.

A program was uploaded into Dum-E’s limited software that would allow the robot to function a bit safer and up it’s interaction levels to ones that would make the kiddos in the Children’s Wing at the Cancer Center smile and laugh whenever it rolled through the halls.

Back in Washington, JARVIS’s comforting monotone listed off each point of Ghost Protocol as it was engaged and completed, and the phone rang as Sergeant Barnes tried again and again and again.

“Send it to voicemail.” Tony whispered through a sheen of tears, and the call went silent as the Iron Man armor took off from the roof and soared into the darkening sky, punching through the atmosphere and heading for the stars.

This was the right decision.

Send it to voicemail.

73%

***************

Chapter Notes:

Did you cry? I cried.

I love Steve in this verse. The “First Winteriron, then Steve comes Along” dynamic is something I’ve never written, and I’ve also never written Fresh from the Freezer Steve and I sort of love him??

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHAPTER!

***************

@ships-galore @ceealaina @izziebladez @cwar1864 @hausoffro @tonystarkisanangel @multishippinglife @girlnic @iam93percentstardust @paranormalmoonlight5 @igotloki @moosette05 @wayward-student-philosopher @kaz-brekkers-gloves @atomicfandombomb @1fuckingshitup69 @agentlokii @livewire28 @tulipsnbigcats @kimstark @alex-stark-rogers @bibbarnes @heeeyitskay @goindownshipping @justaniche @actual-demon-belial

@quietgayguy @bluedreamdino @akimi-youngblood @blackstar1602 @dixiehellcat @travellover1245 @capnstarkey @the-awkward-teenaged-one @thanossucks @peteryoulittleshit @tony-and-steeeb @striving-artist @roe-sesandthorns @coolsidedpillow @i-am-worth-it-25 @firelightmystic @maligatorthealigator @simsccsol @a-tardis-in-221b @happyendingrequired @everygoodoneistaken11 @pootie-and-the-snoots @megahuffledor @xkissmeimirishx @crystalskrull @hazelbeatsturtle @wecollectnightmares @endrega23 @saganarojanaolt @the-crazy-house @ravynfyre @yomama-umbridge @lovely--tony @gayspacesprinkles @elliotkaingrey @warmachinesocks @glitternotgold73

#ncts fics #winteriron #tony stark #bucky barnes #steve rogers #natasha romanov #nick fury

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simsadventures · 4 years

Text

My Avenger Girl

Summary: Your relationship with Bucky grows stronger everyday, and Bucky feels confident enough to take you to the Avenger compound for you to meet his family. And you fit right in.

Warnings: fluff, hint of jealousy, implied smut, swearing, Avengers x Supernatural crossover

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x huntress!Winchester!Reader, Dean Winchester x reader (platonic), Sam Winchester x reader (platonic)

Word Count: 2561

A/N: Third part of My Girl Miniseries is here you guys! I got to thank @voltage2d-mylove for requesting the sequels to the original fics, because I’m having so much fun writing this! Hope some of you enjoy this little something with me :) xx

My Girl Miniseries Masterlist __ Masterlist

Part I Part II Part IV

Bucky laid on his back in your bed in the bunker, staring at the ceiling, thinking. He loved spending time with you, and the more he actually was with you, the more he fell in love with you. The worst thing, however, was that he had to leave you every now and then, because either you had a case that would take a bit longer than a day, or because he was called on a mission. And he hated leaving you behind. He wanted to spend every minute of the day with you, still very much in the first phase of the relationship, where people couldn’t keep their hands together.

You owned Bucky’s heart and soul, and he knew that if anything happened to you while he was gone, he would hate himself for the rest of his life. He’s meant to ask you a single question for the past few weeks, but every time he worked up the courage to do so, something stopped him.

One time, it was your brother, Sam, coming into the library just as Bucky took a breath to ask you. Then it was his own phone, and Steve calling him to tell him they had an urgent mission. Or it was the timer on the stove. Every fucking time. And it kinda made Bucky feel like he shouldn’t ask you in the first place. That maybe it’s fate. Or perhaps he’s just being stupid, he told himself and looked over at your sleeping form.

You were so cute asleep, your mouth slightly opened, your eyes fluttering, and Bucky would give anything to see what was happening behind your eyelids. If you were dreaming of him, or not. If you thought of him just as often as he was thinking of you.

He rolled over to the side, so that he was facing you, and trying to be as gentle as possible, he slid his hand under the sheets and caressed the skin on your arm eliciting a hum from your lips. It was past 9 AM, so he knew you had to get up either way, and he thought that having him wake you up might make you less grumpy.

His fingers travelled to your collarbone, only the fingertips touching you, drawing circles on your skin. He could hear your heart beating a bit faster, and your breath not being as slow and deep as it was moments ago; all signs of you waking up.

When he looked into your face, you were already staring back at him, a small smile playing on your lips.

“Well good morning to you, Mr Barnes!” You rasped, your voice husky from the lack of talking.

Bucky smiled at you and nuzzled your cheek before he kissed you.

“Good morning to you too, Ms Y/L/N. Did you have a good night?”

You just nodded and brought him closer to you, unwilling to get up out of bed just yet. You wanted to sleep as long as possible, and if Bucky weren’t as cute as he was, you would definitely scold him for waking you up at all. But who could be mad at that pretty face?

“I’ve been thinking, Y/N, and-“ Bucky starts but before he can finish you sit up straight, bringing your blanket with you to cover your modesty and looking at him confusedly.

“Are you breaking up with me? I thought we were at a good place, I thought things were fine between us. More than fine, actually. Why do you want to leave me? What did I do wrong? How-“

It was now Bucky’s time to stop you from rambling by putting his finger on your lips and shaking his head. Breaking up, pff, sure.

“Listen to me, Y/N. You are one crazy person, you know that? I didn’t want to break up with you, you moron. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with me to the compound, get to know my teammates and stuff. I love you! I’m not letting you go, don’t you worry about that,” he smiled at you sweetly, and your heart finally calmed down a bit.

You chuckled nervously, feeling a little ashamed for letting your anxiety take over this moment.

Bucky laughed as well and kissed you again, but before he could get out of the bed, you took his hand in his and brought him back.

“I love you too, you know? That’s why I freaked out like that. And yes, I would love to get to know your family, it would be my pleasure.”

You could see your boyfriend beaming with pride, both from your admission of love and that you were actually excited to meet the people that were somehow most important to him.

“Do you think we could leave today? You know, be there for the weekend so that I could fly you back before your brothers got back from that wraith hunt. I know how much you miss them,” he smirked at you, and you swatted his shoulder.

But it was true, you did miss your brothers. However, lately, you’ve been feeling very different kinds of emotions, and that especially when Bucky left for some mission, or when you had to go on a hunt. You missed him like crazy, your body craved him, and your mind called for him. You always thought you’d be hunting with your brothers for the rest of your life, but ever since you met Bucky, things changed, and you suddenly longed to spend more time with him. Even if it meant not seeing your brothers every second of every day.

You knew they would understand if Bucky asked you to move in with him and if you said yes, but because that question was not yet asked, you didn’t want to delve too deeply into it. You just hoped Bucky was on the same note as you were, and that this New York visit would bring you two closer to the shared future.

You got ready reasonably quickly, packing the essentials and some sexy lingerie just in case the two of you could get some moments alone. Which you hoped you could get, to be completely honest. Staying away from Bucky and bed was a task you weren’t too good at, and you prayed to Chuck that you would never get better in it.

The flight to New York was swift, thanks to the quinjet, a thing you enjoyed immensely because the travelling was just somehow easier than driving around like three idiots with your brothers, with constant back pain thanks to the old car seats.

When you saw the compound get into the view, you started to play with your hands. Not that you weren’t excited to meet everyone. You sure were. But, at the same time, you knew all those people from television. They were superheroes. And you were… well, you. And you just hoped that it would be enough and that they wouldn’t want to drive you away because you weren’t good enough for their friend.

You’ve already met the Falcon and Captain American, however briefly that was. You were most nervous about Natasha, quite frankly. She was a goddess in your eyes, her graceful fighting techniques, her elegant walk, everything about her was perfect in your mind, and you didn’t know how you could even fight her for Bucky’s attention.

God! You were pathetic. You haven’t even met the woman yet, but you quickly assumed what would happen when you met her. For all you knew she wouldn’t even be there, or she’d be the nicest person on this Earth. Which, for some reason, irritated you even more.

Bucky could probably feel your nerves, because he put his hands into your lap, separating your own hands because he feared you’d rip the skin on your fingers down completely.

“You have nothing to worry about, Y/N. Everyone’s gonna love you, I know that for a fact!”

You tried to give him a smile, but the only thing you could muster was a grimace, and you were surprised that Bucky didn’t shriek in fear at what your face was capable of doing.

“I know, it’s just, your friends are all so cool, and like you’re superheroes and stuff, and I’m just a plain ol’ me,” you whispered, more to yourself than Bucky, but with his super hearing, you knew he would catch that as well.

He landed the jet and turned to face you.

“Plain old you? Are you kidding me? You’re one of the most badass women I’ve ever met. You fight monsters on a daily basis, baby! I love you, and nothing can change my mind, alright?”

That calmed you down a bit, and you hugged him tightly, trying to feel his heart beating against your own chest, that always brought you back in the moment. Bucky smiled into your hair and let you take all the time you needed to gather the courage to go and face the building full of superheroes.

When you pulled away, he kissed your forehead, whispering that everything will be alright, he grabbed your hand and led you out of the plane and inside the building.

It didn’t look like you imagined. For some reason, you thought it will be quiet and lonely, but the whole compound was buzzing with people running left and right, some in lab coats, while others were wearing technical gear. You looked around, and it all seemed unreal. Everything was new and shiny and seemed extremely expensive. Not like your home underground. You loved that space you shared with your brothers, but this looked much cooler.

Bucky was watching your every reaction as he led you through the compound, nodding at people around him, but not really giving them his attention. That was all on you.

You two finally reached the common room, where Bucky knew the most of the team would be at that time of the day. It was lunchtime, and his teammates were like hungry bears. Some were hungry and looking like pigs *cough, cough, Sam, cough* but he wouldn’t say that out loud. At least, not today.

