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whump-captain · 2 years

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No 1. - A little out of the ordinary

Adverse effects | Unconventional restraints | "This wasn't supposed to happen"

OC: Ghost Ambulance

here we gooooooooo! ive had this one in my head for a bit actually and it fit the prompt so nicely (◡‿◡)

CN: supernatural whump, cuts on wrists, bleeding out

One of the thirty six elevators in the building is haunted.

There is always one, in Cutter's experience. Elevators, with their strange atmospheres and lights flickering at just the right frequencies, tend to be hotspots for all sorts of hallucinations. Though it is unusual for a place this modern - the sleek LEDs that light it are far too well-kept to flicker at all and plenty of natural light reaches each floor through the windows that make up the majority of the facade. The building’s geometry is the elongated maze typical of new riverside developments, sliced through with pathways and tunnels that lead to green-speckled courtyards. Signs in the windows of ground-floor businesses add colour to the light greyscale of glass and concrete.

Elaine and Cutter have split up. With so much ground to cover - horizontal and vertical - they have agreed to start their investigation on opposite ends of the long building and work their way to the middle. Though the call came in to Elaine directly, she was pretty certain that it's bullshit and so she invited Cutter as an extra pair of hands. On his advice, she installed an app that can analyze video footage and estimate the frequency of any flickering found in it - an easy way to pinpoint the potential source of the "haunting". In return, she has offered to lend Cutter a dagger. He refused.

The day passes on long, uneventful rides in elevator after elevator, each documented with a short video of the lights. Mirrors line the cabins floor to ceiling and Cutter’s reflection looks around in time with him, multiplied into infinity among a corridor of interlocking, crystalline lines. The glass glitter of them puts him on edge.

But nothing supernatural makes an appearance. Just as they have agreed, Cutter texts Elaine with an update after he finishes the block and she has the exact same news. She sounds impatient in her texts; Cutter guesses that she considers all of this a waste of her time.

Himself, he loves boring investigations. Earn money for a few hours of wandering around a fancy building and chatting up receptionists? Dream job.

The next block lies across from the one he’s finished, through a courtyard from which several archways lead to different sections of the complex. In one of them, hidden in a wide recess between two storefronts, is a nondescript, two-wing door. A card scanner guards it on the side and at the sight of its blinking red light, Cutter has a thought.

He texts Elaine: "How many service elevators are there?"

"I'm not sure," she texts back, "they only informed me about the resident ones."

"I'll snoop around."

“If you bring news of even more elevators, I might let the river end my suffering.”

Cutter smiles to himself and decides not to tell her that he knows for a fact that there will, indeed, be more elevators.

The next twenty minutes he spends on a chain of questions and referrals that lead him from one manager to another as he calmly explains at least three times to at least four people who and why has hired him. Eventually he obtains an access card from a worker from a nearby cafe, a long-haired guy in a branded t-shirt who appears skeptical even as a security officer gives him a wave of permission. Despite that permission, the officer herself hangs around the door as Cutter taps the card on the reader and the two wings swing soundlessly open before him.

Behind them is a dimly lit, but perfectly ordinary service area. Bare concrete walls form a corridor that broadens recurrently into empty chambers, each with a door leading to a different business. Bulky square vents run along the high ceiling, flanked by thinner copper pipes and garlands of tightly bunched cables. The wall immediately to the right is, as expected, occupied by two elevators. There is only one button below their own card reader, indicating the elevator's direction to be down. Cutter can almost hear Elaine’s complaining already.

A muted clunk sounds out in the ambient echo of the corridor when he presses the button and a deep, scraping hum follows. There's a breeze coming in from the distance, carrying traces of some machinery's monotone rhythm.

The door slides open. The elevator’s cabin is bigger than the others, longer to accommodate trolleys and floor scrubbers. Instead of mirrors, sheets of thick, dirty white padding cover the walls, bunching and overlapping in the corners. A scent of stale dust makes Cutter's throat itch as the door slides shut and then the elevator rumbles downwards, shuddering like a dying engine. It's much slower than the others, too, even though it only has a single floor's journey to make.

Cutter drifts idly from wall to wall, examining the stained, greyish padding. There's a label right in the middle of one of the sheets bearing the name of its manufacturer and some basic instructions that reveal its purpose - protecting broken surfaces. He wonders if there is a mirror under there after all, smashed either by careless use or some vandal. Though the padding could be for the walls themselves, cushioning them from any impacts from whatever goods and machinery are transported through here. He runs a hand over it absently, tracing the vertical lines of the seams.

Something moves underneath it.

He jerks his arm back and whips around. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. The padding is motionless. The light on the button is still on. The rumble of machinery persists.

The ride is taking much longer than it should.

Cutter turns around, slowly. He scans the cabin from floor to ceiling, but there is only the dirty padding. But his chest tightens and that's all the confirmation he needs.

He found the haunted one.

With every distant clang that he has assumed to be mechanical, the elevator's hum changes. As if warped by dials on an equalized, it deepens and then gains a scraping, shrill echo. Right before Cutter's eyes, the padding on the walls swells as if in wind and then drops, bisected all around as if with a blade.

Behind it the walls are gleaming.

In a moment, the cabin transforms into a cave. Rough and sharp-edged, the walls are made of ink black obsidian, shining so clean that it looks polished. The pure white glints of reflected light blink with the flicker of the lightbulb and shift on the surface like flowing gasoline.

Cutter takes a breath and that motion is enough. A huge, triangular pane spikes out of the wall, sharp like a blade and fast like a bullet. Cutter jerks back with a cry; the stone cuts through the cabin and stabs into the opposite wall. Cracks split the obsidian open and immediately it begins to shift and grow to remake itself. Inches from Cutter's foot, another spike shoots out at an angle, towards the ceiling's corner. He twists away, but he has no space. The two giant shards of polished stone bisect the cabin at strange axes, their edges so thin they're almost translucent. But they're lethally solid still. A third blade shoots out from the cabin's shortest wall, colliding with one of the other panes. It goes clean through with a sound like sharpening steel and glittering black debris explodes out in its path. Cutter barely has space to flinch, boxed in, razor edges on every side. One more slices the air right in front of his face and he stumbles back with a gasp. His back hits the wall, cold and hard like ice. Arms outstretched, he presses himself into it. He can almost taste the stone that's inches away from his eyes.

With a sound like nails on glass, two pairs of blades break out around Cutter's wrists and crash together into a point. He shouts as the thin edges slice deep into his skin. He tries to struggle but he can't. The two triangular shards are like shackles. Every millimeter he gains away from one, pushes the other deeper into his flesh. Gritting his teeth, he pulls towards himself - but again futile. The shackles only tighten with a shrill hiss and Cutter gasps at the pain. Blood paints a thin ring around his wrist but doesn't get the chance to drip down. The obsidian shards gain a wet gleam and where the crimson touches them, it's locked inside.

Cutter's breath catches and his head swims. Breathe. Slow down. Contain that shivering, slowly in and slowly out, no matter how much it hurts. It's just some cuts, he's going to be fine. The scar on his chest burns, adrenaline screaming at him to run. But if he moves, he'll just slice himself open. Stay still.

He lets out a long, shaky exhale. He feels the gentle pulse of escaping blood on his wrist and the warmth of it makes him nauseous. Tentatively, he shifts his foot on the floor. The soft scrape sounds like a gunshot. But nothing happens. The stone doesn't try to slice through his clothes - it either can't or doesn't want to. Heartbeat pounding in his skull, Cutter scans the cabin, looking for a trace of deadly movement among the scattered, distorted reflections.

They're moving. Slowly, at a crawling pace of moving glaciers, the blades continue to grow, fueled by the blood they drink. The elevator door cracks around the shard embedded in it, deep ridges spidering out. At that sight, Cutter's heart stumbles into double-time. If the door breaks, he can call for help. It's barely holding, creaking with metallic strain, peeling away along the cracks.

Cutter pushes his back against the wall. He cries out from pain and effort and kicks the shard, as hard as he can. His boot chips off a spray of glitter dust, the stone shivers. The impact barely jostles it.

Another short blade spikes out below Cutter's forearm. It slices through an inch of skin, tearing a cry out of him again. Immediately, a twin one joins it from above, into another razor sharp shackle. Two more lines of pain ignite on his arm, stabbing fire right down to his bones. Then two more still, on his other arm. He grits his teeth this time and only lets out a quiet, raspy groan. The cuts are deeper now and blood flows from them quickly, too fast for the obsidian to absorb it all. It gathers around its edges, overflowing, then dripping down to the checker plate floor.

A violent shudder runs through Cutter's body and that motion is enough. A new pair of shackles erupts, thicker and darker in colour now. The burning lines have blurred together into one and it's like holding his arms in a flame. He's panting, his knees wobble but he locks himself in place with pure desperation, pressing harder against the wall behind him. He can't fall. If he does, the stone will cut off his hands. He can't get a full breath in; he wants to call out for help but his voice keeps escaping on small, fragmented groans as the blades dig into the wounds and cut in deeper with every shiver he fails to suppress.

Among the pain, his blood flows hotter and everything beyond that seems to get colder. He can only gasp soundlessly as the next shackle opens up more ridges in his skin. There's movement now too. As the stone grows, it gains a slow, sickening pulse that offsets his own sluggish heartbeat. With each contraction of the blades, new pain shoots through Cutter's body and each of his short, shallow breaths carries with it a barely audible keen. The crimson drops on the floor connect into puddles and then divide again in his eyes as his vision blurs. But he's still upright, braced against the sharp points of the obsidian wall. In the LED light, his pallid face is white against the gleaming dark.

The rhythm of blood drops hitting the floor slows, like a watch on the last of its battery. Cutter can't feel if it's his own legs holding him up, or the grip of the obsidian blades. A memory of urgency bleeds out somewhere in the points of the triangular shackles, too distant now for him to grasp at. It's so dark that he can't tell if his eyes are open. The claustrophobic, scored cabin of the elevator stretches out into a vast open space filled with nothing at all. The pain is gone now. He's just very cold.

The cabin continues to shake as it slices out of its timeless reverie and shudders to a stop on the ground floor of the service area - finally succumbing to the physical world again and allowing itself to settle. The huge panes of stone crawl back into their walls and then smooth out into a sheen, only slightly darker than a normal mirror. The countless shackles, full and gleaming with crimson, retract as well and release Cutter's body to crumple down to the bloodied floor.

The cracked door lurches open on mechanical instinct. The security officer waiting on the other side looks up from her phone and screams.

#whumptober2022 #no. 1 #unconventional restraints #oc #whump writing #captain's stuff #captain's ocs #ghost ambulance #cutter as paranormal creature juice box part 1 #i had so much fun w/ this one i hope the visual came through bc i vibe with it so much (◡‿◡)#also i can have little a self-insert cameo. as a treat. lmao

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brothertimothysblog · 2 years

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Summer Heat

We will have deaths this summer all over the world, because of the heat. Some will be praising God. Many will be anticipating the lake of fire. Last month in Seattle Washington over 200 homeless folks died because of the heat. I have a fan on me as I sit writing in my living room. My wife is in the bedroom with A/C on her our central heat and air went out . We have two window units one off of the kitchen the other in the bedroom.

We will need some portable heaters for this winter. The Central heat and air may be fixable. I remember the A/C going out about 40 years ago. The problem was the unit was old. I believe I am having the same problem here. The difference my house was built in 1955

The house 40 years ago was built a year before the A/C went out. The contractor put in a old used air conditioner.

The main problem not just with me but our country and other countries. We are on the edge of a depression. Our government has caused inflation. We the people has allowed it. We have our constitution which allows us to remove the trash which is in the white house. We had three good years with Trump. In 2013 then Vice President Joe Biden under Obama paid China 3.7 million for them to make Covid19 and have it released in 2020.

The year of the election millions of votes were changed from Trump to Biden. Everyone knows it. I posted an article that was written in the USA today back before the election. The article was printed in 2019.

Right now we have our elderly who are having to stay in nursing homes are suffering. The CNA's are over worked with what they are expected to do they are under paid. We have a fear in our country which can be harmful.

I believe right now we have a 50/50 split in those who have had the covid vaccine and booster. I believe those who are in the nursing homes and those who are in long term medical treatments has had the vaccine and the booster. For the most part those are the ones who are getting sick and are dyeing.

Over 83000 medical professionals has refused to take the Covid19 vaccination. Therefore they are not practicing in hospitals or nursing homes. Imagine 0ne CNA at a nursing home with two halls of 54 residents half a shift or full shift. Problems like this is happening all over the country. Those mask doesn't work. Those vaccines removes 60% of your immune system.

The problems that we are experiencing actually started back in the 30's in 1935 food stamps were introduced. In 1939 social security started. Right now the states with the federal contribution for food stamps are at the cost of 80 billion a year. Yes greed has brought on

inflation.

Folks we have enough oil in America that we could sell gas and diesel for under 3.00 a gallon with no problems. The dipstick is in the white house.

The bible says if you don't work you don't eat. Food stamps then and EBT card now has caused Laziness in America. I promise you that we do qualify for food assistance with the government. Daily we are fed. Daily we give thanks and Daily He provides. Daily I activate my faith.

I have email's one of which is [email protected] This is tied to my paypal account. I also have Cash app. Those who uses cash app knows you do not need to use a email to send money with Cash app. When you send money with Cash App the receiver gets what you sent. Cash app has other ways of them making money

My information for me to receive money is $BrotherTimothyR

Those who has a tumblr account can send money to any blogger who has the acceptance of funds as I do.

I do have a part time job. I take someone from home to work and back home at the end of the shift. I do this for less than the cost of a taxi. I thought I was getting another part time job at the Mall but not enough work for the employer to do any hiring. Just blame it on Joe Biden.

I refer to past articles that I have written . My primary job is taking care of my wife. First article tells how she has supported the economy with her medical problems the last 29 years with an average of 50k monthly.

As I have written before we have a income from her social security disability of 1,155.00 monthly which is equivalent to wages back in 1970

God does use all situations for the good. I believe that knowledge of what we could of had while here on earth will be given to us in heaven. I have asked God to use me in a special way now for over 40 years. My prayers has been please use me in some kind of an awesome way. I write this blog I call it "My Cross" I started a ministry called Inspirational messages. I have written things on this blog that eventually will be on postcards. I have written things in the past which are on postcards. The ministry is very simple. I sell 14 cards for 7.77 yes postage is included and yes I must pay taxes. I have written this message on past articles. I have interesting facts , I have awesome sermons. The postcards brings attention to this blog.

Do you have a business which needs to improve. Each time you make a sell send me 7.77 I will mail out 14 postcards to either your church or one that I will pick randomly. My goal is to have the postcards inspirational messages to go to churches all over America all 50 states and have 14 members mail them all over each postcard directing the receiver to visit my blog and which will allow the power of the Holy Ghost to work in lives changing lives for the good. This can keep someone from doing drugs, from drinking alcohol. from having an abortion. Money should flow into my Cash app or pay pal.

Brother

Timothy

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voidstation · 10 months

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farewell, adolescence (tidying my room)

"it's time to let it die."

my sister says, while removing the manga panels from our bedroom walls. she's talking about the phase that started years ago, inspired by that TikTok trend (neither of us ever downloaded the app, by the way) where people would cover entire walls with them. we decided to re–decorate our room, and she insisted that we clean it up first. i didn't protest, despite being too bored to do it. my desk isn't visible anymore, under everything that i have put on there; i have too many things i don't need, most of them garbage; but it's too hard to let them go, for some reason. my sister calls me a hoarder, and she's absolutely right.

i put on music and start cleaning my drawers, trying to decide what's staying and what's going in the trash. i stumble upon old birthday cards, some photos from my high school graduation, blank papers that i had put in there, in hopes that they would be useful someday; my old phone, old drawings, reminders of my past self. i take a breath, wondering why i'm still holding onto those things. it's time to let them die. it's time to let go of the drawings 14yr old me had on those same walls, time to throw away the phone i had at 16; why am i keeping all these birthday cards? it's not like i'll ever read them again. i put them back in the drawer. this task is done.

moving on to the box under my bed: the dolls i stopped playing with when i was 13 (along with their accessories), old school supplies, the sticker collection i had in 1st grade, more garbage, the vintage camera my grandparents gifted me when i turned 17, made in the USSR. i refuse to put anything in the trash. how could i? my tween self would look at me in disappointment; the dolls are still Important. i can't let her die yet. the stickers are older than most TikTok users, and most collectors would pay a hefty sum for that camera. this task is done as well.

the wardrobe is updated, just needs some tidy-up; the cupboards are filled with supplies for arts and crafts, a passion that started when i was still a child and i needed more furniture for my dolls, and that never went away; the shelves are empty already, since my sister decided to take down that fake plant i had bought at 11 and the Halloween decorations. we both agreed that the plushies are staying, though. perhaps she's not ready to let go completely, either.

one thing i'm ready to let die is the Harry Potter phase; the books are leaving. i don't feel sad about it. as i take them down, here come more memories; listening to nightcore while reading Wolfstar fanfiction at 14, discussing the entire FNAF lore with my cousins, religiously watching Minecraft animations, staying up until late to watch TMNT with my sister, using Adobe Flash to open Friv, logging in to Stardoll from my old computer (laptops were still rare back then).

if i were still 17, you wouldn't be able to get that information out of me. i used to cringe so hard with my tween self 2 years ago; i was my no.1 harshest critic. i was the one saying: it's time to let it die. but i'm glad i didn't. looking back, i realize that i was indeed Cringe; and it was the best thing that i ever allowed to happen to me. if i didn't do that, i would force myself to grow up before my time. and i would be miserable now.

my sister is turning 17 in January; i'm turning 20 a month later. we're still joking about our past selves, calling ourselves Cringe and Silly, upgrading our room and throwing away some things. i'm letting my adolescence go. but i refuse to bury it. i'm proud of my tween self. she is the reason i'm able to navigate this world with an open mind, and embrace existence with both hands.

to anyone that might have come this far: please don't go too hard on your past self. learn what you can from them, forgive them if you're able to, let them go. but do not let them die. as a wise tumblr user once said: who you were is fuel. eat them alive.

farewell.

