Omg hi if you're taking requests can u do one where bucket and reader are like investigating a murder or something and just make them bicker idk I'll read ur grocery list bro you can keep it annoyance to lovers like the "I just want you to stop saying odd shit" bit and then they fall in love
the way i had to cycle through multiple scenarios before landing on this so i could keep it lighthearted
my masterlist over here and my silly little inbox for more requests, should you please
They're trained assassins.
Bob is not.
Yeah he does the dishes, and folds his laundry and rewatches old movies he liked better the first time. But eventually, he realizes he needs something to get him out of bed.
So he starts organizing nights.
Trivia. Gets weirdly competitive, and the tiebreaker is the name of some random model of gun from 1996.
A wine tasting that resulted in seven open bottles, no glasses, and someone using a tactical knife to open a wheel of Brie.
Potlucks, even though they don't know what to do with fifteen packets of Doritos and no real food.
And finally-- murder mystery nights.
Which is objectively deranged, because why are they coming home from their day job to cosplay it at night, but worse.
But it’s Bob. And Bob asks with that quiet, hopeful tone that’s hard to refuse. So they come. They try to stay longer than thirty minutes.
There's a body on the floor, covered in fake blood. None of the metallic smell that usually follows one-- it's something sweet. Suspiciously close to edible.
Bucky arrives late thirty minutes. Ridiculous, considering he lives in the building.
You arrive five minutes after that.
The others have already formed their teams, so he gets paired off with you. He knows why Bob has done this, no one in the tower was particularly subtle about the both of you. To their credit, he doesn't fight it.
The teams have already gotten a headstart, and he doesn't know what to do at a crime scene that he did not cause.
He also knows for a fact that neither of you have read the case file.
"Hmm," you say, kicking at the body with your toe. "Suspicious."
"What?" Bucky asks dryly.
"It appears the victim is...dead."
He stares at you. "That's the fucking game."
"I see," you hum. "As I said. Suspicious. Perhaps the murderer enjoys playing...games."
He closes his eyes. “I forgot how quiet it was when you weren't around.”
“And you hated it.”
“I cleaned the kitchen twice.”
“That’s grief, Bucky.”
He glances at you, expression unreadable. “You think you’re funny.”
“I think I’m observant.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, but doesn't quite lift.
Bucky hands you a sheet of paper. “You’re the maid. You found the body.”
“No. You're the maid. You found the body."
"That's not how this works. This is not a negotiation."
Five minutes later Bucky is the maid. He found the body.
Bucky ignores you trying to lift the thing with one foot.
"Mr. Long was found by his maid, Ms. Bennett, when she came to work," he reads out dryly. "She says to the police, 'Jee''-"
And then he stops.
You raise an eyebrow. "What does she say?"
"I don't know, there's, like fifteen typos on this thing." He squints. "'Jee howdy, well I walked in and he was on the floor, cold as a slice of pie..that was left in the refrigerator'."
"Things that are famously cold." You nod. "Read it again. Put a little drawl into it. Jee howdy."
"No."
“Read it again. Commit.”
“No.” He folds up the paper. "Did you find any clues?"
"None. Where is the chalk?"
"Chalk?"
"I want to outline his body," you tell him.
"That is not a real thing that happens."
"But if we work together, we can live in a world where it does."
You settle for permanent marker. The team was not going to be happy when they see this.
Either way, he doesn't say anything when you hand the cap to him and start drawing around the dummy. He even tells you you missed a spot.
He doesn't mind that he's paired up with you. You'd showed up at midnight and slept through most of the day, so this was really the first time you were speaking since you'd come back.
Yelena and Ava breeze past on the way to the kitchen, clearly more invested. Someone mentions a footprint.
Bucky doesn't even know the murder victim's full name.
"What the fuck are you doing.” Bucky asks, squinting at your latest addition. "What’s this circle?
"I drew a basketball. He looks like he's playing."
He’s about to argue, but something stops him. Maybe it’s the way your finger traces the imaginary arc of the shot. The line of his jaw knows what that feels like. The thought of it makes him swallow just the briefest amount.
He clears his throat. "What is wrong with you."
"Look at his arm. I'm gonna draw him a basket."
"Stop it. We're supposed to be investigating."
"I already investigated. He's straight up dead, man."
