dee .✦ ݁˖

she/her ✦ writer ✦ reader ✦ multi 🌻🛼🍓

[starburstbarnes]

˗ˏˋ★ˎˊ˗ welcome! ˗ˏˋ★ˎˊ˗

💐 about me

★ hi there, i’m dee! this is our safe space, so come as you are💝remember to show yourself kindness & spread some love todayyy!

★ 23 | she/her | latina (eng/esp) | berry enthusiast

♬⋆.˚ now playing — expectations by olivia rodrigo

💟 navigation

★ masterlist | latest fic | wips | ko-fi

requests are closed at the moment, but always feel free to send an ask <3

happy reading besties ᯓ★

⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚ ⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚ ⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚ ⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚ ⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚ ⋆.˚𖦹⋆

💐 who i’ve written for

★ mcu — bob reynolds, bucky barnes, joaquín torres, loki laufeyson, ava starr, yelena belova, john walker

★ top gun maverick — bob floyd, bradley bradshaw

★ star wars — luke skywalker

★ project hail mary — ryland grace

★ dc — clark kent

☆ coming soon — jake seresin

💟 writing preferences & info

★ huge fan of one-shots. sometimes i’ll do headcanons or a miniseries (which are typically two parters)

★ my word count varies a lot, too — it can be anywhere between 1k and 10k, it really just depends lol

★ either way it’s x reader. put me in, coach🗣️

★ most of my fics are fluffy :) then there are some hurt/comfort + angst ones as well. occasionallyy there’s spicy or suggestive content

★ i write a lot of fem but also gender neutral readers because all are welcome here🫶

★ on that note, inclusivity is a must in this space!! readers have minimal physical description to avoid excluding different skin colors, hair types, etc! we’re in this togetherrr

💐 disclaimers

★ as implied earlier lol i don’t write smut :o

★ i do not consent for my work to be copied or translated. nor do i consent for it to be put into any kind of AI. (also i like to use the em dash guys it’s not AI assisted pls)

💟 resources

know that this is a very pro-justice blog. here are a few causes that are very important to me. please feel free to read up on them or use the sources as you need to.

protect 🍉 guide

lgbtq+ mental health sources

aclu immigrants’ rights

black lives matter

read banned books

✮⋆˙ spread love! you deserve to feel joy! ✮⋆˙

[twentytomidnight]

the twentytohearmeout tag game:

We talk about a lot of hear-me-outs on this blog, so I figured I’d give every a chance to show off their most diabolical hear-me-outs; whether they be due to appearance, bearings, moral/ethical choices—let’s open up all those skeletons in the closet and hear you out: the mic’s on you, friend-o.

RULES:

Include 5-7 of the hear-me-outs that get side-eyed the most. You gotta give us a picture and tell us their name and/or the media they’re from.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A conventionally attractive man that makes morally dubious choices is not a true hear me out. Miguel O’Hara, Albert Wesker, and Loki are not true hear me outs as they benefit from that oft-utilized pretty privilege.

You wanna explain why you chose this hear me out, you’re more than welcome to.

Keep the love going and tag anyone else you want to join in on this silly, silly game.

so to get the ball rolling, here are some of my most vulnerable hear-me-outs, in no particular order:

Thrax from Osmosis Jones, Hank McCoy from X-Men, Hades from Hercules, Hexxus from Ferngully, Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four, Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones, Beta Ray Bill from Thor

and for the tagging: @skeeets @fanfictionwarrior-chills @devisedplan @infinictus @biglychee @buggjunction @rotrabbitrot @heraldofgayness @colonelfish @inkievoid @novatheory @i-gotta-go-so-much-bigger @lushberrys @gr0und-zer00 @finniestoncrane @gilverrwrites @cherryysunshine @acapelladitty @bat1nsignia @wonderrheartt @splodencible @batwngs @queen-of-gotham @froggibus @eatfeet69 @vigilantekisser @kaydekarios @luvmailing @shoot-i-messed-up as well as anyone else who wishes to chime in with their choices hehe

get to steppin friends—gimme some of your best hehe

[devisedplan]

well here goes....

1. Venom (Marvel) - i mean what that tongue do... 🙂

2. Nemesis (Resident Evil) - uhm yeahhh no comments

3. Mr. X (Resident Evil) - refer to 2. 😃

4. Diego (Ice Age) - that's my childhood crush so :)

5. John Kramer (Saw) - i actually don't see it at first but i remember overtime he kinda grew on me (maybe also cause saw is my all time fav horror film franchise). like he's actually smart as hell and something about intelligent people.....

seriously no pressure tag (cause even this took me sometime to even consider to expose myself HAHAHAHAH): @starburstbarnes, @finco99, @shadowskribe + whoever is interested!!!

[starburstbarnes]

HELP I LOVE DOING HEAR ME OUTS SM THANK YOY FOR TAGGING ME

(disclaimer: I recognize some of these might not be hear me outs by tumblr standards but I needed to include them jsnjdjs)

1. Steve Perry (Journey) — apparently this wasn’t a hear me out back in the day but I’m so in love that he had to be here🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤LOOK AT HIM I WANT HIM SO BAD

2. Michael Cutter (Law & Order) — he is so fcking hot. love the lawyer intelligence + attitude. and I’m obsessed with the way he talks oughhhh😮‍💨

3. Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton…) — the reaction this one gets out of people irl is always so funny LMAO. I love LMM and I will die on this hill! his nose >>>>>

4. Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus) — maid jax specifically. this is very important. low hanging fruit bc I am not immune to tumblr sexyperson propaganda

5. Mettaton EX (Undertale) — best for last in a way? I’m so serious this is my husband he is so beautiful I do not play about him step on me with those heels etc etc etc

no pressure tags! @iristheplanet16 @lovesflourmorethananything @ficdelusioncore @harddeckstories @erina00

[of-apollo]

HELLOOOO congrats again on 3k!! I am so so happy for you💌

can I please request spin the record with bucky barnes and watermelon sugar by harry styles!! (you know I had to request a harry song lolol)

super excited to see what your event has in store🤗🤗

LOVE your mind! thank you angel || JOIN THE CELEBRATION

The salt air carries the steady rhythm of rolling waves, washing away the lingering noise of the world until it is just the two of you tucked into a quiet stretch of sun-warmed sand.

Bucky leans back against the wooden post of the tide-worn pier, his usual tension completely undone by the lingering afternoon heat and the rare, unbothered peace of the coast.

When he hands you a thick slice of cold, dripping watermelon, his thumb brushing sticky and sweet against your lip, there is a softness in his eyes that feels rarer and more precious than gold. You take a bite, the crisp flavour instantly cutting through the sweltering air, and laugh softly at the way he watches you with that quiet, intoxicating intensity.

He pulls you closer into his side, uncaring of the sand dusting your skin or the sea breeze tangling your hair, pressing a slow, sun-drenched kiss to your temple that tastes faintly of sugar and summer. In these golden, lazy hours, wrapped safely in his arms as the ocean glimmers like liquid glass, everything feels wonderfully, delightfully effortless.

ALL FICS: @ilocuras24 @the-annoying-fan @paankhaleyaaar @dedicateeverythingtomilkshake @cozyvanillacashmere

ALL MCU: @luniimunii27 @decadentreviewnight @lia-pitchiner @goldfishenthusiast67 @prettyflowerlily @mythologicallyversed @bxmaaa @bleb3 @winterreader-nowwriter

ALL MCU MEN: @r6ven @superlegend216 @llovekats @withakindheartx @typicalkhani @norman1967 @serenityrjd @macbaetwo @hellsxbellsx

BUCKY B: @inkievoid @sidkneeeee @1011008 @lovesflourmorethananything @scumbaglowlife @dgwsstuff @angelryex @dreaming-starlet @sapphire882 @mossmydarling @booknerdfangirl @dgwsstuff @thewillowarchive @hazydespair @thegirlwhowaited5everok @hallecarey1 @teenwolfbitches28 @angelryex @hallecarey1 @marvelsbipolarnerd @ibleednavyandorange @thryn-the-destroyer @alexxavicry

[ficdelusioncore]

Tag Game ᯓ★

Thanks for the tag @popecodysgirl 💕

pinterest search "my vibe" and a colour that you like, then select nine pictures that you find to be the most aesthetic.

