#UPDATE: we found someone! Thanks for spreading the word everyone!

[analogwriting]

Childhood Crush

Chapter 17: Silicon

Killer x gn!reader word count: 3.4k a/n: figured i'd give you some up before we get to the real downs next

After your little confrontation with Killer, if you can even call it that, you decided to see what you could find out about the SMILE fruit that you could. You did find out that Kaido was getting it from the warlord Donquixote Doflamingo who had someone named Caesar the Clown making it. Though, in your research, you found out that someone else had been somewhat wrapped up in things. At least he was there when things went belly up in Punk Hazard. 

Trafalgar Law. 

Luckily, everyone was on the same port as the ships were being repaired and prepared for departures. Everyone around the same area meant it was going to be easier for you to slip away for a few moments to try and talk to him. You knew your brother absolutely loathed the guy and everyone else would just raise an eyebrow on why you might want to strike up a conversation with him. And if you wanted to be incognito about your whole plan then…

You spotted him leaning against some rock somewhat on the edge of all the commotion, so no one would probably pay attention to the both of you as long as neither of you brought attention to yourselves. You headed that way, plopping down next to him. He looked at you with a confused expression.

“The hell you want Eustass 2.0?” 

You could suddenly see why your brother hated him. What a warm, stand up guy. Though, his whole personality was surrounded by the idea of death - so you guess it checked out. You glared at him. “First of all, I’m the older sibling, so if anything he’d be y/n 2.0.” Law stared at you in disbelief.

“You two are related? So there really are two of him?”

“Oh my fuck, just fuck off with that. Anyway.” You shook your head, you were here for a reason. You weren’t about to let your annoyance get to you over some petty comments.

“I need to know everything you know about the SMILE fruit.” You looked at him and his expression changed to a more serious one.

“And why would I tell you anything?” 

“Why wouldn’t you?”

He seemed to pause at that retort. “Because I don’t have to.”

Your face changed to that of a deadpanned one. Nice to know his trash talk was garbage. “Wow. King of comebacks, you are, huh?”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “You’re not making me want to help you, you know.”

With a roll of your eyes and a sigh, you pinched the bridge of your nose. “Well, whether or not you tell me the information doesn’t actually matter. I just thought I could start with some kind of foundation.”

“What are you getting on about?”

You looked at him once more. “Since no one else seems wants to fucking do anything about it, I’m going to be trying to cure the SMILE fruit.”

“And you need my help? What could I do?”

“I don’t need your help, I just need to know what you learned on Punk Hazard.”

He stared at you for a moment and you could feel your irritation growing. This man was impossible. You absolutely saw why your brother was always irritated by his mere presence. With a sigh of irritation, you stood up and dusted yourself off.

“You know what? Forget I asked. I just wanted to help someone I fucking care about but I should’ve know better than to fucking ask for help.” You casted a glance across the port to Killer who was talking to Dive at the moment before starting to head in that direction.

“Wait!” You stopped, honestly surprised. You turned around to look at the pirate lounging on the rock. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I know. But I’m only going to say it once, so listen close.”

A smile spread across your face. “Thank you, Trafalgar. I owe you.”

--

After that irritating interaction with the other pirate captain, he did provide some pretty useful information to you. You wouldn’t exactly be starting at ground zero, so at least that helped. You headed back over to your own crew, feeling a bit lighter.

“Y/n!” Dive ran over to you, looking up at you. “Did you hear about the bounty update?” You shook your head. She held up the paper with your brother’s face on it and your eyes widened. “Fucking what now?” You took the paper, looking at it closer.

“Just cause you hold it closer to your face, doesn’t mean the number’s gonna change.” You glared at Killer before you looked around. “Wait, where’s Tungsten?” 

“Well, after the bounty reveal…” You looked at Killer and groaned. “Yeah. Probably gonna pick a fight.” You made a face. “I should probably go and stop him,” you grumbled. Killer laughed and you started trudging your way to the Flower Capital as the other followed you. There was supposed to be some kind of feast anyway.

--

“Tungsten! Get your ass down here!” 

Eustass looked down at you from where he was…being held? by Luffy. You assumed your brother tried to attack him and Luffy took it as a celebration of some sort. You haven’t known him long, but you could already tell that this Strawhat was quite the character.

You placed your hands on your hips as you looked up at your brother. “Fuck off, Bigs! You don’t tell me what to do!” He was shouting at you from up above and you groaned. 

“We’re not going to start another war here in Wano. Wait until y’all leave then sort out whatever beef you have!” 

“There’s no time like the present! If I take him down now-”

As the two of you argued loud enough for just about everyone to hear, Law was watching the interaction. The person you were when you were with your brother was completely different from the one who had a conversation with him earlier. “Are they always like this?”

“Yeah, actually.” Killer laughed. “It’s weird if they’re not.”

“Isn’t it a headache?”

He shook his head. “You kind of start to miss it when one of them is gone and presumed dead,” Killer said with a shrug. Law just looked at him, about to ask what in the hell that cryptic statement meant when the other moved forward and threw you over his shoulder as he always did to diffuse the situation. 

“Killer!” You groaned, not even bothering to fight it, as your brother cackled - the situation diffusing as it always does. At least he stopped trying to fight Luffy and the lot of you could enjoy the festivities now. 

When the festivities began, it was a whole entire different atmosphere. There were no enemies here, only allies. The three pirate crews, the citizens of Wano, everyone was intermingling. It was truly peaceful and light hearted. You were going to enjoy it while it lasted because you had a long journey ahead of you. 

The night dragged on and you felt yourself growing tired. You were sitting in between Killer and your brother when Dive popped up next to you. Her pigtails looked worse for wear and she looked at you with urgency. “Will you fix my hair?!” You blinked. 

“Sure?” She was more than capable of fixing her own hair, but you also weren’t sure why she cared. She wasn’t exactly one to care about her appearance. She plopped into your lap. “Heat got rice and stuff in it!” She folded her arms with a pout.

She handed you a brush that she said she acquired from someone, but you didn’t exactly question it. You took out her hair, picking out the food. You used the water you had to wash out whatever sticky shit had also ended up in her hair. 

As you did her hair, she idly talked about whatever was on her mind and you heard Killer laugh from next to you. You looked at him. “What?” He shook his head. “I’m assuming you gained a more domestic side while you were gone?” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“What do you mean by that?”

He stuck up his hands. “You just seem more soft around the edges - not a bad thing.”

“Well, I grew up around you guys. Then I was on an island of scientists for, like, two years. Much less rowdy. Plus, Lily always liked it when I did her hair.” As you were brushing Dive’s hair, your heart hurt. Your mind shifted to what Kese had said. You still couldn’t believe Myra had deceived you in such a way. Your mind still couldn’t wrap around it.

You did find yourself missing Lily though. She was a breath of fresh air. You’d brush her hair like this before bed every night.

Before your thoughts could delve any further down that spiral, you felt a hand on your thigh. You looked over, seeing Killer looking towards you. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” You shook your head. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t mean anything by it.” Though, your face was growing more and more red by the second. 

“I think she just wanted to spend some time with you before you left,” he mumbled so Dive couldn’t hear what he said. You looked at him before looking to Dive. It made sense. She seemed to have missed you a lot.

One deep breath later, you focused on Dive’s hair and whatever she was prattling on about, trying not to think too much about the hand that currently wasn’t leaving your thigh.

And it didn’t.

As the night droned on, Dive eventually fell asleep against you. Killer’s hand never left your thigh, or if it did, it returned back to it. You were at a table, so no one else noticed, but you were painfully aware of it. You were flustered, but you also felt incredibly at ease at the same time. It didn’t matter if the two of you were talking to each other or someone else, he was always keeping contact with you.

You almost regretted deciding to stay, but you knew this was important. This was for him. Whatever feelings were happening and whatever the hell this was - you could figure that out when you met up again. You were going to enjoy it while it lasted though.

--

You weren’t exactly sure when you fell asleep, but you woke up back on the ship with Dive curled into your side. How did you end up back here? Did your brother carry you back? The events of last night flooded your brain, mostly the hand that never left you last night. Did Killer carry you back then? What was all that about? You had a feeling you weren’t going to be able to get any answers today.

You pushed those thoughts away. Today was departure day. Eustass was to set sail and you were to migrate to your new lab. You had spoken with Momonosuke about everything and he seemed more than willing to let you help his people - even told you he’d give you anything you needed to succeed. You appreciated that. 

The morning was pretty busy. You were helping your brother ready the ship for departure as well as everyone saying their goodbyes to you. It was pretty emotional, but you guess that the last time you left, they thought you had died while you were gone, so the hesitation and emotions all made sense. 

When it was time to go, there was a group hug that took place. You were nearly crushed by everyone, but you were accepting of a fate like that. At least you were surrounded by endless love if you died that way. 

Everyone dispersed to head back onto the ship. Eustass stayed behind for a moment. You knew he was hesitant to leave you behind. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you talking to Trafalgar yesterday,” he grumbled, looking annoyed. You looked at him and rolled your eyes.

“I was trying to get information about the SMILE fruit. He was on Punk Hazard for some months before Strawhat and he took it down.”

That changed your brother’s tune a little. “Oh.”

“What do you mean ‘oh’? Why the fuck else would I talk to that dickhead?” 

Eustass snorted and shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I was asking. So you don’t like him either?” 

You shrugged. “He’s got that air of arrogance about him. Made me want to punch him in the nose. But I do appreciate the information he gave me.” You smirked, causing your brother to laugh.

“That’s my Bigs.” He wrapped his arm around you and the both of you looked at the ship.

“Make sure you don’t die, yeah?” Eustass’ voice was soft. You looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “I should be telling you that.” You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. He just shrugged, shaking his head. “I can’t die now. Not when we’re so close to getting to the One Piece.” 

“Well, I’ll find you as soon as I develop a cure, okay? So, don’t do anything fucking stupid, okay?”

“Me? Stupid? Never.”

“Says the one that thought it was a good idea to fight Shanks.” You glared at him and he just narrowed his eyes at you. “I could totally take him.”

“You lost an arm!”

“And?!”

“What makes you think you’ll beat him the next time!?!”

“Because I can!”

“Oh my fuck, Tungsten, please.”

The two of you delve into more laughter and before sighing. “Suppose until next time, Bigs.”

“Until next time, Tungsten.” Then he paused, turning to you. “Did Killer talk to you?” You blinked, tilting your head to the side. “About what?”

He shook his head. “I take that as a no then.”

With that, he boarded his ship. “Wait! Tungsten! You can’t-” But he wasn’t listening. You watched as he approached Killer, asking him something. You blinked as he proceeded to smack Killer upside the head and start yelling at him while Killer just sheepishly rubbed his neck. What was that about? What did he apparently want to talk to you about? Or supposed to talk to you about? Great. Just another unanswered question.

You weren’t able to dwell on it long before the rest of the crew were yelling goodbye to you once more and you waved, shouting your own send offs. Then you paused. “Are they just…”

Your stupid fucking brother.

“Are they just going to launch themselves over the mountain?” Then you watched them do just that - much to your dismay.

--

Settling into your new lab wasn’t too difficult. You didn’t have too many things, as most of it had still been on the island in which you had lived for a couple of years. You never got that stuff back and now you supposed you never would. Which sucked because you did have some stuff in there that would probably help with what you were dealing with now.

You started making new notes, first writing down everything Law had told you. You were lucky you had an amazing memory - you didn’t forget a single thing he had mentioned. 

You heard something clatter behind you and you turned around, seeing a small child standing there. “Oh, sorry!” She picked up the book she had knocked over and held it up. “My name is Toko! I am not sure if you remember me though.”

You blinked, taken aback. You remembered her, yes. But, you hadn’t noticed before because of the whole, defending them from Killer thing - she seemed to be affected by the fruit too. You could tell with the unnatural curl the edges of her smile had.

“Nice to meet you, Toko,” you said, walking over to her and taking the book. You knelt down to meet her on her level. “I’m y/n.”

“Is it true you’re trying to find a cure for the SMILE fruit?” You blinked. Were they just telling everyone? “I overheard Hiyori talking about it.” Ah, that made sense.

You smiled, ruffling her hair. “It’s true. I’m going to try my best to help you and everyone else who was affected, okay?” You saw her eyes light up. “Really?!” You nodded and she threw her arms around you. “Oh thank you!”

You awkwardly patted her back, your heart aching. Talk about pressure. You already had the weight of your brother’s disappointment looming over your shoulders, now this small child? Well, there was also just the shogun and whomever that guy told. Ugh, there was more pressure building by the minute.

“Toko! You shouldn’t be bothering them. I am so sorry, doctor.” Hiyori appeared in the doorway. You looked at her and shook your head with a smile. “It’s quite alright. She just seems curious.”

“Also, thank you for rescuing us!” Toko looked at you, her smile reaching her eyes. When dealing with people affected by the fruit, you tend to focus on their eyes more. That’s how you gauged their real emotion. You were just luckily Killer had always really worn a helmet so you could just read his entire being.

You blinked. “Oh, uh…you’re welcome?” Hiyori laughed softly. “Humble, I see.” You looked at her. You almost wanted to apologize on Killer’s behalf, but you also felt it was probably best they just never knew that little tidbit of information. 

With the energy of Toko and the calm nature of Hiyori, they really did remind you of Myra and Lily. Your chest aches at the thought of them. You missed Lily, but you knew that you’d never see her again. And when you thought of Myra you just…hurt. All that love turned to pain.

“Well, we’ll leave you be. Let us know if you need anything. Come along, Toko.” You nodded, waving as they left. 

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. When you exhaled, you opened your eyes again and went back to your notes.

--

The first few weeks of your time at Wano, post-battle, was spent cooped up in the lab. You were trying to figure things out. You were gathering as much information as you could about the stupid fruits before you tried experimenting with them. You slept in the lab most nights - mainly because you’d work so long you’d just pass out at your desk.

Toko visited almost daily. She just enjoyed chatting with you, mostly talking about nothing. You always enjoyed the background noise of people talking. She’d bring you snacks and such. It was nice to have at least some kind of distraction every once and a while. Hiyori would sometimes join her in the visits. They were both incredibly sweet and a welcomed breath of fresh air from your stuffy lab.

“Doctor y/n?” You turned, smiling at Toko. “C’mon, I told you that you didn’t have to call me doctor, Toko.” 

“I know, but I like the way it rolls off the tongue.” She laughed and you smiled. “Alright. So, what’s up? How can I help you today?”

Whenever she visited, you always paused what you were doing to fully turn your attention to her. If you ever were doing something where you couldn’t be interrupted, you’d just lock the door. 

“There is someone here for you. They said that you know them but we wanted to come and check first!” You blinked, tilting your head to the side. Who the hell could possibly be visiting you? You knew there was no way in hell Eustass would be here. Or anyone else from your crew.

“Who is it?”

The look in Toko’s eyes fell. “Oh, I forgot already. Toko sorry.”

You walked over, ruffling her hair. “Oh, don’t apologize. There’s nothing wrong with forgetting. Let’s go take a look together, hm?” 

Her eyes brightened once more as she took your hand and walked with you to the front of the building. You walked with her when you heard a familiar voice talking with the guard that stayed stationed at the front. You immediately stopped in your tracks. “Y/n?” Toko asked, looking back at you.

Your eyes widened and your stomach dropped as your eyes fell on your ‘guest.’

Myra.

#once again pulled something out of my ass #i wasnt originally gonna have myra come in but ive been feeling extra angsty so i need to take my anger out on her a lil bit #im about to harrass yalls eyeballs with lyrics tho and yall are gonna be none the wiser - there was one in this chap tho #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x you #massacre soldier killer #killer x reader #killer one piece #am fics #cc

[copperbadge]

Hey guys, a quick update on the Fountain Fundraiser! The fundraiser itself was successful and the park is going forward with renovations, though they haven’t given a timeline yet as far as I know. Amusingly, the slew of donations from people giving via my fundraiser confused the hell out of them until we explained things, so that was entertaining :D 

In any case I have completed all the fics I promised, at least as far as I’m aware. If you made a gift and never saw a fic in return, check the Fountain Fundraiser tag; if it’s not there DO PLEASE get in touch to let me know, so that I can rectify the situation! This fundraiser was a little less organized than usual so the odds I missed someone are not as low as usual. 

Sadly, I found out we are only allowed to put names on the bricks that are also supporting the park renovation, but eventually I will be able to go to the park and see a brick reading “Sam, Deebs, & Dot” and I promise a photo when I do. 

Thank you to everyone who gave and everyone who spread the word. I’ll be uploading the fics to AO3 eventually, so look for them there! 

#fountain fundraiser #chicago #printer's row #south loop

[myc-ology-whore]

She'll Be Okay, Pt. 2

Reagan Ridley x GN!Reader

Read Pt. 1

So it's been several months since I posted the first part of this, and I apologise for that. I'm not quite as practiced as I was since it's been a while since I've written for this show, but I just binged all eighteen episodes to get me back into it, so hopefully I've at least kept things relatively accurate to the show.

As a refresher: (Y/n), Reagan's S/O, never got along with Rand. When Rand stole Reagan's position as CEO right out from under her, (Y/n) decided to take matters into their own hands, and now they've been detained at Cognito.

Thanks for your support!! <3

Reagan's sneakers slammed on the tiles with force as she ran toward Cognito's Underground Law Enforcement facility. It hadn't taken more than fifteen minutes after your arrest for word to spread around the company that the newly installed CEO had been murdered. Though it wasn't something anybody was particularly upset about, it was still startling to know that someone had just been killed in the building. Even if it wasn't, people love to talk; word was bound to get out at some point. However, not everyone knew who the killer was.

Sweat was beginning to bead on Reagan's brow as she turned a corner, rushing toward the elevators despite the aches in her calves from overuse. Gigi had heard of the shooting first out of your friend group, and she was quick to run to everyone else's offices to let them know. You were the only one missing, nowhere to be found, and unless this was some disturbing coincidence, they all could only think of one place you could be. Without thinking, Reagan had run off ahead of the group, though they weren't far behind; she heard their panting breaths and pounding footsteps just down the hall as she clicked the elevator button furiously, right on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Come on, come on, fuck! How are we one of the most advanced companies in the world, yet we can't get a fucking update on the lower level lifts?!" She slammed her fists against the metal doors, willing them to open, but the elevator only responded with a quiet beep as it hit the next floor. The gang finally caught up to her, all of them but Brett doubling over and resting their hands on their knees.

"Girl, I ain't-- I ain't never seen you run like that," Gigi remarked breathlessly, her heels in her hand. Smoothing her hair out as best she could, she straightened up and rested her hands on her hips. "You even outran Mister Olympian over here!"

She gestured incredulously at Brett, who was pacing nervously a few steps away. Reagan never took her eyes off the doors, her face desperate. "We have to find (Y/n)," she fretted, her whole body clammy from anxiety and adrenaline. "We... We have to..."

"Try to keep calm, Reagan," Andre comforted, placing a hand into her shoulder. He thought about offering her something to chill her out, but thankfully pushed the thought away. "We're gonna get there soon enough, you just have to keep it together, and--"

"It's here!" Reagan cried as the elevator dinged, signalling it's arrival. She forced the doors open faster as they just barely began to slide open, pushing them with all her might and not even waiting for her friends to pile in before pushing the button for the atrium level. Everyone crowded in beside her, barely managing to make room for each other in the tiny space before the doors were closed again behind them.

"Fuck, can't this thing go any faster?" Myc was pushing himself so tightly against the walls that he might as well have been crawling up onto the ceiling. "Hey, watch where you're stepping, mutant!"

"Now, you watch your mouth," Glenn barked back, glaring so hard that it looked like his eyes might pop out. "I can't help it none if there's no space to stand in here."

"Will both of you idiots shut up?" They looked to see Gigi glaring at them over Andre's shoulder, her eye twitching as she tried to restrain herself from shoving one of them. "We're all stressed and uncomfortable in here, alright?"

They grumbled something in response, continuing to glare at one another but keeping their mouths shut as they waited. After what felt like several minutes of tense silence, the doors opened up into a maintenance hall leading to the atrium. Reagan was gone in a flash, adrenaline helping her to ignore the feeling of her legs turning to lead from lack of exercise; the rest of the gang did their best to keep pace, but only Brett managed to remain right at her side.

"Reagan, Rae-dog," he huffed, nervous laughter permeating his voice. "You don't think (Y/n) is, uh... Well, they're not in trouble, are they? I mean, serious trouble."

"We work for the fucking Shadow Government, Brett! We erase people who get too out of line!" A sob wracked her body as she ran, making her stumble, but Brett snatched up her arm before she could trip. She sniffled as they fell to a jog, her best friend not allowing her to go any faster than that. "Thanks," she mumbled, "but I'm okay. We need to keep going."

"Reagan..."

"We have to!" Brett didn't argue any further, and let her lead the way to the detainment center on the second floor in the atrium, the others slowly catching up as they hit yet another elevator. "We're almost there," Reagan wheezed, easing into the lift; her energy was starting to fade, even though her mind was still steeped in anxiety. "Just... a little further."

They reached the second floor, and after a short trek down the hall, they arrived in the detainment center. Despite a murder just having taken place, things seemed calm; a few security guards milled about behind a window, and the assistant at the desk looked as though nothing interesting had happened all day. He barely moved when Reagan and the gang burst through the doors all sweaty and exhausted, merely flicking his eyes over at them.

Reagan swiftly made her way over to the desk, and the dead-eyed clerk raised a brow at her. "Can I help you?"

"Someone was brought in here earlier," she panted, leaning heavily on the counter. "(Y/n) (L/n)? We're here to see them."

"Sorry ma'am, but I can't let you in without the proper--"

"I have clearance, asshole!" Reagan slammed her company ID down on the counter with enough force to make the clerk jump in his seat. She sighed irritably and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sorry. This has been... a rough morning. Can we please just hurry this up?"

"Y-Yes ma'am," the clerk nodded, quickly moving to scan her card. His expression dropped with dread when something popped up on his screen, and he winced as he glanced up at her. "Uh, it says here--"

"Move, son," came a gruff voice, and another security officer appeared over the desk clerk's shoulder. He looked at the screen, then up at Reagan and the rest of the party, then sighed. "You're not supposed to be coming back here," said the guard, "but I've been talking to your friend back there. I'll let you back, but you won't have long, only a few minutes. You leave when I tell you to, understood?"

"Yes, thank you so much," Reagan agreed, nodding vigorously. "I just need to see them."

The guard left the room on the other side of the window and came to the door leading from the waiting area to the corridor connecting the entire holding wing. He held the door open and waited for everyone to pass through, then began leading the group down the hall to the cells. "My name is Grouper," the guard introduced as he walked. "I'm head of security here. I was the one who found your friend in the CEO's office."

"Is it really true?" Andre spoke up. "Did they really... kill him?"

"Mm, seemed damn proud of it, too," Grouper huffed. "Said it needed to be done. Can't say I disagree with 'em, but I wasn't gonna lose my job over it... or worse."

Reagan walked closely with the guard, at the forefront of the group. "Are they okay? Were they hurt?"