#alright this is way longer than i intended it to #but eh. have some thoughts. i just finished cleaning my room and i'm feeling nostalgic again #inside the black hole

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lomohealthcare · 2 years

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The artful canine cancel order

I will always be honest and communicate if there is a change in their usual behaviour that may affect the time or outcome of the groom. Because of this I cannot always guarantee exactly the same finish per groom and there may be days where your dog needs more time to complete their groom than usual. Factors outside of grooming may contribute to the stress they are feeling while inside the salon. Failure to follow recommended activities or programs may result in an anxious dog and/or additional grooming fees.Īt The Artful Dog Grooming Parlour I also see your dog as an individual. My goal is to help your dog(s) see grooming as a positive - or, at the very least, tolerable - experience. I may also recommend familiarisation or desensitisation sessions (at a cost) home-based coat maintenance and/or counter-conditioning exercises or a regular grooming schedule in order to better accustom your pet to being groomed. I ask for your understanding and patience when some things are not possible or take longer to achieve in order to create a positive impact on your dog's association with grooming. In practice this means I will not push a dog through a grooming process before they are ready for it, or if I feel there will be a long-term detrimental impact to their emotional health, in their trust in grooming, or in me as their groomer.įor the benefit of your dog(s) it may be necessary to split their appointment into multiple sessions across several days to allow them breaks in between to decompress.īecause of this, I always make best endeavours to complete a groom, but cannot guarantee what can be done at each appointment. This means putting the welfare, comfort and safety of the pets in my care above the requirement for an aesthetically pleasing, or even complete groom. You agree to provide Proof of Vaccination to The Artful Dog Grooming Parlour on request, as well as current Veterinarian information.Īt The Artful Dog Grooming Parlour I follow the principles of consent-based grooming. You, the Customer, confirm that when bringing your dog in for a groom that they are up to date with vaccinations for canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus, Leptospirosis and Infectious canine hepatitis. Updated 23/01/22 (Section called 'Drop-offs and Collections' updated)Ĭurrent Vaccinations/Veterinarian Information: You can also return your order to any Target store or by mail using a prepaid return label.Updated 02/05/22 23:10 (Section called 'Coat condition and matted coats' updated to include de-matting policy and surcharge.) When we receive your refused order, we’ll process the return and send an email confirmation regarding your refund. If the cancellation window has passed, you can still refuse the order upon delivery. Funds will become available once your bank releases the hold. You won’t be charged for a canceled item, but your card may reflect a temporary authorization hold. You'll receive an email confirming the cancellation status. These details help us find ways to improve your online shopping experience.Choose a cancellation reason, then select Cancel item.Please note the option to request cancellation will only appear for items that have yet to process for shipping.Locate the item(s) you wish to cancel and select Request cancellation.Select the order in your Target account to view order details (you'll need to sign in).These details help us find ways to improve your online shopping experience. Select the item(s) you wish to cancel, then select a cancellation reason.Please note the option to cancel items will only appear for items that have yet to process for shipping. Select the order from your purchases in the mobile app to view order details.You can request a cancellation depending on the status of items in the order.

#The artful canine cancel order

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dj-aka-rayne · 2 years

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This post is being written specifically for one person who wants to raise their credit score, but for two reasons I decided to put it in blog form.

First: So it's easy for them to refer back to it as needed.

Second: So the info might possibly help others.

Topic: How I went from a 523 credit score to a 736 (and still climbing)

I AM NOT AN EMPLOYEE OF ANY OF THE COMPANIES LISTED IN MY BLOG. I AM NOT A LICENSED CREDIT REPAIR SPECIALIST AND AM SIMPLY SHARING THE STEPS I DID TO BOOST MY SCORE AND TIPS I'VE PICKED UP ALONG THE WAY.

Ok so the very first thing I did was get my free credit report. Currently due to Covid you can do this once a week.

Check over your reports to make sure there's no inaccurate information, and dispute anything inaccurate. This is a pausing point for MY journey, as other than one inaccurate collection my info was right. I disputed the collection and it was removed from my report.

I may not have had to deal with legitimate collections but I learned the other tools I DID use from the same groups who shared these tidbits regarding legitimate collections on your report.

Call up whoever you owe the money to and ask if they're willing to do a pay to remove. This means you pay them, and they take it off your report entirely. Not having it on there at all looks a lot better than having a paid collection on your account, because a paid collection... Despite being paid... Shows monetary issues that put a collection on your account. This step is not needed for accounts that closed in good standing (aka a car you paid off without late payments for example) and accounts that were NOT in collections actually help your score because it adds something called credit age.

If they agree to pay to remove, get the agreement in writing before you pay. This way, if they don't honor the agreement you can dispute the paid collection because you have documented proof of the agreement.

Pause over. Ok. Next I wanted to monitor my credit scores. Sadly, as I hadn't been using credit my FICO score was unavailable, and the Experian app was useless for me in the beginning. I started with monitoring my VantageScore using the Credit Karma app. Once my FICO finally unlocked, Experian became my favorite way to monitor my score as I'm aiming for homeownership (mortgage lenders tend to use FICO over VantageScore)

So the next thing you need to understand is something called "credit mix." If you want to raise your score, credit mix is important.

Revolving Credit: This is typically things like credit cards, store cards, etc. I know this can be frustrating as you get refused for credit without a good credit score, but having revolving credit is needed to raise your score. I'll come back to this later as this type of credit is a bit more evolved than the next.

Installment Credit. These would be loans paid over time. Mortgages, car payments, and personal loans for this category. To raise my score relatively quickly I had two going at the same time. There are self loan programs available to people trying to build credit, even with low scores. The one I use is:

This is the plan I opted for to ensure I could pay it each month on time

There is another company that does something similar. I tried signing up for it so I'd have two lines of installment credits, but sadly they could not verify my address. I therefore have no reviews for it.

They apparently now have a revolving credit option as well, but again, I have no experience with Credit strong.

For my second installment I opened something called a secured loan through my credit union. I put 300 dollars in my savings account, which got locked (I can't access that money until the loan gets paid off) and they placed the 300 I was borrowing into my checking account. I added enough money to cover the interest of the loan to my checking account and have been (still am) letting the money sit there, while my loan payments autopay from that checking account. Viola! Don't have to worry about it! (Tbh I also deposited enough money to cover my self inc payments and have that checking account autopay my self as well, so I never have to worry about a late loan payment)

Back to revolving credit: for revolving credit I wanted three lines. I also strongly wanted to avoid store cards as they usually have ridiculous interest, and how you can spend your credit is highly limited. So these are the lines I went with

While not a credit card, it counts as revolving credit. Idk how, but that was their claim, I tried it, and sure AF it shows up on my credit reports as a revolving line. It's currently $5 a month for new users (not bad at all if you wanna raise your credit) but I signed up before the price increase. The downside is that they report to Experian and Equifax. They do NOT report to TransUnion and my scores do reflect that. My TransUnion FICO is sadly only 685 compared to my Experian 736.

2- This one worked out perfectly as I wanted to leave my checking account at the credit union ALONE so I didn't accidentally spend my loan repayment money. A new way to bank AND build credit? Yes please!

3- This is where it gets a bit more complicated. My score was too low for a regular credit card so as you probably guessed, I did a secured credit card. This is the company I'm using

Now I'm going to be honest, to build instead of hurt your credit score with actual credit cards, it's like a dance and you need to get the steps right.

First we'll discuss CREDIT LINE. This is the highest amount of money you can spend on your card. So as I opened a $300 secured card, I'm only allowed to spend a max of 300 on that card, thus my credit line is $300.

Next, utilization. This is the percentage of your total credit line that you've spent. So if I spend $90, the utilization is 30%

Now moving on to DATES. Almost everyone is familiar with a pay-by date. That's the date you pay the balance of your card by in order to avoid interest. There is however another important date that occurs around 28 days before your pay-by date, and that's your closing date. Your closing date is when your credit card company looks at how much you owe, close that statement to prepare your bill, and report utilization to the credit bureaus.

I only have one actual credit card since Chime and Kickoff don't operate like typical cards. I was able to call OpenSky and permanently set my closing date for the 4th of each month, with a pay-by date of the 7th the following month. This means my money spent before my closing date for August wouldn't be due until September 7th. It just made it easier for me to keep track of BOTH dates.

I've heard so many rumors as to the best way to build credit with credit cards. The one I chose to try, that has worked for me is this method:

Two-three days before my closing date I pay my credit card down to 1-5% utilization. On a $300 dollar credit line this equals 3-15 dollars. Typically I pay it down to a nice even $5. Having at least some money still owed on my card shows creditors that I'm actively using my card. Having my utilization in the 1-5% range shows I'm using it responsibly, and not overextending myself. I then pay off my remaining balance two days after my closing date just so it's paid and I don't need to worry about it later.

I also don't bring my credit card anywhere with me. It stays home so I'm not tempted to use it for stupid B.S. I use my credit card to autopay smaller bills such as my Experian protect account, Photobucket, Kickoff, Amazon Prime, and my Internet bill. As I use it for those, I don't even have to handle my card beyond setting up the autopays. Plus, it's being used for bills I would pay anyways. NEVER TREAT IT LIKE EXTRA MONEY.

Once I had my two installment loans and my three lines of revolving credit I locked my reports with all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). This means no new lines can be opened because say you (or an unauthorized person) tries to open a new credit card, the credit card company cannot view your report or scores, and will therefore deny you. This protects me from unauthorized people opening things in my name AND protects me from companies looking at my shit without my express permission. In fact I have to specifically unlock my reports when it's time to sign for my mortgage.

OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF IF TRYING TO BUILD CREDIT

A- In the beginning your score will actually DROP, by a LOT. Before getting my current credit card I had applied for a secure credit card through another company and was denied. The hard pulls drop your score, just them looking at your report/score to see if they want to approve you is a hard pull. So I had hard pulls from the other company, OpenSky, AND my credit union for the secured loan... THEN my score dropped MORE for the new accounts (credit card and loan). As disheartening as this is, hard pulls tend to fall off your score in about three months or so. At my four month mark my score was already higher than when I started.

B- Make sure you pay everything ON TIME. The credit cards and loans are obvious, but even rent/mortgage, bills, etc. You DON'T WANT ANY NEW ACCOUNTS GOING TO COLLECTIONS.

(Side Note: I personally feel this is the most bogus part of credit. A landlord doesn't have to report on-time rent payments, and most don't, to actually raise your score. Electric companies don't report on time payments, medical, Internet, etc. On time payments? Thanks for your money but we aren't reporting shit to the bureaus. But you make a late payment and they turn around and hurt your credit. I personally wish there was a law in place that only allowed companies to send collections to credit bureaus if they report on time payments as well. That's my mini rant)

C- Once you have a good score, your next step is making sure your debt to income ratio (DTI) is below 43% (But under 30% is better). There are a lot of calculators you can use to check your DTI. Honestly, I use Experian since they already know all my debt. In the app it's under MORE then CREDIT SUMMARY. This gives you the best chance of being approved for a loan, be it mortgage, car, or even a personal loan.

D- If you are going for any sort of loan, don't hurt your chances of approval. Avoid big purchases and new credit cards until your loan is completely set. Not only because hard pulls and new accounts can hurt your credit score, but because they can raise your DTI. So in MY case I'm going for a house. I'm refusing credit card offers EVEN THOUGH I'm actually getting some really great offers now, and I won't be buying new furniture or a vehicle until after I've closed on my house. Even doing this after getting a pre-approval can hurt you as it's not SET until you close.

#credit #credit score #credit services #credit solutions #credit bureau #credit card #credit growth #credit report #credit restoration #credit repair #experian #transunion #equifax #kikoff

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momgrass2 · 2 years

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leascorner · 3 years

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j.b.b. | Marley

Summary: Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: Mention of past and present relationships, parenting, mention of food

Word Count: 3.7k

a/n: This is my first story posted on here. I’ve been writting for +12 years now but for the last couple of years, I couldn't finish a single story. Turns out Bucky Barnes was all I needed to get over my massive writer’s block. Feedback is greatly appreciated. (Also, english is not my native language so if you spot any grammar mistake, please let me know!)

Masterlist

It all began with his friend, Sam.

On a night they were out for drinks, he had made it his mission to find someone for Bucky. Someone or anyone for the matter. He talked to everyone in the bar that night, while Bucky drank his beer, sitting at the counter. When it was clear enough that nobody there that night would keep grumpy Bucky company, Sam turned his attention on the dating app his friend had downloaded on his phone some weeks ago. He probably went through a dozen of profiles, sometimes showing the phone screen to Bucky, to what he would just respond by rolling his eyes and drinking some more beer.

That was until Sam showed him your profile. Bucky stared a second longer to the picture displayed on his phone screen than for the others. He couldn't tell what that was: the smile on your lips, the wrinkles at the side of your eyes or simply your eyes; but he couldn't get his eyes off it. Sam immediately started typing a message for you to what Bucky obviously protested. He did not need company because he was just fine on his own.

Despite his super-soldier abilities, he wasn't quick enough to take the phone from his friend's hands. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face annoyed Bucky even more. "What are you afraid of, though guy?" Sam had asked and Bucky eventually backed off, letting him do whatever he was planning on doing. There was no point in stopping Sam. He knew you wouldn't be interested anyway... To be honest, who would be? Bucky got his phone back along with a smirk from his friend. There was no answer after that, and Sam eventually found another topic to annoy the heck out of Bucky.

When he woke up the next morning, your reply notification was patiently waiting for him. For a second, he thought of deleting it, without having a look first. What did he have to lose? Gathering his courage, he opened it. Your words were as genuine as your smile and it made him grin like an idiot, though he made a mental note to later murder Sam for his poor choice of pick-up line. It took him the whole morning to be able to type an answer and another afternoon to press the ‘send’ button. It was the first text of many. Eventually, a lot of texts turned into calls; that turned into meeting up in your favorite French bakery; that turned into movies and restaurant dates.

This was nearly one year and a half ago.

Your relationship with Bucky was cautious and steady. He liked how you would give him his space, but still being right there for him. He liked that you let him stare at you in total awe or that you always had small kind thoughts for him like when you made his eggs the way he preferred in the morning and that everything was so simple - obvious even - by your side. Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours.

Her name was Marley.

If Bucky was being honest, finding out you had a two and a half years-old daughter was quite the shock. Not that he couldn't have seen that coming; you would always make plans, your handbag was always full of snacks and hand wipes and for some reason, you would never be available between five and eight p.m. That was also what he liked about you. The stability.

The idea of being involved in a relationship with somebody that already had a child did scare him off. If he decided to continue the relationship, it would not only be a matter of breaking your heart in the process – and well, maybe his too - but breaking a child's heart too. And that more than anything, he was refusing to assume the responsibility, but he owed you that much. You knew his deepest secrets and still, you didn't run away from him. Worse, you trusted him to be around your child.

You both had a lot of discussions about him meeting Marley - Bucky even seek advice to Sam. And as for the rest of your relationship, you took it slow. It started with Bucky showing up to your Sunday walk in Central Park, feeding up the ducks and sharing snacks. You also spent some time at the carnival where he would watch you two on the carousel – sometimes joining the ride too - and he would help Marley win at pick a duck or buy her popcorn. Eventually, he would spend more time with the two of you. It started with spending at least one evening per week at your place, making dinner while watching you playing with Marley in the living room. One evening turned into two, three, five evenings per week. He still could step out if he needed. You still could spend time with your daughter where he wasn't there. You still spent time just the two of you, when Marley was asleep at night or he would take you on date nights. The routine you three put in place was nice, but Bucky wasn't planning on taking Marley’s dad place. God, he would never see himself as a dad and Marley already had one - though in Bucky's opinion, he would not be awarded father-of-the-year.

Today, Bucky was picking Marley up from daycare.

He had done it a million times already, but this time was a little bit different. He was doing it on his own. The babysitter stood you up and you were stuck in an endless one-day meeting. You had called in utter panic, asking him to pick Marley up from daycare and taking care of her until you would be home. He had assured you he would do it and it would be fine. Now that he was standing in front of the building, he was doubting himself. He didn't know if he could do it on his own.

Another shaky sigh and Bucky entered the building. The childcare workers greeted him when he showed up at Marley's room. She was sat at one of these tiny tables making some kind of collage crafts. He planned on waiting for her to finish, just staring like he always did, before announcing himself, but Marley spotted him the second his figure appeared at the door.

"Bucky!" Marley cried out, leaving everything behind and running towards him.

"Hey Mar-Mar," he smiled. She always seemed happy to see him and Bucky wondered if she would eventually grow tired of him being always around.

After they hugged each other, Marley was called to put away her crafts and Bucky encouraged her to go do it. In the meantime, he collected her stuff - her panda backpack, shoes, and coat - so he could get her ready to leave. And he did just that when she got back to him.

"We are taking the train home. I'mna carrying you, is that okay?"

She wrapped her little arms around his neck in response and he lifted her up from the floor. After sharing goodbye to the childcare workers, they were heading home.

On their way to the station, Marley explained in every detail what she had done at daycare that day; Bucky was listening carefully, sometimes asking questions - Carol, she is the one with the curly hair, right? Was Mark mean to you again? - but mostly he was just nodding along. They made it to the station just in time to take the 5:17 p.m. train. It was rush hour and Bucky mindfully chose to hop on one of the cars at the end of the train - the ones he knew would be the less busy at this time of the day. He had only seven stops, so he didn't sit and stood against one of the train windows. By that time, Marley had finished reporting on her day, and she was just watching around, smiling at anyone she would make eye contact with.