I loved doing this, especially because purple has been my favorite color since i was a kid 😆

No pressure tags: @starburstbarnes @galaxy-not-far-away @youknowiloveyou-so @p1stach-io

[starburstbarnes]

thank you for tagging me @ficdelusioncore 💜

pinterest search “my vibe” and a color that you like, then select nine pictures that you find to be the most aesthetic :)

(feeling super connected to all of these lol)

no pressure tags! @iristheplanet16 @lovesflourmorethananything @elixirfromthestars @devisedplan @erina00

[pierrotdoesnteat]

positivity train!

if you see this or are tagged in it, tag a couple of your favorite mutuals/blogs and let them know you appreciate seeing them on your dash!

@h0neysugarfree @blueberrylovv @bequiteanddriveeeeeee @cherri-bomb-bomb @eg0mechan1c @fatrexicisback

[normanscupcake]

Thxx, @gingermatchalatte 🫶💕💕

@bubblepeep @strawberrycherrycola @l0ngdog @wintersldier @coconutprincesspassion @xoxycodonex @kwatzaya @fawnzquee @ilegalyungjaws @pinkcottonberry @angeldel-rey

There are so many more moots to this list, just know I love ya all 😭🙏💕🫶

[strawberrycherrycola]

Thank you sm! @normanscupcake 💋💗

@popecodysgirl @sleepingbeautiiies @cuti3-81 @andrewpuppycody @jackabbotsarms @sabrinajamesluvbot @princessofphiladelphia @babystrwberry

There’s more to this list but these blogs come to mind!! 🪽💘

[popecodysgirl]

tysm for the tag @strawberrycherrycola ily mwah 😘🫶

@shoniebalognie @robinavitchslut @ceriseangels @mariasont @whatif-ialreadydid @lostalioth @mast3rbait3r @mahoganybimbo @romantic-insomniac @atlaslapis @mysatnin @lanadelreyylover @baransdollie @neverendingdreamers @tanely @80sfilmclub @lavenderchaise @iheartshawn @wistfulyears @in-ky

i'm probably missing some moots but i love you all so much!!! you're the best 🫶

[mast3rbait3r]

thank you for the tag, baby <3 @popecodysgirl

my loves :3

@whitakersbabymama @in-ky @romantic-insomniac @nightpitt @yuyuch3rry @neverendingdreamers @m4mm4ls @theariespov @baransdollie @mariasont @di1fluvr @honimoon @froggyzworld @dirtygir1 @wistfulyears @grimgasm @groovyangelkisses @sunbonesss

[groovyangelkisses]

thank you for the tag angel, mwah!💋 — @mast3rbait3r

a few cuties that i looveee seeing on my dash—

@romantic-insomniac @in-ky @nightpitt @mochapuppy @ceriseangels @j4ckr4bbits @lovaeir @moodyabbott @lipsliketangerines @dollsonlyhurt @cherrywineisawaltz @sugartalkingwrites @lostalioth @missmanlykink @misspossexxive 😽

[missmanlykink]

awww thanks for the tag <33 — @groovyangelkisses

some of my fav writers and moots 💕 love u guyss:

@mayhemi @s4ngel @str4wbsstuff @deansdeer @j4ckr4bbits @ccandlehead @murdrdocs @hanasnx @midniqhtt @wistfulyears @pittsick @pinksplace @avashifts06 @kill3ill @kryptidfiles @kissophile @dirtygir1

[deansdeer]

aww ty aydellaa <3 smooches

I love seeing yall on my feed

@beausling @inbred-eater @slashedgutz @d3ad-aliv3 @filthgf @honeyroots @scariffs @basicasfusername @bleachedduck @yyvnille @bitemysin @bunnyyrot @bruisedfig

[beausling]

AHHH EHEHEHEHEHE THANK YOUUU SMM MY BELOVEDDDSS @deansdeer & @lostalioth for the tags🫂🫂

some more of my beloveds n fave ppl to see on my feed/in my notifs 😽💟

꩜ meow meows : @abbotsbunnygf @arkhamknightmares @badbish-suki @beecomingnothing @bleachedduck @bluestrd @bruisedfig @catmg @chevroletdean @cosmicbucky @cowboycastles @crystalcider @cryptic-doe @diner-girl @faiszt @floralscented @funkycoloured @g0thamgirl @honeyryewhiskey @honeyroots @inbred-eater @irisgrrl @jasvtsc @jackcody @kill3ill @mystic-writings @notaviolentdog @pittsick @plasticflowersinahistorycemetery @psychsworld @rh1nestcned @rockerbarnes @rottndeer @sacr1ficialang3l @soldiersgirl @thefourhorsies @thesevnthseal @tortureddarkstar @voidsuites @wildwestdean @xoabbot @6milesdeep

nearly maxed out tags cus i’m crazy and just have so much love in my heart i wanted to tag everyone but i had to condense so i’m sorry if i missed anyone also but just know i love you all so bad

also a lot of you i haven’t interacted with in a long time and i feel bad abt that🙁 and some ppl that i tagged haven’t even been active since last year or longer like omg pls come back soon i miss you guys 😣😣

[irisgrrl]

OMG THANK YOU SM BABY I MISS INTERACTING WITH YOU TOO<\3

my most favourite people here🙂‍↕️: @cherryvvave @moviecritc @bloomcissa @cryptic-doe @rh1nestcned @lechelovestoyap @luviery @vianawaits @scissorhvnds @dreamersentity @kamislop @batwngs @sakunai @mystiquevoid @1nsignia @patientofarkhamasylum @arfemiz @froggibus @tinafication @bitemysin @torupng @brinawing @biovomit @evilmanhater @gr0und-zer00 (i'm sorry if i didn't tag someone, but know that you're very dear to me too<3)

i feel like i don't say it enough, but i love you all, and y'all are very very dear to me. here on tumblr i found the community i feel sort of belonging to and with who i have experienced peak girlhood♥️

[torupng]

@irisgrrl and @toruii and @sugurusbeloved @llovelygood thank you for the tags mls i lobe you guys <3

my favorite writers and people on here !! : @1nsignia @bloomcissa @neotoru @vianawaits @mystiquevoid @sakunai @arfemiz @brinawing @batwngs @luviery @kamislop @rengoatku @sugurusbeloved @satoriee @waltzingphantoms @ryomenlettuce @indiewritesxoxo @gyarujo @oncasette @mayhemi @liahcharms @fukiouh @moviecritc @toruii @choivae @chososprettygirl @kireampie @kooriandr @vanillakirstein @honeysucklewatr @infinictus @froggibus @gothamorphosis @rottndeer @pillsatoru @purrtoru @pixelbfs @patientofarkhamasylum @6x-x9 @scissorhvnds @gr0und-zer00 @tokkushin @llovelygood (i most likely missed some but if i follow u i love ur work)

[oncasette]

ahh tysm @torupng + @dontyouworrydaddy !! right back at you :))

some more mutuals/favs!! @mayhemi @aphrahdite @mattsundaes @nashusglasses @froggibus @bradleybeachbabe @cocoaxia @always-just-red @l13 @luviery @kooriandr @kitkatscabinet @gretagerwigsmuse @ghostlyfleur @fluentmoviequoter @dissociativewriter @srenique @sapphireplums @aeyumicore @prettyglad @oldtowrs @ohcaptains @of-apollo @webslingingslasher @caskethrill + some others I'm sure I missed !!