"Only one that got hurt was that asshole Rand Ridley," the guard snorted. He paused to fiddle with his keys as he reached the end of the hallway; a heavy-looking metal door was the only thing standing between (Y/n) and the group now. Reagan felt herself growing impatient as Grouper finally found the key he was looking for. She took a sharp breath as he unlocked the door, and held it unconsciously as it creaked open. "Here we are."

All the air left her lungs when (Y/n) came into view. They were sitting on a metal bench in the very first cell, eyes closed and head leaned back against the wall. Their hands were still cuffed behind their back, but otherwise, they looked completely at ease where they sat, their clothes still unmussed aside from a speckling of red across their stomach. "(Y/n)!"

. . . . .

You opened your eyes immediately upon hearing her voice, and stood as you saw her and the rest of your friends entering the room. "Reagan? Guys? What are you doing here? I didn't even know you guys could get back here!"

"Grouper let us back," Reagan blubbered, her eyes already seeping tears as you approached the bars of your cell. She pulled you tightly against them as soon as you were within reach hugging you despite your inability to hug back at the moment. "(Y/n), I was... I was so worried! How could you run off on me like that?"

"Seriously, dude," Brett agreed, coming to clap a hand on your shoulder between the bars. "We'd never have let you go if we knew you were gonna get yourself arrested!"

"Brett, I think you're the only one who didn't suspect that," said Andre, patting your arm from Reagan's other side. "Anyway, how'd you do it? There wasn't anyone around to stop you or anything?"

"Y'know, Andre," you laughed awkwardly, pressing a soft kiss to Reagan's forehead as she continued to grapple you through the bars, "I feel like this isn't the best time to talk about something like that, for several reasons."

"Still, you certainly could've been more subtle," Gigi griped. "If you'd just sat your ass down and waited for a minute, you could've brainstormed with us and not gotten yourself an express ticket to Shadow Prison X."

"I told you we shoulda just poisoned his coffee," Myc laughed. "Now look at you."

"Yes, this situation is absolutely fucking hilarious, Myc," Reagan snapped, tears streaming down her face when she finally pulled away from you to glare at the mushroom. "(Y/n) could be sent to Shadow Prison any minute now, and you're laughing? Some fucking friend you are."

"Hey, I never claimed to like any of your skanky asses," Myc sneered back, but Andre set a hand on his stem before he could go any further.

"Myc, c'mon man," hissed the scientist. "You're gonna get us kicked out of here."

"So what? I told 'em not to leave, and look where not listening to me got them..." Myc scuttled up to the bars, jabbing a flagella through to poke at your chest. "Right fucking here."

If you didn't know him better, you might snap back at him right now, but the mycelian was your friend. "I'm sorry, Myc. I did what needed to be done, though."

"Yeah, well we coulda done it together, dipshit," he grumbled, poking at you again. "Then you wouldn't've gotten caught."

"You can't know that though, buddy," you chuckled. Looking over each of your friends, you went on, "I am sorry - I would've saved some action for you guys, but I just felt the need to take the glory on this one."

"Selfish bastard," said Glenn, shaking his head. "And I was gettin' all fired up in the war room thinkin' about how we coulda taken him out..."

"I know, I know..."

"You're stupid, you know that?" You looked down at Reagan, whose hands were still fisting your button-up. "I hated Rand, you know that better than anyone, but... I still loved him. Not as much as I love you, not after what he did, but still." She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "You really killed him..."

"Reagan," you soothed, voice soft, "you know it was for the best. He never could've run the company like you're going to. This is what you're meant for, you know. You didn't need him."

"I know that," she nods, sniffling. "He was still my dad, though."

You frowned, looking away. "I'm... sorry."

"No, no," she replied quickly, shaking her head. "You... You did right... I think? I don't know. Everything's just so confusing now."

"It's my fault."

"No, it wouldn't be so hard to know what I'm feeling if Rand wasn't such an asshole," she sighed, running a hand down her face. "I feel... relief? Guilt? Grief, of course, but... not as much as I thought I would. And... love." She looked up at you, grabbing your chin and gently turning you to face her again. "I love you, and I know you did it because you love me, too."

"Of course I do," you said, leaning your head as close to hers as you could through the bars. She leaned up to meet you, and your foreheads touched, but anything else would've been awkward - especially with your friends surrounding you. "I love you more than anything, Reagan. I'd do whatever it takes to make you happy."

"Jesus, would you can it with the mushy stuff already?" You glared over at Myc out of the corner of your eye. "This crap's making me nauseous."

"I'll just... go ahead and take him out," Andre laughed nervously. He came up to give you a friendly punch on the shoulder first, though. "You'll get out of this, man. We'll see you soon."

"I hope so," you smiled, rolling your eyes as Andre began leading the mushroom back out into the hallway. Gigi and Glenn approached too, their expressions sympathetic. "Don't look so sad, guys," you huffed, shaking your head. "You're bringing down my mood in here."

Gigi reached out to tap your cheek, a fond smile on her face. "You're just a ray of sunshine 'till the end, aren't you?" Her face falls a bit when you smile back. "I just hope things work out. It'll be a lot quieter around here if you don't make it out of this, honey."

"You stay strong, soldier," Glenn ordered from beside her, his face stern. "If you don't walk out of here on your own, we're not gonna let you go without a fight, y'hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Dolphman," you chuckled. As they turned to leave, you looked to Brett, who remained silent at Reagan's side, thoughtful. "Hey," you called softly. drawing him from within his head. "You alright, man?"

He was quiet for a moment, looking between you and Reagan, who'd buried her face in your chest again. He nodded to her, since she was looking away. "I'm just worried that... that things won't be the same again, if something happens to you. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but..."

"Things'll move on," you answered easily, resting your chin onto your girlfriend's head. It hurt you to think about it, but you knew Reagan was strong and determined. There was no way she'd fall apart just because you got 'disappeared'; you'd always been far more into her than she was into you, of that you were certain, and you liked it that way. It meant that if anything ever happened to your relationship, she'd bounce back. "I'm not so important around here that things'll stop moving forward when I'm gone. I'm just--"

"You are important," Reagan murmured into your chest, peering up at you with wet eyes. "You're the most important thing in the world to me, (Y/n), way more important than my shitty dad. I don't know what I'd do without you, I'd... I'd--"

She cut herself off with a sob, and you found your heart clenching as she wiped her tears away on her sleeves helplessly. "Reagan--"

"I can't lose you, too!" That shut you up. She sniffled and tried to catch her breath, her lips trembling as she tried to find her words. "I don't hate you for killing Rand, I don't, but he was still important to me, (Y/n). If I lose both of you in such a short span of time, I'll... I'll break."

Her cries overtook her, and you looked over her head helplessly at Brett, who looked just as lost as you did. Regardless of how well either of you knew her, Reagan didn't often cry; dealing with it wasn't easy, to say the least.

Brett set a hand on her shoulder, and let out a short sigh of relief when she didn't immediately shake him off. "Reagan, we still don't even know if they're actually going to be... taken away," he said carefully. "Just breathe for a second, take it easy."

"Reagan," you mumbled, watching as she tried to pull herself together. Guilt was starting to overwhelm you; you'd killed him for her, to prevent him from hurting her anymore, but if killing him hurt her too, then what was the point? "Reagan, I didn't mean for this... I didn't want... I just wanted to--"

Grouper cleared his throat from where he stood by the door, drawing your attention. He tapped his watch, then pointed his thumb at the camera situated in the corner of the room. You sighed, looking back down at Reagan, who'd also seen the guard's gesturing. She met your eyes, hopelessness swirling within her gaze, and your stomach twisted into a knot.

"We, uh... don't have much time left."

"No, we don't," she replied, touching your face tenderly. "Oh, (Y/n)... wasn't there some other way you could've made things better? I would've taken ice cream, you know."

You laughed abruptly at that, shaking your head. "I'll keep that in mind, next time," you snickered, ignoring the sinking feeling in your chest saying that there probably wouldn't be a next time. Reagan seemed to be hearing the same voice, her expression saddening more by the second. "Hey," you clucked, frowning at her, "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'll be with you no matter where I'm at."

She grimaced. "Don't talk like that," she chided. "You'll be with me here, in the office, saving the world from catastrophe together." She paused, a look of quiet determination taking over her features. "I'm not going to let you rot in here."

You raised a brow. "Is that a promise?"

Reagan grinned in return. "You can count on it."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Brett tittered nervously, not liking the plotting energy that was beginning to surround his friends. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. It's not like it's really an issue for the Shadow Board, right? I mean, they didn't like Rand, did they? So why would they be mad?"

"Whatever happens," Reagan said, her hands cupping your face, "I'm not leaving you behind, (Y/n)."

. . . . .

Alright folks, that's it for now. Frankly, I'm aware this isn't half as good as what I had down before, but I'm not feeling particularly inspired by this one. I liked where I left it before, truthfully, so I hope this isn't terrible. I feel like it was just a whole lot of nothing, but I just can't think anymore lol. I hope this isn't too terrible, but if it is, well, blame the writer's block.

I do have some other stuff in store that I'm more confident in, stuff that holds up to the old stuff I was writing on here. It's mostly Myc, but if you put in a request for another character, I'll see what I can do. Anyway, have a good night, y'all - I think I'm off to bed.

#inside job x reader #inside job netflix #inside job #reagan ridley #reagan ridley x reader

[heather-ouo]

She’s mine! Pt2

Younger! Kiana x Mei x older sibling! Fem! Reader

Warning!: SAVED SUICIDAL ATTEMPT, small scene of threat and fight scene, short scene of bullying, update this at 12 am, longer than usual story,

If you are not comfortable with this then please do skip it.

Don’t afraid to ask for help, you are not alone in this world.

Things to remind

(E/n) enemy name

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Part 1, part 3 | coming up |

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The Next day news of Raiden Ryoma was arrested due to alleged falsification of financial documents spread out like wild fire in the school, everyone who is once close to Mei start to distance themself from the girl, even Mei’s closest friends started to give her the cold treatment.

While the oldest Kaslana sibling was at the hospital due the blood loss when Kiana found (y/n) on the cold kitchen floor small blood pool form below the girl, the youngest telephone the school for a week off for her older sister.

Now time pass to a week after the youngest was able to go to the same school as the oldest which the school is ‘ Chiba Academy ’.

“ KIANA KASLANA HURRY UP! WE ARE GONNA BE LATE! ”

“ I’M UP ONEE-SAN! I AM! ”

You kick the bedroom door open and grab Kiana by her collar while stuff a bread in her mouth then picked up you coat and bat rush out the door in lightning speed.

“Ha…. ha.. we-we are here… Kiana do you know your class number? ”

“ Im looking… ”  

You have already put Kiana down before went to the school gate and some student looks at you while whispering to each other.

“ Who is that little girl beside the school bully? ”

“ Did (y/n) force someone to be friend with her? ”

“ Tch.. Oi! You people right there! ”

They shake up when you call them out.

“ This is my younger sister here! Not some Bitch i force! ”

“ Younger sister? More like you buy though someone to be your sister. ” 

“ Care to repeat that again (e/n)? ”

You walk up to your classmate with your bat place on your shoulder and other student gasps

“ Yo-your sister is not even real! Is some random bitch you pay to act! ”

The oldest punch them in the face cause them to fall on the ground then (e/n) look up to meet with light amber grow from your eyes who turned around to meet the others and hold Kiana close to you

“ Listen up you all! If any of you dares bully my little sister or her friends in the future here, I will bring you hell and not even Jesus can save you! ”

“ Onee-San.. you don’t have to do that. ”

Kiana whisper to you while other nodded and fasten their pace to the main room.

“ Now now Kiana have you find your room number? ”

She pass the paper to you. 

———————————— 

Name – Kiana Kaslana

Main room – 536 

( Please report to the headmaster’s room to get your Books for the first class in the main room ) 

Science room - ### 

History room - ### 

—

Time table 

Start of the class – 9:00  AM

Break time – 10:45 ~ 11:00  AM

Lunch period -11: 45 ~ 12:25  PM

End of class – 3:45 PM

———————————— 

“ Heh.. good new Kiana we are in the same main room. ” 

“ Really?! Come on! I wanna see your classmates! ” 

Meanwhile the purple haired girl stand in some ally waited till everyone is gone then went into school.

. . .

. .

.

“ My lady have heard the news when you are in the hospital? ”

One of your minions ask you while Kiana is looking around the classroom the oldest shakes her head. 

“ The ME crops’s CEO is arrested due alleged falsification of financial documents now the whole school turn it’s back on his daughter, should we make a move? Her core should be awaken by now and only a little more to go. ” 

“ Nah you tell the rest to leave that Raiden girl alone and from now on your free to leave (d/n) thank you for your service for these years. ” 

“ My pleasure My lady. ”

 A loud ring follow with a purple haired girl rush in and quick sit her chair and her table.. red and craved in words all over.

.

. .

. . .

Nightmares, bullies, all the disgusting look on their face whenever Mei pass by, draining her insanity slowly and slowly she had made up today is the day.. she can’t take it anymore.

“ Now everyone we have a new student to us today, you may come in Kiana. ”

The youngest walked in and quick write her name on the blackboard. Kiana Kaslana

“ Another Kaslana? ”

“ Hello Everyone! My name is Kiana Kaslana the younger sister of (Y/n) Kaslana! ”

“ Thank you Kiana now you can take that seat in the back. ”

.

. .

. . .

( skipping all the way to lunch- i have flame chaser thing to write.) 

The lunch bell rings and everyone rush out of the classroom only people left is Kiana, (y/n).

Speaking of Mei… She’s on the rooftop Too close near the edge.

“ Ugh! Why is there so many people down there! ”

“ We can go to the rooftop if you want. ”

“ Rooftop! Let’s go! Sibling eating time! ”

Ah… the same old Kiana 

The white haired twin went up to the rooftop and to find Mei who has already climb over the rail, Kiana run up dropping her bento box in the process who grab Mei’s hand right before she jumps, you caught her bento box and place Kiana’s and yours on a bench near you.

. . .

. .

.

“ Huh..? ”

Mei looked at to find Kiana grabbing her hand not letting her go.

“ W-what are you doing?! ”

“ Saving you of course! ”

“ but… ”

“ No buts! Onee-san i need some help here! ”

It didn’t took long to pull Mei back up 

“ (y/n)… ”

“ You guys know each other? ”

“ No, Raiden what were you thinking? ”

“ l… can’t bare it anymore… ”

Mei explains her situation ( totally not drinking cold coffee-)

“ How about you live with us? ”

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Okay, speed running this at 11:44 am

Did i say drinking coffee? no ignore that, i tend to write things unconscious when im tired.

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Part 1, Part 3| coming up|

Tagging people ( i have asked for permission )

@azukaaa

#honkai impact #honkai impact x reader #honkai fanfics #kiana x reader #raiden mei x reader #Kiana x reader x Mei

[ashxllbey]

Starman - Poe Dameron X Fem!Reader - Chapter 27: Go Your Own Way

GIF by nightofthecreeps

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Word count: 12.3k Warnings: fluff, mentions of canon-typical deaths and violence, alcohol consumption, driving under the influence (don't do that pls), swearing A/N: Phew! I'm finally caught up with everything! My tumblr and AO3 are now in sync and I can start publishing the updates on both platforms at the same time. Thank you all for your comments and likes and reblogs, and for the love you've given this fic. ♥

It turned out EVERYONE knew, now. Or everyone knew before, but somehow, they were allowed to talk about it. As Y/N got to her mission of the day, she didn't even make it past the hangar's door. She was doused in expired bacta by a hollering Mala, who high-fived Varun. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THUNDERBIRD!" ...She hated them. She was still drying her hair with a towel when Poe arrived, grinning from ear to ear. After everything that had happened recently, it was nice to see him carefree again. ...Besides, the Bacta wasn't that sticky. "Morning, squad. Y/N, is there a reason why you're so... wet?" "There are about fifty jokes in my mind right now, but I'll only say: fuck you, Dameron," she huffed. Mala burst out laughing. "Someone's feisty this morning! I have half a mind to tell you to drop and give me a hundred." "...Can I take a shower first?"

During their lunch break, she got a gift from the kitchen droid in the form of a second chocolate pudding. She smiled fondly at the memory as she nodded her thanks. Fortunately for her, the cafeteria was half empty when Klana started belting out a birthday song. She was quickly joined by Blue and Green Squadrons and a very amused Finn. Y/N was mortified. But all of her friends stood on the tables, singing their hearts out as she sat in the middle, giggling. It turned out Skylen was a brilliant singer and Poe... Not so much. Even BeeBee did his part, spinning around with his blowtorch to emulate fireworks. He was adorable. The recent worries had seemingly slipped from everyone's mind, if only for a moment. Any excuse to push aside the hovering threats and terrifying mysteries was welcomed with open arms, a common trait amongst Resistance members. Y/N remembered, months ago, Poe had explained that to her.  And even though she was less than thrilled to be the guest of honor at the not-so-secret party of that night, she knew she couldn't really complain. Everyone worked so hard. Who was she to deny them the fleeting joy of a celebration of life?  Around the room, the few people present were tired. The dark circles under their eyes tainted their faces in shades of purple, testaments of the workload everyone carried. Pilots' cheeks were hollowed by their helmets, worn through countless hours of the day. Poe was the worst of them all. His tan skin was unusually pale, and his attempts at rubbing the puffiness away didn't fool anyone. The other Resistance members were kind enough not to point it out, but as people clapped and cheered and the attention went to Y/N, the pilot glanced at her leader. He wasn't smiling, and his eyes were lost in the distance. Upon meeting Y/N's eyes, he consciously erased any mark of angst from his face. It didn't fool anyone, certainly not Finn, who looked at him knowingly. "So, Y/N, you're joining us for a drink tonight, right?" Petrov asked, and it was one of the only times Y/N had ever heard him speak. "We need to raise a glass for good health." Poe smirked at Skylen, and Y/N chuckled. "Sure, why not. As long as my squad leader doesn't drag me to a mission." "He certainly will not, Keebler." Klana excitedly threw an arm around her shoulders, squishing Y/N's cheek against hers. "Woohoo! I can't wait to celebrate your life! Don't worry, I have the perfect outfit," she whispered. Y/N shook her head with a sigh, though she was smiling. It was very challenging not to be excited when everyone else was.  Unfortunately, work couldn't wait, and Poe and Finn soon had to leave for a meeting with a high-ranking Navy officer. They instructed Y/N to take the day off before slipping outside. The group broke up, leaving the three pilots together. "Alright, what's the game plan for tonight?" Y/N asked once everyone was out of earshot. "We'll meet on base for a drink and then head into town to hit the club. Until then... We can do whatever you want; it's your day!" Y/N smiled gleefully. "Then how about jumping into an X-Wing to blow something up?"

Convincing the flying supervisors to open three landing strips for their three ships hadn't been very difficult; Y/N suspected Poe had something to do with it. Their small group had all but run outside like excited children, giggling on the way to the hangar. Their ships, always so pristine, were lined up in their usual spots, and they were quick to board them for a much-needed friendly fly-off. The three X-Wings soon flew above the planet, leaving thin trails of spout water when they caressed the sea's surface on the other side of Kuat. Though it was moderately chilly, it was also very bright. The sun danced on the mirror-like surface of the body of water, only disturbed by the occasional ripples caused by the engines.  Skylen led the two women through a training path in the woods nearby, and laughter followed them through the radio frequency as they engaged in a friendly dogfight. The trees weren't too close together, and none of the three pilots had any difficulties soaring past the obstacles, twirling in the air in complicated figures to show off their skills. Y/N laughed as she took her ship for a tight spin, sending Klana's trinket in a looping. When was the last time she had flown for fun? Not for a training session, but just for the sheer thrill of pushing her ship to its limit? It had been months. And if she didn't count the fly-off with Tarsen... Years. She blew up the target right before Skylen shot, and he cursed in her ear, sending her into a fit of laughter. "You're getting rusty, grandpa!" "You're lucky I can't legally kick your ass today, Thunderbird!" "You're just saying that because she's better than you!" "Hey! Whose side are you on, Klana?!" After another hour of aimless flying around, the three pilots touched down in the grass by the lakeside, hopping off their ships to share drinks —stashed by Skylen in his droid's usual spot— as they dipped their toes in the shallow water. It was icy and vivifying, perfectly balancing the warm liquid they were sipping on. "Honestly, you wouldn't believe how many parts there are in the human brain!" Skylen complained as he talked about his classes. "The rest of the psych stuff, I can handle. But anatomy? Man, I have the utmost respect for Feron and his team. I only have two mandatory classes on that topic, and it's the most challenging shit I've ever done. Even harder than surviving the war!" "You're SO dramatic," Klana snorted. "You memorized the entire flight manual in under a week. This should be a piece of cake for you!" "Hey, you try learning the entire brain's anatomy, and then we'll talk." "Skylen, dear, I speak over fifteen languages." "And is one of them the 'let's ask Varun out' language, perchance?" Y/N chimed in, earning a glare from her friend. "Sure! It's super similar to the 'let's have the balls to date Poe' one," she quipped back, and Skylen punched her shoulder. "None of that today, Klana. It's her birthday." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as Y/N cackled victoriously. "I'll have my vengeance later, don't you worry." To prove her point, she splashed Skylen, and he shrieked, retaliating immediately. As they squabbled, Y/N smiled, gazing into the distance. A flock of swans was out for their dominical excursion away from the shore. Four cygnets trailed behind their parents as they looked around inquiringly. Three of them dove under the water's surface, and only two emerged as the last one kept its head buried, looking for— ... Hold on. Y/N froze mouth agape, with her drink in hand, staring at the animals as realization dawned on her. "Holy fuck." "Y/N? What's wrong?" Klana inquired worriedly. Both her friends had stopped bickering, damp hair unmoving as they stared at her. Y/N bolted to her feet. "No time to explain! We need to go back to the base NOW. I need to see Poe and Finn RIGHT NOW." Before her friends could protest, she took off, running toward her ship, heart thundering in her chest. "Y/N! WAIT!" "I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT THE CHANCELLOR DIED!" She screamed above her shoulder as she climbed inside her X-Wing, with Skylen and Klana on her heels.

