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immaturityofthomasastruc · 9 months

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IOTA Reviews: Adoration

You know, between Sabrina and Zoe, it's hard to tell who gets screwed over more in this episode.

Let's get into the seventeenth episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Adoration

We start off with Zoe talking with Andre about a movie he made when he was younger. Apparently, he made it to declare his love for Audrey. The fact that he thought making a movie to please someone as abusive as her either means Andre is a real idiot, or Audrey is an absolute goddess in bed.

We then cut to school the next day, where Marinette and Zoe are put in charge of organizing it. The two met up at Marinette's room, where Zoe comments on how beautiful it looks... even though she was already there at the end of “Gabriel Agreste”.

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Okay, in all seriousness, this is a minor error compared to the other retcons this show has made, and I can see the writers forgetting that scene since Zoe didn't say anything in it anyway, but this does have a purpose. While thinking about where to hold the dance, Marinette settles on the Eiffel Tower, and asks Zoe if she can talk to Andre about it.

The two go to Zoe's place, and surprise, surprise, Chloe throws a hissy fit about Marinette stepping on one of “her” stairs. Okay, writers, just admit you're running out of ideas for Chloe to antagonize Marinette. Zoe stands up to Chloe, who then goes to Audrey, but she's so apathetic, she doesn't even intervene, so Zoe calls it a win.

Marinette: What happened to the scared Zoe who moved here from New York a few months ago?

Zoe: It's all thanks to you, Marinette. You're the one who helped me change!

Uh... how? Outside of “Sole Crusher” and “Queen Banana”, the two have never really had any meaningful interactions. It's almost like Zoe has had absolutely no development since her introduction last season, and the writers are trying to convince us that they actually gave her character development.

Andre decides to approve holding the school dance under the Eiffel Tower, he tells Marinette and Zoe not to tell Chloe. Chloe overhears this, and gets angry for... some reason. Seriously, what did they even do? All Marinette and Zoe did was ask to hold a dance, Chloe overheard it, and the very next scene, she's talking with Lila and Sabrina about how to get revenge. She doesn't even make it about the dance, she just gets angry Zoe is talking with her father. Again, after five seasons, it really seems like the writers are running out of ways for Chloe to incite conflict, because this is just lazy.

At the Agreste Mansion, Adrien talks to Gabriel about asking Marinette to the dance, but Gabriel forbids him from doing so. Nathalie convinces him to concede, but then he calls Lila. The next scene has Chloe talking with Sabrina about a plan she has.

Chloe: Do you want to be demoted from underling to punching bag? You want to join the baker girl and the half-of-a-sister?

Sabrina: (gasps) No! I'm your friend!

Chloe: (shakes her head) My underling. You are my underling. If you're not willing to do anything for me, then get lost!

This can't seriously be the script the writers stuck with, right? Now Chloe's just saying things you'd hear from a dark lord from an RPG. Granted, it's hard to tell how honest Chloe is since her chewing out Sabrina is revealed to be a plan by Lila, but given how Chloe has been this episode, it's hard to really believe she was exaggerating anything. Either way, Sabrina is upset enough for Monarch to send an Akuma her way, akumatizing her into Vanisher again through a whistle.

Vanisher's design is pretty lazy, even back when it first appeared in Season 1. It's just Sabrina with a purple filter when she isn't using her powers to turn invisible. I guess it kind of makes sense given she's not meant to be flashy, but this just screams “cutting corners”. The Miraculous power shown this time is the Dog Miraculous' Fetch, allowing Vanisher to steal as many things as she wants.

Vanisher comes back into the room, and we actually get a funny joke where Chloe asks Lila if she's a witch, even if a funny joke in this kind of show only gets a reaction along the lines of...

Anyway, Marinette and Zoe plan out the dance some more, where Marinette talks about how hard it is to tell Adrien she loves him, to which Zoe agrees, revealing she has her own crush on someone. As the two talk, Vanisher sneaks in and we get a montage of her tagging things with her whistle. During the montage, Marinette assumes that Zoe has a crush on Adrien, which will be more important towards the end.

Once things with the dance are set up, Vanisher uses Fetch to teleport all the things she touched into Marinette's bag. Chloe accuses Marinette of being a thief, and even though Lila isn't in the rest of the episode, everyone's about as gullible as they normally are in a Lila episode, so they decide to believe Chloe. Mr. Damocles prepares to expel Marinette, but Zoe takes the blame for it, allowing Marinette transform into Ladybug.

Ladybug figures out that Vanisher is behind this because Chloe threw some paper flowers that accidentally fell onto her, so she summons her Lucky Charm, a pinata. While Ladybug fights Vanisher, Adrien gets to a safe place to transform into Cat Noir. Ladybug hands Cat Noir a bottle of some kind of spray-on glue and just as Ladybug breaks the pinata above Vanisher, Cat Noir sprays her with it, covering her in confetti. Ladybug ties up Vanisher while Cat Noir Cataclysms the whistle, freeing the Akuma.

Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma, uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage, Chloe yells at Sabrina for failing, and even though this blows her cover, somehow isn't punished for it, Sabrina gets a useless Magical Charm from Ladybug and because I've already seen the rest of the season, I already know that Sabrina is still going to work with Chloe for some reason.

Anyway, Marinette and Zoe talk about the latter supposedly having feelings for Adrien.

Marinette: I know... you're in love with Adrien. Don't sacrifice your feelings for him because of me. He has the right to hear your declaration.

Zoe: Adrien? But you're the one he loves.

Marinette: Even if he loves me, he'd be flattered to know that you love him too. Let him know how you feel about him. Zoe, you're an amazing person. One can only feel honored to be loved by you.

Zoe: Are you sure?

Marinette: Of course! You can't keep it to yourself! Zoe: But... Adrien’s not the one I’m in love with.

Marinette: Oh? Who is it, then? (Zoe simply looks at Marinette and smiles) Oh... Oh! Oh. I am truly, very honored. I mean it, Zoe.

Zoe: Thanks, Marinette.

Oh my God... I can't believe Zoe has feelings for Alya.

Okay, in all seriousness, let's discuss this scene. While I'm glad that we have confirmation that Zoe has feelings for Marinette, which is a big deal after the show danced around the idea with Juleka and Rose, and the reveal itself is done very well with Zoe and Marinette's facial expressions doing all the work, my problems with this scene stem from a different issue, and it ties back to my earlier point about Zoe.

Zoe as a character has always been criminally underdeveloped. Other than the fact that she's nice and is different from Chloe, very little is done to establish who she is as a person. With every focus episode she gets, the writers just slap on some kind of trait or idea to try and get viewers invested in her. In “Sole Crusher”, she had her vague backstory about being bullied, in “Queen Banana”, she became Vesperia, in “The Kwamis' Choice”, she temporarily replaced Cat Noir as Kitty Noire, and in this episode, we have her feelings for Marinette. None of these are really bad things, but the show just expects us to connect with Zoe for all of these things that happen to her with little buildup or character development. Like I said earlier, the show tries to act like there's been character development with Zoe, but it doesn't work because she's barely gotten to do anything that isn't the writers trying to shove her into the main cast.

As for the reveal that Zoe has feelings for Marinette, it sort of falls flat because again, the two have barely spent any time together since “Sole Crusher” and “Queen Banana”. Yeah, Zoe was present in other episodes like “Gabriel Agreste” and “Crocoduel”, but she was only part of the group and didn't really interact with Marinette on her own. It's hard to really see this reveal as impactful because not only did we not get a lot of hints that Zoe was into girls, but we didn't even get a lot of hints that Zoe had developed feelings for Marinette in the first place. That's not to say this couldn't work. In The Owl House, there weren't any hints that either Luz or Amity were into girls, but the difference there was that their growing feelings for each other became an ongoing story. Here, there's nothing that really comes of Zoe having feelings for Marinette other than so the show can say they have an LGBT character. If there was an episode about Zoe struggling to deal with her unrequited feelings for Marinette, or an episode where she tries to ask another girl out, this could have worked, but nothing really comes from this.

And finally, there's the reason behind this reveal. The episode goes out of its way to establish that Zoe has feelings for Marinette not to really expand on Zoe's character, but rather, to expand on Marinette's. Zoe's coming out story is less of a big reveal about her sexual identity, and more of a cautionary tale about not being able to confess your feelings to someone you care about until it's too late. The reveal that Zoe has feelings for Marinette isn't about Zoe taking a risk that could jeopardize her friendship with Marinette, it's about giving Marinette the confidence she needs to tell Adrien she loves him, and even then, that moment is undercut because the very next scene, Gabriel uses his influence to order Adrien to go home when he's about to kiss Marinette. The episode basically ends with Marinette trying to reassure herself that progress was actually made when we know Gabriel screwed that up.

So basically, THIS EPISODE WAS A GIANT WASTE OF TIME! Oh my God, this was bad, and it's hard to really explain. I'm not really as angry as I was towards episodes like “Kuro Neko”, “Penalteam”, or “Illusion”, but this episode just had so many little things that got to me that all piled up by the end. The attempt to give Zoe character development didn't really work, Gabriel and Chloe had no reason to incite the conflict other than because they felt like it, Lila had no real purpose being here (yet she gets to be in the end card instead of Chloe), the Akuma was underwhelming, Sabrina still hasn't gotten any major character development herself, and the ending just felt like a cheap excuse to keep the story going. This is still one of the worst episodes of the season, but I still think “Derision” and “Illusion” are worse.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... ANDRE (THE OTHER ONE)

While Gabriel came close to getting his third Biggest Idiot Award in a row, I ultimately gave it to Andre because the episode tried to make him out to be a good father even though he's scared of his own child. He made an entire movie to show how much he loved someone as terrible as Audrey, wanted to keep organizing a school dance a secret from Chloe, kept enabling her even when she framed a classmate, and didn't even punish her afterwards when it was obvious she framed Marinette with the help of an Akuma.

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prefect30 · 2 months

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Little Dove

Instead of Lucy Gray, he got her younger, little sister, Rosalie Jade.

Chapter One

"YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!"

And just when he thought that maybe he had a shot, she blew it.

Coriolanus watched Rosalie Jade sing on that stage and for a quick minute, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could turn his luck around. That he could turn her into a star with her singing before he led her to the stage of death cause there is no way that this scrawny, little girl is going to win. But then she had to offend all of Panem with her little ending.

Taking a bow, Rosalie Jade walked off the stage and the screen cut off.

Looking around, realizing he was still standing, he started to quietly laugh along with everyone else who seemed to find her ending amusing.

As he walked out of the Hall to the luncheon, he was given many praises and heard peoples jealous remarks about his tribute.

"She's a real star, that one!"

"You got lucky with her Snow, mine just cried!"

"It's not fair he got the best tribute or at least the best showman."

Maybe he still had a shot with Rosalie Jade.

"Quite the scene she put on back there, huh? It's all anyone seems to be able to talk about."

Shit.

"Yes, it seems so."

Coriolanus never truly understood what Highbottom's problem was with him. He never did anything to him, well other than making the nickname, 'High-as a kite-bottom.' Maybe that's why he got Rosalie Jade, because the nickname got back to him.

"God, look at you, in your to tight shoes and in your fathers old shirt. You walk around like you own the place when I know that the Snow's don't even have a pot to piss in."

Coriolanus attempted to stand tall, but Highbottom knowing this information put him on edge. How Highbottom knew this he didn't now, nor did he like.

Right as he went to respond, Highbottom cut him off swiftly with, "Good luck with that little songbird. God knows you'll need it Snow."

Yep, the nickname definitely had gotten back to him.

"Everything is about winning."

Coriolanus couldn't believe he was still arguing about this with Tigris. Yes, he knew that they both saw things differently, but this was just getting annoying now.

"Think about what that little girl is going through right now Coryo. She just got ripped from her home to be forced to fight for her life. Imagine that was you, Coryo."

Always the pacifist, Tigris.

God, this type of naïve thinking is going to get her killed one day.

"I wouldn't do a lick of anything for you if I didn't trust you."

Trust?

"And how would I get her to trust me Tigris? She's District, she knows we hate her and her us."

"Do not out her aside just because she is District. She is still a person. A child. Maybe you could bring her something. Just let her know you care, that your on her side."

Now she's starting to sound like that District mutt, Sejanus. How he hates him with his stupid thinking that Capitol and District are equal, cause they're not. That's why Distirct children play in the games, not Capitol.

However, maybe Tigris is on to something. If he can get Rosalie Jade to trust him, then it will be easier to mold her into the perfect spectacle he needs to win that damned Plinth Prize. Besides, with her being the youngest tribute, that should earn her him some sympathy from the Capitol. It will be easier to manipulate her too with her being 12.

Yes, Coriolanus knows exactly what to do now.

"Thank you Tigris. I know what I need to do."

Thank you Tigris indeed.

Where is this damn train?

Coriolanus has been waiting for at least two hours now for the train carrying all the tributes to arrive. He had made a plan to gain Rosalie Jade's trust just like Tigris said. He decided to bring her one of Grandma'am's pristine, white rose's since he had nothing better to give her.

Now that plan seemed plain idiotic. He had been waiting for hours in the blistering July heat for a train that seems will never come. Peacekeepers had given him strange looks as to why he was there. The rose had even started to wilt a bit from the heat and him toying with it as he waited.

This plan was so fucking stupid.

Figuring that this stupid train was never coming, Coriolanus turned around and started to leave just as he heard a train whistle.

Finally.

As he waited for the Peacekeepers to get the tributes out, he started to feel antsy. This was his first time that he was actually going to meet his tribute. The person who could make or break his future. His life.

But as he waited, no Peacekeepers made any effort to get the tributes out. Now what was the hold up? All he wanted was to see his tribute for the first time in person.

Finally, after another twenty minutes of waiting, a Peacekeeper went to talk the conductor of the train and got the keys to open the train cage.

As Coriolanus watched the Pecaekeeper take his time finding the right key to open it up, he realized that the train had no windows. It had to be a cargo train. They put them in a fucking cargo train.

Once the Peacekeeper finally found the right key and unlocked the train, he started to yell for them to get out.

"Come on! Get out, the lot of you!"

As Coriolanus watched the first tribute come into the light, he saw that there was at least a five foot drop from the train to the platform and each tribute were wearing hand cuffs.

He watched as each struggled to get out of the train and Peacekeepers starting to get impatient and pull most down.

The boy from 11 though, had no problem getting down with his tall and muscular build.

Lucky Clemensia.

As he waited for his tribute to get out, one of the other tributes refused to get out.

"Get out now! Don't make us come in to get you!"

The tribute continued to refuse to get out, causing a Peacekeepe to come in and get her, throwing her down onto the platform. Coriolanus cringed as she screamed, knowing that she had to have broken a tooth. The same Peacekeeper came back out and kicked her, yelling at her to get up.

Now that the train was empty, he still didn't see his tribute until he realized that there was a second cargo train.

As he watched the tributes pile out again, he saw a flash of color. In fact many colors.

There you are.

With his hands in her waist, the cuffs giving the tributes at least some space to work with, her District partner helped her down off the train, making sure she didn't get hurt on the way down.

Why is he touching her waist?

Rosalie Jade seemed to float as she was lifted by her partner, and when she reached the ground, she squeezed his shoulders as a thank you and he let go of her.

Good.

Coriolanus waited a minute more before going over. He wanted to see how she would react to this new environment.

He watched as she dusted her dress off and ran her fingers through her golden waves, trying to tame them.

Interesting.

She seemed to be more worried about how she looked. But not in the way Coriolanus would see most of the Capitol girls do. They would do it out of vain, wanting to make sure they were always the most beautiful in the room. But with Rosalie Jade, it seemed that she just wanted to make sure she looked presentable.

As she turned around to look at her surroundings, she locked eyes with Coriolanus. She looked him up and down with a look of curiosity and confusion.

Well, curiosity killed the cat.