[of-apollo]

thanking you and the lovely @voidreynolds ! sending heaps of love!

@starburstbarnes @aures-nook @keeryspullman @lovesflourmorethananything @thought-you-knew @nomajdetective @r6ven @quickdeathwritessometimes @cozyvanillacashmere @finco99 @jackys-stuff-blog @kryptidfiles @weird-is-life and many others i am sure i missed! you’re all super duper lovely and add so much joy to this silly little app <3

[starburstbarnes]

awww omg ty @of-apollo !! you’re literally one of the sweetest people out there <33

sending love to more wonderful moots, hope you guys have an amazing day/night hehe🫶🫶 @iristheplanet16 @devisedplan @elixirfromthestars @lovesflourmorethananything @ficdelusioncore @harddeckstories

[elixirfromthestars]

Last Sentence Tag Game 𓂃🖊

RULES: post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic/original/anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence

Here's the last sentence I wrote from my wip Forgiving Bullet:

"If you win, I'll leave you alone for good…" he says it like it hurts to get the words out beyond the weight of what they really mean.

While I was looking for an older post on my blog, I found this little tag game and decided to bring it back for a bit of weekend fun 💞 I didn't realize how many words the last sentence I wrote was 💀 so I'll try my best to tag as many moots as I can 😂💖

no pressure tags: @phoenix-in-writing @flowersforbucky @bees-library3 @sunday-bug @goldiwrites @starburstbarnes @jamesbbcrnes @winteryn @kryptidfiles @quietbluetune @marvelstoriesepic @navybrat817 @harddeckstories @vunblr @littlebirdygirlywriting @lives-in-midgard @arcane-vagabond @perdidosbucky-yyo @juniebjonesin @geminiwritten @w1nter-fairy @se7entyrell @chateaubarnes @barnes-babydoll @semper-nox @buckytakethewheel @sheriff-bodecker @buckybarnes82 & anyone else who'd like to play! 🫶🏼

[starburstbarnes]

thank you for the tag @elixirfromthestars !! 💞💞💞

here’s a sneak peek from a luke skywalker x medic!gn!reader fic, currently without a title because I cannot for the life of me decide on one:

“Well, so-rry, Your Worship, but—”

(it’s set during the empire strikes back, so of course this is an exchange between han and leia haha! they may or may not be arguing about exposing luke’s crush…or, that’s one of many things they’re arguing about, at least. they’re so much fun to write for omg)

no pressure tags: @iristheplanet16 @devisedplan @harddeckstories @lovesflourmorethananything @of-apollo

[of-apollo]

as a thank you for reaching 3000 followers, we are going to have a little celebration full of writing and other joys! here are a few notes before you see what’s in store…

this event will run from 23/07 until 30/07! you can send in as much as you like during this period. if any events/prompts are crossed out, it means they’re closed! some are limited, so send requests quickly. if you want, please feel free to further support me through joining my taglists or buying me a coffee!

SUMMER GETAWAYS - VACATION IMAGINES!

send a vacation + a character for a 2000-4000 word imagine:

city-hopping through europe

picnic at a park in london

a sunny break in greece

cruising the mediterranean

road-tripping through the UK

WOULD YOU RATHER - DRABBLES WITH A TWIST!

send two of my prompts + one of these character and i’ll choose which prompt gets a 500-1000 word drabble:

jack abbot

trinity santos

bucky barnes

yelena belova

miguel o’hara

SPIN THE RECORD - SONG-BASED BLURBS!

send in one of my favourite summer songs and a character i write for, and i will write a 100-200 word song-based blurb:

watermelon sugar by harry styles

canyon moon by harry styles

cruel summer by taylor swift

espresso by sabrina carpenter

unwritten by natasha bedingfield

chiquitita by abba

dreams by fleetwood mac

KISS, MARRY, AVOID - MATCH-UPS WITH A TWIST!

send in your fandom, preferred gender, three personality traits, three hobbies, and your love language for one headcanon each for kiss (a character you’d have a summer romance with), marry (a character you’d love for life), and avoid (a character you’d be enemies with) - limited to 19.

TRUTH OR DARE - ASK ME ANYTHING!

what it says on the box! ask me absolutely anything, doesn’t need to be a truth or dare! just anything you’re itching to know about me or my writing :)

CAMPFIRE STORIES - YOUR TURN TO CREATE!

MASTERLIST FOR CAMPFIRE STORIES

choose a prompt from my 1989 or LOVER prompt list and create a summer themed piece for it! some rules:

it doesn’t need to be written pieces! but, if it is, go for whatever length you see fit, and keep it appropriate (no nsfw) so i can share it here! please tag me and tag ‘apollo’s summer sleepover’ so i can find it easily!

to finish off, i’d like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you lovely people who follow me and support me through your amazing comments and reblogs! these past few months have actually been quite tough for me in real life, and having this little blog on the side has helped more than i could have ever imagined!

tagging some mutuals who are the sweetest and who are some of my favourite people on this site! thank you for being the loveliest people to interact with! @starburstbarnes @quickdeathwritessometimes @r6ven @thought-you-knew @aures-nook @lovesflourmorethananything @oncasette @voidreynolds @keeryspullman @lives-in-midgard @nomajdetective @weird-is-life @abbotforbrains <3

[starburstbarnes]

WOWOWOW congrats on 3k my love!! very well deserved🥰☀️

[avastarrwalker]

the concept of the earth's mightiest hero in socks and lurking behind his fam 🥺

[hi-res-tm]

Hey hey- thanks for the tag @lollypopunicorn14 and @prettygirlwyattrussell

rules: shuffle your on repeat playlist and post the first ten songs. then tag ten people!

1. Dark in Here - Mountain Goats

2. Total War - The Comsat Angels

3. Joy - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4. The Lie Becomes the Self - The Murder Capital

5. Two Riders Down - caroline

6. Mid Air - Paul Buchanan

7. How I Wrote Elastic Man - The Fall

8. Endless - Epsen Erikson Trio, Andy Sheppard

9. Sound and Vision - David Bowie

10. It Was Never The Same - The Twilight Sad

Np tagging: @theboardwalkbody @abbottsdarling @iristheplanet16 @lalalunascope @lewmagoo @willowwithin @purpleheartspounding @solarsentry @fandomxo @fairyheart

[iristheplanet16]

Thanks for the tag @hi-res-tm

1 last cigarette- the Band CAMINO

My body- Young the Giants

Why’d you only call me when you’re high- Arctic Monkeys

Intergalactic- beastie boys

Circus- Britney Spears

No.1 party anthem- Arctic Monkeys

Guiding lights- Mumford & sons

Bad idea right- Olivia Rodrigo

Starman- David Bowie

Be an astronaut- Declan McKenna

NP tag: @abbottsdarling @lalalunascope @theboardwalkbody @starburstbarnes @lives-in-midgard @lovesflourmorethananything @jedijesi

[starburstbarnes]

thanks for the tag @iristheplanet16 !! I love music tag games hehehe🤩

1. Boys & Girls — Conan Gray

2. La Raza Del Sol — Journey

3. II MOST WANTED — Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus

4. Naked in Manhattan — Chappell Roan

5. Daydreaming — Paramore

6. Lights — Journey

7. Cry about it! — Kali Uchis, Ravyn Lenae

8. Any Way You Want It — Journey

9. Keep On Runnin’ — Journey

10. People Watching — Conan Gray

np tags: @devisedplan @lovesflourmorethananything @ficdelusioncore @harddeckstories @elixirfromthestars

[starburstbarnes]

sooo how are we feeling about the doomsday trailer😃😃😃😃😃

I’m just concerned how they’re going to fit everything in…also knowing the russos a bunch of people may be sidelined and I’m not ready for anyone to die either!!

on the bright side I loved seeing bob in his little slippers in the corner in that one scene🥺

[justchillandliveyourlife]

Reblog if Loki army still exists

Hey guys,......Is Loki army dead?