The journey back to the base was made with disregard for any safety measures pilots had to follow while on planet. Y/N pushed her ship nearly to the max of its sub-lightspeed limit, bolting across the stratosphere and reaching the base in record time. She only slowed down when she saw the compound in the distance, requesting authorization to land. The landing was rougher than it usually was, but Y/N didn't care. She couldn't have gotten to the Generals fast enough. She was obsessed with the thought, and nothing would stand in her way. She didn't wait for the mechanics to pull up a ladder; Y/N jumped down the ship, sticking another rough landing as Klana opened her ship's cockpit. "I'm sorry; I'll explain later," she apologized to her friend, but the black-haired pilot waved her off. "No need. GO! RUN!" Throwing her helmet to a dumbfounded Varun with a quick apology, Y/N bolted across the hangar, sprinting toward the entrance. She loosened her jumpsuit, tying it around her waist as she ran across the compound under her fellow Resistance members' bewildered gaze. Many people were in the hallways at this hour, and Y/N slalomed between them, shouting at them to move away. Mechanics flattened themselves against the walls, droids beeped as they rolled out of the way, and pilots stared in disbelief, but Y/N barely paid them any attention. But her mad rush quickly encountered an unexpected obstacle: a cleaning droid and its handler, who precariously balanced a pile of crates. He didn't see Y/N. Neither did she: not until she had taken a sharp turn and barged into the hallway. With the divine intervention of her otherwordly reflexes, she leaped over the droid and slid across the floor under the falling crates, stopping them with an invisible push as she froze them midair, suspended in their tumble. She jumped back to her feet. "SORRY!" She screamed above her shoulder as she took a turn right, finally reaching the control room's entrance.  She slid to a stop right by the door, breathless and dizzy. Y/N didn't pause to catch her breath, flashing her access card to open the door and trotting inside the room. Everyone looked up, including Connix, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Y/N? What are you- did you run here? What's going on?" "Need to... See... The Generals," she wheezed out. "They're still in a meeting with General Valentine. I can take a message for when they get out," Kaydel patiently explained as Vik, who stood by his usual spot, sprung to his feet, offering his bottle of water to Y/N, who accepted it gratefully. She took a swing from it, calming her soar throat. "It can't wait, Kaydel," she croaked. "It's an emergency. It's about the Chancellor." A somber look crossed Kaydel's features, and she nodded gravely. "Alright. Then we shall take you there. I hope you know what you're doing," Connix whispered. Oh, yeah, Y/N hoped so, too. Or else her satisfaction of being Lieutenant would be short-lived. "Odinson, take her to meeting room F45. I'll warn the guard to let you in. Godspeed." With a sharp nod, Vik stood up, gently leading Y/N out under the confused eyes of the communication officers - they were, undoubtedly, used to the unhinged shenanigans of the pilots on base. She followed him through several hallways to a section of the base she wasn't familiar with. She could feel Vik's side-eyeing her with curiosity, though he didn't dare to ask anything. After a few minutes of mildly-paced strolling, he slowed down and eventually came to a halt. "It's right around the corner," Vik indicated. "But if you're going to crash a meeting with the most prominent people of the Galaxy, you might want to, well... Don't take it the wrong way. Tidy up?" Y/N wheezed out a laugh. "I'm a mess, aren't I?" He cocked his head to the side, barely repressing a smile. "I wouldn't say that. You're just... Abstract art, at the moment." Stifling another giggle in case the guard could hear, Y/N nodded. "Right. I'm a mess." "I can help. May I?" She nodded, and Vik immediately reached out, rubbing her cheek, pushing back strands of flyaway hair, and straightening her undershirt. Y/N gathered her messy hair into the slickest braid she could as her friend fumbled through his pockets, producing a clean tissue from one of them and gently dabbing her forehead. "Alright. That should do it. Also, pin your rank on your lapel." Maker, this reminded her of an infamous first meeting with an equally infamous Knight of Ren a long time ago... Straightening her back, Y/N nodded. "Thanks, Vik." "Good luck in there, Teach. You've got this." He gave her an encouraging smile, and Y/N marched to the door with her chin high. The guard greeted her with a nod. "You sure you wanna go in there, Lieutenant?" he asked as he slowly typed in his code. "It's your funerals." She grimaced. "I'm sure Poe wouldn't let me get murdered on my birthday." The guard snorted before nodding toward the door. "It's open. Whenever you're ready." She took one deep breath, summoned the fake confidence she wore whenever she wore her armor, and pushed the double doors open with her hands, marching right into the room.

"...which would provide for an interesting-" Finn stopped in the middle of his sentence, and everyone turned toward the door with a look of utter disbelief. Poe looked like he had just been jolted awake; knowing him, it wasn't improbable. Both had wide eyes and open mouths, and Y/N sent them an apologetic look. The next thought she had was: HOLY FUCK. Connix had warned her they were in an important meeting, but she had failed to underline the forenamed meeting had every single General of both the Resistance and the Alliance in attendance. She took note of that minute detail when she realized all of their holograms were staring at her. General Calrissian, ever the sucker for unexpected events, was smiling delightfully. Admiral Madar, who commanded the fleet, was only staring. As for General Valentine, the head of the Alliance... He was snarling. "Generals. My sincerest apologies for the interruption. This could not wait." Her apologies were directed at Finn and Poe, and the latter immediately frowned, leaning forward imperceptibly. "Considering you just interrupted a highly-classified reunion that concerns overly sensitive details regarding both military forces, yes, I would hope so," Valentine hissed. Y/N had never met him, but she didn't fancy a face-to-face interaction anytime soon. His icy glare and buzz-cut blonde hair were enough in a hologram form, thank you very much. "Who are you? You have thirty seconds to explain yourself, soldier." "I would appreciate it if you showed respect to my pilot, General," Poe interrupted calmly. "She is a highly-trained individual who undoubtedly would not interrupt such an important meeting for anything less important than the end of the world, I'm sure." ...The look he sent her conveyed a very unconvinced "right?". "I'm Lieutenant Y/N Thunderbird, Sir. I'm a pilot." "Thunderbird... Ah, the high-ranking imperial officer who deserted. I know you. Speak, then." He had made no effort to hide the contempt in his tone. But instead of anxiously cowering as Y/N would have done before, she held her chin high, hands joined behind her back. "I believe I have information regarding the Chancellor's assassination. During the viewing of the security footage from the Senate, something bothered me, and I finally found out what-" "Care to explain why a low-ranking officer was shown this confidential piece of information, Generals?" He vituperated.  Okay, this level of vitriol had gone for long enough. Before Finn could say anything —because Poe was glaring daggers at his compeer— Y/N clapped back with a tight-lipped answer. "General Dameron and General Finn asked for my expertise not as a pilot but as a Force user. One who was trained by the late Luke Skywalker." The look of pure stupefaction on his face was priceless. A glance at Lando informed Y/N that this was not new to him. Valentine was quick to compose himself, though, dropping his glare in favor of a more inquisitive look. "I see. Speak, then." She took a small step forward, feeling everyone's undying attention on her figure. "In the video of the hallway, there were only four people on the video of them leaving," she stated, excitation lacing her words. While her friends listened with great interest, Y/N was only met with a look of confusion from the General of the Navy. "What? So?" "So, they knew where the cameras were as per our deductions. They made a point to show themselves walking to the Chancellor's quarters. But when they returned, there should have been five figures. But there were only four of them." Y/N was so enthusiastic she was barely enunciating the words clearly enough for anyone to understand. If she spoke any faster, they would require Threepio's translation skills. "We never see the prisoner's face as they drag him away. But what if he isn't a prisoner? Where is the last soldier?" Poe listened with narrow eyes, following her reasoning with imperturbable attention. As for Finn, he was leaning against his chair with arms crossed, listening intently. "Maybe just walking out of range," General Valentine offered. Y/N smiled. "But only two soldiers are restraining the prisoner, and there's one cloaked figure. They're in an enemy base, in the middle of the Senate, with the Chancellor's son as a hostage. Undoubtedly with a small window of opportunity. And nobody is covering their tracks?" She offered. Lando's hum was picked up by the vocoder. "What are you getting at?" He asked. She would gladly answer. "I think we don't see a fifth person because four came in, and four left. And I don't think the guy we're seeing is Jaso." Poe leaned forward even more. "What? But he is missing. And we found his blood." Hah. Good try. An answer Y/N had already thought of. "Right. Jaso's blood. But did anyone actually see him? Do we have ANY footage of him coming to his room before the attack and not leaving?" Silence stretched on as the four men thought about it. Valentine grimaced.  "Well, no. We have footage from Jaso early in the morning, but the security system started glitching around noon, and we have no footage from eight to midnight. If he returned during that period, we can't know. But the blood-" "The blood. We found Jaso's blood and signs of struggle, right? And what did we logically deduce? That he had been abducted that evening. Because it's the logical explanation. Blood and signs of struggle equal abduction." Understanding bloomed on Poe's face as his eyes widened. "That's what they would want us to think." There we go. Poe knew. They had had that discussion weeks prior upon examining the body with the Sith symbol. "Correct. But what if Jaso wasn't kidnapped that night? What if he was taken earlier that day when he left the Senate's grounds?" "Then it would mean the Chancellor's murder is just a cover-up. Their true target was always Jaso. Not his father. And we jumped into their trap headfirst," Finn concluded in disbelief, leaning back against his seat. "By the Force, Y/N, I think you're right. General, do you have access to Jaso's agenda? His travels, even the classified ones?" Valentine's holographic silhouette went briefly off-screen as muffled sounds rose from the speaker. "Yes, that can be found. We didn't look it up because... Well. Because we took the easy way out and deduced he had been kidnapped after his father was murdered," he conceded with pursed lips. "But you make some compelling arguments, Lieutenant. Give me one moment to sort the matter with our aides. I shall call you back in a minute." The call was put on hold, and his face disappeared. Immediately, the three remaining Generals relaxed as Admiral Madar cut his hologram feed. "Barging unannounced in a top-secret meeting... Han would be very proud of you, Y/N," Lando joked. "You definitely take after him." "That's a compliment if I ever heard one," she joked back, and he chuckled. "How, in the name of the Force, did you figure that one out?" Poe asked, and Y/N shrugged with an impertinent smile. "Swans." He blinked. "You're way too sharp for me," he mumbled, and Finn laughed. Their friendly banter was short-lived as General Valentine's face popped up again. His facial expression eased the worries about being fired on her birthday Y/N had. And told her she was right. "You need to hear this," he stated with no warning. A fresh face appeared, a man in his thirties squeezed into a uniform he was drowning in. He timidly waved at the camera. "H-Hello. I am Captain Arkis, the head of security in the VIP quarters." "Well? Don't just gawk at them. Tell them what you told me," Valentine interrupted impatiently. "Right. On the evening the Chancellor was murdered, and Vice-Chancellor Jaso went missing, we got a late order for a change in the guard rotation. It was sent in from Jaso's personal commlink. Which was strange because he usually wouldn't give orders through a message like this, but since he had left earlier for an emergency trip, we didn't question it." "Jaso left?" Poe questioned. "Oh, yes, but he used his access card later in the evening, so we weren't worried. In hindsight, we should have been..." "Where did he go?" Y/N wondered out loud. "To Corellia, I suppose. He visits his mother regularly. But since he doesn't use the taxpayers' money for his travels, we let him." Y/N frowned. "How many times per month are we talking?" "Oh, two or three, I suppose." "And if he doesn't go there with the Senate, does he pay for everything?" Finn inquired. "Actually, no. Jaso's mother provides all of the money. She is very wealthy and only gets visits from him. Since she's also very sick, I suppose she is grateful for his unwavering presence by his side. He is truly involved in her path to recovery; it's remarkable." Y/N's wheels spun in her head. So many trips were marked as 'private' and probably with little to no security from the Senate's guards due to privacy reasons... Of course, it would be easy to kidnap him on his way to or back from Corellia. Swipe his code cylinder, use it to move the guards around to a more convenient time and place, and leave unnoticed... Damn Jaso. His trips to his mother might eventually cost him his life.  "Who would have been aware of those trips? In details, I mean?" Poe asked. "Well... The Chancellor, I suppose. And Jaso's mother herself. His aide and his pilots. But they wouldn't necessarily accompany him, and his assistant, who did, is a droid and was destroyed in the attack. So... Only his parents would know his whereabouts at all times when on those trips." "I think we need to investigate his mom. Jaso told me she and his dad don't get along anymore. If she is sick, she might have told someone about her son without realizing it. But this certainly corroborates our theory. And since the video is black and white, it's not hard to have someone else pass as Jaso. All they needed was a stormtrooper with similar hair color," Y/N concluded, earning convinced nods from the rest. "Oh! Right! Speaking of which... When we searched the Chancellor's quarters, we found something in the garbage chute. By the time we got to this spot, the machine had gotten rid of a fair share of its load, but we still found white plastoid shards." ...And who wore white plastoid armors? Stormtroopers! Y/N snuck a triumphant look toward her friends, and Poe answered with a muted version of his trademark smirk. What had they learned so far? Jaso was seen leaving the Senate, but no one saw him returning. His access code was used to give orders remotely, which happened to facilitate the intruders' trip to the highly-secured quarters of the Chancellor. He was murdered, and the attackers left without anyone, leaving behind a stormtrooper armor they partially destroyed and blood... It made sense, didn't it? Kriff, Y/N wouldn't be fired!

The soldier was dismissed, and General Valentine returned in the hologram, his blueish silhouette buzzing around slightly. "It appears, judging on the elements and theories we were provided with, that Lieutenant's Thunderbird hypothesis is plausible." "I think you mean 'accurate," General," the Admiral chimed in for the first time. "We now have an idea regarding what course of action we should take moving forward." "We'll ask our technicians to work on the signature from Jaso's commlink," Finn stated. "If the kidnappers sent a message from it, it might be possible to track it to specific coordinates and triangulate the position of the ship he was on. The path between Coruscant and Corellia is a major trade route. We have men everywhere. Someone must have seen something. The Alliance can look into Jaso's mother and the flight logs from the Navy." "We will send you the remains of the droid we retrieved," Valentine offered. "Perhaps your technicians can salvage something." His icy gaze, piercing even through the bluishness of the hologram, landed on Y/N. She straightened her back subconsciously.  "Lieutenant. Despite the... peculiarity of your intervention, your insight proved crucial to the case. I have great hopes we will find Jaso soon. Such a shame he will have to spend his birthday in the hands of separatists... I had hoped we would have found him by today," General Valentine sighed. "Regardless. We thank you for your contribution, though I do hope that moving forward, they will be less... unprompted." The message was heard loud and clear. Now was Y/N's time to retreat into the shadows. "Glad to be of help. I shall return to my duties. Thank you for granting me an audience, Generals. Admiral." She bowed in respect before turning on her heels and exiting the room, sparing one last look at her friends. Poe subtly winked, and Finn threw a thumb up under the table. She was still chuckling when she closed the door behind her.  The guard perked up upon seeing her leaving. "You're still alive and well?" He wondered out loud in disbelief. Y/N snickered. "Surprisingly." "Y/N! Kriff, you're still alive!" "Why is everyone so shocked?" She laughed when Vik popped up around the corner. "I know what I was doing. Besides, you won't get rid of me so easily. Did you wait here?" He grimaced, scratching his head. "Maybe? I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay. General Valentine is..." He paused. "For lack of a better word, a cunt." He was certainly something. Y/N snorted, walking with Vik toward the control room they had left earlier. "Well, I can't tell you what happened inside, but he isn't half bad. I think everyone is nervous. After what happened..." She trailed off, unwilling to get into the Chancellor's gruesome death, but Vik nodded regardless. "I know. You can almost taste it. Everyone's so stressed. It reminds me of the war a bit too much," Vik mumbled. "But I have faith in you. And General Dameron and Finn." "In me?" Y/N wheezed. "Why me?" Vik stopped before he reached the door, an amused look on his face. He snorted, eyes trailing on a cleaning droid before focusing on Y/N. "Why you? Don't you realize how much help you give them? You haven't been here long, but you're invaluable to them. Not a day goes by without Finn or Poe gushing about your work. Besides, you have the Force. Jedi are rare and sought after. And you're a brilliant pilot." Y/N laughed, cheeks turning pink. She looked away, suddenly finding the droid particularly fascinating.  "I don't know about that, but I'll continue to do my best." "I know you will. But for now, I do believe it's your day off. You have a birthday party- gathering to prepare for," he corrected himself with a grimace. The sudden fear in his eyes made Y/N mentally cackle. Poe had drilled the secrecy into their brains. "Right. The gathering. Will I see you tonight?" Vik clearly hesitated, and she stopped feigning ignorance, giggling. "Relax, Vik. I know all about it. I won't tell Poe anyone told me." His shoulders slumped as he breathed out, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Kriff, I was terrified for a second. Then, yes, you'll see me tonight." "Great! Now off you go; I've kept you away from work long enough. Any minute now, pilots will start flying into one another." He laughed good-naturedly. "You overestimate my job, but I appreciate it. See you tonight, Teach." With a giddy smile blooming on her face, Y/N waved. Perhaps she would not screw this up.

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" "Can I even be late for my own pre-party?" Klana whacked her behind the head very gently, and Y/N hissed. "Ouch! Rude!" "You know that's not what I'm worried about! Besides, Poe sent me a message five minutes ago; the food's there. He placed a special delivery and had it taken from town. The Yavin IV special you had with him? Whatever that is." Oh! Seriously? If only she had said that earlier, Y/N would have hurried! Wasting no time, she threw on her shirt and jacket, making sure not to muss Klana's tight braids. "Who's gonna be here anyway?" She inquired while taking one last look in the mirror. Klana tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Finn. Poe. BeeBee. Rose and Varun, both our squads. That's it." "That's it? That's still a lot of people, Kriff." "Wait until you see the party. The turnout's going to be insane." She grimaced and caught Klana's eyes in the mirror. Her friend cackled. "Don't make that face! They're all here to celebrate you. You've become quite popular. Saving BeeBee from that droid scored you some major brownie points." Right. It had also brought its fair share of worries, problems, and questions. This day was lighter regarding Force-related concerns, but it didn't mean Y/N was free of any worries. The new revelations regarding Jaso's disappearance weighed heavily on her mind. Somehow, it felt like they had all the puzzle pieces but couldn't see the larger picture... They were so close to solving this; she just knew it. But now wasn't the time to waste energy on "what ifs." They had a party to attend. Y/N linked her arm with Klana's and happily left for the rendezvous point: a room in yet another part of the base she hadn't explored. Someday, she would need to investigate the ins and outs of Kuat's facility. They heard the laughter and music before they reached the room, merriment spilling out through the open door like billows of smoke, making the air thick with joy. It smelled like happiness, and Y/N genuinely looked forward to spending the evening with her friends. When they finally reached the entrance, delighted cheers and enthusiastic welcomes rose from the crowd. "Finally!" Skylen boomed, slapping his thighs in the process. The glass he was holding spilled a bit, nearly splashing BeeBee. The droid rolled out of the way, hiding behind Y/N's leg. "Don't scare him off!" "Hey, I just wanted to share my drink with him! Speaking of which..." Before she could react, a glass was thrust into her open hand and into Klana's by none other than Finn. "Y/N! Welcome! You're right on time; food just arrived. Sit down!" He led the two women to the gathered couches and the people sitting atop them, chatting excitedly. A massive table had been installed and was nearly buried under the piles of food spread out. It had everything, from appetizers to that cheesy delight Poe had introduced her to.  That, and a shit ton of bottles full of alcohol.  Y/N squeezed herself between Skylen and Varun as Klana sat down in front of her, between Poe and Mala.  Oh, no, her friend and the mechanic would eye-fuck each other for the rest of the evening. "They're going to stare lovingly from across the room; I just know it," Skylen whispered, and she snorted into her drink. "Don't start." Rounds of drinks were served, and the whole group started happily chatting, munching on appetizers as they shared stories of their time together. Y/N was surprised by how much they remembered about her early days on Kuat.  She wasn't surprised to learn that her stunt with the TIE she had lured away was still fresh in everyone's minds. "I've never seen anyone so blatantly disregard orders before!" Jessika Pava said, laughing. "Well... Except for Poe, of course." "Jess, zip it," Poe grunted with feigned annoyance. "You're not much better. And don't encourage her!" "I got my ass whooped for that one," Y/N reminded, now laughing almost fondly at the memory. "Not nearly hard enough to discourage you from trying again, I'm sure," Poe countered. She smirked. "You're losing your touch, Dameron." He shot her a warning look paired with the hint of a smile as wolf whistles rose from the crowd. "You're lucky it's your birthday, Thunderbird." "I'm quaking in my boots."

Time went by slower than drinks were emptied. Anytime someone was done with theirs, Skylen or Varun would fill it back up. Y/N had found the trick half an hour earlier, now nursing her beer. Poe's secret food source was a hit with all the guests, and the people who had to leave prematurely were pretty bummed. Seats had been shuffled, and Y/N ended up between Klana and Skylen as Varun and Mala migrated on another couch. Unfortunately, Y/N realized it was a trap way too late, as this new layout allowed her friends to get up to retrieve her gifts. Her cheeks turned redder than a Sith's lightsaber as the first one landed on her lap. BeeBee, the impossibly cute devil, recorded her reaction. She glared at him, and he beeped innocently, zooming as she tore off the pink —Klana's choice— wrapping paper. Y/N was met with a surprisingly light sculpture made of metal and glass and realized its nature upon closer inspection: a tiny replica of the Galaxy, with some routes modeled in blue glass. Wait. Was that a replica of ALL of her missions' flight plans? "By Malachor! You did NOT represent all of my flights with you on this!" "Oh, we did," Skylen cackled, high-fiving Klana. "Had to bribe Vik into looking them up for us. You've been with us for months; it seemed fitting." "It's AWESOME! Thank you!" She giddily hugged her friends, laughing as Skylen's beard tickled her forehead. It was so thoughtful; it made her heart sing. Next, Finn was more than happy to hand her a small orange box with a big grin. Something told her this would be a private joke. Squinting at him —which only caused him to laugh— she popped the lid open, revealing— "You did NOT!" She chortled, taking out a replica of her X-Wing, identical to its full-scale model. But in her other hand, she took out the second item: a tiny TIE with red spokes and her former callsign hand-painted on the side. Hysterical. "Now you can make those fly," he commented, winking playfully. Y/N would have to try later! Her fellow squad members gifted her a bottle of Merenzane gold, and she poured everyone a glass as they got up to dance and jump around. At one point, Poe casually offered to get out and have a drink in a cantina after that, and with a knowing look to Klana, Y/N enthusiastically accepted. After that, she not-so-subtly nudged Finn toward Rose with a pointed look, and the poor man had no choice but to ask her to dance. Poe high-fived Y/N behind the duo's back with a satisfied smirk and a conniving wink. Music and laughter filled the room, and Y/N was dragged into a drinking game by Jessika and Petrov (who was shockingly good at them).

By the time everyone got ready to leave for the party (with excuses varying from amusing to downright suspicious), it was increasingly evident that Poe was quieting down, a mere shell of his usually extroverted self. He didn't seem particularly ill-at-ease, nor did he appear stressed to anyone (Y/N had asked Klana), but there was the slightest shift in his behavior - a tiny change in his default setting that rubbed her the wrong way. He nursed his drink with the occasional smile answering the friendly banter, humoring guests with the occasional low-effort chuckle. Though she was supposed to be enjoying herself, Y/N was drawn to him, her attention fleeting away from whoever was speaking, invariably returning to Poe. She had just downed her third drink (which wasn't unrelated to what followed) when she decided to sit next to him. Plopping down unceremoniously, she made him jump despite knowing he had seen her coming. "Dameron." "Thunderbird." "Why are you sulking?" "I'm not." "Perhaps not, but something's wrong." He seemed to consider it for a second. Y/N saw the emotions playing on his face; a direct live stream plugged into his brain. Contempt, thoughtfulness, hesitation, denial, hesitation, resolve, capitulation. "I think it's useless to lie, huh? You have superpowers now to tell you about this stuff." Y/N snickered. "Hardly. I don't need the Force; I know you. Believe it or not, we're nearing a year of friendship. It's still a few months away, but..." "You're right," he conceded. "But you shouldn't be worried about me today. Besides, I promise it's nothing important." "It's my birthday; I get to decide what's important. Right now, you're the important thing." Y/N could have sworn he was flustered. But it disappeared in merely a second. "I need to give you something. Can't do it in front of everyone, though." "Oh. Kinky." Definitely the three drinks.  "...You're insufferable," he decided, though the hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Ah, ah, ah. Can't tell that to me today," she tutted. "It's past midnight, so I technically can. But whatever, I'll let you win this round." She hit his shoulder playfully, leaning forward in the process. Worried she might tip over, Poe stabilized her with both hands.  "Easy there." "I'm fine!" "You were about to fall flat on your face, Keebler." She was not! Skylen called her, and Y/N turned around, chatting with him from across the room, the current argument long forgotten.