Deciding that now was the best time to go over, Coriolanus started to walk towards her. As he got closer, he smelled something horrid. Then Coriolanus realized that it wasn't cargo train that they all were in. No. They were in livestock shipping containers.

She started to back away a little bit when she realized that he was coming towards her and grabbed onto her partners hand.

Why is she holding his hand?

Shaking off the his thought, he presented her with the rose once he got to her.

"Welcome to the Capitol."

Her partner stepped in front of Rosalie Jade as if to...protect her?

Protect her from what? Me? I'm trying to help her.

Just when he went to say something to her incompetent partner, Rosalie Jade squeezed his hand.

"It's ok Jessup."

Yeah Jessup, it's ok.

Letting go of, the now learned name, Jessup's hand, she cautiously stepped forward and looked at the rose then Coriolanus.

Then she said the most bizarre shit Coriolanus had ever heard.

"Roses are beautiful." Rosalie Jade said getting closer to Coriolanus now realizing that he's not a threat. Then, out of nowhere, she put the tip of her index finger on the tip of one of the thorns, pricking her finger and causing a little drop of blood to form on her small finger.

"Until they're not." She said as she plucked a petal from the rose, getting her bright, red blood on pure rose. Then, she let it drop.

"You look like you're not supposed to be here."

What the fuck.

Still in shock from what she said and did, he didn't even realize that she took another rose petal and started to eat it

She really is mental.

He needed to get it together. He could judge her and her antics later.

"I'm not, but I'm your mentor. Coriolanus Snow."

Smiling teasingly, Rosalie Jade looked back at Jessup, "Ah, a rebel."

Jessup smiled at this while Coriolanus stood appalled. Coriolanus Snow was many things, but a rebel was not one of them. He knows she must mean it as a good thing, coing from 12 of course, but he still can't help but feel a little annoyed at her teasing.

"And what does my mentor do besides bring me roses?"

"I do my best to take care of you."

Just as Coriolanus said that, the same girl tribute from earlier screamed after being hit by a Peacekeeper for not getting into a truck.

Where are they going to take them Rosalie Jade?

"Well good luck with that, Capitol Boy." She said as she took the rose from his hand.

And with that, two Peacekkeper came over and started to push for Jessup and Rosalie Jade to get into the truck.

That girl tribute was starting to get onto his nerves. He was actually getting Rosalie Jade to talk with him and that girl just had to go and ruin it.

He watched as they dragged them both away onto the truck. He needed to get her to trust him, and with the way their conversation ended, well he might not have even bothered to come to the train station.

Coriolanus looked down at the rose petal she dropped on the ground. It now had a bloody spot on it. No longer pure. He quickly picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket.

Coriolanus walked up to one of the Peacekeepers to see if he could get into the truck with the other tributes. He did not spend two hours waiting in the heat and having a bizarre conversation with a mental 12 year old to not gain something from it.

"Excuse me. But is there anyway I could go in the truck with them, please?"

"What? You want to go in there with them? Yeah, no. Sorry kid but they're dangerous."

As he looked back into the container, he locked eyes with Rosalie Jade again and she looked at him like she didn't understand what was going on at all. Cute.

No. He had to get in there. This was his only chance to earn her trust.

"Sir, I'm actually a student at the academy and my tribute is there. She's the youngest, and well, to be quite frank, I don't want anything happening to her while she's in there with all the other tributes. All of them have some sort of advantage over her. I just want to help her."

Well, there was some truth in there.

The Peacekeeper, getting annoyed with all of his talking said, "Yeah, fine. Whatever kid, but if you get hurt or killed, it's your fault."

"Thank you." Coriolanus quickly ran up to the container and jumped in.

Holy shit.

If he thought that it smelled bad when he was talking to Rosalie Jade, well this was much worse. With all of the tribute being smushed together in the small truck, it was if he really was in a barn.

As he looked around, he saw Rosalie Jade looking down at his rose in her lap all while the other tributes were looking at him.

This was a bad idea.

"You in the wrong cage, Capitol Boy?" He recognized the voice as the boy from 11, Clememsia's.

It sounded better coming out of Rosalie Jade's mouth.

"No. This cage is delightful."

The boy scoffed and quickly ran up to Coriolanus and pinned him up against the truck wall.

"I could kill you right now."

Yep, this was a very bad idea.

"He'll do it. He killed two Peacekeepers back home, no one even knew it was him."

"Shut up, Dill."

Sunddenly, a chorus of voices started agreeing with the boy from 11. Started agreeing to killing him.

"Do it Reaper!"

"I'll help!"

"We've got nothing to lose."

How was he going to defend himself? He could use the rose on his lapel. Rosalie Jade showed him that it could hurt someone. But Coriolanus couldn't take on 23 tributes animals with a rose thorn.

"You got family back home?"

What?

"You hurt him, they hurt them. Then you. You damage a single hair on his pretty little head, they get yours."

She's helping me. Defending me. Well, maybe I did get her trust. Maybe this was a good idea.

Looking up at Coriolanus, smriking Rosaile Jade said, " 'Sides, he's my mentor. Might need em'."

"Why does Rainbow Girl get a mendor?"

"Mentor. You all get one."

Getting up close into Rosalie Jade's face, the girl said, "Why didn't ours come then, huh? How come you get special treatment?"

Rosaile Jade smiled, "Just not inspired I guess."

Coriolanus smirked at Rosaile Jade's remark and before the girl had a chance to retaliate, the truck abruptly stopped and the back opened.

Suddenly, the truck started to tip forward, and everyone started to fall. Coriolanus held onto a divet in the truck wall and grabbed onto Rosaile Jade's hand, trying to stop her from falling as well.

His grip started to give and both of them fell. The fall down was painful. They had to have been rolling down on rocks and they landed on a pile of hard grass.

Coriolanus looked over at Rosaile Jade and saw that she tucked herself into a ball on the way down. Her hands were around her head, trying to protect herself from the fall.

Slowly, he looked around.

Wait. This place looks familiar. Why does this place look familiar?

Then he remembered.

He was in the Capitol Zoo.

He was in a monkey cage.

Yep. This was definitely a bad idea.

Next Chapter

#coriolanus x reader #dark!coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #yandere coriolanus snow #coriolanus x y/n #coriolanus snow fanfiction

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novasdarling · 2 years

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Hello! Can I request something for yan Uvogin? I absolutely love how you write for him. I was thinking something like he gets too rough during sex (whether the sex itself was a punishment or just regular sex is up to you!) and he ends up hurting his darling? (For example he breaks a bone or ends up choking them out)

He would, he really would. Just break something of yours when he's angry or super into it and be like "oh shit... well anyway"

TW: Kidnapping Implied, Noncon, Broken Limbs, Blood Mentioned, Death Mentioned and Sorta Depicted, Crying, Yandere

Begging Won't Help

It was foolish to think you could have gotten away from him. That you actually had a shot at getting far enough that he wouldn’t have found you. Though, on the other end, you would also been an idiot to pass up on this chance, to just not run when you had a clear path. Had someone willing to offer. A kind citizen who just wanted to help, who pitied the poor battered and bruised you left alone in this abandoned building. It was their own kindness that landed them in Uvogin’s hands. They had prompted you up, holding you so you could walk, most of your energy going. Helping you get out faster than you could have on your own. Things had been going so well, how were you to know he would be back so soon? You could have sworn he only left a day ago. That should have given you more time, yet, here he was. Peering down at the both of you. The man holding you up, with his hand under your arm, by your chest and yours over his shoulder. You knew how it looked to him. It wouldn’t just be running away from him, no he would see it as also cheating. Getting help from another man, he would over react and see it as more. The look in his eye told you, you were right.

He was fast, throwing you to the side so he could focus on the man. Uvogin grabbed him, crushing his arm that was previously on you. Squeezing tighter and tighter until you heard that familiar crunch of bones breaking within seconds. The man screamed, but it was cut short when Uvogin threw him against the wall. You assumed he was dead when he went silent. Even if he wasn’t, he’d be dead shortly. Uvogin never let people live. In his eyes, they didn’t deserve to live. No one who couldn’t fight him adequately should get any mercy, but you and even that was subjected to appeal.

The man was left there, blood pooling from his mouth and nose. Cuts littered his body adding to the puddle of blood he was now laying in. A scene you had seen from him before when he decided to let you come with him for work. Scenes worse than this, ones that still haunted you.

Uvogin’s attention was now on you. A burning fire behind them, fueled by anger. This was the worst you had ever screwed up, worse than any other attempts you made to get away. At least those times he took it as a game of cat and mouse. A hunt he greatly enjoyed. This time, it was different. You weren't alone, you weren’t out there waiting to be caught by him. You had someone helping you. It didn’t matter you didn’t know him, that he just so happened to find you here. All Uvogin saw was red. His hands were now on you, grabbing and dragging you out of the room. Back further into the building, back to the room he kept you in. Seemingly uncaring when your feet couldn’t keep up, letting you fall multiple times until he finally picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. Carrying on with his walk. All there was to do was fall limp in his arms as you watched the room where the man’s body was still laying leave your vision. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no way to get out of his grip. Once Uvogin had his hands on you, there was no easy way to get out. All you could do was cry, beg for mercy, and ask for forgiveness.

You were thrown on the bed, Uvogin not bothering to let you down gently. Clearly not caring about your safety or feelings. Forgetting you were still recovering from the last time he lost his temper. You knew how he could be, blinded by rage and a need to attack. There was no way you were getting out of this, his eyes were staring down at you. Holding an emotion that you were all too familiar with. The only choice was to submit and tell him how sorry you were. Before he could speak, yell at you for running away again, for seeking help from another, a man. You began to cry, telling him how sorry you were, that he was some random guy. He offered you help and you should have said no. Get your story out so his mind didn't have time to wander. Didn't have time to create a fake narrative in his head, but as he spoke. You realized you were too late. He was far too gone.

“You’re telling me some man just happened to stroll by? Just happened to offer you help?”

As unbelievable as it was, it was true. You had no idea who that man had been. Or even how he got here. The building was falling apart, some old factory that had been abandoned for probably over a century. Buried deep in some forest, according to Uvogin it wasn’t on any map. It was on the outskirts of some town that had been long and forgotten. It made no sense why he was here, this logic would harm your excuses.

“How fucking dumb do you think I am? What was he? Your past boyfriend? Huh, were you going to run off with him?”

Uvogin was now on you, holding you down to the bed while he yelled in your face. There was no logic in what he was saying, you knew that. Even if you did know that man, how were you able to communicate? Logic that escaped him in his state. Another thing you'd have to pay for.

You continued to cry. Worrying about what he had planned. You never got off without punishments, when you were lucky it was just him making you beg. Pray for forgiveness, kiss his feet, anything to make you look like a pathetic little creature appealing to a god for mercy. But most of the time, you weren't so fortunate. He tended to favour a harsher way of teaching a lesson. One where it involved spreading your legs to him. As his eyes began to wander your body, it was obvious he was leaning towards his favoured method.

“I think” One of his hands wandered down to your legs, caressing your thigh before pushing your legs apart. “I know a way to make me feel a bit better though.”

Your legs were spread, allowing him to settle in between them. Making himself comfortable. His grip stayed on your thighs, making sure you didn’t attempt to close them or fight when he began to remove your clothes. The last bit of resistance you had was to shut your eyes. Block out the sight of him as he continued to remove any barriers between the two of you. Trying to ignore the feeling of his hands stroking your bare skin. After a while you could, you were able to pretend his touches were from a lover trying something new and not from the monster who took you. His hands were down stripping you, deciding to push your legs up, placing them over his shoulders. A position he favoured when he wanted you to feel everything, when he desired to get as deep as possible. You pictured him as your old celebrity crush, pretending he was the one you could feel against your entrance. That it was him naked between your legs, not Uvogin.

“Hey! Open your eyes.” His grip was getting firmer on your thighs. Both hands now squeezed them as he kept them in place. “Look at me.”

Wavering your options, determining it was best to listen to him. To not dig yourself into a deeper hole. You looked at him, trying to ignore how he gazed at you. As if you were no more than something of his, his toy to do with however he pleased. You had no power against him, you both knew that. You couldn’t even close your eyes and escape that way from him now. He wouldn’t allow it. He needed you to look at him, watch as he punished you.

“Were you thinking of him? Thinking of him saving you, of him fucking you?”

He squeezed tighter and tighter on your thighs, making you squirm and thrash against him. It was getting worse, his grip was getting worse, and he wasn’t letting go. He had riled himself up with the idea of that man, of what he thought was true. Delusions were taking over, becoming true to him. Believing his own thoughts no matter how ludicrous they sounded. You couldn’t get through to him, Uvogin was glaring at you as he squeezed. Eyes not leaving yours. Ignoring how you cried, begging him to stop. It wasn't until he heard the sound of one of your thigh bones being crushed that he looked away. Letting his grip on your other leg loosen as he stared at the broken leg. Ignoring your cries as he examined your leg. Seeing how bad it was. You cried for him to stop, to just let you be. To not touch you, but he wasn't listening. Uvogin slowly lowered your leg as he moved. Placing it straight as can be next to your other leg. As gentle as he was attempting to be, the pain was still agonizing. Worse than when he snapped your ankle or arm.

"Shit"

It wasn't what he had planned, sure he wanted to break something of yours, but he knew he was going away in a week and leaving you unable to move properly wasn't a good idea. You were barely recovered from when he sprained your ankle a month ago. All he wanted to do was fuck you over and over again. Possibly even show you the dead body again and gloat until you were in tears and trying to hide your face in his cheat. This wasn't what he wanted, your broken leg meant work for him. It meant he had to be more careful when he played with you. Something he hated and clearly wasn't good with. As Uvogin went off to get something to help set the wound, leaving you on the beg crying and caressing your leg. All he could think about was how annoying this was going to be.

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last-herondale · 9 months

Text

Bewitching Hour

Bucky Barnes x FemReader

Warnings: cursing, alcohol use, mentions of blood, spicy 🌶️ topics 👀

Hurt/comfort, fluff, mentions of +18 stuff if ya know what I mean 😏

It’s weeks after your rescue mission and luckily Bucky is on the mend. Unfortunately, your actions on the field have you wrapped up in the biggest trial of your life. While the rest of the team votes on your future, you decide to hit up a bar and drink away your problems.

A/N: Someone suggested on my previous Bucky fic to write another piece on this storyline and i had some stroke of writers inspiration, which is very rare to come by nowadays 😩 So onwards with the y/n reader who has shadow powers and a super soldier for a boyfriend! 🫡

So this is part 2 of what I’m calling the Midnight Series. I will update my master list and link here.

Enjoy 🤘🏼

Clubs were not your scene. At first you tried a small run down bar you found in Hell’s Kitchen and that was packed on a Friday night with people from all walks of life. You had a few beers, but decided you needed somewhere different. Somewhere no one would notice you in a sea of people. Where you could drink your feelings away on what would probably be your last night of freedom.

You found a popular club not too far from the bar. The air was thick with the hot air emanating from the crowd as they danced to a booming beat. You sat at the far end of the bar, downing your 5th shot of vodka. The drink was horse piss compared to the stuff Stark stocked at the compound, but it would do for tonight.

“Another round miss?” The bartender asked, making her way down the bar as people clambered to get their drink. Her tank top was low cut, showing off her commodities that probably earned her extra tips on busy nights like these. “A double this time,” you respond, sliding over a few bills. The bartender didn’t bat an eye as she poured your drink and immediately moved on to the next customer.

Your hand shook a bit as you went to grab the glass. I should definitely stop. You thought. You had went out in the dance floor earlier, feeling the need to do something—anything to take your mind off your situation. Dancing had been a sort of release, letting your body move to the beat, letting yourself meld into the crowd like anyone else. Now you were flushed, sweating, and in your eyes—not drunk enough. I should stop. I will… after this…

Just as your fingertips touched the glass, a familiar gloved hand beat you to it and pulled the glass out of your reach. You looked up with blazing anger, your eyes turning dark at your thief. You had already been hit on by four guys, each one reeking of alcohol as the night progressed. You were one drunk idiot away from losing your shit. You felt a slight stream of smoke begin to encircle your closed fist until you recognized the man in front of you.