[harddeckstories]

Drawn Lines

Summary : Jake goes through your drawing notebook and finds out why you’ve never ever allowed so much as people approaching it.

Pairing : Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Fem!Reader

Important info : Your call sign is Lightning :)⚡️

Disclaimer : English is not my first language so sorry for any grammatical errors that might have escaped my proofreading. I have no knowledge in the US Navy or military so sorry for any inaccuracies in that department. Also I don’t draw and I do not have a single artistic bone in my body so sorry if this seems unrealistic or badly written !💞

Word count : 4.4k

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Mickey…” you warned once, feeling him slowly creep up over your shoulder, trying to peek at the traits your hand was steadily tracing on the blank paper of your journal.

“Oh come on, I’ve already seen your drawings, what, is the process secret defense or something ?” Mickey whined out, sounding as petulant as a child.

Momentarily stopping, you kept your journal close to your chest, hiding its content from his view. He whined, finally deciding to leave you be, choosing instead to go slump on the opposite couch, while making it known just how unfair and mean you were for refusing to get him out of his lethal boredom.

Your morning training flight had ended thirty minutes ago, and Maverick had needed to attend some last minute meeting with Cyclone, leaving you in the briefing room, waiting for his remarks on each of your flying. Everyone had found a way to occupy themselves, except Mickey, who kept bothering everyone, trying to find something that he’d deem amusing enough to focus all his attention on.

He’d already gone to Natasha who had quickly sent him packing, choosing this rare free time to catch up on some paperwork the base’s administrators had been begging her to send for three months.

Bob had been kind enough to propose to share his book with him, but he refused, claiming it was too boring. And you suspected that he had actually found something to do, and that that thing was simply to annoy all of you, who were calmly waiting for the return of your instructor.

His next victim had been you.

You should have guessed it, truly. Peacefully sitting on the couch, tracing lines in your drawing notebook, eyes flicking discreetly every so often to the pool table, where Reuben, Javy and Jake were engaging in a pretty wild game of table football.

“Can I just look at one page, please ?” Mickey tried again, putting on the best puppy dog eyes he could conjure.

“No.”

No one had ever even glanced at your drawing notebook. Even though you’d always carry it around, whipping it out if you had a rare moment of rest during your busy life on base, everyone had learned to respect that boundary, no matter how futile it seemed to some.

“Leave her, Fanboy. She just doesn’t want you to see the naked men she draws in there,” Jake snickered from his spot at the table football.

You simply flipped him off, not even rewarding him with a stare.

Despite your notebook being so firmly guarded, everyone knew you drew beautifully. If they were honest, beautifully wasn’t even cutting it.

While your notebook was strictly off limit, you’d let them see when you’d lazily and mindlessly let your pencil graze the paper of a torn up blank page. They never ceased to be amazed at your ‘talent’, and they’d always let you know whenever they had the chance. Which, it’s not that you hated it, but the word ‘talent’ rubbed you the wrong way. This was no talent, it was years of hard work and practice, none of this had come your way the first time you had grabbed a pencil, and yet, the squad always made you out to be some kind of prodigee.

Everyone knew you drew portraits the best.

The first time it truly hit them was during one particularly boring meeting where Cyclone was just up everyone’s asses and complaining about how none of you ever bothered to do the administration work you were required to do. His scolding wasn’t new, you’d at least get one of these meeting every month, so it wasn’t something you all took too seriously. After a few minutes of sketching you passed off as pretending to take notes, you elbowed Natasha, snickering a bit as you showed her the piece of paper on which you had made Cyclone’s angry face come to life.

But the chuckling you had expected never came. In its place, Natasha’s eyes were wide open, in complete awe of the pencil sketch you had presented her. She quickly, and the more discreetly she could, passed it around the table for everyone to see, pointing to you in pride when the other members of the squad would look, equally as amazed as she was.

Ever since that day, Mickey had begged you to draw a portrait of him. You had always refused, not exactly knowing why, maybe simply for the pleasure of seeing him pout at your constant refusal.

He had been greatly offended when one night you had casually handed Penny a sketch of her you had quicky drawn at the Hard Deck.

“She gives me free drinks,” you had justified, a small smirk pulling at your lips.

“I have your life in my hands every-time we’re in the air, is that not enough for you ?”

One year, for his birthday, you had finally decided to grant him the one thing he kept begging you for. Mickey had literally screamed, yes screamed in sheer excitement when you had handed him the portrait you had drawn of him. It now stood proudly on his bedside table, adorned by a beautiful frame.

You drew beautifully, there was simply no other way to put in.

“Please, Lightning, I’ll do your paperwork for a month if you let me see,” Mickey had resorted to bargaining.

“No.” You said again, firmly camping on your position as the movement of your pencil grazing the page could faintly be heard.

“Good morning aviators.” A booming voice made every single one of you jump out.

And then immediately salute when you realized it was your commanding officer. Mickey nearly toppled over from how fast he stood up.

“Captain Mitchell has some other matter to attend to. I reviewed all of your flight footage so I’ll be the one debriefing you today.”

You swore you audibly heard Reuben swallow next to you.

Your commanding officer wolfishly grinned, a terrifying indicator that this debrief wasn’t really about to go as smoothly as when Maverick was directing it.

“Let’s move to briefing room three, shall we ?” He smiled, seemingly impatient to share his mind about the way you all flew.

Reluctantly, you all followed with a dutifully soldier step, though not without dread.

“You’re gonna get chewed up, man.” Javy whispered to Jake, snickering.

And he did. After absolutely destroying him, Maverick would have at least, discreetly, praised the risky maneuver he had pulled off.

But commanding officer Whitman was nothing like Maverick. After words that were anything but kind about his flying style, he was sent back to the main briefing room, like a child sentenced to think about his behavior.

Jake guessed he had maybe grown too accustomed to Maverick being somehow of an older and just as reckless version of him that he had forgotten that most of the moves he pulled could get anyone not only written up, but grounded, for good.

Jake sat down with a sight, the feeling of having been scolded like a child, something that hadn’t happened since the Naval Academy, sitting heavily on his chest. He groaned when he felt that he had carelessly sat down on something, the futile action only serving to upset him more after what he had endured a few doors down.

But all irritation suddenly vanished when he lifted himself to glare at the object daring to pester his sulking.

He froze.

Lying there, rarely unsupervised, was your drawing notebook, Sitting neatly where you must have dropped it when Commander Whitman had walked in.

The light green cover was a little worn out from you carrying it every where you went. He gently picked it up, took it out from under him so he could sit down again. His fingers hesitantly toyed with one corner, debating on opening it.

Why were you so adamant about no one looking through it anyway ?

While he mainly joked about it, Jake was convinced you were actually drawing naked people in there. What other reason would there be for your constant refusal ? You were talented as hell, wouldn’t you want to share that with everyone ?

Jake spent more time than he’d like to admit just watching you, nose buried in that stupid notebook, sketching away God knows what. The little furrow in your brow when you seemed to draw something just a tiny bit difficult, though he knew without seeing it that it’d look effortless no matter how much of a struggle you seemed to display.

His stare was fixed on the notebook in his hands. There would be no way for you to know he had gone through it if he put it back in the same spot, right ? He would just have a quick, harmless look. Besides, it wasn’t like he would be reading through your diary, it wasn’t anything too imitate.

And besides, he figured that if you did find out, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. You’d scream at him, sure, but again, it wouldn’t be different from any other day, no matter how hard he wished it wasn’t the case.

Still, he found himself still hesitating. Even if you never found out, it was basic respect to honor a boundary you had made abundantly clear throughout the years. But just as he was about to, though not reluctantly, put the precious notebook back down, curiosity with a mix of self deprecation, knowing that at least now you’d have a real reason for disliking him, made him open it.