After the second stop, her eyes caught the sight of the dog tag around Bucky's neck. She fiddled it through his T-shirt, probably wondering what that was, before taken it out to have a closer look. In her tiny hands, the metal tag seemed to be huge. She looked up at Bucky, with bright eyes and he swore, he would do anything for these eyes.

"What is that?"

"Uh- " Bucky wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a three-years old would understand. "-Every soldier has one. It uh- has my name on it and some other information."

"Is it if you get lost?" she asked, her little eyebrows raised high on her forehead. She did understand a lot of the world around her for her age. "Mommy put a card with her name and her phone number in my bag."

"Yeah, it's something like that."

Marley smiled at him and returned her attention on the letters’ reliefs on the metal. By the fourth stop, she was resting her head on his shoulder while he was still firmly (but not too much) holding her with his left arm. She kept holding his dog tag in her tiny fist and was patiently waiting.

"She is very sweet," the old lady sat on the seat in front of them said to him before leaving the train.

He nodded shyly and looked back at the little girl in his arms. Marley looked so much like you. Her face had still some baby features, she just turned three after all, but she had the same nose and her eyes had the same color as yours. They were the same piercing eyes that when they’d look at him, he felt like they could read his soul. And she did not just look like you. She had also some of your habits and personality traits. She would always be smiling to people she didn’t know. She was always saying ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’. She was obsessed with any kind of animal; the Sundays walks would last forever if she could pet all the dogs she encountered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and Bucky got off the train on the seventh stop as planned. At the station, people turned on them as they passed. Maybe this was an odd sight: a man in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket, carrying a small child in his arms. Especially knowing the kid in question was wearing white leggings, a red fluffy coat, and a stuffed panda backpack. Bucky didn't mind and continued his way to your place.

Marley stayed quiet for the five minutes’ walk to your place, but once Bucky had turned on your street, she wriggled to be freed of his hold. Once her feet touched the ground, she directly ran towards a car parked not far away. She squatted down and started clicking her tongue. A ginger cat immediately came out from underneath the car.

"Careful," Bucky called out. He knew it was not recommended interacting with stray cat as they could be sick with all sorts of disease. And to be fair, it got him a little worried the cat was getting this close to Marley. He could already see her getting bitten by the cat, getting rabies, and losing her arm, or worse: dying.

"That's Gus, he lives at number 7," she said pointing at the building they stopped in front. It had the number written on it.

Gus started rubbing itself against Marley's shins and she gently petted his back. The cat then went to rub on Bucky's combat boots, also greeting him even though they never encountered before. And it continued his way to the building's porch, where it lazily lay down.

"Mommy said we could have a cat when we get a house."

"I've got a cat," Bucky stated and Marley cried out in excitement. She asked him about a hundred questions. What was its name? What was it looking like? Was it friendly? Was it sleeping in his bed with him at night? Bucky never failed to answer one of her questions and they talked about that until they made it in front of your apartment door.

Marley was already on her way to her room when Bucky turned around after locking the door. She had removed her shoes and coat on her own and left them behind without putting them away like you would always request it.

"Uh-uh, we go wash your hands first, okay?"

After that was done, she ran to her room for good this time. Bucky went back to the living room and focused on what he could do to help you. He knew you would get home exhausted from your day at work and he did not want to have you do all the chores you usually did. It was the least he could do.

Somehow, your place was always tidier than his, and he lived on his own. In the kitchen, he found breakfast dishes in the sink and the dishwasher full of the dishes that had been cleaned the night before. That was where he would get started. He put away the dishes easily; he had been around your kitchen a lot those last months and he knew exactly where everything was. He even knew where you were hiding away the chocolate and candies; somewhere Marley didn't have access to.

"Hey Bucky, can I have snacks?"

A look at the watch sitting on his right wrist, she had still a good hour and a half before dinner and he replied positively. He wiped his hands on the dish towel resting on his shoulder and took one of these bamboo sectioned plates he just washed. He was reaching out to the first cupboards in front of him when it suddenly appeared to him, he had no idea what he could give her.

"What does your mom usually give you?" He asked Marley, turning back to her.

Marley shrugged. "Carrots and hummus." And Bucky swore this kid was eating healthier that he ever had.

He started by the fridge, looking for anything he could give to Marley. Thankfully, she wasn't a picky eater so it would be easy for him. Tonight's dinner was in it, along with some vegetables and fruits. He chose grapes because it was the only food, he could see himself eating at that time of the day.

"Grapes and uh-" he looked at the cupboards right next to the fridge "- crackers?"

Marley nodded. Bucky prepared it all on her plate, making sure there was just enough for her to be full but not too much so she would still eat dinner, and handed it to her. She carried it carefully to the living room, Bucky following behind. She had laid out all her crayons on the coffee table next to her Paw Patrol coloring book. He knew about this cartoon because it was the only one Marley ever wanted to watch, she was literally obsessed with it, and she did make him watch some episodes with her. He knew that, when she was playing alone in her room, she would usually pretend she was saving the world with them.

Bucky sat on the carpet, next to Marley, stealing one grape from her plate. She threw him a death glance but offered him some more if he would help with the coloring. He happily complied.

Before dinner was normally bath time. Thankfully, you had said over the phone you would deal with that in the morning. For some reason, Marley did not like baths. A little bit of water in her eyes or ears was too much for her to handle and he wasn't sure he could deal with her being so upset on his own.

He still got her changed in her pajamas - she obviously chose the one with the dalmatian puppy from Paw Patrol you had agreed on buying a few weeks ago; washed her face with a cotton pad and some cleansing lotion, brushed her hair and tried the best he could to tie them in a low ponytail. You would normally braid them for the night, but this was not something Bucky mastered at all - he made a mental note to watch some tutorials on YouTube to learn though.

"Will you and mommy get married?" Marley asked out of nowhere while Bucky was carrying her back to the kitchen to have dinner.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I prefer you over my real daddy," Marley admitted. And it broke his heart. Bucky knew how her dad forgot about her third birthday and missed most of his custody days lately. He didn't really understand how somebody could have a child and knowingly decide not take care of them anymore.

The child in his arm was so precious. It amazed him every day how much she could comprehend of the world around her. She was smart, creative, kind. She knew what she wanted, would be very stubborn about it and would do anything to get it – you always said you didn’t understand where she got her fierce mind and Bucky laughed every time because he knew exactly from whom she had gotten it: you. You did such a good job raising her on your own. He also knew you would always choose her over him, and he had to admit, it made him fall in love even more with you.

"Even if I'd marry your mom, I still wouldn't be your daddy officially."

"To me, you would," Marley concluded as if it was as simple as that.

Living with you two permanently. Marrying you. Bucky never thought of it. He liked how this relationship was working: the kindness, the trust, the love. He loved the movie dates with you, the Sundays walks, and the evening just the three of you. He loved how simple it all was and how it made him just happy. Happiest he had been in a long time. And he wondered if he wanted more. The way his heart was fluttering in his chest made him realized, he did. He didn't know if he was ready though.

Back to the kitchen, he put her down on her seat before getting the casserole of potato gratin out of the oven. He put a small portion in her plate, next to some chopped carrots and apple sauce he already prepared. He put it down in front of her and sat next to her.

"Will you eat with mommy?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. They had stayed coloring her books a little too long and it was nearly her bedtime. Smiling softly, he encouraged her to eat. She did while asking some more questions on his cat in between each mouthful. How old is it? Why did you name it Alpine? Has mummy already met it? Do you think she'll like me? Turned out this little one never run out of question.

After dinner, Bucky gave her a small portion of chocolate from the special cupboard and they agreed it would be their little secret. Then, he carried her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. It was started to be late for her and she was clearly fighting against sleep, the lack of it upsetting her.

"I want to see mommy," she cried, lips trembling and eyes full of tears.

"I know Mar-Mar, she'll get there soon," Bucky tried to comfort her. You hadn't text yet, meaning you weren't on your way still. He knew Marley would be asleep before you got home. "We can read a book in your bed while we wait for her, yeah?"

Marley nodded and let Bucky carry her to her bed. She had her head rested on his right shoulder the whole time. She crawled under the covers the moment her body was dropped off on the bed. She let Bucky choose the bedtime story and he chose the one he knew she liked so much.

He laid beside her gently and she immediately reached out closer to him. He wrapped his right arm around her, and her hands somehow found his dog tag again. A small kiss on her forehead and Bucky started reading the book in his left hand. Marley was listening carefully, helping him by turning the page.

At the end of the story, she was fast asleep against him, his dog tag still in her tiny fist. Bucky did not dare moving, afraid he would wake her up if he did. He observed the small child against him and listened to her soft breathes. She looked so peaceful and it made him thought of the way she had welcomed him into her life. Just like you, she had taken him as a whole; with his trauma, his insecurities, his quietness, and his staring habits. And now, she had him wrapped around his little finger. He knew deep in his guts he wouldn't let anything happen to you or your daughter. He realized that now. That made him think some more: maybe he was ready after all. And this time, he would not let happiness slip away from him.

Bucky stayed like that until twenty minutes later, when you showed up on your daughter’s room doorstep. You looked exhausted yet still radiant. A smile had formed on your lips at the sight in front of you. It made you melt right on the spot.

"Hey," Bucky greeted you softly.

You came closer, walking on your tiptoes, careful of not waking up your daughter. You laid besides them, kissing your daughter little fist, and tucked yet another strand of hair behind her ear. You looked back at Bucky, who was intensely staring at you. His left arm was already wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you close. You kissed his jaw, making him smile gently. "Thank you for taking care of her. Did it go okay?"

"More than okay." He kissed your forehead while you snuggled closer to him. His heart could burst of the feeling of having you two near him forever.

He wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

#jbb #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x y/n #marvel imagine #mcu imagine #bucky barnes one shot #bucky x single mom!reader #lea's writing #bucky barnes x you

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eremiie · 3 years

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Kay miss charm what side of tiktok are the aot characters in?🤨

what side of tiktok the aot characters are on;

eren is on straight tiktok with a sprinkle of like funny videos and a sprinkle of like informational videos (he skips these though) and a sprinkle of alt tiktok... a slightly diverse king, and he only gets off of straight tiktok when sasha and connie start clowning him

levi does not have tiktok. when you send him them they go to the web browser goodbye.

armin is on the tiktok with like the rlly creative people who bake and draw and do arts & crafts and make candles and shit, somehow this dudes tiktok is AESTHETICALLY PLEASING??? he has a few informational videos here and there too!!!!

jean is also on straight tiktok but on straighter tiktok than eren rip. connie and sasha always clown him also but he’s liked so many videos it’s hard to get off😩

connie and sasha are on the same tiktok bro. the weird videos with the cursed sounds and the fucking MMD dance videos and they get alt tiktok videos too, THEY WERE ON BEANS TIKTOK ONCE FIGHT ME ON THIS

reiner barely uses tiktok so he’s like by default on straight tiktok, if he tried though he’d get like... idfk videos of people cleaning their houses, a little bit of everything, just because he’s conflicted and happens to like every video on his fyp to be nice

porco doesn’t use tiktok much either but he gets the chain videos, like the ones that’ll be people just sitting there duetting someone else or the “tell me your darkest secret.” type tiktoks, we don’t know how he got here but... also people singing, IDFK????

colt gets a variety of tiktoks as well but it’s mostly like also cleaning videos and people baking and just showing off their prized posessions and shit, it’s kind of wholesome :0

zeke gets people showing off their cars, fucking truckers, old people, those like old guys trynig to be sexy, and his tiktok is fucking grimey, pls dont go thru his fyp

mikasa is on alt tiktok but we don’t know how she got here either. i just refuse to put her on straight tiktok bc i just don’t think she is. she has like people showing off their outfits (usually grunge aesthetic??), pretty people just recording their faces (with the eyeliner and the blush and the wolf hair,ufhjak beautiful), her fyp is pretty cool, also some zodiac stuff & occasional workout videos

hange is on informational tok, with the doctors doing surgery, the random science expiriments and fun facts, the psychological tricks, all that good stuff, also gets a few alt tiktoks occasionally

historia is on baking tiktok, zodiac tiktok, fucking crystal tiktok, tarot card tiktok, selfcare videos, motivational videos, working out and getting fit videos, inspirational videos. shit like that

hitch is on the selfcare tok, with occasional motivational videos, REALLY PRETTY GIRLS, people showing off their outfits, occasional crystal & zodiac videos, a tad bit of alt tiktok and a tad bit of straight tiktok here and there. she has like a perfect balance tho idk what she did

annie is on ????? her fyp is random. you never know what you’re gonna get because she uses tiktok once a year and decides never again

pieck is like armin, baking videos, people selling their products, creative people, tarot cards here and there, astrology vids here and there, people knitting and shit, its comfortinggg

yelena is on the... i just burst out laughing LMAOOO, i don’t mean to slander my girl but she’s on the tiktok where people think they’re tough and will like make those cringy “who’s your daddy? you like that, huh?” tiktoks with a black and white filter 😭, someone uninstall and reinstall the app for her PLEase

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shepardsleftboob · 3 years

Text

My mom (the only family I had) died, my cat died, and then my mom’s house got burglarized and vandalized

Hi, I’m Yas, I’m a biracial disabled lesbian and my girlfriend got outted, I had to put my cat to sleep, and then my mom died all in the same week. If that wasn’t enough, my birth father tried to hide my moms death from me because I live out of state. I got physically and verbally assaulted at the funeral home by my uncle and my dad refused to help pay for anything because I got my mom cremated like she wanted. When my father and my brother and everyone else realized I was the sole next of kin that was of age and in full control of everything, they started harassing me and sending me death threats, along with my godmother and a bunch of other people. They think there’s some kind of money to be inherited by my mother’s passing, but the sad truth is that we were extremely poor and my moms disability check wasn’t even enough to cover rent, and I had to pay for everything else like groceries and medical bills with my credit card and my only savings.

If that STILL wasn’t enough, as soon as a family friend I had stupidly trusted ratted to my father and brother that I was on my way back to california and was almost there, they broke in and stole anything of value (furniture and TVs I had worked really hard to buy for my mom) and destroyed the place causing upwards of $5,000 in damages, my landlord estimates. I’m going to be held financially responsible for it since my name was still on the lease. The police would not let me make a police report in my home state, so I had to drive 8 hours and make a police report, I had witnesses, my brother even called the landlady (who is willing to testify) and ask her if she could “open the window so he could get in AGAIN and get the wires to the tv and couch he was trying to sell” which was a full confession. The police really aren’t taking it seriously considering when I called to correct some information they told me the detective that’s been assigned to my case was “on vacation”. I had to change my number due to the death threats (police won’t do anything about them, I’m in the process of at least getting a restraining order), and within hours my father sent a “well check” to my door as a subtle way to let me know he still knew where I live.

I already had 5k in credit card debt from taking care of my mom because I couldn’t work anymore, I kept having breakdowns and my body was deteriorating and it seems like I have Crohn’s but I have no insurance to get it treated or checked out. I haven’t even had a second to grieve my mother, who was the most important person in my life and I worked an extremely physically demanding job 50 to 60 hours a week (usually more) for years just to make sure all the bills were paid since I was 15 to make sure she was ok and I was trying to even go back to work and damage my body even further just to save money to move her out here with me when she died. I’m really broken. I’m angry. I’m only 24 and I feel completely alone and any “family” I had left is threatening to kill me over money that doesn’t exist. My girlfriend had to put the $2200 of cremation expenses on her credit card. I’ve had to make 3 separate 8 hour trips so far to my homestate to get this all situated. I lost everything when my mom died and somehow I owe even more after her death. Right now I’m looking at owing a minimum of $12,200 and that’s not counting the gas and expenses of consistently driving and getting everything filed and such. I have severe anxiety, depression, PTSD from the abuse my father put me and my mother through, my body feels like it’s dying every morning I wake up and I just want to give up. I keep having panic attacks and manic episodes. It’s been really hard to hold it together to get all this done. I’m just really struggling, I miss my mom, and everything is adding up and I’m scared that my father and/or brother will try to break into my apartment here.

My mom was a really sweet and open minded person and deserved better than being harassed to death by my dad and brother over a child support case she didn’t even have control over. There’s even more shit to this but I’m not gonna make this post even longer. I’m not even asking for money for a memorial because I just don’t have the money. I have negative money at this point.

If you can spare anything, I would really appreciate it. My PayPal is @jessaminewaters cash app is $YasRose96 and I have a Venmo and zelle too if that’s easier, you can message me if you have any questions. Signal boosts are appreciated ❤️

#just please spread this if you can. if you want me to make a shorter post let me know #I’m sorry if this is long. I don’t know what to say or how to summarize this bc it’s just been blow after blow #I’ve lost 15 lbs since my mom died and I wasn’t that heavy to begin with. I was already in really bad health before this #if it wasn’t for my girlfriend I probably would have just killed myself and been done with it but I wouldn’t do that to her or my friends #I’m just. I’m really torn up. I’m exhausted. the abuse is never ending and it’s like it wasn’t enough for me to just lose my mom #suicide tw

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chickenmcstucky · 3 years

Text

meet me in the hallway

Bucky Barnes x reader

Light angst, fluff || 5.1k

Your bad day gets worse when your less-than-friendly teammate catches you having a breakdown over your shitty morning.

A/N: So this is the second work I’m posting, but actually the first I wrote. Inspired by my own bad morning, lol. Nothing like a little cathartic writing. I’d love feedback!