Ten minutes later, they wrapped it up and left for the party. A very agitated Klana had to be carried to her room by an equally restless Skylen, who was at least walking straight. Finn escorted Rose, and the rest of the pilots carried Varun out after he had lost a bet earlier. Poe and Y/N were left alone with BeeBee. It wasn't until that point that Y/N realized she hadn't budged. Her spot of choice was still the one next to Poe, and she had moved closer to him. The two were now sitting with their thighs touching and their shoulders bumping.  There was no longer a reason since they were the only two humans in the room, but Y/N didn't feel the need to scoot over. She had to shamelessly admit, though, that Poe had been telling her something, and she couldn't focus on anything else than his dimple. This man was a god. "...Y/N." "I'm listening!" He snorted. "You're staring. Come on. I need to give you something."

His stress was palpable. Genuinely so: his leg was tense.  He stood up, brushing off invisible dust from his spotless clothes, before walking straight toward a cabinet she hadn't noticed before. Plain and unassuming, it was just a storage unit, but Poe looked at it like it were a treasure chest. Humming to himself, he punched in a code, and the door whooshed open. On the other side, tucked away in the shadows, stood a square, shoulders-wide box. Poe plucked it up gingerly and carried it to the couch, holding it as he stood in front of Y/N. It was neatly wrapped in orange paper that crinkled under Poe's fingertips.  He sheepishly looked down. "I didn't want you to open it with everyone else. Figured that's... Not something you'd like to showcase. It's nothing dangerous or weird or anything. Just... You'll understand." He bit his lips and all but shoved the box forward into Y/N's surprised hands.  "Careful. It's heavy," Poe warned before letting go of it. Y/N rested it on her thighs, looking up with bashful eyes. "Oh, Poe. You didn't have to get me anything."  He chuckled. "I know. I just... I wanted to make your first real birthday special, you know? Figured you didn't get to celebrate during the war, and you don't remember any other ones." Her heart leaped around in her ribcage, and Y/N merely nodded, not trusting herself with words. He was so thoughtful the mere intention turned her into a blubbering mess. Under his watchful gaze, she tore the paper open and popped the metal lid off, setting it aside. A glance at Poe showed her he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, chewing on his bottom lip.  She bit hers as she plunged her hand into the box, her fingers grazing against a rough surface. But it wasn't hard, it was... Leather? With a perplexed look, Y/N dug into the box with both hands and pulled its content out— What she found inside nearly knocked her out from shock.

It was, indeed, made of leather.  But it wasn't just that. The sleeves were made of leather and met in the breast area under the metallic gorget. The shoulder pieces —made of the same thin black metal— were strapped into place by two sturdy leather pieces and bore the Resistance's Starbird. The tight leather was also used on the bodice, tight and shiny under the neon lights. It went on to the hips, giving way to two metallic tassets and a utility belt. Y/N's thumb caught on the round hook hanging there. Her eyes trailed upward, following the tummy area that featured slim and articulated pieces of metal, allowing a certain degree of freedom to move. And above that, on the breastplate, carved with attuned craftsmanship, stood the symbol of the Jedi Order.  Y/N stared at it, mouth agape, eyes wide as plates. This could not be. Her fingers grazed over the shiny, light metal. She would recognize it anywhere; it was Phrik. One of the only lightsaber-resistant substances in the Galaxy.  Frozen in place, her hand caressed the armor. Whoever had designed it had done a phenomenal job. She hadn't seen such outstanding craftsmanship since... Since Kylo had gifted her the blade. Stupor and utter bewilderment prevented her from saying anything, let alone moving. It took Poe's voice to startle her back to her senses. "I asked a Mandalorian I know to make it. Kit helped with the design; I'll give him credit. He sketched it from memory, and we improved it. You said... I mean... You said the armor wasn't the problem, that the problem was what it stood for. I wanted you to take your control back. Figured if you're gonna follow Rey... You'd need to look the part. I mean, you can totally take off the Jedi symbol; it's detachable, I don't want to assume... I just... Well. You know. It's made of Phrik; you've probably recognized it, though. I figured it'd keep you safe and-" He was rambling. But by the Force, he could ramble all he wanted for the rest of his life; Y/N didn't mind one bit. What he had just gifted her was... It was beyond what any words could express. This wasn't just a gift designed to keep her safe when Poe couldn't; this was... This was her freedom. As her silence grew, so did Poe's worries, and he frowned as Y/N delicately put the box aside, finally mustering the courage to look at him. "Hey, if you don't like it, it's fine; I don't want to—" "Poe." Her voice broke, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, on the verge of tears. Poe's frown deepened. But before he could get another word out or worry any further, Y/N shook her head and threw herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his shoulders. He let out a tiny 'oof' as the momentum of her action sent them both backward. Poe stumbled until his back hit the wall, but he smoothly caught Y/N, securing her with his arms as he hugged her back. She was trembling, her limbs tangled with his, incapable of voicing her gratitude.  "Hey, you're okay, Y/N," he mumbled in her hair, soothingly rubbing her back. Was she? Was she okay? The weight of everyone's expectations was crushing her, but Poe had lifted it off with a box. It didn't change anything about herself or the decision she had to make, but he had gifted her more than the armor; he had given her the tools she needed to carry on the fight. The sheer power of that symbolism knocked the wind out of her lungs, and she took a shuddering breath.  Somehow, somewhere, a deity was pleased enough with her in a past life to put Poe Dameron in this one. When she was sure she would keep the tears at bay, Y/N took a small step back, putting some distance between her and Poe. "You okay here?" He chuckled. "Had me worried for a second." Despite still feeling overwhelmed, she giggled. "I'm fine. I just can't believe you did this. Thank you, Poe. Really. You didn't have to do this, and... it means a lot." He smirked. "I mean... I couldn't pass up the opportunity." He was pretty proud of himself, and he deserved to be.  He deserved everything, to be honest. "Did you seriously get Kit's help?" He groaned, rolling his head backward. Being this close to him, Y/N could see how his lips quirked upward ever-so-slightly. "Yes. It was as dreadful as you'd imagine. But hey, I sent weapons in exchange, so the guy can't whine." Y/N laughed. She still had her arms around his shoulders and wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. Her amusement died down too soon, replaced by a serious look as she stared at him. "In all seriousness, Poe, I... I don't know how to thank you. This means more to me than you could ever imagine." He swatted her question away with an exaggerated eye roll. "Psht. It's nothing. I'm just glad you like it. Couldn't finish the night without giving you your best gift yet, eh?" She rolled her eyes good-naturedly before settling for a long, heavy look into his eyes. "I think the best gift ever bestowed upon me is you." Poe's jaw dropped. Thanks to her place against his chest, she saw his eyes widen and heard his breath hitch. The physical proximity allowed her to be in the front row to witness Poe's usually subtle expression changes. She realized too late how it sounded. "Your friendship, I mean," Y/N corrected herself with a slight wince. His usual demeanor returned as he grinned. "Sure. But you're telling me that instead of spending a fortune on this thing, I could have just gifted you a day in my delightful company?!" She whacked his shoulder. "Maker, Poe! I don't even want to know how much you spent on this!" His grin turned into a grimace as he stared at his droid. "...yeah, it's better if you don't know. Besides, it's rude to ask. And don't you even think about it," Poe hissed in BeeBee's direction. As the droid beeped innocently, Y/N frowned. "I'm serious." "So am I." "But-" "Y/N Thunderbird, you are worth every credit and then some," he interrupted her, deadly serious.

It was her turn to be speechless. Poe's gaze, as per usual, was so intense that every thought she ever had left her brain. Could he hear her heart beating? Oh, it reminded her of that day, in her room, when she was sure he wanted to... Her brain trailed off as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, scrutinizing her face with soft eyes and a contemplative frown. "What?" She breathed out. He remained quiet for a moment. "I'll admit, I didn't know how you'd react. But I should've known... You never cease to surprise me." "Haven't I proven earlier today how astonishing I am?" She joked, and Poe bit his lip. "I was floored. What you did was incredibly stupid and insanely cool, too." Heh. Y/N was just glad to be of help. "You know," he added, "I-" "Oh, am I interrupting?" Y/N screamed in surprise, flinching away from Poe, who jumped, cursing. Skylen was leaning in the doorway with the biggest grin Y/N had ever seen. "I can give you the room if you need it. I was just stopping by to check on Y/N. Taking an awfully long time in here, Duckling." "I'm coming! We were just talking. And Poe gave me my gift." "I'll carry it for you; I don't want you to get lost again. Come on, we need to get you ready for our excursion in town," Skylen concluded with a wink. Poe rolled his eyes, blissfully unaware of the shared secret between his two pilots. "I'll see you later, Porg Head. Thank you again." He gave her a lopsided grin and a little wave as she left the room with Skylen, who was still grinning like an idiot. "Did I just cockblock you on your birthday? I am SO sorry, Duckling." "Oh, shut the hell up, Furball."

The two speeders pulled up in front of the nightclub, the breeze caressing Y/N's bare legs. Various other speeders were parked up front, some guarded by their owners who sat on them, others carelessly pushed to the side in a tangled mess of metal parts. As Y/N hopped off hers with Skylen's help, she noticed fellow Resistance members stumbling out of the club, barely keeping their balance as their cackles floated into the night. They hadn't even taken that long; Klana's preparations had been quick for once, merely changing Y/N's hair and slapping some sparkles on her cheeks. She had then dressed her friend into a holographic skirt and a top that could light up. That, plus reminding her half a dozen times to act surprised. As they pushed through the thick cloud of smoke, Klana grabbed her hand again. "Hey, don't forget-" "To act surprised. I know," she giggled. The Death Star, the flagship of the Resistance's parties, looked no different than usual. The regulars hung outside, but some whispered as the three pilots walked up to the entrance. Y/N bitterly regretted dressing up, as it was freezing. Loth cats, which were legion in the city, were nowhere to be found, preferring the warm haven of the buildings to the chilliness of the streets. Someone had put a stick of what seemed to be salt in their water bowl; they were expecting the temperature to drop even more. Skylen rubbed her friend's back with a smile as Klana, inexplicably immune to the cold weather, strutted toward the door. "Come on, you slugs! Hurry up! I want to drink something!" With a wink, she opened the club's door and walked in first, partially hiding the club from Y/N's view. Only partially. The second she stepped aside, the crowd erupted in a boisterous cheer. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Clasping her hand together in feigned surprise, Y/N still let out a genuine laugh as all of her friends and coworkers raised their glasses in her honor, led by Poe and Finn, who stood in the middle of the room. Finn jogged up to her and slung his arm around her shoulders. "There she is! The woman of the hour! Come on, put this on!" Before Y/N could protest, he popped a luminous headpiece in her hair, grinning as it blinked. "You look fantastic! Now come on, let's get you a drink, shall we?"

As he dragged her to the bar, Y/N looked around. She recognized everyone; even Tarsen and his squad were present, and he gave her a curt nod when their eyes met. Her students were also all present, including Vik, who had traded his usual white uniform for a leather jacket and a pair of slacks. He timidly waved when he saw her, and Y/N gave him a warm smile. But the person she was looking for had mysteriously vanished in the crowd. They finally reached the bar, and Finn leaned forward, asking the barman for drinks as Y/N leaned against the wall. She focused on her surroundings, doing her best to use the Force to locate Poe. Something prickled at the back of her neck, and she smiled right before his hand landed on the small of her back. "Thunderbird. Fancy seeing you here." His breath tickled her ear, and she turned around, grinning. "General! What a surprise." He, too, had changed out of his previous outfit. He had lost his trusty jacket in favor of an open black shirt with three buttons undone. It gave Y/N a nice look at his upper chest and the dangling ring on a chain around his neck.  Her eyes trailed down his silhouette, drinking in the sight of him. When she looked up, she found Poe grinning with a knowing look. She punched his shoulder. "Shut up." "Hey, you're the one who called me a gift to humanity." "I did NOT say that!" Fortunately for her, they were interrupted by the barman who carried a trail of colorful drinks. Since Y/N had already drunk quite a bit, she looked at them with dread. Lining the glasses on the counter, the employee produced a whole cake from behind it, grabbing his lighter and lighting up a candle. "There you go, birthday girl." Y/N opened her mouth to thank him as Klana jumped on the bar, cupping her hands. "ALRIGHT! I NEED EVERYONE'S VOICE FOR THIS!" Oh, no. She was steadily held into place by Finn and Poe —each with a hand on her shoulders— before she could run outside. "Where are you going?" Poe asked with a grin. Preferably anywhere else? But it was too late, and with one united voice, the crowd started belting out a birthday song in her honor. Everyone was so loud and in synch that the floor vibrated and the air buzzed around her, heavy with their enthusiastic screams. Skylen gestured for Y/N to hop on his shoulders, and she obliged, laughing as he picked her up and lifted her as the song went on. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THUNDERBIRD!" Stomping their feet and clapping their hands, they made a ruckus as Skylen lowered her back to the floor, letting her blow her candles. As she breathed in, Y/N made a wish. I want to spend all my upcoming birthdays with the people I love. She blew them out.

Her body was so numb from dancing that she collapsed on the stool with questionable grace, grunting as she raised her glass to her lips. Y/N had drunk too much. Not enough to be loopy, but certainly the right amount to feel the buzz of the Jawa juice she was sipping. It was hot inside the club, and everyone was having a great time. Klana and Skylen sat next to her, drinking their poison. Finn and Rose were going at it on the dancefloor, resuming their previous dancing session. Y/N smiled knowingly. These two only needed some encouragement. But as her eyes glazed over the crowd, she realized she couldn't see Poe. She also realized she was unwillingly looking for him. It had become somewhat of a habit: an automatism that calmed her nerves. "He's on the other side of the bar," Klana whispered. "You should do something about that." Y/N turned her head, locking eyes with her friend. "You think?" "It's your birthday. Go for it. Seriously. Besides, Poe's been staring at you for five minutes." Any other day of the year, Y/N would have turned red and mumbled some incoherent argument, but she was drunk, happy, and still reeling from Poe's gift. She jumped to her feet, raising her chin. "You know what? You're right." Klana's 'you go, girl!' followed her as she marched to the other side of the bar before she could talk herself out of doing it. As expected, the General leaned against the counter, a drink in hand. His hair was a mess of dark locks, and his eyes were blurry; he, too, was drunk. "General." "Lieutenant." The DJ started a new song: an upbeat tune Y/N didn't care enough to try and identify. But it was catchy enough to make her grin instantly. She smiled. "Dance with me!" Poe barely repressed his smile, hiding it behind his glass. "I don't dance, Thunderbird." "Yes. Yes, you do. Besides, I'm asking, and you're not gonna turn me down. I know you want to." He grumbled but didn't even try to resist as she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dancefloor. Before they disappeared into the crowd, she caught her friends' eyes, and Skylen gave her a thumbs up before high-fiving Klana.

They found a nice, semi-secluded spot —as secluded as one could find in a crowded room— and Y/N grinned. Poe was watching her, eyes twinkling devilishly. Y/N took off her crown and put it in his hair, giggling as it mussed it out even more.  Satisfied with her arrangements, she started swaying to the music, playfully putting her hands on Poe's shoulders. Though she didn't hear it, Y/N felt his chest rumbling with laughter. "What?" She screamed over the music. "People are staring," he pointed. With a mischievous grin, she looked around, confirming his statement. "Let them. Probably admiring how fancy you look with this thing on your head." Grabbing her waist, Poe pulled her closer to him with a laugh. "No, I'm pretty sure they're looking at you." As Y/N dropped her arms, he followed her movements, swaying to the energetic beat, before spinning her around with her back facing his chest. Y/N shrieked and giggled, losing herself in the music, hips rolling from side to side as his hands followed. "Because you look incredible, Keebler," he murmured in her ear, his breath tickling her. Y/N's heart missed a beat, and she turned her head to the side, inching away from his face. "You're not too shabby yourself, Porg Head." With a dazzling smile, Poe picked up the rhythm, hips moving to the beat as his hands remained glued to Y/N's skin, accompanying her as she swayed to the music. He was intoxicating. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but his perfume had never been so overwhelming. All she knew and smelled was him. He was everywhere, and her heart thundered in her chest. Could he hear it? Feel it? Hazy flashes from a specific day on Tatooine came to her mind. She remembered the last time they had been physically so close... Her nerve endings were ablaze, set on fire by Poe's respectful but never-ending caresses, fleeting and mind-consuming. Y/N pivoted on her heels, her chest bumping with Poe's. Their height difference was still noticeable despite her small heels, and he nearly towered over her. It was so hot in there. Strands of hair, slick with sweat, had escaped her braids, and Poe's hair stuck to his forehead, messier than ever. "Wanna give them a reason to stare harder?" He asked, and Y/N nodded before she could even think about the question. He laughed. "Then jump!" Jump?! As in... Leap in the air? With a quizzical look, Y/N took a step back, put her arms on his shoulders, and did as she was told- He grabbed her thighs, and she instinctively locked them behind his waist before Poe all but dipped her backward, his hand securing her back as her head tilted toward the ground, back arched to the max of her ability. He effortlessly pulled her back up, barely straining under the effort, before putting her back on the floor with a shit-eating grin.  "I thought you didn't dance?!" Y/N laughed as the music changed. Chest heaving, Poe chuckled. "I never said I don't know how to." Around them, some bystanders cheered and whooped, and Y/N bowed jokingly. Her head was spinning, and she could barely think straight. She needed to go home. This last dance had exhausted her; besides, it was already late. Poe led her to the lounge, where they met back with their friends. Trailing after him, Y/N noticed his gait was wobblier than it should have been. Now that she thought about it, he had been drinking pretty heavily all night long... He was probably tired and drunk out of his mind. All his energy had gone into that last dance, and Y/N felt guilty. Well. Not exactly, because she was delighted to have danced with him like this, but still. "I think I'm gonna call it a night," Poe stated, grabbing a glass of water. "You've got some moves, Thunderbird." "That, she does," Klana commented with a smirk.  Fortunately, the General was too exhausted to pay her any mind. "I'm coming with you," Y/N stated, pushing back flyaway hair. "Oh, no way. This is your birthday party. I can find my way back," he protested. Finn shook his head and opened his mouth to argue, but Y/N beat him to it. "Poe. You're drunk. I'm not letting you go back to your room alone. You might walk into a wall and collapse or something." "I'm not- drunk. I am tispy. Tipsy." Poe stepped forward to pat her shoulder but tripped on his feet and caught himself right as Y/N leaped forward to stop him from falling. Her brows furrowed worryingly. He was clearly out of it. His eyes were distant; he was kilometers away from the party. "Yeah. Okay. I'm pretty drunk." No shit. He didn't try to push her away as she helped him, excusing themselves to the bystanders. She waved at her friends and said her goodbyes, and they walked —more like waddled— outside the club. Fortunately, the speeder was still right outside. Y/N grabbed the keys, insisting on riding it herself as she was the less drunk of the two, and they made their way back to the base carefully. It was a good thing the town was so close to the compound. 

The trip home had awoken Poe as the nippy air whipped at their faces, and she didn't have to steady him anymore. It was still obvious he had drunk too much, but he could walk straight and form coherent sentences, as long as they weren't too long. "Poe?" "Hm." "I've never seen you this drunk," she said as they reached the landing strip and made their way toward the entrance. "Are you okay?" He stayed silent for a second. Perhaps it was the alcohol that made him think about it. Either way, he sighed as they walked in. The hallways were quiet and barely lit. Most of the soldiers were still at the club. "Not really. I... everything that's happening, everything we've learned... I'm worried. About it starting again. Over again." His grammar had been better, but she understood what he meant anyway. She shared the same worries. Y/N sighed. "I know what you mean," she whispered. She couldn't say anything else. There was nothing she could say that would quell Poe's angst. She didn't know what the future had in store and certainly didn't know more than he did. "I'd love to tell you I'll help in any way I can," she started again, turning right to the hallway that led to his room. "But I'm not sure that'd be enough. I... I don't think I can help as much as I want to. I'm not Rey; I'm just... me. I wish I could do more with the Force... I'm sorry." He stopped, and she walked into him, hitting him in the back. "Oi! What the hell?" she wailed, clutching her jaw. When he turned around, he was... angry? Pissed? Annoyed? "Y/N, you need to stop. That's not... you're not... not useful. That needs to go. I don't want you..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Okay. I can't think. You come with me to my room, I'll take a shower to sober up, and we can finish talking." "Can't we do that tomorrow?" She whined. Was she trying to avoid the upcoming argument? ...Maybe. "No." "Why not?" "Because I don't want you walking back to your room alone while you're drunk." She scoffed. "Uh, excuse you, you're drunker than me. And we're inside the base; nothing can happen to me." "You never know," he mumbled stubbornly. Arguing with a drunk Poe Dameron was like talking to a wall, so she decided to not push the matter further. They had reached his door anyway. Poe stepped forward to type his code, but judging by his expression when he looked at the panel, Y/N took it upon herself to open it. "What's the code to your room?" He seemed to think about it hard for a second, frowning, rubbing his forehead, and frowning again before answering: "It's- the year I joined the Resistance." Y/N extended her hand before the answer registered in her brain, and she froze, staring at him in disbelief. "The— are you kidding me? You're the General, and your password is weak enough to be hacked by a toddler?" "Shut up."