And—

Well.

To say that it was underwhelming would be a tremendous understatement.

The first page greeted him with the beautiful sight of a Lily. Though, perfectly drawn, it seemed to be taunting him. Was this really what he had defied your prohibition for ?

Why would you even hide this ? Oh, what, did you think the flower was out of proportion ? Embarassed because you hadn’t drawn the petals as accurately as Mother Nature had carefully crafted them ? He had a little chuckle to himself, yeah, that was probably why. You thought your work was shit even thought it looked straight out like a Lily seed had been planted in your pages and you had dutifully took care of it to grow it into the beautiful flower staring back at him right now.

Pages after pages, he was met with objects from your daily life, drinks from the Hard Deck, a sunset at the beach, flowers that grew behind the base... One particular drawing of your F/A-18 that looked like one of the engineer on base had themselves drawn it had him staring a bit longer. And he found himself wondering just how many hours you had put into this, into all of this. How many years did it take for you to master life around you so effortlessly ?

He continued to turn the pages, snatched away by the beauty of your work. Jake was almost halfway through it when he suddenly froze.

A mirror was his first thought.

It felt like looking in a mirror.

His own face was staring back at him on the page, the only difference was the serious air he was harboring on the drawing, a huge contrast to his jaw hanging open at the sight of it.

He didn’t even have that fleeting second of astonishment, of doubt, of ‘oh my god is that me ?’. Because there was no place for doubt. It was, undeniably, him.

After the moment of shock had passed, his heart began to pound in his chest to the point it was almost painful. His eyes flicked to the page right next to it, him again. A small smile stretching his lips and a toothpick in between his teeth.

Jake stayed in what felt like a long time just staring at the perfect pencil drawing of his face. The knowledge that you had been the one to delicately trace every line of his face was spreading a warmth all throughout his body. He felt a flush bloom from his neck all the way to his ears and he laughed slightly, embarrassed by his own reaction.

Jesus, these were only drawings, he tried to reason himself. You drew people often, hell you had even drawn Commander Whitman in various state of fury a dozen of times, though his pounding heart didn’t seem to agree.

Willing himself to move on, he turned the page—

His breath got caught in his lungs.

The next page showed three little sketches of him, all different emotions that somehow covered a good part of the wild range of his personality.

On one he was harboring his usual cocky expression, smirk stretching his lips wide, eyebrows slightly raised in a defying air, and there even was a teasing and arrogant twinkle in his eye that made the drawing seem all the more alive.

The one right next to it showed his profile, head looking down at what he guessed was a pre flight checking list. Expression closed, focused, like every pilot ought to be while checking the plane that would bring them up to fifty thousand feet in the air.

The last of the three little sketches showed his upper half, a cue stick in hand, a genuine smile, staring off into the distance, where normally the Hard Deck pool table would be. But there was no scenery, only him. Happiness and relaxation evident in the way he held himself.

His heart wasn’t exactly beating the way it should, a weird mix of a flutter and a stutter that made his whole chest feel tight.

Jake felt seen.

And seen by your eyes, you, was the greatest honor he could think of.

His eyes widen when he saw the next page. Taking up almost the entire paper, he was drawn down to his midthighs. Swimsuit sitting low on his hips, Adonis belt on full view, abs carefully defined, puffed up chest, a grin illuminating his face and sunglasses to hide his precious green eyes from the sun.

Jesus fucking Christ, you had even gotten the mole on the left side of his hips. His flush only worsened, made him feel like his whole body was on fire. The harsh fabric of his flight suit suddenly feeling like too much on his feverish, sensitive skin.

Jake exhaled shakily. It felt overwhelming, and overwhelming wasn’t even cutting it.

His hands acted on their own as he continued to turn the pages. Each filled with images of him. Because to him, they were images. Not drawings. Images you had wanted to capture, keep a piece of. Stolen moments you had wanted to keep ingrained on paper, had wanted to keep him.

Almost half of your notebook was of him. He got to the last page you had drawn on.

A close up on his face from his neck. The brightest smile illuminating his features, the kind that allowed the creases near his eyes to make an appearance. A glint in his gaze that made him look warm, loving, almost tender like.

Writings at the bottom of the page caught his attention. The date was marked, like all the other drawings, he realized.

He frowned reading it.

The date on that last drawing was marked from the day before… which was a Sunday.

….You hadn’t seen each other on Sunday.

Something short circuited in his brain and in his heart.

Did that mean you were able to draw him by memory alone ? That you had every crease, every hair, every mole, freckle, every line of his face so deeply ingrained in your brain that you were able to render them that faithfully without even looking at him ?

It felt dizzying.

Eyes still transfixed on the drawing, steps coming from the hallway got him out of his trance and without thinking, he shoved the notebook into his flight suit.

“How did it go ?” He tried for casual as the rest of you walked in.

“Listen man, he even gave me shit,” Mickey complained, seeming still offended by what had happened, “I don’t even fly the goddamn plane !”

By the look on all of your faces, Whitman didn’t have anything nice to say to any of you.

Jake felt his heart stutter when his gaze shifted towards you, who were engrossed in a conversation with Natasha, most likely bitching about the debrief. It felt weird, to see you like that, knowing how you carefully sketched him every change you got.

You caught his gaze and frowned.

“What are you looking at, Hangman ?”

He smiled, and he wasn’t exactly sure if it turned out like a smirk or a genuine one.

“Nothing, darlin’.”

You rolled your eyes and Jake could decipher the smallest quirk of your lips, the lightest blush on your cheeks and wondered if it had always been there but just been too blind to see it.

You didn’t say anything about your notebook, didn’t seem to notice it was missing, too distracted by the morning’s event.

That night, Jake went home with the notebook. He didn’t quite have the heart to let go of it yet. Lying wide awake in his bed, with what had become a precious artifact, open, he kept staring at that very last page. Carefully, he’d trace the lines out with his fingers, in adoration of the way you saw him. Touch over every brush of the pencil you had evidently, carefully thought about.

He struggled to find sleep, whenever he would finally turn off the light, it would only take minutes before he’d turn it on again, grab the notebook and flip through it. He felt like his insides were melting every time his eyes raked through the pages.

Knowing he had been your secret muse all this time was setting a new desire alight in his chest, burning as fiery hot as a SuperHornet engine. Jake wanted, almost foolishly, to pose for you. Look into your eyes as you’d trace every single line of his face, body and soul, knowing you wouldn’t even have to stare at him to get him perfectly, down to every detail.

When he finally managed to fall asleep, you visited his every dream, and being haunted had never sounded so delightful.

“Where the fuck is it,” you grumbled under your breath, frantically moving the couch cushions around.

It was only when you were already at home that you noticed the very unusual absence of your drawing notebook. The realisation that you had forgotten it on base was scary. But the realisation you had in this instant, as you had come earlier than usual to look for it, that perhaps you hadn’t simply forgotten but downright lost it, was terrifying. You trusted your squadmates enough to believe that they would respect your boundary even without yourself present to firmly remind them of it, but what if any other people found it ?

God, you’d actually have to transfer base.

“You looking for something ?”

You jumped and grabbed at your chest where your heart had a similar reaction as you turned around.

“Jesus Christ, Seresin ! Don’t sneak up on me like that !”

“If I really wanted to sneak up on you, sweetheart, I can assure you I wouldn’t have announced myself quite this loud.”

Your eyes rolled automatically, a reflex you had taught yourself a long time ago whenever Jake spoke.

“Yeah, right, thank you, you can leave n—“

You stopped dead in your tracks. Eyes fixed on Jake’s right hand and what it was holding.

Jake saw you freeze and suddenly he lost the cocky edge. He cleared his throat.

“I think you forgot this yesterday.” He now held the notebook in both hands in front him, but not quite holding it out for you yet.

