#*cutely threatens to drop bombs on them both from above*

[deadscell]

i love the part in snake eater when the theme song starts playing in the background while the boss and naked snake relentlessly beat the crap out of each other.

#*cutely threatens to drop bombs on them both from above* #best game ever #it doesn’t have to be your favourite mgs game but you can at least appreciate the beauty of it and all it’s charm #i love how she just straight out told him ‘if you don’t kill me the bombs will’ she’s such a badass i need her #just bad bitch things 🥰 #metal gear solid #mgs #metal gear #metal gear series #mgs3 #big boss #mgs big boss #big boss mgs #naked snake #mgs 3 #mgs3 snake eater #mgs3 the boss #metal gear solid 3 snake eater #metal gear solid 3 #the boss #the boss mgs #mgs the boss #the joy #metalgearsolid3 #metalgear #metalgearsolid #mgs snake #snake mgs #snake eater #what a thrill

[snuggetfish]

Majidad family headcanons..? 🥺👉👈

Say no more 💖 This is LONG so I've put it under the cut!

First off, how many children would Majima want? Frankly, the man’s so happy to be given the chance at fatherhood in the first place that even just one would send him over the moon... but he wouldn’t say no to more. He’s paid enough visits to Kiryu to feel that twinge in his heart, hearing the echo of so many cheery voices around the orphanage. 

So, if it at all possible, he’d love to see his dream about having his own little cuddle puddle of kids become a reality. He’ll maybe slightly underestimate how difficult it’d be to take care of them all, but he’s Majima Goro, moulded by fate to be one tenacious bastard. He’ll pull through, somehow, with the help of a loving partner willing to go the distance with him. However, if he did only have one kid, you can bet they’d be spoiled absolutely rotten. You might think that the roles of good cop/bad cop would be obvious in a crazy yakuza dad+presumably civilian spouse couple, but think again, because Majima is a complete pushover when faced with cute puppy eyes. 

Extra serving of ice cream after dinner? He'll pile gigantic scoops into his bowl and then give up not even halfway through, sliding it towards his child. He can't really wink, but they get the picture. “Who in ever is gonna finish this for me?” Five minutes more at the park? Sure thing, they can have the whole hour and maybe Kiryu-chan might show up in the meantime too so they can... schedule their next fight. No throwing down in front of the kid! I think also once Majima becomes a dad, his priorities shift. Slightly, but noticeably. He still upholds his vicious reputation, but he isn't living at the edge any more, fighting through each day like it's his last, defusing bombs with little regard for safety. If surviving up until now was luck more than anything, with a child in his life, he's going to make damn sure it becomes a certainty. He's got something so very precious to stay alive for.

When they're still very young, Majima would be a great help in comforting them during the night. He typically gets back at late hours anyway and relishes the chance to spend a bit of time with his child, instead of immediately collapsing into a restless sleep like he always used to. If they're awake or crying he'll comfort them as best as he can, even with his whispered voice now hoarser than he remembers it and no knowledge of lullabies... but hey, pop songs will do too. 24h Cinderella anyone? Though if they're sound asleep, he'll stick to just holding their tiny hand for a while, feel it clasp gently around his fingers... 

First things first, the gloves come off, always. "Skinship" is a Japanese word put together from English that I think is great for describing the kind of parent-child intimacy he'd want. On mornings where can afford to sleep in, it wouldn't be uncommon for his spouse to find him on the couch, dozing on and off with the baby nestled on his chest. He's afraid of falling fully asleep and missing the tenderness of the moment, plus his nightmares are not something he'd ever want his child to know... So he'll stay like that, stroking their back and peeking through a lidded eye at his partner who's busy making breakfast. Also on this topic, an idea that occurred to me recently: you know how Majima's tattoo has one of the snakes' heads on the left side of his chest? Well... call him superstitious, but he'd only hold the baby on the right side. Can't have it threatening his sweet pea. 🥺️

What about once they get older? Well probably Majima would start waking up with unexpected “extensions” made this his tattoo, in black marker. Possibly some scribbles on his eye patch as well, which he’ll still proudly wear to work. And if you know what’s good for you, you really don’t want to be the one making fun of a Mad Dog that’s sporting a little heart doodle on his face. Kisses? Yes, absolutely. As we learn from Dead Souls, Majima would not shy away from smooching his child. A “good night” kiss, a “good morning” kiss, a “have a nice day” kiss when they’re off to school. One day the kid complains that his beard’s too scratchy and Majima doesn’t even think twice before he goes back to being clean-shaven. 

I think at some point they would also have to be introduced to the domain they're going to be ruling (though only as children!): the Majima Family. Nishida would be promoted to “designated driver", for a kid all too eager to ride on someone's shoulders while daddy's away in a meeting and the Kamurocho Hills construction site would be getting a new foreman. Their duties would include drawing on the blueprints and shouting words of "encouragement" at the men through dad's loudspeaker, whenever he needs a break. Bet Majima even gets them a little hard hat and everything, custom-made! Ok so it also doesn't take long for them to figure out a fun game to play with the new family members, a hazing ritual basically: show up on the day of their first office duty and annoy the hell out of them. Men were nervous to begin with, but now they're confused and pissed, like who the hell is this brat and who let them in? Kid plays the silent card: doesn't say a word about their name or their dad's, just keeps running around and getting in their business. 

After chasing a lightning-fast kid all around the whole office, Majima comes in and they think they're saved. Surely the boss has 0 tolerance for little intruders.... Though, of course, the intruder immediately runs to daddy and it slowly... very slowly dawns on them. Kid’s grinning from behind a leather-clad leg and the poor newbies have gone white in the face mentally counting how many fingers they're gonna have to give up. But it’s all fun and games... mostly. Of course a Majima descendant would inherit his mischievous nature.

But hey at some point, uncle Saejima comes back. Though Majima’s maybe a little reluctant at first, eventually he can’t but see the value of his kid training with his kyodai in the dojo. For self-defense, but also to develop their athleticism. Saejima’s of course happy to spend time with his niece or nephew, though... you know how in Y4 one of dojo's mechanics is that the students can just skip your lessons if they're not feeling motivated enough? Majima’s munchkin would absolutely do that. Slide underneath the big tiger’s legs and make a run for it! 

I think Majima would find it terribly endearing if the child at some point started dropping Kansai words here and there. And that’s in spite of Saejima chiding him that his own accent is fake and that the kid probably picked it up from the “real source”, a.k.a Saejima himself. Heh, dad and uncle might bicker sometimes, but they both make it clear just how much they love the little one.

Now, raising a child as a high-profile yakuza is obviously not going to be all rainbows and sunshine... I think Majima would love nothing more than to indulge in the cozy fantasy of being an ideal father, spending all his waking moments playing with his kid, putting his energy and creativity to good use, just generally making sure his son or daughter get the best childhood he's never had... but it's a fantasy for a reason, because he's grounded enough in reality to know that it's not going to work out as idyllically as that. 

He's fulfilled his and Saejima's dream of climbing the yakuza ranks, although it's come at the cost of being a notorious figure, with scars both external and internal. How is he going to protect his family? How much time is he really going to be able to dedicate to his kids? How is he going to keep them from walking the same dark path he has? Not a day passes where he doesn’t ask himself all those questions... doubly so on nights where he comes home to find that they’ve wiggled in his bed as well, cozy and safe in his partner’s arms. And it hits him that they’ve already grown up so much and he fears he’s missed out on so much, on making a positive impact in their life...

Ultimately, I don’t believe Majima would want his kids to grow up involved in the yakuza. Yet at the same time he can’t entirely hide his career. Maybe that’s a good thing because it teaches him that it's never as black and white as "if I leave, they'll be safe; if I stay, they'll die". One can raise a child to be strong and, above all, make their own decisions and carve their own path, even as a dad who's for all intents and purposes a criminal. The yakuza are, after all, a fact of everyday living, hidden in plain sight, given how pervasive they are in business and politics. A kid that's seen the flip side of the coin (within reason, because you bet Majima would still be fiercely protective of them) would surely be well equipped for life. It’s what he hopes, at least. If I thought the last ask was long...oh boy. I’d like to deeply thank all my friends off whom I’ve been bouncing these privately ideas for months now!! 💙💙💙 I didn’t think there’d be much interest in Majidad headcanons, but I’m happy to have been proven wrong!

#majima goro #goro majima #dad majima #yakuza headcanons #HEY LISTEN #just last night I hurt myself deeply by modding Majima and the little girl from Dead Souls as Kiryu and Haruka in Kiwami... #screenshots are on my twitter but I might also post them here! #anon asks #answered

[litwitlady]

Operation (4/?)

Read the Board Game Verse on AO3.

Michael is over an hour late. He knocks on Alex’s door and steps back to wait. He hears a muffled ‘come in’ and lets himself inside. All the lights are off and everything is silent until he hears Alex clear his throat. Walking down the hallway, Michael finds him buried beneath a blanket, nothing but his head poking out. ‘I took a nap while I waited. Everything okay?’

Michael nods. ‘Yeah, Isobel was just worried about Max. You feeling alright?’

Alex sits up and throws the blanket off. ‘Better than alright. I thought a nap might help make my hands steadier so I can beat you tonight. Finally.’ He grins up at Michael, devilish glint in his eye. ‘Food’s on the way, but let’s start playing so I can start winning.’

Back at the dining room table, Michael drops into the chair next to Alex. ‘You do realize that I’m very good with my fingers, right? You still remember from all those times I -’

‘Stop.’ Alex holds his hand to Michael’s face. ‘If I recall correctly, my own fingers did just as good a job as yours. I could argue maybe even better. At least sometimes.’

MIchael nods, making a face that indicates he’s magnanimously letting Alex get away with absolute clownery. ‘We’ll see.’

The game starts off pretty evenly. Both of them choosing the easiest body parts to remove and doing so successfully. The best part for Michael is watching Alex concentrate, tip of his tongue snaking out of the corner of his mouth. It’s cute and he tells him so. ‘Shoosh, Guerin. Stop trying to distract me with your flirting.’

Eventually, the only thing left is the pencil. The most notorious piece of all. It’s Michael’s turn and he takes a deep breath before picking up the tweezers. Just as he lowers them to the tiny, slivered piece, Alex speaks. ‘The moon’s wet.’ Michael jumps and his hand jerks wildly, setting off the buzzer and lighting up the naked man’s red nose.

He glares at a smug Alex. ‘The moon’s wet? That’s cheating.’

Alex’s grin only grows. ‘There’s absolutely no rule against talking about wet moons.’

‘It’s implied in the spirit of the game. Each player gets to concentrate on removing the piece instead of their blabbermouth ex.’ He leans over the board and carefully removes the pencil, throwing it at Alex’s face.

Alex bats the small plastic pencil onto the table. ‘Blabbermouth ex? I thought my problem was the exact opposite of being a blabbermouth.’ He starts to put the game away, his smile unwilling to die.

The doorbell interrupts them, announcing the arrival of their dinner. They sit on the sofa, both choosing opposite sides so that an empty cushion remains between them. Alex pulls the wool blanket back over his lap and offers to share with Michael who readily accepts. ‘Want to watch a movie?’ Alex opens the Netflix app and tosses Michael the remote. ‘Pick anything you want.’

Michael settles on A Knight’s Tale. Alex doesn’t question the choice, only smiles to himself behind his food. Not in a million years would he have expected Michael to choose this particular movie. But once the movie starts playing and Michael starts chuckling along to all the best parts, Alex thinks the choice isn’t so surprising after all. He imagines that maybe Isobel forced him to watch it one day back in high school, and despite Michael’s fervent protests, he fell in love with its charm.

It’s not really a stretch. He always did fall in love so easily back then.

As the movie progresses, Alex sinks lower and lower into the couch, sliding back beneath his blanket and stretching out his left leg. He stops just shy of pressing his foot against Michael’s hip. But a few minutes later, he feels Michael’s warm hand wrap around his ankle and pull his foot onto his lap. Again, Alex hides his smile, only this time behind his blanket.

The room grows darker and Alex watches as the moonlight slants across Michael’s skin, casting shadows in the sharpest corners of his jaw. An eerie glow haloes his profile, and Alex forgets all about the movie, preferring to watch Michael instead. A fourth button is threatening to come undone and Michael’s lips twitch slightly with every joke the movie makes. Alex also notices that Michael keeps flexing his left hand, stretching his fingers against the couch’s arm and squeezing his fist open and shut. ‘Does your hand hurt?’

Michael glances down at him and shakes his head. ‘Not really. Old habit, I guess.’

Alex sits up and scoots closer, reaching for his hand and massaging between his knuckles. ‘Let me know if anything hurts or feels too uncomfortable. You never told me what happened. How you got healed? I assumed it was Max, obviously.’

‘It was. He got drunk on power after killing Noah, grabbed my hand, and healed me.’ His voice is quiet, too quiet. ‘I know it doesn’t make sense, but I didn’t want to be healed.’

Alex nods, continuing to work at the kinks in the back of his hand, pressing hardest in the spots that used to be rigid and gnarled. ‘I know. And it does make sense. No matter what I said the last time we spoke about your hand being covered.’

‘I told myself the mangled mess of my hand reminded me to be wary of hope. That every time my hand seized with overwork, I’d remember how dangerous hope could be and make better decisions in the future.’ He leans into Alex, butting their shoulders together. ‘But it was more than that actually. Or maybe it wasn’t really that at all. My hand helped slow me down. Made me take breaks when otherwise I’d get so wrapped up in a project I’d forget to eat or sleep. It allowed me to rest and kept me sharp.’

‘It’s similar with my leg.’ Alex rubs at his own right knee. ‘If you’d asked me right after I woke up in Germany, I’d have said I wanted nothing more than to grow back a new one.’ He switches to Michael’s right hand, starting the massage all over again. ‘But now? I don’t know that I’d change anything. There are parts that suck - things I can no longer do in the same ways I used to. But, I don't know, it’s who I am now. And I worked hard to be this version of me. I like this version of me, the ways I’ve grown stronger. Maybe even I like this version better.’

‘I never asked you what happened. In Iraq.’ Michael tugs at Alex’s right leg until it’s in his lap. Alex releases his hand and Michael starts to knead the tension loose above his knee. ‘I should have asked.’

They both look up as the credits begin to roll on the movie. ‘It’s okay. No one asks. No one really wants to know. It’s a pretty common story - roadside bomb, shredded foot, and a botched tourniquet because our medic died in the explosion.’ He lays his head on Michael’s shoulder and closes his eyes, trying to remember anything after the initial clap of the bomb and the first lick of fire gnawing on his skin. But there’s nothing, always nothing. He’s been told that makes him lucky.

Michael works at the tight muscles in his thigh, and Alex can’t help but drift off to sleep. The minute Alex goes lax against him, Michael switches off the television and stretches his legs onto the coffee table, resting his head on top of Alex’s and shutting his own eyes. It’s Michael’s first time spending the night. But it won’t be his last.

They wake with the sun, tangled together and eyes wide with a strange mix of wonder and relief. Half-holding their breaths, both wait for the other one to move off the couch. Minutes tick by. When nothing happens, Michael tucks the blanket around them tighter, cocooning them together with no protests from Alex. ‘What’s next week’s game?’

Alex nuzzles further into Michael’s neck and murmurs something neither of them understands, already falling back to sleep. Michael smiles into his hair and joins him.

#malex #malex fic

[jenomark]

Part 2

➔Pairing: Idol!Haechan x Reader (Female) ➔Other Members/ Characters: -.- ➔Genre: Smut ➔Warnings: Public sex + Vaginal penetration + Masturbation (F+ M) + Fingering ➔Word count: 4,170

➔Summary: He’s an idol, a friend, and you took his virginity. Beginning your friends-with-benefits relationship with Haechan wasn’t the best idea, but you just can’t help yourself when it comes to him.

↞ Part 1

  They all feel how you feel when you watch him on stage, like he belongs to you. His smile just for you. Not for the camera, or the thousands viewing clips on social media, but just for you. His song performed for you, the words containing messages only you can decipher. His hips moving across the stage, the thing in his pants pointing in your direction, everything moving towards you, the girl in the crowd, the girl watching backstage, the girl sitting on her bed. No matter where you are in the world, the lights burn across your retinas, the heat in the seat of your pants making it hard for you to stay still. You move just a little bit and feel the throb below, a Venus flytrap waiting for its prey. You pretend he makes eye contact with only you, acknowledging the very existence you try to hide from everyone else. He sees you, he really does.

 The song ends and the mirage vanishes. Six people go in different directions,  smiles wiped from their faces as easily as make-up. They forget the crowd, forget what it means to be themselves when others are watching. He veers towards you just a moment before remembering where he is and who he is, and then he passes you like you’re invisible. You wonder what he was going to do if he reached you. Kissing in public is too dangerous, even talking together arouses suspicion. You wait a second and follow him, each step playing around with your heart. As you round a corner, you walk into him, your body bouncing off of his. 

“I didn’t see you,” he said.  He did.  “I’m sorry.”  He’s not. 

  His fingers are on your arm, his eyes gawking at your cleavage, his tongue licking the middle of his chin. Staff pass by and he lets you go. He steps back and leans against a wall, his body pressing against its blank canvas like a work of art. People cut between you two, but neither of you notice, or care. He smiles, raises an eyebrow, and purses his lips with the pride of a million men. 

“Come with me.” he mouths. 

  As if you have a choice, you follow him through the people, past the place you had come from. A few staff turn to see the idol boy, his greetings charming, his stage outfit sticking out like a sore thumb. No one notices the girl trailing behind him, her eyes following him with determination, her legs clamped so tightly together, even as she walks. Haechan goes down a ramp until he’s underneath the stage. You hesitate a moment before following behind him. There is something about breaking the rules that has always scared you. Since you met Haechan, you had been doing a lot of that. Though you are terrified of being recognized, no one is paying attention to you.  He hides behind large black cases on wheels, their metal clasps shiny when the strobe lights from above the stage hit them. Stacked on top of each other, no one can see what’s going on behind them. To reach him, you step over wires and broken lights that have been replaced. The moment the space swallows you up, Haechan takes your shoulders and pushes you up against the cases. He unbuttons your jeans and slides his palm in until his fingers are cupping you. The rough way he rubs his hand against you makes your knees threaten to buckle. 

“This is dangerous.” you shout.

  The sound from the music above drowns out your words. You’re afraid he can’t hear you, but then he leans in close to your ear and tells you that the danger is the best part. His tongue is on your neck for a second before his head is between your breasts. He’s greedy. His hands haven’t stopped rubbing you, your clit so sensitive and swollen that you can’t feel anything but a soft burn. When he pulls himself out from between your breasts, you can see that his make-up has worn off, and his lips are puffy from sucking and kissing your skin. The strobe lights from above the stage are peaking through the cracks, lighting up his face in brilliant hues of purple and blue.

“Hi,” Haechan says. “It’s been awhile since I last saw you.”

 He removes his hand. He doesn’t pause to tell you to taste yourself, like he normally would. Haechan’s weakness is knowing how wet he makes you, and your weakness is giving in to him every single time. He hooks his fingers on either side of your jeans and pulls them down your thighs. They’re so tight that they won’t budge past your knees without a fight. Feeling frustrated, Haechan spins you around and bends you over one of the cases. Trying to get out of his buckled stage outfit also proves difficult, but the boy is determined. His cock is in you before you look behind to see if he’s free. The feeling of him never fails to flip your whole world upside down. 

 You say his name, and you say it loudly. The music vibrates your whole body, the heavy bass perfectly timed with his every thrust. The thrill of getting caught makes you want to scream every syllable of his name, each letter like a bread crumb leading to your hiding place. You think of how the music has to stop some time, how the lights have to turn on to reveal what is bent over in the darkness, and you wonder what it will be like when it happens. 

Haechan: Are you thinking of me?

You:  You wish. 

Haechan: I’m hurt.  Ah, it’s night time back home. Are you getting ready for bed? What are you doing?

You: Not you.

Haechan: You’ve been hanging around my friends too much. Seriously, none of you are funny. 

You: Does the thought of me hanging out with your friends make you jealous?

Haechan: Yes. We both know I don’t share. I miss you. I’ve been away for too long. It feels like I’m going crazy. 

You: Donghyuck, It’s been four days. 

Haechan: That’s too long.😣 Do you miss me?

You: No. 

Haechan: I’M HURT. 

You: I have a hard time believing that. What are you doing? How was the performance?

Haechan: I think it went well. We almost dropped Mark during Cherry Bomb. Right now, I’m getting ready to eat. Taeil, Yuta and Johnny want local food. I’m really excited.

You: I hope you’re enjoying yourself. ☺️

Haechan: I am. I’ve been horny.

You: Is that all I’m good for?

  The sound of the video call made you jump out of your skin. Like always, your volume was turned all the way up. You looked at your phone and saw Haechan’s picture staring back at you. At the beginning of your relationship, he had snapped a photo of himself and set it as the wallpaper for when he calls. “Don’t show this to anyone,” he had said. “They’ll never stop making fun of me.” In the picture he was acting cute, his finger poking his cheek. The way he looked was so far removed from how you saw him most days : sexy, naked, his face screwed up in orgasm. The word Devil was still a part of his name only you had added a little red heart next to it. You stared at his face a little longer before accepting the video call. 

“What took you so long?” he asked. “I don’t have much time.”

  You could see he was sitting in a hotel bathroom, most likely on the toilet with the lid down. When he saw you looking, he held the phone up to give you a short tour of the bathroom. He showed you the tub where he said he’d like to fuck you in, the toilet he was sitting on, and the sink. You weren’t as interested in his surroundings as much as you were in seeing his face. 

“It’s nice.” you said. 

“It’s nice until Mark comes in here,” he said. “Speaking of, he went out to grab something from Jaehyun’s room, so I don’t have a lot of time before he comes back. Let me see them.”

“Them?” you asked. You were playing dumb. You knew exactly what he wanted to see.

“Ahhh,” he groaned. “Why do you do this to me?”

  In the darkness of your bedroom, you didn’t think he would be able to see you well. You lifted up your shirt, anyway, and showed him your breasts. Haechan was dramatic when you revealed them, his mouth hanging open, the sound from his throat sounding like a croak. You pulled your shirt down quickly, the disappointment showing clearly on his face.

“You can see more of them when you get back.” you told him.

“Six days,” he said. “I can wait six more days.”

  It was the first time you were separated for more than three days. It had been almost two months since you started fooling around, but he came to your apartment nearly every day to spend time with you. Haechan being a staple in your life made it harder for you when he was absent. 

  During your short period of being together, you had grown too comfortable with him. You had exerted your time, patience and body far beyond what you thought it was capable of. There were days when your emotions completely took over, your happiness cradled in the palm of his hands. You were disappointed when you couldn’t see him, his fist closing tightly around any motivation you had for anything. In the physical aspect, there were days when your muscle aches were so bad after you finished fucking that you had to use muscle relaxing patches to get through your next work day. Fucking three times a night-sometimes four- was just as time consuming as it seemed. You were losing sleep, losing interest in doing anything but thinking of new ways to make him come.

  You liked to wonder how it was from Haechan’s point of view. You didn’t know how he survived juggling his schedules, priorities, and you, all at the same time. He should have collapsed from exhaustion, or at least aroused suspicion from his members and the staff. 

  Even through all of the risks on both sides, neither of you wanted to stop when the reward felt so good. Stopping was never an option, not for you, or him. You were as addicted to him as he was to you, and you could not get enough of your drug. After you made him come, you wanted to get back on top of him, riding him until your pussy was raw, until your thighs hurt from being spread apart for so long. You didn’t know when each of you started wanting to break the other, but the obsession was seeping into every part of your life.

“Let me see your cock.” you said.

 “What?” he asked. “My cock?”

 The shyness in his voice made you smile. You tried to hide it off-camera, but he could see the way your cheeks were rising. Haechan smiled, too, his laughter directed towards the floor. In the camera, all you could see was his Balenciaga hat and the little tufts of hair curling around his ear. In between fucking, you would lay with him while he fell in and out of sleep, your fingers curling that very section of hair. In moments like that, you thought about how easy he was to love, and how hard it was to stop. He stood, turned around and placed his phone against what you thought might be the top of the sink.

