A Universe of Muses

Bucky groggily woke up and smiled at the voice that spoke, it was a soft feminine voice. This was what he did when he was back in his own time with a girl, he was going flash his boyish smile and then tell her to calm down. He was used to waking up with his pants off with a girl, that was when he woke up a little more and realized who was telling him he didnt have pants on.

In that moment Bucky's eyes went as wide as saucers, "KATE! I'M NOT WEARING PANTS!!" he yelled as he tried to jump out of bed, but being tangled up in the sheets impeded his movements and he really more just fell out of bed naked, "KATE, YOURE NOT WEARING ANY PANTS EITHER." he said as he noticed the sheets pulling off of her as well and he noticed she was as naked as he was. This was BAD!

He risked a glance at her, then immediately winced and turned away again, rubbing the back of his neck with his flesh hand. “Okay, uh… yeah. This is… not how I pictured my morning going.” He laughed nervously, a rough sound in his throat. “Don’t worry, Bishop, I’m not… I mean—I didn’t—well, I hope I didn’t—” He cut himself off with another groan. “God, I need coffee before I try to untangle that sentence.” he said shoving the sheet back at her clumsily, he shook his head and muttered, “You keep that. Last thing I need is Yelena showing up and putting me through a wall.” Bucky said shuddering at the thought.

He slumped back against the bed frame, hair a mess, eyes squeezed shut against the light. “So… yeah. Definitely awkward. But, uh… for what it’s worth, I don’t… regret hanging out with you.” He cracked one eye open at her, sheepish smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Just maybe wish we’d had a little less vodka and a little more… memory.” Another groan left him as he dragged the heel of his hand across his forehead. “Tell me you at least remember something, ‘cause right now I’ve got nothin’ but a headache and the fear of God.” Bucky said as he struggled to try and remember what happened last night.

Bucky at first didnt know why he was going out drinking with Kate again, considering how last time went and the aftermath of it, but here he was in her loft drunk as a skunk, "What? Nooooooo, youre drunk and taking off your shirt Kate." he said with a chuckle in his voice as he laughed and was clearly taking off his shirt in her apartment.

"No, silly. That's you."

She observed with a hint of amusement, before she simply stood and admired him for a moment.

"Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

She wondered out loud as she actually fanned herself with her hand for a moment.

"You're not fighting fair, Bucky.."

He took a slow, unsteady step forward when she stepped back, like he couldn’t help himself, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “C’mon… you sayin’ I’m not fightin’ fair?” He chuckled low in his throat, pointing lazily at his own chest. “I literally—literally—took my shirt off because it was hot. How’s that… not fair?” Her attempt at distance only made his grin widen, a drunken boldness lighting him up in a way that was almost boyish.

Still, when he caught the groan in her voice, his smile softened. He stopped closing the space and instead leaned heavily against the wall, crossing his arms. His tone dipped, teasing but warm, with a thread of sincerity breaking through the alcohol haze. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, eyes tracing over her, softer now. “I’ll play fair… if you really want me to.” He let the words hang there, heavy with promise, his smirk returning as he added under his breath: “But somethin’ tells me… you don’t.” he said with a boyish charm to his smirk.

BEING LEFT ❛  wait! you can't just leave me here alone!  ❜ ❛  i don't know how to live in a world where i'm all alone.  ❜ ❛  everyone i've ever loved has either left or died.  ❜ ❛  i'm not yet ready for it to end.  ❜ ❛  will we ever see each other again?  ❜ ❛  please! you promised! you promised you'd never leave.  ❜ ❛  if you leave now, i'll never forgive you.  ❜ ❛  are you really going to leave after everything we've been through?  ❜ ❛  how am i supposed to keep on like before when you're not here anymore?  ❜ ❛  i knew this day would come, but i hoped it wouldn't be today.  ❜ ❛  please don't go. not yet. just stay a little longer ...  ❜ ❛  don't just walk away. say something, anything, before you go.  ❜ ❛  so that's it? you're just ... gone?  ❜ ❛  you can't just walk away like none of this meant anything!  ❜ ❛  why does everyone i love always leave?  ❜ ❛  i should've known better than to think you'd stay.  ❜ ❛  is it really that easy for you to walk away?  ❜ ❛  you said we'd face the world together. now i have to face it alone.  ❜ ❛  if you're going, at least look me in the eyes and say goodbye.  ❜ ❛  i don't have the strength to watch you walk away again.  ❜