You didn’t dare to meet his eyes, because you knew, without even him saying anything, you knew. He had gone through it. Mortification couldn’t even begin to describe the feelings going through you as you stayed there, just staring at your notebook in his hands. Somehow, despite this situation being your worst nightmare, in the back of your mind something told you that in between Jake’s hands, the notebook felt at its right place. The muse holding close to him every piece of art he had inspired.

You knew. And Jake obviously knew you knew.

“You’re very talented.” He finally said, trying to break the silence.

“It’s not talent it’s—“

“Hard work,” he finished with a small, endeared, smile. “I know. And it shows, how hard you work I mean. It’s beautiful.”

You gulped. “What is ?”

“All of it.”

A pitt was forming in your stomach. You hated how he was dancing around it, hated how careful he was around the subject and a small part of you wished he could have just laughed at you, made some cocky remark, at least that way you’d have gotten some reaction out of him. You didn’t truly understand his behavior, did he think he was showing you mercy after going through the most intimate item in your life, one that was practically a pathway into your mind and heart ?

You cleared your throat, knowing you’d have to be the one to address the obvious elephant in the room.

“Are you not gonna ask why I draw you over and over again like a maniac ?” You asked, trying to sound jaded and uninterested despite the beating of your heart.

The smile that stretched his lips was soft.

“I don’t need to.”

Something in you bloomed at the way he looked at you.

Jake finally handed you the notebook, which you took with shaky hands that you struggled to hide.

You both stood in silence for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. Dancing on your feet, you chewed the inside of your cheek. What the fuck were you supposed to say ? This felt like too big of a conversation to have at six in the morning just before the morning flight.

“You—“ you immediately cringed at the way your voice was strained and cleared your throat, “do you wanna take one ?” You offered, eyes looking everywhere but directly at his eyes.

His eyes seemed to widen in barely hidden shock before he schooled himself.

“Of course I do, you know I’d never missed an opportunity to have my own face hanging around my place.”

You chuckled, feeling at ease by the way he lifted off a bit of the emotional tension. You handed him the notebook back, him holding it didn’t look as terrifying now.

“Here, choose and just rip it out.”

You’d thought he’d take some time to think about it, ponder about his decision, but no. Jake opened your notebook with a speed and ease that suggested he knew exactly what he was looking for, and he did, landing at the last page. Jake showed it to you.

“Can I ?”

You nodded, temporally surprised by his overly respectful behavior. He laid the notebook down on the nearby table and began to carefully rip the page.

When he finished, he handed it back to you, keeping the page he had ripped for him.

“Thank you.”

Silence filled the room again. And when you finally dared to lift your gaze and look in his eyes, it almost took your breath away. How gently, how patiently he was looking at you, a small, almost encouraging smile on his lips. You realized that he was waiting for you to talk, allowing you to take that next step and you guessed it was only natural. You were the one drawing his face everywhere in your notebook like a psychopath. He didn’t need to ask, he had said. Didn’t mean that in his heart he wasn’t dying for you to say it out loud.

You took in a big breath, and took a step towards him. A small physical reconciliation that you hoped you’d be able to morph into an emotional one.

“Listen, Seresin, I—“

The sudden boom of the door bursting open made both of you jerk back from each other.

“Damn,” Mickey whistled, “you’re here early.”

The rest of the squad followed close behind him, and most of them were barely able to hide the small, knowing smile pulling at their lips. Mickey seemed to be the only one confused.

“Hey, did we interrupt somethi—“

Bob elbowed him before he could finish his sentence, and he only shot his friend a death glare when he loudly exclaimed his pain and whined about ‘what was that for ?!’.

You hurriedly scurried back to your usual spot on the couch, feeling caught red handed even though you had only been standing in front of one another. Jake, much more relaxed than you, settled down next to Javy on the other couch, across the room and facing you.

You feigned a normal behavior by opening your notebook, about to pretend to draw like your world hadn’t shifted on its axis just a few seconds before.

Right as you opened it, something fell right from between the pages and into your lap. Frowning, you picked it up. It was a folded piece of paper, you carefully opened it and felt your heart stutter in your chest.

On the paper were drawn two very simple stick figures. Though, simple, they were very recognizable. It was you and Jake. The fucker had drawn himself with an eight pack and it tear a quiet laugh from you.

The two stick figures were holding hands and their mouth lines were quirked up in happy smiles. Objectively, it looked bad, primary children level. But it was his. He had drawn that while thinking of you.

Warmth bloomed throughout your body and you looked up, searching Jake’s gaze. You didn’t have to search long because he was already looking at you, awaiting your reaction. Truth be told, you don’t exactly know what you did, perhaps you bit your lip, shyly smiled, or even simply stared at him in astonishment, whatever you did, it seemed to please him.

Jake smiled. And he suddenly looked exactly as you had drawn him on that page that now had found a new place in the front pocket of his flight suit. A sight that would have blinded you had you not learned to love its brightness.

And without thinking, almost on instinct, you picked up your pencil.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Author’s note : omg it felt like such a long time since I’ve written for my babyyyy !! Just some little fluff, hope you like it !💞💞

Also is this projection about me wanting to be any good at any sort of art ? Yes it might. And the title sucks because I couldn’t, for the life of me, find something else.

Alsoooo, I feel like lately my fics have been having very little dialogue and a lot of internal thoughts about feelings and stuff ? Is that annoying to read ? Please be honest guys

Taglist : @football1921 @eroqista @mng0731

[starburstbarnes]

Lying wide awake in his bed, with what had become a precious artifact, open, he kept staring at that very last page. Carefully, he’d trace the lines out with his fingers, in adoration of the way you saw him. Touch over every brush of the pencil you had evidently, carefully thought about.

I’m such a sucker for the soft Jake trope😖you always write it so excellently girl!!!

[starburstbarnes]

finally getting closer to posting my first full-length fic back from my injury recovery (which is still ongoing I fear jdnsjdjd) but honestly it’s nice to be getting back into things little by little :)

that being said at the moment it’s probably either going for bob floyd, bradley bradshaw or jake seresin…who will win🤨⁉️

[biglychee]

Field Exposure

$ log - you’re a war photographer, capturing all the crucial details of the scene and strategies. but your lens keeps landing on sgt. bucky barnes. $ warn --sfw --gn!reader --flustered!bucky --1940s $ wc -w 1k $ cd masterlist / bucky-barnes

The first time, he lets it go.

You're crouched by the jeep with your camera up, and the whole squad's mid-brief.

Steve's got a map spread across the hood with his finger tracing some route through a forest none of you have seen yet. It's a good shot, objectively. Cover-of-Life-Magazine good. Captain America, all jaw and purpose, doing the thing he does.

Except your lens isn't on Steve. It's on Bucky, three feet to the left, not doing anything in particular — just leaning against the tire with his arms crossed, half-listening, the corner of his mouth doing something private.

You take four frames of that leaning figure before you catch yourself and swing the camera two feet to the right. He doesn't say anything. He just looks, for a second, like a man who's been handed a compliment in a language he doesn't speak yet.

The second time, he brings it up sideways.

"You get good ones today?" he asks, later, cleaning his rifle with the kind of focus that means he isn't actually thinking about his rifle.

"Some."

"Of the Captain?"

"Some of those too."

He glances at you like he's doing math. You go back to your film log and don't help him with it.

By the fourth time it stops being subtle, mostly because he starts finding excuses to be near you when you've got the camera out.

He’s leaning over your shoulder under the guise of checking the light, angling himself into whatever frame you're setting up until you have to physically nudge him with your elbow to get him out of it. Which defeats the entire purpose, since half your rolls now have Bucky cropped at the edge of every photo like a stray thumb.

"You're in my shot," you tell him, not for the first time.

"I'm helpin'."

"You're not."