Immediately your eyes softened as they settled on Bucky’s concerned face. He still had harsh bruises scattered on his skin, most of them a pale yellow as they neared healing completely. He wore a dark baseball cap and a pair of phony glasses in order to blend in. While you were one of the few avengers that no one recognized, Bucky did not have the same luxury. The sight of him made your chest tighten. He was so beautiful it hurt to look at him sometimes, especially when he looked at you like this…

“Hey Buck,” you said softly, averting your eyes from him. You figured he would find you sooner or later. You left your phone at the compound when you left. It was a dangerous game to play, especially since you weren’t supposed to leave the compound in the first place. But you needed an escape, and telling Bucky would have complicated things. You wondered how many times he had called, wondering where you were in a panicked state.

“Hey Doll,” he replied with equal tenderness. He leaned onto the bar, fiddling with the shot glass in his hand, being careful to not spill its contents.

“You’ve been hard to find today.” The music around you boomed and his voice barely cut through the noise. You had to strain yourself to hear him, especially being inebriated, but you knew he would hear you just fine.

You shrugged. “I didn’t really feel like being around when the hammer dropped, ya know? If they decide to arrest me…” you willed yourself to look at the man you loved.

You were on the borderline of being drunk, and your vision danced a bit as you looked at him. He gave you a soft look, his eyes seemed to shimmer in the lights of the bar. “I didn’t want to make it easy for them.”

“They aren’t going to arrest you,” Bucky insisted. “Steve wouldn’t-“

“Of course he fucking would!” You yelled. Bucky did not react to your outburst, which made the anger in your core flicker even more.

“Fuck Steve! He’s the one that called this meeting in the first place. He wants to see me punished—I know he does. I mean come on Buck, I broke protocol, I defied his orders— I killed… so many people…” your memories flashed to that day.

The mission was the most important thing to you ever. You looked at Bucky again, and used one hand to remove the glasses from his face. He let you remove them and cup his cheek as you ran a gentle thumb over one of his fading bruises.

“I would do it all again. Every single fucking thing. I don’t care if they hate me for it—”

Bucky placed his hand over yours. You stood there a moment in silence as the rest of the bar roared around you. He always made it feel as if nothing in the world mattered but the two of you. As if the rest of the world sipped away into the background. You smiled at him, wondering how you could have ever been so lucky as to live a man like him. You stood from your chair, wobbling a bit as you regained your balance.

“I wanna dance,” you said, taking hold of his hand, “If it’s my last night of freedom, I want to have fun.” You tried to pull him with you to the dance floor but he didn’t budge. He just looked at you with a steady look.

“Y/n, let me take you home,” Bucky said. You frowned and let go of his hand. You began to back away from him and slip further into the group of dancing people. He called out for you again, but you had already lost yourself in the sea of people.

The music seemed to fill your senses. You danced and moved your body freely, wanting nothing more than to be taken by the moment. You let your hair down, spinning and feeling free in your drunken state. You felt Bucky’s hand on your shoulder and you turned around, wrapping your arms around his neck. People danced around you as you looked into Bucky’s eyes. He still had a look of concern, but there was something else in his eyes. A spark of something deeper— something wild.

“Dance with me James,” you whisper in his ear, biting at his neck as you pull him closer. He could smell the liquor on your breath and he sighed.

“You know you want to,” you teased. You slid your hands from his neck down to his chest, feeling the fabric of his shirt as you swayed to the beat. He couldn’t help but smirk at you, moving his hands ever so slowly to your waist.

You smiled brilliantly at this, and he pulled you in closer, his fingers gripping your hips as he stayed there inches away from your face. He was teasing you with his mouth, his lips parted over so slightly in a grin. You wanted to fuck him right there on the dance floor. You inched a bit closer and could smell the hint of vodka on his breath. Your eyes lit up.

Got ‘em.

The two of you danced together, a series of movements that pushed and pulled the two of you part like magnets. Everything else blurred away, and all you felt was the freedom and love and heat from Bucky. The way he looked at you, eyes blown wide when you moved against him, how he touched you in public, gentle yet firm to keep you close to him. It made everything disappear—for a little bit.

Memories from that mission flashed in your head. Dead hydra soldiers scattering the floor. The image of them choking on your shadows—the feeling of their life leaving their bodies. You told yourself it was worth it—believed in the moment it was right—

You stopped dancing and swayed a bit, holding onto Bucky’s shoulder. He steadied you and looked you over, his chest rising and falling from the dancing.

“What’s wrong doll?” The images flashed through your mind again. Bucky, beaten near an inch of his life, his metal arm on the operation table. Your stomach lurched. Sweat beaded on your forehead and the world seemed to tilt a bit under the neon lights.

“I think I’m gonna be sick— I need to get out of here.”

He pulled you by the hand gently.

“Come on,” he said as he wrapped one hand around your waist, guiding you as you stumbled a bit, “let’s get you out of this shithole.”

“Just don’t take me back— please. I can’t—“

He shushed you gently as you made your way out of the club and into the cool night air. There was a cab outside and Bucky helped you get in the car. You didn’t hear where he told the driver to go, but he insisted he was not taking you back to the compound.

“I won’t take you back sweetheart, I promise. Just relax and please try not to vomit on my nice jacket,” He teased and wrapped his arm around you as you leaned your body into his.

The idea of vomiting up the cheap liquor made you almost dry heave once. You groaned a bit as You rested your head on his chest, nuzzling your cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt. The smell of him was enough to calm your stomach for the rest of the ride.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled against him, “I’m a mess. I ruin everything.” Tears began to spill down your cheek and soak into the front of his shirt. Bucky ran his hand through your hair, kissing the top of your head.

“You dont ruin anything doll. You are perfect. You are wonderful. You are everything to me. I am alive because of you, you know that right? Hydra is gone because of you—“

“Because I killed them. I— I slaughtered them. I know I should feel some sort of regret for that… but when I think back to that day— when all I could think of was you—“ you shook your head against him.

“What they did to you— what they have already done to you over the years… Im sorry, Buck, but I don’t regret it. Not one bit. I would do it all again to save you. Maybe Steve is right— maybe I should be locked away for what I am—I’m no good— I’m a monster—“

“No.” Bucky said harshly, nearly growling against your ear. “Never think that. Do you hear me?”

His tone was a sharp blade in your chest. The last thing you wanted was to upset him, and yet here he was consoling you in the middle of the night—chasing after you like a damned child. You felt pathetic, but said no more. You just nodded once, wiping at your tears as he continued to stroke your hair.

Bucky also remained silent as the cab arrived at its destination. You looked out the window once the car stopped and were surprised by what you saw. You were outside of an old apartment building. You recognized it immediately as Bucky’s old hideout. Not even Steve knew about this safe house. Bucky paid the driver and helped you out of the car. He walked with you to the edge of the building, leaning up against the brick wall as he removed his hat. The night air swirled through his hair and he sighed.

“Any better?” He asked, watching you as you sat on the sidewalk, resting your back against the brick. The cool air was comforting, and the wave of nausea seemed to pass ever so slowly. You nodded and tilted your head back.

“Some hero I am, huh?” You laughed dryly. Bucky huffed out a small laugh.

“You know, I ask myself that almost every damn day.” You couldn’t help but laugh, turning to him with a sad smile.

“What a pair we make, eh?”

Bucky looked down at you, his expression thoughtful—but sad.

“Doll,” he sighed gently, lifting his head to look out into the night sky again. “I wish I could tell you—no show you— just how… important you are to me.” He struggled to find his words, but they made you freeze in place as he continued.

“I know what it’s like to do horrible things. Terrible, regrettable, and unforgiving things… To be haunted by the past—“ he looked down at this metal hand.

“To not be able to look yourself in the mirror most nights…”

He clenched his hand into a tight fist and exhaled slowly before turning to face you again. He held out his hand to you, and you didn’t hesitate to take it. He pulled you to your feet, guiding you closer until his hands were on your waist again.

“I used to believe that there was nothing I deserved more than to be punished for my sins. That I was a monster beyond saving. But then I met you, my little shadow monster. You saw in me what no one else believed existed—you saw the man, flaws and all. And you gave me something i never thought I deserved.”

His eyes glistened in the moonlight as he searched your face with the sweetest tenderness. As if he saw the world in your eyes.

“You gave me hope, y/n.”

A smile broke across your face as you cried and laughed. Bucky returned your smile and you pulled him in by his neck for a kiss. His mouth was gentle and sweet against yours. He pulled you closer, murmuring sweet nothings against your mouth as your tears fell down your face. The soft breeze tousled both your your hair, causing yours to swirl behind you like ribbons.

Bucky pulled away slightly, leaving his forehead tipped against yours.

“I love you, y/n. God, I love you so damned much.” You gave out a relieved laugh, and thumbed a stroke on the back of his neck.

“And I adore you,” you whispered. He pulled you in for a hug, wrapping his strong arms around you, kissing your cheeks until your tears disappeared on his lips.

“We are going to figure this out. Whatever comes our way. I promise.”

Your stomach tightened on the last part. You had made Bucky a similar promise. One you had failed to keep—one you were currently paying for. You thought about what kind of power this love held over you—over him. You were willing to destroy your life in order to keep Bucky safe— to prevent him from ever going back to being on the run, being hunted, being alone. As you held the weight of the world in your arms, you felt a sickening hole rip through your chest.

You knew what you had to do for Bucky—always for Bucky.

#fem reader #reader x marvel #marvel fanfic club #marvel #bucky x you #bucky imagine #bucky x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #james bucky barnes #bucky x y/n #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky fic #bucky barnes

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wangxianficfinder · 1 year

Text

In the mood for...

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1. heyyy for the next i’m in the mood for do you have any friends with benefits in which both basically pine in silence thinking the other only wants sex and then they get together at the end thank youuuuuuu

Afterglow by Court_on_Fire (E, 4k, wangxian, wangxian/others implied, pornstars!wangxian, pining while fucking, friends to lovers, porn with plot, confessions) This is not an exact match, but I think it has the right vibe!! Wwx and lwj are both porn stars and best friends and they decide to do a scene together.

The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Kid Fic, explicit in much much later chapters, green card marriage (but not really), pining for your own husband, endless pining, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, Nothing else bad or traumatic happens to the baby)

the moon lives in the lining of your skin by sarahyyy (M, 9k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Friends With Benefits, Misunderstandings, Oblivious, Pining, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Roommates)

(our friendship) up against the ropes by daltoneering (E, 36k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, lan zhan FUCKS, Fluff and Smut, Experienced LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Mutual Pining, Friends With Benefits, Pining while fucking, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Spit Kink, Dirty Talk, Light Bondage, Praise Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Kink Negotiation, Pride and Prejudice 2005 (dir. Joe Wright), mentions of Wei Ying/others and Lan Zhan/others)

be still, my foolish heart by mirrorofprinces (E, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Blow Jobs, Shower Sex, Misunderstandings, One innocent rabbit who did nothing wrong, based on a reddit post, Getting Together)

all that and more by Euphorion (E, 20k, WangXian, XuanLiMian, MianQing, Modern AU, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Recreational Drug UseAlcohol, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Truth or Dare, Sexting, Nudes, First Time Blow Jobs, "Straight" WWX, "Cis" WWX, Genderfluid WWX, Trans Male Character, trans WN, Intercrural Sex, Phone Sex, Rimming, Anal Play, Friends With Benefits, Mutual Pining, Weddings, Minor XianYu, Facials)

Bite and Bruise and Bind by ReformedTsundere (E, 4k, WangXian, Modern AU, Anal Sex, Rough Sex, Jealous LWJ, Biting, Friends With Benefits, Or Is it?, Idiots in Love, Pining, Like VERY Slightly Dubious Content, Begging, Blow Jobs, Marking, slight angst, Slight self-loathing, Happy Ending, little bit of crying, Barebacking)

Strange New World by alcego (E, 10k, WangXian, Modern AU, quarantine fic, Friends With Benefits, FWB to Roommates to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Cohabitation, Co[vid]habitation, Explicit Sexual Content, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, (Home) Office Sex, Flight Steward!WWX, lawyer!lwj, fucking while pining, and they were ROOMMATES)

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (microcomets) (E, 31k, wangxian, canon divergence, pining while fucking, friends with benefits, first time, cloud recesses study arc, practice kissing, sharing a bed, jealousy, getting together, confessions, happy ending)

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2. Hi I'm in the mood for a fic where Wei Ying says a big F*** You to the Cultivation World post Sunshot Campaign, and leaves to live out his cottage core dreams. He gives up the Yin Houfu to the Lan Sect, in exchange for protection and new identities for the Dafan Wen.

It could follow any timeline. The only thing I'm specific about is that WY gets to live for himself. Lan Zhan may or may not find him later on, and it may end up with WangXian but it's not necessary. I just want to read about our boi discovering self worth, and learning what it means to be unconditionally loved. Cultivation World bashing would be very much welcome. @shenmiao98

And They Have Escaped The Weight of Darkness by cosmicmilktea (T, 10k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Memory Loss, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Screw the Cultivation world tbh, The Lan precepts deserves better, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, domestic life, Social justice boyfriends wangxian, Happy Ending)

Just as the Snow Melts by draechaeli (T, 66k, WangXian, XuanLi, SongXiao, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence) has some “F*** You to the Cultivation World post Sunshot Campaign” and “cottage core dreams” energy.

SIMILAR! When the World Comes Crumbling Down, you Will Call my Name by pft_a_Frog22 (Not Rated, 5k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, stygian tiger seal, BAMF WWX, Demonic cultivation, Cultivation world Bashing, LWJ regrets, Lan Sect BashingHappy Ending, for wwx, Ambiguous/Open Ending) Similar energy

SIMILAR! Fading mirrors by apathyinreverie (T, 5k, WangXian, Angst, Politics, Some Fluff, Some Plot, What-If, Fix-It, of sorts, Canon Divergence, Protective Wen siblings) Similar energy

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3. Hey. Can you recommend some canon era non a/b/o mpreg fics? Bonus if the Lans are taking care of pregxian, like everyone being protective of him. Not just cause he's the Lan -er-Furen and carrying the heir, but also cause they like him. @utxqia

🧡 Accidents Will Happen by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 45k WangXian, Post Canon, Mpreg, Fluff, Light angst)

🧡 Like Rabbits by Setari (T, 41k, WangXian, Kid fic, Canon rewrite, Mpreg, Miscarriage scare, Crack treated seriously, Hopeful ending) has a pregnant (but not A/B/O WWX) although there isn't much doting since it's set mostly around the Sunshot Campaign

Impermanence, Transience, Permanence by Best Bepsy (BepsyGray) (E, 39k, wangxian, canon divergence, unplanned pregnancy, mpreg, gore, sunshot campaign, assumed miscarriage, medical procedures, childbirth, golden core reveal) is canon-era non-a/b/o mpreg, but it's during the sunshot so no one is really taking care of wwx (not even wwx)

~*~

4. Hi!!! hope you guys are having a great day! For an itmf request i have it's quite easy (i think) Are there any fics where wei ying has a child/takes care of a child in the canon timeline? Thank you!