“Are you sure you want to see it?” he asked. “You might not be able to control yourself.”

 Haechan lifted up his shirt and tucked the end of the fabric underneath his chin. The belt he wore around his waist barely kept his pants up. He was losing weight lately, his body being worked in every direction. He unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his top button, brought his zipper all the way down until his briefs were revealed. When you saw his cock, it was soft. He rolled it around the tips of his fingers until it started growing to its full length. Your mouth watered at the sight of him. You sat up in bed, brought your knees to your chest and rested your phone against your thighs.

“How long do you think you have?” you asked.

“A few minutes.” he said.

 You didn’t have to tell him to touch himself. Haechan was already jerking himself off, looking down at his cock in his hands before looking into the phone camera. He turned to the side so you could have another angle of his body. Though it was probably wiser to keep quiet, Haechan did as he wanted. The moans filled the hotel bathroom, along with the sound of his palm around his cock. 

“Tell me you want me,” he said.  “Tell me you want your mouth around me.”

  You took your phone into your left hand. With your right hand, you dipped it into your pajama pants and started playing with your clit. Your eyes were on his cock, his fingers rhythmically moving to his deep sighs. There was something so torturous about seeing him and not being able to have him. You had to stop yourself from bringing the phone up to your face and trying to lick him through the screen.

“I want you,” you said. “I want my mouth around you.”

  You closed your eyes and imagined his cock sliding past your lips. You loved holding onto his hips and controlling how fast he fucked your face. You imagined what it would feel like to grab a handful of his ass as he did that. You tried to taste his imaginary cum, and how it would spill out all at once, like you had bitten into a delicious fruit and the juice was gushing into your mouth.

“Tell me…,” he began to say, his words breathless. “Tell me I’m the only one.”

“You’re the only one.”

  You were moaning with him, your voices rising in unison. Having sex via video call wasn’t what you had planned for the night, but you knew it was a vital part of your life. 

“Tell me-”

“-Tell you what? Anything. I will tell you anything.” you said.

“Tell me goodbye, Mom, I’ll talk to you later.” he said. 

  Your eyes snapped open as the video call ended. His selfie flashed for a second before disappearing. You were nearing climax, but the confusion made you stop touching yourself. You took your hands away from your pussy and read the text coming through.

Haechan: Fuck. Sorry. Mark. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. 

  You dropped your phone beside you and sunk back into your sheets, your pussy full of nothing but regret.

“Are you crazy?” you asked. “You shouldn’t be here.

“I wanted to see you.”

  He stood in front of your apartment at midnight, his hat low over his eyes, a face mask over his mouth. The way he looked reminded you so much of the night you realized you wanted him in very compromising positions. You had grabbed the first jacket from your entryway, which just so happened to be one of his that he left. You hugged it tightly around your body, the smell of him wafting into your nostrils.

“Just see me?” you asked.

He laughed. “Yes. Now that I’ve seen you, I can go.”

“You and I both know that you can never just go.”

“Perhaps I am crazy,” he said. “But I am also tired. Jet lag. I should be resting.”

“Don’t let me stop you then.” 

  You stood with a lot of distance between you. The way you were feeling as you looked at him felt foreign to you. Normally, you would barely talk before you stumbled into your apartment, tearing off each others clothes, pushing things onto the floor to fuck on the hallway table. With your whole relationship about the benefits rather than the friendship, it was easier to direct. You didn’t know how to handle moments when you were both forced to act like two non-feral people.

  You felt like you wanted to tell him everything you’d went through since he’d been gone. You wanted to grab a bite to eat where no one knew his name, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and watching him eat his fill. Wanting those things made you unsure about how you truly felt.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked. “This is a one-time offer.”

“Okay.” you answered.

  You shut and locked the door to your apartment. When you turned back to him, his arm was extended. You looked down at his hand. Those hands had been all over your body. Sometimes you watched those hands touching other people and wondered what they would think if they knew they had been inside of you.

 Losing his nerve, Haechan pulled it back before you could take it. Without saying anything, you moved beside him and took his hand back. If he wanted to hold hands, you would give him what he wanted. You both walked half a block before you spoke.

“How was travelling?” you asked.

“Fun, “ he said. “I feel lucky. I’m so grateful for the opportunities. I like it. How was your time while I was gone?”

 You didn’t know how to answer truthfully so you just agreed that your time was equally as fun. Work days blended together when you had nothing to look forward to. You didn’t like to admit that you weren’t sure what day it was, or that so much of your life revolved around him. Luckily, he didn’t press you any further. It’s not that Haechan didn’t care what you were feeling inside, just that his outlook on life stayed blissfully positive, and you didn’t want to be the one to take that away from him.

“The clubs are still open,” Haechan pointed out. “I could use a drink right now.”

 You knew that holding hands in public was the worst thing you could do that wasn’t behind closed doors. You never knew who could be watching, their phones clicking away like the ringing of a cash register. The people stumbling out of the clubs could be people you worked for, or worked with. All it took was for one person to recognize Haechan and the fun would be over. You thought about letting go of his hand, but you didn’t want to. He sensed your fear and directed you away from the crowds exiting the club. 

“It will be okay,” he said. “As long as you’re with me, nothing will happen.” 

 You walked a few blocks before turning back to your apartment. The walking was aimless. After the club, you only came across a few people grabbing late night snacks at a convenience store. In the world the night had created, you both began to act more boldly. Haechan’s laugh was loud, his happiness contagious for people who passed you by. He brought you to him for back hugs, his arms squeezed tightly around you, his chin digging into your shoulder. Halfway back to your place, he got a message on his phone that stopped both of you in your tracks. You watched his face falter, his eyebrows furrowed together. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“It will be okay,” he said, repeating his line from earlier. “Don’t worry about me. Let’s just be here together.”

 You walked the rest of the way in a weird silence. You kept looking over at him to figure out was wrong. Worst case scenario: everyone found out about what you two were doing. Best case scenario? You didn’t know, but you were hoping to find out one day.

“This is where I leave you, my princess.” he said. 

 You stood in front of your door. Hearing him call you his Princess made you want to giggle. In the beginning of your relationship, it was Haechan who reacted in such a way. Taking his virginity made him a little dependent on you. He often giggled when you suggested new positions, or told him how pretty you thought he was. Now that you were far into knowing each other in the most intimate ways, it was you who couldn’t stop becoming so giddy every time he opened his mouth. He could see his affect very well. You wore it hugged closely around your body, just like his jacket.

“Be careful walking home.” you said.

  Haechan took a step forward. His figure was sexy, his eyes mentally undressing you. You thought that he might stay a little longer and fuck you on your apartment steps. Instead, he kissed you, his lips petal soft. As he pulled away, you could barely open your eyes to look at him. He backed away from you, his trademark smirk faltering just a little.

  He stopped to look at you after making every move. For anyone else, you would have faked your enjoyment, but for Haechan, everything was honest. If he touched you, your body quaked in response. You couldn’t stop your eyelids from fluttering, your body from moving up the bed to get away from his persistence. If he made you feel good, you let him know with your shortness of breath, your knuckles clenched around the sheets.

“You make the funniest faces when you orgasm.” he observed.

  You resisted the urge to take the pillow from underneath your head and whack him with it. Haechan sat between your legs, your knees hooked over his thighs. Often, you sat like this when you both felt too lazy for much else. He would play with your pussy for what felt like hours, his fingers pushing into you to see how many you could take. He would trace your labia with his fingertips, draw love hearts on your clit. He loved the way you looked when you were wide open for him, loved you shaved and unshaven. 

“It’s a compliment,” he said when he sensed your hostility. “I love everything about you, especially how ugly you look when you’re on top .”

  You clamped your legs shut, trapping his arm. He laughed gleefully, pushing your legs back open before climbing up your body. He laid across you, his full body weight crushing yours. 

“You’re heavy.” you said.

  Haechan flopped his body around, like a fish, until you felt his weight even more. You wheezed dramatically. The way you both joked around always made your day better. Laughing with him eased a lot of stress from your daily life. You used your hands to squeeze his cheeks. When he made a fishy face, you kissed his lips. 

“I could stay like this all day.” you said.

“Not me,” he said. “I don’t want you lying on your back the whole time.”

 You rolled your eyes, and he jokingly got offended. You pulled his neck down so that you could kiss him again. You made out like that, your naked bodies on top of each other, for awhile. The concept of time didn’t matter when you were together. There were times when you were thankful that all you did was have sex with each other. There was no fighting, no expectations, and nothing that could be torn apart if it wasn’t together to begin with. When your phone lit up, both of you pulled away.

“Who is it?” he asked.

“How am I supposed to know?”

  Haechan took one look at your phone lit up on your night stand and pushed it off. It clattered onto the floor, your protective case splitting in two. You started to get up to check on it, but he pushed you back down. He got onto his knees and pushed your legs up so that your ass was lifted off the bed. His distraction tactics were good, you had to give him that.

“I’ll buy you a new phone.” he said. 

 Haechan took your hands and interlocked his fingers with yours. When he entered you, your mind forgot the phone altogether. The way he moved wasn’t his normal fast pace. Haechan liked to fuck you hard, each orgasm strong and earth shattering. Passionate was not a word you often used to describe what you and him did in the bedroom. As he moved inside of you, he lowered his body down over yours until he was hugging you. He kissed you as deeply as he was thrusting.

10:02 a.m.

Haechan: You’re not answering your phone

10:03 a.m.

Haechan: Call me back

10:46 a.m.

Haechan: I’m sorry I left so many voicemails I don’t know what to do 

11:00 a.m.

Haechan: Pick up your phone

11:16 a.m.

Haechan: Johnny knows. He’s on his way to your apartment. Don’t tell him anything.

#haechan #nct #lee donghyuck #lee donghyuck smut #haechan smut #lee haechan #nct haechan smut #nct smut #nct fanfiction #haechan fanfiction #haechan smut fanfiction #nct smut fanfiction #I mean it's more than just smut tbh #there is a plot #it just has a lot of sex #anyway please forgive typos and stuff :D

[snusbandxknifewife]