He grins like that's the correct answer.

It's Dum Dum who says it out loud, which is somehow worse than if Bucky had figured it out himself. They're passing your contact sheets around the fire one night, the ones you'd printed back at base and never quite gotten around to filing.

Dum Dum holds one up — Bucky mid-laugh, head tipped back, off to the side of a frame that's supposedly about morale on the front lines — and says, "Sarge, they've got a whole gallery of just you," and cackles like it's the funniest thing that's happened all war.

You don't deny it. There's no version of denying it that doesn't sound worse than the truth.

Bucky goes very still in a particular way.

It’s like his whole body just hit a wall it didn't see coming, and then he laughs it off too loud and changes the subject to something about the rations. You let him, because you can see the exact moment it lands behind his eyes. Plus, you're not cruel enough to make him sit in it in front of everyone.

He waits until the fire's burned down and the rest of the squad's peeled off to sleep or pretend to.

It's just you and him and Dernier's terrible homemade liquor. It’s the same recipe that smells like it could strip paint — Bucky's been sipping like it's punishing him for something.

"So," he says at first simply.

He's got the tin cup turned in his hands, not drinking, just turning it. For a man who talks for a living he's suddenly having real trouble finding the next word.

You wait. You're good at waiting — it's half the job, sitting behind the lens until the actual moment arrives instead of the one you expected.

"The pictures," he tries again, and stops.

You watch something in him short out completely — the cocky tilt of his shoulders trying to hold and failing, colour climbing up his neck in a way no amount of nonchalance is going to cover.

He opens his mouth like he's got a whole speech loaded and what comes out instead is: "Why me?"

You could make him work for it. Some evil, self-preserving part of you wants to. Instead you just shrug, easy, like it costs you nothing, even though it costs you a little.

"There's enough cameras on the Captain."

It should be a joke. It sounds like one going out.

But Bucky's face does something complicated when it lands — like he's trying to file it under bit and it won't fit, like some part of him already knew and hearing it said plain just confirmed the math he'd been too chicken to finish.

He opens his mouth, then sharply closes it.

Pride hits him first, fast, his chin lifting before he can stop it. Of course, look at this handsome face. Then the crash — mouth open, nothing there, hand to the back of his neck. You want pictures of me?

You watch, unhurried, camera loose in your lap because for once you're not interested in capturing this. You just want to see it happen with your own eyes.

"...Oh," he finally says. One syllable, and it costs him visibly more than the whole sentence before it.

Then he grabs Dernier's cup and drains what's left of the moonshine in one go, throat working, eyes watering instantly. Even Steve — six feet away, half-asleep against his own pack — cracks an eye open and goes a quite pale just from the smell of it.

Bucky doesn't say anything else. He sits there coughing, eyes streaming, ears red clean past the collar, looking like a man who just survived something far more dangerous than the front.

You lift the camera and take the picture anyway.

this is how ur sneaky self is looking btw bc of the goddamn flashbulbs

$ tag @twentytomidnight @i-gotta-go-so-much-bigger @froggibus

$ cd masterlist / bucky-barnes

[barnesonfilm]

lowkey going through a topgun phase but the fandom is dead but all i can think about while writing is bradley bradshaw and jake sersein. it’s serious.

[maul-of-shame]

I actually recommend everyone write for a rarepair once because it completely changes your relationship with fandom. Engagement stops being numbers and starts being names. You know who's going to show up. You recognize usernames. Someone disappears for a while and then comes back and you're like “OH MY GOD WELCOME HOME.” It's incredibly wholesome. It is also deeply inconvenient when all six of you simultaneously get writer's block-

[moonlight-in-the-sea]

puppet show — ryland grace x reader

summary: you and grace put on a puppet show for rocky at his request so he is able to understand human culture better. little do you know, the engineer is setting you both up.

tags: a lot, a lot of rocky. he thinks humans are gross and stupid and you and grace should mate already. statement. ryland referred to as "grace".

Waking up to see a sentient alien creature waddling about in a glass looking ball in the Hail Mary is not something you could say you expected when taking on this mission.

Said creature being the most hilarious living organism you have ever encountered in your life was also not on your list of expectations.

Bracing a hand on the ball, you double over, wheezing at him just tearing Grace apart (likely without meaning to, though sometimes he's so intentional with it it cannot be a coincidence) with a clumsily translated string of words.

"Friend sick, question?" Rocky inquires, bracing a claw against where your hand is resting. Then, voice taking over a more urgent tone — how did Grace manage to convey that via code or translation system, you will never know —, another claw tapping to get Grace's attention; "Grace! Grace! Friend leaking! Emergency, statement!" Pressing his head to your side of the xenonite in a hasty attempt at comfort, "Grace! Intervention. Now!"

"They're good, Rock," Grace sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They're laughing because they think you said something funny," Turning to you, he points an accusatory finger at you in such a way that an image of him scolding a rowdy student in a classroom flashes in your mind. "About my "inability" to pilot, by the way!" He even does air quotes to emphasize his point. Cute. "Ouch!" He presses a hand against his chest, then waving it off with a dismissive huff. "So pay no attention to the fact that they sound like they're dying."

"Friend alright, statement." Rocky pulls back from the xenonite as he awaits confirmation.

"Yes."

Visibly relaxing, "Grace so dramatiiiiiic—" Rocky drawls, and you're sure if he had eyes, he would be rolling them. "Grace is bad pilot. It fact. Friend try. See if better than Grace. Rocky thinks so. Grace worse than average."

"Mary! Back me up, please?" Grace looks to the ceiling for any kind of support.

"Dr. Grace has no previous records of pilot training received." Echoes from Mary's speakers, dealing the final blow as Grace purses his lips in a pout.

In Mary's defense, that does contribute to his argument. He can get better if he trains a bit more, but alas. The delivery of the line has comedic timing too good to ignore.

"Oh my God—" you cackle, snorting to catch your breath, "Let him live, both of you!"

"Rocky is no threat to Grace. Grace live. Odd human expression, question?"

Nodding, you manage to choke out a sound resembling yeah, wiping your eyes. As if remembering something, Rocky turns to you, and uh-oh, looks like you're next on the chopping block as the finger-like appendages meet into a point to gesture to you.

"Friend also! Inefficient human design. Leak for everything! Disguuust! Make Rocky worry. Apologize, statement."

Shaking with laughter, you lean against the xenonite, wrapping your arms around it in a hug. It's not like you can be mad at him for worrying about you, even though the things that worry him come with human anatomy itself. "Sorry for being human, buddy."

"Acceptable."

Rocky rolls next to your bunker when you're cleaning up your space a little.

"Friend. Time good, question? Rocky have question."

"Sure, hun. What's up?" you settle down to get comfortable. Rocky usually doesn't have simple questions, especially when seeking you out in private. If you're not the readily available human to ask in the first place, the reason why he seeks you out is to either get a second opinion (or confirm the information previously provided), or that he has not been able to get a satisfactory answer out of Grace.

"What word mean, question?" Rocky echoes, tilting his head, tapping a claw twice on the xenonite floor.

"Oh," This might be the first time you call him that petname, actually. "It's short for "honey", — a sweet subtance for consumption. It can also be used as a term of endearment for people who are close to you."

"Do not consume Rocky. Will not digest." You're still amazed at how well the humour carries on despite the translation device. "Eridian term of endearment not have "sweet" substance for consumption. We have ♫𝅘𝅥 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮♩ ♪___♩. ♪ ♬𝅘𝅥𝅭 𝅘𝅥𝅮 ... But not same word."

"Do you want me to add it as a word?"

"No. Rocky think for more similar word. Question, now. Statement," Rocky tumbles closer, "Rocky observe. Friend no touch Grace. Hand up," he raises a claw, acting as if he's going to touch his another claw, then suddenly puts it down and slumping in place. Putting a show for your dumb little brain, as Grace would say. "Then change mind. Display intention, but no act. Why?"