When you stepped inside the room, everyone stopped talking and turned to look at you. You gave them all a shy smile, and you could see a few smirk and smiles around the room. The first to break the silence was Sam.

“Well, well, well. Look who came back, our lover boy! And he brought his badass huntress with him! What a pleasant surprise. Nice to see you again, Y/N,” Sam hollered and gave you a nod, while Bucky just rolled his eyes at Sam’s theatrical behaviour.

You said your hellos to the rest of the group and sat down next to Bucky by the huge table, where Vision served some Hungarian food. You didn’t know what it was, but it was so damn good you later asked him to give you a recipe to cook for your brothers. You just made a mental note to put a lot more meat into Dean’s plate.

The whole lunch was so regular it hurt. You expected that they would talk about monsters and stuff, but the closest the conversation got to a monster was when Sam told the group about catching Steve in a bathroom, giving himself a pep-talk, which included something about Steve being a beast, a sexy sexy beast, and you couldn’t hear more than that through all the snorts of laughter around the table.

Steve was red as a tomato, and you gave him an apologetical smile, still trying to contain your laughter. To try and calm him down, you told him about the time you caught Dean doing pretty much the same, looking in the mirror without a t-shirt on, kissing his biceps and winking at himself in the mirror. That got the people to laugh as well, and Steve nodded at you, glad that the conversation shifted slightly.

Just like you thought, Natasha was even prettier in reality, but while you thought Bucky would be looking at her, because, c’mon, who wouldn’t look at her? You had a problem keeping your eyes away from her beautiful face. Bucky was staring at you the whole time, and it made you feel that much better about yourself and your whole relationship.

You and Natasha even shared a bonding moment about her knife collection, which she insisted on showing you and the two of you spent good 20 minutes comparing knives and different techniques at either throwing them or stabbing somebody.

You didn’t even realise it, but by the time you finished talking to everybody in the room, it got dark outside, and Bucky walked to your side to seemingly rescue you from one of Sam’s funny stories from a mission where he was with Bucky. You knew that Bucky was more saving himself from the embarrassment of you knowing all those dirty secrets Sam would tell you, but you didn’t protest. You bid your goodbyes to the whole room and followed Bucky to his little apartment within the compound.

“See? I told you you would be fine, and you didn’t believe me,” Bucky said, intertwining his fingers with yours, walking down the corridor.

“I had my doubts, not gonna lie. And yes, you were right, and I will always listen to you from now on,” you said mockingly, but with a smirk playing on your lips.

Bucky laughed out loud and squeezed your hand.

“We both know that’s not true, doll.”

“Well, there is one place where I can listen to you, all night long, and I can do it in a brand new see-through lingerie if you let me get changed,” you rasped seductively (or at least you hoped it was seductive), but judging by the throaty groan coming from Bucky, you assumed you did an excellent job. And by the sudden quick pace of Bucky’s footsteps, you imagined he couldn’t wait for you to listen to him, just the way he liked it.

Before you could reach the room, Bucky spun you around and pushed you against a wall. He smirked devilishly at you, and kissed you hungrily, taking your breath away in the process.

You head was spinning from the lack of oxygen and from the intensity of the kiss, but when Bucky pulled away and asked you something, you almost fainted then and there.

“Move in with me,” he whispered, and before you could give him an affirmative answer, he continued.

“I know that I’m competing with your brothers, and that you might think this is too fast, but I fucking love you doll, and every day without you is a horrible day. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

You were staring at each other, and you knew that there wasn’t a better place for you, than in Bucky’s arms.

“Yes, I’ll gladly move in with you, Sergeant Barnes. My brothers will manage, and I can still hunt with them from time to time. It’s not like I’m never going to see them again.”

Bucky released a relieved sigh and kissed you again, this time much slower, conveying all his emotions in this one kiss. And you seriously couldn’t wait to start this new chapter with him.

My Girl Taglist:

@abswritesfandoms @daringtodreamawake

Bucky Taglist

@this-kitten-is-smitten @paradisiacalsparks @crazybutconfidentaf @owlyannah @lassini @s-trawberryv-eins @reniescarlett @bxrnsfeyson @the-soulofdevil

Marvel Taglist

@voltage-my2dlove @kneel-begyourpardon @lumar014 @ptrs-prkrs

Forever Tag:

@eileenalone @sasbb23 @p8tn0lish @coffeebooksandfandom @waiting4inspiration @caswinchester2000 @mogaruke @justthatfangirloverthere @mushyjellybeans @livsheph @sebbbystaaan @notyourtypicalrose @itsunclebucky

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lettersinscarlet · 5 years

Text

Colleges (Sam Golbach Imagine)

Hey guys! Like I said, it’s been crazy, but today I started catching up. I’ve been doing a whole lot of thinking and it’s been an emotionally hard week as well, and it’s only Monday. I hope you guys have a wonderful week this week and every week and I’m really sorry to the person who requested this that I didn’t screenshot the request to remember exactly what it said! I’ll do better next time. My requests are open for Sam, Colby, and Jake if you guys want to ask! And you can send in requests through wattpad, but it’s easier for me if you ask them on here. Hope you all enjoy!

Request: Looking for colleges with Sam (and some more that I really don’t remeber I am so sorry)

——————————————————————————

“Oooooo, this one looks good,” you remarked as you tossed Sam a pamphlet. It was for the New York Institute of Art and Design.

“Yes, this one looks cool, but check this one out,” he countered, tossing you a pamphlet for the School of Visual Arts and Humanities in Los Angeles. You sighed as you looked over the cover.

Today, you were looking at colleges with Sam. Sam had been your best friend ever since you had moved to LA. You were out at 2 A.M. looking for some good snacks because you had absolutely no food since you had just moved in. As you were running in, you bumped right into Sam. He dropped everything in his hands, which you later found out was stuff for a video he was filming the next day. You apologized profusely and you scrambled to help him pick everything up and you heard him laughing the whole time.

“What are you laughing at?” you asked as you whirled around.

“I don’t mean to offend you, but it’s just funny that you definitely did not expect to run into anybody tonight,” he chuckled.

You looked down and you realized that you were in your sweatpants and a tank top and your hair was thrown up in a bun. You laughed at yourself as you handed him some of the items.

“You’re right, I didn’t,” you said. You guys ended up talking for awhile and he walked with you and helped you pick out some good snacks.

Since then, you guys had become really good friends. You went over to his house frequently and he was at yours all the time, too. You ended up getting to know the rest of the friend group and you really enjoyed hanging out with them.

Recently, you decided that you wanted to go back to college. You really wanted to go into art school. You loved to draw. There was something about getting to express yourself in your drawings that was just wonderful. And, as it turns out, you were actually pretty good at it. You weren’t the greatest, at least that’s what you thought, but you wanted to take some classes and see where they could take you. You didn’t think you were meant for a YouTube career like the boys did.

Now, you just had to decide where to go. You had lived in California all of your life. Even though your move to Los Angeles was recent, you hadn’t lived too far away from the city to begin with. You were really interested in the east coast and everything it had to offer. You were really looking at New York or maybe even Maine. Massachusetts looked good, too. You just wanted to get away from California.

So here you were, hanging out with Sam in his apartment, brochures spread out in front of the both of you as you evaluated all of your options.

“What about the Maryland Institute College of Art?” you asked as you showed it to him.

“It looks cool, but it’s so far away,” Sam trailed off as he looked up at you.

“I know!” you smiled and he looked confused. “Sam, I’ve lived in California my whole life. From the time I was born until now,” you said and you locked your eyes with him. “It’s been really fun, but I don’t know what else is out there. I don’t get to go all around the world like you and Colby do.”

“Then just come with us sometime! Then, you could see the world and you wouldn’t have to move so far away for so long,” he offered.

“That’s sweet, but you know I could never impose on you and Colby like that. When you guys go, it’s just the two of you for your videos and it’s your time to have some binding. You don’t get it that often and I could never ruin that for the two of you,” you told him.

“I wouldn’t mind. Plus, you might even make them better. It would be nice to see you’re pretty face on some of those trips,” he added quietly. You looked at him confused but he was looking at the ground.

“Still, I couldn’t do that to you guys. And I’d still come back, no matter where I go,” you reassured him. “All of my family lives here, and I couldn’t not see you guys for four whole years.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.

“And I don’t want to live across the country forever,” you continued and reached over and grabbed his hand. “I just want a little breather from California is all.”

He looked up at you and sighed in defeat. You guys spent the next hour or so talking and narrowing down your options. You had found the top four that you wanted to go to and you couldn’t wait to figure out which one you wanted to go to. Of course, you had to send in your application and get accepted.

“Bye, Sam!” you called before you went to walk out.

“Wait!” he yelled and he hopped up. He ran over and gave you the biggest hug humanly possible. “I just gotta savor these moments while I can, before you’re whisked away to the other side of the country,” he said. You just smiled as he pulled you close.

You walked home and you thought about Sam. He was really acting weird. You had already told the others that you were looking for a college outside of Cali and that you planned to come back once you got your degree. Of course, they said that they were sad that you would be so far away for long periods of time, but they all voiced their excitement for you in the end. Sam just seemed really, really upset.

You brushed it off as you headed home, putting it aside as you got excited about your applications.

Over the course of the next few weeks, you perfected your applications and you sent them in. You waited for what felt like years, but you finally got your letters back. Somehow, you’d gotten accepted into all four of them. You jumped with joy and you squealed in your apartment. You immediately went to your car and you drove over to Sam’s place, letters in hand and the biggest smile on your face.

You ran up the stairs because you thought that the elevator would be too slow and you ran down the hall to his door. You knocked on his door and you waited on him. You heard his footsteps and suddenly his smiling face was at the door.

“I got in!” you squealed at him. You could see him tilt his head to the side.

“Which one?”

“Take your pick!” you yelled and you shoved the letters towards him. He grabbed the letters from your hand. He shuffled through the papers and you could see him forcing a smile on his face before he looked back at you.

“This is so great!” he said as he handed you the letters back. Your face drooped just a little but you didn’t think he would notice. “Which one are you going to pick?”