You had to physically stop your whole body from tapping along with your impatient foot. If you didn’t get out of here and back to your sunny balcony soon, you might actually die of frustration. Sure, the whole sunny day stretched out in front of you, waiting, but it was the principle of the thing. Wasting sun is sacrilege to you. Still, the young woman behind the counter was only doing her job as she gathered your prescription and searched for the coupon you asked for. Why was healthcare so expensive?

As your body cooled from the workout you’d finished just before hopping over to the pharmacy, your thoughts wandered to the lazy hours of writing, tanning, and listening to music you had planned for the day. The team was between missions and somehow the stars aligned and your time off brought gorgeous weather and some much-needed you time. The thought relaxed you as the woman finally rang up your total; as you swiped your card you put your Starbucks order into the app and prepared to finally get home and enjoy your day.

That is, until the card machine gave a deep chirp and the cashier informed you your card wasn’t covering the entire purchase. You balked - how could this happen? The insurance debit was loaded up for the year, ready for any medical purchases. It rarely ran out so early in the year, and it was just April! Your brain scrambled to make sense of it. Had the account rules changed and some of your purchase didn’t qualify? No, that couldn’t be it, you’d done this same process just a few weeks ago.

Your cheeks bloomed with heat as you realized the declined card was the only one you’d brought with you, convinced it would be a quick errand and seeing no reason to bring your whole wallet for the short trip down the street from the Tower. Fuck. And there were people behind you; you shuddered to imagine what they might be thinking of you in your sweaty workout clothes as you stammered to the cashier you’d have to come back. Just fucking great. You felt your good mood at the prospect of a sunny day slipping as you left the store as quickly as you could, trying to save a little face.

***

Making your way around the construction - why did they need to close the entire sidewalk? - you hastily headed back to the Tower to grab your wallet from your personal quarters, wondering all the way how this could happen. Why do the simple things always have to go wrong? Rationally, you knew this wasn’t a big deal. You would just pay the balance out of pocket and deal with the insurance later. But it was embarrassing and annoying and just plain inconvenient. Sure, you had the time and the money to spare, but why couldn’t things just work how they’re meant to? Your swirling thoughts brought you through the private lobby of the Tower and to the elevators that led to the personal floors; angrily jamming the button for your floor, you whipped out your phone to check the balance on the insurance card.

Your jaw literally dropped as your eyes caught sight of the balance. There was more than enough to cover the charge at the store! Now you were really upset. Jesus, why was this happening to you? Stupid, simple nature of the occurrence aside, you felt tears of frustration welling to the surface as you berated yourself internally. Why did you have to be lazy and only take the one card? If you’d just taken your whole wallet and been prepared, you could’ve saved yourself so much humiliation and frustration. And time. You’d brought it on yourself, you always did. Your frustration with the pharmacy and your anger at the insurance company quickly turned to annoyance at yourself and your lackadaisical ways. Why were you like this?

You shoved yourself further into the corner of the elevator, letting your head fall back against the wall as it ascended to the personal floors. You could feel your face was still ripe with embarrassment, your throat thick with unshed tears. God, why did everything have to make you cry? Embarrassment, anger, and frustration brought tears to your eyes more often than not, while sadness rarely wet your eyes. Of course, no one else knew that and you felt like a dramatic cry-baby every time you got teary-eyed in front of your teammates and friends. You were an Avenger, dammit! As the elevator signaled your floor and the doors whooshed open, you could only hope the walk to your room would be deserted. You wanted to make a quick exit before anyone saw your despair.

***

The hope was short-lived. You walked out of the elevator with your gaze on the floor, and smack into a well-muscled chest.

“Oh, sorry,” you mumbled, trying to scoot around the body without making eye contact.

“Walk much?” and if that wasn’t the last voice you wanted to hear. Of course, your card gets declined and you get humiliated to tears, and not only could the universe not provide you a painless return to your apartment, it also brought you face to face with Bucky Barnes. You were hardly in the mood to deal with him on a good day, let alone today. He rarely acknowledged your existence except to quip mockery at you, it seemed. At first you thought he was just like that, but you soon realized he was perfectly funny and friendly with the others, if quiet. So it was something about you; what, you didn’t know. And you’d accepted it. You didn’t need him to like you, honestly. His attitude towards you might have brought you to tearful rages sometimes, but only in the quiet solace of your room where you could freely wonder why he despised you so. His devilish good looks and killer smile didn’t help. Avoiding him was the best strategy.

“Can you just not?” you snapped at him as he blocked your way down the hallway, apparently hellbent on making sure you knew he was making fun of you. As if you weren’t painfully aware of how he felt about you. It didn’t help your girlish crush, the little voice in the back of your head always telling you maybe he was mean because he liked you. Bullshit.

“Whoa there, no need to get in a twist doll. Was just havin’ a little fun is all. What’s got you so worked up?” you heard the teasing lilt to his voice but the question forced your eyes to his anyways. God, the asshole was smirking, those gorgeous blue eyes glinting with mirth. Horrified, you felt tears welling up in your eyes again because the universe liked laughing at you, apparently.

“God Bucky do you ever fuck off? Honestly,” your voice broke on the last word as tears threatened their way out of your glassy eyes. “Just leave me alone, why do you always have to be so mean? What did I ever do to you?” the words tumbled out before you could stop them, your anger and hurt getting the better of you.

Realizing your outburst, you floundered in the hallway as Bucky looked at you with a confusing mixture of shock and hurt on his face. Did he really have the audacity to be upset with you? After the way he’s treated you, so often making jokes at your expense? In the back of your head, you knew the jokes weren’t that bad, nothing more than you’d say in a harmless rib against your other teammates. But they were your friends; Bucky was a menace. Not knowing what else to say as the shocked silence stretched on, you averted your eyes from his now stony face and tried to will your tears - and your anger - away so you could get what you came for, finish your errand, and try to salvage the rest of your day. How did things go so wrong so fast?

You didn’t notice as Bucky’s expression morphed from hurt to cocky as he prepared to deliver his next blow.

“Oh, woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning I see, sweetheart.” His smiling tone grated on your nerves - of course he was still making fun of you even after you yelled at him for just that. He couldn’t just be nice, could he?

“At least I sleep in a bed,” you spat, meeting his eyes once more. You knew it was a low blow, immediately regretting it as a pained expression flitted across his face. You sighed - only you could end up feeling guilty for dishing his own mockery back at him after months of his unanswered jibes. “Sorry,” you muttered, your eyes falling closed in shame and frustration at your inability to contain your emotions.

“Yea, okay, I probably deserved that,” you stopped yourself from mocking his ‘probably,’ refusing to dig a deeper hole for yourself, though the eye-roll was unavoidable. “I guess I’ll get out of your way then,” Bucky acquiesced, his voice quieter now.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his flesh arm reach out as if to pat your shoulder, but he jerked it away as if he hadn’t meant it to move. He hesitated as he half-turned away; why wasn’t he leaving, and since when did Bucky get so unsure of himself? Usually he moved with a sure swagger that riled you right up knowing he thought so highly of himself. Of course, you knew he probably didn’t do it on purpose; your inner feelings about someone had always colored your observations of them and Bucky was no exception - sometimes you manufactured your dislike, but it was inescapable. He infuriated you.

Your head swirled with anger, leftover humiliation, shame at your words to Bucky, and confusion at why he was still in the fucking hallway. You stuttered, mouth moving without your permission but no words forming.

Bucky glanced back at you, and your downturned yet clearly turmoiled face brought an unseen soft, caring look to his chiseled face. It hurt him to see you upset, though you were unaware. He didn’t know why his words to you always came out so biting. He knew how to act around the rest of the team but for some reason you brought out his inner turmoil and apparently his coping mechanism was to just make fun of you. Was he protecting himself? But what did his feelings matter when he had so clearly hurt you? His heart broke realizing that your lack of response to his mocking over the weeks wasn’t good-natured but instead was silent hurt. Fuck, he’d fucked up.

“Honey, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” the softness in his voice was so foreign and surprising to you that you jerked your head up, meeting his eyes in shock. “Maybe…I can help,” he gestured awkwardly.

You must’ve pulled a face at that, because his head immediately rolled back as he quipped out, “what, is it so surprising I can be nice?”

“Well…yeah,” you half-whispered, your mouth once more speaking without your mind’s permission. Suddenly you couldn’t meet his eyes anymore, your gaze falling anywhere but his soft blues. Once again you felt shame flood through you, even though you had told the truth - it was shocking to see Bucky offer kindness, at least to you. Had you somehow misread him so horribly? Fuck, there were the tears of frustration again. As if you weren’t embarrassed enough, this time a few actually fell, carving their way down your burning cheeks as your breath hitched.

“Shit. Okay, please don’t cry sweet girl, I’m sorry. I know I’m an asshole. I - I don’t -,” he cut off, not knowing how to explain. At his saccharine tone and the pet name - this time caressed with gentleness rather than thrown with cocky disdain - you broke as tears fell down in rivulets, your body wracking with silent sobs. Why were you such a mess today? Sure, you wore your emotions on your sleeve, but even you could control yourself more than this. Bucky’s sudden softness had caught you off guard. Where on earth was it coming from?

Unsure what to do as you exposed your raw nerves to him like this, you wrapped your arms around yourself as Bucky twitched in front of you, hesitating before once more reaching out to you, with purpose this time. He tugged at your shoulders until you were pressed into his chest, hiding your face in his faded blue henley. You felt the tension bleed out of you as he slowly brought his arms around you, his flesh hand running up and down your back in comfort.

“Hey there, it’s alright,” he cooed quietly, “it’s okay. We can figure it out. I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m sorry.” It was tearing him apart, seeing you cry. You’d never reacted to his jokes like that, at least not to his face. He wondered how often you held your tears in until you escaped to your room, and his heart fractured. He hated who he turned into around you. He’d fix it, he had to. A pretty girl like you shouldn’t cry over a stupid guy like him.

You finally hiccuped to a stop, the tears no longer falling as his sweet ministrations calmed you down. Before more embarrassment over your breakdown could set in, Bucky grasped your shoulders and set you away from him so he could look you in your eyes.

“Now, you tell me what’s going on. I’ll fix it,” his hands gripped you tighter with his last words, assuring you. His sudden change of heart, while shocking, was strangely believable. You trusted his conviction that he wanted to help you.

Sighing shakily, you sniffled and began to explain. “It’s stupid really, Bucky. You don’t gotta worry,” you deflected, walls going back up even though you longed for his comfort, his friendship that you hadn’t allowed yourself to crave.

“Little darlin, it ain’t nothing if it makes you this upset. Please talk to me,” his soft eyes pleaded with you, the kindness floating in their depths piercing straight to your heart. Your resolve - built less from stubbornness now and more from niggling shame at letting him see to your core - crumbled.

“It was just gonna be a quick run to the pharmacy - I needed a refill - and then I was gonna come back here and sit in the sun and try to just enjoy my time off alone but my fucking card got fucking declined even though it has enough money and God, Buck, it was humiliating. And then I came back to get my wallet and -,” you cut yourself off, unsure, not wanting to accuse Bucky of making you cry. He had, but it was the whole situation that had really gotten you going. You didn’t want to point the finger at him when he was being nice for once.

Your sudden silence clued Bucky in to the rest of the story quickly enough, though he took sweet pause at the nickname that had slipped from your pretty mouth. He had the grace to look a bit ashamed, but continued on. “Okay, that’s not so bad then, huh? You can just go back and finish up, it’s still early in the day, plenty of time to relax,” Bucky assured you, thinking he’d figured this out pretty easily.

“Easy for you to say,” you grumbled. “You weren’t the one humiliated in front of multiple people thinking you couldn’t pay. I mean I basically ran out of there, Bucky. Why am I so - UGHHH.”

He very nearly laughed, covering himself by clearing his throat - now that you were talking to him and his dumb brain was letting him be nice to you, he wasn’t about to ruin things by upsetting you again. He wasn’t going to push you away. He found it endearing how open you were with your emotions, wishing he could be more like you some days when his melancholy got the best of him. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to suffer alone.

“I see…well I’m real sorry you had to face that. I’ve been there a time or two, it’s no fun. But it ain’t bad as all that - they weren’t paying you that much attention. It’s New York City, everyone is so self-absorbed I bet they didn’t even notice. That’s not to say you don’t deserve attention ‘cause you do - I mean - that’s not - …yea,” he trailed off, cutting his rambling before he really embarrassed himself. He met your eyes sheepishly, surprised to see a small smile there. His heart soared knowing he was the one to put it there, even at the cost of some embarrassment himself.

“Well, I don’t have much of a choice, I need the prescription today. And - fuck! Whyyyyyyy,” you groaned, your face scrunching as you whined. And damn if that wasn’t just the cutest thing, Bucky couldn’t help but think.

The lilting, light tone returned to his voice as he gently laughed at your groaning. “What is it now, then?”

You moaned, blood rushing to your face as you admitted the silly annoyance, “I forgot my drink at Starbucks. I ordered it while I was in line at the pharmacy, I was gonna grab it on my way back. God, it’ll be warm now - or gone. Icing on the cake, just what I needed,” you sighed, resigned to the wasted money.

Bucky smiled genially as he reached over to ruffle your hair, tucking a stray lock behind your ear with surprising softness. You weren’t sure you’d ever gotten this close to his metal appendage. Something deep inside you fluttered at the prospect of more gentle touches, exploring each other and - now where the hell did that come from? You were beginning to think this morning’s commotion had somehow addled your brain. You shook your head at yourself, emptying those thoughts and Bucky chuckled. This time, though, it felt like he was laughing with you rather than at you. That was….refreshing. Nice, even. You yearned to make him laugh more.

“Alright. It’s no big deal,” Bucky calmly spoke, again determined to bring that smile back to your face and maybe, just maybe, get to know you as a friend. Something about how you’d opened up to him gave him hope he hadn’t ruined things beyond repair with his boyish taunting. He’d treat you like you deserved, be a good man to you, if he could take this chance.

“How about this - you go back, get that paid for, and I’ll go get your drink. If it’s warm or gone, I’ll make them make you a new one. Then you can get on with your day, and I’ll, uh…get out of your hair, I guess,” Bucky trailed off, suddenly unsure. Would this truce be short lived, lasting only until you resolved your dilemma? He guessed he’d deserve it if so, but he couldn’t help but hope you’d stick around him. He’d just have to give it his best shot.

“That’s - wow Buck, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. It’s nothing, silly really, I told you,” you scuffed your feet along the floor, suddenly feeling burdensome. A fearful voice in the back of your head wondered if you were just giving him more ammunition for future joking.

“It’s no trouble darlin’. It’s…it’s the least I can do for ya. I guess I know it’s a miracle you even talk to me. I don’t know why I’m so..” he cut off again, still not sure how to explain without exposing his inner thoughts. “Now, what’s the order?”

“Oh, uhm…,” you balked, disbelieving at what you were about to have to say to Bucky. “It’s, uh, called a Pink Drink?” you let the name escape your lips uncertainly, waiting for the inevitable mocking. But to your surprise, the sweetest smile graced Bucky’s face, lighting up his eyes.

“Well, if that ain’t just adorable,” he gently joked to you as you gave a grudging smile. “One Pink Drink it is, honey.”

And wow, these sudden sweet names were getting to you. You felt your heart flutter as he winked at you before sending you on your way down the hall to your room, finally about to clean up the mess you’d made this morning. He even waited for you to get your wallet, escorting you back to the elevator and riding down to street level with you.

“Go on then,” he encouraged, seeing you hesitate again. “I’ll meet you back up there,” he nodded back towards the Tower.

You smiled softly, half at him and half at the ground you were once more staring at, before making your way back to the pharmacy.

***

You supposed the second trip was actually rather painless. Not a big deal at all, just as Bucky had assured you. Perhaps you could salvage your afternoon indeed, let the sun burn the frustration and embarrassment out of you. Though something told you your newfound confusion at Bucky’s kindness would soon take hold. You still couldn’t believe the gentleness with which he handled you, the kind softness of his words as he comforted you - was this really the same man who spared few words for you but for jokes and laughter at your expense? Something had…shifted. You pushed the uneasy, yet warm feeling away. No time to dissect that right now, you scolded yourself as you headed up the elevator once more, this time for good. You were determined to put this morning behind you and enjoy your rare sunny day off.

As you stepped off the elevator to head to your room, you absently wondered where Bucky was. Surely he had made it back before you - the Starbucks was much closer than the pharmacy. Yet he was nowhere to be found. You weren’t sure if you were bothered or relieved about that. Bothered that he might have abandoned his mission to help you, relieved you might not have to face him again. At least before, his unkindness was certain. You had learned to deal with it. Now, this new kind, gentle Bucky? Just what in the hell were you supposed to do with that? You didn’t know what to think.

***

These swirling thoughts stuck with you as you walked into your room; you were so distracted by your own internal monologue that the open door didn’t phase you, nor did the breeze coming in from the now ajar balcony door catch your eye. Absentmindedly you flitted around the room, putting away your wallet and goods. When the breeze coming in from the balcony caught a lock of your hair, blowing it across your face, you froze. Why was the balcony door open? You certainly hadn’t left it that way.

Peering out to investigate, you stopped right in your tracks at the sight that met your eyes. Your lounge chair was covered in one of your beach towels, bluetooth speaker already gently playing your sunshine playlist. And there on the table was your Pink Drink. You were flabbergasted - had Bucky come in and done this? For…you? The mere thought of him taking the time to set this up sent your heart soaring. But where was he? Perhaps your earlier thoughts were right - his sudden kindness had run out, and he was tired of being your friend already. Somehow, you couldn’t quite believe that to be the truth.