''That's not--"
"RIP for real." You nod solemnly. "No chance for a come back."
"Investigate why he's here."
"Well, this is a dummy, Bucky. He's only here 'cause someone left him like this. I think we ought'a find that fool who's left his mannequin out here and give him a real talking to."
He drags a palm down his face. "I don't want to be here. You're making this worse."
"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." You pat his shoulder. "What's this guy's name again?"
"I don't know. Mr Long."
"Mr So-Long." You smile wide. "Because he's dead."
He doesn’t argue. Not really. Not in the way that matters.
Bob asks on the group whether everyone's having fun. Everyone replies with various versions of 'yes'. Bob tells them there are no clues outside, and Alexei and John really have no reason to be grappling down the side of the Avengers Tower.
Eventually, he starts reading the case notes. Eventually, you abandon what you're doing and try to pick up on what's actually going on in the case.
You ignore his need for space, leaning into him to read for yourself.
“Why are you so close?” he mutters.
You don’t move. “I can’t read upside down.”
He reads the same line three times in a row. Can’t retain any of it. His brain is occupied with the way your hands are resting lightly on his wrist.
It's ten minutes to nine. Bucky's been trying to solve this on his own for a while now.
Bob, bless him, has tried to give everyone motives, but they don’t quite make sense. A missing cook. A driver who doesn’t show up until page four. A torn photograph. A coffee stain on the calendar. The date of a car accident circled in red.
You sniff the air. "San Marzano tomatoes."
"I'm pretty sure that's what the blood is made with." He continues reading from the notes. They’re sloppily written. Some of the pages are out of order. The names are inconsistent. The clues are vague.
"No," you say. "This was on purpose. This murder was at the hands of an Italian."
“There are no fuckin' Italians on the suspect list," he lies, knowing fully well he has no idea who the other suspects are, or if there are any.
"Fine. What other tomato-forward cuisines do you know?"
Bucky groans. "Let’s just say it was the maid. She poisoned him. Case closed.
"Well, actually Bucky, it's the driver. He took the fall for the crash a few years ago, got blamed for something that wasn’t really his fault. He drops Mr. Long off, follows him inside, kills him with a car key. The wound is something small. Multiple stabs, more than necessary, so it's definitely personal."
He stares at you.
He wonders if you meant the kiss you gave him before you left. He wonders if it meant anything to you. He’s been wondering that all week.
"Oh hey, you guys got it," Bob says, poking his head into the room. "Nice. I'll go tell the others you won."
"It was all Bucky. All I did was draw a chicken with his fingers."
Bucky shakes his head, but it’s with a softness you’ve seen before. Usually when you come back from a mission in one piece. When you make him laugh by accident. When he forgets, briefly, how much he isn’t supposed to want this.
"One more question, Bob," you say, spinning around. "Where was the driver from?"
“Oh, Ricci? Naples. Italian.”
"I fucking knew it."
here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing!
imagine mending dozens of holes in the skies which spew out demons and shit bc of miscalculations of one guy just for them to be reopened by the same guy 10 years later. inquisitor doesn't have to imagine
unhinged, btw, that bioware has to keep assuring people that the game is still dark and gritty because the cinematic trailer was kind of flashy and the art style has changed. for dragon age. the game that was doing "marvel dialogue" before the mcu even really existed (iron man came out in 08, dao came out in 09). the game with a species of hairless pig rabbits, one of which is named schmooples. the game with swooping is bad. the game where you could solve a sidequest about a pining elf boy by fucking the girl he's pining for. we're really gonna pretend this game series never had a significant amount of silliness and humor? fenris tells varric he likes to dance through the empty rooms in danarius' manor. hawke has an entire personality archetype that can be summed up as "shitposter." we're really going to pretend dragon age (the series where people can walk in on you and bull having kinky sex) is all dark and mature and has never had light or silly moments as a major part of its formula. insane
I've been going through A Time and have chosen to cope by going back to the specific vibes of 2016 to 2018. That happens to include an incredible resurgence in my love for MCU fanfic, the community around it and all the love that goes into them. I've felt a bit distant from here for a while, but I still see so many of my old friends writing, ones who want to get back into it, and a whole lot of new writers I am dying to meet.
I've floated this idea vaguely on my blog and people seem to be interested so I figured it was worth a shot!