Photo Fic 2: Electric Boogaloo

Ok so this is the sequel to the first fic I ever posted on this account. (If you wanna read that one first, click on the photo fic tag at the bottom.) I think it’s cute as hell and I’m soft about it so 🥺 Jude and Cardan wanting to take pictures together makes me 🥺🥺🥺

~~~~~~~~~

In the year after Cardan and Jude took their very first photos in a photobooth, photography became a bit of a fascination in Faerie. Jude didn’t intend for it to happen, but what royalty does tends to become the fad in the kingdom.

It started when they’d bought a Polaroid and began to take pictures of one another, eventually amassing so many that they’d dedicated an entire hall to photos of them. It was both of their favorite place in the entire palace, where they both went to see the other smile and drown in happy memories.

Then a servant had left a door open and a visiting dignitary had seen inside. After that, word quickly spread around the kingdom of the King and Queen’s portrait hall: the place where they’d managed to capture pieces of real life. Jude and Cardan had sighed and agreed to throw the doors open, allowing people to tour the wonder.

(Of course they’d continued to take dumb photos and risqué ones too, but they were much better at hiding those. Jude was insistent that only the dramatic or kickass photos get sent to the hall.)

They’d graduated to a better camera and they’d started to send requests for Vivi to print them. As the photos got bigger and more detailed, the people of Elfhame grew more impressed. All over the kingdom, tinkerers and witches and everyone in between began trying to craft devices that would capture photos in ways the mortal devices couldn’t. It had become a fierce competition, one that amused both Jude and Cardan.

Now, on Cardan’s birthday, the entire kingdom was watching with bated breath. The Living Council had announced a competition to find the best camera creation and, in addition to all the gifts people were bringing for the king, the great hall was full of photographs. The king would be choosing the most realistic picture, and he’d also be awarding the most beautiful one.

Jude sat on her throne, her red empire waist dress floating down to her feet and glittering in the light. She’d worn it at Cardan’s insistence; since he’d announced that their subjects would undoubtedly be taking pictures of them and he wanted his wife to shine just as much as her.

Beside her, Cardan smiled and greeted the family of a soldier from the Court of Termites. Bomb took their gift and stacked it on a table to the side of the royal dais. The picture they brought with them is a gorgeous rendering of a hill overlooking a lake at sunset. It appears to be painted, the work of an extremely diligent artist who had undoubtedly spent days getting everything right.

The photos people came with weren’t all actual photographs, most were art pieces, but it made Jude smile. She couldn’t help but feel proud at the fact that she’d inspired her kingdom to try something they’d never really focused on before. At least she knew she wouldn’t have to keep going to the mortal world to get pictures with her husband. She’d be able to stay in Faerie, safe in what she was familiar with, and she’d still be able to capture important moments in her life.

Still, she’d had to go to the mortal world to get the gift she wanted for Cardan. She’d done that a few times in the past year—her husband’s favorite had been the pinup shoot she’d done about five months prior—and he had a habit of rotating the framed pictures of her he kept on his desk.

She knew she’d have to stop eventually, so she took all her chances while she still had them. She was glad that the timing of this one has worked out.

Time passed and she played the dutiful queen and adoring wife, dancing with Cardan and eating to her heart’s content, greeting her subjects and accepting gifts that didn’t come with any strings attached.

Cardan watched her over the top of his chalice, grinning at how effortlessly she swayed across the floor. With her head held high and her shoulders back, she commanded the whole room without a word. His wife was gorgeous, she was his everything.

Eventually their people became antsy, looking around at the pictures hanging all around the hall and wondering who would be announced the winner. Members of the Living Council were interviewing everyone who’d put in an entry to find out how they made their picture as Cardan led Jude to look at each piece. They’d make the decision on the most beautiful picture alone, and they’d take the Living Council’s input on the best camera entry.

Jude’s favorite was definitely the picture someone had turned in of a revel from a few weeks back. It had been outside, everyone barefoot and dancing until the sun had long come up. The picture showed a dance floor lined with faeries in all manner of dress, watching on as she and Cardan danced. Her dress that night had been a spring green piece with a dangerously low back and skirts that danced around her ankles. Her husband, shown smiling as he swung her around, had a ruffled shirt open low on his pale stomach and breeches of forest green.

Cardan’s favorite was a picture put in by a guard, one that showed his wife dressed in fighting gear as she practiced out in the gardens; her hair sticking to her skin and her face fierce as she lunged towards her sparring partner. He always adored little reminders of how deadly his wife was, loved to see glimpses of the creature that he’d managed to tame, the one who’d tamed him in turn.

They retreated to their thrones to deliberate as Cardan opened gifts. The whole hall went silent, watching the king’s reaction to each parcel. While gifts had to be freely given, everyone knew that those who gave the best gifts would be looked upon favorably.

Jude watched the room for threats as her heart began to race. She knew that the last gift Cardan would open would be the one from her. She’d made sure that Bomb arranged everything that way.

She’d worked her ass off to keep her gift a secret from him. Cardan had been a pain in the neck for WEEKS, trying to catch her in a slip up. She had to engineer a diplomatic mission for him to go on just so she could sneak away to the mortal world and she’d threatened a few lives to keep it from him. Thankfully, it would all be over in a few hours.

Cardan opened all manner of magical gifts: cloaks meant to make the wearer invisible, doublets of impenetrable spider silk, jewelry that helped you understand and speak other languages. Everything he was given was gorgeous and unbelievably expensive.

Everything except for one thing.

Cardan was just about to grab the parchment from Randalin that announced the best camera so they could make their announcements when Jude stopped him.

“Cardan, you’ve got one more gift,” she gently announced and his brows furrowed. One, Jude was hardly ever gentle and two, he had opened everything he’d been given.

Bomb walked up and handed Jude a box, one made of lush purple velvet and wrapped up in a bow of the cleanest white satin.

“What on Earth?” Cardan tilted his head to the side as he accepted the gift, his long fingers wrapping all the way around it as he tried to weigh it to guess what was inside.

“Consider it my entry into the photo contest,” she grinned, only confusing him more.

He pulled the bow off and the entire crowd watched closely. Some were intrigued, others were angry—nobody had been told the queen would be submitting a photo—and others were just being quiet to avoid the ire of the royal family.

When Cardan took the top off the box, he found a picture frame upside down and he snorted. It was just like Jude to prolong the drama.

Jude grabbed fistfuls of her fluffy tulle skirt and bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to make it bleed. She knew that she’d have to explain what it was and that was making her nervous enough to shake.

She’d debated for hours if she should give him his birthday gift in private or if she should do it at his party. Eventually, at the insistence of Vivi and Heather, she’d taken the plunge and decided on a public announcement. She knew everyone would find out eventually.

“It’s.....a photo?”

Jude snorted at Cardan’s evident confusion as he looked at the black and white fuzzy picture, no larger than his hand. She’d put it in a pretty white frame, one that she would eventually write a name on.

“You’re right, my love,” she agreed. “It’s a photo from the mortal world. You see, mortals have figured out how to take pictures for medical purposes. They can use special devices to see inside the body.”

He looked to her, delicately clutching the frame in one hand. She fought the urge to laugh at how he still hadn’t put two and two together. Out in the crowd, faeries were tittering amongst themselves, trying to figure out what their queen has given their king.

“Is this a photograph of you?” He turned back to the picture, gripping it in both hands again and turning it like a different angle would make it make more sense.

“Sort of,” she shook her hand in a so-so gesture. “I’d say I’m the background of the photo. You should be focusing here.”

She walked over and pointed, her nail with its unchipped purple paint tapping against the glass over a strangely shaped white blob. Cardan naturally leaned closer to her, as he always did when she got near, one of his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close as he tilted his head and squinted his eyes.

Silence stretched out for a few more seconds before Jude, near giddy with mirth, stepped away from her husband.

“Maybe it’ll help if you know where the photo was taken,” she offers as she grabs the frame from his hands. Cardan, his mind still swimming with possibilities, allowed her.

Then, as his wife turned the photo to face him and drew it back so the frame was flush against her lower abdomen, his jaw dropped.

If she was the background, and the photo was taken inside the body—

“Jude, gods above, how long have you known?” Cardan’s eyes welled up with tears and he fell to his knees, his hands coming up to cup his wife’s hips and his thumbs running over where the frame covered her stomach.

Just that quickly, her throat closed up from emotion and all she could do was nod. Cardan grabbed the frame from her and tucked it against his heart as he pressed his face into her skirts, trying to kiss her stomach and hide his crying all at the same time.

Some faeries had put the clues together and were watching with gaping mouths, unsure of what to do as their king hugged their queen.

Then, Jude pulled Cardan to his feet and she turned to the crowd. “The gift I present to my king and husband is the first photograph of our child, which grows inside me as we speak.”

And, just like that, the entire hall erupted with celebration. Most of their subjects had grown to love their new king and queen and, even if that weren’t the case, a pregnancy was always cause for celebration among the fertility-challenged fae. A royal baby, especially so early on in both the king and queen’s rule and their marriage, was unheard of.

Randalin—who looked a bit annoyed at not being informed of the royal pregnancy before the court was—led the partygoers in a toast, one that Cardan happily joined in. Beside the beaming king, Jude raised her glass of water in solidarity; no wine for her for a few more months.

“How long?” Cardan asked her, near giddy with excitement.

“The doctor said twelve weeks,” she whispered back, wrapping her arm around her husband’s hips as they raised their glasses again. “I’ve suspected for a month or so. I should’ve known sooner, but my first missed period was during that last uprising attempt, so I was a bit distracted.”

Cardan held out the photo and Jude pointed out the body parts that were already forming. When she told him that she’d be going back, that he’d be able to come with her and hear their baby’s heartbeat while it was still inside her, he nearly began to bawl again.

“When do we announce the winners?” Jude asked, thinking back to that gorgeous picture of them dancing.

“I can’t think of anything more beautiful than this.” He held up the photo of their baby and Jude blushed, elbowing his side and telling him to be serious.

Cardan told her that he was being serious and she bit her lip, looking down at the photo she’d already stared at so much.

The party would grow into a week-long celebration of the new heir; a practice run for the celebrations that would rock Elfhame when the child was born. Eventually, both the faeries who made the two pictures Jude and Cardan had enjoyed the most were made aware that their works were hanging in the royal picture hall and another faerie who’d made the best camera was given a job by the Living Council and they became the first official royal photographer.

Elfhame would grow to love photography, all because of a mortal queen who wanted a picture with her husband.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hnnnnng pregnancy announcements are so cute lol

Tag list: @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @hizqueen4life @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @thewickedkings @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @cheekycheekycheeks @queen-of-glass @b00kworm @doingmyrainbow @andromeddea @jurdanhell @thesirenwashere @sweetlyvillainous @clouds-and-peonies @clockworkgraystairs

#cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #tfota #jurdan #judecardan #photo fic #tyrannosaurus lex writes #pregnancy announcement #im SO fucking soft for this

[nonster]

Harry styles Aftercare

3rd Person POV: He had known something was off with y/n. This whole mess started 3 days ago when Harry and y/n decided to try something new in the bedroom and do a 'scene' together (if you know what I mean). After the matter y/n had already seemed different, which, through hours of google searches Harry had found out that she most likely had a subdrop and was in subspace. This information left Harry feeling like a crumby boyfriend. The thought of his precious girl feeling like shit all because of him was heart breaking and he just couldn't take it anymore. Harry has been wanting to confront her about the situation for days now but was nervous to because y/n isn't the type (at all) to show her feeling to anyone. showing her feeling meant she was vulnerable and what she thought was 'weak'. She also had a rough childhood and was raised being told that showing your emotions made you a little bitch and was made fun of for crying. this resulted in y/n always having a shield up and not daring to ever let anyone in. So, she wouldn't dream of even talking to Harry about these emotions she was feeling. she would just simpily push them down and keep fighting like she did with everything else in life. But, Harry knew he needed to talk to y/n about this today. All he wanted was to have his girl back and help her through this, so his plan was to slowly bring it up and hint to it today when she got back from work. Knowing that if he jumped straight into the conversation she would likely go to their shared room in scilence and run from her emotions like always. y/n POV: Ugh. It was such a long day. That hoe bag Amber was being such a Bitch at work today. I have been feeling pretty bad in general though. Not like it's important I wouldn't bring it up to Harry anyways. Harry's POV: Ok, she's almost home all you have to do is just slowly bring it up to her, help her through this, and everything will be fine. 3rd person POV: quickly pulled into the driveway then huffed while shoving her keys into the door wanting to get inside and relax as soon as possible. While struggling to open the door it suddenly flew open and she was faced with a smiling Harry. She tried her best to fake smile back and make it seem genuine, but failed and Harry could see right through this. His smile instantly dropped seeing how unhappy y/n was again. But he was quick to put on another light smile saying "Hi love" in a soft tone welcoming y/n in. Y/n quickly mumbled a 'hey' it sounding a bit ruder than intended but just kept walking, heading straight inside the house kicking of her shoes right away. She heard the door close and Harry nearing closer to her. Suddenly a pair of strong arms gently wrapped around her waist and felt Harry placing a light peck in the crook of her neck. For the first time in the last couple of days this affection actually had her feeling a bit better, but her thoughts were Interupted by her boyfriend softly saying, "I made your favorite for dinner Lovi. Want to sit down and eat with me?" y/n's heat melted a bit at the loving gesture and immediately replied with, "of course". Harry was estatic that y/n wanted to eat with him. He honestly thought that she would decline and just head straight to bed, but she didn't. He gently let go of his torso after giving one last peck in her cheek y/n blushing slightly, then leading her to the dinner table. Dinner was, well, sort of awkward. Harry kept trying to bring up the topic of her subdrop by starting some small talk trying to steer the conversation in the direction of y/n showing her feeling to him but failed miserably. y/n wasn't stupid and immediately caught into this though and kept shutting down his attemp to break down her walls. She eventually got fed up with all of this beating around the bush and decided to just put everything out on the table. "Harold." she stated Harry's eyes immediately darting you to meet her beautiful hazel one's, "I know you keep trying to get me to talk about my emotions. What’s your motive here?" y/n stated sligthy raising an eyebrow and talking a sip from her glass. “Y/n, we need to talk.” Harry stayed y/n shocked by how serious his tone was. He didn’t even use a pet name. “Ok?” Y/n stated setting her glass down carefully on the table preparing herself for what seemed like a serious emotional conversation she truly wanted nothing to do with, “about what?” She squeaked. “Baby, I-I’ve been reaserching about this because you’ve seemed kinda off ever since we did that- thing 3 days ago, and I think you might be in a subdrop baby, but, it’s ok it just means that I didn’t do proper aftercare with you which is completely my fault you I know I actually feel really kinda bad about it and-” to stop Harry’s nervous rambling while he was looking down at the ground, y/n interrupted him and said,”Harry stop.” In a small voice then continued with,”I-I have been felling a little weird s-since then.” Y/n taking her awkward turn to look at the ground while Harry’s head lifted looking at her face shocked that she just admitted this to him. Coming over to the side of the table she was sitting at, lifting her chin with two of his fingers so he could look her in the eyes. This is when it went, south he could see tears pooling in y/n eyes. This was her breaking point. Everything she had piled up that she shoved deep down for the past however many years was coming up. And she hated it. To stop the tears from eventually running down he face she abruptly stood and quickly made her way to their shared bedroom, ripping of her clothes, putting on one of Harry’s t-shirts and getting into bed. Luckily, the tears had stopped as y/n just lays there in silence. A shocked Harry who thought that he has finally gotten her to open up just stood by the dining table stunned and almost disappointed with himself until he finally built up the courage and decided to go see how y/n was doing. Y/n heard soft footsteps padding up the stairs toward their bedroom. She instantly stiffened up hiding her felt under the fluffy comforter not wanting to talk to Harry about her almost crying at the dinner table. Harry gently opened the door to see y/n balled up under the covers from head to toe. His eyes saddened as he saw this thinking that she was crying (which she actually wasn’t) and stripping down to just his black Calvin Klein boxers. Y/n got even more nervous as she felt the covers lifting and Harry getting in the bed spooning her from behind. “Go away, Harold.” She said trying not to make her voice shake. But Harry saw right through this and just spooned her even tighter pressing his chest to her back. “No Harry” she protested again. “It’s ok lover just let it out princess.” He said softly while pressing himself even closer, and nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck with some soft kisses. This was it y/n couldn’t take it anymore. Those tears that were threatening to put down all this time finally did and before she knew it she was basically sobbing, trying to not let out to much noise so Harry wouldn’t hear. But, he instantly knew she was full on crying now when he felt a few warm tears fall in his hand. This mad him so unbelievably sad that he stated to wipe the tears rolling down the face with the pads of his thumbs while whispering sweet words into her ear. They just stayed like this for however many minutes y/n was crying, with Harry comforting her as much as possible. After he tears had started to stop he said,”there you go lovie, it’s ok you can be vulnerable in front of me. You know you can.” He said in just above a whisper, “I got you a little present baby... wanna see it?” He stated hopefully. You just sniffled nodding your head. Crying had actually had you fell good, like you had finally been able to let everything out. And you were so lucky that you have such an amazing boyfriend to help you through it. Harry left one more kiss in your cheek before quickly retrieving the box with a little pink bow on it and placing it on the bed in front of you, sitting right next to you himself. You were now in a sitting position leaning into his chest slightly as it made you fell much better. “Go ahead and open it baby.” He said softly while you just nodded agin afraid if you talked your voice may crack. You untied the cute bow and lifted off the lid of the box to see an aftercare kit set up perfectly. With a fluffy robe, blanket, bath bomb, a fluffy pair of socks, some lollies, chocolate, lotion, some first aid supplies, sterilization wipes, and your favorite scented candle. Your heart completely melted when you saw this, “thank you so much Harry,” you said to him in a small voice, “I love you do much” you squeaked out burying your face into his chest. He chuckled slightly stating, “Of course sweets, I love you too. Now do you wanna take a nice bot bath with me?” He said grinning. Of course you stated smiling at him now and going in for a romantic kiss. So, for the rest of the night you two took a bath, watched movies together, then cuddled until you both fell asleep. And Harry would always give you aftercare.

#harry styles aftercare harry styles fanfic harry styles images

[silver-wield]

The Promise Analysis (Cloti)

Sorry about that, Nonny, I relate the promise between Tifa and Cloud to some of the stuff that happens during their resolution and went full tin hatter on it.

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven't played (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it's gonna be a long one so prepare to scroll.

Also, this is one person's interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that's cool and we'll agree to disagree.

You're also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I'm grabbing them from Youtube and it's frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone's interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 

Tifa character analysis 

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory) 

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 

Cloti reunion analysis 

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recapping for anyone who's forgotten the basics – cause I assume by this point you're ok with spoilers and me pointing that out is kinda dumb lol

So, chapter 4 and it's mission time with the trio – I love these dorks, especially Wedge, he is my child and if he's dead Imma riot. Jessie is off being sneaky and it's up to Cloud and co to play tag with the security team.

As Charlie Biggs (if you got the ref kudos) explains the plan, Cloud looks up at the night sky — which is a whole lot different to the one we fade up to and I personally wonder what it was about that sky that made him recall the promise to Tifa. Was it just the fact he'd been talking to her and it was his first time he'd paid attention to it? Before that he was under the plate and before that he was in the reactor, so I guess it's safe to assume this is his first chance to relate the two things.

Ok, after the fade in, we're treated to a pretty damn romantic set up. The water tower, the night sky and lil Cloud waiting for Tifa.

In the OG it mentions he waited for so long he started getting really cold, but he stuck it out because he wanted to see her and hoped she'd show. That's an OG lifestream detail not in the first OG promise scene, but let's assume for now it's gonna get a callback in the Remake. That means bby Cloud has been sitting there waiting for Tifa for a while now.

Ok, call her a thirteen year old bitch if you feel good about yourselves here, but she's thirteen and her dad is super overprotective. He stopped Cloud from playing with Tifa after she had an accident at 8 that wasn't Cloud's fault and in fact if he hadn't been there she'd have died on the mountain because nobody would've known where she was. Ok? Ok.

So, he's been waiting, and it's clear he's nervous – he looks so fucking cute I just can't stand it! Nervous fidgeting, balled fist, head down, mouth pulled into a pretty grim line. He thinks she's not coming, but still he's waiting for her.

Sorry, just to further hit home the above points. That is the face of a boy who is desperately hoping the girl he likes is gonna show, but has half given up hope. There's sadness in his eyes and a tensing along his jaw line. This boy is disappointed and my heart breaks for him.

Going back to that focus in on Cloud's eyes before the flashback and we can see here the massive difference mako makes to the colour. Cloud's eyes are a deep blue, while his mako infused eyes are blue/green. I get why he goes on about them a lot because he's probably not used to seeing them like that yet; maybe he never will be. Tifa's comment was about the look in his eyes – which I touched on in a comment I made while replaying. Tifa isn't focused on the colour, she's dismayed he has such a hard look in his eyes and when you compare the look in this boy's eyes, it's clear to see what she's getting at. This Cloud is the real Cloud and he is soft as fuck and trying to look tough.

GODDAMNIT!! There's way too many good moments to grab for this analysis! Look at this precious boy! All but folding under the weight of disappointment! But, what's this in the bg? Our heroine, here at last!

If anyone anyone tries to say Cloud didn't have a great stonking crush on Tifa as a kid then please tell me what this means if it isn't he's gutted he's waited and waited and she didn't show.

We don't know why she's late – maybe Remake will clear that up for us – but I'm guessing she couldn't sneak out or maybe, judging by the amount she's dressed up, she was doing the typical girly thing and couldn't decide what to wear, asking herself if this is a date and second guessing why Cloud called her to the water tower – which is known as a romantic meeting place. Whatever the reason, she's thirteen, sheltered – thanks to her dad – and naturally shy. Maybe she worried herself into a state about whether she should go and had to find her courage to meet Cloud. She likes him just as much as he likes her remember. It's canon, don't argue.

Now, her face is this bit is out of focus, but that's nothing to my weirdly myopic eagle eyes – it's a very specific gift. Tifa's smiling. That we can tell even before she's fully in shot. There's a bunching of the cheek muscles that tells us that. She's pleased he's still there. Obviously, she can't read his body language, but she'd probably be a bit upset to realise she upset him. Because she's not actually a bitch like some people like to claim. Sorry, but she's thirteen. How threatened are yall that you gotta call a thirteen year old girl a bitch and try to erase how important she is in Cloud's childhood just to further your own ends? Seriously, get help.

Sorry for the janky, but this is a transition between focus so it's not gonna be great anyway. Here we can see Cloud's expression when Tifa says heya. Eyes open, wide with surprise. She showed. That's what his face is saying. He's trying hard not to show his emotions too much – I mean he is still Cloud and too cool for all that nonsense – but he's relieved. Maybe his heart even skips a beat, but I'm speculating. Her greeting is casual, reserved. Tifa. She’s being cute even though he’s not looking because she wants him to think she’s cute.

Tifa, ever respectful and respectable sits the right amount of difference away that both encourages Cloud she's interested in being near him, but doesn't over encourage him and make him think of her in a negative way. She's likely cultivated this on purpose – she's the mayor's daughter so she's always got to be proper – because she's got a lot of male friends and having any of them get the wrong idea would be bad. You'll notice in her other flashbacks where the boys feature that she's not sitting too close to any of them and they're running around her, not touching or anything. They're satellites that revolve around her because she is untouchable to them. Because she's the mayor's daughter and has to be a good girl all the time. This is further evidence that goes towards Tifa's overall personality. She's very careful and respectful to people. She doesn't go out of her way to offend anyone unless she has no choice. Though she's a skilled fighter, she's very slow to anger and tries to look on the bright side as much as she can, despite the tragedy in her life. (I'm gushing, I know, but she's such a great multifaceted character and way more than the tropes people shove on her to make her into nothing).

Where was I?

Right. So, in direct contrast to their later conversation during the chapter 14 resolution, here we see Cloud with his back to Tifa and her with her head tilting, inviting him to confide in her. Yes, there really are that many awesome parallels purposely inserted in this game and that's why you need to take more than one look.

From her face we can conclude she's optimistic. She's smiling and doesn't look like someone who's expecting a bomb to drop any second – Cloud if you only turned around you wouldn't have gone through this shit. Sure, you'd have likely died when Sephiroth came to town, but hey, you'd have gone out with your childhood sweetheart lol

What she's probably expecting is for Cloud – who has purposely invited her to the watertower hot dating spot – to ask her out. And since she's there and dressed up, we could conclude she'd accept him.

Cloud is trying to find the cool words he wants to say that'll motivate Tifa to miss him, maybe even push her into saying, “No, don't go,” because even though he's fourteen, Cloud is no good at talking to women. This is just one of his character traits. It's why we wanna strangle him over the Triangle. Bby Cloud is hardly better than adult Cloud, but at least bby Cloud knows he likes Tifa.

Bomb dropped. Kaboom. Poor bby Tifa. Look how disappointed and upset she is. She wasn't expecting this one bit! She looked so hopeful in the seconds before Cloud's hesitant declaration, only it wasn't the kind she hoped for. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's crushed, but she's upset, that's for sure. Her brows have come together and she's turned away from Cloud because she doesn't want him to see how she looks in this moment. She's trying to put a brave face on it, but bby Tifa isn't as good as her grown up self. You can see the mouth trying to form a smile, but the eyes have a different expression in them.This is again seen in chapter 14 when Tifa tries to put a brave face on for Cloud before breaking down. 

Shots fired! Tifa goes for dismissive and succeeds! Never mess with a girl with a crush lol

Cloud was trying to get a reaction out of her, but she got one out of him instead. Brave face wins. Well, what did you expect? She's the mayor's daughter and raised on being proper.

He stutters that he's not like the other boys – so cute – and shows off his lofty dreams. He's trying so hard to impress her. He only has these dreams because of the incident when they were smaller where her father said if Cloud can't take care of Tifa then he has no right being around her. This is what drove Cloud to distance himself from Tifa and her friends. Talk about shoving an inferiority complex and identity disorder on a kid. I get it, the mayor was worried about his daughter, but Cloud didn't deserve the bear the brunt of his anger and blame. Still, the fact that nine year old Cloud took that, held onto it for five years and still decided to pursue Tifa by becoming a SOLDIER has huge meaning for them. He was nine. Ok, for argument's sake let's say he didn't have a crush on her, but they were friends and he was told he wasn't good enough to hang with her. So, thanks to propaganda he gets it in his head that SOLDIERS are the best and if he's one of them he'll be good enough for her father to let him see Tifa again. We're not told at any point – nor shown it – that Tifa is only interested in Cloud if he's this elite who can impress her. Remember, she already likes him. Look at what she's wearing compared to him ffs. This girl – again – dressed for a date with Mr Oblivious. Yes, I'm rolling my eyes. Yes, I want to smack him upside the head. Yes, I know he's 14, I meant adult Cloud.

Back to it. The look on his face here is one of “she thinks I'm like the others? I'll prove I'm not. I'm better than that. I can be next to her if I prove myself.” At this point, he's definitely gone from wanting to be around her in a friendship capacity to borderline romantic. I mean, he did call her out to the watertower. Did I mention that? A few times? Because it's significant. He's frustrated she compared him to her friends – no she didn't friendzone him, she likes him. He thinks she friendzoned him. Kids are frustrating and the adult versions aren't much better.

Shots fired part two! Points to Cloud this time! Smug lil fucker, I see that smirk!

Okay, so Cloud says he's gonna be like Sephiroth and at this point in time Sephiroth isn't batshit crazy, he's someone to be admired. Tifa to be fair, doesn't sound impressed, but she's humouring Cloud. Then, she says, “Isn't it hard to become a SOLDIER?” And Cloud replies with “Yes, so I won't be back for a long time.”

Okay, now. This is definitely to get a reaction. The smirk on his face is saying that he's partly getting her back for her earlier shot and partly trying to goad a reaction from her because he thinks he didn't get one before – this is why eye contact matters.

Tifa, for her part, doesn't look happy. He's got a reaction out of her, but it'd be really super helpful if he was facing her to see it. Because he isn't, she can get away with a breezy reply that makes him think she doesn't care.

I'm sorry, can I just say serves you right and leave it at that? Seriously, Cloud, don't mess with girls when you can barely form coherent sentences most of the time. What did he expect? She'd throw herself on him, clinging, crying and begging him not to go? Probably. Once again, our angsty hero is on the backfoot in their conversation. This is why eye contact matters. He's looking a bit gutted at her reaction. He likely hoped for more and got far less than he wanted. It's no wonder he goes to Midgar and doesn't approach her when he comes back as a grunt. He's carrying this presumed disappointment around with him that stops him from seeing her. (I can't really go more into CC events since I haven't played it and I've only seen a few bits and pieces, but what I got from it was Cloud is an idiot.)

Tifa asking if he'll be in the papers is both a brush off towards his baiting and also she's trying to encourage him. This is his dream. He called her out of the house late at night to tell her – just her – that this is what he's gonna do. Of course she won't stop him. She's not that kind of girl. She's supportive and kind. She doesn't understand that Cloud's doing it for her – I honestly don't think it enters her mind at any point until he reveals it OG during the lifestream sequence. She's pretty much as oblivious as he is and assumes they're just really close friends and her attraction is all one sided; same as he does about her.

Ah ha! Tifa thinks, realising that Cloud's lukewarm effort to be in the papers won't be enough to satisfy her. If Cloud's going to become a SOLDIER, then he'll be a hero – like Sephiroth. What do heroes do? Save people. He said he won't be home for a long time, but there's even less guarantee he'd come back at all, and she wants to see him again, even if it's just once. She can't leave Nibelheim. As the mayor's daughter she's got responsibilities to the people there – even though the town is dying out and nobody new is settling. Eventually, she'll be the only person her age left and maybe never hear from any of her friends again. But, she can't leave. She can't abandon the people. She'll be left, alone and lonely, until everyone’s gone. Her life wasted. But, she could see Cloud again and that makes her optimistic. Maybe she wouldn't mind the time so much if she thought she'd get to see him again. See that at least he's pursuing his dreams and he's happy with the direction his life took. Maybe she'd get one grand romantic gesture in her life if SOLDIER Cloud could save her.

Confused boi is confused. From Cloud's pov, he doesn't understand this odd request. He hasn't thought about Tifa saying everyone leaving means she's alone. He's only seen this from his pov, so he can't see why Tifa would need saving or how he would even know she needs him. He doesn't realise it's her way of trying to get some guarantee they'll meet again.

I mean, we can see he's trying to understand her. He's actually turned to look at her this time and his expression is searching, like he's looking for clues why she said this. He also invites her to explain by making a verbal cue.

And now that Cloud has her full attention – you know, the thing he was trying to get all along – he doesn't know what to do with it. He's flustered and awkward, and she's cajoling and turning on the charm, which she likely has in spades because mayor's daughter. I know I say that like it's a personality trait, but in part it is. She's had to learn decorum and everything that goes with it. She needs manners and good behaviour. She has to be just enough of an extrovert that she can attend functions – because even though I know I said the town is dying, they still have a reactor and that means they still get visits from important people. She can't show her dad or town up. In the Resolution analysis I made I said she hasn't been allowed to show emotion for five years since she arrived in Midgar, but it's very likely she's never been allowed to show much emotion. She's gotta be the doll. So, since she can't show she's sad, she goes for positive, and Cloud's frowning because he's not sure how he'll keep this promise she wants so bad and if she isn't interested in him then why is she asking for one anyway? Remember, they just did a do-si-do with each other's feelings acting like they don't like each other.

But then, oh look! Oh look! In the face of Tifa's unrelenting cheer and optimism, Cloud starts to smile. Eyes soften and the slightest lift at the corner of his mouth. He's starting to like the idea of being her hero. And it's just once and maybe from that one time save things would move forward for them. He's definitely not opposed to the idea – especially since he's the one who brings it up with Tifa later and she's pretty embarrassed at the reminder. The confusion from before could be because he thought she wasn't serious, but looking her dead in the eye – this is why eye contact matters – he sees she's serious. She wants him to be her hero. She wants to see him again and even offers a get out clause by saying “just once.” He doesn't have to do it forever or whenever she wants, just once. So, she can have hope she'll see him again some day.

And now we're back with the big idiot, who squeezes his eyes shut as he remembers Tifa in the bar earlier saying she feels trapped. Guilt likely pinches. Maybe he wonders if this was a hint she wanted his help – I'm wavering on this because she does say later she didn't expect this kind of thing when she asked for his promise – but if we go by choice of words alone it's leading. Then again, bby Tifa uses the word trapped, so it could just be a word that she feels comfortable using to describe her feelings. How we speak is made up of specific words we go to that feel right when we say them. It's just one of those things and why not everyone speaks the same even when they're from the same region or you have friend groups where you speak one way and other groups where you speak another.

From the dev pov I'm assuming it's meant to be a callback to the promise, but I wouldn't put it on Tifa doing it purposely to encourage Cloud to help her. If that makes sense.

And we close off with Cloud clenching his fist and resolving to help Tifa. To keep his promise.

At no point do we have confirmation from Tifa that the reason she asked Cloud to make a promise was to get a favour off him.