Baby Whisperer Wei Wuxian by Preludian_Staves (T, 15k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Not Jiang Clan Friendly, Arranged Marriage (eventually for reasons), Parent-Child Relationship, Soft WWX, Pining LWJ, Good Parent WWX, WWX Is Good With Children, Single Parent WWX, Fluff and Angst, Developing Relationship)

and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Sound of Music AU, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love)

~*~

5. Hey, are there fics where jiang cheng gets his ass handed to him by others whenever he tries to blame wei wuxian?

Bright Voice Roughly Rendered Softly Silent by Preludian_Staves (T, 26k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Muteness, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Not JC Friendly, Choking, Red String of Fate, Appearances by Paperman!WWX, Inventor WWX, Good Uncle LQR, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, Feelings Realization, Supportive Lan Family, Genius WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective LWJ, Protective Lan Family, Character Death (not wwx or lwj))

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6. hello there, thank you for all the good work!!

im in the mood for fics were A) wwx interacts with ghost as if they are people, like in the scene of the courtesan girls talking about flower meanings; B) just highlights that the yin energy is always attracted to him and so wwx is always hearing and seeing ghosts and the supernatural (not that they are seeking to harm him, just interact; or C) the burial mounds is sentient or just has a special link, relationship with wwx.

if its too much of a demanding request, feel free to ignore it; once again, keep it with the nice work 🤍🤍🤎

6A)

Ghost of Mine by SasukiMimochi (E, 42k, wangxian, LWJ & LSZ & WWX, post-sunshot, golden core reveal, burial mounds settlement days, demonic cultivation, canonical temporary character death, found family, hurt/comfort, fluff & angst, character turned ghost, supernatural elements, WIP) is it ok if Wei Ying is the ghost and others interact with him? 🤭 (this is a wip, but gets regular updates and really cool art!)

let the sun go down on your anger; let it burn you to sleep by enbysaurus_rex (Not rated, 78k, wangxian, WQ & WWX, chronic illness, narcolepsy, chronic pain, YLLZ WWX, sleeping beauty fusion, body horror, tags at the beginning of the chapters, WIP)

5 TOTALLY TRUE STORIES OF THE YILING PATRIARCH TO TURN YOUR HAIR WHITE!!!!! (and one story that actually happened) by dragonofeternal (T, 3k, LSZ & WWX, parody, crack, 5+1, fluff, ghosts, [Podfic] by Jet_pods (Jetainia))

6C)

build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (M, 54k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, First Time, Getting Together, Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Hair Washing, Sentient Burial Mounds, Case Fic, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Light Angst, Flashbacks, mild body horror, foot washing, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, …then sexual intimacy,

~*~

7. Hi! Do you know of any fics where Lan Zhan hides something about himself (i.e. an ability or his abo status) because Wei Ying has a trauma or issue related to it? @gsmileys

Dog Days by Cy_an_Blue (T, 3k, WangXian, Supernatural Elements, Were-Creatures, Werewolf LWJ, Human WWX, Cynophobia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings)

~*~

8. I am itmf a Twin Jades incest story. They don’t need to be the main couple and they don’t need to have a happy ending, I just want some love/sex related drama between the boys. Thank you!!

exmanhater has a few lxc/lwj/wwx stories

The Ritual by kianspo (E, 18k, Jadecest, Sibling Incest, Twin Jades of Lán Incest, Canon Divergence, in which the lan sect is a tantric sect, lwj is 16, Mildly Dubious Consent, no coercion, First Time, Bottom LWJ, SS's usual brand of gross, Good Uncle LQR, Porn with Feelings)

take this weight of mine by soliloqui (E, 84k, Jadecest, WangXianChen, Post-Canon, LXC in Seclusion, Depression, touch starvation, Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Dissociation, Unreliable Narrator, Dual Cultivation, mild fuck-or-die, Mild Consent Issues, please check end notes of chapter 2 for more information, Sibling Incest, Hurt/Comfort, gentle smut, Healing, Asexual Character, demisexual LXC, demisexual lwj, Protective LWJ, Protective LXC, Protective WWX, lqr's a++ parenting, Angst with a Happy Ending)

The Twin Jades fuck Series by Foregone_Shadow (E, 156k, Jadecest, Endgame WangXian, LXC / Others, MIND THE TAGS, Explicit Sex, Porn with plot, Manipulation, Dark!LXC, Traumatized LWJ, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Blood as lube, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT)

evidence of a love that transcends hunger Series by autumncolour (M/E, 30k, Jadecest, WangXianChen, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Role Reversal, infantilization, Dub-con caretaking, Porn with Feelings, Sibling Incest, under-negotiated D/s dynamics, Processing Trauma Through Kink)

set my soul alight Series by Skadiseven (E, 42k, Jadecest, WangXianChen, Modern AU, Toronto, Halloween Costumes, Halloween, Sex, also some cuddling, Power Play, Rough Sex, Intercrural Sex, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Aftercare, Sort Of)

oh we have moved forward in pain by TheArcticRequiemLobster (E, 47k, Jadecest, WangXianChen, Post-Canon, Post-Betrayal, Severe depressive episodes, Bruises, Bite marks, Consensual sexual injuries, Self harm through sexs, elf harm ideation, Nightmares, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Excessive Drinking, Grief/Mourning, Past Child Abuse, implied ace jc, Explicit Sexual Content, Guilt, Discussion of wwx’s first time in the burial mounds, Insecurity, not-so-accidental child acquisition, chapter 14 comes with its own warning, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sort Of, Sibling Incest, Mashup of cql verse and novel, anti-lqr)

Embers by xantissa (E, 38k, Jadecest, WangXianChen, Fluff, Falling In Love, sex pollen trope (curse), dub con, Comfort, Grief, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Sibling Incest, Switching, Flirting, Learning to live again, Magic, Curses, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Threesome - M/M/M, Slow Burn, Angst and Hurt/Comfort)

qirongsmom has 6 really intense jadecest fics

~*~

9. Is there any fic with concept of tiger tally turning as children/ twin? And addressing WY as their parent @selflovingmedj

Master? No! Mother! by pluma1007 (G, 24k, wangxian, canon divergence, stygian tiger amulet twins au, accidental baby acquisation, OP WWX, pining, JGS as his own warning, not Gusu elder friendly, WIP)

~*~

10. iitmf some wwx and lsz centric fics

gentil-minou: Asking for clarification about 10: do they want post canon specifically or are they interested in au's or modern, stuff like that

your name, safe in their mouth by astrolesbian (G, 10k, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, Father-Son Relationship, Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, More aligned with CQL than novel canon, Miscommunication, Eventual Positive Communication, Trying to be a family, how to tell your dad you want him to be your dad in 6 easy steps!)

Not Yet (There As Needed) by sunrise_and_death (T, 13k, LSZ & WWX, JL & WWX, WangXian, Post-Canon, Family Feels, Family Bonding, POV LSZ, even more yearning, Dramatic Revelations)

roots by violia (T, 5k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, Fluff, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Hugging, Family Feels, Relationship Reveal, Family Reunions)

Red Bunny and Blue Bunny are Friends by deliciousblizzardshark (G, 5k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, Kid Fic, Domestic Fluff, Author WWX, Parent LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LSZ, Soft WangXian)

Running Home to Me by songsofthespring (G, 34k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, LSZ & WN, Anastasia (1997 & Broadway) Fusion, Royalty, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temporary Amnesia, Medical Inaccuracies, JYL & LWJ Friendship, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies)

when he comes home to you by Kika988 (G, 2k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Families of Choice, Light Angst, Fluff and Angst)

The Intervening Years by roserocksrapidly (G, 11k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ & WWX, Canon Divergence, LSZ centric, Parent-Child Relationship, Wangxian is background, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

~*~

11. Hi! ♡ for your next itmf i have 2 request if thats ok, do you know any fics where:

A) JFM isn't being bashed (loved even!) but YZY is? or

B) a discussion is had about how YZY also verbally abused JFM? they don't have to be alive but canon era only please! wangxian is preferable too but not necessary. Thank you!!

11A)

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) Hi! I'm really sorry, idk if this actually helps or not :( for #11 on the last itmf, there is this fic where all sects are curious about a mysterious boy helping common people, but just some of them actually get in contact with him, them being LQR, JYL, and MM. The boy is, ofc, WWX, and there is a lady ghost that takes care of him... it also includes ppl bashing YZY, but not JFM

~*~

12. hello, and thank you for all that you do! i just have a humble request: can you please direct me to fics where lwj GROVELS? hehehe. kinda like the flavor of lwj trying to make it up to wwx. thanks a lot!

我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 39k, WIP, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Only WWX Could Have an Empress to Farmer Pipeline, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan)

Honesty is the Best Policy (Except if You’re an Asshole) by piecrust (E, 22k, College AU, Porn with feelings, Angst)

the earthquake in the room by phnelt (E, 39k, WangXian, College/University, Modern: No Powers, Canada, Getting Together, Mentions of lwj/others, inter-faculty romance, strangers to lovers to frenemies to lovers, mostly book characterisation) lan zhan does zero grovelling in 'earthquake in the room' aka the toast fic by phenlt, and lots of people were yelling at lan zhan in the comments. I'm curious what the requestor will think! like in no way does lan zhan use mouth words to say he likes Wei ying and he never even knew what he did wrong far less apologized about it. 💀

a constellation to stir my heart by phnelt (E, 12k, WangXian, Canada, Modern: No Powers, sequel to Earthquake in the room) re#12 and the comment on 'earthquake in the room' 🙂 I think the person who recommended it may have meant to rec the series because there is a sequel to Earthquake that has Lan Zhan realizing the error of his actions and coming to to Realizations and that fulfills to the requesters ask I think 🙂

🧡 Life as a House by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 55k, WangXian, Modern AU, Post-Divorce, Father-Son Relationship, Reconciliation, Therapy, Angst with a happy ending, corporate espionage, abusive relationships, recovery from abuse) has the grovel vibe. LWJ doesn't grovel as much as goes deep into self-flagellation when he recognizes what a shit husband he was and makes amends with a happy ending. It's LWJ focused and he's a victim of abusive LQR.

Lie for Love by sether1n3 (E, 73k, wangxian, LWJ/MXY, modern, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, endgame wangxian, mpreg, hit and run, WWX goes to prison, hurt WWX, implied/referenced child abuse, not JC friendly, lawyer JC, grief/mourning, Secret (2013) au, rich LWJ, artist WWX, slow burn, check all tags! , WIP)

~*~

13. Hi! So for ITMF:

A) fics where WWX isn't treated well in Cloud Recesses so his siblings or nephew or idk NHS come save him (not necessarily mistreated by LWJ but I'm not against it either), the worst they are to him, the better :)

B) fics where WWX is forced or tricked into marrying someone who's abusive or simply doesn't treat him with the respect and dignity he deserves and the jiangs or one of the twin jades rescue him

No Jiang bashing if possible, or at least no Jiang siblings bashing please! Thank you!! @jiangclaritybell

13B)

Trace amounts of poison won't kill you by SalarianScientist (M, 68k, WIP, WangXian, WWX/WX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gaslighting, Depression, Abusive Relationships, Modern AU, Female LWJ/Female WWX, No cultivation and no swords, only bad choices) rule 63 wangxian and WWX is uh, not yet saved where the story leaves off but she's getting there! It sounds like you know what you're getting into but i would say mind the tags. This felt very true-to-life when it comes to living with an abuser and could be triggering

~*~

14. Hi! For the next (nsfw) ITMF, do you have any recs that have this vibe? @blueghost13 (description: "animated TikTok of WangXian, WWX says: You could be rougher with me er-gege. LWJ replies while kissing his hand: I'm afraid of causing pain to Wei Ying. WWX then grabs his collar and drags him in close, eyes wide." end description. - Mod C)

full disclosure by wolframvonbielefeld (maknaeline) (E, 3k, WangXian, Mentions of Necrophilia, NOT re: wangxian, Overstimulation, Multiple Orgasms, Lingerie, implied zhuiling, wwx is the Master of the Turnabout, Field trips, Sub Drop, Mild BDSM, WWX is a Powerbottom) WWX, under the influence of Sex Pollen, is having none of LWJ’s forbearance: “But Wuxian doesn’t want reverent. He wants ruined”

Hold Truth to the Light by SoManyJacks (E, 15k, WangXian, Light Angst, Fluff, switch!LWJ, service top!WWX, Accusations of rape, False Accusations, Rumors, nasty rumors, Alcohol, arranged marriage sideplot, Painful Sex, Anal Sex, POV Alternating, Light Dom/sub, Post-Canon, Based on the novel, gratuitous epilogues) LWJ fears that he may have been hurting WWX—a notion supported by his own clumsy experiments with a sex toy; WWX reassures him.

~*~

15. Hello! For the next ITMF, can u guys recommend some fics with cheating lwj the one with hurt wwx & angst? or just plain angst, can also be pure heavy angst / hurt no comfort / tearjerker / any heartbreak / something like that. Thankyouuuuuu!! @httpskaixx

Not Meant for a Forever by Asmayi (M, 2k, WangXian, WangYu, Modern AU, Hurt No Comfort, Sad WWX, Cheating, Infidelity, Emotional Infidelity, OOC, Professor LWJ, Engineer WWX, Student MXY, Teacher-Student Relationship, College/University, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Heavy Angst, Married WangXian)

driver’s license by cryptenhope (T, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, Post-Break Up, Making Up, Getting Back Together, Happy Ending if you read the ending notes, Ambiguous/Open Ending)

the ugly truth by reidviolet (T, 3k, WangXian, Modern AU, Heavy Angst, the scary reality of being in love, the realistic side of love, breaking up, Sad WWX, Losing Interest, Sad Ending)

All that is solid melts into air by huxiyi (T, 18k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Growing Old Together, Breaking Up & Making Up, Post-Canon, Character Study, Getting Back Together)

you were the best thing (that’s ever been mine) by vrys (G, 2k, WangXian, Modern AU, Married Couple, Infidelity, Cheating, Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Sad Ending, OOC characters, pain pain pain)

Say No to this Series by BCat13 (G/T, 12k, WangXian, LWJ/Others, Modern AU, Heavy Angst, Cheating LWJ, Inspired by The Reynolds Pamphlet, CEO LWJ, It's quiet uptown inspired, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of drugs, Mentions of self-harm, Angst, cheating au, Angst with an happy ending, Open Ending, Car Accident, Injuried character, Suicidal Thoughts, Hurt and comfort)

breathing underwater Series by paperlungs (E, 60k, WangCheng, WangXian, ChengJue, ChengChao, ChengXuan, ChaoXu, Character Study, Infidelity, Unhealthy Relationships, Inferiority Complex, Modern AU, Mental Health Issues, getting therapy when you desperately Need it, allusions to depression and suicidal thoughts, Complicated Relationships, split POV, Italy, moreso the CONSEQUENCES of infidelity, please read author's note, Past Relationship(s), Past wangxian, Personal Growth, apologies if anyone is wildly ooc, Origin Story, the zhancheng is mostly background, Daddy Issues, bodyguard!wzl, bratty rich kid!wc) it’s a JC-focused series, not Wangxian, but LWJ’s infidelity plays a big role

~*~

16. dear mods, im in the mood for some jin zixuan & wei wuxian friendship. specially if they become friends for more than just their mutual love for jiang yanli. thank you for the lovely work 💞💞

Quartet series by WithBroomBefore (T, 69k, Platonic Soulbond, Hurt/comfort, Canon Divergence, No golden core transfer, JC&JZX stay in Xuanwu cave, Fix-it, Temporary character death)

All Old Things are New Again series by The Feels Whale (@miscellea) (M, 59k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators, cultivators can recognize important people from previous lives, vaguely, this started out as a cute sugar fantasy and got just incredibly horny very fast, blame LWJ) features some jin zixuan & wei wuxian friendship (it’s brief and not the main focus, but it’s in there)

Twin Treasures by crossdressingdeath (T, 81k, WIP, JZX & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Can't quite tag this as 'everyone lives' but I promise everyone who dies will DESERVE IT, mostly novel-verse with a bit of CQL here and there, currently being edited)

Silver eyes meet gold by EuphoricSuds (Not Rated, 3k, WangXian, JZX & WWX, XuanLi, Minor Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, BAMF WWX, Hurt WWX, Genius WWX, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Family Fluff, WWX Gets a Hug, WWX is Loved, WWX is LSZ's Parent, WWX is a Jīn, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, Canon Rewrite, Out of Character WWX, Out of Character, Comfort No Hurt, Cute WWX)

Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan are oblivious Besties ♥ Series by Akak_ShadMe (Not Rated/G, 15k, WIP, JZX & WWX, WangXian, XuanLi, JZX & WWX Friendship, Time Travel Fix-It, Platonic Relationships, Protective JZX, Confused JC, JZX Lives, Oblivious WWX, Angst and Humor, Platonic cuddling)

With you, I can fight the World by Weiyingbestboy (G, 2k, WangXian, XuanLi, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, JC is so done, JZX and WWX Friendship)

Once Lost but Now Found, Found, Found by thunderwear (G, 4k, WIP, XuanLi, WangXian, JZX & WWX, Canon Divergence, WWX raised by Jins, Kid Fic, for a bit, Eventual Romance, Madame Jin is pretty cool, slight Madame Yu bashing, Friendship)

❤️ Candy & Conspiracies by Reverie (cl410) (T, 16k, wangxian, JZX & WWX, jin wwx, fluff & crack, found family, humor, no angst, Mojo’s post) “At least it wasn’t another surprise half-sibling. It did not take long for Jin Zixuan to reconsider. Wei Wuxian was a gremlin, brought to Koi Tower for the sole purpose of driving Jin Zixuan into insanity."