“I have no clue. Any of them could do some really great things for me,” you started. “I just can’t believe that I got in! To any of them!”

“Of course they let you in, if they didn’t, that would be stupid,” he told you. You smiled and took what you thought was a compliment and you walked inside. You hung out with Sam for awhile and eventually you guys called Colby over and you had a mini celebration together.

Sam eventually went in his fridge and he pulled out three cans of Doctor Pepper and he gave one to you and one to Colby.

“To (Y/N),” he said and held up his can. You and Colby did the same. “California is gonna lose one of her greatest, even if it’s only for a little while,” he finished up. You sipped your soda but you couldn’t help but think that Sam was being weird.

You finished up hanging out and then you walked back with Colby.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” you asked him.

“Sure,” he replied. You pulled him into his apartment and you shut the door behind you two.

“Has Sam been acting weird around you lately or would you know why he would be acting weird?”

“What do you mean?” Colby asked, but he rocked on his heels, a tell-tale sign that he knew something.

“Don’t play with me, Brock. I know you’re hiding something,” you told him. He stopped moving and he finally looked at you and sighed.

“Why do you think he would act weird?” he asked you.

“I don’t know that’s-”

“Oh, come on. If I ever said I was going across the country for a few years, Sam would be sad, but he would be super supportive. Because we are friends,” he started and put emphasis on the word.

“Yeah. So why is Sam being so weird like he doesn’t want me to go? We are friends, aren’t we?”

“Yes, of course Sam is your friend. But why do you think he would treat you differently?”

“I don’t know, Colby, that’s why I’m asking you!”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. He shook his head and then he met your gaze.

“If you really can’t figure that out, then I can’t help you.”

“Colby, just tell me because I have no clue-”

“He likes you, (Y/N)!” he whisper shouted at you. You blinked a few times before Colby continued. “He wants you to go to college in California because he thinks that if you went across the country, you would find somebody else and he would miss his chance with you. That’s why he has been saying weird things, he just wants to get you to stay.”

You thought and processed it all. You couldn’t believe it, but now what Colby was saying made sense.

“Alright, Colby, thank you. I’m going to go home now,” you said. You had a plan for what you were going to do.

“Don’t tell him I told you,” Colby said. You nodded and gave him a hug before you left.

When you got home, you started working on your plan. You sent your application to the University of California, located right in Los Angeles. You waited for weeks and you got a letter back. You got in.

You went over to Sam’s apartment, letter in your bag. You knocked on the door and he opened it with a smile.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” Sam greeted you as he welcomed you inside. “What’s up?”

“I have decided the college that I’m going to go to,” you announced. You saw his face drop for a second before he responded.

“Where are you going?”

You reached in your bag and you tossed him your acceptance letter. He caught it and when he flipped it over, he took a second to read it. When he actually looked at it, his face lit up and his bright eyes met yours and you couldn’t help but grin.

“Really?” You nodded your head and he looked down at the letter again. “What made you change your mind?”

“Well, I don’t know, there are some things that would be too hard to miss,” you said. You walked over to him and put your hand on his chest, “like, hopefully, my boyfriend.”

He looked up at you and his cheeks were tinted red.

“Me?”

You rolled your eyes with the biggest smile on your face. “No, I mean the other guy that has my hand on his chest.”

Sam laughed and he leaned over and gently set your letter on the ground. He stood back up and then he put one hand on your cheek and he used the other to tuck your hair behind your ear. He then leaned down and connected your lips with his. It was soft and sweet, and when he pulled away, you were smiling.

“I guess I can’t wait to help my girlfriend get settled into her dorm,” he said back. You giggled and he kissed you again, this time a little less gently.

This was gonna be fun.

———

Taglist:

@sp00kybrock @Yikes.Xander @daddydobrock @trapbrock-local @thenameisbabe @far-to-many-bands @chesterbenningtonaremylife

#sam fanfic #sam golbach fanfiction #sam fanfiction #sam golbach x reader #sam x reader #sam golbach imagine #sam imagine #sam golbach #sam #sam golbach fanfic #imagine #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction

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tkl-tee · 5 years

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We’ve All Got Our Quirks (KiriBaku)

We’ve All Got Our Quirks (Kirishima x Bakugou from Boku no Hero Academia)

A/N: Hello and thank you so much for sending a prompt! Sorry this took so long rip. I need to say for future reference (and I’ve updated my bio) that I probably won’t write NSFW because I am confused about the new rules regarding NSFW content? So I am nervous to post anything like that aha.

So, this is SFW. Sorry for any confusion and thanks again for sending the prompt!

Disclaimer: This is a tickle fic.

Summary: Kirishima has something he’s been wanting to reveal to his boyfriend, Bakugou. When the perfect opportunity presents itself, Bakugou once again finds himself at his partner’s mercy. Kirishima confesses, Bakugou learns something new, and together they grow… and laugh!

Word Count: 1772

Kirishima was pretty comfortable with himself. He didn’t worry too much about his body or his clothes or his personality, and he sure didn’t worry about what his boyfriend Bakugou thought of him. He wasn’t cocky or arrogant, just comfortable. That being said, there was one thing nagging at him lately.

He was trying to work up the courage to tell Bakugou about a certain interest of his. He… liked tickling. Really, he loved it. He’d always known that there was something about it.

He enjoyed being tickled, but what he really craved was to be the one doing the teasing and drawing helpless laughs from his partner. He liked being the cause of his squirming and his special smile and his empty threats voiced around breathless giggles. These were sights and sounds saved only for him, and Kirishima craved them more often than he cared to admit.

He’d just recently discovered that Bakugou was ticklish, and he found himself taking advantage of every opportunity that presented itself: Pokes to Bakugou’s sides while they did homework; hugging the blond from behind and using both hands to dig into his stomach and sides; soft, tickly touches to his neck and collar bones when they made out; using his foot to tickle the other’s feet and legs when they laid down at night. It never seemed to be enough, however.

Part of him was nervous Bakugou would catch on to why he tickled him so often and part of him honestly hoped he would, just to get it out in the open. He’d been wanting to talk to Bakugou about it, to explain it. He was going to! He was just waiting for the right time and the right way to get it out.

He apparently wouldn’t have to wait much longer. The opportunity presented itself just a couple weeks after he had begun wrestling with himself about the whole thing. Bakugou’s parents had gone out of town so Kirishima was spending the weekend with him.

That first night they were sitting on the couch after dinner, telling each other about their days. Bakugou was reclining against the left side of the couch with his arm around Kirishima’s shoulders. Kirishima sat leaning against his side with his arm looped around his waist.

“-And that’s why that damn dragon lady said I had to stay home! Like it was my fault the dumb neighbor kid’s skateboard crashed into me…” Bakugou finished explaining that his mom got mad at him for breaking the skateboard, so he was made to stay home. Kirishima could only chuckle softly at him.

“You shouldn’t talk about your mom like that… and I kinda feel bad for that kid! But hey, at least you get to be here with me now!” he replied happily, tilting his head back and smiling at the blond.

“Yeah…” Bakugou still seemed annoyed but there was a softer look on his face. Kirishima rolled his eyes and laid his head back against his chest, feeling it rise and fall as he breathed. His eyes began to droop and he yawned lazily.

“Hey, turn on the light, m’falling asleep” he mumbled, poking Bakugou in the side. The latter jumped slightly but said nothing as he leaned to the side and reached for the lamp. Kirishima smirked to himself and squeezed his still-vulnerable side once the light was on.

“Sh-shit, noo,” Bakugou squirmed, squeezing his arm back against his side.

“Mmm, I don’t think so. You’re all Mr. Grumpypants tonight,” Kirishima replied, sitting up to better squeeze up and down both of his sides. Bakugou started to squirm and push at Kirishima’s arms. Kirishima already felt a bit giddy at the other’s reactions.

“Eijirou, I swear to god- EIJI-HI-ROU” Kirishima had shoved his hands under Bakugous tank top and was now squeezing at his ribs. Restrained giggles began to fall from Bakugou’s lips as he shot up, attempting to push Kirishima away from him.

“Katsuki, it’s not good to swear! A true man is too honorable to do that!” he said in mock-irritation. The smile on his face did little to sell it. He adored the sound of Bakugou’s laughter and the sight of his uncharacteristic smile.

“Stohohop, you shihihiiiit” Kirishima was unrelenting as Bakugou attempted to pry his hands away. He shifted so that he was laying on Bakugou, pushing him back against the arm of the couch.

“Your words say stop but your laugh says keep going,” Kirishima teased, wiggling his eyebrows. He crawled his fingers up to tickle the upper parts of Bakugou’s ribs, back, and chest. The latter was now grasping at Kirishima’s arms and laughing freely.

“Fuhuhuck ohohohoff aHAHA” Bakugou’s laughter increased a bit in pitch and his eyes were squeezed shut. His face seemed happy and carefree, and Kirishima couldn’t help but blush at the beautiful, flustered, laughing mess beneath him.

He felt butterflies in his stomach as he thought about the fact that this was the most he’d properly tickled his boyfriend. His attack on Bakugou’s sides slowed as he flushed a bit in embarrassment.

This hesitation was enough for Bakugou to finally break free from Kirishima’s attack. He pushed him away enough that he was able to slide off the couch. He sat on the floor with his back against the couch, leaning his head back against the cushion.

Kirishima righted himself in the middle of the couch and sat criss-cross applesauce. They sat in silence for a few moments as Bakugou caught his breath and Kirishima collected his thoughts. Bakugou gave a final sigh and cleared his throat.

“Jesus, ever since you found out I was sensitive you’ve been a huge pain in the ass!” Bakugou said in his usual “angry” voice as he frowned up at Kirishima.

“Haha, yeah… sorry about that man,” he apologized, avoiding his boyfriend’s eyes. He was still a little embarrassed, and he understood if Bakugou was going to get mad at him.

“Tell me something embarrassing about yourself." Kirishima blinked a few times, confused. He turned his gaze towards Bakugou who was staring back at him.

“You heard me, Shitty Hair! It’s not fair that you know something embarrassing about me, so you have to tell me something too!” Bakugou explained, his tone almost threatening. Kirishima was used to that by now, though. He was, however, nervous about what was being asked of him.