Determined not to let this chance go, because now that you’d had a taste of Bucky’s sweet side you would be damned if you couldn’t sink your teeth in, you set off in search of the brooding man. Wandering down the hallway, you steeled your resolve - you were going to thank him, and you weren’t going to get flustered this time. Maybe this could be a new start for both of you. Maybe he was more than you thought.

The door to Bucky’s room was open, and you heard the soft notes of Billie Holiday float into the corridor. You pushed your hesitation aside and walked in, not seeing him anywhere until your gaze fell upon a brunette head just peaking over the top of a chair on his balcony. Walking towards the glinting sunlight outside, you lightly knocked on the doorjamb to alert him to your presence, knowing he had probably heard you come in anyways.

“Hey,” he exclaimed softly, rolling his head to the side to glance at you. He seemed less…pompous than earlier, at least, but less energetic too. Like something had popped his bubble.

You stepped gingerly out onto the balcony, as if you were wary of startling him. As if you even could. Suddenly you were lost for words, the atmosphere awkward in a soft way. Unspoken words flitted between the two of you, both lost as to how to approach the new dynamic that crash landed in your laps earlier.

“Uh,” you started, lapsing into a giggle. “Thanks for the uh, for my drink. And stuff,” you finished uneasily, letting out a sharp laugh at your inability to articulate your appreciation for his earlier kindness. You still weren’t sure if there would be more where that came from, or if you had simply taken him aback with your tears and his sudden gentility was a stress reaction. You steeled yourself to be laughed out of his room, just in case.

“My pleasure, sweet girl,” he sighed, gazing out over the city. “Least I could do, really.”

“I - Bucky,” you heaved a deep breath and continued, “thank you, you really didn’t have to be so….sweet.”

He didn’t respond immediately and you wondered if you’d taken it too far, but before you could get too worried he spoke again.

“Darlin,” he started, the term of endearment dripping from his lips sweet like honey, “I owe ya a real apology. I never wanted to be unkind to you, but it felt like I couldn’t stop it. Whenever I see you I just…forget myself. It’s like I don’t know how to act, you scare the decency right outta me.”

Was this really happening? You gaped, “wha - Bucky, what?”

He held up a hand to stop you as he kept speaking, his words further shocking you yet sending a warm buzz up your spine at the same time. “I’m sorry I’ve treated you the way I have. I like joking with people but it’s not right that it hurt you and I kept on. I’m sorry I made ya cry. It ain’t an excuse but girl, you really terrify me. In a good way, I think, but I didn’t let myself see that. I hope it ain’t too late, you know…to be friendly?”

You were sure he could see the astonishment clear as day on your face, and you watched as his own expression contorted with unease. It wasn’t hard to see this admission was uncomfortable for him. But why? Because it pained him to admit he was wrong, or because…he was as afraid of rejection as you were?

“It’s not!” you blurted before you realized you had even spoken. ‘“It’s not too late.”

Bucky looked at you with a small smile, hope blooming in his eyes. You couldn’t believe your shit day had turned into this - who would have ever thought Bucky Barnes, the asshole next door, could be nice. Could apologize, even.

An idea struck you and before you could lose your confidence, you spoke, “Do you wanna come sit out with me?”

You left the invitation hanging desperately in the air as you shifted from one foot to the other, hoping he would accept.

“Only if you let me have some of that drink,” he laughed as he got up and ushered you back inside, through to your own room and balcony. You smiled to yourself but stayed quiet as you sat down on your chair; Bucky got comfortable in the chair next to you as the tune of a love song permeated the thick, warm air around you.

Silently grasping your drink, you handed it to him. It felt like a peace offering.

His rosy lips wrapping around the edge of the cup mesmerized you, a rivulet of condensation dripping from the cup down his arm as he swallowed.

His low laugh snapped you out of your reverie. “Well?” you inquired.

His lips stretched into a smile, “sweet drink. Perfect for a sweet girl,” a husky tone to his voice as he handed the drink back to you, your mouth agape once more.

A laugh ripped its way out of your throat, loud and boisterous and before you knew it you gasped out, “who are you and what have you done with Bucky? So charming, jesus.”

“Guess I have my moments. Gonna try harder to have them around you,” he let out a breathy laugh, still unsure how to act around you. But this felt better, lighter. For the first time in a while, he felt at ease within himself.

“I think I’d like that,” you spoke surely. Then a streak of courage hit you and you went on, “maybe next time, I could go with you? I mean, you could go with me - together, uh..”

Bucky smiled then, wide, “you askin’ me on a date there honey?” he cooed, joking but in kindness.

This time, you were ready to dish it back. “If you think one drink and some sweet talking is enough to get a date with me you got another thing coming, Barnes!” you jibed. “I was merely offering to return the favor,” you turned your face up with false haughtiness, but your laughter and the way you averted your eyes told him the truth. Turning over a new leaf and all that, he guessed.

“Well, I suppose that’s a start,” he laughed, hope bubbling in his chest. “That’s a start.”

As you watched the sun reach its midday summit, your mind wandered. What a day it had been already. You never thought you’d share such emotion with Bucky, that he’d be capable of handling it, or even sharing some in return. Maybe there was some truth to his words - you wouldn’t let the pain of his mocking slide so easily, but you felt he deserved the second chance he was craving. You deserved it, too.

You stole a quiet glance at him, your cheeks warming as you realize he’d been staring at you. He looked away quickly, but not before you caught a blush spreading across his cheeks. Perhaps, you thought, bad mornings weren’t so awful if they ended with afternoons like this.

***

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half-bakedboy · 3 years

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Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz | Rated T | Chapters 1/11 | Posting Every Other Day

When Maddie showed up at the one-eighteen covered in bruises and needing a place to stay, Buck didn't hesitate to let her into his home and the new life he had created in L.A. While he was happy to have his sister back, he was tired of insisting to her that he wasn't as lonely as she accused him of being. So when she assumes he's in some secret relationship with his coworker and best friend, Eddie, Buck decides it couldn't hurt to tell a little white lie, especially when it meant his sister could focus on something that wasn't her own past.

Now Buck is stuck trying to navigate through a ruse of his own creation while dealing with newfound feelings for his best friend that seemed to sneak up on him.

Oh, and did he mention the mysterious accelerant that kept finding itself in his path, putting everyone he loves in danger?

read chapter one on ao3

“I’m just worried about you, Evan,” Maddie sighed into the phone. Buck’s heart did that stupid little stutter directly correlated with disappointing his sister and he held the phone away from his face as if that would lessen the guilt he felt.

“Mads, I’m—”

“You’re not fine.”

Buck sighed. “I wasn’t going to say fine. I was going to say—” Buck thought for a second, but his sister was right—as she usually was—and who was he to argue with her? “Alright, I was going to say fine, but it’s because it’s true!” Buck urged, hoping that the more times he said it, the more likely she’d be to believe it. (Maybe he could convince himself of the fact along the way.)

“It’s been almost two months since Abby—”

“Really, big sis? You just gotta bring that up?” He complained, groaning more than audibly as he stared up at the firehouse ceiling. He had found in the last few weeks of overtime shifts that counting the tiles and slabs that made up the structure was a great way to pass the time.

“Yes, little bro, I have to bring it up because I’m—”

“—Worried about you.” Buck finished the sentence with her and prepared for annoyance or, at the very least, another deep sigh, but instead, she stayed quiet as if giving him the chance to speak up.

Another sigh resonated before Maddie said, “You’re all alone in this big city with no family. You have to understand my worry.”

“I do, I really do, but I’m finally finding myself here. The 118 has really taken me in as their own; they’re friends who almost qualify as family at this point!” Buck argued, running a hand through his hair. Maddie couldn’t possibly understand what his fellow firefighters had meant to him.

“Have you at least started dating yet?” Maddie asked. Buck resisted the urge to hang up on her and took a deep breath as he considered her question. He could tell the truth, which was that he hadn’t so much as touched a woman since Abby tore his heart out of his chest and stomped it into the ground.

Or…

“I’m dabbling,” he decided to say instead.

It wasn’t completely a lie. He had decided a few days ago with a lot of pressure from Hen and Karen that he needed to at least attempt to get back out there and downloaded one of the most popular dating apps he could find. He set up his profile—albeit very scarcely—and had been waiting for those likes to come in. What he wasn’t expecting was almost complete radio silence and for his ego to take a direct hit when Chim got a date within the first hour of downloading it.

“Anyone I should know about?” For some reason, Buck wasn’t expecting the question. He thought that Maddie would shy away from asking or just be happy that Buck had divulged even just that little bit of information, but no. She just had to put her brother on the spot and have him panicking about what to say.

“Soon?” He sputtered, immediately regretting his words the moment Maddie’s small squeal echoed through the speaker.

“Evan Buckley, I knew you were keeping something from me the second you said you were fine! You knew that I wouldn’t just take that laying down, right? You must’ve!” The happiness in her voice broke Buck’s heart a little further and he couldn’t back down; not when her joy was so obvious in her rambling and the way she giggled into the phone.

“I— It’s really new, Mads,” Buck muttered as he tilted his head to the side and let his phone rest against his cheek.

“New is good and you deserve good, Buck,” Maddie said, the words like a gentle caress to his cheek that he would have leaned into if she was there. As if an idea had just occurred to her, Maddie gasped and said excitedly, “I’m gonna come visit. I’ve gotta meet this family of yours and you can’t avoid introducing me to whoever is making your life a little less lonely if I show up at your door.” Buck was annoyed that she had a point, but the prospect of having his sister around after a few years of space had his heart warming in his chest.

“You’re welcome here any time, Mads. I’ve really missed—”

“I’ve gotta go,” Maddie said, her voice quieter and a bit more panicked than Buck would ever have wanted to hear. “Doug needs me to— Well, he just needs me. Will you please stop being such a stranger and let me in on your life from now on, little brother?” Buck rolled his eyes at the term of endearment but agreed easily anyway.

“You know everything there is to know, sis.”

He wished he could be surprised when he got the text a few hours later that a trip to L.A. just wasn’t in the cards for her.

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The one-eighteen was quiet—though Buck wouldn’t dare say the word—for the majority of his shift a few days after his call with Maddie, which he was grateful for because Bobby was tabling his famous pasta bar as Buck skipped up the firehouse steps. The rest of the team was already seated in their usual spots and Buck took his next to the newest recruit, Eddie, elbowing his side as he leaned to scoop up the first piece of lasagna.

“Ay, the rest of us eat first, unless you’re planning on serving me, Diaz,” Buck teased with an over-exaggerated wink.

“You know I just live to serve you, Buckley,” Eddie shot back easily and Buck couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up inside of him. It had been their thing since the new guy started. Buck would flirt with him until the rest of the team groaned or stopped it and apparently, Hen was at her wits end already if the piece of bread that slammed into Buck’s head was any indication.

“ Jeez , Hen, we’re just having some fun,” Buck pouted, taking a large bite out of the piece of food that landed on his plate.

“Do you always have to flirt with the newbie? It’s honestly sickening,” Hen complained with a roll of her eyes but Buck knew there was no heat in her words. He realized that look was all too similar to the one his sister would have given him. Buck laughed and tossed a grape tomato in her direction in retaliation.

“There’s no stopping us now,” Buck assured her with a wink.

And there really wasn’t. Buck and Eddie had been like that since the very beginning, and they only grew more comfortable and in sync in the few months they had spent working together. Eddie had joined the team as an openly gay single dad with no hesitation and Buck had respected that immediately. He was not one to hide his interest in any and all genders, but he wasn’t exactly waving a flag when he started at the one-eighteen.

There was about a minute of silence when Eddie introduced himself before Buck decided that the best way to smooth him onto the team dynamic was to hit on him. Buck made a ridiculous come-on about a firehose that was brushed aside by the rest of the team, but Eddie laughed and gave it right back. The two had been fast friends ever since, much to the dismay of the rest of their team.

“What’s everyone’s plans for the next three days off?” Buck asked as he stacked both his and Eddie’s plates full of food, tossing an untouched piece of bread behind his back that Eddie caught seamlessly just before it landed in his salad dressing.

“Christopher and I have a Marvel marathon planned that I couldn’t even try to get out of,” Eddie offered, slurping up a spaghetti noodle as Buck sat back down. “Which reminds me that he wanted me to ask you if you could come?” Eddie asked, peering at Buck out of the corner of his eye. Buck wasn’t sure where the sudden shyness had come from, but before he could ask or answer, Bobby was chiming in.

“May and Harry are with Michael so I will be finally showing Athena that my cooking skills are not just for show,” Bobby said with a large smile on his face. Buck liked seeing him like that, unapologetically happy for the new life he was starting.

“I’m planning on sleeping until my alarm goes off in three days,” Chim laughed from where he leaned back in his chair. “What about you, Buckaroo?”

“Well, I was going to try and find a date because my sister won’t stop bugging me about being single, but…” He trailed off, cupping Eddie’s shoulder tightly in his hand, “I just got an offer I’d be a fool to refuse.”

Eddie smiled and shrugged off Buck’s touch with a fond roll of his eyes before they focused on his plate. Buck glanced around at his team with an uncontrollable smile on his face as they bantered and laughed and listened intently to whatever story Hen was telling about her son, Denny. He thought back to his conversation with Maddie and how worried she had sounded for him, as if he was alone without Abby.

He wasn’t. His team—their laughter and camaraderie, their friendship and love, their shared stories and experience—was everything he needed.

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

Buck was stuck with the dishes once the table was cleared, but he didn’t mind. He liked to get lost in the mundane task of scrubbing and cleaning, the clanging of the dishes a friendly reminder that he had spent much-needed bonding time with his team. Plus, doing the dishes meant he got to decide where they would go out after their shift and he had the best places in mind.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” Buck heard Chim’s voice softer than he expected from the second-floor terrace.

“I’m— That’s just the question of the day, isn’t it?” Buck’s heart dropped as he recognized the all too familiar voice and before he could think twice, his legs were bringing him down the stairs in a sprint. “I’m looking for—”

“Maddie?” Buck asked. When she turned, he caught sight of the bruises littering her face and peaking out from underneath the collar of her shirt. The long sleeves did nothing to hide the darkness around her wrists and she didn’t even try to cover up the gashes on her cheek and lip.

“Hey, Evan,” she said weakly, a forced smile tugging at her lips. Buck had her in his arms before her legs could fully give out and he held her tightly to his chest, careful of the soreness he knew was probably hidden underneath her clothes.

“Hey, hey, I got you. I got you, you’re okay,” Buck whispered into her hair as she sobbed, nails clawing at his back that probably would have hurt if he wasn’t so focused on providing his sister comfort. He caught Chim’s eyes over her shoulder, EMT bag in hand, and shook his head, searching the room for Hen. Chim seemed to understand exactly what he was doing and ran to the back where Buck was pretty sure Hen was resting.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” Maddie choked out as she tried to pull away. Buck wouldn’t let her, though, as he threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her temple softly.

“Here is perfect, okay? Don’t worry about it,” Buck reassured. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say to her. He had known her relationship with Doug wasn’t the best and there was no doubt in his mind that that monster had hurt her. The way her body trembled and her voice shook had Buck feeling uneasy himself as he led her to one of the more comfortable couches in the station.

“Hey, sweetie, I’m Hen. You’re Buck’s sister? Maddie?” Hen said as she approached, carefully as if walking up to an easily spooked animal. Buck appreciated it as much as it hurt him to see.

“That’s me, the overbearing big sister,” Maddie attempted to joke, but it fell flat to everyone that had gathered around except for Buck.

“I don’t think I ever used the word ‘overbearing’ specifically. Maybe persistent, annoying was probably dropped in there a time or two,” Buck teased. He was too grateful when Maddie’s hand came up to swat his shoulder to focus on the wince on her face at the movement.

“She can’t be worse than you, Buckaroo,” Chim chimed in from where he stood a few feet away, flanked by Bobby and Eddie, who Buck noted was paying closer attention to where he kneeled beside his sister than he was at Maddie like everyone else.

“I promise I’m not,” Maddie said weakly. Buck held onto her hand delicately as Hen settled beside her, the EMT bag on her lap.

“Any family of Buck’s is family of ours,” Bobby stated, nodding at Hen as if giving her the okay to fully check up on her.

“He’s told me a lot about you guys, his family away from family. I—” Maddie’s breath hitched as Hen pressed her thumbs over the bruises along her collarbones and she pressed her lips together to compose herself before she continued. “I’m sorry for barging in this way, looking like—”

“—Like a Buckley?” Eddie offered, easing the bit of tension of what wasn’t being said in the room. Buck sent him a thankful nod as he squeezed his sister’s hand. “We’ve heard y’all are prone to accidents. The number of times I’ve had to patch up this one on company time is too many and counting.” Buck laughed and tossed a friendly finger in Eddie’s direction, smiling when Maddie seemed to relax at the banter.

“This one is always tossing himself into the fire quite literally, huh?” Maddie asked. Buck could tell she was relieved to have the conversation moved away from her and he didn’t mind being the target for her benefit.

“I’ve only been here for a few months, but I’m pretty sure Buck would put anyone before himself.” Eddie’s voice was a lot closer than Buck had expected and he didn’t realize how much tension was building up inside of him until Eddie’s hand landed in between his shoulder blades. He glanced up to catch his friend’s eye, smiling softly at the steady and comforting press on his back.

“Yeah, that’s exactly who he is,” Maddie muttered. When Buck glanced up at her, her eyes were narrowed and darted back and forth between him and Eddie accusatorily. That was not good . Buck cleared his throat.

“Can you guys give us a minute?” Buck asked.

Eddie ran his hand up to Buck’s shoulder, squeezing gently and Buck couldn’t resist reaching up to let his palm brush over the back of Eddie’s hand, letting him know how much the gesture was appreciated. Bobby and Chim hesitantly nodded in response before they all disappeared, leaving an even more tense Maddie and nerve-filled Buck alone with Hen who was treating the cut on Maddie’s cheek.