~*~

17. I'm In The Mood For: After reading a short one-shot, Anchor Me To My Dreams by Anonymous I've been wanting to read fics with a similar plot.

The plot is about how Lan Xichen sees the resemblance between Jin Guangyao's face and Money Xuanyu's. Lan Xichen starts to have dreams about Jin Guangyao/Mo Xuanyu, so Wei Wuxian (in MXY's body) gives sleeping medicine to Lan Xichen to help manage his nightmares, even though he doesn't know what they're about. At the end of the story, LXC (accidentally) drugs WWX with the sleeping medicine, starts seeing visions of WWX as JGY, and ends up raping him. The story ends on Lan Wangji walking into the Gentian House, calling out for his brother.

I want something just like that (or as close to that as possible) but with a continuation of Wei Wuxian finding out what was done to him and, over the course of the fic, learning to recover with Lan Wangji. I think I'm looking for a closure to this story since it's been tearing me into pieces because it left without a direct ending to it.

I know finding a fanfic like this is really specific, so here's the plot I basically want: LXC some sort of problem that ties in with WWX, LXC rapes WWX, WWX has to learn how to recover.

I understand this is a hard request to make. Thank you in advance. ᥫ᭡ @theashgrove

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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whataperfectwasteoftime · 1 year

Text

What a Pair we Make

Pairing: Marcus Pike x f!Reader

Rating: E (explicit smut, 18+ only)

Word Count: 7.3k

Warnings: dd/lg dynamics (no age play, although he gives her lots of stuffed animals and cutesy things), daddy kink, spanking, kink negotiation, mentions of abusive relationships and bad childhood, edging/orgasm denial, PIV sex, fingering

Summary: A series of short scenes depicting a very loving growth and evolution of a dd/lg relationship with Marcus.

A/N: There’s no plot to this. I just love, LOVE, LOVE writing conversations about kink negotiation and discussing kink and the cute sort of awkwardness they can carry. The following is just several related ‘slice of life’ scenes that don’t really connect other than the throughline of a kink relationship, inspired by some unhinged DMs with @littlebirdsbookshelf. It’s mostly soft, although there is some explicit smut in some scenes. Dividers are by @firefly-graphics. Please note: reader is explicitly coded as neurodivergent and has trouble communicating when upset, although no specific diagnosis is ever mentioned.

A Further Note on Setting: There is a scene in which these two go to the National Zoo, but the actual zoo I’m describing is based on the one I regularly go to, both for plot conveniences and because I do not want to spend hours looking at a Zoo map to write my dumb stories. And because rays are cool.

Masterlist

You fume as you stalk into your building, slamming the elevator button several times in rapid succession, as if you could solve all of your problems by hitting this one button.

You’re not sure who you’re mad at. The VP of Sales, for giving you a very public dressing down for your “leadership” on the doomed project you were handed two months into your employment, that–shocker–ended up being implemented poorly, with not enough resources to achieve all of your goals? Your boss, who didn’t say a goddamn thing during the worst Zoom meeting of your life, not sticking up for you or standing up for her team?

Or are you mad at yourself for the sum of your small mistakes and missteps early on, caused both by lack of leadership support and your own naivete? Are you angry at your idealistic optimism, charging headfirst into this job and happily taking on new responsibilities, not understanding that you were being handed this project because no one in their right mind would want it? Or… are you upset because, at the most critical moment, you couldn’t manage to form the words to actually speak up for yourself, choking on your successes and looking like an idiot in a meeting where it felt like everyone was out to get you?

Of course, the easiest punching bag is always you. You, who’s always struggled in one way or another with fitting in, and now the entire sales team knows your name and hates you. You, who’d bounced around from dead-end job to dead-end job before finally landing this first big break–a tiny little cog in a massive organization, where anonymity is your friend, and you hide in plain sight behind massive spreadsheets and reply-all emails. When shit hits the fan, though, you stumble on your words, your tongue feels thick in your mouth and all the thoughts in your head can’t seem to find their way out of your mouth.

You’re not cut out for it, you decide as the elevator dings, announcing your arrival on your floor. You may as well quit, before they force you out. Which is fine, half the time you’re hardly a functional human being, let alone able to manage this failed project, the ire of your coworkers, and still somehow cook dinner for yourself.

It’s too much.

The door opens with a bang, and you flounce into the living room and throw yourself down on the couch. Marcus’s shoes had been on the mat beside the door, so that means he’s home before you, probably in the bedroom changing out of his work suit into something more comfortable. The two of you have lived together for about three months now, and have slipped into an easy routine.

Sure enough, in a few minutes, Marcus comes out of the bedroom, wearing track pants and a plain gray t-shirt. “Hey, sweetheart,” he says cheerfully, coming around the back of the couch and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“Mm,” you respond, shrinking away from him even though you crave his presence. You always do this–you push everyone away, isolate yourself, your own worst enemy.

“Someone must’ve had a bad day,” Marcus remarks, not dropping his friendly demeanor. “Wanna talk about it?”

“I’m a failure,” you state dramatically. “Literally. This project is tanking, and it’s my fault.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Marcus says gently.

“It is,” you insist. “And even if it isn’t totally my fault, even if the damn thing was doomed from the beginning, it doesn’t matter, because I’m being blamed. Very publicly, I might add.”

“Really?” Marcus sinks down on the couch next to you. “Where the hell is your boss in all of this?”

“It’s no secret that she’s scared to death of our VP,” you mutter. “She’ll never say a word against him.”

“That’s shitty management,” Marcus says, ire in his tone over your treatment.

“Yeah?” you snap. “Well, it’s fucking happening, I don’t have any control over it.”

“Hey, I know,” Marcus replies. “It’s nothing against you, I was just saying–”

“Isn’t it?” you demand, your voice becoming high-pitched and shrill. “I might get fired, and it’s my fault.”

“I–I really don’t think that’s true, and even if it is–”

“I’m not cut out for this,” you say suddenly, putting your face in your hands. “I don’t think I’m one of these people who can handle the normal, day-to-day pressure of corporate America. I just don’t think I can. I’m not strong enough.”

“You’re plenty strong,” Marcus assures you. “You are.”

“I’m a basket case.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh yeah?” you counter. “Remember last week when I freaked out when the store was out of zucchini, and I had to make an entirely new plan for dinner? Who does that?”

“Some people have a harder time with change,” Marcus points out diplomatically.

“Ugh!” you cry. “You’re no help!”

“What can I do?” Marcus asks softly, touching your arm, trying desperately to forge a connection, and it makes you feel even worse for lashing out. Through all things, Marcus just wants to feel connected, and here you are, pushing him away because of your own personal bullshit.

“I don’t know,” you cry out, just so frustrated with everything that you can no longer carry on a reasonable conversation about it.

But then, almost unbidden, an image flashes through your mind. You blink several times in rapid succession to dispel it. No, that’s ridiculous.

“What?” Marcus presses, noticing the change in your expression.

“N-Nothing would help,” you say. “It’s just my own personal shit that I have to work through.”

The image returns. You, laying in Marcus’s lap, getting the catharsis you need through something physical–

“Okay,” Marcus says, frowning. You can tell he doesn’t buy it.

You can’t stop thinking about it, now. His hand coming down on you again and again, finally giving you a reason to let go of it all. No. Marcus wouldn’t. He doesn’t mind rougher sex, sometimes, but he’s hardly sadistic about it. Everything he does, he does for your pleasure and enjoyment.

That wouldn’t be about pleasure or enjoyment. It would be about release. Just… being allowed to feel things instead of being stuck in your head.

“You know,” Marcus says softly, “you can tell me anything. I promise, no matter what it is, I’ll want to hear it.”

You shake your head from side to side.

Except, your denial lets Marcus know that there is something on your mind.

“I just want to understand,” he murmurs, his hand stroking a gentle path up and down your arm.

“I don’t know what I need,” you mumble. “But I keep–I can’t stop thinking about–”

Marcus nods patiently, but doesn’t speak.

“I–I wonder if you would… spank me,” you say under your breath.

Marcus’s eyebrows raise. “Come again?”

See? You knew he wouldn’t go for it. “Never mind,” you say, shaking your head again. “I just… I dunno, some kind of physical release feels like it could… help.”

“Hang on,” Marcus says. “Don’t dismiss it. Let’s talk.”

"It's stupid," you protest.

"You haven't even given it a chance," Marcus points out.

"It was a fleeting thought," you say.

"Was it?"

"...No," you whisper. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"About being spanked?" Marcus asks.

"About you. Um, spanking me. Not just in general. You," you clarify. Marcus is an integral component of this fantasy. You've never wanted this before, but something about this relationship with Marcus makes you want… something more. Something as-of-yet undefined and unexplored.

"About me?" Marcus asks, smiling. He scoots closer, putting his arm around you on the couch. "Tell me."

"I just feel… safe, with you. And sometimes I think about how you… take such good care of me. And it makes me want… I don't know."

"Makes you want… more?" Marcus supplies.

"I don't know," you repeat quietly. "I'm not… I'm not wording this right, I can't find the words right now, I'm not in the right headspace," you murmur. "I'm stupid."

"That's certainly not true," Marcus says firmly.

"I c-can't talk right when I'm having a rough day," you stammer. "It's too hard, I–"

"Then don't talk," Marcus says, as if it's the easiest thing in the world. "I'm gonna ask you a few questions, and you can just nod or shake your head, okay?"

You sink with relief, nodding.

"Okay. Question one," Marcus says with a sheepish expression. "Do you want me to spank you?"

You can't keep eye contact, but you nod, looking down at your hands.

"Okay," Marcus replies softly, reassuringly. "Next question. Can I trust you to say 'stop' or tap my leg if you need to stop?"

Another nod, still looking down.

"Last question," Marcus says, and you can hear his smile. "Do you love me?"

An easy one. You bob your head up and down rapidly, making eye contact and smiling for the first time that night.

Marcus’s smile widens. "I love you, too. And hey–I'm always here to help, okay? No matter what it is you need."

You nod again.

Marcus scoots back, sitting back on the couch. "Come here," he instructs quietly. "Come lie across my lap."

You feel silly as you come to your stomach, face down in Marcus’s lap. You consider saying 'never mind,' but part of you is so curious, wanting to feel this so much, you don’t open your mouth.

Marcus gently pulls your leggings and underwear down, and you inhale sharply. You didn't expect him to do that. It sends an extra frisson of desire down your spine.

"Still okay?" Marcus asks, noticing the small tremor.

"Yes," you whisper.

Marcus's fingertips gently trace up and down your cheeks. "How many should I give you? Ten?" he asks, his voice a little rougher than normal. Does he like this, too?

You think for a moment. Ten doesn't seem like enough, not if you want to really feel it.

"Fifteen," you whisper.

Marcus is quiet for a few moments. "Okay," he says. "Fifteen."

His fingers stop tracing you, and you automatically tense in anticipation. You count your breaths for stability–one, two, thr–

Marcus’s hand comes down on your left cheek and you squeak in surprise. It stings, but it's not too bad. It's the jolt that startles you more than anything.

Another sharp sting on your other cheek, and you press your lips together and whine softly.

"Why are you being punished?" Marcus suddenly asks above you.

Oh. You have no idea, you didn't think about this at all.

Slap. "Come on, sweetheart. Tell me why."

You suck in a breath and try to think. One thought comes to you immediately.

"Because I'm being stupid," you mumble bitterly, thinking of your inexplicable outburst earlier.

Smack. "That is absolutely not it," Marcus says, his voice far more firm than it had been before. "I want you to really think about why for the rest of your punishment," he says, before dealing you another hard thwack on the alternating cheek.

It already kind of hurts. He's done what, five? And you can already feel your cheeks burning with friction. You try to think about Marcus's question, you really do, but already your mind feels like it's emptying, unable to focus on anything but the sharp stings on your ass as Marcus deals out six, seven, eight, nine–

You start crying on ten. Huge, globular tears that run down your face as you sob in relief and pain.

"Remember to say 'stop' if you need," Marcus reminds you, but he doesn't stop. His hand comes down for the eleventh time and you give up trying to staunch the flow of tears and simply cry loudly into the couch cushion.

After the twelfth, Marcus asks, "Now do you know why you're being punished?"

You don't. You shake your head as you continue to sob.

Slap. "Because you're not being kind to yourself," Marcus says firmly. "And I can't stand to watch you beat yourself up over and over." Smack. "So it stops now, understand? I don't have any problems doing this again."

His hand pauses for a moment. "Tell me you understand," he says.

"Yes," you sob, open-mouthed, as all the tension you've carried all day–or hell, much longer than that–breaks, and you feel like you're floating away when Marcus delivers the last devastating slap.

The punishment has stopped, but you can't stop crying. You take huge gulping breaths of air as you try to get yourself under control, and Marcus is pulling you up and into his lap properly.

“It’s okay,” he says quietly. “You can cry. You don’t have to try and stop yourself.”

You nod your thanks into his shirt, clutching at him desperately.

“Shhh,” Marcus soothes. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

The two of you sit there for God knows how long. You, sniffling softly into Marcus’s shirt, and him holding you through it. The longer you sit there, the more you realize: the internal pain you’d been feeling has been washed away, replaced by a bone-deep sense of relief.

Eventually, the tears subside, and a wave of gratitude washes over you. You close your eyes, breathing Marcus in.

“Are you feeling okay?” Marcus asks quietly.

“Yeah, actually,” you answer at the same volume. “I really do feel… better.”

“It helped?”

You nod. “I just kind of feel… blank, and floaty.”

“That’s good,” Marcus says.

“Did you–” you start. “Was that–okay? Like, it wasn’t too much, or… bad, or–”

“I don’t like causing you pain,” Marcus begins, and you cringe. “No, hang on,” he says. “But I do feel good when I give you something you want, or need, and it–it seems like you needed that, in a way. And,” he says, swallowing. “I, uh–” he ducks his head, chuckling.

“What?”

“Well, getting to spank you raw like that was… surprisingly hot,” Marcus admits, blushing lightly.

You let out a watery laugh and tighten your hold on Marcus. A word escapes your lips, then. One word that, in hindsight, would change your relationship, your life, forever.

“Daddy.”

Whispered, barely audible, muffled by his shoulder. More of a reflex than anything else.

Marcus’s only reaction is a sharp intake of breath that he lets out slowly. His hand gently rubs up and down your back. You don’t think he’d heard, but then, just as quiet–

“I’m here. Daddy’s got you.”

“Can we talk?”

For a moment, you panic. That phrase has never heralded anything good in your life, ever. Seeing your alarm, Marcus quickly changes tactics.

“Nothing bad, I promise. I wanted to talk about last night,” Marcus says, sitting down next to you.