“I-I, well I…” Kirishima stammered, trying to figure out how to respond. This could be the moment he was waiting for, he could lay everything out on the table right now. But he was still nervous what Bakugou would think of it.

“What is it? I know there’s something, just tell me! Or I’ll have to beat it out of you,” Bakugou said, holding up a tired fist. Kirishima scoffed and rolled his eyes. At least the mood wasn’t super serious right now… he was gonna go for it!

“Well… there is something, but…” he trailed off, still working up the courage to get it out. His heart rate increased slightly and he could feel his face turning a bit red.

“But, what?”

“I’m just nervous you’ll think it’s weird!” Kirishima replied, furrowing his brows and biting his lip. At this, Bakugou got up and moved to sit next to him on the couch, looking at him curiously.

“Of course you’re weird, but who gives a shit. I still put up with you, don’t I?” Kirishima lightly snorted at his. For a big jerk, Bakugou was pretty good at making him feel better.

“Okay, so… well, I’ve actually been wanting to say something about this. Actually it kind of has to do with, um- I know I’ve kinda been t-tickling you a lot, but it’s because I… like… it. Doing it. To you.” Kirishima groaned and put his face in his hands out of embarrassment. “I know, it’s weird!”

There was a pause that seemed a lot longer to Kirishima than it probably was, before Bakugou responded.

“That’s it? I thought you were going to say you were into cross-dressing or something,” Bakugou said nonchalantly, leaning back against the back of the couch. Kirishima thought over what was just said for a moment, before letting out a sigh of relief and punching Bakugou in the shoulder softly.

“So what if I was?” he said jokingly, a small smile on his face. “So you’re really okay with it? You’re not going to break up with me or anything?” Bakugou scoffed and rolled his eyes at that.

“I wouldn’t break up with you for such a shit reason. And I don’t think you’re a freak. Is it like, a thing?” Bakugou asked, not judgemental, just wondering.

“No! I mean, yeah? I don’t know, honestly. I’ve never really been in this position, so I’m still unsure about some things.” Kirishima answered honestly. Bakugou nodded, understood.

“That’s fine, and I’m fine with it,” Bakugou smirked as he continued. “But I’m not just going to let you tickle me all the time with no consequences.” Bakugou made a point to crack his knuckles. Kirishima returned the smirk and held up his hand, hardening his arm.

“You can try, but this might be a fight that I beat you in! Plus you’re waaay more sensitive than I am,” Kirishima grinned as Bakugou launched at him, knocking them off the couch.

Bakugou landed on top of Kirishima and straddled his waist, immediately digging into his stomach. Kirishima didn’t even hold back his laughter as he squirmed and pushed at Bakugou’s hands.

He allowed this to go on for a few moments before he used his quirk to harden his torso against the attack. He then focused his efforts on attacking Bakugou’s armpits.

“Thahahat’s buhullshihihihit!” Bakugou twisted and jerked as he attempted to both pin his arms against his sides and pull Kirishima’s hands away at the same time. Kirishima kept up the attack as he sat up, leaning close to Bakugou.

“All is fair in love in war,” he said with a teasing voice, before giving him a quick kiss. He then moved down and blew a raspberry where the blond’s neck met his shoulder’s. His laughter spiked for a moment as he attempted to scrunch his shoulder and the side of his head together.

“You son of ahahaHAHAHA” Kirishima had moved one hand down to squeeze Bakugou’s hip repeatedly while leaving one to tickle under his arm. He hardly resisted as Kirishima pushed him back and reversed their positions.

Needless to say, it was an eventful weekend filled with much laughter- primarily a hot-headed blond’s- and Kirishima couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

#tickling #tickle fic #kiribaku #bnha tickle #ticklish!bakugou #ticklish!kirishima #tickle fight #tickle fandom #tickle community #tickle fanfic #kirishima x bakugou

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sneakywitch-thief · 5 years

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Let The Rest of the World Go By - WIP

Saw @hey-writers / @heywriters post about posting a WIP, and since I haven't posted any of my writing in a while, I thought I'd share the first chapter of my Nick Valentine noir fic I've been working on since the game came out. It's a few years in the making and was written long before my other FO4 fanfic, It Had To Be You.

I'm trying to write the entirety of this one before I post it, so think of this as a preview! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A New Case

It was a quiet night in Diamond City.

In the first time in, well, forever -- the people in Diamond City didn’t have to sleep with one eye open anymore. The earth-shattering explosion of the Institute had shaken the city to its core. In addition to leveling a good portion of Boston, the quake did a good job of addling the brains of her people as well. The subsequent celebrations had undoubtedly been louder than the explosion itself, and after days of wild and raucous rejoicing, the Green Jewel of the Commonwealth finally laid down her head to rest. It was a new feeling, to live without fear, and the people of Diamond City relished in it.

All slept soundly -- that is, except for Nick Valentine.

He sat silent and alone in his office, slowing drawing the smoke from a stale cigarette more ash than tobacco. It had become something of a ritual for the detective, to sit in the tranquil solitude of night and think. Perhaps to stew over a case, perhaps to simply indulge the bad habits of a man long dead. After so many nights of nothing but the same, even he didn’t know anymore. The quiet, interrupted only by Ellie’s quiet snoring in the next room, usually gave his mind free rein to wander.

But tonight was different. The quiet was... different.

Nick exhaled deeply, letting the fleeting warmth of the smoke envelop him before vanishing into nothing. A fleeting pleasure, gone as quickly as it had come. Nick couldn’t help but wonder if the destruction of the Institute had been the same. A rapturous victory one moment, a Pandora’s Box the next. The detective gazed longingly at what little remained of his last cigarette. Nothing would feel better than even the tiniest bit of nicotine, some small calm to ease his nerves and circuits, but as a synth he could feel no more than a memory. All that he had gotten from that precious stick of cancer was a pile of ash and a bad taste in his mouth.

He should be celebrating like everyone else was. The Institute was gone forever, after all. But here he was, doing what he always did. Sitting alone with only dreary thoughts and cigarette smoke to keep him company. But he knew that no matter how many cigarettes he blew through this night, the stifling silence of the sleeping city still filled him with dread. Something was wrong.

But for the life of him, he couldn’t tell what it was.

Whether it was through exasperation or despair he wasn’t sure, but his body felt heavy and stiff, as if the silence had filled him with its enormity. He began to slump, to collapse under the weight of... something. He laid his head in his hands and let out another sigh. What was it, exactly, that was wrong?

Then, a knock.

Nick looked to the door, confused. It was... what, three in the morning? No one would come to him at this hour. A prankster, perhaps, or maybe a lost drunk. But, then again, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Might as well answer. He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, grinding it under his heel as he strode to the door -- only to have his late night guest let himself in as soon as it was opened.

The remarkably familiar man looked around frantically, going as far as to even lower his signature sunglasses to see in the dim light of the agency. His eyes narrowed, scanning the room meticulously for... whatever it was Railroad agents looked for.

“Nick... are we alone?”

Nick rolled his eyes at his typical melodramatic act. “Nice to see you too, Deacon.”

“Nick. Are we alone.”

Ah, something was off. Nick quietly locked the door behind him. “Yeah. That snoring in the next room’s Ellie -- she ain’t waking anytime soon. Drank a bit too much today and knocked herself out cold. This ugly mug’s the only one you’ll be seeing tonight, I’m afraid.”

Deacon smiled a bit at that. “Good. Only one I want to see tonight anyway.”

“Skip the wine and dine and cut straight to the chase? I always liked that about you, Deacon.”

“Ha! You know it, you old dog. ... but, all joking aside, I’ve got a case for you.” A pause. “You might want to sit down for this.”

The inexplicable heaviness got a bit worse at that. Nick quickly obliged, returning to the seat behind his desk. If Deacon had come all the way to Diamond City in the dead of night, undisguised and vulnerable, it couldn’t be anything good. He absently reached for another cigarette, only to find the pack empty. All that was left of forty caps worth of cigs was a heap of butts upended in what had become more ash than tray. The cravings of a dead man gnawed at him, the need for a quick, calming smoke ever growing. A metal finger tapped the desk impatiently. Something was wrong, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“... so. A case? Must be important. What is it?”

Deacon looked up from the overflowing ashtray slowly, his brow furrowed. “Yeah... important is a word for it. Well... you know what happened a week or so ago, right? Then again, hard not to, I guess -- what with a good chunk of the city blown to bits. Anyway. The Institute’s gone, Nick. Gone for good. Our biggest enemy is now a pile of irradiated dust.” He laughed weakly, straining a smile. “Awesome, right?”

“Yeah, but you don’t seem too happy about it.”

“No, don’t get me wrong, I definitely am. It’s just that--” He pulled his lips into a thin line and took a moment to hide himself behind those sunglasses of his. “Well, I’ll cut to the chase, since you like that about me so much. Has the Professor told you anything? Come to you at all?”

Ah, Professor. Nick had never understood why Deacon continued to use her Railroad codename to refer to her. After all, she and Deacon were as thick as thieves and nigh inseparable. Their infamy as deadly do-gooders of the wasteland was perhaps outmatched only by their legendary, unshakeable friendship. He had heard the outrageous stories about them, the most believable of them being blasting their way through downtown Boston to lead two young men to safety. The least, tearing down Trinity to rescue a two-bit actor from an army of Super Mutants. The Commonwealth, as big as it was, was a fishbowl. Rumors spread faster than radroaches, and tales of valiant heroics soon were quickly spun into a scandalous romance between the two, each more wild and passionate than the last.

From what he had heard, neither had denied the claims.

Nick coughed abruptly, mentally kicking himself back on topic. “No.” He adjusted himself in his seat, impatiently attempting to shake that damn discomfort. “Why would she? She hasn’t been here since that mess with Kellogg a while back.”

“Have... you seen her at all?”

Damn, did Nick ever need a cigarette. He silently cursed himself for smoking the whole pack, and he cursed Deacon for, albeit unwittingly, rubbing salt into an old wound. Ah, was that ever a wound. He leaned back in his chair and found his gaze wandering to the empty desk in his office.