Conclusion

This is actually a very tragic scene from Tifa's pov. I've seen some people say this is because she's a young girl acting like a fairy princess, but I can't marry that idea with the gritty themes FF7 portrayed, and Remake does still hit those notes. Tifa is a young girl who had her romantic hopes dashed and she's looking for some kind of consolation from the boy she likes. He's leaving her. They're all leaving her. She'll be alone. She just wants hope that she'll see him again.

Is it manipulative? Yeah, ok, if that's how you see it. She's thirteen. Did I mention that? I'll say it again. She's thirteen, and one of the last people her age in town. Soon, she's gonna be the only one her age. She's lonely and doesn't want to lose everyone in her life. If you say that's manipulative by asking her crush make a promise so she can have hope she'd see him again, then go off I guess.

And let's touch on hope. Tifa is someone who has a lot of enduring hope – this is why I initially linked the ask to the resolution scene because the theme of hope runs through both. Tifa gets knocked down a lot. She's almost died several times, lost people close to her when they left town, lost Cloud when he left and still found a way to go on. She was never a damsel or trying to be one. She's wearing a cute dress because Cloud asked her out. She thought it was a date. Or she wanted it to be. And since when does wearing a dress make someone a weakling? Or does it only apply to Tifa because convenience?

After Cloud leaves, Tifa begins training every day. She learns from a master and develops her skills until she's at the peak. I mean, you've seen her fight. She kicks all the ass.

She wasn't sitting around like a damsel waiting for an opportunity for Cloud to come and save her. She got on with her life. She was happy at times, sad others. It was normal. She missed Cloud, I know that much from CC. She dressed up – again – hoping he'd be part of the group inspecting the reactor. She was disappointed when he wasn't there.

The promise between them wasn't about furthering a childhood romance or making Tifa someone Cloud couldn't get over. Neither of them was aware the other had feelings. It was awkward mutual oblivious crushing that clearly carried on for another two years until Cloud showed up with Zack, but didn't appear before Tifa because he’s that kind of idiot.

And what happened during the trip? Well, a lot of stuff, but the thing I know about is Sephiroth went batshit cray cray and slaughtered everyone in the town and then burnt it to the ground. He nearly killed Tifa. Cloud was there and that's what we see in his headache flashes about “I let you down again”.

He carries a lot of guilt about not being Tifa's hero, which is why he tries so hard to protect her. He made a promise to her that part of him believes he hasn't kept, but if it wasn't for him, she'd be dead. Again. He did save her. And he keeps on saving her. Not because of the debt of a promise but because he wants to be her hero. The real Cloud that's hidden deep within him, the one that made the original promise, the one that almost died saving her and got stuffed in a mako chamber for years until Zack rescued him, that Cloud wants to be Tifa's hero.

That's why after he recalls this moment – and it's one of the ones where he doesn't have a headache at all (just thought I'd mention that because certain people go on about how a specific scene is all Cloud not headachey Cloud whatever) – that he becomes focused on helping Tifa. He opens up both to her and others – check the camaraderie with the trio after the mission and him offering to walk Wedge home. 

This recollection of a promise is the first step for the real Cloud to finding his way back. That's why it anchors his development and that's why his and Tifa's relationship will never be less than something deep and meaningful.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #cloti #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #the promise #Cloud Strife #Tifa Lockheart

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Venonat Line

Venomoth’s one of those pokemon I sometimes forget exists. This isn’t to say I don’t like it, just that even back in Red and Blue there was 151 and that’s a lot to remember. Now there’s like a thousand if you count all the Megas and Regional Variants, so some of them just mentally slip away. DESIGN: 

Venonat is a cute little ball of fluff with huge eyes and just enough features to read as some sort of bug thing. Now, granted, it’s more Mite than Gnat, but the fact remains that you can tell it’s a small bug. I have no issues with Venonat’s design. Venomoth’s design gets through the idea of a fantastic moth, with a weirdly-shaped head and a deep, toxic-purple color.  I can’t say it’s a striking design, but I also can’t complain about it. It reads uniquely and it gets the job done.

Now, you’ll hear a lot of people saying that Venonat was supposed to evolve into Butterfree and Venomoth was supposed to come from Metapod and show you visual cues that seem to support this theory... But let me tell you- this theory is wrong. We know from the internal index and beta versions of the games that Caterpie, Metapod, and Butterfree were created in unison.  And Venonat was created as a stand-alone long before, possibly before it was even decided that Pokemon would evolve. (The first Pokemon designed WITH its Evolutions were Trifox, Vulpix, and Ninetails as well as Pikachu, Raichu, and Gorochu. A lot of 3-stage evolutions were cut down to two.) Really, it just comes down to a lot of the initial designs in gen 1 being samey in some ways because they’re working off very small sprites. EVOLUTIONS: Venonat to Venomoth is a two-stage evolution unchanged since the earliest days of Pokemon. It evolves at level 31 to its final form, a bit late compared to other two-stage pokemon, but not unreasonably or painfully so. TYPING:  No matter how well I know it, I will never get over the fact that Venomoth, like Beedrill, can’t fly. It doesn’t even have levitate. Frosmoth, too.  Frankly, it bugs me how many Pokemon in the game are clearly depicted as flying or levitating but don’t have that feature. Anyway, Bug Poison’s fine on the defense. It has more resistances than weaknesses, and double resisting FIghting and Grass gives Venomoth the occassional free switch-in.  STAB-wise, the Grass redundancy is pretty bad when so much resists Poison anyway, so Venomoth gets STAB against Dark, Grass, Psychic, and Fairy, but is double-resisted by Poison, Ghost, and Steel. Interestingly, it’s not weak to Poison, Ghost, or Steel, so it’s not like the pokemon that wall it are its big threats, which is nice.  STATS:  At 450 total, Venomoth falls a bit south of average, mostly on the defensive side. Fortunately, its best stats are Speed and Special, both at 90, which are above average. Not ‘good,’ mind, but ‘above average.’  Venomoth is still regularly outclassed in stats. ABILITIES: This is where Venomoth shines, but first I need to give a special shout-out to the little guy, Venonat.

Obviously you won’t be playing many tournaments where it’s to your advantage to use the little guy, but there are leagues for babies and unevolved pokemon and such, and Venonat’s Compound Eyes, which grant +30% accuracy, is a real boon on a Pokemon that can learn Sleep Powder. Sadly, Venomoth can’t get this ability. Fortunately... Venomoth’s options are all good. Shield Dust prevents additional effects from attacks, such as Fake Out’s Flinch and any chances to Burn or Freeze on attacks. It’s a useful ability, and immunity to Flinching is great, but it’s more for tankier pokemon that can survive the hit and are worried about the secondary effects. Wonder Skin drops the accuracy of all Status moves used on Venomoth to 50%.  Now, this doesn’t stop things with no accuracy check like Follow Me, but it gives a 50% chance to dodge Taunt, Spore, Glare, Thunder Wave, etc.  It’s not full immunity, sure, but any miss from an ability is a wasted turn on the opponent’s part, and that can seriously alter the tide of battle. Venomoth’s other ability option is Tinted Lens. Tinted Lens is simple: You do not resist Venomoth’s attacks. Resisted attacks do normal damage, doubly-resisted attacks still do half damage. This means that despite Bug and Poison’s coverage being meh at best, Venomoth doesn’t actually need to learn a variety of attacks to threaten foes. Note that this doesn’t stop immunities, so Venomoth still can’t poison Steel types.  

Overall, Tinted Lens is probably the best of the three, and it’s what makes Venomoth work as an attacker, but there’s plenty of argument to be made for Wonder Skin. Shield Dust is a fine ability, but Venomoth’s better off with the others. MOVES:  Quiver Dance. With its best stats being Special Attack and Speed, the reason to run Venomoth is Quiver Dance. Once you get one off, it’s an actual competitive Pokemon, and if you can jump in front of a Grass or Fighting attack, or just in front of a tank, you can start setting up.  With Tinted Lens, Venomoth only needs one attack- Bug Buzz.  Sludge Bomb is also good, but it’s just not giving the sort of coverage you want, so it’s entirely skippable.  Without Tinted Lens, you’re going to want Sludge Bomb and/or Psychic as well, because way too many things resist bug attacks. 

After that you’ve got a few options. Sleep Powder’s great on a fast pokemon and can give you time to set up with Quiver Dance or just neutralize something that you can’t just Bug Buzz away.  Substitute is a good way to stay alive and test the waters.  Breeding enables Baton Pass, and being able to Baton Pass a Quiver Dance or two can make an incredible sweeper.  And then there’s Roost, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and various other utility moves.  My suggestion for a Venomoth would be Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, Sleep Powder, and Baton Pass. Use Sleep Powder and Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz away what you can, and if they throw out something 4x resistant to Bug or that otherwise won’t go down fast enough, Baton Pass into something that can handle it.

OVERALL:  Despite its low base stats, great abilities and great moves keep Venomoth competitive.  This is what I like to see in weaker pokemon- particularly strong abilities that make up for their stats if you build around them. And it’s not even the Hidden ability. Venomoth’s still inherently forgettable, though. Well, they can’t all be winners.

#Krenko's Pokemon Guide #Venonat #Venomoth

[lady-divine-writes]

Squatters’ Rights - (Rated PG13)

Summary: Chaos ensues at their daughter's Christmas pageant when some unexpected visitors hijack a very important prop. (1878 words)

Notes: Written for the @klaineadvent 2019 prompts emergency, ground, hiccup, interrupt, nest, and overwhelm, and the @gleepotluckbigbang Prompt 'Christmas Trees'.

Read on AO3.

“Ku-rt … oh Ku-rt,” Blaine sings in a nervous falsetto. “I need to talk to you, Kurt.”

“Yes?” Kurt snaps, too overwhelmed this close to curtain to handle anything that might go hand-in-hand with that unsettling voice.

“We might have a problem.”

“What?” Kurt storms a step towards his husband who leaps three steps back in response, concerned suddenly for life and limb. “What problem!? It’s fifteen minutes to show time! Don’t talk to me about problems!”

“O…okay,” Blaine says, splaying his hands in a conciliatory gesture, “then let’s call it a hiccup?”

“No, a hiccup is a safety-gated synonym for problem and I refuse to accept that there are any problems.”

“And yet, we still have one.”

Kurt sighs, throwing a hand to his forehead to shield his already blooming headache from whatever stupidity this is, and ends up smacking himself with his clipboard. “Fine!” he groans, rubbing the sore spot. “What is it!?”

“Look up there.” Blaine reaches out to take his husband’s shoulder and redirect his attention, but after considering the possibility of getting his hand bitten off, he motions with his chin instead.

“Up where?”

“Up … up there. In the Christmas tree. And … uh … tell me I don’t see what I think I see.”

“What? Is Mrs. Popson complaining that the ornaments are unbalanced again? Are we going to have to re-Feng shui the lights to better complement her third graders’ angel piglets?” Kurt allows himself a snicker as he follows Blaine’s instructions and gazes up. Eight dozen ridiculous things have happened so far and their little pageant has yet to even open. That’s probably all this is. Something ridiculous – a minor inconvenience blown way out of proportion.

At least, that’s what it had better be.

But as he peers through the branches of their picturesque twelve-foot Fraser fir, he realizes no. This isn’t a little thing. It’s a rather large thing. So large, he wonders how come he didn’t manage to notice it before now.

“Oh … shit,” he mutters.

“Yeah,” Blaine agrees. “That’s what I said.”

“This!” Kurt hisses, jabbing a finger upward. “This is why I told you I wanted an artificial tree for the Christmas pageant! Where did we get this thing anyway?”

“It was donated, Kurt! By Father Bruno at St. Adalbert’s Parish. As a show of support for out LGBT inclusive program! He went out to the woods and cut it down himself!”

“Right!” Kurt folds his arms over his chest, expression pinched sarcastically. “He probably planned this! Did it on purpose to sabotage our pageant! You can’t trust the Catholics, Blaine! Don’t I always say that!?”

“No!” Blaine pulls a face. “I have never heard you say that!”

“Well, you can’t,” Kurt sniffs. “And whether I said it or not, it’s generally implied.”

“I don’t think he did this on purpose.”

“Really!? Then let me ask you this - during the time it took the good father to cut this tree down and drag it over here, he never once noticed there was not one, not two, but three nests inside!?”

“I guess not! But neither did y---we,” Blaine corrects, his life flashing before his eyes when he almost implicates his husband in being at fault. “We got the tree last minute. I guess they slipped through the cracks.”

“Obviously.” Kurt sighs. He closes his eyes and drops his head, searching for an answer in the dark behind his lids.

Five minutes.

By now, they only have five minutes left until show time. He can hear the children lining up with their teachers backstage while he and his husband argue. But they need to stop arguing and come up with a solution.

And fast.

He takes a deep breath in and exhales out, the inklings of a plan forming in his head.

“It’s okay,” he says, reassuring himself more than anyone. “It’s going to be okay. They haven’t let the parents in yet. They’re still in line outside. We can fix this. We can still fix this.” Kurt’s eyes pop open. “Sam’s here, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah!” Blaine exclaims, the inclusion of their friend in this scenario of some bizarre comfort to him. “He’s doing final checks on the lighting! Up in the catwalk!”

“Great,” Kurt says, over-enunciating consonants through locked teeth. “Can you go get him please?”

“Yes! Yes, I can! Sam! Sam!” Blaine bellows before he runs off behind the curtain. Kurt flinches, the headache simmering behind his eyes threatening to become a full-blown migraine. He considers informing his husband that he could have yelled just as easily, but quicker than quick, Blaine returns with Sam in tow, pointing animatedly at the tree, running his mouth a mile a minute. Sam listens, nodding and smiling, telling Blaine it’ll be okay every time Blaine stops to take a breath – which isn’t often. But a foot away from the tree Sam gets a better glimpse. He slows down. His smile falls. And to Kurt’s dismay, he shakes his head.

But Kurt adamantly objects to hearing anything that so much as stinks of bad news, so before Sam can say a word, he jumps the gun: “So, you can move them right? Just … shimmy up there and get them down?”

“Uh … no. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” Kurt counters, teeth clenched so hard they’re about to pop from his skull. “Skitter your way up there and pluck them out. It can’t be too difficult.”

“I’m sorry, Kurt …”

“We’re not going to hurt them,” Kurt interjects as if that might be the big hold up. “We’re going to relocate them.”

“Kurt …”

“There’s a cat carrier in the fifth grade room,” Kurt continues desperately. “We’ll toss them in there for the time being and then …”

“Kurt!” Sam barks, which he never does, so Kurt knows the impending answer truly is no. “We can’t move them.”

“And why can’t we?”

“Because those aren’t just any birds.” The three men look up at the exact moment nine fluffy bird faces peek over the edges of their nests and look down, probably wondering what all the commotion below is about. “Those are loggerhead shrikes.”

Kurt and Blaine both look at their friend with confusion on their faces.

“How do you know that?” Blaine asks.

“I happen to be an Eagle Scout. And an active member of the Audubon Society.”

“I didn’t know that!” Blaine pats his proud friend on the back. “Good for you, man!”

“Thank you,” Sam replies a la his favorite Elvis-impersonation. “Thank you very much.”

Kurt throws his arms up in frustration at the unexpected arrival of the mutual admiration society. “Okay! Great! They’re loggerhead shrikes! So?”

“Loggerhead shrikes are threatened. That means they’re protected. We can’t move them ourselves. We might not be able to move them at all without taking the tree with them.”

Kurt’s eyes bug. “We can’t … we can’t … the tree!? Oh great! This keeps getting better and better!”

“Kurt, relax.” Blaine takes the risk and puts his hands on Kurt’s shoulder. He tries to massage them, but they’re hard as rocks. “It’s okay. We can still sort this out.”

“And how do you suggest we do that!? Huh!? Our Christmas pageant, which your daughter is starring in by the way, and is supposed to start in …” Kurt spins around in search of a clock. When he can’t see the one on the far wall, ironical for the tree, he fishes his cell phone out of his pocket and checks the screen. His eyes bug out farther “… two minutes! has been hijacked by birds!”

“Look. They’ve been chill so far. Maybe we can have the pageant with them there and move them after. Problem solved.”

“You’re right,” Kurt agrees optimistically, seeing how, with no time to spare, this could be a feasible option. “We’ll let them stay! Problem solved! I mean, what’s a few birds? It doesn’t look like they can even fly yet. And they’re cute! They’ll add realism. They won’t be any trouble.”

“Not exactly,” Sam says, and Kurt as never wanted to punch him in the face so hard in his life. “There may be a whole other bigger problem.”

“And that is?”

“Those are the babies. Juveniles, specifically. I don’t see any moms. Or dads for that matter.”

“I know I’m going to regret asking this,” Kurt moans, resigned to whatever fate Sam’s knowledge is about to bestow upon them, “but … that’s a problem why?”

“Because loggerhead shrikes are protective. Being separated from their chicks, the parents will get aggressive. Also, if the babies don’t know where their parents are and they get nervous …” A series of jarring screeches interrupt Sam’s explanation. Kurt glares up at the birds, mouths open wide, cawing loudly into the air. Sam points up. “They’ll do that.”

“Great!” Kurt yelps, at the end of his rope. “So we have potentially agro birds loose in the theater, baby birds that spontaneously scream bloody murder, and a play set to start in half-a-minute, which we may have to postpone indefinitely in case we need to call animal control - do I have that right?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Well, skippidy do! Is there anything else!? Anything at all you’ve forgotten to tell me!? Because what else could possibly go wrong!?”

The doors at the back of the auditorium fly open and Kurt blanches, knowing that right then and there, his question is about to be answered.

“Kurt! Blaine! Come quick! It’s an emergency!”

“What? What, what, what is it now!?”

“Insane birds are dive bombing parents in line outside! Three people have already been pecked! Everyone is scattering! It’s like an Alfred Hitchcock movie!”

With the doors thrown open, Kurt can hear it – the panicked yells of parents outside, banging on the doors, begging to be let in. Above that, the shrieking of the birds searching for their babies echo through the halls, their screams so high-pitched and piercing, they make their way through the thick stone walls and heavy metal doors. Hearing their parents’ cries, the baby birds respond, frantically flapping their wings in an effort to take flight themselves and reach them.

Bitterly Kurt thinks all of his problems might be solved if they give it a go, plummet to the ground, and break their little birdie necks.

How un-festive of him.

Blaine looks sympathetically at his done-in husband. “Do you want me to go outside and handle this one alone?”

“No.” Kurt straightens his back, squares his shoulders, hands his clipboard over to Sam, and makes for the stairs to the stage, head held high like a gladiator going off to fight an unwinnable war. “I’ll go. Sam? Tell the teachers … there’s been a bit of a delay.”

“Right-y o, chief,” Sam says, leaving the stage with a solemn salute.

“And Blaine?”

“Yes?” Blaine says, falling in behind his husband, unwilling to let him walk off into the bird battle alone.

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“The next time I ask what could possibly go wrong - gag me.”

“Don’t say that …” Blaine smirks, preparing to die on the hill of bringing a smile back to his husband’s face. “Between that and all this bird talk, I can’t wait to get you home.”

#klaine advent 2019 #gpbb drabble december #klaine advent: overwhelm #klaine fic #klaine fanfiction #frankie writes

[mst3kproject]

324: Master Ninja II

There used to be a restaurant in the plaza across the street from where I work that actually had a conveyor belt buffet.  Plates of sushi would go around and you could pick the ones that looked tasty, and when you were done the staff would count the empty plates to calculate your bill… whereupon you would realize your eyes were bigger than your tummy and your wallet was smaller than either.  It truly was a work of evil genius.

So here we have the continuing adventures of Max and McAllister the Boring White Ninjas, and Max is still a whiny dolt with a hamster instead of a personality.  First, he enters a motorcycle race, where he’s beaten by Carrie, a young woman trying to unionize the cannery her town depends on.  Naturally the business owners don’t want to waste money treating their employees like human beings, so they’re trying to run her out of town. The good guys win, the girl kisses Max, and we’re on to the next episode, in which a senator’s garden party is interrupted by members of a militant cult.  Lucky for his guests, the senator’s cute daughter Alicia invited Max and McCallister, so there are ninjas on hand when the cops need somebody to rescue the hostages.  Unlucky for McCallister, the Foot Clan is still following him and they choose the worst times to swordfight.  The good guys win, the girl kisses Max, and then the movie’s over. ‘Bout time.

This movie is so boring I think I actually died while watching it. I saw a light and flew towards it, but then a voice told me that my job wasn’t over – I still had to write the review! Next thing I knew, I was face-down, drooling in my keyboard.  Now that I’m back, though… what the hell am I supposed to write?  I think I already got through everything I had to say about The Master in my first review, and the second is really just more of the same. Timothy Van Patten is just about the most boring actor I can possibly imagine, and we get the idea that Max wouldn’t give a shit about any of this injustice if there weren’t pretty girls involved.  None of the this-week-only characters are played with any conviction.  The stunt fighters are bad.  Lee Van Cleef has more screen presence than the entire rest of the cast put together and is entirely wasted on this stupid show.

One thing that I guess does kind of stand out is how badly they use slow motion.  We see it now and then – particularly in two consecutive motorcycle jumps, which I suppose are meant to look impressive.  They’re not very, and the slow-mo just gives us time to notice that rather than Van Patten and Van Cleef, the bike is being ridden by a stuntman and a potato sack in a helmet.  Later we get slow-motion of a truck breaking through a gate, which just doesn’t come across as worthy of it.  They don’t even do anything to make the wood break dramatically.  Remember in A Knight’s Tale where they filled the lances with spaghetti to make lots of fake splinters when they broke?  There’s nothing like that here, they just run over a gate and expect us to think it’s cool.

Then there’s the ham-fisted writing.  The villains are such caricatures of evil, they’re almost as bad as real-life politicians.  Even worse, the exposition.  Why does McAllister just randomly die in the hotel room?  There seems no reason for it, unless, like me, he died of boredom listening to Max talk.  It establishes he can do that so he can ‘resurrect’ later, but it’s so obvious that when he does ‘die’ we don’t believe it for a second.  It’s all so blatant that it’s almost painful to watch.

So when the movie explains things, it’s annoying, but when it doesn’t, it’s even worse.  Episode Two begins with Max in a small airplane, saving a girl whose car brakes are out. Uh… what?  Where’d he get the plane?  When did he learn to fly it?  How did he know the girl needed saving?  Did she just happen to be there?  What the hell is going on?  We never find out.  The fact that this sequence gets the whole plot going means it at least introduces the plane without the big flashing sign that this will be important again later, but all our initial questions about the opening remain unanswered.

I can also say that the second episode that went into Master Ninja II, while still not something I’d go out of my way to watch, is much, much better than the first one.  This is at least partly the writing – the bad guys in the second half are slightly less cartoonish and much more threatening, and the various intersecting storylines make it somewhat less boring.  The second half also has actual ninja stuff going on, which is a definite plus in a movie called Master Ninja.

There’s not a whole lot of ninja-ing happening in the first half, and when it does, it’s almost as if they chicken out from actually showing us. McCallister throws down a smoke bomb to vanish with the damsel in distress… and the camera cuts away!  They had a chance for a neat in-camera effect, and they totally dropped the ball!  Later, Max throws a grappling hook so he can climb a wall… and again, the camera cuts away!  Instead, the set-piece action sequences for this half are a couple of car chases. These are badly filmed, never giving us the sense of danger they should have, and make the aforementioned poor use of slow-motion.  A few caltrops and throwing stars come out, but only really appear in close-ups of a hand holding them, in the vain hope we won’t realize it’s not actually Lee Van Cleef doing the ninja stuff.

The second half more than makes up for it.  Max throws a smoke bomb, and we actually see the effect it has on the soldier he’s fighting!  McCallister climbs a wall, slips, and has to grab the bricks with his crampons and throw his grappling hook again!  Ninjas doing ninja things!  And of course there’s the fight between McCallister and the Foot Clan guy. It’s not great.  The relatively enclosed space of the hotel suite could have been used far better, and if Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum will forgive me, I’m afraid I just do not believe that ninjas shout “ha!” every time they throw a punch. And yet, after the near-absence of ninja stuff in the first half, I was eating it up.

The big problem with the second half of Master Ninja II , besides the whole why does he have an airplane?! thing, is that we don’t have a sense of place.  This isn’t so important at the senator’s garden party, where everybody’s pretty much in the same space and the bad guys descend from above and leave the same way. We also know how the cops managed to find their hideout, since we saw the tracker get stuck to the helicopter (although how Max found it I have no idea), but what’s where in this place? We’re told that the hostages are up in the tower, but that doesn’t look like a good place to keep them.  We don’t have a sense of where all that is in relation to where Max and McCallister get in or what obstacles might be in their ways, and not enough is made of what does happen inside that it seems important it would be a surprise.

While the fight between McCallister and Foot Clan Guy does provide the best action scene in the entire movie, it also has nothing to do with the plot of that particular episode.  Again, this is a thing that would work in a TV show, where they need to intermittently remind us that the overarching storyline is still going on somewhere in the background.  If this extra ninja were to do something like injure McCallister, leaving him less able to carry out the rescue, that would be important.  Or if he and McCallister were to put aside their differences for the episode and work towards a common goal, maybe something to do with the security guy who seems to know them both, that would be relevant.  But he appears, there’s one fight, and then he’s gone.

I’ve complained before about the practice of putting two episodes of a TV show together into a movie, but out of all the variations on that theme that showed up on MST3K, I’m pretty sure the Master Ninja people did the worst job of it.  Sandy Frank would at least give us both the beginning and the end of things like Time of the Apes and Fugitive Alien, even if it were hard to understand them without some of the stuff from the middle.  Cosmic Princess and Riding with Death both picked pairs of episodes that had characters or situations in common, and did some dubbing to strengthen the connection.  Master Ninja just gives us Episode One and Episode Two, without even the slightest attempt to provide a narrative connection or to disguise the fact that these are two unrelated stories.  It’s particularly blatant when they just cut from ‘happy ending of Episode One’ to ‘action opening of Episode Two’ without any sort of bridge.

I really did mean to get to Master Ninja II ages ago, but every time I tried to watch it I ended up just giving up.  The first episode was just such a slog of annoying writing and bad acting that I couldn’t take it.  When I finally watched it, the fact that the second half was so much better helped, but on average the whole Master Ninja series is just so dull and nondescript that I have no urge to watch it or anything else to do with it.  Thank goodness MST3K never did a Master Ninja III.

#MST3K #reviews #master ninja 2 #80s

[ticklikeabomb]

Convincing Loki to help you out - Part 3 (Finale)

Pairing : Avengers x Gender Neutral Plus Size Reader ;  Loki x Gender Neutral Plus Size Reader (platonic)

Warnings : Language, Endgame events altered, Death of character

Word Counts : 1.9k

Once the teams have been split, everyone got into those terrible red and white Quantum Real uniforms Tony designed and circled the entry of the device. "Everyone knows what they're supposed to do", said Steve looking at everyone warmly before his eyes narrowed on your figure to which you grazed at him with a smug smile. They nodded and Natasha commented "See you in a minute" to which you made a grimace, not feeling like it. "Come on Loki Luke, let's get this junk started", you grabbed the God of Mischief and traveled back to 2013 Asgard, ending in the prison district. You saw Loki's room and turned to the present version telling him, "You could at least clean your room." He rolled his eyes before turning towards you, justifying that it wasn't his room but his cell. "Hmm…even in jail you have to be a fancy bitch, don't you?", you commented while passing the cell. 

You saw Rocket and Thor hide and in the middle of a commotion. And then you snapped when seeing Rocket's hand lift. "Don't you dare slap him!", you said through greeted teeth and preventing the hit. "Y/N the mission", whispered Loki. "If I know that you did it, you can say goodbye to that furry thing between your legs", you threatened the Guardian. He swallowed harshly and dropped his hand. "We'll gonna check out what's happening in New York", you said softly to Thor and calmed his anxiety down with some of your powers. Giving a deadly look to Rocket, you grabbed Loki once more and disappeared. 

You ended next to Tony who slightly jumped, "God, you scared me." "What's happening? Tony?", you heard Steve on the comms. "Y/N and Loki are here", answered Scott. Tony commented on Steve's ass and you checked him out. 2012's Loki version began impersonating Rogers once more during his life time and you turned towards him, "You surely like impersonating Steve in particular, hein" and saw Loki's cheeks turn a slight pink shade. "It's ok if you wanna bang him, he surely must be righteous in ALL the places", you joked. "Would you Stop!", he greeted through his teeth making you chuckle and Tony smirk. "I hate you", he tuned towards you. "Yeah, yeah, love you too". Passing him a Pym Particle you told him you were going to check on the events in Vormir.

You arrived after the Keeper finished his famous 'One soul for a soul' part. "Alright Kim Possible what's going on?", you chanted while seeing them fighting each other. You rolled your eyes and sighed before paralyzing the two Avengers. You nodded at the Keeper and said "How's life, Skully?" "Long and empty", he responded. "Yup like my sex life. Happens. " You marched at the former SHIELD agents and they seem in pain. "What are you doing?", asked Clint. Your tone got solennel, "My job." Natasha's eyes widened and she whispered, "You gonna jump aren't you?" "It won't work, it must be someone you deeply love", said Clint. "No shit Sherlock." Turning to Red Skull, you saw him nod. You looked down the cliff and exclaimed before jumping, "This is gonna hurt like a Motherfucker." The only thing that was heard next was your skull fractured on the stone. 

Natasha and Clint woke up, water surrounding them and the most beautiful sky they've ever witnessed. Inside her palm, Natasha had the soul stone in her possession. They sighed and activated the Pym Particle to get back to the present timeline. As planned, everyone arrived at the same time with the Infinity Stones. Some of them let out a happy scream of joy for achieving the Heist until Loki noticed your absence. "Where's Y/N?" He looked at Natasha and Clint and repeated his question with a firmer voice. "Where are they?" They bowed their head and said, "They sacrificed themselves for the Stone." The room quieted down, everyone giving you a minute of respect for what you've done. Loki left the room and ended near the compound's lake. "Why did you do it?", he mumbled to himself. 

In the meantime, Tony carefully inserted the stones on his Gauntlet and Hulk reverse snapped everyone back. They felt the air around them shift and truly realized it worked when Clint's wife called him. Their joy quickly vanished when Thanos' ship shadow rotated above the compound and bombed the place. Recovering their senses, Tony, Steve and Thor marched at their nemesis. The fight 2.0 began. Thanos was on the verge to get Thor when Steve wielded Mjöllnir. "YESSS", shouted Thor. Thanos and Steve fought until it was only The Captain facing Thanos and his army. "On your left", he heard the comms. Two simple words warming his heart. Portals opened up, the World's Mightiest Heroes joining each other for one purpose. One order and everyone ran into battle. 

Before crashing against the army, the right fling was decimated by an unknown force. "ProtoVision" by Kavinsky was blasting in the air. You appeared in a grand entrance, sword in hand, decimating everyone in your passage. The Avengers seeing you alive, proudly shouted into battle. "Hello Thanos, long time no see", you faced the Titan, who tensed at your presence. You didn't give him a chance to respond and attacked. Steve, Tony, Thor and Loki joined you. Each taking a turn on the Titan. At the corner of your eye, you saw Peter fleeing with the Gauntlet and decided to give him a hand. He didn't see the Alien coming behind him at full speed. You intervened the moment the monster was about to stab him but ended stabbing you instead. You fell to the ground, bleeding out. Loki was by your side, "Y/N, hey it's gonna be ok. I'm here." You shook your head and told him to go gets his revenge before, once more, passing away. 

The fight escalated. Doctor Strange had to control the breach before it drowned the place while Thanos called for back-up. The Avengers were on their lasts ressources when Carol Danvers came crashing the Alien Spaceship. It was her turn to face off Thanos. She was keeping the Gauntlet from him while standing her ground. Thanos managed to take the upper-hand and take the Gauntlet back. Tony pushed further by attacking Thanos but was projecting to the ground by the Titan. "I am the inevitable", he proclaimed before snapping his fingers. When he saw it didn't work, you let the masquerade fade away and transformed from Tony to yourself, the Stones glowing on your bare arm. "And I am the beginning and the end", you said with a piercing gaze and snapped. 

You felt the Stone's powers invading you, burning you whole. Thanos and his army vanished while you laid on the ground, breathing weakly. The Avengers kneeled before you and asked how you managed to come back. "I was created to keep the Stones safe and hidden. In doing so, I managed like a cat to have an amount of life chances. Six stones, six lives. I just used the last one. No coming back anymore", you spoke slowly, a silent tear sliding down your face. While you were telling them how you managed to come back, you traced a code in the dusty ground. Natasha noticed your move but quickly focused her gaze back on you dying. "I got my wish. I won't die alone", you said before slightly pushing your sword to Loki's direction. "You're worth it", and with that your body glowingly faded away. 

————-

5 months later

The compound has been in reconstruction after the Grand Battle. Natasha recovered your code left on the dusty ground, tracing every formula with Tony and Bruce's help. Until now it was a dead-end. "If they left this behind it's not a coincidence", said Tony, while scratching his neck. "Sir, there is a delivery guy outside the compound's door", exclaimed F.R.I.D.A.Y. Confusion was written all over their features seeing that the package came from you. They intercepted the delivery guy and asked them about the package. He checked his notebook and declared that they that received instructed to deliver it today. Tony called everyone on their provisory conference room. "Why today?", asked Rhodes. No one had an answer. Inside the box, Tony recovered an USB drive to which he uploaded on the main screen. 

It was a video recording of you facing the camera.

"Hello, if you see this message it means I am no longer. Obviously, otherwise that would be weird me watching this with you. So dramatic, right?", they heard you chuckle and couldn't help smile at the screen. "I know you all loved me and will miss me so much to the point of questioning if life is worth living without me in it, but it is. I would like to use this tragic moment to leave my last impressions and directives to you." 

"Rhodes…would you slap Ross for me. Pleeeasse. I can't stand that one. Squirrel if I find out you slapped him, I will come back and cut not only your furry D but both your hands", you said with a piercing look. "Alright, I get it no slapping, Jeez", spoke Rocket in the room. The others looked at each other confused except for Loki who laughed out loud. "Little Ant, never stop growing, the stars aren't the limit." "Awnnn so cute", exclaimed Scott with a dorky smile on his face. "Clint I have been willing to ask you this for some time now. …WTF is that hAiRcUt ?!? Bruce, Hulk…Hulce, the new look definitely threw me of the grid. Wasn't expecting it but as long as you're in peace that's what matters. And ohh by the love of the cosmos NEVER DAB AGAIN." "Bro what?", Tony turned towards his friend who only shrugged. 

"Thunder Thor out here killing all the humans with that amazing smile. Never stop doing that. Hmm who next? STEVIE-OHHHH, I know what happened in that office. No, I wasn't creeping around like some", you said insinuating it about him. "She knows she means everything to you, trust me for once. The past should stay in the past. It's time for the world to meet the Nomad *winks* you know what you gotta do." Steve's gaze briefly landed on Sam.

"Tony, Metal man himself. You can go rest now. You did good. It's time for your second journey, tiny and cute Morgan. Natasha, the spy of it all. I think I left you a task didn't I. Here let me give you one more hint. 'What you're looking for is closer than you think'. And finally, the one and only God of Mischief, Low-key. It was fun hanging out with you. Who thought you were more than just an amazing haircut. Don't do anything stupid but in case you do, don't forget about me. Take care of our baby."