LEAVING ❛  i'm sorry, but i cannot stay here any longer.  ❜ ❛  for once, i'm trying to do the right thing.  ❜ ❛  you don't need me here anymore. you've always been stronger on your own.  ❜ ❛  i wish staying was enough. i really do.  ❜ ❛  don't look at me like that. if i don't walk away now, i never will.  ❜ ❛  one day, you'll understand why i have to walk away.  ❜ ❛  i wish i could stay, but this isn't my place anymore.  ❜ ❛  don't wait for me. i don't know when ... if i'll be back.  ❜ ❛  i wish there was another way. but there isn't.  ❜ ❛  this isn't goodbye because i don't care. it's because i do. too much.  ❜ ❛  this goodbye is the hardest thing i've ever had to do.  ❜ ❛  i'm leaving because i love you too much to keep hurting you.  ❜ ❛  i'm sorry i couldn't be what you needed me to be.  ❜ ❛  i have to go find who i am without all this.  ❜ ❛  just because i'm leaving doesn't mean i stopped caring.  ❜ ❛  i'm not running. i'm just done waiting.  ❜ ❛  every step i take away from here is breaking me.  ❜ ❛  i can't keep pretending this place feels like home.  ❜ ❛  the hardest part isn't leaving. it's knowing you'll be here when i'm not.  ❜ ❛  sometimes goodybe is the kindest thing we can say.  ❜

❛  i baked you a cake! okay, i tried to bake a cake. it's a little ... lopsided, but it's made with love.  ❜ ❛  you get one wish. use it wisely.  ❜ ❛  you seriously thought i'd forget your birthday? c'mon, give me some credit.  ❜ ❛  happy birthday! i know you said no gifts, but rules are meant to be broken.  ❜ ❛  close your eyes. no peeking! it's your birthday surprise, and i've been planning this for weeks.  ❜ ❛  every year you get older, and somehow, you still manage to take my breath away.  ❜ ❛  i was going to get you something extravagant, but then i remembered ... i'm already the best gift you could ask for.  ❜ ❛  your birthday is just an excuse to spend the whole day spoiling you.  ❜ ❛  i know it's late, but the stars are out, and i brought cake.  ❜ ❛  i didn't know if you'd want to see me today, but i couldn't stay away. not today.  ❜ ❛  i missed your birthday last year. i won't make that mistake again.  ❜ ❛  you said you didn't want to celebrate, but i figured i'd come by anyway.  ❜ ❛  blow out the candles, even if the wish feels pointless. do it for me.  ❜ ❛  you don't have to smile, i'm just here to sit with you, birthday or not.  ❜ ❛  i know you hate this day now, but i'm not leaving you alone in it.  ❜ ❛  you don't have to pretend everything's okay just because it's your birthday.  ❜ ❛  hey ... i remember. i know you didn't think i would, but i never forgot.  ❜ ❛  how did you even get the candles to spell that?  ❜ ❛  you didn't have to get me anything.  ❜ ❛  if you don't sing happy birthday, i'll assume you hate me.  ❜