Ellie had been so excited at the thought of Nick getting a partner, especially with her being the woman in shining power armor who saved him from the clutches of Skinny Malone. Not only had she tidied up the place, but she had bought a full detective’s getup for Nick’s new partner. The trenchcoat and fedora still sat atop that desk, collecting a thick layer of dust as they awaited an owner that would never come. Neither Nick nor Ellie had had the heart to move them, perhaps in some small hope that she might return.

“I’ll take that as a no, then. Well... she’s gone, Nick.”

“What?”

“Gone. She up and vanished a few days ago. We haven’t been able to find her.”

That... that would explain things. That inexplicable feeling. The drinking, the cigarettes, the dread.

Pandora’s Box.

Nick nodded slowly, dumbly, his thoughts racing as his artificial mind attempted to find words, any words, to that.

“Look. Shit went down at the Institute, Nick. Real, grade-A, top-of-the-line bullshit. The Professor... she went through hell and back to take it down. To be perfectly honest, I don’t blame her for cutting all her shit loose and running. She deserves a vacation more than anyone, really.”

“But you went through all the trouble to come here... something’s wrong.”

“Yeah. You got that right.” Deacon was quiet then, vigilant for anyone listening in. He spoke softly, cautiously. “Look, Nick, buddy. I’d tell you more... but, it just ain’t safe. For me, for her, or for you.”

“Yet you want me to find her.”

“... well, yeah.”

“Look, Deacon. As much as I hate to say it, it sounds like your Professor just needs some time to herself. You said so yourself, she’s had a lot of weight on her shoulders. And,” Nick chuckled under his breath, “you’ve got some pretty good sleuthing skills of your own, Deacon. Not to mention a hell of a lot more connections. What makes you think I can find her when even her better half can’t?”

Immediately the sunglasses were back on, but shades couldn't mask the pain in Deacon's voice. “Nick, me and everyone else in the family -- we’re probably the last people she wants to see right now. Besides, we have too many enemies turning over too many rocks looking for what’s left of us right now. As much as I hate to say it, we’re not exactly equipped right now to drop everything and go look for her. I want to more than anything, believe me I do, but I can’t without jeopardizing everything. But she really needs someone there for her before she... well, before she does something bad. Real bad.”

“... you really think it’ll come to that?”

“Would I be here if I didn’t?”

Nick leaned back in his chair and took a moment to think. Time wouldn’t be on his side in this one, and he was working with... just about next to nothing. But he couldn’t just say no, this was about her. The woman who had saved his life. A woman stripped of everything and left at the mercy of the Commonwealth, only to turn right back around and kick its ass. She was just about the toughest woman he had ever met, but she was still human. She could still break, and according to Deacon, she had. Bad.

“I’ve gotta warn you, my friend,” said Nick carefully, deliberately, “This is going to be far from easy. I’m probably going to need all the help I can get. At the very least, give me something to work with. Do you have any leads whatsoever? Where she might’ve gone? What she took with her? Anything?”

“I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you. No, really. I probably would.”

“Well, that’s helpful.”

Deacon let out an exasperated sigh. “Look. I’m sticking our collective necks far enough as it is just by coming here. We’ve got everyone and their mother looking for us right now -- God only knows who’s after the Professor’s head.” He leaned forward, peering over the lens of his sunglasses to reveal exhausted, bloodshot eyes. “Look, she’s in a rough spot right now. Real rough. If she doesn’t do herself in, someone else is going to. I came to you because the walls have fucking ears and you’re one of the few people who I think I can trust with this. Not to mention you’re probably the only person in the whole damn Commonwealth who can figure out where she is in the first place.”

“I didn’t realize you thought so highly of me, Deacon.” Had the situation not been so dire, his words might not have sounded so forced, so hollow. Hearing those words come out of his mouth, Nick half wondered if, perhaps, Deacon thought too highly of him. Hell, Nick wasn’t sure if he was even sure of himself.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Maybe I’m just desperate, maybe I’m just asking my friend a favor. Albeit the favor of a lifetime, but... please. If not for me, do it for her.” Deacon stood then, adjusting back to his old, unreadable self behind those dark sunglasses of his. He deftly undid the lock on the door and was gone just as quickly as he had come.

Well.

Nick now sat alone, once again trapped in the horrible, stifling quiet of early morning. At least he had something to think about now. He had been right to worry, as this was one hell of a something. This would probably be his most difficult case yet, and this time, he was doing it alone. Alone, always alone. His eyes wandered once more to the spare fedora and trench atop the empty desk. Her’s.

His partner’s.

He abruptly slapped his hands on his desk and stood. He had to move, think.

As he paced furiously back and forth across his office, burgeoning thoughts and theories raced through his metal head like a swarm of angry stingwings. Now. Where could she be? Was she at Sanctuary? No, she wouldn’t want to be reminded of her family. Was she...? No. No, not that one either. Nick scowled as he poured over each and every possibility, trying to find some semblance of a starting point for the case. Then, suddenly, an idea. Maybe she--

“Nick... what are you doing?”

Nick nearly jumped out of his boots at the sound of Ellie’s voice. He hadn’t realized he had, again, been thinking out loud. Quite loudly, at that. She stood in the doorway in her usual pink tatters, her hair still in rollers. She was thoroughly annoyed, and judging by the dark circles under her eyes and the wet rag pressed to her brow, still thoroughly hung over. Under normal circumstances, she was as understanding as a saint. But now, she might as well be a deathclaw. At Nick’s continued silence, she raised a brow impatiently.

“I, ah.” Nick cleared his throat rather conspicuously as he attempted to find the right words to say. “Just, ah... new case. It’s a favor for a friend.”

“At four in the morning? Ah... nevermind. You never sleep anyway.” Ellie shook her head and let out a huge yawn. “So, detective. What’s the case?”

“Missing person.”

Ellie visibly winced. “Man, even with the Institute gone we’re still going to have our hands full, aren’t we? I was hoping for at least a few days vacation.”

Nick let out a chuckle. Poor thing had been partying harder than anyone, thinking that with no Institute there might be a bit of a lull in the missing persons cases. Even tried some of that Bobrov bleach over at the Dugout Inn. The regret of that decision was plain on her face, and judging from the dark bags beneath her eyes, still had quite a bit to sleep off.

“You can rest easy, Ellie. I’ll be on my own for this one. So--” He holstered his faithful pipe pistol and a screwdriver, preparing what little he would need for the long journey ahead. “-- I’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”

“Wait, what? On your own? And you’re taking your gun?” The look she gave him pulled at his ghost of a heart. He bit his lip and reminded himself he did not have one to give, to hurt, or to break. His face was hardened as she stepped forward, eyes wide with fear. “You’re leaving now?”

“Yup. It ain’t going to be easy, but hey,” he flashed her a winning, reassuring smile, “I’ve worked with less. Think you can hold down the fort here, doll?”

Instead of letting out that sigh of relief Nick had anticipated, Ellie’s frown deeped. She stepped out of the doorway and approached him, still hugging her patchwork blanket around her like a frightened child. She opened her blanket cocoon and before Nick could protest wrapped it around the both of them in a tight embrace. She buried her face in his chest and simply stood there, holding him. A baffled Nick was slow to regain his bearing, but once he did he smiled somberly and held her back. Whether it was from the moonshine, the early morning chill or from her newfound fear he did not know, but poor Ellie shook like a leaf in a radstorm. When she finally spoke her voice was quiet, pleading.

“Don’t go.”

He supposed that was to be expected. An urgent case given the middle of the night couldn’t look good, especially not to the girl who saw him as the closest thing to family she had. While Ellie could certainly take care of herself, he knew all too well the loneliness and worry that would plague her in his absence. His heart pulled again, or rather, one of his many old pieces acting up. Faulty, malfunctioning. Mechanical.

“... I’m afraid it ain’t a question of taking the case or not, Ellie -- someone’s life is on the line in this one.”

Ellie immediately pulled away and gave him those sad, pleading eyes of hers. “I don’t give a damn whether or not you take this case, Nick. Just... don’t go out on your own again. Last time you were gone for weeks. Skinny Malone’s crew was about to turn you into scrap! Do you know how scared I was? If Rosetta hadn’t been there-- wait. Rosetta. She’s your partner.”

“... That she is.”

“We could find her, bring her back so she can help you! I’m sure if I ask the right people, they can find out where she is. Please, just wait until she comes back. Wait until it’s safe. I... I can’t lose you again, Nick.” After a moment, she cracked a strained smile. “I mean, there’s not a lot of other work out there for a detective’s secretary. I’d rather not have an agency without a detective. So... wait? Please?”

“That’d probably be a bit too much of a wait, even for me.”

She let out a weak laugh and cocked an inquisitive brow. “That impatient to get on the case, huh?”

“Well, Ellie, you see... she is the case. A mutual friend of ours just let me know she’s missing.”

Ellie blinked once. Twice. Three times.

“Yeah, exactly. Thing is, I don’t think she wants to be found, and my source wasn’t too forthcoming with information. Confidential, he said. So it’s probably for the best that I’m on my own, keep it under wraps and whatnot.”

“W-wait. So you have no leads, no information... you only know that she’s missing. The woman who blew up the Institute, you say her life is danger. And you’re going to scour the Commonwealth for her... with nothing but an old pipe pistol and a screwdriver?”

“... that about sums it up, yeah.” Even to Nick, the notion was ridiculous. If he couldn’t even save himself from Skinny Malone, how on earth could he save Rosetta? But it wasn’t like he could just turn it down, no. That would mean letting the Commonwealth lose its one last beacon of hope in a hell of a long time. At the very least, he had to try. He gave Ellie one last smile. “I’ll be back before you know it. Promise.”

“You better.” Ellie stepped forward and gave Nick one last, long hug, and much to the detective’s surprise, a quick peck on the cheek. “Go get her, Nick.”

#fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout #nick valentine #deacon #ff #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #my writing #wip #my wip #let the rest of the world go by #long #long post

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rottenwoodandwiltedsunflowers · 6 years

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Waffle Recapish (Turned Into A Full-On Recap) Show #86 5/19/18 Late

*Alright folks! You all wanted more recaps so here goes. This is long but that is how I do recaps. I had a terrific run of shows but I am headed back to the real world so who knows if I will get any more done. -Waffle

Today I was sitting in my hotel room thinking about the last few shows this past weekend when I realized it was absolutely beautiful in New York today and so I decided to take advantage of the spring weather and head to the Highline to work on a recap. Let’s see how successful I am!