Oh. Right. Last night, when you’d asked Marcus to spank you out of nowhere after having a bad day. Well, technically, it wasn’t out of nowhere. It hadn’t been the first time that mental image wormed its way into your brain, but it’s not like you know how to actually talk about something like that.

“I’m sorry if that was weird–” you begin.

“Not weird. I may be wrong–but I don’t think I am–” Marcus says, grinning, “–but liking to be spanked is very common.”

“I know,” you grumble, your face heating exponentially. “I’ve been on fucking Pornhub, too.”

Marcus laughs loudly. “Caught me,” he teases. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Your eyes flick up to meet his. “What, then?”

Marcus swallows, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip. “You… you called me something,” he says quietly. “And I can’t get it out of my head.”

You don’t say anything right away, waiting for Marcus to continue. Eventually, he does.

“I hear it in my head every five minutes, I swear,” he says with a little huff of laughter. “And all I know is that I wish I could hear you say it again.”

“Daddy?” you whisper with a small smile.

You don’t miss the way Marcus shudders. “I don’t know why I like that,” he laughs softly.

“I may be wrong, but I don’t think I am,” you say with a grin, mirroring Marcus’s earlier statement, “but liking being called ‘Daddy’ is pretty common.”

“Touche,” Marcus murmurs, grabbing your hand and kissing your palm.

“What a pair we make,” you say softly.

“I think we make the perfect pair,” Marcus protests.

“I like calling you ‘Daddy,’” you admit, your voice barely audible. “You–you take such good care of me. I’ve never felt more… safe, with anyone,” you tell him. “I know I’ve mentioned that my, uh, my childhood wasn’t a great one. My mom… she fled an abusive relationship in the middle of the night and took only me and what she could carry,” you say with a self-deprecating laugh. “I remember fucking crying because I had to leave all my stuffed animals behind. Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing? We were fleeing for our lives, and my dumbass was worried about–”

“Shh,” Marcus hushes you quietly, pressing his lips to your forehead. “You were a kid. You didn’t know.”

“Anyways,” you mutter, “I spent the next, I dunno, twenty years? Feeling unsafe and unmoored, and now suddenly there’s–” you swallow, “–there’s you, and it’s the healthiest, most positive relationship I’ve ever had, and I feel like I can finally… exhale. Does–does that make sense?”

“Yes,” Marcus murmurs, between kissing your forehead and temples over and over again. “Yes, honey, it does.” He’s quiet for a while, the both of you just existing together in the moment, reveling in the security of Marcus’s arms. After a long while, he speaks again.

“What was your favorite? Of the things you left behind,” Marcus asks you softly.

“Oh,” you say, laughing softly. “I had this bunny. It came with a book that I loved–The Velveteen Rabbit. My mom used to read it to me, and I’d just flip through and look through the pictures when I was alone,” you tell him.

“What happened to the book?” Marcus asks, but you can tell from his tone that he already knows the answer.

“It’s long gone,” you say wistfully. “Wish I knew what edition it was.”

Marcus abruptly pulls you into his lap for a crushing hug. “I’m glad you feel safe with me,” he says, emotion choking his voice. “Please, always feel that way.”

“I will, Daddy,” you whisper, burying your head in Marcus’s neck. “I really, really will.”

You don’t know why it surprises you that, in less than a week, Marcus has a gift for you. Coming home from work, you walk into your bedroom to change into some sweatpants, and nearly fall to the ground at the sight that awaits you.

On the bed, propped up on the pillows, sits a simple brown stuffed bunny with large, floppy ears that look impossibly soft. And, sitting next to it, is a book with an old, worn cover.

You gasp and surge forward to pick it up, flipping open the front cover and raking your eyes over the title page. The Velveteen Rabbit.

“It’s a first edition,” comes a soft voice behind you.

You spin, and Marcus is leaning in the doorway, watching you with a small smile.

You pick up the rabbit next–it feels just as soft as it looks–and hug it to your chest, burying your face in its soft fur.

You don't remember the last time someone purchased something so simple and yet so meaningful.

You look at Marcus with unnaturally shiny eyes. "Daddy…" you whisper with a watery smile, "I love it."

"Come here," Marcus says, and you don't have to be told twice. You stride forward, bunny still clutched tightly to your chest, and allow yourself to be wrapped in Marcus's arms.

"Thank you," you whisper into his chest.

"You might not have gotten what you needed, what you deserved as a child," Marcus murmurs into your hair, "but that won't happen with me."

Your breath catches at the quiet ferocity in Marcus's tone, but at the same time, a little sliver of doubt worms its way into your brain. This isn't his responsibility, it says. This is too much of a gift for him to possibly give you.

"You don't have to, I dunno, take care of me or anything like that," you tell him in a small voice. "I don't want to just be a… a burden."

Marcus huffs a laugh, as if you'd just said something incredibly ridiculous.

"Oh, honey," he chuckles, "I've never wanted anything more."

It doesn’t happen all at once–there are many more funny, sometimes awkward discussions where you and Marcus hash things out, negotiating this new side of your relationship.

The crux of all of them, though, is that, for the first time, you feel safe just being… you. You start to indulge more in the little things that bring you joy–things that you might have dismissed as frivolous or silly before, but now that Marcus is really paying attention, he notices.

Like he notices one day in the supermarket, when the two of you are buying groceries for the week, how your eyes linger on a bin of stuffed toys near the checkout. Already in line, your cart full of groceries, you look down at them, one hand reaching out briefly to touch a cute little avocado with big, sparkling eyes and a tiny smile. Something in its goofy expression makes you smile, giggling softly at the toy.

Normally, you’d continue through the checkout aisle, putting down the stuffie with one last fond smile and returning to the task at hand, putting your groceries on the conveyor belt. When you turn, though, Marcus is watching you–with the same fond smile.

“Here.” He picks up the same stuffed avocado you’d been admiring. “Is this one your favorite?”

“It’s–it’s nice,” you say, “but it’s fine, I mean–it’s silly, what am I doing to do with–”

“Let me spoil my baby girl,” Marcus murmurs in your ear. “Let Daddy spoil you, honey.”

He hands you the toy with a crooked grin and a quick kiss on the forehead, and you can't contain the happy smile that spreads across your face. "Thank you," you whisper.

"Of course," Marcus answers softly. "Now help me with the groceries, hmm?"

As your comfort level grows, you realize that it’s not just about feeling a newfound sense of joy, getting to experience things that you’d lost out on as a kid. It’s not really about those things at all–it’s about safety. It’s about care, and protection. It’s not about the silly, blush-pink socks with little bows on the ankles that you like to wear around the house, kicking your feet as you type on your laptop, it’s about the care and the trust they symbolize. You’re safe to be completely and utterly yourself, to be vulnerable. You can allow yourself to slip back to a time where you felt the most vulnerable, except this time, Marcus is here to catch you.

As much as you feel safe and fulfilled by your new dynamic, Marcus seems to thrive in it as well. Now that you’ve essentially given him license to lean into that part of him that just wants to take care of you, he doesn’t hold back. You know by now that Marcus likes to be given a direction, and now that he has this, he blazes forward with enthusiasm. Marcus likes to be useful, and it’s as if you’ve handed him the world’s most powerful tool.

Marcus has always wanted to help you, whether by going to a few of your therapy sessions and holding your hand, or simply by being patient when you struggle to find your words. He’s one of the few people you’ve known that doesn’t try to finish your sentences or speak for you.

It makes you finally start to feel comfortable in your own skin, like you’ve finally come to the realization that you don’t have to try to be any different, not even for Marcus. On hard days, when you need his touch but don’t necessarily have the words to ask for it, you know that all you need to do is gently butt your head into his arm or shoulder, and he’ll turn with a soft smile and kiss the top of your head while he winds his arm around you.

You’ve never had anyone’s touch be so soothing.

Even still, there are bad days. Days where everything is too much and the words are caught in your throat and like the fighter you always have been, you push through it with sheer, stubborn bullheadedness until you collapse on the couch and draw a blanket over your head and breathe, like a little ghost haunting your living room for a little while.

“Hi, honey.” The words are always so soft-spoken, like he’s afraid he’ll startle you, as if you hadn’t heard the click of Marcus’s key in the lock moments before.

“I’d like to try something, is that okay?” he asks, and you nod.

“Can I see that pretty face?”

After a few more breaths, you lower the blanket and are greeted with the warm, brown eyes of your partner, and, in spite of yourself, you smile a little.

“There she is,” Marcus says softly. “My little girl.” He brushes his thumb over your cheekbone. “Will you follow me?”

When you nod, Marcus stands and walks to the bedroom with you in tow. When he strips off his shirt, you look at him warily. You can’t, you think. The sensory overload would be…

“Do you trust me?”

You nod for the third time, and Marcus approaches you and gently pulls your shirt over your head as well.

“Come lay with me,” he says, taking your hand and pulling you with him as he gets on the bed.

You allow yourself to be enfolded into Marcus’s arms with a shaky sigh. He gently pulls you on top of him, so that you’re laying fully on his chest, and his hand trails up and down your spine. You have to admit it, the feel of Marcus’s bare, warm chest against your cheek and the rise and fall of his breaths is already starting to loosen the tight coil of tension in your body.

Your eyes fall closed and you surrender to the feeling of being surrounded by Marcus. He doesn’t speak until your breaths lengthen and the muscles in your shoulders start to relax.

“I read this study a while back,” he murmurs, and you feel the words against your cheek when he speaks, “that skin-to-skin contact affects adults just as much as it does infants. There’s a whole range of physiological responses–heart rate goes down, blood pressure goes down, cortisol, anxiety levels, pain…” he huffs a little laugh, running the backs of his fingers up and down your neck. “I told myself I’d try it the next time you were having a hard day.”

You smile and tighten your hold on Marcus. “Such a scientist,” you murmur. “Testing hypotheses and whatnot.”

Marcus chuckles, and you smile too.

“It’s not a good study,” you tell him. “Your sample size is one.”

“Well,” he concedes with a smile. “Then we’ll have to do this again.”

You do. It becomes a habit on bad days, so much so that all you need to do is nuzzle your face into Marcus’s chest and tug at his shirt and he'll chuckle affectionately, pulling you over to the couch and letting you lounge, topless, against his bare chest as you watch a movie with the sound turned low.

It's never sexual, even with your breasts exposed and your nipples pebbling in the cool air. There's always a clear distinction between this, the loving way in which Marcus cares for you on bad days, and the times when you're intimate. Before Marcus, you'd never paid all that much attention to non-sexual touches, but this man seems to thrive off of touching you. He has an uncanny ability to make something as tame as a caress of your shoulder into something highly erotic, while at the same time showing you that even touching an intimate area–like the way his hand gently rests on the underside of your breast as he holds you–can be comforting and chaste.

"Daddy," you whimper pitifully. "Just… just a little longer, just a little more, just–argh!" You let out a cry of frustration as the little vibrator leaves you again and Marcus pauses the timer on his phone.

"Four more minutes," he announces.

"I can't go four more minutes," you whine.

"You said that at ten minutes, too," Marcus teases.

"You always say you like to spoil me," you pout. "Why are you making me wait?"

"I am spoiling you," Marcus counters playfully. "Think about how good it will feel when you're finally allowed to come."

You writhe uselessly on the bed, your hands restrained loosely above your head by a pair of lacy pink cuffs with little bows on them. They're only velcro; you could pull out of them easily, but you hardly want to. You know how much Marcus likes the look of you like this, and you get off on the feeling of perceived helplessness.

"Besides," he says, rubbing soothingly up and down your inner thigh. "Oh, how I love seeing you beg for me. I love seeing you like this. Daddy's little mess."

Marcus touches the little vibrator to your clit and restarts the timer, and you keen in frustration as you try to keep yourself under control. "C'mon, just four more minutes," he says. "You can do it."

Fifteen minutes, he had said, holding up your little vibrator. Fifteen minutes of this before you're allowed to come.

You've somehow managed to last eleven without completely breaking apart, but the last four minutes are torture. You're so close to the edge that he has to pause every thirty seconds or so, and whenever he pauses, so does the timer.

"Two minutes," Marcus murmurs gently. "You're doing so well. You're being so good for me, baby girl." He pauses the timer again and rubs his hand up and down your arm. "So good for me," he repeats quietly as you shake for him. "Catch your breath, it's okay."

The next two minutes might last a lifetime. When he stops for what seems like the tenth time and you let out a high pitched whine of frustration, Marcus brushes the hair from your forehead and says, "You've got twenty seconds left. I'm not gonna pause again, but you have to be a good girl for me and hold it there the whole time without coming, can you do that?"

You nod, biting your lip with determination. "Okay, Daddy," you whisper.

"Good girl," Marcus whispers back.

He restarts the timer and you try to take deep, even breaths, not allowing your body to do what it wants and fall off the edge. It feels impossible, especially when Marcus announces fifteen and then ten, and it feels like you can't possibly last another second. He starts counting slowly down from five, four, three, but your body is already seizing up as you fight the inevitable. The heat rises inside of you, and all you can do it grit your teeth and hope you can make it to one, when your mouth falls open and you start to come.

Marcus drops to his elbow beside you, not moving the vibrator from your clit, and hovers close to your face, whispering little praises as your pussy clenches violently.

"Perfect," he soothes. "Perfect girl. See? It feels so good when Daddy makes you wait, doesn't it?"

You nod pitifully. "Thank you, Daddy," you whimper.

"No, no," Marcus chuckles. "Thank you, baby girl. You do so well for Daddy."

"I want to feel you," you tell him softly. "Will you fill me up?"

Marcus smiles wickedly as he pushes his underwear down, freeing his cock. "Baby," he says with a chuckle, "Daddy will fill you up anytime you ask."

He lines himself up and, keeping his face close to yours, slowly pushes inside.

"My girl's choice," he rasps. "Slow or fast?"

"Hmmm," you smile teasingly, thinking about it for a moment. "Slow."

"Oh yeah? You like it when Daddy takes you apart inch by inch, don't you?" He asks as he reaches the deepest point within you.

"Yes," you answer blissfully, tipping your head back as he starts to to thrust, undulating his hips perfectly slowly, just like you'd asked.

“You wouldn’t believe the day I had,” Marcus says as he collapses onto the couch next to you.

“Oh! That bad?” you ask, curling into his side.

“No, just… really unbelievable. There was an elephant at my crime scene.”

Immediately, you pull back to look at him. “What?”

Marcus smiles at your reaction–from the glint in his eyes, you can tell he did it on purpose. “I swear. A real, live elephant.”

“Why?” you say with a little laugh.

“I was at the Smithsonian National Zoo,” Marcus explains, grinning. “One of the pieces the elephants painted was stolen.”

Now you’re even more confused. “The elephants… paint?”

“Yeah, you know, they train the elephants to hold a paintbrush, and they auction off the paintings for fundraisers,” Marcus says. “They’ve got a little gallery in the exhibit.”

“I’ve never been,” you say quietly.

“To the National Zoo?”

“To any zoo.”

Marcus’s lips part, and for a moment his eyes are sad–mourning for something you never had in the first place, before he perks up, realizing that now he gets to be the one to show you.

“Well,” he announces. “We’re just going to have to change that, aren’t we?”

Just a few short days later, you’re wiggling with excitement next to Marcus as you stand in line outside of the zoo.

“Excited?” Marcus teases.

“Yes,” you answer matter-of-factly, not bothering to hide it.

Marcus’s eyes crinkle as he grins. “Good. Where to first?”

Your eyes flit from sign to sign as you enter, momentarily overwhelmed by your choices and unsure of where to begin, before something catches your attention, and you know exactly where you want to go.

“Aquarium!”

You love it from the moment you walk in, taking in the darkened room lit by the otherworldly glow of the water. The first large glass window you come to contains an entire coral reef, with hundreds of different types of fish and one very ugly green eel that makes you giggle.

“Look,” you whisper in awe, hardly able to tear your eyes away. “Daddy, look.”