So yeah, welcome to Ari's Old School, Nostalgia Jam, Why-The-Hell-Not MCU Fic Writing Challenge 2024!
Prompts, rules and whatnot under the cut:
Requests:
If you could reblog this post to reach someone who might want to participate, I'd really appreciate it! No need to be following me, it's open for anyone.
Reader-inserts, OCs, solo character fics, character x character-- absolutely no limitations
Any and all MCU characters are allowed
Anything above 500 words should have a read-more/keep-reading tab. Series, multi-chapters, one-shots, drabbles, etc etc. The sky's the limit.
Please tag me in your fics (@shurisneakers) so I'm notified of them, and post them with the tag #arisoldschoolwritingchallenge . It may take me a while to get back to you due to the circumstances I find myself in currently, but I absolutely will. Please send me a DM if I haven't responded within 10 days.
Send me an ask with the prompt you would like. Feel free to pick up to 2 prompts
The only thing I request of you: no RPF and no dark fics. Smut is welcome, but non-con/dub-con/incest or anything along those veins is something I'd ask you not to submit for this challenge. Thank you for your understanding!
I know I've called it an MCU fic challenge as it's the community I've grown with, but if you feel like any of these prompts resonates with a character from another fandom, please go ahead and write it. This challenge really is just about the fun of writing fanfic and love for Your Little Guys
No submission cut-off date. Take all the time you need.
Prompts
I've tried to have a mix of classics and uncommon tropes/dynamics, so I hope everyone finds something they connect with!
Relationship Prompts
1. Enemies
2. Friends/childhood friends
3. Coworkers
4. Internet friends
5. Neighbours/roommates
6. Fake dating
7. Commuters
Alternate Universe Prompts
1. Florist AU
2. Showmance AU
3. Social media/streaming/gaming AU
4. Thieves/Heist Group AU
5. Time travel AU
6. Pirates AU
7. College AU
8. Apocalypses/dystopia AU
9. Chef AU
10. Roadtrips AU
Some rarer miscellaneous ones for those who are so inclined!
1. Shipwrecked together on an island
2. Meet Ugly (opposite of Meet Cutes)
3. Both of you are ghosts but don't know the other is
4. Treasure hunters AU
5. Faking death
6. Professional cuddlers AU
7. Time loops/Groundhog Day
8. Orpheus and Eurydice
9. Villain x hero
10. Hitchhiking
11. Carnival of Horrors
12. Robin Hood
13. Matchmakers AU
14. Insomniac x narcoleptic
15. Intergalactic Coffee Shop AU
16. Doomed By The Narrative
17. Enemies to Lovers to Enemies
18. Subversion of Classic Hallmark Movie Tropes
Dialogue prompts
You can tweak them as per requirements, but be sure to keep the underlying message!
Angst
1. "I should have trusted myself. I should have stayed far away from you."
2. "Has it occurred to you that how I feel matters too?"
3. "We failed. I would do it again."
4. "You do not deserve my forgiveness."
5. "You make me feel so alone."
6. "I'm not giving up on us." "I did. You should too."
Crack
1. "Ohhh, you wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid."
2. "I think you and I make the worst choices together." "Yeah, but it's always entertaining."
3. "I trusted you." "Terrible decision, really."
4. "I know I'm smiling but I want to push you off a very big cliff."
5. "I'm hilarious." "You're traumatised."
Fluff
1. "This is the only thing I look forward to everyday."
2. "I think we should do that again. For the sake of the world and my sanity."
3. "You're all I think about."
4. "Don't go anywhere I can't follow."
5. "Don't smile at me like that." "Like what?" "Like that."
Word Prompts:
Flesh
Strawberry
Bruised
Groovy
Jump
Sunflower
Alchemist
Wayward
Offerings
Mischief
I hope you'll join in! Please do tag anyone you think would be interested, I'd love for this to have as wide an audience as possible.
I think one of the most beautiful things about x-reader fanfiction is discovering pieces of the writer sprinkled throughout the fic. Whether it's in their characterization of the canon character or the reader or details about how they like to be touched or loved, or little bits of dialect and personal habits, it's just so endearing. A homage to one of the most basic forms of self expression, and a vulnerable baring of one's soul for others to see. It's so, so special
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