Our weekend started Saturday with the Lost Supper at The Attic. It exceeded expectations and I didn’t feel cheated out of my $175 ticket price which was my main concern going in. Huge Kudos to Lily Ockwell- if that is what kind of shenanigans her mind comes up with to share, I would love to see what else is lurking in there. Beyond that, I am not going to say much because it is still running for several more weeks and I don’t want to spoil any of the fabulous surprises for anyone going in the upcoming weeks. I do have some photos that I will share when the experience closes.

After that, it was on to the late Friday show. THE CAST DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

We attended a quick show last weekend but other than that, this was my first return to the hotel since January. There has been a cast changeover which always brings interesting, new residents in and often showcases old residents in new roles. While I am intrigued by the prospect of discovering new residents, my bucket list was admittedly filled with some new roles for old residents. Two things on the top of my bucket list, Evelyn’s Lady Macbeth and Colin’s Matron were in the cast Friday. I spent significant time watching both.

I arrived in the ballroom to excitedly find Evelyn’s Lady M. I was intent on following it until I saw several fellow friends follow her out. They were actually all people who I would ordinarily follow characters with. All respectful, fun following buddies. I just knew I was in a mood that seeing familiar faces (no pun intended) would take me out of the performances so I made the decision to catch her later knowing the crowds would be a bit bigger but hoping to disappear into anonymity in my distracted mind at least. So I went to my go-to follow, Sexy Witch. Marissa was on and she is always a solid performance with flirty and fun vibes. As I made my way over to exit to the lobby with Boy and Sexy, so did about 15 other white masks. Nope nope nope. Nope nope nope. I got to the bottom of the staircase, saw the mob, and backed up into the corner to let them get by me. The best-laid plans. Am I right? Back down to the ballroom where I found Jenna’s sexy with one other audience member (that I knew but hey, you can’t win them all). Jenna is a FUCKING powerhouse! If I have to take 3rd fiddle in my original plans, it’s great to take a 3rd fiddle that is really the 1st fiddle any other night.

Jenna’s ballroom solo was stunning! The way she seizes Macduff and stops him dead in his tracks, manipulating his every move while effortlessly avoiding his advances is a beautiful tribute to the character of Bald witch. She does the Bald witch reveal as well as anyone even with the hair. I’m so glad I was forced back to the ballroom. Her attitude while taking Boy witch out of the box is clearly, “Let’s have some fun...but not too much fun because we have work to do. She is expecting us. LET’S GO!” The rave was high energy. I tried to watch but Tori’s Hecate always siphons off my attention. When I did turn back, I got the absolute best visual of Tyler Phillips boy witch launching (for lack of a better word) himself over the bar. Air for days! He just used the top as a glorious springboard using one hand. It was awesome.

Post-rave, I followed Jenna back to the apothecary where she singled me out to dry her back in the most gloriously Bald witch way possible. A look full of leering and uncomfortable smirking on her part. I think when you become as accustomed to the show as I am, you become very desensitized to the nudity. While it is very jarring and uncomfortable at first, it becomes more commonplace and less shocking. A great Bald witch will make you feel super uncomfortable about the fact that you are in her space and she is topless and staring you down. Mission accomplished. I was sufficiently uncomfortable. I think it is something about the way they pose themselves, crouched over, legs spread, slowly drying their chest while simultaneously maintaining creepy eye contact. She finished her routine and before exiting, grabbed me by the back of the neck, pulling me in and hissing out an ominous warning to “Beware the Thane of Fife!” She left to head to the banquet and I headed up.

I arrived at the Matron’s hut to find Colin drawing on the window jam. Bucket list happiness! He drew crosses then connected the dots to form what looked like the hut window or door or perhaps hut itself. He has a bit of Fulton to his Matron at one point climbing on a chair to place a horseshoe over the window. Clearly, he is disturbed and frightened by the possibilities that lay outside the forest. I have to be honest with the fact that I was highly skeptical going into this performance. Usually, I am very open to new interpretations and am not the type of person who is picky about how my favorite roles are played. I like my Matron a certain way though, mainly female. I’m sexist, sue me. I was very pleasantly surprised. His pairing with Andrea was solid. I believed his trepidation about what was going on outside his world was felt. His 1:1 was surprisingly terrifying. I was genuinely caught off guard when the moment came. I’m glad I gave him a shot.

Then there was the star of the show for me, Evelyn Chen’s Lady Macbeth. it is a new thing and a rare thing (as of now) so I headed back to find her. I found her in her room post ballroom. I braved the Macbeth crowds and she didn’t disappoint. Her dancing was bold and beautiful and passionate. It has been quite awhile since I have done this loop so it was full of little surprises for me. She was engaging beyond belief and I found myself being thankful that I knew the building so well because I ended up needing to use alternative routes for much of the moving between scenes due to the sea of people following her.

Her Out Spot dance was particularly moving. The way her pain played out in her ferocious dancing. Throwing herself from corner to corner. Flipping over the bed from one end to the other. The mental anguish and struggle to remain grounded and her ultimate slipping sanity portrayed perfectly through her physical movements. Upon winding down physically, she slinked back into the corner pulling the sheet over her head and hiding in a ball in the corner for several moments. When she emerged, she looked much calmer. A peaceful demeanor set in for just a moment. Just enough time for the audience to digest the total breakdown and think the storm was over. Then you saw it. It was perfectly executed. I didn’t see any signs that something was amiss or that there was cause for concern until there was. Her face portrayed tiered, calm, and thoughtful but her nose started to bleed. It was a very unsettling sight, Lady Macbeth’s quiet face and still mind while the blood slowly trickled down her lip. Everything was fine until it wasn’t. She reached up and hesitantly touched it setting off an instantaneous second violent storm. She raced to the bathtub absolutely panicked. Frantically trying to rid her self and the tub of any remnants of her part in the plan.

There was no turning back though. What is done cannot be undone. Her walk down High Street was full of audience interactions. She fell to the floor upon entering the space before looking up at me and extending her hand. I helped her up, she handed me her necklace and bowed her head. After placing the necklace on her we were headed down the street together. She was broken and mumbling the whole way. Macbeth showed up and the relief on her face was immediate. They were off to the banquet.

I love the banquet. It is one of the most beautifully executed pieces of choreography I have ever seen hands down. No matter who I follow, one moment in particular that almost always holds my attention is when Lady Macbeth is seated and begins to turn in her chair in slow motion. I am a sucker for silhouettes in that building and the picturesque moment created when she extends her arm straight out pointing behind her with her head resting on her shoulder seemingly frozen in time is everything.

I followed as she exited the ballroom but found myself overwhelmed by the swell of audience members trying to jam themselves into the stairwells. Cue my gratitude for knowledge of the building. I hightailed it over to the opposite stairwell and up to 5. Apparently, I was feeling especially athletically inclined that evening. More than likely I was just excited to play out the rest of the loop. Thank you congestion on the stairs! I beat Lady M up to 5 and watched her come down the hall into the room with the beds. After all the horror stories we all hear and witness with audience behavior, I am always genuinely surprised when the residents put themselves out there in extra vulnerable scenes. I watched Evelyn extend her hand and have an audience member help her out of the tub. She then had me lay her robe over her shoulders. On a side note, am I the only one who gets extremely nervous when instructed to do things like this. I always feel like I am doing a horrible job. I’m sorry I put it on slightly askew. I think my nervousness about being extra respectful often results in me performing the task awfully. Sorry. We headed back down and it was like the last hour never happened. All the memories of nightmares were wiped clean and the story was back at page 1. She went back to manipulating Danvers and Macbeth with blissful ignorance of what awaited her.

I took a little break in the bar and was back down to the ballroom early to get a good spot for the finale. I realized I had never had a Lady Macbeth walkout before. I am never watching from the front of the stage but tonight I wanted Evelyn’s walkout. I had such a great night with her character and I will confess that I was hoping to thank her for the experience. Turns out it wasn’t even a problem as it seemed the audience was a bit frightened of the stage. I wasn’t even that close but I felt like I was practically standing on it because as the ballroom filled in, the audience flicked to the back. It was one of those weird situations where I thought I would be in the front but I ended up being aways in front of the audience. I actually took a step back because I felt a bit like an island. Lady Macbeth exited the stage and immediately came to my side. She grabbed my hand and watched her husband's fate play out while clinging to my arm. We proceeded to the Manderley and I got the opportunity to thank her for a brilliant performance!

It was Tyler Phillips last show and I didn’t follow him because like someone else has said, I didn’t have a strong connection to him or the character of Boy witch in general. One thing I will mention (that I didn’t see but KaeLyn and every other Boy witch fan did) is that Tyler wins the award for most dramatic exit of a resident. HANDS DOWN! Apparently while performing his last cabaret in the hotel lobby, He pulled out a pair of scissors, mid-song, and cut off his hair! Who does that?!?! Brilliance! I can actually imagine him standing on stage with scissors in one hand, a fist full of hair in the other, crying and lip-syncing to “Is that All There Is?” I do wish I has seen it. Bravo and you sir will be missed!

#Sleep No More #mckittrick hotel #recap

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let-it-go-and-let-it-live · 6 years

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Lesson Learned

Tony Stark x Reader

anonymous asked:

could you do where tony is teaching something sciencey in his lab and the reader gets hurt and or something and tony gets super worried?

Word Count: ~890

A/N: Alright, so I deviated a bit. I am also extremely happy with this. It took me so long to get it started, and then I finished it in a night. So, my dear Anon, wherever you are, I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

It was easy working for and with Tony Stark… as long as he wasn’t around. You were fresh out of college when he took you on as his intern. It was Pepper’s idea; she thought Tony needed somewhere to channel his extra energy. She insisted that having something to really focus on, someone to teach, would help with his anxiety.

For the most part, her plan works. On the nights you both part ways after hours in the lab, the man sleeps like a rock. Whenever he’s gone on a mission, he leaves a project or two behind and calls to check your progress when he can. He’s a great teacher, doing more for you than you would have ever expected.