“I am looking,” Marcus says beside you, but when you turn, he’s not watching the fish at all.

He’s watching you.

“What?” you pout.

Marcus smiles and shakes his head. “Nothing, baby girl.”

His hand is always a comforting weight at the small of your back as the two of you stroll slowly through the gallery, until you come to a room with one large, open tank with low walls. Lips parting in surprise, you rush forward to look. It’s full of rays, swimming slowly, moving majestically and gracefully around the tank.

“You can touch them,” Marcus says beside you.

“What?” “The rays. You can touch them.”

You finally notice that many of the people around the tank have their hands submerged up to their elbows.

“No way,” you whisper.

“Yes, ray,” Marcus jokes beside you, and you elbow him in the ribs.

“Daddy.”

Marcus chuckles and you step forward, leaning over the tank and slowly sliding your hand into the water.

“I’m afraid I’m going to freak out if one of these things touches me,” you say with a giddy smile. “Do you think they’re slimy?”

Marcus shrugs. “I dunno, I’ve never touched one.”

“Stick your hand in the water.”

“You first,” he laughs. “Look, here one comes.”

You press your lips together with excitement as one of the rays swims along the side of the tank toward the two of you. It passes just under your hand, and you gasp as you feel its skin below your fingertips.

“Oh,” you exclaim softly. “Oh, that’s weird.”

"Weird?" Marcus laughs.

"Yeah, it's like, the smoothest thing I've ever felt, but it's soft and spongy."

"That is weird," Marcus says, his nose crinkling. "Hey, look, it likes you."

Sure enough, the ray turns around and comes by for another pass, one fin gently splashing the side of the tank as it swims by. It does it again and again, and you watch it with a disbelieving expression.

"Believe it or not, rays are quite social," a zookeeper says, noticing your odd companionship. "They can be playful, splashing people to show off, and they can form bonds."

"It does like you," Marcus breathes, watching the ray swimming underneath your fingers.

"That one's been through the ringer," the zookeeper comments. "It was rescued from a fishing net. See the big scar on its fin?"

You blink, looking at a line of darkened skin that you'd thought was simply color variation. "Oh," you whisper. "Poor thing."

"She's usually not very social," the zookeeper says. "I've never seen her do this."

"Is that right?" you say, smiling softly. "Are we friends?"

You stay there for a long time, until your fingers are pruny, in awe of the strange friendship.

Marcus, as always, is patient, and ends up chatting with the zookeeper, who's happy to share information about her research to the two of you.

"Hey," Marcus finally says, with an amused smile. "We've got a lot more zoo to see."

"I know," you say quietly, strangely reluctant to leave.

"This isn't the only time," Marcus assures you softly. "We'll be back."

Smiling sheepishly, you nod and withdraw your hand from the water, waving goodbye to the ray.

"That was the weirdest thing," you say with a laugh.

"That was adorable," Marcus hums, kissing your cheekbone.

The two of you walk through the rest of the zoo, you tucked into Marcus's side as you look at every exhibit. Finally, you find yourself back where you started at the entrance.

"C'mere," Marcus says, grabbing your hand. "One more thing."

He pulls you into the gift shop, smiling as you take in every conceivable type of stuffed animal lining the shelves.

"Pick your favorite," Marcus says.

"I don't know if I can narrow it down," you say with a laugh, overwhelmed with the sheer number of choices. But you walk up and down the aisles, looking at seals, tigers, penguins, orangutans, and sloths. They're all so cute. You bite down on your lip, looking around as you consider, and then you see it.

Back in one corner of the store, an entire shelf dedicated to…

"This one," you whisper, picking up a stuffed southern ray.

"How did I know?" Marcus chuckles.

You pause, a decades-old cycle of doubt worming its way into your brain. "Are you sure?"

Marcus frowns. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You always get me so many things… you spoil me too much."

Marcus raises one eyebrow in challenge. "I don't spoil you too much. I spoil you just the right amount."

He gently takes the ray from you, pays for it, and hands it back. He's quiet on the walk to the car, and it's making you uneasy.

"Daddy… are you mad?"

"What? No. God, no. I just…" Marcus sighs, leaning against the car. "I hate to think that you see this as spoiling you, baby girl. I don't see it spoiling you. I see it as giving you everything I want to give you. Everything you deserve."

"Daddy," you breathe, starting to tear up.

"You're everything to me," Marcus says quietly. "So I'm gonna give you everything. And if all I have to give in exchange for literally everything I want in my life is a few stuffed animals? Baby, you're getting the raw deal, here."

You laugh a watery laugh. "His name's Pancake, by the way."

"Pancake," Marcus chuckles, opening the car door. "That's cute, baby girl. Did you have a good time?"

"Of course I did," you answer. "I always do with you, Daddy."

"Daddy, aren't you going to bed?"

Marcus gives you an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, baby, Daddy’s got a big press conference tomorrow and I'm nowhere near prepared."

"Oh," you say, disappointed. "But I'm really tired."

“That’s okay, you don’t have to wait up for me.”

“But I miss you when you’re not there,” you pout.

Marcus looks up from his laptop with a wry smile. “You want Daddy to come tuck you in?”

You let out an involuntary shiver at his words.

"Yes, please," you whisper.

He grins. “Go get ready for bed, then. I’ll be there in a minute.”

You giggle and hop up from the couch, hurrying to the bathroom to brush your teeth. You throw on your favorite tank top to sleep in, leaving only your underwear on the bottom. As you’re getting into bed, Marcus comes in and sits beside you on the bed. He kisses you unhurriedly, taking his time moving his lips sensually against yours. You sigh into his mouth–he’s such a good kisser. Just as you start to lose yourself in the act, Marcus smiles against your lips.

“Lay down, baby girl.”

You obey, smiling dazedly up at him as your head hits the pillow.

“What’s Daddy’s rule?” Marcus asks softly.

“Don’t move,” you answer dutifully.

“That’s right. Get nice and comfortable for me.”

You arrange yourself half on your side, half on your stomach, with one leg bent to the side and Pancake tucked under one arm.

“Good girl,” Marcus whispers. His fingertips trail down your spine, over the fabric of your underwear, and then down, where he gently pulls them to one side to allow his other hand to touch. He sucks in a breath when he dips his fingers dip shallowly into your pussy, collecting your slick and rubbing it onto your clit. “Always so wet for Daddy, aren’t you?”

“Mmhmm,” you sigh contentedly into your pillow as Marcus starts rubbing in slow circles..

“My perfect girl, do you like it when I play with you?” he teases.

“Of course I do, Daddy,” you answer. “Would like it better if you gave me your c–”

“Shh,” Marcus chastises. “Not tonight, baby girl. I’m just trying to help you relax.”

You whine softly and shift your hips impatiently, and Marcus stops.

“No, no,” he chuckles. “Stay still for Daddy.”

“Sorry,” you whisper, taking a deep breath and letting it out as Marcus’s fingers start to move achingly slowly on your clit.

“Don’t be sorry,” Marcus soothes. “You’re doing so well for me. Look at how relaxed you are. You look so sweet, lying there and letting me take care of you.”

Your breath starts to come in pants, and you have to fight to keep yourself still as the pressure inside you starts to rise.

“That’s it,” Marcus whispers. “Nice and slow.”

Marcus is a patient man. He doesn’t rush toward your climax; he never speeds up the movement of his hand. He slowly builds you up until the fall becomes inevitable.

Your hands tighten into fists when Marcus finally pushes you over the edge; your mouth falls open and a little, ragged whimper comes out. Other than that, you don’t move a muscle as you come undone, and it brings all of your focus to the way your pussy clenches over and over again.

“Good,” Marcus whispers. “Good girl.” He gently pulls your underwear back into place and covers you with the blanket. “I love you so much, baby girl,” he whispers into the skin of your temple.

“Daddy,” you say softly, your eyes already closed. “You do a really good job. You take such good care of me.”

Marcus is quiet for a minute. “I’m glad,” he finally says, his voice rough with emotion. Clearing his throat, he adds, “I’ll be with you soon.”

His lips ghost against your temple once more before you hear him padding out of the room.

#marcus pike #marcus pike x you #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike x f!reader #the mentalist #pedro pascal

390 notes · View notes

soahbee · 4 months

Text

Okay, this day was such a teen rom-com!!!🤧

After the exam, my friends and I usually discussed the assignments, but I was wildly looking for R and the philosophy teacher. (let's call him M) obviously bc I was curious, he really is as handsome as my friend said on the phone yesterday. Bc of course I didn't really notice other teachers besides R. So after my friends went for coffee, I went to spy and literally hid behind one of the big plants from where I could spy on the corridor where the philosophy classes were held.

I tried not to be suspicious, but I don't think I even noticed myself, I was so focused on seeing that certain handsome teacher. Are there seriously any teachers here who are as hot as R? I doubt! I have to see him, you know, and you have to concentrate on that!! lol

and now come the comedy girls *movie scene*

I was trying to peek, a direct question "What are you doing?" suddenly came from behind me and I was sooooo scared that a "Jesus fuck" left my mouth. YES, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID.💀 I think everyone can guess that my extremely hot teacher R was standing behind me, (so who else obviously…) who made such a surprised face. I was completely taken aback by his voice, and I told him that you "scared me" and he looked at me in confusion and then asked:

"What are you doing behind the bush?"

I simply answered: "I'm spying" As if it was the most natural thing in the world and I could see that he was a little confused, so I decided to initiate, and then I asked him to come closer, bc I didn't want anyone else to hear us.

✨Now there were two of us standing behind the bush, which was damn unsuspicious✨ (of course STUPID)

I told him that I only wanted to see the philosophy teacher, but how could I say that in a way that wouldn't be misunderstood??????? NOT POSSIBLE. So I could see R's face getting more and more grim as I whispered fiercely to him like an idiot teenager then he asked:

"Why are you spying on M?

I to be honest with him, so I told him that a couple of my friends think M looks good and I just want to make sure.

Actually, I knew very well that there was nothing to react to this, so when R just stared at me in amazement, I told him to forget it was such a girly thing. Then our awkward situation was finally interrupted by the end of class and the students were just coming out of the room, and I remember very well that when I wanted to hide behind the bush, R grabbed my shoulder and specifically pushed me away from the bush while saying softly:

"Haven't you seen spy movies? No one hides so conspicuously"

At that point I had to laugh, and I'm still laughing now as I write this to you girls, bc yes, it was so funny, even though He wasn't laughing at all, in fact, he was very serious. But ahh he grabbed my shoulder (awwww) Then M finally came out and guys I have to say, this man is really good looking. Of course, R will always be my first, I just thought I'd give my opinion. So, after quickly analyzing the man, I turned back to R, who I think I shocked with my scene, but before I could open my mouth, he was faster and said:

"I don't think I want to know but I'll ask anyway. So what do you think he looks like?"

I never thought that I would talk to another teacher with him as if we were best friends, but looking back now, it's even funnier than it was then. He seemed to be interested in my opinion, so I told him that the girls were right, and upon closer inspection, M really looks good. I thought he would think me was childish bc of the whole situation, bc when I was hiding behind the bush, he cut his head like that. But now it's like he's making the same face, only with different emotions, which I don't know what it was, but it's definitely different. Then he folded his arms in front of him again and then I noticed my bracelet on him and oh my goodness I was so happy for him that I had to grin at him. YES, THAT'S MY BRACELET! WEAR MY BRACELET!🎉 I jumped for joy inside, but then he spoke:

"But he's not too old?"

My mind was completely elsewhere, so at first I didn't understand who was old, but then YES *good morning* I realized that M was still the topic, bc I was the only one who wandered off for a few seconds.

So I quickly snapped: "like you?"

It was sooo funny to see that R coming after me in the hallway telling me not to say he looks 50 years old. he immediately started explaining to me that He is not old at all and that M is about 45+ years old etc etc. 😭😭😭

So that was the point of the day and obviously not that I survived my exam anyway. Bahahhhaha 🙈

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reconstructwriter · 6 months

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So I Finally Finished Attack of the Clones

...for the very first time. When did this movie come out again? I am late, is there still room on this bandwagon? Anyway more thought vomiting on this movie...

Sith Pattern: I do appreciate that Palpatine is old, rich, white male fascist. Dooku is old, rich, white male fascist. Anakin shakes things up a bit by starting out young and poor but he’ll get there and has the rest down. Meanwhile our heroes are Padme Amidala, Mace Windu, Yoda, Bail, etc. Would have loved for George Lucas’ original casting of Obi Wan to have gone through! This does make Mirror!verses and morality flip AU's very weird because the Galaxy is being saved from aliens by three white guys? Unfortunate implications aside I can suspend a lot of disbelief about laser-swords and magic IN SPACE but I gotta draw the line somewhere.

Anakin’s attachment: Is well-shown here with convenient comparison to Cleigg – her husband and her son, the two who should love Shmi the most. At her funeral Cleigg is all ‘you’re in a better place. Thank you for the time we had,’ vs Anakin’s ‘I wasn’t strong enough to save you, I won’t fail again’ and ‘I miss you’. Exact opposites. Cleigg was entirely focused on Shmi while Anakin was focused on himself.

Also Anakin’s focus kinda screwed up Obi Wan’s mission when he wasted precious moments FINDING Anakin to get his galactically-important message through.

Mace Windu Not Killing Dooku: Shatterpoint, along with some fanfics, has Mace beating himself up for not ending the war by killing Dooku but my man you’re too hard on yourself! You only killed Jango when he decided to fuck around and find out with you in the death arena. Dooku did not fuck around and find out so your only chance would’ve been to throw away all your Jedi morals and stab him in the back! Thus risking becoming Darth Tyrannus 2.0 and screwing the galaxy.

Jango why did you fuck around and find out? I get Mace held a laser sword to your throat and you had a working jetpack going into the arena…but that arena is No Man’s Land. Even if Galidraan was canon you could’ve stayed back and taken pot shots.

The scene with Boba giving one last keldabe kiss to his father’s helmet is heartbreaking! Ouch!!!

Padme: So I kinda get being willing to confess her terrible taste in men on Space Fantasy Death Row. She doesn’t want to live a lie and is straight up expecting to die so what does it matter if she confesses? And then she does live so consequence time! Still feels like she’s ignoring the genocide – or George Lucas is ignoring the obvious implications. Genocide does work for foreshadowing Jedi genocide and Nazi comparisons (boy howdy does it!!!). But murdering every single member of an entire tribe down to the babes in arms doesn’t work for ‘Anakin doesn’t Fall here, he just dips his toe in the Dark’.

Padme otherwise doesn’t seem too terribly out of character throughout. She stands her ground against Anakin and where she does give in – rescuing Shmi – or chooses to go after Obi Wan? Well both did do her immensely big favors it’d be weirder if she brushed them off. Plus, rescuing both comes with additional benefits – no assassin will look for her on Tattooine (it worked before) and Obi Wan’s rescue could offer the opportunity to discuss peace with the Separatists before war happened.

And it did – in the cut scene :P

Dual with Dooku: So Anakin did put his duty first when Padme fell in the (barren, sans enemies) sand with an ally but damn if his attachment to her wasn’t still affecting him. The hot-headed idiotic attack was the worst possible timing! Why does everyone beat Mace up (including the man himself) for not killing Dooku but give Anakin a pass when he had every chance of ending the war Right There if he’d been able to keep his head on straight for two minutes.

The End: As with the first movie, we end with Mace and Yoda clearly knowing what the Sith are doing, though they're split with Mace believing Dooku while Yoda thinks its a trick. And I think they’re both right because I read somewhere Dooku and Palpatine were hoping to sow doubt between the Jedi and the Senate but also was telling the truth – from a certain point of view. Anyway, they aren't oblivious. Yoda straight up says the Shroud of the Dark Side has Fallen.