"Anyway this is fucked up. If I had to choose a song to describe my life it would be Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It started slow, hesitant, simple before unexpectedly accelerating. The Rock'n'Roll notes overflowing my existence. Yeah you better be ready, sometimes I'm deep ok. Well 'was'. You were my Rock'n'Roll part and I would like to thank you for that. For a small fraction I didn't just exist but I lived. Bye Losers and live freely you little birds. " 

The video ended with you smiling at the camera. 

"Oh I almost forgot, btw, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are Skrulls. Peace!', your voice was heard for the last time on the tape. 

The audience turned towards Fury and Maria, who felt very uncomfortable. They revealed their true identity before 'Fury' declared, "We can explain." 

* gifs not mine, credit to owners*

PERMANENT TAG LIST : @arrowswithwifi @poetic-pixie @theshortegg @kyber-hearts-and-stardust-souls @prettybubblesintheair @yafriendlyfangirl @marshmallow-witch @ms-cellanies @the-feckless-wonder @cfisher290 @thefangirltheycallviolet @river-fics @lilulo-12 @fanfictionrecommendations-com @spetzerfehn @angieptt @wayward-timetravel-collecter @ashley17jacobs​ @lokithedancingqueen @wildsoul1221 @introvertedsin @robertconradjr @francezka10  @titty-teetee @breezy1415

#avengers x gender neutral #avengers x plus size reader #avengers endgame #loki x gender neutral #Loki Laufeyson #loki x plus size reader #plus size reader #gender neutral #mini series #tony stark #Steve Rogers #Thor Odinson #natasha romanoff #clint barton #bruce banner #james rhodes #rocket #Carol Danvers #thanos #fanfiction #fanfic #marvel #mcu

[takemedancingmaine]

Auld Lang Syne

“You’re wearing that?”

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, looking down at myself.

“Nothing,” Mehar shrugged, “except for the fact that it makes you look like you’re ninety years old.”

“Rude.”

She shrugged again and went back to scrolling on her phone, correctly assuming that I would change after hearing her comments.

I looked in the mirror again, smoothing the skirt down as I looked at angles from the front, the side, and the back. I made a face. I thought the outfit was cute in a retro sort of way, but now Mehar’s words were echoing around my head and I couldn’t stop hearing them over and over again. She’d said it made me look ninety, or in other words: frumpy. I looked at myself one more time in the mirror before I let out a groan and went back into my closet.

I heard Mehar snicker from where she was lounging on my bed but chose to ignore her as I pushed aside hanger after hanger until I found something she might deem acceptable. Stepping back into my room I held up the dress for her to judge.

“What about this?” I asked.

“One second,” she said, typing away on her phone. I glared at her until she dropped the phone to my comforter and looked up. She didn't even look at my face to see my glare, just straight at the garment in my hand.

“Ohhhh,” she cooed. “I like that. Plus you can pair it with those high heeled booties you told me about.”

I stepped into the closet and pulled the shoes in question off the shelf before I slid back out into my room and held them up.

“You mean... these booties?” I asked with a grin. I knew just how much she loved them. After I sent her a picture a few months ago when I’d first gotten them she just sent me incoherent strings of letters and heart eye emojis.

“Yes,” she groaned. “They're so cute. I'm going to steal them when I leave. Stash them away in my bag.”

“You are not.” I rolled my eyes and started to change. “I did not buy them for you. I bought them for me.”

“You definitely bought those for me,” she said. “You just didn't know it at the time.”

“You must have a lot of fun living in the state that you do.” I smirked at her before I contorted myself to manage to grab the zipper of the dress and pull it up.

“Missouri?” Mehar asked with a puzzled expression.

“Delusion.”

A pillow came at my face faster than I could even blink.

“Ouch.”

“You get what you deserve.” My little sister, whom I have supported endlessly and limitlessly her whole life, had no remorse about maiming me with a pillow. Cold.

Mehar has gotten into Chicago yesterday morning. We spent most of the day just pampering ourselves. We painted our nails, did pore strips and soothing face masks, and each took a turn in the tub with a bath bomb of our choosing.

We spent this morning going to brunch and doing some light shopping before everywhere closed down for the festivities. This afternoon, I had braided Mehar’s hair into a crown and she helped me with my makeup--I can never get my eyeliner wings even and she can, so that was her job. Now, the two of us were finishing getting dressed and ready.

In the past, we had gone to bars or clubs and celebrated the New Year. We’d done all of that, and honestly, we were all kind of over it. Sure, we would probably do it again in the future, but this year at least, we were all just going to Ana and Harry’s where they were going to provide us with copious amounts of wine and champagne. We were going to play games and watch movies, and we were going to eat whatever Louis and Liam were each planning on bringing.

It wasn't as glamorous at Mehar had pictured when she first told me she was coming up for the holiday, but she was happy to see me and taking the fact that she was meeting Niall as a compromise. We did still get a little dressed up, too. 

Plus, she was really glad to get out of the house for a few days. With dorms closed down for the winter break, she was forced to be at home with Mom and Dad and three weeks in she was threatening to eat her hair.

She was constantly having to either cancel plans or risk sneaking out to keep up with her social life and her friends. Plus, with our family not celebrating Christmas, winter break was always just a little bit boring. Sure, who wouldn't take a month to just sit around the house in pj’s and spooning peanut butter straight from the container into their mouth while watching Bigfoot Adventures marathons on TV? It could both restore the soul and drive a person mental at the same time.

“What time is Niall coming?” Mehar asked as I pulled out my curling wand and began heating it up.

“We’re walking over and meeting him at five thirty,” I reminded her. “He lives more in the direction we’re going so it makes more sense for us to meet him rather than for him to come here.”

“Less gentlemanly, though,” she said as she put down her phone and stood up to start going through my closet.

“You're just that impatient, aren't you?” I asked.

“Is it so wrong for me to want to meet the man my sister is having great sex with?” She called out from inside the closet.

“MEHAR!” I yelled. If she was in plain sight I would've thrown something at her, but as she was hidden I had to settle for screaming.

“What?” She asked innocently. I closed my eyes and started counting to ten. I had made it to four when she spoke up again. “It's not like it's not obvious. As soon as you called me after spending Christmas with Louis and his family I knew it. I could just tell. You had a… a post-sex glow about you that only really great sex can give you. Mediocre or even just good sex doesn't clear a complexion that much.”

I was flushed the brightest red I'd had ever been in my life as I closed my eyes and tried counting again. I made it to seven before I opened my eyes and groaned.

“I hate you,” I said and she came out of my closet wearing a sequin top of mine. She apparently was going to stick with her black jeans. Even though I was mad at her, I had to admit that she looked cute.

“No, you don't.” She shrugged and laid back down on my bed, picking up her phone in the process. “You're just upset because you really like him and you're embarrassed that I figured it out.”

I twirled a piece of hair around the curling wand and met my own eyes in the mirror. I wasn't embarrassed that she had figured it out, Cleo and Ana had as well, but I did really like him--love him--and the sex was between us for now. It was all still so new and I had even told Ana and Cleo that down the road I would probably tell them more, but for now, I was trying to keep it between me and Niall. I just wanted everyone to let us have this for a minute before it was shared with the world.

I mean, it was great sex and the feeling never diminished after the first time. It was clear that whatever our emotional connection was it extended into the physical realm. That first time together was just like everything else I experienced with him where he put himself above everyone else that came before him. Plus, our ability to talk to each other about it was another major positive.

That first morning, I had woken up before him, and if not for my urgent need to pee (thanks to all the water I'd downed the night before while trying to stay off a hangover), I would have stayed in bed with him. There was a tiny bit of soft light slipping through underneath the blinds that gave me just enough to see his outline. In the night we'd shifted so that he was sleeping on his back and I was on my belly facing him. Our right arms were tangled together and his breathing was even and slow.

I felt content to just lay beside him all day. Once I had removed myself from the bed and put on one of his T-shirts though, I was awake. So I had ended up making a small pot of coffee and heating water for tea. The clock on the stove told me it was half past eight.

Once my tea was ready, I set to work on cutting myself a slice of the couronne Louis had gifted me and with a mug in hand I sat down at the counter and was about to dig in when I heard Niall shuffle out of his room. I looked over and smiled at his hair that was an absolute mess and at his bare chest. He'd put on a pair of athletic shorts and was looking around in slight confusion before he turned and went back to his room.

When he re-appeared a few moments later he had a pair of glasses perched on his nose. He looked over at me, then at his coffee maker before looking back to me.

“You made coffee.” He said as he came up to me. I stood up and nodded as he slipped his arms around my waist. “And you're wearing one of my shirts.”

“I did,” I said, “and I am.”

“Thank you.” He leaned down and kissed me, his mouth moving lazily against mine. “And I like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He nodded and stepped back, making his way around the counter to get to the coffee. I sat back down and started eating.

“Did you sleep alright?” He asked as he poured the coffee into a mug that had a map of Ireland on it. I smiled at that before answering.

“I did,” I said as I watched him move about his kitchen. He sipped his coffee as he pulled out a plate from one of the cabinets above him and then reached for his bakery box. “Your bed is incredibly comfortable,” I told him. “I feel like it was selfish of you to keep it to yourself and not invite me over sooner.” I was teasing him and he knew it.

He paused with his left hand poised over the Chelsea buns, ready to pull one apart from the others, and looked at me over his glasses. I liked his glasses. They framed his face quite well. They made him seem even more bookish than he already was. The slightly rounded frames were very cute.

“I didn’t want you to think that’s all I was keeping you around for,” he said. “I mean, it is, but I didn’t want you to think that.”

I laughed. “Thanks for allowing me to keep some of my dignity.”

“O’course.” He smiled and plated his breakfast, putting it in the microwave for 20 seconds to heat it through, just like I had done with mine a few minutes before.

Once he had his breakfast and his coffee he came round to my side of the counter and sat down on the stool beside me. He took another sip of the coffee and let out a tiny groan.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head.

“I think I need to start following your example of drinking water when I drink alcohol,” he sighed.

“Yeah. Well, you’re old, Niall.” I bit back my smile. “You can’t drink like you used to.”

He glared at me before taking another sip of his coffee. I smiled back at him and eventually, a small smile played on his lips.

“I get the feeling that even without drinking the night before you’re just not a morning person.”

“Oddly enough I  am a morning person,” he informed me. “If I have something to do, getting up isn't a problem. It's when I don't have to be up that I feel groggy and get the urge to stay in bed all day. Even if I feel like I wasted a whole day when I get up any later than nine thirty.”

“I'm kind of the same though,” I said. “I hate feeling like I wasted time by getting up late.”

“But what about getting up earlier and then getting back into bed later on?” He asked.

I looked up at him. “If that's my second invitation-”

“Well,” he cut me off, “it wasn't meant to be that kind of invitation.” His blush flooded his cheeks as they tinged quite a vibrant shade of red that travelled down his neck.

“It's just that I'm feeling like I should embrace the lazy lifestyle today and I would really love a cuddling partner.”

“Oh, well when it's put like that…” I smiled wide. We were silent for a few moments before he spoke up again.

“I erm,” he picked up his coffee mug and cradled it between his hands, “I did want to ask you if... if you enjoyed it. I mean, I just, and you don't--”

“Niall.” I cut him off.

“Ruby.” He finally looked up at me from his mug.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

“Yeah?” A breath of relief. His eyes locked on mine.

“Yes.”

I found, in talking with Niall that morning, both while we ate our breakfast and once we were back in bed, snuggled together, ready to fall back asleep after having done absolutely nothing, that intimacy wasn’t found in sex.

Niall and I found intimacy that morning just telling each other about our lives. We found intimacy in discussing music sleepily once we'd woken from our nap, and in trying to pick what to make for lunch and then making a mess out of the soup when it bubbled over onto the stove top. We found it that afternoon when we sat on his couch watching movies and eating popcorn and while watching the sunset through his windows.

We found it in the quiet moments when he kissed my finger after I’d jammed it on a door and when he helped me into my coat as I was getting ready to leave. Niall and I found intimacy in sharing our lives with each other. The sex was on its own level, but Niall and I weren't just sex. We were partners, sharing and growing and getting through life side-by-side. That was intimacy for us.

“Hey!” Mehar called to me as I finished curling my hair. “Are you finally ready?”

I picked up my red lipstick, my favourite, and swiped it across my lips carefully.

“Now I am.”

“A million years later! I'm literally dying from anticipation,” she said as she hopped off my bed and slid into her shoes. “Let’s get a move on slowpoke.”

Before I could even pull a hand through my hair to loosen the curls a bit, Mehar had thrown my jacket at me and was shuffling me out of my bedroom.

“Heyyy,” I complained. She just scoffed as she kept pushing me out the door. I barely had time to swipe my cards, keys, and phone off my entry table before the door slammed behind me.

“Can I at least lock that?” I tried to manoeuvre around her.

“Why bother? You can just lock the bottom one.” Mehar started pushing back again. “It's not a big deal.”

I felt a flash of fear surge through my body at her words. My chest tightened and my breath hitched as I struggled against Mehar. I wanted to immediately fall down on to the stair I was currently on and just break down and cry. I fought against it though. I grounded myself with the smell of my sister’s perfume and her voice coercing me out the door.

I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath and opened my eyes again.

“No, I just--” I managed after I had managed to take a full breath. “I just really think I should lock it.”

“Ugh, fine,” she huffed and let go of me.

I spun around her and sprinted back up the four steps until I was at my door and locking it. It took me a moment longer than normal because my hands were shaking slightly. Once the bolt turned though, I felt my heart settle and the tension in my belly recede, leaving me feeling oddly shaken up and uncomfortably on edge. I trudged down the stairs after my sister and once we were outside I locked the front door as well.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we stepped up to his building, but Niall looking quite handsome in dress pants and a very fancy winter coat was what was waiting for us. He had his hands shoved in his pockets to keep them warm and his face was buried into a scarf he had wrapped around his neck but I'd recognize that figure and that floofy hair anywhere.

“Niall!”

When I called his name he spun toward us and the smile that flooded his face when he saw me lit up the whole street. As we walked toward each other I felt all of the remnants of the unease I had felt before melt away. When he hugged me it was like my whole body was refreshed after the minor incident before. My nerves settled completely, a calm was spread over me.

His arms around me, his scent, were grounding me. I was suddenly so much lighter in my own body. Feeling as if the incident with Mehar before about locking my door was just a blip and not something that would put me on edge, knock me off my centre, for days.

“Hi,” he whispered into my ear before pulling back from the hug. Somehow, even in the fluorescent glow of street lamps his eyes still shone. After three months of dating, which is when the glow of a shiny new relationship tends to start fading, nothing felt like it had dimmed or faded. A simple smile from him still sent butterflies through me.

“Niall, this,” I waved my hand towards Mehar, “is my little sister, Mehar.”

“Lovely to meet you.” He turned his attention toward her and after seeing if it was okay, went in for a hug. “I've heard quite a lot about you.”

“It's so good to meet you too, Niall,” my sister said as they separated. “And all good things, I hope?”

“Only good things.” Niall nodded, a smile pulling on his lips. “Now, not to cut this introduction short, but it's bloody freezing. Can we get a move on?”

Mehar laughed and started hopping slightly in place.

“Please!” She said, shoving her hands in her pockets. “I can see my breath.”

“Seeing your breath is the least of your concerns.” I rolled my eyes as we all started walking. Niall fell into place beside me, Mehar walking ahead of us, even though she had no idea where she was going.

“How are you?” Niall asked quietly, mindful of the ears of my sister closeby. “You looked a little on edge when you first walked up.”

“Yeah, I'm good,” I assured him. “Was just feeling a little bit nervous. My sister, though seemingly calm, is actually a tornado of thoughts and intentions and you meeting her is… it's stressful for me. She's literally going to make judgements about you and good or bad she’s going to let me hear them.”

Niall reached an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side as we walked.

“Well, then I’ll just have to be on my best behaviour tonight,” he said before kissing my forehead. I felt the kiss in my toes and a smile slipped onto my face.

“Just be yourself,” I said. “She’ll love you. I love you. I'm just worrying over nothing.”

“Probably.” He puffed out his chest. “I mean, I am pretty amazing.”

I laughed as he exhaled and his chest returned to normal. He began laughing as well, and moved his arm from around me and slipped his hand through my arm, making it easier for us to walk side-by-side.

“Stop laughing and hurry up slow pokes. I need warmth and drinks!” My sister called back to us, which only made us laugh even more. Mehar turned and watched as Niall threw his head back and his laughter echoed through the street around us. She wanted to be angry because she was cold and really did want us to hurry up (she was practically jogging, at this point), but I could see her eyes, I knew she enjoyed Niall laughing just as much as everyone else. She caught me looking and with a huff rolled her eyes and turned around.

“It’s a left at the end of the street and then you’ll see it at the end of the block,” I called to her form as she paced away from us.

“Well she’s determined,” Niall said, watching as Mehar turned the corner.

“She's only ever visited me in the summer,” I said. “She’s never seen the heating stations at the platforms. She is very excited.”

Niall laughed again.

“I like her.”

“She’s pretty great,” I agreed. He kissed my forehead again before we picked up our pace to try and catch up with Mehar.

When we did eventually find her, she was standing on the platform underneath one of the heaters. She looked so peaceful I almost felt bad when I  shoved her away so that we could get on the train that had just pulled into the station. Her face, when I stuck my tongue out at her, was classic as she struggled against me. Niall next to us was biting his lip to try and hide his smirk. Once the train doors opened though and the heat poured out, Mehar surged forward toward the warmth and once inside found a seat.

There was no space for Niall or me to sit beside her so we both grabbed onto the rails and stood. We only had a few stops to go anyway. Plus, as city residents, Niall and I were pretty used to being on our feet riding a packed train, and as we started heading South toward the city centre, more and more people were cramming into the train carriage. As we approached our stop, I was in a position where Niall was pressed up against my side and I was literally straddling Mehar’s legs.

“Fresh. Air.” Mehar gasped as we stepped out of the train and onto the platform. “I swear I thought I was going to suffocate when that one guy got on. Like, I don’t even think you could measure his cologne usage in sprays. You’d have to measure it by bottles. I mean, if that wasn’t an entire bottle that he’d used then it must have been one of those massive, industrial sized bottles. I can’t even understand. 

“Like, where was he going that he was that afraid that he wasn’t going to be noticed by cologne smell alone? Was he afraid he would somehow end up somewhere without showers for the next five years and he just hoped that it would be enough to last, like residually? I can’t fathom how desperate of a man he must’ve been in order to do that. I honestly think the whole train is going to still smell once he gets off. For weeks. Hopefully, you never have to get in that carriage again…”

Mehar was still going on and on as Niall and I just listened and laughed, leading her from the station and up onto the street. My sister had a touch for the dramatics. It was endlessly entertaining though. I mean, she was still going as we got up into the night air and started the one block trek to Ana and Harry’s.

Cleo and Liam had started early, apparently, and from the looks of it, Harry wasn’t far behind as he sipped from his (massive) wine glass. Ana, who had opened the door, had flushed cheeks, but she was wearing an apron, so it was more than likely from working in the heat of the kitchen than from alcohol. Liam and Louis could get intense when it came to making finger foods and Ana loved playing hostess.

Ana shuffled us inside and immediately the three of us had all of our senses bombarded. Sounds flowed from the speakers, plural, that Harry had connected to his phone as well as the conversations and sounds of cooking. Smells wafted out from the kitchen in mouth-watering quantities. Sights of twinkle lights, the Rockin’ Eve coverage from Times Square playing on the television, the gold and sparkles Ana had decorated with were visible in every direction you looked. It was like a magic hue was covering everything in sight.

Mehar spun around a few times, taking it all in before Louis called out to her.

“Oi, baby Singh, get over here and give me a hug!”

My sister gave me a pointed look before looking over at Louis and heading over there to embrace him in a classic bone-crunching, soul-revitalising hug. I knew what that look was. Mehar loved Louis. Countless teasing from her about him being gorgeous and years of her acting all flustered around him whenever she came to visit were enough to let me know her little baby crush on him was still very prevalent. It was adorable. He didn’t look at her that way, and I would kill him if he ever did, but it was still precious that she got so skittish around him.

Harry was already handing Niall a beer.

“This is for the lad,” Harry teased with a fake Irish accent as Niall took a sip of the Guinness, “and this is for the lady.” Harry handed me a glass of whiskey and I took a deep breath before bringing the glass to my lips and taking a small sip. The amber liquid warmed me as it went down.

“Harry, they haven’t even taken their coats off and you’re shoving alcohol down their throats.”

“I just handed it to them,” Harry said defensively, though his smile was endearing. “They’re the ones that drank it already.”

Niall laughed and pointedly took another sip before moving back from me and began to help me take my coat off.

“In his defence, he called it pretty well,” Niall said as he placed my jacket over his arm and went to take his own jacket off before he paused at the sight of me in the dress I’d let Mehar approve. Seeing the look on his face, I was glad I had listened to my sister and changed. His eyes darkened and he licked his lips before biting down on his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes at me. I just smiled at him until he shook himself and he began to move again.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered to me as he walked past me to hang up our jackets. I took hold of his beer, safeguarding it until he came back and slipped his arm around me.

“Thank you.” I blushed. “You clean up pretty well yourself, Horan. I mean, did you trim your beard?”

“O’course I did. I can’t be lookin’ like a homeless man to meet your sister,” he paused, “or to ring in the new year.”

“Well, you look very handsome.” I smiled up at him. Paired with his dress pants, he was wearing a deep purple button down with the top two buttons undone so that just the right amount of chest hair was showing. 

Seeing that I was suddenly very hot in my dress. I think he could tell.

“Thank you, darling.” He beamed back down at me and kissed my forehead before he stepped over to Louis to start teasing him about something or other.

It was a few minutes later that I was perched on a stool and watching everyone when one of Harry’s favourite songs came on.

“Cleo!” I turned when Harry called her and watched as he turned up the music and the two of them began dancing to the song as if no one was watching. Mehar came up to me with a drink in her hand, since she was finally legal, and we watched Harry and Cleo move together.

“I seriously love your friends,” she said after a minute or so. She'd met them all before, so I already knew that. Still, it was nice to hear that she approves of them regardless. “And I really like Niall.”

It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest when those words fell out.

“You do?” I asked. I took a deep breath.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just in the way the two of you interact, the way he was talking with Louis about his family and about work at the bakery. He seems really genuine. I feel like that’s exactly what you’ve needed, Ruby. Not someone to take care of you, but someone to just be with you. You’ve never been someone who needed to be completed by someone else. I love that about you, Ruby. I try to be as much like you in that respect as possible.

“And Niall doesn’t, complete you I mean, but he is a wonderful companion for you. You’ve spent the past couple of months telling me about all the fun things you’ve done together, and it’s all still so new. There’s so much time for more. It makes me happy. I’m happy you’ve found someone. I’m happy you’re happy.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and wrapped an arm around my sister. She leaned into me and I got a whiff of her coconut shampoo and flashed back when we shared a bathroom growing up and smelling her hair products every time she took a shower. It only served to add to the emotions I was currently dealing with as they swelled up inside of me.

“I love you, Mehar.”

“Love you too, you big emotional baby,” she said. “Oh, and he smells good, too. That’s always a bonus.”

“That’s fair.” I laughed and nodded.

Counting down to midnight I began thinking about the past year. Last January the group of us had gone out and we were celebrating in a bar downtown. The winter months had been fun and filled with hot chocolate and murder documentary marathons. Then there was when Liam was dating a girl that worked at Shedd Aquarium, so we all got in for free one day in March. Over the summer we’d spend nights on Cleo’s roof sunbathing and cooking on the world’s smallest grill and spending weekends together at the beach.

Then Niall showed up. I was thinking a lot about what Mehar had said earlier, about how I didn’t need someone to complete me. I looked over at her, with Cleo whose arms were around her, and then looked up at Niall, who held his glass of champagne in one hand while his over was wrapped around my waist as we watched the clock tick down the final minute.

Niall came back to Chicago and helped each of us in our own way, I think. With Ana, he gave her someone to gossip with and turn to when she needed advice about planning for a wedding--as he’d been a pretty big part of planning his brother’s. For Harry, he was someone that could talk about music and guitars. Niall would often mess around on his old beaten up acoustic on quiet nights or mornings when he was just looking to relax.

For Liam, Niall was someone he could turn to when he needed to ask about the newest literature for children and for talking about expensive coffee habits. When it came to Cleo, Niall would spend an endless amount of time talking about murder documentaries and serial killer theories and podcasts. Their shared interest morbid, but intriguing.

Louis was a special case. Niall came back and it was like the time apart for them didn’t mean anything. They fell back into an easy friendship and the love and mutual respect that they shared was undeniable. Seeing Niall on Christmas interacting with Louis’ mom and sisters let me know that he’d spent countless time with them before. He was part of the family. He was part of Louis’ family and that was so beautiful to witness. The inside jokes they laughed at and the stories that we told over dinner, there was no tension, just love.

For me, Niall was a light. Not that my life was dark, and not that it was as if I was blind before, but Niall’s aura was undeniably bright. He’d brought love into my life in a way I’d never experienced it before. He did his best to understand my culture the way I was learning about his.

He supported me and laughed with me and watching him interact with my sister throughout the night had proven again to me that he was kind and decent and wonderful. He always tried to be positive, but not in a bubbly and annoyingly persistent way. He was just not someone to wallow in the negatives when there was so much else to focus on.

Niall didn’t make me feel inadequate for not having my master’s degree or for not being part of a Fortune 500 company like seemingly everyone else with my degree was. He didn’t tell me that I should be going back to school or pressure me into thinking I needed to. He loved that I was happy with my place in the world and loved that I was doing well in all aspects of my life.

It had been six days since my last nightmare--the longest gap between terrors--and I was starting to think that maybe it wouldn’t come back at all, that the dark fog of it had lifted from my brain. I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I was returning to normal, returning to the state I had been in before I was attacked.

Surrounded by people I loved and people who loved me, I couldn’t help but think I was okay. I still felt guilty for not telling them what had happened to me. Niall more than anyone, especially given the way he had told me about his dad and the personal crisis he’d experienced back in Ireland after what had happened. I felt like he deserved to know, and I couldn’t figure out why I felt like that, but I did. Still, I suppressed my urge to just spill it out to him. We were fine. We were in a good place.

I was constantly thinking about what Brian had told me, about his sister and how she was doing really well now. Her attack hadn’t defined her. That thought gave me a lot of strength and hope for my future. I was grateful for Brian and his guidance and friendship. Because even though he disagreed with me on how to handle what I’d gone through, he was still supportive and still doing what he could to help. People like that, like Brian, are the best part of humanity.

“She's doing that bouncing thing,” Mehar said, pulling me from my reverie.

Everyone looked over at me even though there were only 22 seconds before midnight. I was bouncing up and down on my toes. It was something I did when I was excited or was anticipating something.

I blushed.

Niall looked down and smiled at me.

“She does that a lot,” he told her.

“She's weird,” Mehar teased.

“I don't know, I think it's kind of cute,” Niall said.

“That doesn't make it not weird,” Louis called over with a quick wink in my direction. I stuck my tongue out at him before everyone's attention returned back to the television screen as the countdown continued got to ten. Except for Mehar, who took an extra second to smile at me and then Niall before turning away.

I'd watched them interact all night. Niall and Mehar had giggled together like little kids when Liam told a story about one of his kids shoving peas up his nose at lunch and not finding out until the kid sneezed like two hours later. They were huddled together on the sofa, Niall’s cheeks pink and Mehar’s laugh a smidge too loud from drinking as Liam recounted the incident.

There was also the time they were in the kitchen refilling their plates with snacks, looking up at me and whispering to each other. When I'd asked Niall what they were talking about he shrugged and said ‘nothing.’ I think they'd exchanged numbers, which was both so cute and also so horrifying.

As the clock struck midnight and the calendar turned over all of my friends began to cheer. Liam, Cleo, and Mehar all cheersed with their champagne glasses before they burst into a shockingly horrific rendition of Auld Lang Syne as Harry and Ana stole a quick kiss.

Niall pulled me tighter against him before leaning down and kissing me. I closed my eyes against the lights of the room, and with his lips on mine, the commotion around us melted away. Gone were the cheers and the singing and the commotion on the television. 

It all faded as I focused on Niall moving his lips against mine, his torso pressed against mine, my hands running through the soft hair at the back of his neck, his tongue that he cheekily swiped against my bottom lip, and the warmth that radiated off of him and into me was dizzying. Too much and not enough all at once.

Eventually, though, the two of us were brought back into reality as popping sounds began all around us. I smiled against Niall’s lips and opened my eyes as we pulled apart. His eyes were blown out, pupils dilated as they roamed my features. His cheeks were flaming red as he bit his bottom lip.

Turns out, Ana had made confetti poppers. It was the popping sound that pulled us out of our trance. There was gold glitter and confetti flying everywhere and it was falling onto Niall and myself as apparently, they popped them at us before teasing us.

“You realise you’re going to have to clean all of this up, right?” I asked Ana as Mehar handed me a glass of champagne. I clinked glasses with her before turning to Niall and clinking his glass as well. His blush had faded a bit, but his eyes were still dark and his hair was a little ruffled up in the back. I smiled at that.

“I decided that the benefits outweighed the costs,” Ana said with a shrug.

“Happy New Year,” Harry said while he handed me and Niall our own confetti poppers.

“Happy New Year,” we said in unison before popping them right in our friend’s faces.

If this was my new normal, I was more than okay with it.

#OHHHH everything is going so well right? #Ruby and Niall are happy? #Friends are happy #Mehar is happy #Seems like everything is going to be alright #RIGHT?! #lolol who knows? #not me #👀 #1dff #fic: only ticket home #fic: oth #OTH15

[iamrheaspeaks]

Two For One Special

A/N: This is a One-Shot for my Birthday Twin @hearteyes-for-killmonger. I tried to get this out before our day ended but alas here it is regardless. Lightly proofread/ edited as always 💋I hope you had a bomb ass day love 🤞🏾

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: There will be smut 😈

There’s something to be said about what you experience when you spend a birthday in Vegas! The only time Rhea had been to Vegas was passing through it as a child on her way to visit family in Richmond, CA during the summer. Slipping out of grasp like sand through her fingers. But finally this East Coast girl trekked it across country solo dolo to celebrate her birthday. Nothing could kill the joy of this independent adventure. Not the airport check in, the delayed boarding, the very opinioned white woman who insisted that she couldn’t possibly afford her first class ticket and was in the wrong line. Nope as far as Rhea was concerned she’s a mere few hours away from the best long weekend of her life. Those medicated gummies helped too.

Pumpkin was excited to one up her last time in Vegas. She knew which spots she liked and which she didn’t really care for. And how to avoid the multitude of people insisting she’d have more fun if high, drunk or gambling. With no offense to anyone else of course, it just wasn’t her vice. That being said Pumpkin glad to be returning to the city of sin so that the darker side of her got to come out and play. The allure of being somewhere far from home and the fact that she’d chosen to take this trip alone were a plus. The only things and people that would be influencing her energy would be of her choosing.

When Rhea reached her seat there was a woman sitting in the window seat headphones already in typing away at her phone. Rhea stole quick glances at her while loading her carry on into the overhead bin after fishing out her own headphones and old iPod touch, choosing to power down her phone for the flight. The girl had golden brown skin that rivaled hers and deep chocolate brown eyes that gave off an undertone of honey when the sunlight caught them. Her hair was natural. In a side part with the fronts flat twisted back into a high bun with flowers adorning either side. Looking at the deep purple that stained her lips Rhea felt a jolt travel through her. At that she lightly shook her head breathing out a brush of air before sitting down.  

Pumpkin was so engrossed in her phone she hadn’t realized the frame that filled the seat to her right. With no work to worry about and no distractions she had thrown herself into her writing. The woman was smaller in size but undeniably cute. High cheekbones making her smile even more prominent. Gently swaying side to side in her seat in response to whatever she was listening to as she watched all the fuss on the plane die down the closer they got to departure. Her hair was covered in a woven hat and she wore big hoop earrings with a fresh face. Pumpkin liked the happy vibe that she gave off.

A little ways into the flight is when it happened. Pumpkin had removed her headphones to give her ears a rest. Rhea had just caught the attention of a flight attendant asking for something to drink. Anticipating being carded she had her Driver’s License out already. As Rhea and the attendants’ exchange came to a close, “Oh! Happy Birthday by the way!” In unison both Rhea and Pumpkin replied ‘Thank You’ before staring bug eyed at each other. The flight attendant chuckled lowly to herself at the girls’ reaction to what just happened, letting Rhea know she’d be back with her drink shortly. The rest of the flight the two of them slowly opened up more to each other. Sharing stories the more they realized they had in common. They agreed to tag team it to the baggage claim when they landed.

Desperately waiting to see her black suitcase Rhea watched the bout of luggage circling around intently addressing Pumpkin, “It was dope to meet a birthday twin on this trip. We should totally get up and do dinner or something.” 

“Yeah sure! What hotel are you at?”

“Uh…the Palazzo. I kinda saved up and went full tourist.”

“That can’t be a coincidence.”

Rhea popped her head up to look at Pumpkin who amazingly already had her bags, “No way! You’re there too?”

Pumpkin just shook her head in response as they started on their way to the cab terminal.

Hours later Rhea and Pumpkin decided to hit the buffet in the hotel for dinner before trying to catch a show. That pulse was back the moment Rhea seen Pumpkin in her black wrap dress and heeled ankle boots. She paired it with a thin green camouflage military jacket, the same one from earlier on the plane. Must have been an east Coast thing because Rhea also was wearing a dress with a military jacket although she opted for platform heels. Reveling in the opportunity to be taller than she really was if only for a few hours. They didn’t know it yet but their night about to get very interesting.