You’re in the lab, one of Tony’s sentinels standing with its chest cavity open. You hold a tablet in one hand while your eyes focus on the projected diagram of the sentinel’s insides.

“I don’t understand why…”

Just as you reach in to check one of the wires, the lab door opens, and the sound of Tony’s voice makes you jump.

“Ow!” You exclaim, shaking your hand and looking at your shocked fingers, “Damn it!”

He quickly apologizes and closes the space between you.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He says with a gentle smile as he takes your damaged hand, “Are you okay?”

“It…” You clear your throat. “It was just a little shock.” You pull your hand away. “I’m okay.”

He clears his throat as well and steps toward the sentinel, “So, how’s it coming?”

You have to shake your head clear before answering him. You move to stand next to him as you zoom in on the affected area in the diagram.

“It looks like a couple of his wires just shorted out. It should be an easy fix.”

He nods and turns to you, taking the tablet from you and closing out the diagrams, “It’s late. You should get some rest. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”

You could do nothing more than just nod your head and quietly leave the room. As you crawl into bed a little while later, your mind is still reeling, trying to make sense of his actions – of the concern in his eyes as he held your hand so gently in his.

You spend the next week trying to focus on work and not on him or the things he started doing. He’s bringing you coffee in the morning, and it’s exactly the way you like it. He’s going out of his way to get you lunch from your favorite restaurants. He’s working closer to you than ever before, your hands touching constantly as you trade tools. In the end, you spend the whole week trying to figure him out while your progress with your work slows down.

A couple of days later, Bucky catches you in the hall after having just come back from a mission.

“I took a hit,” he explains, “and my arm has been acting up since.”

“Well, I was just on my way to the lab. You can come with me, and I’ll get some scans and try to figure out what’s going on.”

That’s all that was happening when Tony came into the lab ten minutes later. You know he has his eyes on you and Bucky, but he hasn’t said a word. It only takes a half hour to get everything you need to start the working on the repairs to Bucky’s arm. You give him a temporary fix and tell him you’ll let him know when everything is ready for the permanent solution.

“Thanks, doll.”

You smile only slightly at his words and watch after him as he leaves the lab. Once he’s gone, you turn back to the materials at hand, but the new arm is Tony’s design and you’re having a little bit of trouble.

“Hey, Tony, can you help me with this?”

It takes calling out to him a couple more times before he finally comes to your side.

“I don’t how you did it, but some of these connections just don’t make sense.”

He chuckles a bit before he starts to walk you through the way he connected and calibrated everything. He watches you as you work. As you move to connect one last wire, his hand reaches out abruptly to take yours.

“Not there.”

In the same moment, though, your other hand touches the end of the soldering iron. You draw your hand back with a shout, and as you’re trying to shake the pain away, Tony is struggling to catch your hand. When he finally does, he inspects the glowing red mark. You watch in shock as he leans down and kisses the wound.

You speak his name on a breath. He looks up at you, his brown eyes searching yours for a hint of offence at his actions. Instead, your own eyes look to his lips before his eyes again. A moment later, your lips are against his in a gentle but satisfying kiss. When you pull back, he chuckles and kisses your hand again.

“You should really learn to be more careful.”

You put your hand to his cheek, sliding it back to rest on neck, “Consider that lesson learned.”

He smiles as you pull him back in, any pain and any confusion forgotten.

TONY STARK X READER MASTERLIST

TONY STARK TAGLIST (OPEN): @captainamerotica @irishprincess9 @jaegers-and-kaijus @starkiewtf @thevanishedillusion @callingmrsbarnes @plan3tmadison @winchester-negan-one-shots @mrunmayi @purplekitten30 @babyblues915 @gabriels-trix

#tony stark #Tony Stark fanfiction #tony stark fanfic #tony stark x reader #tony stark fluff #Iron Man #iron man fanfic #iron man fanfiction #iron man x reader #marvel #Marvel Avengers #marvel fanfic #marvel cinematic universe #marvel fanfiction #anon request

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toastydoodles · 6 years

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(Art Blog) | (Twitter) | (Instagram) | (Storenvy)

((Had to get in one last post before the new year!))

I HAD THE MOST STRESSFUL FUN THIS OCTOBER doing these three conventions three weeks in a row, not to mention doing multi-day conventions for the first time! There were ups and downs but I had so much fun and by the end of my con season my brain was utterly fried!!

Thank you so so much to everyone who stopped by, and to those who followed me here sometime in the past couple months: Hello!! Thank you for supporting my art and I hope you enjoy your stay!!

That said, I’m gonna talk a bit about this con season. GET COMFY, ITS LONG

So con prep started in late August when I learned that I actually got into Kumori after having been on their waitlist for a while. I knew then that I REALLY had to kick my ass into gear lol

At this point, I was still in the middle of my 40 hr (+ 12 hr travel time) a week summer internship, so I didn’t have all day to work on my prints until the weekend, but my weekends were usually taken up spending time with loved ones and friends. Or gaming, since I didn’t have the time during the weekdays >_>

Then college came back around, giving me 4 classes, a student job doing graphic design, and club activities + homework! When I thought I’d have more free time, I actually had less! But with cons approaching, I drew more than I would have if I didn’t have cons AND found myself improving when it came to doing prints again.

The biggest issue popped up a week before BCC. LONG story short, I suddenly did not have a button maker to borrow anymore. I weighed my options: either lose money on potential button sales (which made up most of my sales in previous years) and shelf my button designs, or drop $500 on a button maker set to make them in time for Kumori and Jet City. This is also keeping in mind that I might not be able to do too many cons in the future.

I bought the button maker. But, since I am the luckiest daughter in the world, my parents swooped in to pay for it as an early Christmas present. I will be making so many wearable memes with this gift and I am GRATEFUL.

Another issue I ran into the WHOLE MONTH was not being able to take card. I’m forever rejected from Square (tl;dr, my phone glitched during signup and shredded through all the signup attempts I can possibly have. Customer service basically said “welp, sorry!”) and Paypal Here was entirely unhelpful, so I had to go the season as cash only. I won’t actually know how much this hurt sales, but it definitely hurt turning down some big purchases because I was one of the few vendors that didn’t take card!

I’ll definitely be looking into the alternatives for card readers soon! There’s a lot out there.

This year, I kept track of my sales and stock with excel sheets with formulas! It definitely kept things organized and helped me keep track of stock and see where patterns were, if any. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped immensely. I also kept very VERY close track of what my spending was like.

I’m spoiling it before the end, but I was about $200 from breaking even. Luckily I’m not in a position where this loss impacts significantly, but it still stings! It could have been a result of multiple things, such as the hotel for Kumori being 1/3rd of my expenses ALONE, my choice of products/fandoms, not having ability to take card, and general attendee interest.

Let’s take a brief look at each con!

Bellingham Comicon

Glad to be back!

Bellingham Comicon has once again, been a joy. It’s a small convention but excited attendees pack the place and sales were good. A couple people recognized me from last year and I recognized a couple people too! I didn’t have my button maker yet but perlers seemed to be decently popular. I even made a custom Witch Mercy perler that sold 40 MINUTES INTO THE CONVENTION. It sold so quick that I didn’t even get to take a table picture until after I sold it! (I will say, when I put up that custom Sentai Genji, I upped the price a bit lmao)

I met a lot of amazing artists and got to do a bunch of art trades as well, something I haven’t really done in previous years! I was happy to see a couple familiar faces and meet some new artists too!! BCC is small enough that walking around and chatting to other artists and vendors is on the easier side.

I got a couple weird looks dressed as IT Damien from Dream Daddy, but was glad some people recognized me! I made some first impressions on some very cool artists in that cosplay haHA

While BCC is a comic convention, I didn’t feel out of place. There were lots of attendees that I would consider in my target audience and I didn’t feel like it was taking away from business. BCC is very much a comic and pop culture convention, with fans looking for all sorts of things!

Kumoricon

GOD WHAT AN ADVENTURE

Kumori was my first multi-day convention, and the farthest I’ve travelled for a con! Needless to say, I was anticipating this con since August, but didn’t know AT ALL what to expect.

We ended up driving down on Thursday and setting up that night, which definitely took a lot of the stress away. I also managed to compact my table and merch into a single tote, a print box, a bag to hold the wire cubes, + personal bags for miscellaneous stuff. So that was less stressful too.

Friday came and I was cosplaying Taako (which, as I found out, is 150% more fun to wear than IT Damien oops). The day was on the slower side, and some of my friends came by to say hi and ended up helping out at my table, giving me time to check out the artist alley!

Kumori’s artist alley was HUGE. And even more jarring: so many of the artists I follow on twitter/insta/etc were there. Somehow. Good lord, how many of you live in the PNW that I didn’t know about? I recognized an artist who’s art I love in line while waiting for badges and almost had a heart attack. Over the weekend, I met a lot of artists but it was only a fraction of the entire artist alley. I didn’t even get to meet all the artists I recognized!

So. Profit-wise, the con was kind of a disappointment. Oh boy, here’s a stat: I made about as much at BCC as I did at Kumori. In three days.

Again, this could’ve been a number of things. A lot of artists (many more experienced than me!), general interest, things I chose to sell, etc. But even so, many of the returning artists I talked to said it was slower than last year and some said the con is usually pretty dang slow.

But the con was fantastic in other ways. It gave me valuable big-con experience, some new art friends/mutuals, a fun time at the con and in Portland (good food!), and again, my favorite part, meeting a ton of cool, amazing artists and being able to make some art trades or to buy from them!

I definitely needed rest after this one. My brain was absolutely FRIED by the time we finally got back home and ate a late dinner at Shari’s.

Jet City Comic Show

Not even gonna lie, it was EMPTY most of the weekend!

I ended up having to table by myself, which wasn’t a problem with how lax it was. I even had time to doodle as well as finish a pen drawing! And I live pretty close to the show, so I could just head home once the days ended.

My table neighbor was super cool and I met a bunch of cool artists from all over the artist alley as well! This alley was pretty massive too, so I didn’t get to check out all of them. Being a comic convention, most of the artists were comic-based, with maybe a hand full of anime-styled artist from what I could see.