The last scene really drives that home! How the beginning of the war is the beginning of the Empire. The war kills the Republic and this is repeatedly smacked into our brains with the imagery of Palpatine standing at the head of everyone else, the most powerful Supreme Chancellor ever as the army of white-clad troopers marches out into the galaxy below him. The Destroyers lift off. The Empire’s freaking theme music plays.

Overall the movie had its high points and stinkers but that was a damn fine end!

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smokestarrules · 4 months

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hi! i wanted to ask u a question abt gwitch if that’s okay. during That episode 17, before miorine does the cruel/idiotic betrayal breakup she tells guel that she’s the same as him and also doesn’t want to lose her precious things. obviously she meant suletta but i was always confused, bc she’s still going thru with the backstabbing and pushing her away so she IS losing her precious thing unlike guel who with this deal is preserving his precious thing which is jeturk company by partnering w her. so they’re not the same in that sense OR did she mean 2 other ways: that she doesn’t want to lose the precious suletta she knows and loves to prospera’s manipulations that’ll turn her into a murderer, or that she means it like suletta will surely die on this path if it continues and she doesn’t want to lose her literally.

sorry this got long but i’m v curious how u interpreted that, like she said that and then goes and gives up her precious thing- unless it was the latter reasons i mentioned. also i’m realizing now it sounds like i hate miorine, i don’t, i get what she did and im nuetral/like her character but i never got the catharsis and resolution from that act bc of the rushed ending, and now i have this unresolved frustration and anger towards her that pops up sometimes when i think abt the 2nd cour.

i rly rly wish they’d gotten to talk abt this more during their reunion than just the one line “pulling u away from ur mom, it was all a mistake” like i desperately needed the words im sorry. i KNOW she probably said it offscreen but maaaan, i know u like this trope but break your heart to save them gets under my skin so badly i just want to shake the character!

this got long again i’m so sorry for the rambling, like i said i’ve got baggage from ep17 that imo didn’t pay off well enough to justify doing that. i still ship sulemio tho and am so happy they’re married, it just breaks my heart that we didn’t get more episodes to unpack that miorine acted exactly like her father. have a good day! thanks for reading all this if u did

To me it was both of the reasons you yourself mentioned: Miorine weighed her options, and ultimately decided that Suletta would be worse off if she didn't cut ties with her in the worst possible way. As a result, Suletta would be taken out of the most dangerous areas (re: Prospera also giving her up, as was the deal) and she wouldn't be further corrupted by Prospera either.

There just really wasn't any good decision to make. I love that episode because I think it's incredibly good character development for Miorine to be able to make that choice; she's always been somewhat of a selfish character and that's been shown alongside her protection of Suletta, so obviously this is a huge decision for her no matter what.

I would have also loved to see an apology, but unfortunately it's pretty clear that the tail end of the show was pretty rushed and while the scene we did get of their reunion was done incredibly well, there's a few things that they simply ran out of time for. In the end, I think I would have loved a true season 2 where they could flesh everything out more slowly and thoroughly, but I am happy with what we were ultimately given. You are absolutely valid to have some misgivings about how it all went down.

#mobile suit gundam the witch from mercury #miorine rembran #suletta mercury #sulemio #smokey answers #anonymous

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rosegolqen · 3 months

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Mors Vincit Omnia

billy russo x reader (au)

warnings: short fight scene

words: 2886

iii. pursuing the woman

Indescribably everything had been planned perfectly. To every last fucking detail. Distract Daniel for the time being while also impress him for future needs. Done. Slip away from the crowd unnoticed with an excuse of going to the restroom. Check. Charm Denis Andreyev, a Russian man who was tied with a ringleader who in expanse was directly working with General Dreykov, her once master. Done. Denis Andreyev was so absorbed in her that she easily slipped his identification card from his pocket. Now she would be able to break into his office and get the name of that ringleader who was kidnapping young girls and shipping them off to the General. Anastasiya would be able to buy herself enough time to bring down Dreykov before her master hired another ringleader. Check. No. Scratch that because an undeniably attractive yet idiotic man decided to stop her before she could get to Denis's office.

Strong arms pinned her torso and hands to the wall, a warm hand covered the lower part of her face and Anastasiya could see the recognition in Billy's eyes when he looked at her. His whisper brought shivers down her spine. She hadn't let anyone get this close to her in a long time. She hadn't expected him or anyone to catch her tonight. "Where do you think you're going with that, Anastasiya?"

The textured yet white concrete wall bit into the skin of her back because of the stupid dress she was wearing. A minute detail that Anastasiya also hated about the black dress was that it was almost skin-tight and she couldn't hide that many weapons underneath it. Don't be fooled she still had many tricks up her sleeve that didn't need the inclusion of pointy and sharp objects.

Billy must have watched the interaction she had with Denis. She thought she was slick and Russo had found a woman to distract himself with just as he did at every social gathering yet Anastasiya underestimated him. His sharp military eyes trained with years of experience and ruthlessness didn't miss a minor point.

He was good, but she was better.

The elevator opposite their hiding spot by the wall opened luckily enough, detecting movement from them and Anastasiya mustered enough strength to overpower him and push both of them into the open elevator. Before a head could turn in their direction from the party, she hit a button, swiftly closing the metal doors as she pushed Billy away from her and against the walls of the lift.

Andreyev's card was safely tucked between the fabric of the dress and her collarbone. She would need that after she was done with Billy. She let her bag fall to the ground as the man before she straightened his back and slicked back a strand of hair that fell over his forehead. His top lip pulled back, bearing his teeth and his eyes wide with ferocity. His suit was crumpled, ironed button-up brimming with wrinkles.

She tilted her head, trying to get her breathing under control as she dropped the fake English accent, "You don't want to play games with me tonight, Russo." Anastasiya thanked whatever Saint that her dress had a tiny slit going above her knees as she ripped the fabric more, making it easier for her to move. A thin thigh holster adored the flesh of her femur bone, containing a pointy knife that she sharpened this morning. Pulling it out, she twirled the knife in her dominant hand, "It could end bloody for you."

Billy held both of his hands up to his chest, breaths heavy as he regarded her with eyes that dissected every turn of the knife in her hand. With slow and steady moves he hit the emergency stop button in the elevator, making the metal cage halt. "I don't fight with women, I don't want to hurt you." Billy knew she was capable of cutting a man's head off yet he didn't think she was a match to him in any fight. As far as he knew she had a mysterious agenda against even more mysterious people. He didn't recognize the man's card that she had stolen. He will find out though.

"Don't worry about me, Russo." The tilt of her head made her fringe move before her eyes and Anastasiya regretted not plaiting her hair into Dutch braids around her head. Though braids reminded her of darker times when her mind felt underwater, muddled with actions and thoughts that weren't entirely her own. A small devil was always perked on her shoulders, heaving them down with commands for her to execute and while she tried to fight those dark whispers, her mind wasn't willing to assist in breaking free from the grasp of the man who controlled her and so many other women. Tonight that cycle created by her once master would start to crumble.

While Billy seemed to lower his guard with his body language, Anastasiya was waiting for him to make the first move. She knew he was a predator underneath all those expensive suits he wore and the facade he was putting on for the high-class people. As she was trying to figure out his fighting techniques, Russo struck. His right hand trying to grab her knife, his body swift and efficient.

She ducked underneath his hand, turning around and raising her leg, her heel digging into his back as she forcefully pushed him against the metal wall. He let out a wince, his hands taking the brunt of the shove. Quickly regaining her footing in those annoying heels made Anastasiya also realize that she missed her combat boots so very much.

Billy let out a hiss as he turned around, "You shouldn't have done that." He looked more angry now than before. Good. His body oozed off with aggression as he tried to hit her with a fast punch she moved out of the way in the small confinement of the elevator, still trying to slip the knife from her hands. Horrendous. Billy wasn't familiar with the movements of a trained Black Widow as he tried to use the strength that he was taught in the Marines. Anastasiya on the other hand made sure not to move that much.

Rather he exerted himself than her.

With a strike to his windpipe with her elbow, Anastasiya bought herself valuable time to think as Billy instinctively reached with both hands for his throat, heaving out a muffled breath. Without waiting another second Russo pushed her against the elevator, her head hitting the cold metal as she tried to focus her eyes again. Pinning her hand with the knife against the lift, his body pressed against hers as she tried to kick him in the stomach. He blocked her knee before it could hit him as he tried to wrench the weapon from her. Her hand free from any weapons reached for his slicked-down hair, pulling the strands back as he let out another hiss, body crammed with heavy breaths.

Billy yanked the knife from her hand, thrusting it into the metal wall beside her head. The loud noise beside her ear made her squint her eyes as the man pushed his body more against her, pinning her torso between his and the elevator. Pushing her knees up she thrusted them forward. The slit of her dress ripped further against her thighs as she felt the hard planes of Russo's abdomen with her lower legs. With a cry and a forceful grip on Billy's hair, Anastasiya twisted the man's body away from her. Hand and torso falling away from the elevator, she slid down the lift's wall, backside hitting the floor as Billy did the same.

He let out a colourful curse. Pulling herself on her feet, she turned around, trying to wrench the knife from the metal plate. That was a mistake she hadn't made in a long while. Never turn your back on the opponent. With a grunt Russo pinned her from behind, strong arms circling her hands against her chest before she could pull the blade free.

Anastasiya made sure Billy wouldn't be able to headlock her. That would have been fatal. She moved her hips to the right side as she struck backwards with her elbow against his gut. The move successfully weakened his hold on her, a grunt falling from his lips and grip loosening, making it able for her to face him. She pulled her left hand into a fist and smacked him right in the nose. His body lurched backwards, head hitting the metal wall hard enough to surrender him to an unconscious state. She moved out of the way before his body fell against her as she sacked against the lift herself.

The cold of the steel touched the back of her head. The sensation was cold against the stuffy air in the elevator. She opened her mouth and cracked her jaw, her breaths deep as she tried to slow the beating of her heart. Anastasiya let out a sigh as she looked at the knocked-out man splayed on the floor. He laid on his stomach, a wet patch of dark hair shining on the back of his head, a tiny trail of blood running down behind his ear that was most probably from the hit and also well deserved.

Anastasiya stood up, pressing a button in the elevator and the number of the supposed floor Andreyev's office was on. She memorized the way to his office from the plans of the building she acquired a week ago. Getting into his office wouldn't be that hard, the bodyguards were mostly on the ground floor where the guests mingled, rather it would be difficult to find the information she needed on the ringleader. She didn't think it was on Andreyev's computer yet she still stole his card so she would be able to look through it but she would need to search his office for the hidden data.

Good thing she spilt wine all over his suit so that he was distracted at the moment and wouldn't focus on his robbed card. Before she stepped out of the elevator and onto the right floor, she butted Billy on the temple with the tilt of her knife, making sure that he wouldn't interrupt her again tonight. Anastasiya made sure though that she didn't hit him that hard, she wouldn't want him to wake up with neurological problems. She debated disposing of his body in an office but decided against it, leaving him in the elevator. If someone found him, it would be an embarrassing situation for Russo to talk himself out of. A woman who attended the gala and moved like an assassin knocked him out? Right, because anyone would believe that.

Sheathing the blade back in its place, she picked up her bag from the floor and checked out her appearance in the reflection of the steel lift. Her knuckles were red from the punch she delivered Billy, she was glad the skin didn't open on her hand. She knew they would be delicate and throb with pain by the next morning but with those thoughts, she confidently made her way to Denis's office.

Pulling the card from beneath her dress, Anastasiya looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was behind her. The hallway she walked through was clean and sterile, with bright lights buzzing above her head. She thanked the Saints that the building wasn't equipped with cameras only at the entrance. Andreyev's nameplate was hung beside a corner office door, the room dark though Anastasiya could see that floor-to-ceiling windows covered one side of the room, a big bookshelf the other and an expensive desk and chairs were placed in the middle of the room.

Looking once again over her shoulder, she closed the door behind her, making her way over to the desk in the dimmed office. She switched on the small light at the desk. The too-neat placement of expensive pens on the desk made Anastasiya pull a face. Denis Andreyev was too compulsive by the look of his desk to appear as anything but a psycho to her whereas the public saw a nice gentleman who worked with international clients to help small businesses.

Turning the computer on and pushing the identification card into the opening of the card identifier beside the screen, Anastasiya leaned back in the chair. Sifting through the boring files on the computer she let out a sign. She expected it, but disappointment ran through her body, hands shaking lightly as she pulled the card out and tucked it again between the fabric of the dress and her right clavicle bone.

Her heels tapped on the shiny floor of the office as she looked around, hands behind her back. If I were working with a man who I need to stay in contact with every day where would I hide the evidence of our communication? Anastasiya thought about Denis having these calls in his home but he spent his every waking minute in his office, she realized as she had stalked him a week ago. It was more likely they communicated here but where exactly? With what phone? Not through emails or Denis's office and personal phone. She checked all of those. No sketchy number or email address that would be noticeable as a Russian ringleader who collected little girls and shipped them off to wherever place Dreykov currently trained his widows.

Knocking on the walls by the bookshelf and moving trinkets didn't activate any hiding place like in those cartoons that Anastasiya has memories of. She let out an exhale, the clock on the wall showing that 14 minutes had already gone by. She should hurry up. Looking around the office once again, her trained eyes didn't see anything out of suspicion.

Making her way over the desk again, Anastasiya abruptly stopped. Her ears picked up a sound that was unusual in the silent office. Looking at her heeled feet, she took two steps back. The clicking of her heels made a different noise when she stepped on a specific vinyl tile. Crouching down she knocked on the tile with the hand that didn't punch Billy. Nothing happened, so she tried to press down the tile. Leaning on both her arms so that she was able to use more strength, the tile emitted a ticking sound and pushed upward.

A tiny compartment with enough space to hide things popped up. A load of cash, some company documents and a burner phone lay in the recess. Taking the phone and putting it in her bag, Anastasiya pushed the tile carefully back in its place.

Clever, but Denis wasn't as bright as he thought he was.

Anastasiya quickly turned the lamp by the desk off and made her way from the office. Pushing the door open only slightly, she eyed the hallway. Not noticing anyone she stepped out and closed the door behind her. She took a look at the elevator that was still on the same floor and Anastasiya was slightly curious if Russo was still in there. Against her better judgment, she made her way to the elevator, the doors opening at her movements.

With a deep breath she prepared for Billy to jump out yet the lift was empty. Her eyes took in the inside of the elevator but nothing stood out to her as if she and Russo didn't fight there about 20 minutes ago. Pushing him out of her mind, she focused on her mission and turned away, heading for the flight of stairs.

As she arrived at the last set of steps, Anastasiya was out of breath but still pushing forward. She couldn't use the front entrance to exit the building because of the stupid cameras. So she needed to manoeuvre her way out at the emergency exit that only had access through the staircase. What a dill-witted structure this building had.

With a relieved sigh, Anastasiya pushed the door open, cold air hitting her skin. The moon shone tonight brighter than it usually did in the city that never sleeps. She fished out her real phone and called a cab, throwing Denis's card into the dark alleyway behind her.

Somehow these two weeks took a toll on her emotionally more than the missions she usually did in the past. In truth she was never herself when she had to execute Dreykov's commands. She didn't have to deal with the burden of emotions back then. But tonight she truly did something that could help many people. Tonight she was all about saving more lives. Tomorrow she would start with the ringleader and hopefully by next week she would be able to slit her once master's throat.

Stepping into the cab with an excited strut in her step that she hadn't felt in a long time— or ever in her life, Anastasiya didn't see the man hiding in the shadows and clutching a handkerchief to the bleeding wound on his head. His eyes took in the screen of his phone. A dot on the city's map moved in the direction of where Anastasiya's cab was driving.

Good thing he slipped a minuscule tracker on the shank of her heels as she pushed him against the elevator's metal wall. Oh, he was going to enjoy messing with her.

#red room #alternative universe #assasin au #billy russo #billy russo x female reader #billy russo x reader #billy russo x you #black widow #marvel #mcu #the punisher #frank castle #matt murdock #daredevil

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