She punched the code, and the door whooshed open. She stepped aside to let Poe go in first, and he turned on the lights to their minimum brightness. The door closed behind them.  She had never seen his room, but somehow, it was identical to what she had pictured. Way bigger than hers, it was a full suite. Tidier than she had anticipated, though. The main room they were in had its left wall covered in panels, in front of which Poe had his desk. That was a mess. There were maps and folders and countless trinkets lying around. In front of them, a couch, a coffee table, and a tropical plant added some life to it all. BeeBee was powered down in his slot in the corner, the light on his head blinking orange as he charged up. There was a double door to the right, between various shelves on which Y/N could see pictures, trophies, and personal belongings. Poe took his jacket off and threw it carelessly on the couch. "Make yourself at home." Y/N realized the situation and her alcohol consumption didn't go well together when she noticed the spot she was staring at was moving. She groaned. "Do you mind if I lie down for a sec? I think that last glass of Jawa juice hit harder than I thought." He snorted. "Bed's in the other room. You can rest for a bit. I won't be long." Y/N followed with no question until she realized, as he stepped out to shower, that she was in his room and about to get on his bed- ...Maker. She was sure she was bright red and grateful Poe wasn't here to see it. She heard the water turning on. Mindful of the room, Y/N took off her shoes and jacket, setting them on the sofa in the corner of the room. Then, she laid down. His mattress was so comfy. She sighed, pleased, and waited in silence. After a moment, she frowned. "Poe." Silence. "POE!" She repeated, louder this time. The water stopped running. "What?" Came his answer, muffled through the wall. Y/N made a point to gather her thoughts before answering. "Is your ceiling usually spinning?" He thought about it for a second, letting silence stretch on. "I don't know, you tell me." What? "How would I know? I don't sleep here!" She answered with a frown. "Well, maybe you should. Then you'd know." He turned the water on again. She thought about it for a second. It took her all of her willpower to mobilize the brain power that hadn't been drowned in alcohol. And after a few moments, she came to a conclusion. "That is the dumbest kriffing thing I've heard in my life. It doesn't even make sense, you Porg Head. What are you—" The door whooshed open, and Y/N turned her head to the side, the rest of her sentence dying in her throat as her mouth hung agape. She froze. A very wet Poe Dameron was walking out of the bathroom, naked from the waist up. He had put some grey sweatpants on that did nothing to hide his defined torso and his Adonis belt. He looked more alert, and his gait was less wobbly as he stepped inside the room, rubbing his tousled hair with a small towel. His chest was still glistening from the shower he had just taken, and he was— Maker. He was to die for.

He must have noticed her staring because he stopped, raising an eyebrow at her. "What? Please tell me I didn't accidentally walk out naked." Oh. That wouldn't have been so bad. "No," Y/N blurted out. "It's just... I... well... can you put on a shirt?" She expected him to tease her, but instead, he shrugged. "'M too lazy." He flopped down on the bed by her side, staring at the ceiling for a moment. Y/N gave him a side look, admiring his profile as he frowned softly, deep in thought. He was a work of art, carved by whatever deity was out there. The dim light of the room painted soft shadows on his features, and Y/N wasn't sure it was entirely the alcohol's fault that she was breathless now. "You're right. It's spinning a bit. Barely. Looks like the shower helped." Good for him, not so much for her. They stood there for a moment until the ceiling stopped moving. Laying down had been a good move. "Feeling better?" He asked, and she hummed. He stood up again. How he had so much energy after being so drunk earlier, Y/N didn't know. "Good, because I have some stuff to say. I... Maker, okay. You need to stop doing that." ...Doing what? Nothing? Y/N sat up slowly, but he seemed to understand her confusion. "That," he said, waving toward the wall. "What you were doing earlier. Talking yourself down. That's not... no. It's not okay." Y/N shrugged off his frustration, blissfully unaware of how deep it ran. "I mean... I'm just being honest—" "Stop it! Dammit. I know you mean it. That's the worst part. Because you say stuff like that about.. everything. And that's just not true, and I hate it." He had gotten really passionate all of a sudden, and it almost made Y/N forget he was standing there half-naked. Almost. Because his chest was at eye level, and Maker was he hot. She knew she was focusing on the wrong thing. But in her defense, Poe was not making much sense. Again, he realized it. He ran a furious hand through his hair and started pacing as he searched for his words. "You're a great person, Y/N. You're competent as a pilot AND a padawan. Well. You will be. And you're smart and kind, brave, and stunning. And you have no idea how kriffing mad it makes me hear you say you're not. Nobody had a right to say bad stuff about you. Especially not you. Kriff, when are you gonna realize it?" ... Ookay. Y/N blinked, stunned into silence by the spontaneous amount of compliments. They barely registered in her drunken mind. But what she did understand was that Poe was upset. She gently grabbed his arm as he walked past her. "Poe. Breathe," she said softly. "The alcohol is making you more emotional—" "I'm not drunk," he interrupted. "I'm tipsy. And it doesn't change anything. I mean it." "Drunk or not, it's making you say stuff you might regret," she tried to argue. Poe groaned and started pacing again.  "The only thing it does is give me enough courage to finally say and do what I mean," he grumbled. Y/N stood up and blocked his path with a hand on his shoulder. He stopped, standing in front of her, muscles tense under her fingertips. Once she was sure he wouldn't start moving again, Y/N lowered her hand, looking up at him. His eyes were unusually stormy, albeit a bit unfocused. "You're the bravest person I know, Poe. I don't understand why you'd need the liquid courage to do anything," she tried to joke. He rolled his eyes, but it was for good measure. "Yeah, yeah. Not when it comes to you. Finn was right. Fuck, I hate that he was right." Y/N frowned. She didn't understand. And the smell of his shower gel certainly didn't help her focus. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, curious. He stared at her for a moment, clearly weighing his options— something she could tell by looking at his lower lip that was ruthlessly being nibbled on. "Want me to show you?" He finally asked quietly, biting his lip harder. Y/N nodded. Something had changed in the air; she could pick up that much. It made her hair stand on her skin. Her inner alarm was blaring, and everything told her not to go down that path. Something in his eyes, a glimpse into his mind, frightened her. Not because she feared him but rather the implications of what would follow. "Please. Because you're not making much sense to me right now." Her self-preservation instinct flew out of the window with her voice's steadiness as it broke at the end. He gave her a crooked smile, his eyes drilling a hole in her skull. He licked his lips. "Okay. What was it you said last time? Please don't hit me?" She stared, confused. "Wha-" But she never got the chance to finish her sentence. He closed the distance between them in one step, grabbed her chin, and kissed her.

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron reader insert #poe dameron fanfiction #star wars #star wars reader insert #star wars fanfiction #female reader

[lacewise]

Hey, you! Yes: you! Random person on the internet! I need to talk to you about something.

Nearly everything on social media (yes, that thing too) (yup, so is that) (yes, especially me) is marketing. That’s a morally neutral statement. It’s not “good” or “bad” or even “morally grey”. It is the way we have organized the internet, especially platforms on the internet.

If people are fighting for attention, eyeballs, interest… you’re going to get marketing. In this truth, people have different goals: entertainment, education, money, etc. That’s all still morally neutral.

Where it gets morally bad is when you buy into the marketing without any research. Where it gets even worse is when people tell you if you fact check the information you see on social media, *you* are morally bad. Why don’t you just buy into the marketing? Why don’t you just accept the buzzwords? And a lot of it seems to be an updated redux of “tolerate my intolerance!” (Which evolved to, “Hey, I’m just asking questions” then to “What if it’s really true? What if [blank innocuous thing] is the root of all evil?” And now it’s, “We have to do something!!! There’s no time to fact check!!! If this is really happening, there’s no time!!!”) Which I should not have to explain… is bad.

Let me explain anyway though: the increase in urgency and making it time sensitive is meant to send you into a panic. That fear/anger/anxiety response tells you you need to do something, right now! But it’s so difficult to know what… don’t worry, don’t freeze, don’t think, they have the answer! Do this right now! You have to! There’s only a few seconds left! You NEED TO DO THIS YOU—oh you’ve done it. Phew, crisis averted! You’re our hero! Now make sure to tell all your friends or nothing you did matters and you will be d—ned for all eternit—thanks for sharing! We need more people like you!

The difference between this and something actually time sensitive is something that is legitimate will 1) often not work you into a panic, because they’re just trying to make you more informed/legitimately interested, 2) they will give you actionable steps and 3) the tone is completely different. Here’s another example:

Hey, everyone. I’m sorry to say this but [politician] has betrayed our [community]. We met with [politician] and they promised us they would fight for our [very specific purpose, usually with its own specialized vocabulary]. Today they voted against that. But we’re not giving up! Please, pressure [government body] to change their minds about [issue] and vote again in our favor! This would [specific impact]. We are also working on this [alternative solution]. Please donate here! We’ll keep you all updated and together, we will will achieve [favorable result]. We won’t back down! Thank for your support!

Even if the legitimate advocacy is angry, devastated, resigned, or scared, you will still see the elements of specific information and solutions pertaining to a specific situation, especially using jargon pertaining to the specific situation, urging you to learn more or ally with them without 1) centering yourself, 2) accidentally spreading bad information, or 3) accidentally harming other communities in solidarity with theirs. Learning more and supporting movements is supposed to be an *ongoing process* not a “winner-takes-all” sporting tournament, with you as the star and hero.

If people are telling you not to get a second opinion about something that isn’t easily verifiable (especially if there are no primary sources to consult), that’s morally bad marketing.

You may be wondering why I’m framing this as “morally bad marketing” instead of “propaganda” (which is literally correct). That’s *also* marketing. I’ve found that propaganda is a loaded word in most contexts, and if you tell someone they’ve fallen for it, they’ll get defensive. However, if I frame it as a scam and focus my attention on the people manufacturing the scam (whether that’s outrage, bigotry, etc) sometimes it jolts people into realizing how flimsy the premise actually is. Which is very!

If people aren’t using their own activism and infrastructure to gain acceptance and solidarity. If people are using other movements’ platforms to get attention to their own (like stealing hashtags), especially if they use *different phrases and jargon* to gain acceptance in different communities, and keep coming up with new rhetoric every time their ideas don’t penetrate the demographic they’re targeting—these are all red flags of a size that could blanket Texas. Discarding one marketing strategy for another takes time, especially with decentralized communications. If multiple strategies are being employed at once on a large scale: I highly doubt that’s decentralized at all. If it looks like a sales funnel, talks like a sales funnel, etc…

Further, if you see a sudden proliferation of accounts that don’t seem organic, or someone is selling One Weird Little Trick to complete your life, cure your ails, bring about World Peace! [Blank] hates it!

You need to flee. I need you to understand my *very* clearly on this—you need to *flee* immediately. The *best case* scenario is you are being tricked out of currency.

No one doing this is *ever* selling solutions. They are feeding you fear and self-loathing, then selling you the feeling of control. “You can do it! You can change the world! We can do it! We can do it together!” But never, ever once telling you what “it” is. At least not at first. It’s always a lifestyle, a thing, a movement. “Sure the world has gone to pieces [true] but you’re better than the last people who messed up [source?] you can fix it! Just let us tell you how [no, this is a cult, RUN]”

And, again, this can apply to anything, including: companies selling you ‘lifestyles’, companies selling you that one super niche product that will fix your life forever, up to and including literal propaganda campaigns.

The thing is: it’s not about you. It’s about what they can take from you, while you smile happily, feeling privileged (so, so proud) they took it. They let you market for them while they took your money, time, humanity, etc! And it’s all because you’re so wonderful! And brave! And subversive! And whatever else you want to see yourself as!

#off topic #cw propaganda #tw propaganda #propaganda #marketing #social media marketing tactics #social media disinformation tactics #I know that no one will read this #but it is remarkable to me I had to write it #This is literally just propaganda 101 #I think people think they’re invincible #bc they’ve never seen these tactics tailored to them before #or at least recognized that’s what they were #they learned on the outdated ones #so that’s what they’re looking for #not realizing #that what they’re basing their defenses on is historical in nature #and can’t be 1:1 applied to the future #that’s why media literacy is crucial to a functional society #this new one is just taking advantage of instant gratification #every marketing strategy has a much much more dangerous propaganda strategy hiding right behind it #instant gratification is already dangerous

[liesareeasier]

A/N: Hey everyone! Here’s the first chapter of my Eddie Munson fan-fic! I’ll be posting a chapter for this every few days, so check for updates. :) This is kind of a strangers to friends to lovers story. There will be smut and mature content in this chapter/ story, so please stop reading if you’re not 18+. Thanks for checking out my story and I hope you enjoy it!! xx

~ Abbey, the writer. :) <3 xx

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Word Count: 7,970 words :)

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Instead of overthinking, like my usual pattern, I just decided to open up and talk honestly with Robin. I didn't want to tell her all of the intimate details of what happened between us, but I was feeling so many emotions for Eddie and I needed to vent about some of it. Nobody had ever pleased me or made me feel as comfortable as Eddie had. Even though we were still just building our friendship, I already respected Robin and knew I could trust her with this.

"Okay, so, we um- well, we hooked up," I said as Robin started clapping her hands.

"I knew it! I knew it! I. Knew. It!" Robin exclaimed as she cheered to herself. "What happened? Oh my god! Tell me everything! This is crazy! Eddie found a girl, oh my god! I seriously can't believe this... Okay so, I need to know, did you guys-"

"Robin, pause, breathe," I said as I giggled to myself and turned down the music a bit. "We just um, we had a fun night together."

"Oh my god, I want details. This is just crazy... How was it?" Robin rambled with excitement, repeating herself a bit.

"I'm not going into detail, sorry, but I will say that he's undeniably more experienced than you let on," I said as I bit my bottom lip, recalling the ecstasy that Eddie has inflicted on me.

"My brain's exploding... oh, wow," Robin said with a puzzled look on her face. "How experienced exactly?"

"Robin, oh my god," I said as I started blushing uncontrollably.

"Come on. I need to live vicariously through someone," Robin pleaded.

"What about your girlfriend?" I asked, trying to keep my attention on the road.

"Don't ask," Robin said solemnly before switching her tone again. "Just tell me something, anything, please. I'm dying over here."

"Well, I just ran into him leaving the bar, and then he asked if I wanted a ride home," I started as I turned my car, following Robin's finger-pointed directions to her house. "And we kissed in the back of his van and then..."

"And then what? And then what, Violet?" Robin asked, practically foaming at the mouth.

I took a deep breath before answering, responding quickly but trying my best not to stumble over my words, "and then he just drove by the hotel and we wound up at his place and... and we um- he went down on me and I returned the favor. Then we just cuddled all night and you know the rest since you woke us up."

Robin's mouth gaped open as she stared at me, wide-eyed and full of excitement as I told her about my time with Eddie. She looked like she had just won the lottery. I couldn't wipe the grin that had grown on my face from talking about Eddie and our perfect night together.

"Wait, Eddie? Our Eddie?" Robin asked, shock still spread on her face, taking it all in. "I can't believe this. I just- Wow. How do you feel?"

I smiled to myself, taking the next turn as I thought to myself before responding, "I feel really good. I mean, it's all a little overwhelming. I wasn't looking for anything like this. Eddie took me by complete surprise. Everything about him is so- He's just..."

I was at a loss for words to describe just how wonderful Eddie was. I was feeling things I couldn't quite put my finger on but for some reason I wasn't scared. Eddie made the falling feel safe.

"I know. Eddie is truly the sweetest person on the planet, who deserves nothing but the world. I mean, he is kind of a freak but we all are. Violet, I don't think he's ever had someone like you before. Frankly, he's never been known to trust anyone like that," Robin said as she reached over and rested her hand on my leg. "When are you seeing each other again? It looked pretty hot and heavy when you guys were saying goodbye to each other earlier."

Oh god... I know they saw us kiss but I didn't think anything of it... What does all this mean? Am I moving too quickly? I don't want to hurt Eddie... Is he ready for this?

"We didn't talk about it," I said as I shrugged and drove through Robin's neighborhood.

She was renting a small house with her girlfriend. I hadn't been there before but it was perfectly easy to find, even with Robin's frazzled instructions.

I continued, "I asked him to come by the store today if he was free, but he never showed. He was probably just busy, but I kind of thought that he would, so I don't know what's going on with us. I like him, though. A lot, I think."

Robin told me the final street to turn down and I pulled up in front of an adorable, green-colored shingled house with black shutters. It perfectly matched her style. There weren't any cars parked in the driveway, so meeting her girlfriend would have to wait until another day, but I was looking forward to it, despite Robin's icy attitude about her earlier. I hated that Robin and she could be having issues, but I didn't want to press her until she was ready to talk about whatever was bothering her.

"I'm sure he's busy getting ready for tomorrow. I think I told you but he and his band play a reserved slot at The Hideout every Friday," Robin answered after unbuckling her seatbelt. "I'm actually surprised he didn't invite you. They don't get a ton of people every week, but sometimes they pack the place. We're all going tomorrow after we help Steve decorate his house. He wants it to be over-the-top but not corny, so we'll see how that goes but you should come with us to the show. Their music can be a little too much for me sometimes but I know you'll love it."

Her innocent ramblings stung ever so slightly. If Eddie had truly wanted me at his band's show, I was sure he would have asked me himself, but I wasn't going to turn Robin down. I didn't want to intrude on her plans but I also didn't relish the idea of spending a Friday night alone. I could always stand toward the back, or over at the bar, to stay out of the way.

"I'm down for whatever," I said as Robin started to step out of the car. "Hey, what's a number I can reach you at? I can call you later when I'm done at Max's if you want to talk."

"Here, let me find something," Robin said as she rides through her bag for a marker and some paper.

Robin wrote her home number on an old receipt from the diner and handed it to me. I couldn't believe I hadn't asked for it until now, but we had practically been inseparable since we met. We had something special between us that made me feel like I had known her for years when in reality, it had only been just a few days. 

"Perfect, thank you," I said when I grabbed the paper from her and tucked it into the pocket of my jeans.

"What room are you in at the hotel? I have the number for their main line and can use that for the extension," Robin asked. "You know, in case we can't find you again or I need to talk."

"I'm in room 202," I said with a smile.

"Okay, 202, got it! See you tomorrow! I work the morning shift with you and I can stay as late as you need," Robin said with a kind smile as she stood up and got out of my car.

"Bye, Robin," I said through my open window, waving, as I started to slowly back my car out of her shirt driveway. "I'll call you around 10 tonight, and see you in the morning. Do you want me to pick you up? Give Steve the morning to wig out about his decorating?"

"That would be perfect! Drive safe, Violet. Thanks again for the ride," Robin called from her driveway as I stayed idled in the street.

"Anytime," I yelled from the street before pulling away.

She is truly amazing... I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like her... I've never been so open with someone before and not been judged for just being who I am...

•••

After a quick shower back at the hotel, I was just about ready to go over to Max's place. I had called her when I got back, just to make sure she was still trying to hang out, and was perfectly relieved to find out that she did. She was stubborn and changed her mind often, but she never wavered with me.

Max did tell me that her friend was going to join us, her friend El. Well, she asked if she could join and I obviously said yes. I was looking forward to meeting someone who was so special in Max's life and I knew that El, at least from what Max had told me, could use some more friends and people in her life. Frankly, we all needed that.

I was busy picking out my outfit for the night when the phone in my room started to ring. I figured that Robin must have forgotten to tell me something in the car, or just wanted to talk, since she was the only one I had given this number extension out to. I was surprised immediately when I picked up the phone and it wasn't Robin on the other end, but a deeper voice.

"Hello, this is Violet. Can I ask who's calling?" I asked, while the caller boldly answered.

"Hello, sweetheart. What are you wearing right now?" Said a familiar, soothing voice through the line.

"Eddie? Why- how did you get this number?" I asked as I sat down on the corner of the bed, still dressed only in my towel. My heart started to race, just hearing him over the line.

"Mm, recognize my voice already, do ya?" Eddie teased with a laugh. "What are you doing?"

"Right now? Sitting on my bed, wondering how you're calling me here," I said as I laid back on the bed.

"Oh," Eddie said shortly. "Sitting on your bed, doing what?"

"Eddie please," I said, confused about what he wanted and how the hell he found me.

"Okay, okay, I yield," Eddie answered. "Well, the reason I'm calling is because I just had an interesting phone call from our mutual friend. A little bird named Robin."

My throat ran dry when he finished what he was saying. There was no way that Robin had told him what I said, but something about his time sent a lot to my stomach.

She'd never tell... Right..?

I waited, silent until he continued, "she called me to tell me that I royally dropped the ball about tomorrow and I, uh, I wanted to- No I need to apologize to you."

"For what, Eddie?" I asked, playing dumb for a moment more.

"Look, I want you at my show tomorrow night. Violet, I'd love to have you there. I just- I've never invited someone to see me play before and I didn't know if you'd want to come. I just- I didn't want to force anything on you. Everyone always just shows up but I really would like to see you there, if you want to, that is," Eddie rambled adorably, noticeably nervous.

"I'm not sure I can make it, Eds," I toyed as I squeezed my thighs together.

"Oh... Alright, well maybe we can just-" Eddie started, his tone now somber, but I quickly interrupted him, not wanting to upset him or think that it wasn't important to me.

"I just might be too busy, laying here in my bed, dreaming about you," I said as one of my hands slid in between my legs, looking for any sort of friction.

"Oh, you are terrible, aren't you?" Eddie said softly. "So, you said you were on your bed, huh sweetheart? What are you thinking about right now?"

"You know what," I said as I started sliding my hand toward my center. "I can't stop thinking about you touching me last night. I..." I started, my breath hitching.

"Go on, pretty girl," Eddie said quietly. "What do you do when you think about me?"

"Are you alone? You keep getting quieter," I questioned.

"Well, the guys are in the next room. We're prepping for our campaign next week but I don't think any of them can hear me," Eddie said.

"Eddie! Oh my god! We're not doing this right now. You'll just have to wait.  Maybe I can show you after your show tomorrow night," I said as I sat up, stopping myself from what we were about to do.

I can't risk any of them hearing us do this over the phone but we're going to have to try this again... Phone sex with Eddie sounds exhilarating...

"So, you're coming?" Eddie asked eagerly.

"I'll always come for you," I teased.

Eddie paused for a moment before answering, "oh shit, Violet. You don't know what you're doing to me. Fuck... okay, and wear that shirt I lent you to the show. I want to see you in it again."

"I'll be there, Eds. I can't wait to see you play," I said. "I have to get ready to go see Max now. We're having a movie night and I'm supposed to be leaving, like now."

"See you tomorrow, sweetheart," Eddie said and I could hear him grinning through the phone. "Until then..."

"Goodnight, Eddie," I said and we both hung up the phone at the same time.

I can't fucking wait until tomorrow... I know he's going to be amazing...

I quickly got dressed and packed up my bag to head to Max's. I chose some black jeans and an earth-toned striped shirt to wear that I had thrifted. I didn't bother putting any makeup on since I was just going to hang out with my cousin. My citrine necklace, favorite rings, Docs, and leather jacket completed my outfit.

One more look in the mirror told me that I was ready to go. I was so excited to see Max and meet her friend El. We deserved to have each other in our lives, despite how strained our mothers' relationships with each other were. We didn't have to be subject to their toxicity.

•••

"So I'm back to the velvet underground,

Back to the floor that I love,

To a room with some lace and paper flowers,

Back to the gypsy that I was,

To the gypsy that I was."

I jammed out to the beauty that was Stevie Nicks on my way to Max's. She always knew how to put me in a good mood. Her sultry voice had a way of seeping into your pores and radiating through your bones. Everything she sang or made resonated with my soul.

I smiled to myself as I passed Eddie's trailer on the way to Max's. His van was outside and I had to fight every urge I had not to pop in just to see what he was up to. There were a couple other cars and trucks parked out front, so he must have still been working on his campaign. Half of me expected to see him sitting outside, but I'd heard how intense he was when it came to D&D and had to be hard at work.