Many artists had their own published comics, and I enjoyed listening to their pitches (and took some comics home too!!).

My row didn’t seem to get a lot of foot traffic, but neither did the majority of the artist alley. And Sunday was even slower! Talking to other vendors, I found out Jet City is usually slow, but this year was slower than the last.

All in all, it was a nice quiet weekend and I was happy to meet more amazing artists at this con, as well as happy to get home and REST!

Overall...

This season was rewarding. Not in the money way, unfortunately. I’m lucky to be a position where it doesn’t affect me in a major way. But I’m always so excited to go to cons, and just being around fellow fans and creative minds is rewarding in it’s own way. I’ve also learned what to do and what not to do for future conventions should I continue to do them!

the real profit was the artists we met along the way

#artist alley #artist alley recap #long post #toasty post #i actually wrote this is november and havent finished it til now lmao #portfolio

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awkwardshanandagins · 6 years

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Costco+Lupron=One Very Stabby Shanda

You read that right, STABBY. As in I'm on the brink of stabbing someone or something. Anyone else ever feel this way? Oh..no? Are you telling me it's not normal to feel like stabbing someone? Well, shit, I've been feeling stabby so hard since about 5:00 p.m. yesterday, just in time for my husband to get home. Lucky him! I got my sixth and final Lupron injection yesterday and this one stays in my system for three months as opposed to the one month injections I've been getting. I don't know if you're supposed to feel much of a difference between the two but dear Lord this one has been a doozy! I have had to try way harder than one should ever have to try to not elbow someone in the face today. That should just be easy, right? We don't elbow people in the face, it's not socially acceptable, therefore we do not have to consciously make an effort not to do so, we just don't do it. Not me. Not today. I've had to make a very conscious decision not to elbow several stupid faces. They're lucky I have some self-control.

At this point, you may be thinking I am a very violent person. As much as I talk about it (and yes, sometimes daydream about it), I would NEVER actually do anything to hurt anyone. I'm a big ol' pussy and I "care" too much about my fellow man or whatever. But, if there was ever something strong enough to make me actually throat chop someone, it would be this damn Lupron. This shit is not for the weak! I know better than to go out in public the first couple days after my injection but I ignored my better judgement, something I do too often.

I decided to run by Costco on my way home from work. Going to Costco while practically roid-raging on Lupron is a terrible idea. Going to Costco in general is usually a terrible idea. I have such a strong love-hate relationship with Costco. It is literally my favorite store while also being the place I hate most in this world. It's not so much the store I despise, but the people inside of it. There seems to be a common theme with me lately, I just really can't stand people. Anyways, after spending almost a full week laid up on the couch I figured running some errands would be good for me. I have to do things while I feel most human and today was one of those days, or so I thought. Hormonally, I don't think it was my wisest decision.

Parking was the first red flag. This dickhead woman stole my spot and I about had a total meltdown. A screaming, crying, ramming my car into the back of hers kind of meltdown. I think she knew how annoyed I was, one because I stared her down real hard and two because she did not get out of the car until I exited mine and walked inside. Another spot opened up two spots away and at this point a normal person would have let it go but Lupron said "NO! YOU WILL HATE THIS WOMAN FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY. SHOW HER YOUR HATRED!" I glared through her window as I got out of my car. I went as slow as possible so I could see how long she'd stay in there. Part of me was hoping she'd get out but the other part of me, the more rational part of me, was like "why? what would you do if she did get out?" I'd give her a good ol' fashion scream cry in the face, that's what I'd do! I always seem to think if I stare at someone long and hard enough, they'll feel my rage burning into the side of their face and they'll know they did something stupid. Man, I sure showed her! In reality, she probably had no idea any of this was even happening.

While walking in, I somehow got behind the slowest couple that has ever existed. They were barely moving but did an excellent job of taking up the entire entry way so there was no way for me to go around. They continued their slow, sprawled out moseying the whole way in, pointing and stopping at every single item; again making it nearly impossible to pass them. My hormone fueled rage did not let me give up however. I got way too close for comfort, did a few NFL approved spin moves and somehow slipped by. What I don't understand is how at the end of my shopping trip in hell, I ended up behind them again! They had to have walked in and straight to the check-out lane. There is no way, with their speed, that they could have made it anywhere else in the store and still ended up in front of me in the short amount of time it took me to sprint around the place. Damn them. Damn them real hard. Slow walkers are literally the worst.

Next, I ended up right in front of a real fun older gentleman. He turned out to be a super douchebag, but by the end of our interaction I made sure to really give him the look of hate and shame so he knew how annoyed I was. To start, he about ran me over with his cart. I was eating a sample as most of us do during our shopping trips to Costco. Let's be real, it's pretty much a given that at least 75% of us are there during lunch time to indulge on these samples instead of eating a normal lunch. Anyways, I do what I do best and accidentally dropped it down the front of me. It had ranch on it and it spilled all over me and splatted on the floor. Trying to be a decent human being, I bent over to pick it up and this mother-effer was so close behind me that he had to abruptly pull his cart backwards or he would have knocked me straight onto my face. I let him go around, loudly said "jeeeeeeeeez," picked up my stuff and walked slowly behind him so he could get way ahead. I was trying to spare his life. About three aisles down, all of a sudden I can feel a cart right behind me but before I could turn around, someone threw a giant heavy box of something into it making a huge crash which about made me wet myself. I turned around and it was the same toolbag who nearly booty bumped me onto my damn face. At this point, I was beyond annoyed, almost to a place of murder, so I decided to follow very closely behind him so he could feel my wrath glaring a hole into the back of his head. He walked comically fast, which I take as a compliment because I obviously scared him enough for him to practically run away.

I decided to skip the rest of the samples and leave before I lashed out and hurt someone, or most likely myself. It was obvious I was in no state of mind to be around other human beings so I made a straight shot for the aisle I needed which luckily was right by the check-out.

You know what people drive me the most crazy? The ones who act like they take precedence over everyone else on this earth. Luckily, one of them was right in the main aisle trying samples with her child while her cart sat in the middle of the busiest aisle there is. It was obvious it was in the way as people were lined up to get around it and were taking turns to pass her. The polite thing would be to move your cart but no, she just stood there shoving her stupid face with quinoa not giving one shit that she was making it difficult for literally every other person there to get around her. If anyone were to get a punch to the throat today, it would have been her. I wanted to slap her quinoa out of her hand and high-kick her cart. Move your shit, lady!

Whoever is in charge of deciding what items go on which shelves is either incredibly smart or terribly evil, or both I guess. All I wanted was the protein powder I use for my morning shakes. It is usually always by the vitamins but you know where they moved it? On the fucking candy aisle! Good God, why? I AM A WEAK PERSON, COSTCO! They know. They know we are all weak and if they put the healthy crap by the delicious and unhealthy crap, we will buy both. What a bunch of assholes. Smart assholes though.

By the time I got up to the checkout lane, my arms were so full of stuff I did not go there for in the first place, that I was walking with an awkward limp, attempting to use one of my legs as a weird third arm to try to keep it all from falling. I was hot and super sweaty at this point, which I'm sure made me look incredibly sane, and the rage had hit an all-time high. What's worse than a menopausal woman? A HOT menopausal woman! A nice man came to my rescue as he clearly saw they had a liability on their hands with me. I left as quickly as possible and tried not to look at anyone for fear if they gave me the wrong face, I might throw my box of items right at their head.

This was not even one of my worst trips to Costco. I usually take Paul with me which honestly just makes it all worse. He is not good in crowds and has a quick temper at times. We are quite the pair right now! One of us usually tries to remain level headed to keep the other one from completely losing their mind and rampaging through the store. He absolutely loathes Costco so I tend to be the one remaining level headed. Hard to imagine, I know. The sample areas are breeding grounds for assholes. It never fails, every time either he or I walk up to grab one, some jerkoff steps in front of us and grabs the last one. I will wait patiently but Paul will boil over and have to walk away while cursing quietly. Actually it's not quiet at all. He does it so loud it usually draws attention. I try to quickly corral him out of there while telling him to talk quieter which usually leads to us bickering until one of us walks ahead of the other one and remains five steps in front for the rest of the excursion. It's obvious there is a marital spat taking place at this point. Any time you see a woman walking five steps in front of a man, you can guarantee a fight just took place. I really should just leave him at home. It never turns out well. Paul can't help but have an angry scowl on his face the entire time. My family now calls Paul's angry face his "Costco face."

My next stop was PetSmart. I should have just gone home but why stop there? Maybe for the safety of myself and others? Probably, but I live life dangerously. There was this bird, or possibly baby pterodactyl, inside PetSmart that screeched non-stop the entire time I was there. Normally, I would be able to block that out but my Lupron brain would not allow me to and instead made it sound like it was inside my skull. I asked the cashier if the bird did this all the time and he said yes while looking like he had been seriously considering murder. I would lose my mind working there with that bird. That damn thing would "mysteriously" disappear one day. Whoa, calm down, I wouldn't kill it, I'd obviously just let it go. Right as I walked out of the parking lot, a car alarm continued the screeching's of that fucking bird. Again, it usually wouldn't bother me but since it was happening inside my skull, I seriously considered running inside and screaming similar sounds until someone shut the stupid thing off. Instead, I got in my car and drove my ass home. I will hide out here until the effects of Satan's saliva wears off and I am a more normal, functioning person.

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that this will be my last shot! This stuff is no joke. It honestly has been both a blessing and a curse. I truly do think it's made me feel better in many aspects but it has also made me into a complete lunatic. Seriously, if my marriage can withstand this, it can withstand anything!

To those who are considering this medication, please do not let my stories turn you away from it. The side effects I've had really have not been anything compared to the constant pain and bleeding us girls/women with endometriosis suffer from. I've heard people have both amazing and terrible experiences with it. I really urge you to think for yourself on this one and not take others' experiences into account since each one of us reacts so differently to this drug. If you do decide to take it, good luck and God speed! I joke. Seriously though, I am here to listen to you throughout your own Lupron journey if you just need someone to vent to. It helps having someone to talk to who completely gets it. If you decide to give Lupron a try, just a word of advice...DON'T GO TO COSTCO!

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