[ cake ] our muses share a piece of birthday cake [ balloons ] sender gives receiver a bunch of balloons [ present ] sender gives receiver a birthday present [ surprise ] sender has a birthday surprise for receiver (a party, a gift, whatever) [ singing ] sender sings happy birthday for receiver [ wish ] sender makes receiver blow out their candles and make a wish [ midnight ] sender wakse receiver up at midnight to be the first to with them happy birthday [ crown ] sender puts a pater/plastic crown on receivers head [ hunt ] sender sends receiver on a birthday scavenger hunt [ candles ] sender lights up some candles for receiver [ card ] sender has send receiver a birthday card [ toast ] sender makes a toast to receiver on their birthday [ escape ] sender helps receiver run away from their own birthday party [ throwback ] receiver shares a memory of one of their past birthdays [ alone ] receiver spends their birthday alone by choice until sender shows up [ forgotten ] receiver thinks everyone forgot their birthday until sender arrives [ fight ] sender and receiver get into an argument on receiver's birthday [ hug ] sender gives receiver a long, heartfelt birthday hug [ cake smah ] sender smears frosting on receiver#s face [ photo ] sender gives receiver an old birthday photo

HADES voiced by James Woods

((Hi!! Pick any muse of yours))

Yelena rolled her eyes and turned over for what felt like the billionth time in the large bed the two shared. Yelena didnt know who's idea it was for them to go on a mission together, let alone share a one bedroom safehouse. "Not true, because you are here talking instead of sleeping." Yelena said smartly to her older sister, "Besides, you should be up awake on night shift." Yelena said matter of factly like she was absolved of all responsibility.

She watched Natasha sweat through the work of chopping, “Geez, Nat, you really do like making life harder than it has to be.” Yelena said under her breath before she put on some warm clothes and her boots before heading out to help her sister. Truth was she hated seeing her sister struggle, hated knowing that the cold wasn’t just an inconvenience, it was dangerous. 

She pushed off the wall and headed out into the cold where her sister was, “Here.” She said as she helped Natasha pick up some of the logs she had chopped to gather them, “You dont have to do everything by yourself.” Yelena said starting to gather a bundle in her arms, between the two of them the wood would last them for a while before anyone had to come out and chop more. 

As she entered the house they were held up in she felt the familiar pull, the need to protect, to be there, even when words and tempers got in the way. She knew that Natasha felt it too, even if neither of them would say it outright. A gentle smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth, “Yeah yeah yeah, just dont burn down the place while I sleep.” She said playfully to her sister as she got comfortable again and moved to the bedroom to get some rest. 

So much about the mission had gone sideways on him, so much had happened that wasnt even planned for. So much of what was happening as the storm worsened that made him think this was going to be his last mission. He knew his suit had tracking chips in it, but he wasnt so such if they could detect him through his snowstorm as it raged on. 

As exhaustion and his wounds overtook him, he collapsed into the snow as the world slowly grew dark at the edges of his vision. The only thing he felt at the moment was exhaustion and a dulling pain as cold set in around his body, it in a way reminded him of what he last remember feeling as he crashed into the arctic in the Hydra ship. 

Steve struggled to stay awake, struggled to try and get up to get to safety, but there wasnt much let in him. The last thing he remembered was hearing a distant and familiar voice before he completely succumbed to unconsciousness.  He laid in the snow like another fallen log on the ground, unconscious, still alive but for all intents and purposes just a corpse to be move and manipulated. 

As he slept he felt cold and shivered, then he felt warmth slowly start to envelop him and he was comfortable, he felt safe and cared for in this warm. Still he stayed unconscious and rested and let his body heal at the pace it needed to go to heal him. 

He let out a soft, ragged breath, his body relaxing into her hold. Even though he was sore, even though the storm outside hadn’t let up, he could feel a little bit of himself returning. His hand twitched, brushing lightly over hers on his chest, not wanting to let her go even for a second.

“Anne…” he murmured, voice hoarse, almost apologetic. “Thank you… for… for staying.” His words were slow, careful, because he wasn’t sure he had the strength for more, but he wanted her to hear them. “I… I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He let himself shift slightly, pressing his cheek against her shoulder, drawing some of her warmth in. There was a weight in his chest, a mixture of exhaustion and relief, but also something softer—a trust he rarely allowed himself to feel. “We’ll… we’ll get out of this,” he whispered, almost as much to himself as to her, “together.”