~~~

“Hey to E!” Jordyn exclaimed a little too eagerly meaning only one thing, challenge time.

“Wassup? What you see?”

“Two birthday girls. Straight ahead.”

“Tiara and sash in matching jackets? Whatcho thinkin’?” Erik asked already licking his lips scheming.

“Bet you can’t get both of them”

“What I get when you lose nigga?”

“Shit you already got everything. You’ll get a bomb ass story out of it though.”

Chuckling deeply Erik side eyed his friend before advancing towards his targets for the night, “Challenge accepted.”

Erik was kissing Pumpkin drawing a hungry moan out of her throat, his lips curving up into a smile before he backed out the kiss. Hearing a hungry sigh come from Rhea as her tiny fingers gripped his thigh Erik switched his gaze from Pumpkin to her. Erik leaned hovering his lips by her ear “I want you to wait”, he whispered before looking her sternly and turning to kiss Pumpkin again. The whimper that came from behind him confirmed his suspensions, Rhea liked to watch. And just like Erik, Pumpkin’s figure was a plus. Even if she didn’t act on it he could see it in her. The want. That combined with the sensation of his lips on Pumpkin’s was causing his pants to tent.

Once Pumpkin pulled out of the kiss to catch her breathe he gives Pumpkin that signature smirk before he turns to Rhea again. When their lips finally collided Rhea saw stars as her eyes fell shut, suddenly glad she actually put on underwear. Before long she couldn’t take how rise in temperature anymore and started to peel out her dress with Erik and Pumpkin following closing behind. Pumpkin stood there feeling slightly exposed before the switch happened. Beckoning Rhea to come to her as Erik went and sat down to enjoy the show. Seeing Rhea totally submitting to Pumpkin’s demand Erik couldn’t wait to bend her to his will.

Their shared moans as their hands explored each other was truly a sight to see. Jordyn may have thought this was a dare but it was turning out to be the best night of Erik’s life. He was sitting in the hotel chair of Pumpkin’s hotel room when Pumpkin caught a glimpse of him slow strocking his freed erection. Commanding Rhea to stop then making her way over to Erik. “I can take care of that for you,” Pumpkin hummed replacing Erik’s hand on his throbbing member with her own before sinking to her knees and taking him into her mouth. His hips thrust up in response to her warm mouth swallowing him down. 

At first Rhea just stood where Pumpkin left her watching the scene in front of her. Her thighs being the only thing keeping her essence from dropping to the carpet below and played with her nipples struggling to keep her eyes open but being overcome by the sound of Erik and Pumpkin’s synchronized moans as she sucked him off. Feeling her mouth go dry but not wanting to interrupt the ride they were on Rhea found herself dropping to her knees, crawling over and turning on her back underneath them coming face to face with Pumpkin’s women hood. Dying for a taste.

“Fuck!” Pumpkin groaned as Rhea’s mouth suctioned around her needy bundle of nerves.

“She hungry. Let her eat” Erik smirked as he watched the dominate side slip away and Pumpkin began to come undone by the smaller woman beneath her who had a death grip on her thick thighs. Drowning in the ecstasy of it all. Had it not been for his stamina these two definitely would’ve given Erik a run for his money. Them moaning in tandem under each others and his own touch alike. Creating his favorite song of flesh and desire. This was definitely a night to remember.

As they moved into their final position it was evident that both the women he was currently bedding were on their last leg. Rhea rode Erik’s face as Pumpkin bounced beautifully up and down on his dick. Both of them gripping at his sides for balance as they made out above him swallowing each other’s moans. The bands in their bellies were tightening, threatening to snap at a moments notice.

“I-I’m”

“Gonna”

“CUM!” they both screamed as they squirted. Erik lapped at Rhea’s folds while simultaneously pounding up into Pumpkin a few more times chasing his own release.

Looking at the birthday girls totally spent passed out in the bed Erik pulled out his phone and snapped a photo before sending it to Jordyn before making his leave.

Challenge: Two for One Special complete. Pay up nigga! I’m the King!

Tags: @cancerianprincess @savagesensitivity @another-imaginesblog @loosewindmill @bidibidibombaclaat @muse-of-mbaku @chaneajoyyy @itsangeludaku @eriknutinthispoosy @im5ftbutmythroat66 @theunsweetenedtruth @blackpinup22 @fonville-designs @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @nickidub718

#rheaspeaks #rheaspeaks masterlist #hearteyes for killmonger #birthday twins #birthday fic #two for one special #one shot #what happens in vegas #there will be smut #im only an hour late #erik x black oc #my work #my words #my writing

[tagsecretsanta]

From Gumnut-logic

to @photowizard17

Secret Santa does not own any of the following work, full credit goes to the creator described above!

Author’s note: Okay, so this is the first time I’ve ever participated in one of these so I’m new to this.

My prompts were

1. Virgil covered in tinsel

2. Tracy family Christmas

3. Christmas Rescue Miracle (with Virg please)

The first one prompted all sorts of images not suitable for a PG audience, so you never know what might happen between now and Christmas :D Hubby also suggested I blow up a tinsel factory, so that is always a possibility too :D Overall, I did attempt to include all three prompts in the one fic. I hope I have succeeded in providing some enjoyment at least. Many thanks to @i-am-chidorixblossom for cheering me on when I couldn’t post daily and obsessively like I usually do, and to @the-lady-razorsharp for giving it an American beta so I don’t trip over being Australian (though the summer Christmas certainly helped :D).

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

“It’s the last house at the end of the street, Virgil.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.” It was said without the usual spark. The grey of the destroyed landscape sucked everything from everything. A pall of smoke and haze, black remnants of lives, homes and the tragedy of the night before.

International Rescue had been called to a massive bushfire in the Yarra Ranges in Victoria, Australia. The CFA had had it under control the previous day, John keeping an eye on it anyway, but an unexpected change in wind direction in the evening had it jumping firebreaks and tearing through an unprotected valley and directly through a township.

With the vast tall forests of mountain ash, eucalypts full of volatile oil just waiting to burst into flame, combined with the hot and blustery northerly, not even IR could stop the firestorm from taking lives and property.

Thunderbird Two had her fire suppression equipment, but the massive plane was a speck against the wall of flame.

There were forces of nature that just couldn’t be stopped.

The Tracys dodged and nabbed trapped people. Thunderbird Two deployed a huge water cannon, sourcing water from the local reservoir, as the CFA water bombed around them, desperate to protect what lives they could. But nothing was stopping the fire.

It tore through the town leaving agony in its wake.

Dawn was grey and dismal, but it brought rain. The sky rumbled, threatening to spark more fires in the ranges, but the deluge came and dampened the remaining flame enough to once again get the front under control.

But it was too late for the town.

It was gone.

Virgil walked the length of the street, his exo-suit rubbing on aching shoulders. Burnt out cars and collapsed homes lined the road from one end to the other. The skeletons of black trees marched off into the distance behind it all.

Haze hovered above ash-clogged puddles in the pavement.

It wasn’t what Christmas morning was supposed to be.

The last house at the end of the street had fully collapsed in on itself. A burnt-out car sat in the driveway, its trunk lid and one of its doors open.

Virgil closed his eyes for a moment, knowing what that likely meant.

He steeled himself and walked past the remains he knew he was going to find in the car.

Nothing could be done.

Nothing.