As if scared for Buck to ask, Maddie offered, “It had been a few months, Buck. I thought— I really thought he had changed.” Buck sighed and rested his forehead on Maddie’s knee, relaxing only marginally when Maddie’s hand patted the back of his head.

“What was it this time? Did you argue with him a little too hard? Maybe you didn’t reach the level of perfection he always required of you?”

“Buck—” Hen warned, shooting a look that could kill in Buck’s direction.

“No, it’s— It’s okay. He’s right either way,” Maddie relented with a deep sigh. “It had been building since I said I wanted to visit you in L.A. I told him that you had alluded to seeing someone and that I wanted to see if it was true. He said I couldn’t go, that he was the only family I needed, and when I argued against that…” Maddie trailed off, gesturing to her face and that was enough for Buck to put together what happened next.

“He did this because of me?” Buck’s voice shook as he glanced back at his sister, reaching a hand up to stroke a finger over the dark bruise on her jaw. Maddie grabbed it and turned toward her brother, leveling their eyes together with a protectiveness in them that provided him the calm he needed.

“This was not your fault, Evan,” Maddie said sternly.

“It’s neither of your faults,” Hen added, resting her palm on Maddie’s arm softly. Maddie nodded and smiled at Hen as brightly as she could given the circumstances.

“She’s right and I came here because I can’t have this happen anymore,” Maddie stated, holding onto Buck’s hand a little tighter. “You mentioned your captain’s girlfriend was a cop?”

Buck nodded and wrapped his arms around his sister, wishing he had never let go in the first place.

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

Athena had arrived at the station quicker than Buck had expected her to. Upon seeing him, she pulled him into a tight hug that he didn’t realize he had needed so much before disappearing into Bobby’s empty office with Maddie. He didn’t trust just anyone with his sister, but the second the door shut, he felt like he could finally take a breath.

He was flanked by both Hen and Eddie in a flash while Chim paced in front of them, chewing on a piece of beef jerky to stay occupied. Bobby watched from above, silently observing his team, and looking ready to step in if Buck needed it. They were all there for him and when the door finally opened after what felt like hours later, the smile that tugged at the corner of Maddie’s lips told Buck she had seen just that.

“Again, I’m really sorry for—” Athena shook her head and pointed a finger at Maddie, effectively stopping her unneeded apology.

“You’ll only have to be sorry if you don’t let this one take care of you the way you deserve,” she said, raising her eyebrows like a challenge. Maddie pressed her lips together and nodded bashfully as she leaned into the arm Buck had thrown around her neck.

“Buck, shift’s just about over. Why don’t you show your sister where she’ll be staying?” Bobby said. It was an order as much as a suggestion but Buck was going to take him up on it either way.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Let me know if you need me to come back in.” Bobby silenced him with one look.

“We can survive the next hour without you, man,” Eddie chimed in. He walked over and pulled Buck into a one-armed hug as if he knew nothing could pry him away from his sister. Buck was grateful for the extra warmth Eddie provided him, either way.

“If you guys need anything, you know where we’ll be,” Hen assured, rubbing a gentle palm down Maddie’s arm until their hands were connected. Maddie squeezed it tightly and mouthed her thanks at Hen who brushed it off with a wave of her hand.

“I can’t thank you guys enough,” Buck began, but he stopped himself from saying any more before any of his team could argue. “I’ll see you in a few days?” He asked, directing his attention to Bobby so he could let his captain know that his sister arriving wouldn’t impact his work. As if he already knew, Bobby nodded and wrapped an arm around Athena’s waist.

“We’ll probably see you before then,” Bobby offered with a slight wink and Buck laughed.

“You guys sure I can steal my little brother away early?” Maddie asked nervously.

“Now that you’ve teased us with him leaving, you can’t take it back,” Eddie said from beside Buck. They both had to laugh and Buck punched Eddie’s arm in retaliation only for Eddie to grab onto his hand tightly, not letting him pull away yet. His voice was low as he muttered, “You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

It was meant to be a question, but Buck knew it wasn’t. Everyone around them was so focused on Maddie and her injuries—which Buck couldn’t blame them for—that none of them really stopped to think how tough the next few days may be for the Buckley’s as a whole. But not Eddie. Just one glance from his friend told Buck that Eddie was well aware of the toll this might take on Buck’s good-natured mind and that Eddie was going to be there through it all.

“Yeah,” Buck confirmed, resting a hand on Eddie’s neck in a friendly gesture of comfort, “I’ll call you.”

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

“I’m not going back there,” Maddie said the minute the door to Buck’s apartment shut.

“I know you’re not,” Buck agreed because even if she hadn’t made the choice herself, he wasn’t going to see his big sister hurt like that again.

“I grabbed what I could before I left and it’s going to take me a little while to get back on my feet, but—”

“Hey,” Buck said gently, wrapping his arms around his sister once more, “we’re gonna figure this out. It’s always been just the two of us, right? Sure, a few years have gone by, but you’re still the most important person in the world to me and we’re going to figure this out.” He repeated, believing the words so fully that Maddie must have, too. Her shoulders slumped in either relaxation or defeat, Buck couldn’t be sure which, and she pulled away enough for Buck to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Can I stay here for a little? Just until—”

“Maddie, stop. You’re staying here whether you like it or not,” Buck said with a laugh, ruffling her hair in his hand before she could swat him away.

“I just don’t want to impose on any guests you might have around,” Maddie said, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing around his apartment as if looking for signs of additional life.

Buck sighed, “Go take a shower while I make up some dinner.” Maddie’s laugh was so refreshing, the tension of the last few hours seemed to fall right off of his shoulders.

When he heard the water turn on, he busied himself with finding dinner even though he was still full from the large lunch at the station. He wasn’t sure when the last time Maddie had eaten was but her skin was too pale even through the bruises for him not to offer her something good. He rummaged through his cabinets for way too long, losing track of time as he listened to Maddie’s voice stop and start in the shower.

He used to love listening to her sing. She had always been carefree and beautiful and that was always something he admired. He could hear the hesitance in her voice as she weakly sang through the chorus of one of her favorite country songs and wished he could heal whatever it was inside that had her balking. Buck loved her more than anything in the world.

With a deep breath, he reminded himself that she had made that first step, the one he had wanted her to so many years before. He smiled to himself, grateful that she made it back to him mostly in one piece. Even though she didn’t have that fire in her eyes that he remembered, he knew that her deciding to come home to him was the spark she needed to light it back up.

A knock at the door had him cursing because the water had shut off and he still didn’t have dinner on the table. When he opened the door and saw Eddie, two pizza boxes in hand, he thought he might cry.

“I figured you usually go grocery shopping with Chris and I and we’re running low on food for two so—” Buck interrupted him by wrapping him another suffocatingly tight hug.

“Man, you could not have arrived at a better fucking time,” Buck sighed with relief. “I can’t believe you did this for her,” he muttered mostly to himself. Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Maddie trotted down the stairs, patting her hair down with a towel.

“Eddie, right?” She asked, a twinkle in her eye that Buck wasn’t too fond of given the situation. “Did you bring us dinner?”

Eddie nodded and mumbled, “Yeah, for, uh, you actually.” Buck took the pizza boxes from his hands and Eddie immediately ran his fingers through the hair on the back of his neck as if suddenly bashful. Buck thought he looked more adorable than usual but brushed it aside.

“That is so sweet of you,” Maddie said, knocking her hip against Buck’s. “Isn’t that so sweet of him, Evan?” Eddie snickered and Buck knew it was because of the use of his first name. He shot an unimpressed glance at Eddie who pressed his lips together in return as if holding back more laughter.

“Eddie’s just a regular old saint if you ask anyone,” Buck explained with much more sarcasm in his voice than he really intended. Maddie didn’t seem to notice as she smiled up at Eddie.

“Are you staying for dinner? I’m sure Buck would appreciate the company,” Maddie said happily, side-eyeing Buck as if he’d even thought to go against her words.

“Oh, no, I gotta get back to my kid,” Eddie said, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. Buck knew Christopher wasn’t with him or else he would have asked them both to come inside.

“You have a kid?” Maddie asked, mouth agape for reasons Buck didn’t know but would definitely ask her about later.

“Yeah, Christopher. He’s—”

“—The best kid in the entire world,” Buck interrupted, turning to his sister. “Maddie, this kid is a spitfire and he’s got jokes and comebacks for everything, I swear! And he’s like the smartest 8-year-old I’ve ever met, not that I’ve hung out with many 8-year-olds, but still. You’re gonna love him!” Buck decided. He must have been rambling as both his sister and Eddie were staring over at him with amused looks on their faces. “…What?”

“I mean, I was just gonna tell her his age, but I guess all that stuff is true, too,” Eddie teased. He flinched when Buck swatted at him with the hand that wasn’t holding the pizza.

“He sounds incredible. I hope I get to meet him?” Maddie asked. Buck nodded quickly and a smile Buck wasn’t sure he had ever seen before tugged at the corner of Eddie’s lips. Buck was just about to offer for them to come over the following night when he remembered what he had already agreed to.

“Oh, crap. The Marvel movie night!” Buck exclaimed as he finally set the pizzas down on the side table. “Did you already tell Chris I was gonna join?”

“Yeah, but it’s totally fine. I’m sure he’ll understand that your sister is here and—”

“Nonsense! You promised that kid a movie night, he’s gonna get a movie night!” Maddie shouted as she opened up the pizza box and helped herself to a slice. Buck was glad she seemed to still have the appetite he remembered. “I don’t mind having a night to myself. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to just cry over a sad Hallmark movie with a glass of wine, you know?” Buck didn’t, but he also really wanted to hang out with the Diazes.

“We can always reschedule. Marvel isn’t going anywhere,” Eddie offered, but Maddie just shook her head and slapped Buck’s arm like it was his job to convince Eddie he would be a fool to do that.

“I’ll be over tomorrow at five with sandwiches to pay you back for tonight, okay?” Buck said softly, holding Eddie’s bicep in his palm. A blush covered his face and Buck wasn’t sure why he was being so nervous all of a sudden; they bantered and touched like that all the time.

“Yeah, okay. Maddie, thank you for letting me steal him and enjoy the pizza. Buck, I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow.” He waved as he backed away and Buck watched as he jumped into his car and drove off.

Once the door was shut, Maddie smacked him on the arm and Buck recoiled, sending a confused glance at his sister.

“What the hell was that for?” Buck asked, rubbing his skin even though it really didn’t hurt that bad.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were dating a coworker !” Maddie shouted, gaping at Buck with joy in her eyes that he had missed more than he realized. He was so focused on her happiness, it took him more than a few reasonable moments to realize what she had said.

“I’m— Wait, what?” Buck asked, pausing mid-bite on the piece of the pepper and sausage pizza he made a mental reminder to thank Eddie for tomorrow.

“Eddie?!” Maddie repeated in a squeal. “I knew after our conversation that whoever you were dating wasn’t just any old person, but another firefighter? A male firefighter at that? No wonder you didn’t want to tell me yet!” Buck blanched and finished chewing his pizza carefully so as to not choke.

“Maddie, I mean this with no malice and all confusion; what the absolute fuck are you talking about?” Maddie scoffed and grabbed the pizza boxes, wandering to the living room and placing them on the coffee table. She made her way into the kitchen to grab two beers from the fridge before settling down next to Buck who had to sit on the couch and think before he fell over.

“Oh, you cannot even pretend that you guys aren’t head over heels for each other. The hand on your back at the station? The side hug? Bringing you pizza after a rough day? The blushing?!” Maddie raised her eyebrows at Buck and he honestly didn’t know how to respond.

He should have said it was nothing. He should have said they were the only two openly not-straight men that he knew of who worked at the LAFD and were closer because of that. He should have said that they were just friends who put their lives at risk for each other every day so their relationship was bound to be special. He should have said all of that.

But Maddie looked so happy and carefree so instead, he lied.

“It’s… really new,” he said, echoing the words he had told her before she came to L.A. Her squeal of delight was enough for any regret he might have had to wash away and for his heart to soar that he could put that bright smile back on his sister’s face.

“Evan Buckley, you have to tell me everything !” Maddie crossed her legs on the couch and settled back against the cushions, making herself comfortable in the place Buck had started to call home. Even with the bruises and cuts littering her face, she looked at ease, and Buck smiled over at her widely.

“There’s nothing to tell, Mads. He started at the station a few months ago and we just… hit it off. Like I said, it’s new and he’s… good.” He wasn’t sure why he had hesitated but he hoped she didn’t read too much into it. When she rested a gentle hand on his bicep and squeezed, he knew she had believed every word of what he had said. The fact it wasn’t a total lie was the only reason he didn’t let his guilt build up too much just yet.

“I’m really proud of you, you know?” Maddie said softly, moving her hand up to cup the side of his face and brush her thumb along his cheekbone. He melted into the touch and closed his eyes, the words resonating through him as the ones he always longed to hear.

“What for?” Buck asked.

Maddie sighed and said, “For being you.” She tapped his nose with the tip of her finger before she added, “Now tell me all about him!”

#buddie #buddie fic #911 on fox #911 fic #buck x eddie #eddie x buck #my writing #tiwistb fic #chapter one yall omfg #i cant beleive it!!#aklsjdfkl;ajsdl;f #evan buckley #eddie diaz

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chaoticpuff17 · 4 years

Text

Suga, We’re Going Down

part 2

masterlist

Yoongi had grown up on the streets of Daegu. His father had abandoned his mother before he was even born. It was a struggle to survive, but he’d always been drawn to music. He’d bartered for piano lessons from a local music store in exchange for free labor knowing his mother, who was struggling to raise him on her own, wouldn’t be able to afford them. They had a restaurant to keep afloat, just like Y/N’s family.

In time, he’d moved on from piano turning to rap. He loved to create, to pour his soul into his music. He established himself in the world of underground rap, and from there he’d clawed his way up to the top. Driven by a need to create, a need to be the best, the need to provide for his family. His mother had never been particularly supportive of his career path. She wanted a stable life for him, and music wasn’t what she considered stable. But here he was, the king of rap. He was on top of the world.

When the fire that had driven him his whole career began to fizzle, he was understandably frustrated. But then there was her. She relit that flame. He had been enthralled almost giddy when he was brought all the information his bodyguard had dug up on her. He looked through pictures of her playing the cello, watched recordings of her previous performances. With every piece of information he learned, he felt closer to her. She was from a broken home balancing work and school to help support herself and her grandmother not to mention the father that hung around the family’s neck like a dead weight. He’d sunk the family into debt. There was no mother to speak of. She hadn’t had an easy life, but neither had he. They were the same that way, kindred spirits.

Knowing that Y/N had come from a troubled family made him feel closer to her, protective of her. She was an angel, and he wanted to take her away from it all, away from the miserable life she’d been forced to live. To say he was furious when he had been delivered the news of her new occupation would be an understatement. His bodyguard had paled looking at his phone after it chimed, and then explaining that he’d just gotten new piece of information on her. She was planning to become a sugar baby. She had just made a profile on some app called sugarbebe. He knew the showcase was her last concert, but he thought it was because she was working, not this kind of work. She was giving up music, and she’s was placing herself into the hands of some disgusting old man in the name of supporting her family. It was a sentiment he could admire, but he couldn’t allow his muse to be in the hands of some disgusting pervert. He couldn’t allow her to give up music. He needed to protect her.

So he’d concocted a spur of the moment plan. He would be her sugar daddy. It would keep her by his side, keep the passion to create flowing, and it would keep her out of harms way. It was perfect. He got her, and she got to help her family.

As soon as he had her profile on sugarbebe, he’d sent a message requesting to meet her, and then it was a waiting game. Would she be willing to meet him? Would she accept his proposal? If she didn’t he’d just have to make it an offer she couldn’t refuse. If she was willing to do this in addition to working two jobs and school, how could she refuse? He had every intention of being everything she needed. He would make it so that she didn’t need to work two jobs, so that she could keep playing the cello.

He’d been ecstatic when he’d gotten the message saying she would meet with him. He could barely contain his excitement. Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

Friday came all too soon. Classes flew by, and she had picked up Eun Jae from Halmeoni’s for the weekend. It would have been a normal day if not for the meeting looming over her head. Every hour brought her closer to her meeting with MYG. He’d assured her that she would be allowed into the club and that she would be perfectly okay, but that didn’t do anything to calm her nerves. She didn’t even know what the man looked like, but at the very least she knew he wasn’t twice her age. Twenty-seven wasn’t too bad of an age gap, but it also brought about the question, why did someone so young need a sugar baby especially when they could afford to go to D-2?

Nina prodded and poked at her until she could barely recognize herself. The dress was tight against her body leaving very little to the imagination even though it didn’t expose her breasts and it covered her ass. But she had to admit, even begrudgingly, that it made her look good. It might not be as fancy as what the other girls in the club would be wearing, but at least she wouldn’t stick out. The dress was perfect. The earrings Nina had leant went well with it as well. They dangled down from her ears, and the sparkly black material would make them shimmer under the lights in the club. To make herself a little more comfortable in the outfit, she’d added a pair of semi-opaque black tights. The real problem was the heels. She wasn’t used to wearing heels that tall, and she was worried that she was going to break an ankle if she wasn’t careful. How Nina walked in them she would never know.

With one final look in the mirror she left the bathroom to find Eun Jae and Nina sitting in the one only other room in the apartment.

“What do you think?” She asked striking a silly pose to the delight of the little boy. “Eomma!” He shrieked running to attach himself to her legs. “You look bootful.”

“Thank you, baby.” She smiled crouching down so that she was on eye level with him. “Are you going to be good for Auntie Nina?” He nodded his head rapidly though his little face had a much more serious expression now. “You promise?”