"That's a loaded question, bud," A long sigh leaves you before you can stop it. Shrugging, you opt for a mild; "I don't want to cross any boundaries, you know?"

"Rocky not know. That why Rocky ask."

Oh, great.

"Boundaries, Rocky knows." Rocky supplies after a brief moment of silence to prompt you into talking, "Grace has explained before. When Rocky first arrive on ship. But you Grace same. Species, same. Mission, same. Same same same. Why boundary, question?"

"... Humans are—" you start.

"Stupid. Statement." Rocky finishes your sentence for you.

"I was going to say complicated, but you know what? You are absolutely right."

Rocky makes a satisfied noise, "Rocky always right." There is a dolphin-like sound you pick up as Rocky shakes up and down, laughing. You think he's being smug about being right until he adds; "Rocky is favourite. No boundary. More hug. Friend love Rocky more than Grace."

"Hey, now—"

"What counts as human mating behaviour, question?"

Unlike Grace, you live to yap with Rocky about the differences in species, perhaps owing to a personal interest in anthropology.

"Ooh, very sudden but flavourful question," grinning, you tap your chin in thought, "Do you mean like, courtship, or behaviour displayed exclusively between mates?"

"Second."

"You first, then. Just to provide an example."

Rocky gives a contemplative hum, one claw fluttering over the turquoise mark along his arm. "Mating mark, here. Rocky have Adrian mark."

"It's beautiful..." your eyes graze over the mark. Even with the sentimental meaning aside, it does look like something precious, like a gem or mother of pearl. "A little similar to that, humans have tattoos. We, uh... force ink under our skin to create patterns we like. But it's more of a personal expression, and not exclusive to mates, even if you get matching tattoos with another."

Rocky thrums, and he's definitely judging. You can tell.

"Otherwise, off the top of my head? Kissing, but... on the lips. That's exclusive to mates, I think. Kissing the cheek or hand for example, are not, and can be a display of affection or even respect, depending on the culture."

"... Matching patterns not sign of mate. Touching mouths is sign of mate." Rocky makes an exaggerated motion with his body, displeased at the mere idea, though before he can comment any further, you jut your hands out in a panic;

"We have wedding bands!" you blurt, pointing at your ring finger, "It's when you — supposedly and arguably — commit to your mate for life. You take a vow, and the collective recognizes you as a pair. Traditionally, you wear matching rings made of precious metal to signify the "unbreakable bond" or something."

"... Are you explaining the concept of marriage to Rocky?" You whip around to see Grace leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and with an amused grin on his face.

"Help," Pleading, you reach out for him, and surprisingly, he takes your hand momentarily as he sits down.

Unnecessary physical contact.

You might, in fact, be so touch starved that you classify the action as flirting before you bury it deep down.

"Rocky no understand. Do puppet show."

Both you and Grace blink.

"For... for what..?" Grace asks, putting the glasses hanging off his chin back on his nose bridge.

"For everything! Rocky study Earth culture. Do puppet show! Grace and friend as puppets for better understanding, statement."

Rocky opens and closes his claws in a very enthuastic display of jazz hands.

".... I can narrate." you offer dumbly, the mere thought of close contact with Grace frying your mind, "We both can, actually. ... Shall we?"

The two of you get up, casting one last awkward glance at each other before holding hands and interlocking fingers.

"Why does this feel like explaining reproductive biology to middleschoolers..." Grace sighs, and you bark out a startled laugh.

"Ryland Grace!" you squeak, putting on your best scandalized form, swiftly delivering a light smack to his bicep, "We're not procreating! Certainly not in front of Rocky!"

"Would procreate if Rocky leave room, question?"

"Don't even, Rocky." Grace raises his pointer finger at him, brows raised as the ultimate warning.

After a getting past the initial awkward phase of trying to talk through scenarios and where to put your hands, you realise both you and Grace have a knack for acting.

It starts off with showing Rocky an initial meeting, mostly consisting of explanation and dialogue. Then come the dates, with a lot more props involved, like a makeshift wheel made out of a large valve as Grace pretends to pick you up from your home. It's like a dam has been broken with how many ideas flood the two of you.

Neither of you comment on how you're essentially acting out on your fantasies.

You act out a fancy dinner date, blundering through explaining why mood lighting in the form of candles is so important. Then, a more causal dinner date, something like a diner; showing classic things like sharing a milkshake with two straws, and somehow it's cute and playful to steal fries off of your lover's plate.

Moving rooms, you start getting more specific.

Acting out beach dates and swimming together, and at some point the conversation derails so bad that Grace ends up having you sit on his shoulders while he sits on his knees, and;

"It's played with two pairs. The one on the bottom is usually the stronger out of the pair, both to be able to carry the other and to have a strong foundation so the other pair can't push you off that easily," He keeps a hand on your thigh as a safety measure while he gestures to his waist with his free hand, "You would be in the sea water waist-deep at the very least, though going higher is usually preferred. And then the ones on top try to topple each other, and the pair who stays standing wins."

"It's a bonding activity for all parties and induces some friendly competition," you add, a hand resting on Grace's head, absentmindedly noting how soft his hair is before you pat the crown of his head to signal you want to get off.

"Display of strength. Rocky understand."

Then come the cinema dates, and Grace, of course, does not miss out on the opportunity to show the classic "pretend-yawn-and-embrace" move, to which Rocky visibly looks confused at, and Grace covers all his bases as he mentions cuddling is much more common in more private viewings, like at home.

"Okay, and then— again, traditionally," Grace shoos you a few steps ahead before tapping your shoulder, sinking to one knee as you turn around, bringing his hands together, then opening it as close to a ninety-degree angle as he can, pretending to open a ring box. "The male gets down on one knee to propose."

"Propose what, question?"

"Marriage, Rock."

"Oooh. Ceremony, question? Knee down also part of propose?"

"Eh," Grace makes a small, non-commital noise, "Pre-ceremony, more like. As for the kneeling, yes, but I'm not sure of the reason."

"I heard it dates back to knights." Avoiding his gaze in favour of looking at Rocky, your hands cup his, "Like, bending the knee to take the chivalric oath, or to swear loyalty to their chosen Lady. Haven't checked my sources, though, so don't quote me on that."

"That... makes so much sense, actually."

"Ceremony over when knee down, question? Proposal just gesture?"

"Oh! No Rock, you actually give a speech," Grace tilts his head like a cat, "Let me think, uhh..." A short sniffle out of reflex, "Something like..." gears in his head turning, he takes a moment before clearing his throat, fixing his posture before looking into your eyes, a hand resting over yours, "I, Ryland Grace—"

No matter how nervous you feel, you must not flex your hand, he will feel it. Pull it together, deep breaths. Deep breaths.

"Promise to love and cherish you for all my days. I promise to be true to you in good times and the bad, in sickness and in health,"

Can he feel your pulse from your wrist? God, you hope not. It feels like your heart is trying to beat itself out of your ribcage.

"Will you marry me?"

Time stops.

Something in his gaze is different. You look for any semblance of humour or pretend, just something to let you know that he is doing this for the sake of the puppet show, and find... none.

"Yes," you manage to breathe out, the sound barely audible.

Grace— Ryland? Even if it was an act, you just proposed, and accepted the proposal respectively — does not take his eyes off yours as he rises, leaning a bit closer, breath mingling with yours, and—

He bypasses your face entirely, opting in for a hug.

"Couples usually kiss after that, since it's a happy event." He presses you closer to him, talking to Rocky over your shoulder.

You don't mourn the fact that you cannot see his face when you can feel his heart beat is just as thunderous against his chest when you're so close you can feel the heat emanating off his skin.

"Touch mouths after everything. Uuugh! Unsanitary. Disguuust!"