I need him to teach me how to play... I'd love to create my own character and see him in action sometime...

I parked in front of Max's place and made my way to her front door. I knocked to get her attention and after only about five or so seconds of waiting, Max was opening the door. She threw her arms right around me, practically knocking me down the steps, and I carried her back into her living room.

"Max! Hi!" I giggled as I spun her around and set her down in the middle of the room.

"I'm so freaking glad you're here," Max beamed as she smiled at me.

Sitting on the couch was a girl Max's age. She had pretty brown hair and a soft yet serious expression on her face. She was wearing a brightly colored sweater and some orange cords that were super adorable. She looked exactly like someone Max and our friends would be friends with.

"Violet, this is El," Max said as her friend stood up to meet me.

"Hi," said the girl as she walked up to me. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Hi, El. Same! I've been waiting forever to meet you," I said as I pulled her into the hug she was reaching for. "I met your dad the other day. He's helping us with some stuff at the video store, and I was wondering when we would finally hang out."

I didn't want to worry Max by talking to her about the robbery at the video store. I was sure that she must have heard about it but it wasn't something I wanted to stress her about. She had been through enough without me dumping more trauma or my problems on her.

"Max talks about you all the time. We're so glad to have another girl in town," El said as she leaned over and gave Max a one-armed hug.

"Well, I'm here for whatever you two need," I said as I set my bag down on the table in front of me and started grabbing some stuff out. "Tonight, let's veg out and watch a classic."

I pulled out some candy and snacks that I had left-over from my trip to the convenience store and both of their faces lit up like jack-o-lanterns. I had also picked a few good movies for us to choose from and handed them over to the girls.

'Sixteen Candles', 'Pretty In Pink', and 'The Princess Bride' were the top choices that they were deciding on, while I walked around Max's place. It was nice and clean, even though it was a tad bit cluttered. That just added to the charm. Photos and eclectic decor lined the walls. Even though Max's situation wasn't always great with her mom, it looked like they were finally happy here.

Once the girls had settled on a movie, 'Pretty In Pink', we snuggled onto the small couch and each grabbed for the snacks. I was a little disappointed that that hadn't chosen 'The Princess Bride', since I loved that movie, but they had picked my second favorite option that I'd brought.

I leaned back into the couch and tore open the bag of Funyons, sending a few spilling onto Max and the couch, and we all burst our laughing. I could tell that El was pretty reserved but she didn't hold back seeing Max covered in the brightly-colored yellow snacks, throwing her head back and laughing wildly.

Max was a good sport about me making a mess but I didn't want to be the cause of another one. The last thing I needed was to destroy Max's couch and have my aunt hate me forever. We were already on rocky ground, just having me over here. I wasn't sure if my aunt knew that I was here or not. I had never explicitly asked Max, and her mom must have been at work, so I figured we were in the clear. She didn't need to come home to find out that I'd been here and also destroyed her belongings if we wound up spilling soda or getting the chocolate and gummies stuck to the couch or on the floor.

As the movie got started, I excused myself to the kitchen to grab some paper towels. I had seen it a few times at this point and wasn't going to miss anything new. Just in case we, or mostly I let's be honest, spilled anything else, we'd be prepared. I looked around a moment before spotting them next to the fridge.

The fridge was covered in photos, old grocery lists, funny magnets, and a bunch of memos. There were a lot of photos of a boy I could only assume was Billy. He was Max's step-brother for a while before he was killed by one of the monsters that she and her friends had fought. I'd never met him, and didn't appreciate how Max told me he always treated her, but I know that she did love him. I felt terrible that she had to grieve that type of loss and feel that depth of pain, at such a young, innocent age.

Billy didn't deserve what happened to him, even if he was a guy with a bad temper toward everyone, especially Max. I figured he was trying to look out for her, in his own way, no matter how flawed it seemed.

My eyes darted around, looking at a cluster of old, family pictures and suddenly my heart melted. There, right next to the door handle, was an old photo of me with Max. It was from when I was about eight years old, when our moms were still getting along. We were wearing matching red Christmas sweaters and looked so happy. Right next to it, was a picture of my mom and my aunt from when they were in high school.

It choked me up to see them here, right in the middle of their fridge. We needed to fix this thing between our families but the fact that these pictures were still displayed, gave me a sense of hope I'd never felt before regarding this situation. I smiled to myself, grabbed the paper towels, and went in to appreciate the powerhouse that was Molly Ringwald in a movie that I loved.

•••

My night with Max and El was just what I needed. We chatted a bit throughout the movie, but still caught most of it. Their banter back and forth was hysterical. It refreshed my soul to hang out with the two of them.

I was a bit worried that they were going to ask me about Eddie, having possibly heard something from the others but they never did. Max didn't seem thrilled to see us talking at the arcade, even though I knew that she just wanted me all to herself and not that she was disapproving of Eddie. She always talked highly of him, the few times she'd mentioned him to me over the phone.

El didn't talk much all night but I could tell that she was one to observe someone before fully opening up. It was obvious how close she was to Max and how much she cared for her. She was such a sweet kid and I felt lucky to be able to get to know her.

Max had always been careful about what she said to me about El, but I knew there was something special about her. Max always described these things that El could do with her mind, as if she were magical or a superhero. She had done so much for my cousin when that Vecna monster had attacked her and I'd have to find a way to thank her someday. I could tell, just meeting El once, that she was someone to be protected. We didn't deserve someone as good as her.

After the movie was over and all the delicious candy and junk food had been devoured, it was time for me to get heading home. The girls had school early in the morning and I had to get prepared for my first Friday at the store. It was going to be the busiest day at the store so far and I needed to try to set up interviews to find a new store manager.

The day will wait for no one...

"Okay, so I'll see you two at Steve's tomorrow?" I asked as I grabbed my bag and headed over toward the door to leave.

"Yep!" Max said as she threw her arms around my waist to hug me goodbye. "We're gonna head there straight after school. He just loves when he gets to babysit us all."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. I'll be off work at 5, so I'll see you there," I said sarcastically as I reached for the doorknob. "I love you, Max. It was nice to meet you, El. I hope you two have a good day at school tomorrow. El, you have a ride home?"

"I do, thank you though. I appreciate the offer very much but my dad should be on the way," El said as she came over to give me a quick half-hug goodbye. "Thanks for bringing the movie and snacks."

"Bye, cousin. I love you, too," Max said as she smiled sweetly at me. "And yeah, thank you for the movie and everything!"

"Anytime, girls," I said as I slipped out the door and waved as they stared out the window and did the same.

I walked backwards toward my car, smiling at the girls in the window, and I nearly jumped out of my shoes when I heard a hushed voice whisper from behind me. I whipped around so fast, I thought my head was going to spin around like the Exorcist.

"What are you doing out here all alone in the dark?" the voice said from the figure resting up against the side of my station wagon. "Don't you know there's wild deer out here?"

"Eddie, I swear to god," I said and before I could think, he was pulling me into him.

His lips crashed into mine and I threw my arms around him in return. After a moment, I pushed him off of me playfully. He had truly scared me and my heart was still racing.

I continued, "you've got to stop scaring me like that."

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, m'lady," he said with a comical bow. "What are you up to tonight?"

"I need to get home and get some sleep before tomorrow," I said with a yawn as I tucked my chilly hands into the pockets of my leather jacket. "I have a full day at the store and then I'm helping Steve set up for this 'epic' Halloween party of his." I threw up air quotes, mocking the hype for the party before continuing.

I finished what I was saying as I stepped closer to him again and rested my hands on the sides of his face, "Oh, and some cute guy invited me to go see his band play, so I need to make sure I get enough beauty sleep before I see him again."

"Oh, you know, I'm pretty sure he likes seeing you however you look and that you couldn't possibly get any more beautiful than you already are. It simply wouldn't be fair to anyone else," Eddie said before he gently kissed my forehead.

"God damn it, Munson," I said as I playfully rolled my eyes. "I mean- It is only ten... Would you want to come back to the hotel with me? As nice as it is sleeping here, I need to be able to get ready in the morning, and all of my stuff is back there."

"I'll get my van and meet you there, sweetheart," Eddie said as he kissed me once more and started walking away.

He yelled back at me before I could step into my car, "wait, Violet! What room number?"

"202! Come find me, Munson!" I said as I sunk into my car.

"I always will!" Eddie yelled as he started sprinting over to his place.

I waved to him, just perched on his front steps, as I passed his place and headed to mine. My plans of slipping off to bed were going to have to wait a little while. To be honest, I didn't care how late Eddie kept me up tonight. I just wanted to be with him and do whatever he wished.

I need to put on something really cute before he gets there... Okay, speed it up a little... I need to get home, now... I need to call Robin super quickly when I get back so she doesn't worry...

I sped a little bit on the way to the hotel to make sure I would be there before Eddie. I drove carefully but made it there in record time. I ran inside from my car, rushing to get ready and call Robin before Eddie arrived. I knew he didn't care what I had on, but I wanted to look my best for him.

I grabbed the phone and dialed the number that Robin gave me. After a few rings, the other end picked up. It could have been Robin or her girlfriend, but when I familiar voice sang on the other end, I knew it was Robin.

"Hello, this is Robin," she said. "Can I ask who's calling?"

"Robin, hey! It's me, Violet," I answered.

"Oh, hello! I was hoping it was you," Robin said.

I continued before we got off on a tangent lie we usually did, "okay, so I know I said I could talk after Max's but I um- I kind of ran into Eddie when I was leaving the trailer park and-"

Robin sweetly cut me off before I could finish, "go! Get ready!"

Oh my god... She is the fucking best...

"Oh my god, Robin, thank you," I said gleefully. "I owe you an all-night phone session soon! Have a good night! I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Vi," Robin said, using a cute nickname for me that she hadn't used before. "Have fun!"

She hung up the phone before I could respond. I was grateful to have found such an understanding friend.

Now I need to get something cute on...

•••

I hurried to get ready for Eddie, anxiously excited, just waiting for him to show up at my door. I left it unlocked for him and I was planning on just waiting for him naked in the bed, but I sort of chickened out. We were still figuring each other out and I didn't know if that would be coming on too strong.

I settled for putting on my favorite lingerie and the comfy bathrobe that was provided by the hotel. Snuggling under the covers or sitting on the chair in the corner of the room felt a little ridiculous, so I settled for waiting for him on the edge of the bed instead. If he didn't want to do anything physical tonight, I could easily play it off like I was just getting ready for bed, but I hoped those were his intentions.

He's such a metalhead... I hope he likes me in the color pink...

Only a few minutes passed before I heard a few knocks on my door. It could have been anyone but my intuition knew that it was Eddie waiting behind the unlocked frame. I hesitated for a moment before telling him it was alright to come in. After all, I did love riling him up a bit.

"It's open," I finally said loud enough for Eddie to hear me but not trying to wake up anyone in the rooms next to me. "Come on in."

"You know, I could have been a serial killer waiting to walk in here," Eddie mercilessly joked as he entered the space and closed the door shut behind him.

He stood with his back pressed against its frame, staring deviously at me, and I knew I hadn't been presumptive about his reasoning for coming here. He looked so good tonight, dressed in his vest with a leather jacket and a Metallica shirt underneath.

He continued, as he walked nonchalantly toward me, "and what do we have here? What- just sitting in a robe, waiting for a relative stranger to come knock on your door in the middle of the night?"

"Yes, please, kill me, Eddie Munson. Put me out of my misery," I said dramatically as I rested the back of my hand against my forehead and stared up at him, now standing right in front of me.

I continued, looking into his soulful brown eyes, "hi. I missed you today."

"Mm, I missed you, too," he said as he softly rested his palm on my cheek, gently stroking me with his thumb along my jawline. "It feels weird saying that. I rarely- I never do this."

"It's okay, Eddie," I said with a smile as my cheeks undoubtedly reddened. "This is fast for me too but I want you here. We don't have to do anything. I meant what I told you. I can't stop thinking about you. I just-"

Eddie whisked me up off of the bed and into a deep kiss before I could say anything more. Instead of wrapping myself around him, my hands found their way to the belt of my robe. I pulled it slowly undone while my lips swirled with Eddie's. He feverishly explored my body with his hands, eagerly ready for me to take off what was separating him from my skin.

I stepped back for a moment as Eddie slid the robe down from my shoulders and whipped it across the room. It crashed onto the desk, knocking off a few papers and the cups for the coffee maker, but all I could do was stand there and laugh.

Eddie's face went blank when he looked at me. I couldn't quite read his reaction but when he bit his lip and pulled me tightly into him, I knew I had made the right choice.

I'd put on my favorite set of blush-pink, vintage lingerie that I owned. It was something that I had splurged on it a while back and hadn't worn it for anyone, other than myself since I had bought it. I'd stared at myself in it before, while I'd had someone in the other room waiting for me, but nobody ever felt special enough to wear it in front of. Eddie was different. Eddie was everything I had been looking for.

"What? You don't like it? I can always change..." I teased as I ran my hands down his back, scratching lightly against his skin under his leather jacket and patch-covered jean vest.

"Don't you dare. I need you," was all he said as he guided me over to the bed and laid me down against the cool, smooth comforter.

I nestled into the soft, pillowy fabric as Eddie started kissing me all over my waiting body. I had never had someone be so in tune with my pleasure before. It was usually always about the other person, at least that had been my experience, especially with most guys. Eddie made me feel seen and beautiful and respected, no matter what we were doing.

Slight moans escaped my lips as my body exploded with anticipation. The pleasure of Eddie kissing and biting my eager figure was already unbearably intoxicating. I threw my head back and let him take me over.

"So, this is where the princess sits and thinks about me," Eddie purred as he made his way down my stomach, hovering over my center.

"Mhmm, it is," I said as I licked my lips and bit my bottom one.

"What do you do when you lay here with me on your mind?" Eddie asked devilishly as he slid my panties to the side and started running his cool fingers between my soaked folds.

"I would touch myself Eddie, but you've kept me trapped at your house since I met you," I answered as I watched him slide one of his fingers inside of me, his cold rings brushing against the edge of my center, and electrifying me.

"Hmm, that's not going to change any time soon," Eddie said as he pulled himself from me, took his shirt and jackets off, and stood at the edge of the bed. "Touch yourself now, for me."

My mouth hung open for a moment, just staring up at him, mesmerized by his delicious request, before I started slowly sliding my panties down my already quivering legs. I'd never done this in front of anyone but with the confident way Eddie had asked, I would never say no. My fingers found my sensitive bud with ease as I started to circle it, pleasuring myself in front of Eddie. I held his eye contact as he started to undo his belt slowly.

My breath hitched as I moved one finger down and slid it into my own center. The warmth and dripping pleasure from my core fueled me even more. I craved the way my body felt and loved ravishing myself like this. Eddie's eyes darkened as he watched me like he was doing everything in his power to control himself.

"Just like that sweetheart," Eddie encouraged sensually as he slid his jeans off and joined me back in bed, resting just at the edge, still enthralled with watching me.

He continued as he started to run his nails up and down my thick thighs, "you love touching yourself, don't you? So fucking dirty for me..."

I threw my head back and closed my eyes as I started reaching my climax. I knew that Eddie would lose himself if he watched me get there on my own and I wanted him to see me come undone on my own fingers, just for him.

"I'm so close baby, I-" I moaned as my body tensed and the heat grew in my center. "Please Eddie, I've been so good. Please, can I come?"

"Jesus, fuck," Eddie said as he pulled himself closer to me. "Let go for me, princess."

Eddie's words sent me over the edge. I tried to stay quiet but the loud moans left my lips without a second thought. I was lost in the pleasure and wanted to do well for Eddie. He stared at me, practically foaming at the mouth, as I rode my high out in front of him.

When my climax had subsided, I brought my fingers to my lips and licked the orgasm clean from my fingers. That was all Eddie could handle before he practically lunged at me, attacking me with kisses on my lips, face, and neck. I returned the favor, grasping at his hair, and crashing my lips with his. I could feel his hardness pressing against me and I wanted him, now.

I don't think I'll ever get used to how good he feels...

Eddie pulled back, only just for a moment, "think you can come again, sweetheart? I need to taste you. Been thinking about it all fucking day... I couldn't focus on anything else but you..."

"Yes, I know I can," I said as I leaned up to kiss Eddie once more before he dove between my thighs. "Please, Eds..."

His sure tongue was swirling on my center the moment I gave him my permission. I was so sensitive from my first orgasm and I knew it wouldn't take me long to get there again, especially with Eddie in charge this time.

"Oh my god, Eddie," I breathed as I rested back into the soft pillows. "You feel like fucking heaven."

I could feel Eddie's lips form a smile as continued going down on me. He held onto the side of my thigh with one hand as he slid two of his fingers inside me with the other. He started up a quick, rough rhythm that perfectly complimented the pressure of his tongue on my clit. I was so close again after only a couple minutes of bliss.

I could feel myself starting to clench in Eddie's hand and I called out for him, "oh, Eddie, please. Eddie, I'm so close."

"I can feel it, baby," Eddie said as he kept his motions steady in and out of me. "You're so beautiful, just like this. I need you to come for me."

My wave crashed again, this time even stronger than the first. I was a blubbering, moaning mess. I was gripping frantically at the bed as I writhed under Eddie's touch. His thick fingers were tuning the chords of my orgasm as he let me ride out my long, unwavering high.

Eddie kissed my center once before he pulled himself from me as I was busy catching my breath from the two intense orgasms. It was such a sweet gesture and I was quickly realizing how hard I was falling for him. I'd never had this kind of connection before and was unsure how to navigate all of this. What I did know, was that I wanted to see Eddie come again. I loved seeing him lose himself in front of me, because of me.

I sat up, catching my breath, as I leaned in close to Eddie, "your turn." 

I pulled him into a kiss and he moved us up to the top of the bed, not daring to break our embrace. He held the back of my head in his hands, twisting his fingers in my hair as we clung to each other. There was palpable electricity between us.

"I'm not sure how long I'll last after that, sweetheart," Eddie said as he clutched at his hardness through his black boxers. "I'd love to see your pretty mouth on me, though."

I slid down and rested between Eddie's legs. Carefully, I pulled down his boxers and tossed them behind me. I palmed his throbbing hardness and brought my lips to his tip. Already covered in pre-cum, I knew he wasn't going last long, just like he'd said. That didn't mean I was going to sacrifice any of his pleasure.

I swirled my lips and tongue around the top as I ran my hand up and down his long, thick shaft. A long, low moan slipped from Eddie's soft lips as he reached down to move the hair from my face.

"Need to see you taking all of me," Eddie said, his breathing becoming shallow as he beamed down at me.

I took his request and sunk myself down onto him, hallowing my cheeks around his cock as I worked my way from his tip to his base. I used my free hand to scratch him lightly down the sides of his thighs. He tended slightly at the touch but he moaned loudly in pleasure.

"Can I move in you?" Eddie asked as he tried desperately not to thrust his cock further down my throat. "God, you feel so fucking good, Violet."

I slowly lifted myself off of him, my mouth popping from the brief loss of him, as I kept a steady pace with my hand, "please, Eddie. I want all of it."

Eddie slowly rocked his hips, allowing me to easily take all of him, while he thrust himself slowly into my mouth. I knew that he was holding back because of how close he was, and not wanting to be too rough with me, but he didn't have to be. I loved pleasing him like this. He could do whatever he wanted to, as long as he just asked, which he always did.

While he slid himself further down my throat, I stared directly up at him, which I could tell was driving him wild. His movements became messier and messier until he let me take control again. I moved my hand back to his shaft while I kept a tight suction on him.

"So, so close baby," Eddie whimpered as he came undone under me. "Where can I-"

I didn't dare lift myself from him, instead took him all the way down to the base again and held myself there while my tongue explored his bulge, to show where him where to finish. This was the end of Eddie. He released himself down my throat as a moan ripped from him, sending chills all over my body. I would never get over making him feel this good.

Eddie frantically reached for me as I pulled myself from him, swallowing his warm finish. I wrapped myself around him, intertwining my legs with his, as he laid sweet kisses up my chest and neck, landing at my lips. I moved mine with his until we both needed to come up for air.

He held my face in his hands, kissed me once on the forehead, and pulled me tighter into him. Our bare chests were rising and falling in synchronized motions as we lay there, soaking each other in. We were both addicted to each other already.

"Can I stay the night with you?" Eddie asked as he ran his fingers down the side of my arm.

"You think I'd let you leave after that?" I replied as I nestled my head into his shoulder, drinking up every second of this.

"Mm, that's my girl," Eddie said as he leaned down to kiss my forehead again.

We lay together for a few minutes more, each of us just silently appreciating the other. When I was almost asleep, I forced myself to get up and put some pajamas on. My black cotton set would be fine enough for now, since it was already out and I didn't have any energy to look for anything else.

Eddie had worn me out but I wasn't complaining. I felt exhausted in the best way possible. I just needed to use the bathroom and brush my teeth before I crawled back into bed with him.

•••

Eddie was fast asleep when I was done getting ready for bed. I slipped under the covers with him, turned off the bedside lamp, and tucked myself in. I laid with my back to Eddie, snuggling up with my pillow to let him fully rest.

I hadn't ever stayed the night with someone like this, other than with Eddie. I didn't usually feel comfortable sharing a bed with another person, let alone someone I had just met. It felt beyond corny to think about but Eddie didn't feel like a stranger. He was like my missing piece I didn't even know I had lost. I drifted off to sleep feeling happy for the first time in forever. Everything just felt right.

•••

The shrill sound of my alarm woke me up before I had gotten nearly enough sleep. I shot up and tried to turn it off before it woke Eddie, but I was too late. He rolled over and unplugged the clock from the wall before turning around and grabbing me around my waist.

Fuck... I never had a chance to reset my alarm...

"Mm, morning," Eddie grumbled as he snuggled his bushy head of hair against my chest.

"Good morning, Eds," I said softly as I held him close to me, running my fingers through his curls. "I need to get showered and ready for work."

"Not before I eat breakfast first," Eddie said as he moved the blanket off of me and moved down between my thighs, toying with the hem of my cotton pajamas.

He continued when I was too overcome with anticipation to speak, "is this okay, sweetheart? I understand if you don't have time but I can make this quick."

"Yes, please Eddie," I said as I started sliding down my bottoms.

Fuck... At least my alarm going off early was good for something... I can't think of a better way to spend my morning...

#writing #author #moonflowerwrites #wattpad #wattpad stories #fan fiction #stranger things story #stranger things fan fiction #stranger things #eddie munson fan fiction #eddie munson smut #Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson imagine #Eddie and Violet

[urfriendlyneighbornightfury]

PLEASE DON'T IGNORE ME!

Hello. I'm Esther and I'm sending this to you on behalf of my girlfriend(NiNi), who have been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

She's been on chemo for weeks. But we need to raise money against her bone marrow transplant, The good thing is we found a match early, the bad thing is We currently are not financially capable to pay for it. Nini's condition is not so good  and we hope she gets better  and that's why I'm pleading for your support towards Nini's treatment. We'd appreciate your donation if you can, i've chosen a platform which accepts as low as $1, this shows how urgent and desperate we her to continue her treatments. On my pinned post is her story, latest update on her treatment and link to donate. Kindly spare some bucks if you can. I'd also appreciate your reblog to reach larger audience. If you're LGBTQ+ please tag any fellow LGBTQ person/community, who you think might help one of their own. Sorry if you're not, I strongly believe in the love and support from the community and everyone at large. Dont forget to signal boost please, don't air me please.