“Pwomise.”

She held out her pinky linking it with his much smaller one before pulling him into a hug and showering him with kisses as he struggled to get out of her arms despite the peals of laughter that left him.

“I love you, buddy.” She cooed pressing her forehead against his before scooping him up in her arms and standing to face Nina. “It’s already past bedtime so…”

“Eomma.” The little boy whined pouting at the reminder that he should already be asleep.

“Bed time.” She told him sternly bouncing him slightly in her arms. If he didn’t get to bed soon, she’d have a very cranky toddler on her hands tomorrow. “He should go right down. His blankie and bambam the dinosaur are on the couch. He won’t go to sleep without the dinosaur.”

“I know.” Nina rolled her eyes fondly. “This isn’t my first rodeo.

“You know you’re welcome to anything in the fridge. You can use my laptop. I’ll text you when I get there.”

“You better.” Nina grumbled shooting her friend a playful glare. “Text me when you’re leaving too.”

“Of course.” She promised handing over her son with one last hug. “Thank you for doing this.”

Nina nodded accepting the little boy into her arms settling him on her hip even though his face was all scrunched up grumpily now that he was no longer in his mother’s arms. “Of course. I’m always happy to help. Be safe okay?”

“I will be.”

“Eomma!” Eun Jae whimpered reaching out for his mother upper lip wobbling and eyes round as saucers. It was all fun and games until it was time for mom to go, especially when it was near bedtime.

“I gotta go, baby.” She told him though it broke her heart to see him upset. She knew he was just tired, but it still broke her heart. “I’ll see you in the morning. Okay, buddy?” She gave Nina a pained smile before picking up her clutch that only fit her keys, her card and her phone. “I’ll see you later!”

“Stay sexy. Don’t get murdered!” Nina called after her as she left the apartment rolling her eyes at her friend’s antics.

It pained her to splurge on the taxi to go to the club, and she knew it was silly, but she didn’t want MYG to see her coming from a bus stop on the off chance he was watching her when she arrived. She would take the late bus home, but she wanted to make a good impression arriving, just in case.

She was practically vibrating in anticipation the entire ride to D-2. She didn’t know what to expect from this. Would he be nice? Would he be sleazy? God, she hoped he wasn’t sleazy. She could put up with it, if he was, and she knew it was a long shot that he would be kind, but she still hoped that he was. It would make this so much easier if he was kind.

She couldn’t help the nerves. She had never done anything like this before. She’d never even considered doing anything like this before. Clubs, boyfriends, partying. She’d never gotten to do any of that stuff. She had had a family to take care of. By the time she’d reached the age where she could go out drinking, she’d had a kid to consider. She didn’t think she’d ever actually been to a club before. Tonight would be full of new experiences.

She was shocked when she arrived at D-2 that the bouncers were expecting her. One of the burly, intimidating men escorted her straight into the club and directly up to the VIP lounge stating that a Mr. Min would be with her shortly.

All she could do was nod her head mutely. She was dumb struck by the turn of events. She had thought that whoever she was meeting was rich, but she hadn’t expected to them to be VIP rich or so concerned with her making it in. Who had the kind of pull it took to get the bouncers to care for a patron like that. The man had even stated that if she needed anything, she just needed to ask which led her to believe that the rest of the staff knew who she was as well. It was highly disconcerting. Every moment she was inside the club made her more and more nervous. She had to keep reminding herself who she was doing this for, what was at stake. At least she knew his name now. Mr. Min.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. Waiting for her potential sugar daddy to arrive. The title made her cringe, a stark reminder of the position she was now in.

While Y/N was nearly sick with nerves, Yoongi was ecstatic. He watched as his bouncers led her into his club. She looked lovely. She always looked lovely, but she looked different than the photos of her he had seen, different than the demure lady he had seen at the showcase. While her outfit said, sexy, her face said nerves. Even there sitting under the lights of the club, she looked like an angel. The wide eyed way she watched everything made it clear she didn’t belong there. She was like a deer in the headlights. But Yoongi could fix that. He could help her adjust. She was meant to be in his world.

He took a moment to straighten out his shirt and smooth down his hair before approaching her. He wanted everything to be perfect.

“Kang Y/N.” He called stepping up to her watching in amusement as she practically jumped out of her seat out of shock as her eyes flew to his.

“Mr. Min.” She squeaked actually jumping up and stumbling it a bit in her heels, but Yoongi was there to catch her, gently lowering her back down to the couch again.

“You can call me Yoongi.” He flashed her a crooked grin, not quite a full smile, but enough of one to soften his intimidating features. He’d been told on more than one occasion that he had a resting face that looked like he wanted to kill everyone, and he didn’t want her to be scared of him. The wide eyed way she was staring at him told him it wasn’t working though.

She stared at the man next to her taking in all of his features. He certainly wasn’t old, and he certainly wasn’t ugly. He was pale, like he had never seen the sun before. The black shirt he wore highlighted that, but it worked for him. His dark eyes had an almost feline quality to them. They were intimidating as they took her in just as she was doing to him. She wanted to fade away and hide from those eyes. They were black as coal and far too intense for comfort, and it was with horror that she realized, she knew those eyes.

“You’re Agust D.” She breathed out her voice trembling in both shock and awe.

He grinned, a full gummy smile that looked so out of place on his intimidating face but at the same time so right. “I am, but you, Y/N, can call me Yoongi.”

“I…I think there’s been a mistake.” Her eyes darted around trying to find her clutch snatching it up when she found it and standing on shaking legs. Bobbing a hasty bow she tried to make a retreat only for her wrist to be caught in his hand, his long fingers completely encircling her wrist. Her eyes flew to his, wide, startled. “Mr. Min?”

“There’s no mistake.” His raspy voice sent shivers down her spine. It wasn’t every day that a girl met the king of rap. It wasn’t every day that the king of rap brought you to his club wanting to be your sugar daddy. It couldn’t be real.

She shook her head trying to wake herself up, to bring herself back to reality, but he was still sitting there staring at her with those dark eyes.

“Why don’t we go to my office to talk? Would that be better?” He offered, and she nodded dumbly in response letting him lead her away from the noise to an office nestled in the back of the club.

The door closed sealing them in, blocking out the noise. She couldn’t believe it. Yoongi thought it was adorable. The confused look on her face, the little line between her brows, it was all adorable.

“You’re MYG?” She slowly asked trying to confirm the impossible thing that was being proposed. There was no way that Agust D was looking for a sugar baby let alone looking for her to be his sugar baby. It was too absurd.

“Min Yoongi.” He confirmed taking a seat behind his desk as she took a seat across from him. “I’m sorry for the confusion. I needed a certain amount of anonymity on the app. You understand right?”

“Of course.” She quickly agreed frightened of making the wrong move. She had no idea what to do in this situation. There wasn’t exactly a handbook, ‘What to do when your potential sugar daddy turns out to be famous?’. She felt completely out of her depth. “That’s understandable.” She smiled nervously avoiding eye contact. “Can I… can I ask a question?” It was tentatively spoken, nervous like she was afraid he was going to bite her.

Yoongi had to hold back a coo. She was just so fucking adorable, so innocent sitting there trembling under his gaze like a kitten someone had brought in from the cold. “Ask away, princess.”

She had to hold back a cringe at the endearment. She was by no means a princess. “Why me?”

“Why not you?” He countered leaning across the desk. “Are you going to say no?”

Did she really have a choice? She needed the money. Her family needed the money. “I didn’t say that.”

He smirked knowing full well she couldn’t refuse him. She needed this. She needed him, and he wasn’t going to leave her out in the cold. “Four million won.” He offered watching as her eyes widened almost comically. They practically took up the whole of her face.

“What?” She whispered.

“Four million won for every meeting we have.” He offered watching her closely. She looked ready to bolt at any moment. He couldn’t have that, not when he was so close to having her in his arms.

“That’s… that’s very generous, but I…”

“But what? Is it not enough?” His head tilted to the side curiously.

“No! It’s more than enough, more than generous.” She stuttered rushing over her words in an attempt not to fuck this up.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Mr. Min.”

“Yoongi.”

“Yoongi.” She corrected smiling nervously. “I’m not sure I’m what you’re looking for. I have work and school…”

He cut her off waving a hand dismissively. “We can work around that. I have a very busy schedule. I would want you to be free in the evenings at least twice a week.” She nodded slowly waiting for him to continue. “I’d have the right to call for you whenever I want, but you have the right to say no. I understand you have other obligations. School. Work.” He would give her the option, but under the circumstances she was in, he didn’t think she’d say no. She couldn’t afford to say no.

“What if I had to cancel a prearranged meeting?”

“We’d reschedule” He shrugged hiding his glee at seeing her warm up to the idea.

She hesitated taking a deep breath to steady herself. “What would… what would you expect from me?”

There it was, the crux of it all. He was slowly backing her into a corner, herding her towards agreement. “Your company. Your affection.” She shuddered as his eyes dragged down the length of her body. “We won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. You have full control. We can have it written into the contract.” A lie. Yoongi wasn’t the type to give control to anyone else. But he could give her the illusion of control. “Four million won a meeting. More for overnight or late night meetings and public outings like parties or company events. I’ll provide the wardrobe for those.” He offered sweetening the deal. He knew it was a lot of money, but she was worth it. She was worth every penny.

He could see the conflict in her eyes, but he knew he had her. She knew it to. With how much he was offering she could get their heads back above water. They could fix the heating at the house. They could get a new winter coat for Eun Jae. He was outgrowing his. She could get him some new shoes too. She could pay for school. They could pay off the debt her father had landed them in. Halmeoni wouldn’t have to work so hard. “Okay.”

He grinned in triumph. “Okay.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’ll have the company draw up a contract. I can have it ready by Monday. That work for you?”

She nodded eyes fixed on her hands. “Yeah. That’s fine.” She whispered huffing in disbelief.

Yoongi stood up slinking over to her tilting her chin up to make her eyes meet his. He loved her eyes. They were so deep, so soulful. “Hey,” He murmured gently running a thumb over her bottom lip. “Don’t look so frightened. I’ll take good care of you.”

part 3

#bts #bts fic #yandere bts #bts suga #bts yoongi #min yoongi #rapper yoongi #bts fanfic #yandere yoongi #yoongi x reader #suga #yandere #yandere suga #suga x reader #agust d #dark romance

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phantomato · 3 years

Text

Uber

Nottmort (Tom Riddle/Nott Sr.), Modern Muggle AU, ~2k words

Thanks to @yletylyf for kicking around this idea! Tom drives an Uber in the Bay Area. Thoros & co need a ride.

—

Abraxas and Orion are bickering over luggage in the background when your Uber pulls up. Black, of course, so it’s a Mercedes that will smell a little too much like leather cleaner when you get in, but none of you have ever ridden in an UberX or, god forbid, an Uber Pool, and you’re not about to start.

Your colleagues—never forget, you are not friends, no matter how much time you spend with them—slide into the back seat before you can even begin to help load bags into the trunk. You’re left alone with the driver, and though he offers to help, you haven’t let yourself sink that low as to make this man pile all of your shit in his car while you sit around and watch. And anyway, it feels like the polite thing to do. More than Abraxas or Orion, you’ve been raised to be polite.

So you fold yourself into the front passenger seat, too kind to push the seat all the way back and give yourself the leg room you need even if Orion, behind you, is just 5’8 to your 6’3, and smile at the driver as he confirms your destination.

He’s pretty. You’ve been in a lot of Ubers and you’ve never seen a driver this pretty. Is that classist?, you wonder to yourself, remembering something you read in Vox the other day. Probably. Nevertheless, you’re taken by the curve of his mouth, the sweep of his dark hair, and you throw a smirk over your shoulder at Abraxas who you know must have also noticed.

“Traffic to SFO will be busy,” he says regretfully, and you roll your eyes. Orion refuses to take the early morning flights, unwilling to wake at 3 AM, and you’re always stuck with these long, miserable Uber rides down from the city to the airport. “And Terminal 2—right in the middle of it. There’s construction around those doors, if you haven’t been there—”

“We know,” Orion butts in rudely, shutting up your driver for the few minutes it takes to get out of your neighborhood.

You use those few minutes to swipe through your phone. Email—nothing important. Messages—you clear the notifications. Your Instagram is alight with people reposting the same infographic about voting rights and you make a mental note to kick some money to that non-profit that’s been all over Twitter lately. You close out apps and end up back at Uber, watching your car’s laggy progress through the San Francisco streets. Your driver’s name is Tom, the app informs you. It’s a nice name.

You clear the side streets and Tom offers amenities. “If you want any water, there are bottles in the cooler between the seats,” he calls back to Abraxas and Orion, “and mints in the cup holder. You can adjust the air conditioning if you like, and there’s a charging cable attached to the back of my seat if you need it. Would you like to choose any music?”

“No,” Abraxas says, and whether he means the music or the entire spiel doesn’t really matter, given his withering tone. You look back at him, trying to convey ‘Be nice’ with just your eyebrows, but Abraxas is fussing with his hair and ignoring you.

Tom’s one of the chipper ones, it turns out, because he takes the rejection in stride and shifts to the dreaded personal conversation. “What do you all do for a living?”

“Ah, we invest in companies, mostly start-ups,” you say, trying to avoid—

“Venture capitalists!” Tom guesses, and he’s right but you hate the term and its connotations. So what if you are all white men whose family money has bankrolled tech speculation? It’s what anyone with half a brain would do. You donate, you read the liberal news—at least, you think that’s true for all of you, though Orion was friends with that Republican mayoral candidate and Abraxas’ father sponsors that conservative think-tank and…

Ah, fuck. “Yeah, pretty much,” you agree, hating yourself.

Behind you, Orion digs his AirPods out of his pocket. You hear the snap of the magnetic lid as he closes himself off to the world. Abraxas is slouching, the hem of his third-favorite cashmere cardigan catching on the seat behind him, and you realize that you’re alone in this conversation.

Well, fuck it. If those two pricks are going to make you call the Uber, deal with the reimbursement paperwork, and sit in the front seat, you’re going to talk to the driver and make this car conversation as painful as possible for them.

As if reading your thoughts, Tom does the one thing that guarantees a terrible ride: he pitches his app idea.

“You know, I’m also a software developer,” he says, which is at least more promising than when someone isn’t, “and if I had the kind of funding that companies like yours provide, I would absolutely make this app.” He proceeds to describe something completely inane, the type of exclusive, niche social networking app that hasn’t had legs since before the Trump presidency and you would be content to let him drone on, to let Abraxas keep melting into his own seat and to let Orion channel his anger through a knee driven into the back of yours, but—

But for all that Tom’s idea is stupid, he has the energy of the best pitches you see. His energy is infectious. His eyes light up, he gestures with one hand, and when he stops to take a drink (one of those water bottles with a built-in straw, which you associate with joggers and your lamest employees but which does very different things to you when it’s Tom’s mouth wrapped around the top) you’re transfixed by the wet sheen over his chapped lips.

And so, yes, maybe it’s mostly lust, and maybe this is a sign that you need to download Grindr again, even if only to jerk off to the dick pics you’ll get, but you start to actually talk to him.

“There’s no future in niche social networks,” you say, halting Tom in his tracks. “There will always be new ones, don’t misunderstand me, but the broader landscape is saturated by the top names, and they’ll buy out their competitors if they need to. Perhaps you can topple Tumblr, but that’s not a path to profit. If you want to impact the social market, you need to pinpoint the novel interaction model that you want to offer and make yourself buyable.”

“Buyable,” Tom repeats, like he’s never been interrupted before. He probably hasn’t. The first rule of Ubering around the Bay Area or the Valley is to never engage the app pitches, and Orion has started kicking your seat for your transgression.

“Yes,” you enunciate. “You want to be bought out and brought in at a high level. The giant that eats you may or may not use your idea, but you’ll make a comfortable sum as a consolation prize.” You’ve helped companies through this before. You’re flying out to New York this week in part because one of your investments is considering purchase offers and you want to strategize in-person. The founder is dallying, sending emails about independence and integrity, and Orion will bully him into selling while you and Abraxas negotiate the best terms for the contract.

You can feel Tom’s eyes on you. Abraxas might be calling “Thoros…” from the back seat, and Orion might be attempting to annihilate you with his gaze alone, but you’re smiling at that handsome face behind the wheel and hoping for an accident on the 101.

Unfortunately, you make it through San Bruno without running into more than the usual level of traffic, and Tom’s pulling up to your terminal much sooner than you would like. Abraxas and Orion jump out of the car with uncharacteristic speed when it stops, Orion even moving to stand by the trunk in readiness to take his bags. You delay.

“Do you have a business card?” you ask, when it’s clear Tom’s waiting on you.

He fumbles to pull a wallet from his jeans. You can’t quite get a view of his ass as he does, but that doesn’t stop you from looking.

His card is bent at the corner, printed cheaply, and probably from his last job. You’re pretty sure that company doesn’t exist anymore. Tom taps the phone number. “I can be reached here,” he says smoothly, but his professionalism cracks when he adds, “by call or by… text.”

You know what sort of texts you’d like to receive from him.

Pulling out your own card case, you hand him your card. “Text me,” you say, your voice just this side of appropriate, “any time.”

Tom visibly swallows and jumps out of the car. You take your time getting up, and if your cashmere sweater—Margaret Howell, not that Elder Statesman piece of shit Abraxas is wearing—ends up in the footwell of Tom’s passenger seat, well, you’ll be back in SF next week, won’t you?

“Thanks for the ride, Tom,” you tell him as you take the handle of your luggage, letting your fingers brush his. “I enjoyed our conversation.”

“Yeah,” he nods, and you don’t care that Abraxas is snorting behind you, he’s been judging you this whole trip and he lost out on a hot guy’s number as a result. “It was…”

“Thoros,” you interrupt him before he can ramble and psych himself out. “My name is Thoros, and I really would like to hear from you.”