Even with the cold biting outside the tent, Steve could feel the storm inside him easing just a little, carried away by the steady rhythm of Anne’s heartbeat, by the undeniable proof that he wasn’t facing this alone.

She took the toy out of Kate's used pussy and set it aside and laid down next to the sweating brunette, she leaned in and gave Kate a kiss on her forehead. A kiss that was slow and lingering, a kiss that communicated a deep and quiet intimacy between the two lovers.

Even in the chaos of their lives, of battles and missions and everything else, this—this quiet, heated, shared moment—was theirs. And Yelena held it like a treasure, letting Kate feel it too, one lingering touch and whispered breath at a time.

"Right, I did do that."

She agreed with a faint nod of her head. Normally she would object to him calling her kid, but right now she let that slide. To chuckle in response to his question.

"She'll at least try her best to make it so."

She conceded with a hint of amusement. After which she distracted herself by lightly touching his hand. She could tell it took him a while to notice this. Her heart ached for him when he closed his eyes in response to her touch. Another giggle escaped her lips in response to his confession.

"Gee, you think?"

She asked, just to tease him a little. She certainly had his attention now. She couldn't help but blush a little when she noticed his stare. Blinking in surprise in response to his question, she was quick to shake her head.

"Nooo, silly.. I was talking about me. I've kissed both boys AND girls."

Luke had been on Ahch-To for a few weeks now, he had secluded himself, he had failed the galaxy and whats worse he failed his sister and nephew. He was a failure. The hopes of the jedi ever returning to the galaxy was going to die with him here on this island, though some nights he thought it would come sooner than anyone would ever have thought.

It was dark and the most violent storm he had seen yet on the planet, on the island was raging outside of his hut. Inside the hut were spaces around where water was finding its way through the rock and mortar, fortunately the fire that was inside was warming the hut and keeping the space livable through the storm. Luke's thoughts were lingering here and there, wondering through moments in his life and where he was heading when suddenly the door to his hut whipped open.

Luke had thought that the wind caught his door and opened it, he was about to get up to close it when he saw a figure standing in the door closing it. He heard the person speak and it was a voice he had remembered from so many years ago, a voice he never thought he'd hear again. "Ben?" he asked confused as he squinted his eyes as though his eyes were playing a trick on him. This couldnt have been a force ghost, he had shut himself off from the force, and the figure before him was physically there in flesh and blood. "Ben Kenobi? How is this possible? I saw you die, I saw you become part of the force." he said confused not sure if he was really seeing this or if this was a dream.

“How can you say that? Can you see the future? Did you know that my father could come back from the dark side?” Luke asked him honestly wanting to know if the man in front of him had some sort of clairvoyance through the force. “How is what I’m doing different than what you did when you were on Tattooine? Were you cut off from the force and in hiding from the galaxy?” He asked the man pointedly, because he seemed to remember that Old Ben Kenobi was just a ‘crazy old man’. 

At the man’s words Luke looked at him with something of an aggressive look, “What are you going to do, Ben? Drag me out of here by my ear?” He asked the man almost daring him to make a move. 

"Never mind."

She murmured softly, shaking her head a little. Soon a smile returned though when Yelena mentioned wanting to cook for her. She pursed her lips together in amusement as she watched her examine the contents of her fridge.

"Hey now, I eat! Just not always here. I like to go out or get.. Take out.."

At Kate's reply, Yelena gave her a very deadpanned look, that said 'seriously'. "Clearly." Yelena replied dryly. She sighed in resignation, "Come on get your jacket, we're going shopping now." Yelena said as she moved to get her jacket as she thought about what to make for her and Kate tonight.

"I figured as much."