Thank you.

Hello! Apologies for the late response, I had a few family issues to resolve first, but I will boost this as best I can.

While I cannot donate (I have no means to do so, nor the money) I can attempt to help in any way I can.

As a person who had gone through a Bone Marrow Transplant themselves and survived (though mine was an autoimmune blood disease, Aplastic Anemia, which is a "cousin" to Leukemia), I can be someone to talk to, should the need arise. (I should note that I live in Germany, within the Paris timezone, so that the time difference can be taken into account) I also recommend the website Caring Bridge. My mom used it to post updates about my health and well being when I got my transplant eleven years ago, so that family and friends could know how I was doing, not just in the States (while I lived there. Most of my family is in Germany). So you can keep your loved ones up to date with Nini's health (or she can, if she has the energy to). Plus, you can connect with other patients undergoing the same thing.

Tagging as many people as possible (mutuals, followers, even those I follow): @shadows-fan-space @caddy-crystal-queen @just-some-girl-92 @a-dorin @blackkatmagic @emperor-palpaminty @exceptionally-minded @general-kalani @happytroopers @halzore @haloangel391 @igotanaddixon @icaruspendragon @kingoffantasy516 @lilhawkeye3 @a-lil-perspective @nahoney22 @neon-junkie @ollovaemisc @rowansparrow @starryfictionalgirl @vinciwolf @voidika @wille-zarr @superiorsniper @tbbs-best-hair @zinzinina @fandom-blackhole @lula-and-the-cavalry @the-echo-in-the-room @zoeykallus @moonstrider9904 @its-capt-traitor-to-you @same-heart-same-blood @badbatchsmolbean @tech-deck @tchatso @tinywitchgoblin @ohhhbuthoney @dragon-pups @anstarwar @agent-catfish-kenobi @drabbles-n-doodles @historicallydysfunctional @comm-caribou @pandalover19 @monako-jinn-stories @dexara

If any of you can donate or spread the word, please do. This one in particular sits close to me as a former BMT patient. I wish you all the best, Esther, and hope Nini makes a swift recovery, and that she stays healthy! Strong hopes for no GvHD!

#bone marrow transplant #lgbtq+ #lets help these two lovelies #queer community #spreading the word #signal boost

[thechroniclesofnikevictoria]

Present. Chapter 3 – Beginning of June 2021 

“Then we are officially Best Fuck Friends!”  

“If this is the case I want an official update of my title” 

(TW: NSFW, smut, OC, MiloxOC, reference to MiloxCamus, HET couple, reference to HOMO couple, D/s, Dom!Milo, Scarlett Needle/Cuspide Scarlatta with creative uses)

Time passed after their last battle in Asgard. Everyone had come back to life, thanks to Lyfia and her intercession to Odin and the Gods seemed to have found their own sort of balance, and everything had gone back to some sort of normality. And actually, since Nike had become acting Hight Priest, she had been leaving way more freedom to the Knights, including letting those who could use their special lightspeed way of moving around for personal purpose. Taking time off and seeing family any chance they got were on top of the list. As long of course as their Sanctuary duties were not being left behind. In peaceful time, the most important for the Gold Knights was instructing all those in the world that manifested Cosmo, made the choice of following Athena and happened to belong to their sign. The kind of thing Milo detested to a point. 

He had just headed back to the Eighth House, quite frustrated from the training session he had just finished, when he remembered Camus was away that night. He decided to get a hold of Nike with Cosmo. 

‘Can you do me a favor? Can you put a word in for me with Aphrodite, the goddess, not your neighbor, and ask her if she can please stop making so many people be born under my sign?’ 

‘I don’t think it’s her doing, rather consumerism. If you do the math, nine months before Scorpio season we’re right around Valentine’s Day’ 

‘If this is the case, I really need to start drinking heavily’ 

‘Then come over here, got a Sbagliato with your name on it. I even brought dinner straight from Quadrilatero, I was about to call you myself’ 

‘Let me get rid of this hardware, quick shower and I'm on my way’ 

‘Yeah, move your gorgeous ass, I already popped the Prosecco’ 

Not even twenty minutes later he was knocking at her door, with a huge portion of those Greek fries she adored and that he had just grabbed from her favorite place downtown Rodorio. 

“Perfect timing” she said on the threshold handing him a glass full to the rim. Milo took a long sip and sat down on the couch adding his food to the delicious spread already in front of him. 

“Aren’t your parents away this month? What did you go to Milan for?” 

“Shopping of course! I don’t want my Black Amex to feel neglected. I got something for you and the popsicle as well” she said pointing at two bags, one from Prada and one from Armani. Milo peeked inside and saw the two most beautiful shirts he had ever seen.  

“Bright turquoise and fire red for your Bright Spring, aqua and ivory for Camus's Light Spring” 

“You shouldn’t have. Thank you. Now I have to find someone to help me think how to wear them” 

“Yeah, right. Mr. Metrosexual has trouble matching shirts now. Oh and please let me know how mad Camus gets when he figures out the brands. He's so Parisian he hates Italian fashion. I had even considered getting him a Milan’s jersey with Zlatan’s name, but then I decided I don’t really care for finding out if I can survive an Aurora Execution without my armor on” 

“Who’s jersey?” 

“Ibrahimovich” Nike sighed rolling her eyes. How could spend so much time with Camus and still understand nothing of soccer? 

“And what did you buy for yourself?” 

“Do you want the full runway?” 

“Why not?” 

Nike humored him. With a sip of Negroni Sbagliato and a bite of food here and there she modelled all the many outfits she had bought that afternoon, taking notes of all the comments her friend had to offer. He was objectively talented in the style department. 

The last outfit was a new black silk La Perla slip that would have joined the other dozen she used as house clothes, and a pair of Louboutin Bianca 140 Nude stilettos. 

“How do you even walk in those? They make you almost as tall as me” 

“Fourteen centimeters, one ninety-two. They make me exactly as tall as you. I studied ballet for years anyways, these are nothing compared to pointe shoes” 

“You are kinda the cheater on your homeland economy though with those French shoes” 

“I’m not a Nazi like Camus! I have a closet full of Chanel and Dior. Back home in Milan I even have a room with floor to ceiling walls of Birkins and Kellys” she explained, finally sitting down next to Milo, finishing her second Sbagliato and enjoying the Greek fries with feta he had brought. 

Since Camus and everybody else had come back to life Nike thought it was going to be all for that unusual emotional adventure she had shared with Milo from the attack to the Twelve Houses to the war with Hades and their adventure in Asgard. On top of that, she had made a point with herself not to sleep with her friends ever again. Besides, the Sanctuary’s perfect couple had returned as in love as ever, everybody could still remember the moment of their reconciliation. She was not jealous, quite the opposite, she was extremely happy for them and she was glad she could have helped Milo when he most needed to come to terms with his pain. When she needed to come to terms with her own pain, even if he didn’t know that. This is why she was in shock a moment later when Milo decided to kiss her. 

She pulled back abruptly. 

“What’s up?” he asked still on her lips. 

“Camus! Camus is up!” 

“It’s different with him” 

“I don’t want to be the other woman” 

“You aren’t. The relationship we have is not monogamous. Camus is... love but it’s almost platonic what we have, you are my best friend that I occasionally go to bed with in order to satisfy my... non Vanilla desires” 

“So he knows?” 

“He knows that sometimes I take my desires... elsewhere. He does the same and we are both ok with it” Milo picking up the kiss and sliding his hand under the hem of her silky skirt. 

“If you don’t want just tell me though” 

‘If you two are ok with it...’ 

“You are the one who said...” she sut him up, finally responding to his kiss. 

“Make me come, Scorpio, and give me some of your venom” 

Just like an old habit they picked up when they had started fucking after the death of their friends, Milo picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. She tried to take off her shoes, but he ordered her to keep them on. Of the two, she was the one with authority over the other, but, ironically, during sex she loved being commanded and being told exatly what to do by him. 

Milo saw a full figure mirror in a corner of the room. 

“How long has that been here?” 

“Years, I think it’s Saga’s” 

“Why don’t we use it then?” he said putting her down right in front of it. 

“I think I'm wearing too many clothes” he stated taking off his tee shirt and jeans, remaining in his tight underwear that accentuated his growing excitation. She looked at him with a sigh. Gods, he was gorgeous. His face, his toned and defined muscles, the bulging veins on his arms, the proportions of his body. His V shape. His package. It all seemed too perfect to be human. Nike wondered if Athena had purposely chosen her Knights based on their beauty and attractiveness.  

“Why don’t you kneel for me this time” he ordered. She obeyed without breaking the eye contact, but running her hands on his extraordinary muscular body. When she made it all the way down it was pretty obvious for her what to do next, considering he had started moving her hair off her face and collecting them in a ponytail behind her head. Still keeping eye contact, Nike lowered his boxers down to his ankles and started licking the tip of his hard cock. After a while he invited her to take it all in her mouth slightly pushing with his hands on the back of her head. She didn’t hesitate and started moving up and down following a rhythm, reaching deeper and deeper every time. He was observing the scene through the mirror, getting even more turned on by the show. It was most certainly not the first time, but he still had trouble believing that reality. The goddess of victory, quite literally the most beautiful, sexy and desirable, not to mention lethal, woman in the entire world was kneeling before him with his cock in her mouth. She heard him declare his upcoming orgasm and she held her breath in anticipation. She swallowed down to the last drop while he stared from above and through the mirror, turning himself on all over again like he didn’t just come. He made her stand up, picked her up again and gently deposited her on the bed, taking off her sikl slip but not her shoes. 

“That red stiletto... reminds me of my Needle” he said sticking his tongue in her throat, grabbing her breasts and lying down on top of her, slipping inside her harder than before. 

“You are so tight and wet. I love it” 

As usual, she was a pleasure machine. Hers, but also the pleasure of the lucky man, Milo in this case, she bestowed the privilege of her body to. On the threshold of their shared ultimate pleasure Milo prepared himself. He gently grabbed her neck to cut off her breathing. She opened her eyes. 

“Trust me. When I tell you, take a deep breath” 

He gave her two more deep thrusts, really bringing her to the brink; he moved his right hand to her chest and rose his Cosmo to charge his Needle. 

“Now Μωρό. Breathe” he said, letting go his hold on her neck. She obeyed. In that very moment he gave her the very last thrust she needed to come, and at the same time 

“Scarlett Needle” he hit her with two stars. 

As predicted, she lost her mind. Her nervous system, attacked by the venom, amplified her already intense orgasm beyond any imaginable limit. Seeing her, feeling her was too much for Milo and he finally let go to the strongest wave of pleasure he had ever felt, a pleasure that made him lose his consciousness too for almost a minute. 

When Nike woke up Milo was lying down beside her on his side. He caressed her cheek and kissed her softly.  

“How was it?” 

“Do you really have to ask?” 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant the Needle” 

“Even better than I remembered. Thank you” 

“I was quite scared to be honest. The other time, forgive me, we had nothing to lose. Now we have everything” 

“It’s not the first time you hit me. On your best days you made it to eight if I'm not wrong” 

“My record with you is eleven in God mode. But in training it’s different. You have you Cosmo active and your guard high. But looks like you handle it pretty well even with your shields down” 

“And do you still like it?” 

“You have no idea.it drives me out of my mind. To see you and to feel you when you come like that... I'm getting hard again just thinking about it” 

“Keep some for Camus” 

“No come on, it’s different with him” 

Then he panicked. 

“Oh gods, what would he think of me?” 

“Oh come on, I was kidding” 

“No but seriously. Should I be worried?” 

“For what?” 

“Oh I don’t know. My best friend, who independently is also my Goddess, and by definition the most beautiful woman on the planet, bestows me the privilege of having sex with her. And what do I do? I give her my venom” 

“Please, don’t be so hard on yourself. It's in your Scorpio nature to be a little on the sadistic side. Otherwise how do you explain the fact that all our friends’ attacks, and mine, consist in one single blow while yours requires fifteen excruciatingly painful hits?” 

He looked into her eyes. 

“You do know that I would never seriously hurt you, right? Besides the vow I took to protect you because you are my goddess...” 

“Athena is your goddess, and mine” she interrupted. 

“You are a very close second. Anyways, even if we weren’t stuck with this life, if I had met you I don’t know in university, remember for you I would die and kill” 

That statement that had just slipped his mouth shocked him. He hadn’t realized that maybe, beside attraction, he could feel something for her. Something beyond their friendship. He hoped she hadn’t heard him, or that she wouldn’t care too much. 

“Milo, just accept this side of you. Don't be dramatic. I for one absolutely love it. I know you would never hurt me for real” 

He smiled in relief. He wasn’t ready to face his feelings, not in that moment. 

“Why were you playing hard to get?” 

“Come on I told you why” 

“Yeah, yeah, Camus and that tale you tell yourself you don’t sleep with your friends. You were the first one not believing your own words out of your mouth” 

“See, the problem is when the friends I fuck end up falling for me. I already lost one this way...” 

Milo swallowed, thinking back to what he had said and thought just a minute earlier. No, no way, tho chance. It had to be the afterglow speaking. And losing her? Losing her frienship? No, he was not going to let it happen, at whatever cost. 

“Anyway, thanks for not giving up. I was this close to turning into a virgin again” Nike brought him back. 

“Wait, how long had you not...” 

“You’ve been the last one in here. Do the math” 

The night before hell. 

“Come to think of it you’ve been my last woman too, you ruined me for all others! But it seems hard for me to believe that someone like you could have a hard time finding people to fuck. The word gets out and we get a line out the door” 

“Do I look like the kind of person that goes out to pick up guys for a one night stand? Never been my style. With everything I have to handle now I wouldn’t even have the time for that. And besides my beauty and performance standards are sky-high. My only option is fucking one of you guys but like I said the friendship is ruined if we don’t pay attention. Speaking of which, you and I are still best friends right?” 

“Μωρό I'm a Scorpio. Sex for me is like breathing. And with the history we share, being afraid of ruining a friendship like ours with sex is like being afraid of ruining fries by sprinkling feta on them” 

“So you don’t mind if we keep this thing on between us?” 

He smiled. 

“If I have to choose who to take advantage of my agreement with Camus with, I couldn’t pick anyone better. Otherwise what’s the point for a girl of having a male best friend?” 

“Then we are officially Best Fuck Friends!”    

“If this is the case I want an official update of my title. Milo Nomikos, Gold Knight of Scorpio, official Best Fuck Friend of Nike Martinelli of Winged Victory. I think I'm going to have business cards made” 

Nike hit him with a pillow and bursted into laughter almost to tears while he was saying all that. She had missed spending time like that with him. And that he was no longer depressed nor mad at the entire world it was going to be great. Even better that it was when they had met as kids. 

“What do you say, shall we finish the food?” he asked as soon as they stopped laughing.  

They teleported the food to the bed and enjoyed it all like they had done many, many times and they would have kept doing forever, laughing, joking, talking, confessing, until they fell asleep. 

Finally, after years of suffering and sacrifice, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.  

#saint seiya #cavalieri dello zodiaco #knights of the zodiac #scorpio no milo #scorpio milo #milo dello scorpione #original writing #Scrittura originale #original content #original character #nike victoria #vittoria alata #cuspide scarlatta #scarlett needle #cosmo #creative use of powers #camus x milo #milo x camus #saintseiya #oc #cavalieri d'oro #gold saints #nsfwwarning #nsfwcommunity #nsfwconcept #nsfwcontent #d/s couple #d/s stuff

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Brilliant Plan [Anthony Bridgerton x Reader]

Title: Brilliant plan Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton x Female!Reader Word count: 3.3k Published: 10 February, 2021 Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore Notes: My first ever Bridgerton fic, please don’t be too hard on me :) Summary: Even as a new debutante you have your eyes on the eldest Bridgerton, Anthony and it seems he is just as interested in you. That is until he halts your relationship in the courting period, leaving you confused.

Bridgerton Masterlist | Masterlists

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You stood in front of the enormous, wooden doors leading you to the unknown. As one of the new debutantes of the season, you felt slightly pressured and nervous. It’s been an endless waiting game, or so it felt like one, but now that you stood in front of the entrance of your future, every little problem you ever had felt mediocre.

Taking a couple of deep breaths seemed to calm your nerves, but as soon as your mother placed her hand on your shoulder, all your worries came back at once. The event has been one that you have been waiting for eagerly, you were happy to be a part of such an elite society, but no one prepared you for the mental battle you were going to be having deep inside you.

“Shall we wait and take a seat, dear?” your mother interrupted your chaotic thoughts, gesturing towards a golden bench outside of the ballroom. A voice within you screamed for those additional seconds away from your grand entrance, but instead you shook your head.

“No, mama, let’s head inside,” a small, phoney smile spread across your face. Your mother nodded in agreement and gently nudged your back as if wanting to help you to take the first step.

As the gigantic doors opened, your gaze fell on the sea of people dancing in the middle of the room, each wearing their finest attires of the most expensive materials with the shiniest jewelleries. You felt slightly out of place even though you were just as stunning as anyone in the room.

First step, second step, it took a couple of them to finally make yourself present and when you finally felt more comfortable walking into the room, you felt as if hundreds of eyes watched every step of yours, making you feel self-conscious once again. It was scary to feel all those eager eyes on you, but after an inner monologue, you finally lifted your head high, straightened your back and forced a small smile across your face.

As you looked around you recognised quite a few people, for instance the Bridgerton sisters, Daphne and Eloise who were although younger than you, had found a dear friend in you, someone they could turn to if needed. Gazing around the room you found the Featherington sisters who you only knew through the annual dinners your family organised.

You were older than the usual debutantes as your mother wanted you to be highly educated before marrying you off. Although you couldn’t wait to be a part of these high society gatherings, you understood that your mother didn’t want you to marry just anyone.

Finally, the curious gazes felt less intimidating and as Daphne walked up to you, you greeted each other with a smile. “I thought you’d never join us,” she joked with you, but you just shook your head with the least lady-like laughter.

“I couldn’t have deprived you from my company. I’m delightful,” you chuckled at your own joke. Your mother placed her hand on your shoulder excusing herself as she headed off to the opposite direction.

“Are you excited?” Daphne asked with an innocent, but enthusiastic smile painted across her face.

“I have been waiting for it for quite a while. Of course, I’m excited,” you replied giggling.

“Shall we find you a husband then?” she chuckled joyfully. You cleared your throat, feeling slightly awkward, but Daphne wasn’t silly nor was she naïve. She immediately understood that her question made you feel slightly uncomfortable. “Do you not want to?”

“Daph, I really wanted to be a part of these gorgeous balls and chatting away with people throughout the evening, however I can’t picture myself getting married just yet,” you offered her a pleading look, hoping she would understand you.

Of course, it was a dream of yours to finally start attending these balls, but there was a reason or two for your hesitancy. You didn’t feel ready to marry anyone, especially not if you didn’t love your significant other, on the other hand, you already had your eyes on someone. Someone who was closer to Daphne than she could ever imagine.

“Sister, I have been looking for you,” his voice made you shiver, tiny goosebumps revealing themselves on the surface of your skin. His slightly messy brown hair and curious brown eyes wandered up and down on you, studying every inch of your body shamelessly as he joined beside Daphne, making you feel flustered under his intense gaze. “I don’t think we have met before,” he spoke to you finally, for the first time ever, reaching for your hand to leave a soft kiss on your silky gloves as you formally introduce yourself. “What a beautiful name,” he smiled confidently, a trait that seemed to radiate through his whole presence, almost knocking you over.

“Interestingly we have met before,” you added, trying to avert the subject, before you felt overwhelmed by a simple compliment to your name, which your parents decided on and basically had nothing to do with you. “But then you always seem busy when I visit,” the confusion across his face was evident, trying to organise the little pieces of the puzzle he seemed to be missing.

“My apologise, I don’t seem to remember and I’m sure I would have remembered such a pretty sight” he shook his head with a smile that sent your heart into overdrive. His words made you feel 20 pounds lighter, but instead of letting the compliment get to you, offering him a small smile, you continued the conversation confidently.

“Don’t you worry about it.I usually only catch a glimpse of you as I pass through the hall,” you lied. In reality you caught yourself not once staring at the man as he worked in his office and your steps halted just in the right spot to take a moment to admire his handsome features.

“I’m certainly glad to have officially met you,” he replied with a proud smirk across his face, leaving you gazing at him for a moment longer than it was deemed appropriate. The moment was quickly interrupted by Daphne who seemed to feel slightly out of place, but before she could have said anything, Benedict joined your circle, quickly dragging Anthony away who endlessly apologised, before following his brother.

“Hmm,” you heard Daphne, slightly lost in her thoughts. “And so, she said no to marriage,” she stated with a wicked smile.

“Whatever do you mean?” you asked furrowing in confusion.

“I might be younger, but I’m not an idiot. I saw the way you looked at my dear brother,” she watched you eagerly with a sceptical gaze.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” you replied casually, trying to disguise your embarrassment, which only confirmed Daphne’s suspicion.

“If that makes you feel better, I would gladly be your sister-in-law,” she chuckled loudly at the astonished expression on your face.

“Daphne!” you tried to scold her, but deep down you were imagining a future with the eldest Bridgerton, shamelessly planning each and every single detail of your shared life.

Throughout the evening you have caught Anthony’s eyes on you not once, shamelessly watching you as you danced with the most eligible men of the evening. You wished he was to ask you to dance with him, but he never attempted. He forgot his eyes on you at all times, making you feel as if you were a unique jewellery, one that everyone admired, but when it came to actions, he has taken none.

You walked out to the terrace with a glass of champagne in hand, watching the dark blue, night sky covered in a sea of stars. It was a beautiful evening, although slightly colder than you initially expected. Gently rubbing your skin, you tried to get rid of the small goosebumps that started spreading all over your body. You knew it would have been smarter to go back inside, but it was a slightly suffocating feeling, smiling at everyone, dancing with every other person. Whilst you enjoyed it, it was certainly exhausting.

Feeling two cold hands on each side of your arms, you jumped in the least lady-like manner, before they were replaced by a warm material. “You scared me,” you breathed, holding your hand in front of your chest, before you pulled the two sides of Anthony’s tuxedo coat together, enjoying the warmness engulfing you. “Thank you, you shouldn’t have-,” however before you could have finished your sentence, he interrupted you.

“I still don’t understand how I didn’t see you,” he spoke as he leaned against the terrace fence, gazing up at the sky. The confusion across his face earned a small smile from you as you placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Sometimes you don’t see what’s right in front of you,” you replied as he turned around, watching your hand rest on his shoulder, before you quickly removed it, hoping he didn’t think you meant to be disrespectful. However, the playful grin playing in the corner of his lips reassured you, making you smile just as well.