He focussed on the whine of his suit as his boots stepped in wet ash and strode across the front yard to the remains of the house. He had to clear his throat to speak to John. “Tell me where, Thunderbird Five.”

“Possibly in the basement? The lifesign is below ground level.”

The house had been old, the wooden floorboards disintegrating in the heat. Virgil leapt through the remains of a wall, landing on rubble in what had likely been a wine cellar. The heat had been so intense, that glass bottles had become slag.

Glass crunched under his boots. “Right or left?”

“Eastern side, southern corner.”

There was a mass of rubble collapsed against the only standing wall of the building.

“This is International Rescue. Can anyone hear me?”

He turned up the pickups on his exterior mikes.

Nothing. It was probably a blip. How the hell could anything survive this holocaust?

His shoulders dropped.

But then...something? A whimper?

Maybe?

Virgil began digging.

It took him a good fifteen minutes of solid work to move enough burnt masonry to reach a hole in the wall at the very base of the structure. And in what appeared to be the bottom of a dumb waiter he found the lifesign.

The little puppy whimpered at him, trembling with fear.

Aw, hell.

“John, lifesign is a dog.”

“One moment, Thunderbird Two.” The puppy stared, the green, yellow and blue of Virgil’s suit reflected in its brown eyes. “There is no dog registered at that address. Deliver to the local authorities. You are needed to airlift some survivors to Melbourne. Report to Scott on the other side of town.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

Virgil slid his arms out from the suit and bent aching knees. “Hey, little one, do you want to come with me?”

The puppy shivered and looked him up and down, hesitating.

“I’m with International Rescue, we’re here to help.” He took a step closer. “It’s okay, I promise.”

Maybe it was something in his voice, his stance, or simply because the puppy had no choice, but as Virgil reached into the box it was sitting in, the puppy made no protest as he picked it up.

A quick examination for injury revealed her to be a girl. She shuddered up against Virgil’s chest. “Don’t worry, it’s all over, you’re safe.”

Sliding one arm back into his suit, he started making his way out of the ruined building, turning his back on the tiny hole that had somehow saved the little dog’s life.

-o-o-o-

Perhaps it was because she sat so quietly with him. Perhaps because it was Christmas Day. Most likely it was because Virgil had reached his limit of pain.

When he found the RSPCA tent, specially set up for lost pets, he gently handed over the little puppy. She let out a whimper and began crying.

No barking, just this godawful crying that tore at his heart.

“You will be fine here, little one.” The attendant was one of those kindly older ladies and she hugged the gangly bundle of fluff to her chest as Virgil turned to leave, Scott in his ear.

But the puppy let out such a scream of anguish, Virgil turned around without thinking. She was struggling in the volunteer’s arms and before either of them could react, she managed to wriggle free and dash over to him, her little body trembling on his left boot.

He reached down and gathered her into his arms. “You can’t come with me. I can’t-“ But she was rubbing her head up under his chin, little sounds in her throat.

And he couldn’t.

Just couldn’t.

His eyes met the eyes of the lady volunteer and she smiled. “We will keep her details if you would like to take her with you. If anyone contacts us, we can let you know.” And the volunteer was just as hopeful as the puppy in his arms. After all, there was no life at the RSPCA unless a home was found.

He looked down at her little brown eyes again.

No, he couldn’t.

Damnit, Scott was going to kill him.

Maybe for just a few days?

The excuse provided a simple solution, so he took it.

Without a word, he handed his IR contact details to the volunteer, and, puppy in hand, turned his back to the tent and strode towards the big green hulk parked in the distant haze.

“Well, little one, you have definitely made an interesting choice. Let me introduce you to my big green partner.”

-o-o-o-

It was well past Christmas lunch, or rather the lack of it, before IR was given the all clear to return to base. During the entire time, the little puppy sat beside Virgil’s pilot chair, apparently unfazed by the deep bass rumble of Thunderbird Two.

When he picked up both Gordon and Alan the dynamic changed just a little.

Gordon dragged himself onto the flight deck first, a groan in every step. “Christmas just gets more exciting every year.” It was true. Nine out of ten Christmas Days were side-swiped by a disaster, to the point that the Tracy Christmas tradition was a modular and movable celebration nowadays. No guarantees and no defined day. It happened around December twenty-fifth, there about, when they could, between call outs.

Suddenly the little puppy was in his lap.

“What is that?”

Virgil looked up. His brother was covered in soot and looked as tired as Virgil felt. “This is Bo.” And he had no idea where the name came from, it just seemed right and the moment clicked.

“Bo?”

“Yeah.” Newly christened Bo peered up at Gordon around Virgil’s arm. “She survived the fire.” A swallow. “Her family didn’t.”

“Oh.”

Alan, as always, had more energy than any of them, and showed it as he waltzed into the cabin. “So why aren’t we moving?”

Bo let off a sharp bark.

Everyone jumped.

“What the hell, Virgil?”

Bo was literally glaring at Alan.

“Hey, Bo, calm down, that’s just Alan. He’s annoying, but tolerable.” The little puppy looked up at him, her gorgeous brown eyes just melting him inside. He was so gone.

“Hey!” That from Alan.

“Scott’s going to kill you.” That from Gordon, who was approaching slowly.

“Yeah, I know.” It was a sigh.

Gordon crouched down beside Virgil’s chair. “Hey, little one, what gave you the idea to attach yourself to this big oaf?” Pulling off one of his gloves, the aquanaut reached out and offered the puppy his hand. She eyed him warily before tentatively sniffing at his fingers.

She sneezed.

Alan snorted.

Bo blinked and stared at Gordon for a moment. The aquanaut kept still and eventually she sniffed at him again, before nuzzling at his hand. He blatantly took that as permission and gently rubbed behind her ear. “You are a cute little thing, aren’t you.”

She licked his wrist.

“Oh, I can see why our heavy lifter fell for you. You’ve got it all in those brown eyes of yours, haven’t you.” Gordon shrugged. “Though I will admit they are the best colour for manipulation.”

“And he speaks from experience.” To Virgil’s surprise, Gordon actually jumped. “Did you forget I was here? Not absorbed by those brown eyes are we?” He couldn’t help but smile at his brother. At least one was as besotted as he had to admit he was.

Yes, Scott was definitely going to kill him.

“Shut up, Virgil.”

Bo backed off, once again hiding behind Virgil’s baldric.

“Hey, Gordon, watch the tone.”

“Sorry, Bo.”

“Are we actually going home at some point? I have a date with my bed.”

Gordon stood up, pulling out the co-pilot’s seat. “No rush, Allie, she’ll wait for you.”

“Augh.”

“Sit down, Alan, I’m just finishing pre-flight.” Tired and cranky could easily become nasty if not attended to.

Bo curled up, nestled against his harness, as Alan grumpily pulled out his seat.

“Virgil, where the hell are you?”

Speaking of tired and cranky... “Launching now, Thunderbird One.” As if prompted, he received clearance from Australian Air Control.

TB2 rumbled beneath as he activated VTOL, ash and dust swirling up around them. As soon as he had enough height, he engaged her rear thrusters and tore off over the Alps, across the coast and out into the Tasman.

“ETA fifteen minutes.” At least they weren’t too far from home.

Bo fell asleep in his lap.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was on the verge of joining Bo in slumber as Thunderbird Two spun slowly in her hanger, eventually coming to a final stop.

So tired.

Beside him, Alan poked Gordon awake. “Ugh, what? Oh.” You could almost hear his brain booting.

Virgil worked around Bo as he did his post-flight checks, his brothers, well, mostly Gordon, groaning as they got to their feet and waddled towards the hatch. “C’mon, Virg, Alan’s pining for his bed.”

“You two go ahead. I just need to finish post-flight.” He didn’t turn around, but he could feel Gordon’s eyes on him.

“Sure, whatever.” And he heard the hatch lower to the hangar floor.

His brothers gone, Virgil let himself relax back against his chair, his shoulders sagging. He let out a long breath. “So, Bo, how are we going to do this?”

The puppy woke as if on command and turned to stare up at him. Gently her tail began to wag.

Virgil let a tired smile cross his face.

Encouraged, Bo jumped up and put her two front paws on his chest, reaching up, trying to lick his face despite not quite being tall enough.

The smile became a grin.

“Okay, okay.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up as he pushed his seat backwards and stood. Immediately he was bathed in puppy drool. He couldn’t help but laugh. He surfaced above her licking and cradled her in his arms. “We need to get you some food.” His stomach rumbled ominously. “We need to get me some food.”

And a shower. A shower definitely wouldn’t hurt.

If he could hold off the sleep.

If he didn’t call it a stagger, it wasn’t a stagger, but he had obviously been sitting in his seat for far too long ferrying all those survivors to Melbourne on repeated trips. It was his turn to groan as both his back and legs complained loudly at the sudden demands for movement.

Bo started chewing on his glove.

Somehow he made it back to his rooms without encountering anyone. Shutting the door, he let Bo loose on the floor and began stripping off his uniform, hitting the buttons on his preprogrammed shower cubicle. Moments later he walked under the spray and let it wash the day from his skin.

God, that felt good.

As his muscles relaxed under the heat, sleep became more and more attractive, and by the time he stumbled out of the water, all thoughts of food had vanished.

He took the three steps across his room from the ensuite and threw himself facedown on the bed, still partly wet, still naked.

He was asleep within moments.

-o-o-o-

He was being kissed.

Her lips were warm, her tongue wet, her whiskers soft against his stubble...

Uh?

She licked his eye.

Wha-?

Virgil, always slow to respond upon waking, opened said eye only to get an eyeful of slobber. A soft paw thwapped him on the cheek. Huh? he blinked attempting to clear his eyesight, a hand coming up to defend himself.

Fortunately, his brain came online and memory kicked in. “B-Bo?”

A tongue wrapped around his nose and left it wet.

Ugh.

He wiped his face with his hand, stretching backwards on his pillow, desperate to get out of reach.

The puppy landed on his chest, her paws kneading his chest hair, her little claws completing his wake-up process rather abruptly.

Oh god.

“Bo, down, honey, down.”

He was completely ignored.

Sitting up, he attempted to grab her in his arms, but missed. The little puppy landed on things that puppies had no right to land on. Or stomp on for that matter.

He winced.

“Ooh, okay, come here.” He lifted her off his lap, holding her close, her tail pummelling his belly. “I’m awake, okay.” Again he found himself pinned by her brown eyes. “Aww, c’mon with the cute, Bo, you’re going to melt my brain.”

“Assuming you have a brain to melt.” And Scott was standing in his doorway.

Virgil glared up at him. “Don’t you knock?”

“I did. Grandma sent me to tell you that Christmas dinner is ready.”

Virgil frowned at his brother over the top of Bo’s ears, ignoring the glare the blue eyes were directing at the puppy in his arms. “I thought we’d do Christmas tomorrow.”

“We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Grandma thought it would be best to sneak it in tonight, since it is Christmas Day, after all.” Scott’s lips thinned. “Where did you get that from?”

“She’s a rescue.”

“Usually we leave our rescues on the continent we find them.”

“She had no one.”

“Unfortunately, that is nothing new.” And one of his hands had moved to his hip.

Virgil sighed. “Scott, it’s fine, it’s only for a few days.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Virgil held back his retort. He knew to pick his fights and now was not the time. “Her name is Bo.”

Scott looked at him and then at Bo. “Hurry up, your dinner is getting cold.” The ghost of a smirk. “And don’t forget to wear clothes.”

“Funny, funny, ha, ha.” But his brother had left.

Virgil let his shoulders drop. “Sorry, Bo, I think you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Bo just licked him some more.

It wasn’t until he went looking for his boots that he discovered the wonderful deposits Bo had left for him on the floor.

Ugh.

And apparently one of his favourite boots had served as a meal also.

He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Half dressed, he cleaned up the mess, and five minutes later he waltzed downstairs, Bo in his arms and barefoot. Time to face the inevitable music.

-o-o-o-

A Tracy Christmas used to be snow, roast turkey, stockings by the fire, the occasional Christmas carol and family.

Since starting International Rescue it had changed.

Firstly, they were in the tropics. The only fires available in those temperatures were ones that required firefighting equipment. Having grown up with snow, it was still extremely weird. But it had its advantages. For one you could go outside in the minimum of clothing, something Gordon took advantage of every day of the year. There were no snowball fights, but these were fast replaced with water fights. There was no ice skating, but there was water skiing if anyone could get up the energy to get the boat out. And surfing, let’s not forget Scott’s attempts at that. Virgil would admit that he didn’t mind a little surfboard action himself. He wouldn’t say he was very good at it, but at least Gordon had never had to save him like he had Scott.

There were still Christmas trees and tinsel and stockings that no-one ever considered wearing hung from the nearest mantelpiece-looking piece of furniture.

There was still turkey and roast potatoes and all the yummy food crucial for a good Christmas meal, but it was often cooked outside in barbecue ovens and seafood and cold food had been added to the menu. In fact, the traditional dinner had become more of a banquet by the pool.

As Virgil walked out onto the patio, he couldn’t help but smile at the Christmas tree that had obviously been hurriedly moved out here from the comms room. It sat a little lopsided and the star on top was having a few issues with gravity. That was new, as was the liberal tinsel and Christmas lights strung from palm tree to palm tree, across the pool and back several times.

“Fifty bucks says Gordon tries to water volleyball the tinsel at least once.”

Virgil smirked as he stepped up beside his next youngest brother. “Not touching that one. I value my money.”

John was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and had a beer in his hand. Bo was immediately interested in this new person. She strained towards John, her nose literally twitching towards the hand holding the beer.

His brother must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively took a step away.

“Oh, sorry, John, this is Bo.” Bo was climbing over his arm, desperate to get closer to the astronaut. Virgil held her tight, worried she would fall.

“Uh, hello.” John turned towards them, frowning. “Since when do you own a dog?”

“Since this morning.”

“Does Scott know?” They both instinctively looked over at their eldest brother who was hovering over one of the barbecues energetically discussing something with Grandma - probably how not to burn the food.

“He does.”

“And you still have it?”

“Her.”

“Her.”

“Yes.”

“Good luck with that one.” John drank his beer.

“She had no one else.”

John arched an eyebrow at him and then frowned. “Oh, Virgil.” His shoulders slumped.

“I am an adult now, John. It won’t be like last time.”

“God, I hope not.”

Virgil stared at his brother, only to see the genuine concern in his green eyes. A sigh. “It won’t happen again.”

John reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “No, it won’t, because you will remember that you have four brothers who are all here for you, won’t you.” God, that green gaze was penetrating.

“It will be fine.”

Bo yipped at John, her tail beating Virgil’s chest.

The astronaut smiled and offered the little dog his hand. She sniffed and licked him almost immediately.

“I think you have been approved.”

John smiled and Virgil couldn’t help but do the same.

“Virgil!” And Grandma was arrowing in on his position.

“Incoming.” John was smirking.

“Hey, Grandma.”

But his grandmother only had eyes for Bo. “Who is this?”

Virgil smiled again. “This is Bo. Bo, this is Grandma.”

Bo whacked him with her tail and literally leapt from his arms into his grandmother’s.

“Woah.” Suddenly with arms full of wriggling puppy enthusiastically licking her face, his grandmother was laughing. “Oh dear, you are a cutie. Let me have a look at you.” And she held Bo out at arms length, her eyes critical. “A little hard to tell at her age, but my bet says she’s of boxer stock, around three months old. Such a beautiful brindle and that face.” Virgil couldn’t help but agree. Bo looked like she had dipped her face in a pot of ink, her brown eyes surrounded by gorgeous black coat that quickly bled to brindle down her back with a spot of white on her front. “Where did you find her?”

Virgil looked at his feet, remembered why they were bare, and looked back up at his grandmother. “This morning’s rescue. She lost everything.”

Grandma turned her attention back to Bo. “Oh, honey. You survived the fire?” Bo licked her nose. “Well, you are safe here.” Grandma curled her arms around the puppy and scratched her ears. “Has Virgil fed you anything yet?” She glanced at him and he shrugged. He got frowned at for his trouble. Grandma turned away, walking towards the barbecues with Bo in her arms. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Well, that didn’t take long, did it?” John was still smirking at him.

A series of barks and a yelp from Grandma, and suddenly Bo was dashing amongst legs in his direction. “Woah.” He crouched down and caught her as she leapt for him. She wriggled and licked, her little body trembling under his hands. “Hey, hey, honey, it’s okay, you’re safe.” She snuggled up under his chin. He couldn’t help but return the hug.

Grandma approached, worry on her face. “I’m sorry, Virgil, I didn’t realise.”

“It’s okay.” He reached an arm around his grandmother, bringing her into the hug. “She’s just had a scary day.” He pulled both of them close.

Scott was glaring at him from a distance.

John smiled at them and drank his beer.

Bo started chewing on his collar.

-o-o-o-

As the evening progressed, Bo slowly let herself part from Virgil as each of the members of his family, bar Alan and Scott, came to say hello or fed her from the table. There was one interesting moment when the little puppy encountered Sherbert for the first time.

Bo yipped.

Sherbert yapped.

And as the entire party fell silent, the two dogs stared each other down.

Virgil was poised for a rescue and Penelope was not far behind him, but a moment later Bo licked Sherbert across the nose, Sherbert gently butted the little puppy with his head, and from that point onwards they were best of friends, Sherbert quite proudly showing his new friend around.

But never out of sight of Virgil.

Bo and Parker had a staring moment not long after, but Sherbert barrelled on in and head butted the driver, snapping him out of it. It wasn’t long before the little puppy had him rubbing her ears as well.

Kayo stood her distance, assessing Bo as much as the puppy was assessing her. A calm arched eyebrow slowly rose as Bo tilted her head up at the security specialist. She pressed her lips together and faced Virgil. “There will be training.”

Virgil blinked and his sister turned and stalked off. Bo eyed her the entire time, only finally distracted by a yelp from Alan as Gordon threw him in the pool.

The engineer was left wondering if he should be worried or not.

The meal was delicious, of course. Scott had managed to keep Grandma away from the barbecues and MAX had been on task for a good part of the day. There was the mandatory turkey, and this year a couple of large snapper had been baked to perfection, along with some crayfish, oysters, salads and roast vegetables. This was followed by pie, oh, so much pie, Christmas cookies, and Christmas pudding with custard and the option of ice cream.

Virgil, as usual, made sure he took advantage of all the options. Consequently, post-banquet found him sprawled on a pool lounger staring up at the stars amongst the tinsel overhead. Bo, who had also eaten probably more than she should have, was curled up between his feet.

The soft sounds of quiet carols and muted conversation wafting across the water lulled him gently to sleep.

-o-o-o-

Scott felt like Scrooge. He was tired, worried and even a little angry. He was not enjoying himself, no matter how hard he tried. Grandma had cornered him at least twice, her hand on his shoulder trying to soothe his ire.

The annoying thing was that he wasn’t even sure what he was angry about. The rescue hadn’t been the best, but they had done what they could and some lives had been saved that otherwise wouldn’t have. The team had performed well, no one had been injured, they were all back home safe and sound.

And there was food, family and Christmas. There wasn’t really much more he could ask for.

His eyes settled on Virgil, asleep on one of the loungers, oblivious to the tinsel being draped across his hair by Gordon behind him.

Scott sighed.

But then a little head bobbed up between his brother’s bare feet and Bo barked at Gordon quite firmly.

Virgil was obviously far too out of it to wake, but Gordon looked appropriately abashed at the challenge.

Scott found himself smiling.

Realised he was smiling, dumped the smile and frowned.

Gordon scampered off leaving a sleeping Virgil in a crown of silver tinsel.

The little dog leapt off the lounger and chased after the aquanaut.

Okay, he had to admit the dog was adorable. He could see what had captured his brother’s eye, and Scott certainly had no objection to adding to their family.

But Virgil...when Virgil loved, he loved with his whole heart, and last time he had lost a pet, it had been bad, so bad.

They had lost so much in their lives already, why volunteer to lose more?

He sighed. It was stupid to think that way, but part of him could remember that devastated teenager, the depression and the mess that followed. Virgil had been as broken as the rest of them when their mother died, but when his dog died two years later, his reaction had been so self-destructive he had needed counselling and a therapist. Scott didn’t know if the two incidents were related or if it was how his brother connected to pets, or whatever. He only knew he never wanted to see his brother go through that again.

Their father was missing, and here was Virgil with a pet once again.

Sure, he was an adult now, and had tackled so much loss since, but...

Another sigh.

A yip and he looked down to see said dog staring up at him with a mouth full of tinsel, tail wagging.

“Gordon!”

“Yesssss, masster?” His brother sidled up with a bow.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Did you want to face your brother having to tell him that his new puppy died choking on tinsel?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Exactly.”

The aquanaut scooped up the little dog and with gentle words extricated the tinsel from her mouth.

A moment later Gordon held her up to his cheek and Scott had the experience of two sets of brown eyes staring at him adoration.

“Oh, for the love of-“

“A puppy?” Gordon grinned at him. “She is a rather cute, isn’t she?”

“Leave it, Gordon.”

His brother frowned. “What’s chewing on your underwear?”

“Gordon-“

“Hey, it was a legit question, bro. You’re a grumpy ass on Christmas Day. Where’s the merry? We have food and there will be presents. And there is a puppy. You couldn’t ask for more cuteness.” Gordon held up Bo who attempted to lick Scott’s nose.

“Gordon-‘

“Nope, so not going down with you, bro. We’ve earned some happy. We’re all here, in one piece, it’s lovely weather. Cheer up, for goodness sake.” Despite himself, Gordon frowned. “Here have some puppy love.” And suddenly Scott found himself with his arms full of wriggling Bo. Gordon turned and walked off, eventually calling out to Alan, no doubt looking for mischief.

Bo tilted her head to one side and stared up at him.

Aw, hell, weaponised cuteness.

She jumped up and licked his nose.

Scott sighed.

Voice low. “You know, you better look after my brother. He’s a good man and he does a lot of good things.” A swallow. “He’s a little prone to heroics. Perhaps we can team up in that department and help keep his butt alive.”

Her tongue lolled out one side of her mouth and she grinned.

“Maybe try that on the Hood and solve all our problems.”

He gave in and drew her close to his chest, rubbing under her chin.

“I really hope we don’t regret this.”

-o-o-o-

“PRESENTS!”

Alan’s voice cut through his slumber and shook him awake. Wha-?

“Time to wake up, sleepy head.” Scott’s voice.

A sharp little bark.

Bo.

He flung his eyes open, and immediately squinted at the fairy lights floating in the light breeze far above. A blink and to his left a shadow formed into his eldest brother. His blue eyes were smiling as he sat on the next lounge over, holding Bo, scratching her gently. She was obviously enjoying it.

Virgil frowned. “I thought you were pissed at me.”

“I was.” His brother shrugged. “I got over it.” Bo was licking Scott’s fingers.

Wow, the ability to tame the savage big brother. The little girl must be heaven-sent.

There was a whir of wheels and MAX tore out onto the patio decked out in tinsel and lugging brightly coloured presents. MiniMAX darted in behind him carrying a smaller present which was deposited carefully on the table before he disappeared inside only to return with another.

“You okay?”

“Huh?” Virgil peered up at his brother before stretching the length of the lounger. Several joints cracked and the ache across his shoulders from the morning vaguely made its presence known. A yawn. “I’m fine. Just tired. This morning sucked.”

Tinsel slid down his face. He sighed and threw it off. Gordon was getting repetitive.

Scott dipped his head, attempting to hide a smile, and looked down at Bo. “True.” He scratched her under her chin one more time before offering her to him. “Here.”

Bo didn’t bother to wait for him to sit up, she bounded out of Scott’s arms and onto Virgil’s belly. “Oof.” She then danced up and down on it.

Scott grinned at him. “She’s not going to be little when she grows up.”

“Augh, she’s not little now.” He managed to capture her enough so he could sit up, but she struggled free excitedly and dashed from his arms, jumping on the lounger, just as MiniMAX buzzed over with a small present.