Tom looks at you then, and you see him pull together the same sureness that drew you into his initial pitch. “I’ll text you about the app.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you say, meaning it.

—

Bonus:

“You know,” Abraxas drawls as you sit in the United club lounge, gesturing lazily with his overpriced airport Fiji water, “if you tip him too much it’s like you’re paying him for sex.”

Orion looks up from his phone then, removing one earbud for the first time since he put them in. “I’ve paid more for sex with less attractive men.”

“Welcome back,” you say, “I didn’t realize you had paid any attention.”

“Someone would need to not have eyes in order to miss how hot that Uber driver was,” he bites back, returning to his phone.

“Well, I’m tipping him extra anyway,” you announce, confirming Tom’s five-star rating. Should you write a review? Is that too much?

Abraxas, with a grumble, declares, “I’m telling Alecto not to approve this expense.”

—

Bonus bonus:

Your phone buzzes at the end of dinner, the celebratory affair to close the sale which someone had insisted must be at Lilia, even though Abraxas doesn’t eat carbs and you would have preferred to grab a slice at Scarr’s rather than haul out to Williamsburg, anyway.

It’s Tom. Of course it’s Tom—you’ve been texting all week, and between a few late-night flirtations and one very bald statement of interest, you’ve got a date set for when you’re back home. You’re going to Mensho Tokyo, since he lives in the Tenderloin and you live… vaguely around the Tenderloin, at least, you tell people you live there when you want to seem cooler, and Tom is the type of guy that makes you excited to stand in line for hours to get seats. You’re already thinking about whether you might put your arm around him while you’re waiting, and you unlock your phone to see what he’s saying now.

It’s a picture message.

A picture of Tom, wearing your Howell sweater and no pants and oh god oh fuck—

“Was that Uber driver’s dick?” Abraxas whispers, next to you, and you curse your luck. “Remind me to call the next Uber, Jesus Christ.”

#tom riddle #nott sr #nottmort #muggle au

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joy1579 · 4 years

Text

RFA + Saeran with MC with depression

these depression symptoms are based solely on my personal experience with depression. everyone experiences things differently if you or someone you love is going through depression no matter what symptoms they show or don’t show, they deserve love, compassion, and help. it does get better. help is out there and worth the effort. you aren’t alone.

Also my depression is almost entirely biochemical, meaning that when I’m on my medicine my depression is generally controlled very easily. This is why medication plays such a major role in these head cannons. Everyone’s depression treatment is different some people benefit more from counseling than medication. Some people require hospitalization some need tender in home care. Find what works for you and stick with it. I promise, it’s worth it.

Jumin

- his approach is diligence.

- he was so busy he didn’t notice at first

- it was when the maid contacted him to ask if MC was okay that he started to pay attention

- the maid had mentioned the MC had been in bed when she came to clean the last three days

- Jumin knew MC wasn’t lazy far from it actually if she wasn’t busying herself with one of her many hobbies or planning the next RFA party she was usually visiting a friend not lying in bed.

- something was wrong. he came home right away to check on her

- she was surprised and apologized profusely as though she had been caught doing something wrong

- “love I’m not angry, I’m worried.” she smiled lightly and assured him she was fine just tired recently

- so Jumin watched closer, noticed more

- he saw her eat less, sleep more, her knitting didn’t progress, nor did her reading or writing. the party planning came along but even it seemed to go slower.

- it was when she started to leave sentences hanging that he put his foot down

- “honey bunny really, please. I don’t need a doctor.”

- “you aren’t yourself love. you don’t even talk to me anymore”

- “we, we talk.”

- “no I talk you listen. I miss you. your right beside me but you feel so far away”

- “I probably just need my medicine”

- “medicine. you didn’t tell me you take medicine! medicine for what are you okay?!?”

- “I, I didn’t want to worry you! It’s not a big deal honestly I shouldn’t even need it. it’s so stupid. I take an anti-depressant or I’m supposed to. it’s hard to remember sometimes and I forget.

- in an instant Jumin was hugging her carding his fingers through her hair holding her tighter than he had ever held anyone

- “bring me your medicine. you’re taking it right now. from now on I won’t let you forget”

- he came to bed every night with a glass of water and MC’s medicine.

- he found support groups, funded research, sought out the best counselors and psychologists.

- he hated that he couldn’t immediately fix the problem but if he couldn’t cure her then he would get her the best treatment money could buy

Yoosung

- his approach is overprotective.

- he first noticed how restless MC was. she would switch videos before they started, change apps before one had even finished loading.

- “MC are you okay?” but she assured him she was

- next he noticed that she wasn’t leaving the house as often, she didn't leave to see her friends and she hadn’t called her family in weeks. messages and texts would either be ignored or answered with single word replies.

- even their conversations seemed far more one sided

- something was off so he asked for help.

- the chatroom was abuzz with worry about MC and Yoosung couldn’t keep up with all the advice

- then he got a call. from V

- V worried that MC might be depressed offered to give yoosung some numbers to call, doctors to see.

- yoosung hung up and confronted MC immediately angry & scared

- “is it true? why didn't you tell me?”

- “it’s not bad really. most of the time I just need my medicine and I’m fine but,”

- “but what”

- mc see blinked back tears “I, I lost them in the move and I can’t get more till the end of the month. i thought, I thought I could make it but I’m so tired Yoosung”

- he didn’t know what to say so he just held her. he stayed holding her all night”

- the next morning, he helped her search the whole apartment and when they still couldn't find them they went to the pharmacy together to explain the situation

- yoosung watched her carefully for weeks’ afterword to make sure she was okay

- too anyone else he would have seemed paranoid but MC knew why he was so carful

- he was shook after rika and wasn't going to take any chances with her

Saeyoung

- his approach is patient.

- he knew the signs already

- heck he had lived them

- so when he noticed MC’s jokes had taken a darker turn he decided to watch her closer

- and he saw it, saw her slowly slip into the habits he had seen so many times in the mirror.

- so he did what he could. He held her when she shut down.

- sought her out when she would hide

- more often than not he simply sat in the room with her like she had with him. Sat near her so that when she felt like talking he would be there

- after days of sitting next to her as waiting for her to reach out it happened

- “I’m not okay”

- this was progress since for days she had insisted that she was fine and simply just tired

- “what do you need” he asked gently intertwining their fingers

- “will you help me get my medicine. I ran out. I don’t know when I was supposed to get the refill”

- this was something he could do and he would do anything for her

- it does sooth his conscience a bit too know this was something she struggled with before meeting him and not because of him

Zen

- His approach is by far the gentlest

- The first thing he noticed was her sleep.

- She tossed and turned when before she would happily snuggle into his arms and stay there happily all night

- Then he noticed her smile seemed more forced than before

- She didn’t cry much but she also didn’t laugh like she had before

- When she started having trouble falling asleep he sang her lullabies

- When she started eating less he started learning to cook

- When she left in the middle of his play and hid in the theater bathroom. He asked for answers.

- Gently trying to coax her out of the bathroom to talk to him

- The second the door is open he’s inside and holding her. She sits in his lap and cries for the first time

- He sings to her gently and helps calm her down until her breathing evens out and she can talk

- “I’m just so tired. I’m tired of everything Zen. I want to go home. Even when I’m home I want to go home I know it doesn’t make sense. I know. I’m just, I’m so tired”

- He holds her tight telling her that it’s okay. That he’ll fix it.

- Once she’s asleep he’s calling Jaehee. She’s smart and if anyone could find the help MC needs it’s her

Jaehee

- Her approach is slightly clinical

- The first thing she notices is MC skips movie night

- Then she sees her sleep in and skip a lot of her self-care

- MC is still working as hard as ever but she’s exhausted all the time

- She’s worried and when MC refuses to go to the doctor she does the research herself

- Then she confronts MC too ask if her guess is right

- when MC admits to getting off her meds jaehee goes rigid

- jaehee is worried. everything about this feels uncertain and she hates feeling uncertain

- So Jaehee does what she does best.

- She plans. She learns. She works.

- She knows the medication and how it works.

- She sets up an entire routine for MC taking her medicine and doing all the self-care things that are supposed to help

- She insists that MC see a councilor since she admits emotions aren’t her strong suit.

Saeran

- His first tip-off is when she forgets to refresh the water in the flower vases

- The second is when she skips walks in favor of staying in bed

- It feels like he’s losing her and its making him panic a bit

- he sees how lifeless her eyes are when he tells about the newest garden blooms

- she’s not her positive happy go lucky self anymore

- he hates it when she smiles and it looks so broken

- he makes her a bowl of ice-cream and she only eats a fourth of it

- he’s getting worried and trusting relationships are pretty new to him

- but secrecy and information hacking aren’t so that’s what he goes back to

- he finds your medical records and see’s you have an expired prescription for anti-depressants

- he confronts you angrily and questions what’s wrong with you

- how can you expect him to get treatment when you won’t even take your medicine

- you explain that you were on your way to get your meds when you got called to mint eye

- and then in all the chaos you forgot, and at this point you’d have to see your doctor again

- your tired it doesn’t seem worth it

- he looks guilty and ashamed but you pull him into your arms

- he apologizes for everything with mint eye again and you can feel him shaking

- you assure him it isn’t his fault, it was bad circumstances and bad timing not him

- he makes you promise to go to the doctor you make him promise to go with you

- you could do anything together after all

- he wants you happy if you need this medicine then he wants you to have it

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problemchildnoonewanted · 4 years

Text

Starker Soulmate!AU: Iron Man P1

2010

Queens, New York

"Hey, Peter! How was school?" Peter closed the front door behind him with a sigh. Aunt May was in the living room by the sound of her voice. When he turned around that's exactly where he found her, leaning over the back of the couch so she could see her nephew.

"Hey, Aunt May," Peter responded in a barely audible tone. Peter adjusted his glasses and started toward his room. He hadn't been able to find the energy to deal with his contacts lately. Ever since Tony Stark had gone missing over three months ago Peter had become withdrawn and depressed. Of course, May noticed almost immediately and tried to pry for a reason but Peter wouldn't budge an inch. "School was fine."

It was most certainly not fine. Flash had been tormenting him ruthlessly for the past two and a half months, seemingly taking advantage of Peter's sudden drop in life. Ned was his only friend and the only one he told about who he thought his soulmate was, so he was the only one who understands what Peter is going through.

"That's great, sweety. What would you like for dinner?" May asked to try and prolong Peter from running directly to his room and locking the door shut. Unfortunately, that never worked.

"Whatever is fine." Peter made a break for isolation but was stopped once more by his aunt.

"Okay. Hey, you think that Tony Stark guy is pretty cool, right? I saw on the news that they just found him." May pointed at the muted TV screen behind her and Peter halted in his path.

"What!?" Peter ran over to the couch and snatched the remote from Aunt May's hand.

"Yeah. It looks likes he's on his way back to America now." May continued a bit confused by how aggressive Peter swiped the remote from her. The thirteen-year-old barely registered what his aunt was saying as he scrambled to press unmute.

"Finally, after three months of searching, Tony Stark has been found and will be landing in Florida in less than four hours alongside his rescuer and close friend, Colonel James Rhodes."

"Oh my god! Oh my god! He's alive!" The remote fell from Peter's fingers and onto the couch as his knees buckled and he slid to the floor. Peter could feel tears slipping down his cheeks as his guardian attempted to comfort him.

"Peter, what's doing on!? Peter talk to me!" May begged the boy as she tried to stop him from further sliding down behind the couch. She soon gave up and rushed around the furniture in the living room to reach the sinking boy.

After a few minutes of Aunt May helping Peter catch his breath, he finally broke down told her why he had been so distraught for the past few months and what his suspicions were. May was rightfully taken aback but as this information processed it all made sense. She recognized the look Peter would get when Tony Stark showed up on the television, but she thought it was just his first crush and he wasn't comfortable telling her about it.

She should have known since that was exactly how she'd look at Peter's uncle and that's exactly how she looked when she lost her mate. She told Peter exactly that.

"Oh, sweety. Come here." She pulled her boy into her arms as he began sobbing again. He didn't think she would believe him and the relief he felt from both that and learning Tony was alive came crashing down on him again.

Peter finally calmed down after Aunt May rocked the small boy in her arms for a good minute, letting him get it out of his system.

"Word has just come in that Tony Stark will be giving an immediate press conference at the Stark Arc Reactor Power Facility in Miami Florida after landing."

They sat in silence while May rubbed Peter's back before he quickly sat up and looked at his aunt and adjusted his unlevel, tear spattered glasses.

"Hey, hey, uh, Aunt May I'm feeling really tired after everything and-um... I'm gonna go take a nap," Peter stuttered out.

"A nap?" May's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, a nap," Peter confirmed and rose to his feet and started walking back toward his room. "In fact, it's been a really long day I think I'll just go to bed early. Okay, goodnight."

May got up to chase after Peter, but he managed to close the door and lock it just as she was about to grab the handle. "Peter, wai-"

"Goodnight, Aunt May! Love you!" She heard the squeak of his bed dipping under his own weight and assumed he was going to sleep either way despite his odd behavior.

"O-okay, Peter... Goodnight."

Once he heard Aunt May walk away he quietly got out of his bed and powered on the computer set up he put together and opened Google.

After looking up everything he'd need in order to fly as an unaccompanied minor he grabbed his phone and pulled up the picture of Aunt May's credit card from when he needed to buy something from the store on the way home from school to get the numbers. He felt horrible about it, but he couldn't pay in cash so he pulled out his stash of three hundred fifty dollars from his last birthday and Christmas.

He wrote a note explaining where he was going, why, and that he was very sorry. He placed one hundred twenty dollars on the note and bought the ticket for the soonest flight from Queens to Miami. Good news: there was one in forty minutes. Bad news: there was one in forty minutes. He quietly dashed to his closet and dug to the back to find his birth certificate and shoved it in his backpack with a single change of clothes, his phone charger, and the rest of his money after emptying it. He was ready to go in less than two minutes and grabbed his phone as he went to his window.

As he was climbing out he took one last look at his door already feeling guilty for the grief he's going to cause his beloved aunt. But this was too important. He can't risk never meeting his mate again. He descended the fire escape in record time and almost thought he would need his inhaler. Luckily he was able to catch his breath as he hailed for a taxi.

Remarkably, the drive only took about thirty minutes leaving him just enough time to check-in at the front and go through security to immediately get on the plane.

Just as he was buckling into the Unaccompanied Minor row he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to see Aunt May's contact on the screen. He pressed ignore but opened up his text app.

I'm sorry Aunt May but I'm already on the plane and it's about to take off. I love you and I'll see you when I get back.

He then turned off his phone and closed his eyes as he tried to ignore the fact that this was his first time on a plane.

Miami, Florida

The plane ride wasn't too bad other than the few times they had turbulence and freaked him out making some of the adults around him giggle before reassuring him that it was okay. The only bad thing was that it took three and a half hours to get there.

He also came to find out that calling a taxi is much harder in Miami since they don't have nearly as many. However, Peter was still able to make it to the facility

Except by the time he got there, the press conference was already over.

Defeated and on the verge of tears, the boy walked aimlessly around the compound. He couldn't find it in him to turn his phone back on to tell his aunt that it was all for nothing and that he didn't have enough money to get back. He only vaguely noticing the jet black limo he walked past.

"I'm serious, Tony." Tony?

"Okay, Obbey." Peter knew that voice.

"Lay low!"

"I will!" Peter whipped around just in time to a bald man with a cigar that, after researching Tony for so long, he recognized as Obadiah Stane hop onto a segway and ride off. The man he was talking to was now quickly moving for the door being held open to the limo he just passed. That man was the one and only Tony Stark. The same one that had been starring in all his dreams for almost the past year.

"M-Mr. Stark!" Peter bolted to the man. "Mr. Stark, wait!"

The man opening the car door moved to cut Peter off but the second Tony made eye contact with the boy he yelled for "Happy" to stop. The instant their eyes met, Peter knew that he was right all along. This man was his soulmate. It was like he was seeing everything for the first time and everything felt so intense. And hot? The pair could already feel their emotions linking together and it was weird yet felt so right.

"Boss?"

"Let him pass, Happy."

"Hey. Mr. Stark. Um. I'm- I'm Peter."

"Tony." The man in the arm sling approached the kid as well with a somewhat disbelieving expression.

"I know."

"So you do." Now that the boy was in arms reach Tony raised his good arm to pat Peter on the shoulder as if to make he's real. The contact only further solidified the pull the two felt. Peter was sure his knees were going to give out when Tony looked him up and down before leaning down to gaze directly into his eyes as though he were trying to see his soul.

"Sir?" Happy interrupted whatever was happening between the two.

"Hm? Right. You here with anyone, Peter?" Tony refused to even glance anywhere that wasn't this small cute boy in front of him.

"No. No, I'm not. Uh- Tony." Peter shook his head.

"Alright. I want to go home and I'm definitely not done with you so hop in." Tony slid his hand to the back of Peter's and started directing him to the open car door.

"Home. Your home? We're- you want me to come to your home? With you?" Peter struggled to find the words as he was led to the limo.

"Yep. That's exactly what I mean. In you go, kid." Tony gripped Peter's neck a little harder and pushed him down so he'd have to get in. Peter didn't put up any resistance after Tony gripped him with strong hands. Peter has always been a bit of a pushover, but he had never felt so submissive before. Tony then climbed in after him and pressed up against Peter with the subconscious need to keep contact with the sweet boy. Happy was a bit confused, but got in and started the car none the less.

#starker #tony x peter #soulmate au #part 1 #iron man #I am so sorry if this sucks I'm very tired #but i did my best #i also did a bit of research for this

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