Bo barked at him and MiniMAX dodged to deposit the present in Virgil’s lap. He caught it, but with his hands now occupied, he wasn’t fast enough to grab Bo before she let off another bark, jumped excitedly and latched her teeth onto the little robot.

The result was immediate.

MiniMAX shrieked, several of his legs caught in the puppy’s mouth, and with a whir of rotor blades, took off madly across the patio.

With Bo hanging on.

“Bo!” Virgil dropped the present and made a grab for the pair, but missed.

Every eye turned to see what the commotion was about. Virgil stumbled over the lounger and kicked it out of the way. He was vaguely aware of Scott doing something similar. “Brains!”

MiniMAX was obviously panicking. The little robot darted about trying to shake off his assailant. Bo was whining in her throat.

Virgil dashed after them.

Despite the puppy’s weight, MiniMAX still managed a great deal of height, Brains’ ‘build ‘em tough’ policy obviously carrying through to his robots. Despite having the strength to carry the puppy, the off-balance mass hampered MiniMAX’s navigation and they were wobbling all over the place.

All Virgil could see was a tragedy in the making. The pool, the concrete, anything horribly solid. He ran beneath them, desperately attempting to reach the now whining puppy. Family members and furniture were dodged and shoved out of the way as he clambered after them.

A chair ended up in the pool. Gordon squawked and almost joined it. Virgil leapt off an empty lounge, made a grab for them, missed and ended up in the Christmas tree.

Fake pine needles jabbed him in the face as he went down in a pile of tinsel and Christmas baubles. He swore, his clothing caught, his hair caught, and his everything tangled in tinsel, but he made it to his feet just in time to see Bo let go.

“No!”

Oblivious to everything other than the puppy falling, Virgil finally got traction under his bare feet, took a running leap and grabbed Bo from the air. He instinctively wrapped himself around her, rolling in midair, tinsel and baubles flung in all directions.

As he plummeted into the pool.

The splash took his senses, muffling exclamations, and repeated shouts of his name. There was dark blue, and wet, and, for a moment, blessed silence.

Then logic reasserted itself and he kicked for the surface.

Sound, light and cool air on his skin. He blinked water out of his eyes as he lifted Bo up so she could breathe, his legs kicking to keep them afloat.

She whined at him as if to tell him off, sneezed, and began enthusiastically licking the saltwater off his face.

He couldn’t help but grin, and he knew he wasn’t the only one as laughter drifted across the water.

“You trashed the tree, Virg.”

“I don’t think he cares, Gordon.” He looked up to see Grandma smiling at him.

And no, he didn’t. As Scott poked him with a pole to help drag him to the edge and Bo decided his ear might do for her next meal, he suddenly felt joy. It could simply have been relief, but he was going to tack it up as Christmas joy and enjoy it while he could.

-o-o-o-

“Only you, Virgil.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“I have no doubt of that, it never is.”

“Aw, c’mon, Scott.”

“If it was intentional then I would have to accuse you of doing it deliberately just to get out of helping with the Christmas dishes.”

“We have a dishwasher.” Bo let off a bark as MiniMAX flew past dragging a bag full of recyclable cups, plates and cutlery, giving Virgil and his dog an extremely wide berth. “And there are hardly any dishes.”

“You are still getting out of clean up.”

“C’mon, Scott, you know me better than that. Ow!”

“Sit still. I’ve almost got all of it.”

Virgil leant back against the lounge, Bo curled up in his lap. “I’m not particularly happy about this either you know.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I know that, Ow!”

“Well, if you would watch where you were going, you wouldn’t have collided with the Christmas tree. And what’s with the bare feet anyway?”

“Bo ate one of my boots.”

Scott snorted and pulled out yet another tiny piece of glass Christmas bauble from the bottom of Virgil’s left foot. “She hasn’t been here twenty-four hours yet and she has already caused havoc.”

“She’s a puppy.”

“I noticed.” Scott sighed, peering through his magnifying visor at his brother’s foot. “I think that’s all of it. Please don’t do that again. You’ll be limping for a week.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

As Scott wrapped his foot in gauze, he eyed the puppy on Virgil’s lap. “And you, young lady, I thought we had a deal.”

To Virgil’s surprise, Bo’s head bobbed up and she looked distinctly guilty.

Scott arched an eyebrow. “Hmm, don’t let it happen again.”

Bo yapped at him.

Virgil stared at both of them. “What?”

“None of your business, you just lay back and look after yourself.” And Scott was smirking.

Ooookaay.

He relaxed back against the lounge and stared up at the fairy lights above.

Bo stomped up the length of him and licked his eyeball.

He coughed up a laugh and grabbed an armful of wriggly puppy.

“I think that was a Merry Christmas, Virg.” Scott held his injured foot and grinned. “Merry Christmas.”

#Gumnut logic #thunderbirds are go #secret santa 2018 #fanfic #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #alan tracy #John Tracy #grandma tracy #brains #kayo kyrano #thunderbirds christmas #tag team secret santa

[jkknight98]

Trying my hand at a story

Heathers inspired insert

(As stated above this based off the movie/ musical Heathers, specifically the “ I was ment to be yours” song and other plot points/ music. There will be cursing and slightly graphic descriptions. Enjoy if you want, this was just for fun)

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be, you were only seventeen for Christ’s sake, and yet you have killed three of your classmates in cold blood. The reason being the boy you fell in love with, Jason Dean or JD, but he turned out to be a monster. You had tried to cut things off but that was a mistake, a major one, and now your life is possibly in danger because of him. He was going to kill you, he even gave your parents a fake story and ‘your ‘ copy of Moby Dick, and now you were locked in your room alone.

“Yo girl, you’re really going to get it now, your going to joins us in hell.” The blond was smiling down at you, her lips and teeth stained blue from the poison,” that freak is going to get you because your truly a Heather now..” The two jocks laughed and high fives, the movement causing blood to fly out of their Bullet holes,” yeah you bitch, your going to die!” “You should have just cured my blue balls instead of his.” The ghosts continued to pester you, swirling around you until they all paused and smiled menacingly down at you....

“guess who’s just down the block,”

“Guess who’s climbing the stairs,”

“Guess who’s picking your lock”

The sound of your window being nocked on drew your attention away from the spectors and there stood JD, waving a lock pick in his hand and eyes dark with an unknown emotion. You ran for your closest, brushing past the specters that only laughed at your terror, the only thing in your mind was fear.

“Too late he got in”

“Knock, knock.” He smiled at your fearful face before you slammed your closet door and locked it, pressing your back against it. “Sorry to enter though the window, I know it’s dreadful etiquette.”

He walked to the closest and placed his hand against it,” come on baby, I’ve already forgiven you, besides your going to be my date for the pep really tonight.” “So get dressed and come out,” he pressed his body into the door, as if trying to feel your warmth behind it,” I should kill you for what you did, you cut me open and left me to bleed, but I realize it’s not your fault.” He frowned and banged his hand against the door,” it’s those assholes fault, they’ve turned you against me, and their going to die for that...”

You pressed your hands harder into your ears, you couldn’t listen to him, you couldn’t be drawn back to him again or hands would be even more bloody. You caught site of a really long scarf and got an idea, getting up slowly to make yourself a makeshifts noose.

“I’m going to make sure they never see their senior prom, I’m going to turn that school into Vietnam, thanks to this bomb I have,” he laughed and pulled out a sheet of paper,” I already wrote their suicide note before I got here.” He slid down to his knees,” We were ment to be one you know, I was yours and you are mine, I don’t want us to fight anymore.” He wiped away the tears that started to roll as he thought about how you left him,” we have to finish what we have begun, don’t give up on me.....please.” He listen for any noise behind the door but heard nothing,” come on (name), we can smile and cuddle, make s’mores as the smoke pours out those crumbled doors.” He stood up and jiggled the locked doorhandle,” I can’t do this without you, I’m all that you need baby, I cried for you...” He banged both hands against the door,” (NAME) please open the door, I’ll set you free of any fear you have, I’ve been there too.” He took a step back away and lowered his head, bangs darkening his face as he slowly got angrier,” (name) open the door....you don’t want me to come in their.... I’m giving you until the coun’t of three.”

He made it to two before he yelled fuck it before kicking in the door, and paused when he saw your body as he stepped inside.

“(Name)....oh my god,” he dropped back down to his knees and slowly moved towards you, placing his hands on your legs,” n-No, you can’t leave me alone....please.” His grip on your legs tightened as he began to cry,” you were the only one I could trust, ...... I can’t do this alone.............?” His hands move to the back of your knees and pressed into them gently for a few seconds.

While your suicide was really convincing looking, you couldn’t stop your body from acting normally, and that included the pulse that continued to thrum in your legs.

His hands slowly rose up your body until they reached the face noose wrapped around your neck, and with a quick swish of his pocket knife, cut it away off of you and sent you tumbling to the ground. He scrambled on top of you, smiling widely as your eyes open fearfully, and held you tightly,” if I thought your handwriting was good, it’s nothing compared to your acting, I really thought you were dead”. He looked down at you with a very serious expression,” you’ve really hurt me now (name), I should return the favor, but I love you too much”. He pressed a kiss against your temple, smelling your hair before leaning back and placing a hand against your cheek,” anyone else is fair game though, and I know there is a few people you wouldn’t want hurt.”

You narrowed your eyes and tries to get out from under him, but he just pressed himself harder down on you, aiming for the spots he knew were sensitive,” your really going to threaten my friends and family so I’ll stay with you!?” You did you best to stifle the moan that bubbled into your throat when he aimed for a more ‘direct’ press.

“I don’t think I have to, I know you still love me and I still love you...” he pressed a hard kiss against your mouth, trying to expressing all of his suffocating to you, and it was working.

With every burning kiss and hot press of his body against yours, the resolve in your mind was slowly fading, only the old thoughts of you and JD being brought back to the forefront of your mind. You couldn’t stop yourself from returning his advances, kisses and grabbing back at him.

He smiled once he felt the chance and looked down at you, holding your face in his hands,” our love is god.... we’re the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.” He got up, lifted you off the ground, held you close to him and smiled widely at you,” our love is god.”

You felt safe again in his arms, looking back up into his eyes with a smile of your own,” our love is god.” You let him guide you out of the closet and towards your window, climbing down and opening his arms for you to follow.

“Huh, I see your still alive.... how cute” you glared at the ghosts, no longer afraid of them anymore, they were dead and you were the one that killed them. They slowly started to fade until Heathers ghost trailed her nails across your face,” you really earned that red scrunchie, your worse than a mega bitch like me, your a murder..” she fully faded away and you jumped down into your lovers arms.

~~~~

He held you close as you watch the school gym smolder as the fireman and parents tried to find any surviving students or faculty but the two of you already did a sweep and killed the few survivors, especially the annoying hippy. One of the news crew seemed to have found the note he left and started to make a story out of it, he knew the two of you would be interviewed later, it was only a matter of time. He looked down at your now sleeping face, the smallest splatter of blood on your cheek and he gently wiped it away, marveling at the softness of your skin under his fingers. He would do anything for you, he worshipped you....and everything to keep you with him, even if it made you hate him for a short time, he would make you love him again. He would ‘convince’ his dad to stay in this town and your parents saw him as your savior, there would be nothing to keep you away from him now.

He pulled your sleeping body into his lap, held you close, and began to slowly rock your body as you continued to sleep. He began to humm softly and he laid his head on yours and his eyes began to also droop as he laid back with held tightly to his chest. He openly began to sing softly as you continued to sleep, before he too slipped off to dream of you being his, and his alone....

“Our love is god.....our love is god....our love is god... our love is god.... they’ll say hi to god.”

(Second time trying to write this, hope you enjoyed it if you made it this far. If you didn’t....I don’t care)

#heathers #reader imagine #fanfic #what did i write #so tireeed #jason dean #reader x

[moonchildjoonie]

Shattered [Prologue]

Parts:  Prologue │ 1 │

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Post Apocalyptic / Fallout!au / Fluff / Angst

Summary: “Okay princess,” he began a mocking tone laced into his words “so you're telling me you want me to go on a wild goose chase to find your friend, who was most likely lunch to a Super mutant?”

Though his thick brows were covered by his wavy dark hair you could still see them raised in question. Clenching your jaw you looked at Nochu in the eye.

“Listen here, you muscled pig.” You began jabbing a finger into his built chest as you stood your ground glaring at the handsome smirking man ahead of you “I did not kill a whole camp of raiders and risk my life in your fucking trap infested hideout for you to tell me this bullshit. Are you going to take my fucking money and help me find my friend or not?”

Or

In which you leave the comfortable safe life of the vault and lose your best friend only to hire a conceited mercenary with trust issues.

Warning: This is a fallout!au and for those who never heard of Fallout, it’s a post apocalyptic rpg game with dark themes. So this series will have mentions of death, blood, gore, bigotry, drug abuse, mental illness, sexual / nonsexual abuse, swearing, etc. So if you are not comfortable with anything mentioned above please DO NOT read this series.

A/N: I’m thinking about making a post on Fallout items descriptions and definitions for those of you who have never played the games. Please let me know if you’d like me to do so. 

The outside was an enigma to you, but it was what entranced you the most about the Wasteland. The Great War ended after the bombs dropped and the outside world had been uninhabitable. The only survivors were those who paid monthly installments to a reserve a place for themselves, and their families, in the vaults.

Vaults being underground building equipped with construction equipment, hydro-agricultural farms, water purification systems, defensive weaponry, communication systems, surface monitors, social / entertainment files and anything else needed to survive in case of a nuclear attack. Vaults were what kept humanity alive for hundreds of years after the bombs fell and irradiated the land. Those lucky enough to have access to one learned to enjoy their privileged lives no matter how mundane it was to live life underground. You, on the other hand, had dreamed of the day you could escape the tedious lifestyle of the vault.

You always hoped for something more than life underground. You wanted adventure and thrill, not the same repetitive dreary lifestyle you were living. Growing up you loved hearing the stories your father use to tell about life outside the vault. Of course, he didn't know it firsthand, but he had read it from one of his ancestor's diaries before it had been confiscated by the previous Overseer.

In vaults you were taught to obey the Overseer. It was the most important rule to follow. The Overseer being the leader of the vault and most often than not a dictator. Anything they say goes no matter how unfair.

The Overseer during your grandfather's time wanted all old-world remnants removed in hopes that no one would try to leave the vault. Though in time fights broke out between those who believed they had the right to leave and those who believed the vault doors should remain shut for all their safety. After years of problems between the two groups and the change of Overseers an agreement was made. Every 20 years the vault doors open to allow those, 18 years and older, who want to leave to do so. It minimized the amount of radiation and threats that could enter the vault but also gave a choice, to leave, to every generation. You knew what you wanted since the age of seven when you snuck into the Overseer's room and took the restricted old-world books. The next time the vault doors opened you would be, 20, free to make the choice to leave. You had nothing holding you back, you were the sort of kid who constantly got into trouble and had parents tell their children to stay away from you. Which led you to not have any friends other than an older boy who went by the name of Jin. His full name was Kim Seokjin, but he always told everyone to call him Jin. He was popular in the vault with his charismatic personality and attractive appearance, but he always spent his free time with you. The first time you met him was during one of your many trips to the infirmary. His mother was the vault doctor and he, often than not, was in the infirmary helping his mother with miscellaneous tasks. While you, on the other hand, spent a lot of your time in the infirmary due to constantly being injured either by your tinkering or by getting into a fight with one of the many kids in your class. Seokjin practically became your older brother looking after you and making sure you weren't getting into too much trouble. By age 16 everyone in the vault is forced to take the G.O.A.T, or the generalized occupational aptitude test, to determine what job you qualify for. Personally you enjoyed more hands-on jobs compared to mental work. In the end, you ended up as the vaults technician which you didn't absolutely hate for the four years you did it. Now at age 20, the day had come. The day the vault doors would open once again. A smile graced your features as you stood in front of the large vault doors. Rocking on the balls of your feet you were excited for the adventure that awaited you outside the giant slab of metal. Glancing to your left you looked at your partner's anxious face. Biting on his full bottom lip in worry, his eyes met yours in hopes you would change your mind. On his back sat a bag full of all the essential items to survive water, nonperishable food, medication, change of clothes, a blanket, a few holotapes to record on, and other little items that held sentimental value. You had the same packed in a bag of your own, give or take, with a bit more ammo stuffed into your bag for protection. Taking his large hand in yours you gripped it tight trying to convey some kind of comfort to the older boy. "Jinnie you don't have to come with me you know. I told you multiple of times I can take care of myself. Have been for years now." You said smiling softly at the taller boy.

Seokjin scoffed rolling his eyes at you. His grip on your hand growing stronger. "Liar who's been patching you up since you were seven? I don't trust medication in your hands." Tugging on your joined hands his eyes met yours and he gave you a serious look "I could never let you go on your own." Staring at you fondly his hand patted the top of your head "You're my cute younger sibling and it's too late to get rid of me." Seokjin jokingly added shrugging his wide shoulders. Seokjin often hid his emotions behind jokes and smiles. You knew him well enough to know he was afraid of what lies behind the closed vault doors. His fingers drummed against his thigh as he kept biting down on his plump lower lip. Both obvious signs that he was nervous. Your heart clenched painfully in your chest. You would love to have Seokjin join you on your adventure out into the wasteland, but you would never force him to go with you. The two of you had multiple disputes during the months leading to this day. You could always see his hesitation, but he always ended the argument with a firm "I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I don't care how sick of me you get I'm not leaving your side." "Seokjin" you called out straightening out your posture to show how serious you were "I know you said you're coming with me, but I want to give you this last chance to back out before the door opens. This has been my dream since I was a little girl, but this was never yours. Please think this through once more." You hoped he would agree to join you on this adventure but part of you also wanted him to choose to stay. You knew he never planned on leaving the vault like you did Seokjin prioritized practicality and safety. He found that in the vault not out into the unknown behind the vault doors. You were not going to take it away from him unless he was positive about his choice of joining you on your adventure. Jin let out a long sigh before interlacing your fingers together. "We are in this together. Like a package deal okay? We're going to say goodbye to my mom who's waiting over there for us," he signaled with a nod of his head in his mother direction "and we're going to walk out of the place and show the wasteland we aren't to be messed with." Seokjin exclaimed a large smirk playing on his lips as he tugged you over to his mother. Standing tall she waited by the controls that open the door. A faraway look rested on her tired face. You don't recall when she began to look so worn. To you she always looked beautiful and strong. She constantly emitted an air of confidence in her infirmary with her proper straight posture, long black locks always pulled up in a tight bun and her lips pulled in a soft smile. Her hands were always soft as she checked you over and patched you up. Her movements slow and careful making sure her patients were comfortable and never in too much pain. She was the kindest person throughout the whole vault. Though today was different her hair was thrown into a messy bun that was threatening to fall out its hair tie. Her usual clear skin had dark bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep and worry lines on her forehead. It never dawned on you how much stress this day must have caused the doctor. Her only son leaving never to be seen again. This was her final day to see her son alive and well. Her affectionate gaze turned towards you and her son. A soft smile pulled at the ends of her lips as she met the both of you halfway. Seokjin unlaced your fingers and reached out to his mother who quickly pulled him into a tight hug. His tall height and broad shoulders engulfed his mother's smaller build. Her arms held tightly at his thin waist and her face pressed into his shoulder as they embraced for the final time. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes as you watched their emotional farewell. They were holding back their tears afraid of breaking the other's heart more than it already was. Silently they took in one another. Your heart clenched painfully in your chest knowing you were the cause of their separation. Seokjin loved his mother with all his heart doing all in his power to help lessen her load in the infirmary and making sure she didn't feel lonely when his father returned late. His father being the Overseer of the vault made him spend most of his time in his office figuring out how to make the vault more efficient and comfortable for the dwellers. Seokjin and his mother having a close bond full of trust. They always believed in each other's judgment no matter the circumstance. It was clear the doctor didn't question her son's choice in leaving only making peace with it. Pulling apart, Seokjin and his mother held each other's hands tightly as they exchanged some words. Sorrowful smiles played on their lips taking in each other's appearance. Before separating Seokjin's mother pulled him down to place a kiss on his forehead. Running her thin fingers through his hair a few times before turning to look at you. Her eyes glistened in the light with unshed tears as she walked over to you Seokjin following close behind her. Reaching out for you she pulled you into a tight hug. "Y/N please take care of each other okay?" her usual soft voice was slightly hoarse due to her suppressing the sobs that threatened to pass her lips. "I love you and wish you luck on your adventures honey." Pulling back her dark eyes met yours. Softly she threaded her fingers through your hair. Taking a shaky breath, you tried to swallow down the lump rising in your throat. You didn’t think about how difficult leaving would be. When you thought back then there was nothing holding you back. You had no friends, other than Seokjin who continually told you he was leaving with you, and you had no family. Your mother passed away while you were 7. It was one of the factors to your rebellious actions. Some of your classmates teased you for not having a mother and others stayed quiet in fear of being bullied as well. Ten years later your father passed away only a few months after your 17th birthday. It hurt but it gave you more of a reason to leave the vault. It never occurred to you how much you would actually miss Seokjin's mother. She treated you with the love and care she would for her own child. With your mind so set on leaving you never factored in Seokjin's mother as a reason not to leave. Now with a few minutes left till the thick vault doors open you were being hit by the blunt force of what your choice entailed. Not only were you leaving behind the difficult times but the happy times you spent in the infirmary with the Kim's. You're leaving behind the time you spent with your father tinkering with the radio and other objects he found. You were leaving behind the only thing you knew for 20 years. Trying to blink back the tears burning in the back of your eyes you took one of her hands in yours. "Thank you, Mr. Kim, for everything you did for me." you faltered with a weak smile lifting at your lips. A smile lite up on her face as grabbed Seokjin, with her free hand, and tugs the two of you back into an embrace. "Take care of each other okay?" She softly says her voice trembling. "I won't be able to look over you two anymore so make sure you eat. Seokjin won't forget but I know when something catches your interest you forget everything else." Seokjin's mother fretted with a soft chuckle. "Seokjin try out new things be a little more daring. I know you like to be safe and you aren't a fan of taking risks but you're heading to a new place, seeing new things, and meeting all kinds of people. I want you to know you made the right choice leaving the vault and enjoy life out there okay?" Pulling back slightly she glance at both you and Seokjin. Her bright smile contrasted with the wet trail of tears on her cheeks. "I love you both so much. Take care and make the most out of the adventure you two or going to have. It might get difficult. There may be times you regret your choice and during those times support each other like you two always have." The doctor gave you two one last squeeze before pulling away completely. "5 minutes till we open the vault door!" Call out the security guard at the controls. The sudden yell caused Seokjin to stiffen and quickly turn in the direction of the security guard. A shaky chuckle left his lips, as he turned back to look at both you and his mother, an embarrassed look crossing his face. Both you and his mother glanced at each other in amusement. "You're going to have to work on that honey." The doctor chortled teasingly. Patting his shoulder softly his mother made her way back over to her spot next to the security guard. Goosebumps pricked at your skin as a sense of nervousness flowed through you. Running your hand through your hair a few times you took a deep breath trying to relax. This was what you had been waiting years for. The chance to experience something new and live a more fulfilling life. No longer would you have to sit around and wait till something needed to be fixed. You had a whole world of new experiences waiting for you outside the large looming door of the vault. The soft brush of a hand against yours broke you out of your thoughts. Looking up you met the tender gaze of Seokjin. His gentle smile calmed your pounding heart. Taking a deep breath, you stood tall a confident smile pulled at the ends of your lips. Interlacing your hand with Seokjin's the both of you looked towards the flashing lights of the vault door. The last thing you could remember was the blaring alarms notifying the vault that the door had been opened once again and the warm sunlight against your skin.

It was the start of your new life.

#I've had this written for way to long I just wanted to make it longer but I think its better as a prologue #I finally know where to go with this fic so expect more soon #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bangtan imagines #bangtan scenarios #bangtan boys scenarios #bangtan boys imagines #seokjin imagine #seokjin scenario #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenario #shattered #mar's writing