From that night there wasn’t a day you didn’t meet in his house or he didn’t come over to yours with an excuse, even though he needed none, your mother was delighted to see the Viscount in her house. Although he didn’t make it official that he was courting you, it was a known fact. He had his eyes on you and he made sure everyone knew of his unspoken intentions.

But Anthony was also a man of freedom. He had to take over the Bridgerton household, he had no place to object, but the freedom he practiced in his personal life was a necessity. You thought your relationship was going in the right direction as he courted you and you accepted his advances. However, after months he seemed as if he still had no intention of proposing to you, whilst he still kept other men as far away as he could from you.

You were tired of waiting. You didn’t want to marry just yet, but you have been waiting for his proposal for the longest of time and his indecisive manners made you doubt his intentions. Of course, you voiced your concerns to Daphne, who concocted a brilliant plan to make his brother jealous. Or so you thought it was brilliant.

As the next ball came and you walked inside the room with an innocent smile, dressed as beautifully as never before, many men gazed at your beauty, lips parting in astonishment. Surely, you enjoyed the attention, especially the one whose eyes seemed to burn holes into your body. But you didn’t look at him. You decided that if he couldn’t take your relationship a step further, then you would pay no attention to him.

“Miss, would you like to dance?” you heard from behind you as Benedict appeared in your vision with a mischievous smile. Although you were aware of Daphne’s plan, she was very secretive about the details.

“Daphne, isn’t it?” you asked, chuckling.

“Let’s just say I had no objection as soon as I heard that there was a way to irritate my brother,” he smirked proudly.

“Is this some twisted way to show your love towards your brother?” you asked, giggling as you felt Anthony’s eager eyes on you.

“I just enjoy seeing him sulking,” he shrugged carelessly.

“I take no responsibilities for any consequences,” you pointed your index finger at him with a mocking seriousness.

“Don’t you worry, miss,” he chuckled as he took your hand in his and led you to the dance floor. Eager eyes watched the pair of you, amazed by the bravery Benedict showed, even though everyone was aware of Anthony’s interest in you.

“If eyes could kill, I would drop dead at this moment,” he laughed, taking a peek at his brother as he led you around the circle, the quartet playing a rather slow song.

“I certainly feel daggers piercing through my back,” you snickered at the absurd situation.

“My brother means well, he is just an idiot,” he added.

“I wish I could object. I mean against the idiocy, of course,” you replied casually earning a heartfelt laughter from Benedict.

“Surely, he will open his eyes now,” he tried to reassure you which earned a sceptical look from you.

“I thought we had just established that he was an idiot,” you raised a questioning brow.

“I certainly think they are mutually inclusive,” he scoffed, earning an eye roll from you.

As the song stopped, Anthony walked up to you with a stern look and serious expression painted across his face, holding his hand out to you. You raised a questioning brow, before you placed your hand in his, letting him take you into the sea of people.

“What was that all about?” he asked as he pulled your body flash against him, his chest pressing against yours. Your breath hitched at the sudden closeness, his proximity clouding your mind. You could feel your body move to the rhythm of the music, but it didn’t register in your head.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you breathed, completely engulfed in his scent.

“Why were you dancing with my brother?” he asked in a stern voice, pulling you out of the mist covering your mind. You certainly didn’t like his tone, nor did you like the way he looked at you.

“Why wouldn’t I? You never ask me to dance with you nor am I engaged to you. I can dance whomever I would like to,” you replied with a straight face, hiding all your emotions.

“You know how important you are to me. Don’t play such games with my brother,” he hissed in frustration.

“Would you like me to play it with someone else?” you asked, feeling as if you were playing with fire, waiting for the moment he’d had enough.

“You very well know that’s not what I meant. You know of my feelings for you,” he groaned in anger, feeling useless, unable to find how to solve this problem.

“Do I? Have you ever expressed them clearly? As far as I know, we are just a man and woman in a close friendship,” you shrugged as the song finished and tried to pull away from him. However, he didn’t let you.

“There is no friendship between women and men,” he replied, clearly dissatisfied with your answer.

“We are acquaintances then,” you scoffed as you removed his hand from your waist and turned around, walking away from him. It felt as if your lungs were about to explode, as if you couldn’t breathe. The fact that he dared to say he had feelings for you when he clearly chose his freedom over you made you feel more upset than you wished to be.

“Where are you going?” you heard his voice as you headed towards the exit, trying to get some air into your lungs. “Where the hell are you going?” he tried again, his tone more frustrated this time.

“None of your business, Bridgerton,” you hissed in anger.

“B-Bridgerton?” he questioned, slightly stuttering, clearly astonished by your choice of name.

“That’s your name,” you replied with a groan as you headed down the stairs, grasping the side of your dress as the chilly weather hit your warm skin unexpectedly.

“Just stop for a second and let’s talk,” he attempted to catch your wrist, but you pulled it away just in time.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Bridgerton. You are the last person I want to see,” you scoffed.

“Surely, that’s not true,” he argued.

“You had months to talk to me, don’t come looking for me now,” you replied, but before you could have comprehended what was happening, Anthony got hold of your wrist and dragged you behind the building, away from the praying eyes, closing your escape route with his palms against the wall on each side of yours.

None of you spoke up, both of you studied one another as if waiting for what the other would say. You had the time to admire his handsome features, his messy hair that resembled more of a bird's nest as the wind blew it in all kinds of directions in his hurried steps.

“Why did you do this?” he asked, his tone finally calm and collected.

“I wanted to see your reaction,” you confessed, not even feeling guilty.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he frowned at your words.

“I thought there was something between you and me. I thought it was more than a friendship. I honestly believed you felt more. But you never attempted to talk about the future, you never wanted to discuss marriage, you never even mentioned wanting a family. I was certain that you would never look at me as a lady. I would always just be a friend,” you scoffed with a small, pained smile in the corner of your lips.

“What are you talking about?” his confusion sat clearly across his face. “I always tell you how madly I miss you when I can’t be around you. I keep saying how I wish to be near you more often. I couldn’t be clearer about my intentions,”

“You see, it’s still not clear to me. What are your intentions exactly?” you asked, cruelly ignoring his previous words.

“Surely, you understand,” he scoffed in disbelief.

“No, I don’t,” you replied, shaking your head.

“I- I just,” the stuttering mess he has become gave you the answer to your questions.

“You see, Bridgerton, you can’t even get yourself to say it,” you heaved a deep sigh and pushed his arm away from the brick wall, heading back towards the entrance. However, before you could have taken another step, he caught your wrist and pulled you back against the wall, his body pressing against you, the cold bricks making you shiver. You could feel his breath on your lips, one of his hands on your waist. You have heard so much about that first kiss and even though you knew it was wrong, that it shouldn’t happen, you waited in utter anticipation.

Anthony tried to control himself, knowing how important you were to him, but the proximity between you clouded his mind as he abruptly closed the gap between you, attaching his lips to yours, hungrily exploring the new territory.

It was wrong, so wrong, but the moment was bittersweet. The kiss was sweet and passionate, one you couldn’t even imagine in your wildest of dreams and you couldn’t even care about the consequences if anyone saw you.

The shock across his face as pulled away from you scared you for a mere second. “I sincerely apologise, I have no idea what came over me,” he tried to take a step back, but you got hold of his arm.

“Why did you kiss me?” you asked, still under the influence of his actions.

“Because I love you. Because I wish to marry you. I want you to be my wife,” he breathed in a sudden confidence. You gently slapped your hands against your lips, his words surprising you, making you feel as if it was a dream.

A small smile spread across your face. “You do?” you asked, uncertainty lacing your voice.

“I would like nothing more,” he rushed to add.

“Is that a proposal?” you asked, chuckling, but what came next was something you didn’t expect.

He dropped down on one knee, pulling a tiny, blue box out of his pocket, opening the lid as he looked up at you, admiring your astonished expression. “Would you do me the honour of marrying me?” he asked, his eyes full of hope.

“Yes, yes, yes,” you shouted excitedly, jumping in his neck, engulfing him in a hug, his broad shoulders barely fitting your embrace.

“Thank you,” he chuckled happily as he placed the ring on your finger, not expecting the quick peck you placed on his lips in the process. He stood up, wrapping his arms around your waist, before he lifted you up from the ground and spun you around with a happy laughter.

Notes: If you enjoyed reading this little piece, please don’t forget to leave a like, comment and/or reblog. Your opinion matters and gives us motivation. Thank you ^^

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it’s completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3

I’m tagging some people who showed interest. If you would like to be added to the tag list, please let me know :)

@pregnant-piggy​ @theravenclawgal​ @shelby-love​ 

#Anthony Bridgerton #Anthony Bridgerton x Reader #Anthony Bridgerton x reader fanfiction #Anthony Bridgerton x Reader oneshot #Anthony Bridgerton x reader imagine #Bridgerton x Reader #Bridgerton oneshot #Bridgerton imagine #Bridgerton fanfiction #Benedict Bridgerton #Eloise Bridgerton #Daphne Bridgerton #Bridgerton

[anonquack]

| Chef Q |

Alex Quackity x Reader, Oneshot, Requested by: @anotherdreamsimp !!

Word Count: 3328

Warnings: Some curse words, mainly just some fluff !

Summary: Quackity hasn't been streaming recently, and decides to come back with a cooking stream. Featuring you as a special guest.

Lately, Quackity had been studying like crazy for his final exams. That meant no streaming. He'd take a break from it to focus entirely on his studies. Absolutely nothing else.

He claimed to have his priorities straight, and had the goal to pass all exams with high scores in order to keep his grades looking wonderful.

This also meant there was rarely any time spent between you two, beside the occasional snack breaks you forced him to take so he wouldn't die at his desk.

It was tough not being able to show him a random video you'd found on the timeline, or walking up to chat with him whenever you wanted, but you knew this was very important to him. So you gladly supported him and offered as much support as possible.

Thankfully, all of his studying paid off and he passed with flying colors. A teacher had even informed him that he'd received the top score for one of his final exams.

You were the first person to hear the news, and you couldn't help but feel the adoration coursing through your body at how excited he was to tell you. Jumping up and down and shaking you lightly as he told you about his scores.

You'd offered to take him out for a celebratory meal, to treat him for all his hard work and also since you missed the fun outings with him. There was no way he was saying no to that.

—

After a day out and about, you two had made your way back home. Both of you were pleasantly full, having enjoyed the meal and also dessert. His request, for "doing so well on his finals." How could you possibly deny him that?

You both were also very content, a warmth and comfort surrounding the air around you two the entirety of the outing.

One thing that was impossible not to notice was how he'd become exceptionally clingy as soon as you two were out of the car. Gripping onto your hand tightly as you singlehandedly unlocked the front door.

"I've missed you so much these past few days." He murmered as you finally got the door to open and pulled him inside.

"I've missed you too." You hummed softly. It was always nice hearing him say these things. You locked the front door, and gently pulled at his hand to lead him back to your room.

It didn't take much of a pull for him to willingly follow you. "Can we cuddle or something?" He asked softly, almost as if he was a bit embarrassed to ask. You turned to him and gave him a grin, along with a small nod.

You'd missed him, even if you two had been in the same apartment this whole time. You'd especially been missing cuddles with him, considering he studied pretty much all day. There wasn't enough time being shared together so you gladly agreed to some cuddling.

Sooner than later, you two found yourselves in your pajamas, laying in bed peacefully as you scrolled through tiktok, screen tilted in order for him to see as well. It really was so nice finally being able to be this close to him again.

After some time, you found yourself looking through tweets on the timeline. A certain one caught his attention and he asked you to stop scrolling.

It was a tweet from a fan, saying they missed Quackity since he hadn't streamed in two weeks, but that overall they hoped his tests were going fine.

"Has it really been 2 weeks?" He asked aloud as he clicked on it and looked through the replies, all agreeing with the original tweet.

"Mm.. two and a half, I think." You answered, looking at him curiously as a guilty expression appeared on his face.

"Hey." You called out once you saw the expression wasn't leaving. He turned to you with a small frown.

"It's fine. You had a good reason for being gone so long. I'm sure they understand. Plus, you'll be back soon, right?" You asked, to which he nodded before sitting up from the cuddling position you two were in.

You sat up as well, noticing how his eyes widened slightly, and a small smile made its way onto his face.

"I just got a great idea." He exclaimed. "Y'know, I was going to just spend the next few days with you since I missed you but– how about we stream something together? That way I can enjoy both, and the fans get a stream too."

You stared at him in surprise. The fans did know he was dating someone, but you rarely ever came out on streams, not because he didn't want you to but because you didn't deem it to be necessary.

The few times you had been on, you'd received tons of love and support from the chat, so you didn't think anything too bad would happen if you were to appear on his stream again.

"What did you have in mind?" You asked curiously. The other times you'd been on were him playing horror games and an extremely scuffed IRL stream.

"Well.. I haven't done a cooking stream in a while." He began, but you quickly shook your head.

"Oh no. Don't tell me you're going to make us eat some monstrosity‐ like your past cooking streams." You visibly shuddered at the thought. You remember having to help clean up the mess after. And no matter how funny it had been, the actual cleanup was awful.

"No no– I was thinking maybe we do a serious one, y'know? Chat hasn't really been able to see my cooking abilities, and well.. I'd say I am pretty good at it." He grinned. He was unfortunately right.

You relaxed at the mention of it being a 'serious' cooking stream. It could never really be too serious when it came to Quackity, but it meant not eating dog food or poorly made pizza. You were in.

"So we'll make an actual.. edible.. meal?" You questioned again, just to be sure. To which he nodded.

"Yeah, and we can enjoy that meal after. Like a date. What do you say?" He was beaming. It was his creativity rolling in. And he was probably so proud of himself for finding a way to spend time with you yet also give chat the stream content they'd been missing out on.

"Alright. I'm in."

You hadn't seen him this eager to get out of bed and head to the grocery store ever before. Chat was really in for a fun stream tomorrow.

—

He'd tweeted it out several hours before you two planned on starting the stream that he'd be streaming today with a special guest, and that he had his chef hat ready to go.

As you scrolled through Twitter you could see the timeline freaking out over 'COOKING STREAM' and 'SPECIAL GUEST'. Lots of discussion over who it was.

You couldn't help but feel a bit bad since the fans were probably speculating that he'd met up with his online friends, but in reality it was just you. In that case, you'd try your best to make this a fun stream, and your presence an enjoyable one.

As the time for the stream to start got closer, you helped him set the ingredients you'd be using onto the table, in a way where it was in perfect view for the stream to see and follow along if they wished.

"We're supposed to start in 5." You called out as he slipped his beanie on, fixing the few hair strands that were sticking out a bit too much.

He smiled and made his way over to you, cupping your face and giving you a small kiss. "I'm so excited to do some cooking with you. They're all going to love you."

You couldn't help the warm feeling that spread over your chest at his words. It was like introducing you all over again. He'd recently gained a lot of new followers, and that meant they probably had no idea who you were. Always fun going through that again.

He dealt with some last minute editing and placing, checking all ingredients were there and that everything was set, before hitting the 'Go Live' button.

It didn't take long for the viewers to increase after the tweet notification went out, and the starting soon screen was the only thing really protecting you two from the roaring chat.

Everyone was dying to know what was going on, who the special guest was, and whether this would be yet another scuffed cooking stream.

You stood behind the camera as the starting soon screen finally disappeared and he began greeting the viewers, thanking all the subs coming in, and eventually also giving them a little update on how he'd done on his exams.

You felt so proud as you watched him boast about how his studying had paid off, and how he talked about being the happiest he'd been in a while. He deserved all of it. And chat thought so too.

After some rambling about his test scores and what they'd be cooking today, chat finally became too impatient and asked for a reveal of the special guest.

"Fine. Fine. Since you guys are so fucking impatient." He huffed, watching as chat flew by, telling him to 'get on with it' and to 'TELL US WHO IT IS'. You couldn't help but laugh at the relationship he had with his chat. Always bullying each other but usually knowing when to stop and send love.

"I've actually had them on multiple other streams, not so much recently.. but they've been on my horror streams.. some IRL streams.. and they are really really special to me, chat!" He said with a big smile. Some of chat was confused as to who he was referring to, while older fans began to question if it was YOU. They were very smart.

"Some of the viewers might not know of them, so this is like I'm introducing them to chat all over again! Come over here." He finally directed the last part at you. You couldn't help but feel the sudden spike in anxiety, but chose to ignore it as you smiled back at him and headed into the frame beside him.

With a small wave and a greeting, you watched as chat completely broke. A mess of question marks and your name being spread in chat. You couldn't help but laugh. It was an overwhelmingly positive reaction as Quackity explained to new viewers that you were his partner, and that older fans were already aware of this for a while now.

The amount of 'y/n our beloved' and people asking if quackity's partner was single were abundant in chat, and you couldn't help but feel stupid for thinking the newer viewers would hate you or something.

Having the approval of Quackity's chat also made you feel lighter, it made it easier to let go and just enjoy the cooking stream.

You two began to explain what you'd be cooking to chat, and you made it very clear that he actually had to try and cook this time, to which chat agreed wholeheartedly.

He'd taken a recipe from his mom for one of his favorite meals, one he hadn't had in a while. He explained to chat that he wanted to see how well you and him could recreate it until you two took a trip to visit his family.

"Hopefully we don't disappoint her too much." You mumbled as he placed the chef hat onto your head, fixing it so you looked presentable.

"She can't be because we're actually gonna try." He stated before beginning to explain to chat what the meal was since many of them might not have even heard of it before. As he did that, you began to set aside the ingredients you wouldn't be needing until later.

After everything had been explained, it was time to get cooking. His concentration to try and recreate his mom's recipe was adorable, and chat agreed on that too.

This stream wasn't loud and messy like the others, but it was still enjoyable in its own way. Quackity was radiating such wonderful light and energy, cracking jokes and genuinely enjoying himself. It was all thanks to the stress and worries being lifted off his back. You really enjoyed seeing him like this.

Chat was able to follow along later if they wanted with how organized you guys were being, but the banter he had with you and chat made it entertaining to any casual viewer. He always found a way to make it fun.

Not only that, but chat was able to see a new side of him. The Chef Q side. More often than not, a message would roll in saying they were amazed by how good Quackity actually was at cooking. You could already imagine some of the edits that'd come out of the stream.

His mom had told you two beforehand how long it would normally take to cook this meal, and it was perfect for a usual stream and some extras where you two would actually get to try the food.

There was moments where chat was warning you two that the food would burn or that he'd accidentally set the kitchen on fire, but overall you were enjoying yourself so much.

And chat was enjoying your presence too!

By the time you two managed to finish the meal, you both plopped down onto the chairs he'd set for the supposed 'breaks'.

He had some of the sauce on his cheek and his apron, but still managed to look good. He'd also smeared sauce onto your cheek, and at this point some strands were sticking out of your hat in such a messy way since the last few minutes had been rather hectic, food almost burning and all.

"Chat. We did it." He called out before cheering loudly and clapping his hands, to which you swiftly followed along, chat beginning to cheer as well.

"I think its only right that we try what we made, don't you think?" You ask, to which chat quickly types YES in all caps, wanting to see the finished product and also find out if it even tastes good.

Quackity let out a chuckle as he smiled over at you. "Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous. We haven't even seen it so it might just be black. Burnt to a crisp. Or what if it tastes like shit? Y/N i don't know what I'm going to do if the food tastes like shit. Thats what we're supposed to eat on our date." He whined a bit.

You shook your head, "It'll be great. And if not, we can just order takeout. It'll be fine big q." You smiled reassuringly. Chat became a frenzy of calling him cute for the state he was in, declaring their love for how supportive and kind you were, and melting over your relationship.

Before you knew it, you were both revealing the meal to chat, and pleasantly surprised by the results. The presentation of the meal itself looked really good. It looked like what you'd expect from such a plate. Quackity had even gone as far as saying it looked similar to how his mom made it.

You gasped, smiling in surprise at him. "Really? Did we really do that good of a job." His face turned into one of regret, and a long segment of silence engulfed you two before he nodded hesitantly. You both broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Okay okay, seriously. Chat's waiting for you to try it." You placed a fork in front of him, earning a loud scoff from him.

"They want to see you try it as well." He mirrored your actions and you gladly took the fork.

"Alright. First bite. Let's see if all our hard work paid off! Chat, are you ready?" You grinned and watched as the 'YES's started rolling in, some viewers telling you both to get the fuck on with it, and others gushing about how the food actually looked good. You could only hope.

You watched as he began to dig in, mouth full and chewing slowly, truly trying to savor the first bite. You did the same, and the stream was silent for the first time in a while. Chat was in suspense as well, question marks and incoherent rambling rolling through the chat.

"Chat..." he finally spoke after swallowing his bite. "Chat. It's." He paused before showing a small smile. "It's not bad at all. I like it. It's good."

You nodded your head in agreement, "It's nowhere near as good as the ones your mom makes.. but I think you and I make a pretty good team."

"I think so too. And not just for cooking." He grinned, earning himself a playful eye roll and shy smile from you.

The stream proceeded to you two feeding each other bites of the meal, asking each other if it was good, and just enjoying yourselves for a bit longer before Quackity deemed it was time to end.

"Chat !! Thank you so much for tuning in and watching this.. actually coordinated cooking stream. I had so much fun and well, I ate yummy food. I'm happy." He laughed, thanking a few more gifters before doing his signature Bye, and ending stream.

He hurried over to your side, pulling you into a hug. "Thank you so much. I truly had fun. And they definitely loved you, but not nearly as much as I do."

You chuckled at his words, giving him a small kiss before cupping his face. "I had a lot of fun too. Thank you for always being so nice to me." You paused, observing how cute he looked with his chef hat still on. "I think I like Chef Alex." You reached over and fixed his hat a bit.

"Yeah? Should I keep it on?" He teased, coming a bit closer. You couldn't help the warmth that spread over your cheeks at how blunt he was.

"Yes, but you need to help me clean this up. Maybe after we finish the food, hm? C'mon. Don't think I forgot our deal."

He whined, already feeling too lazy, but he quickly followed after you as you two sat down to actually eat. Still wearing the silly attire he'd bought for the stream, far too unbothered to change just yet.

Through a mouthful he asked, "Cuddles and a nap after we're done?"

You smiled and nodded, to which he gave a silent cheer. That was enough motivation to get you both up and cleaning after finishing the meal.

—

Wrapped in each other's arms again. He couldn't seem to get enough of it. You were once again scrolling through Twitter, this time scrolling through his indirects, wanting to see what people were saying about the stream.

He'd ask you to stop to read certain ones he found funny, and even 'aww'd at the ones he found cute, mainly those talking about how cute you two looked.

Surely enough, there was already edits using the clips of him cooking, and you'd openly admitted to him that he looked "so fucking good." To which he responded by cuddling closer, if even humanly possible.

Quackity found the numerous clips of you two feeding each other to be the best part of the tweets. You two rewatched, saved, liked as many as you could before he became tired.

And with that, he was pulling you close, and leaving small kisses anywhere he could on your face. Eventually, his chest slowly rose and fell as he entered a deep slumber. You smiled, glad to see he was finally getting the rest he deserved.

"Goodnight, Alex." You whispered, leaving a small kiss on his cheek before closing your eyes as well.

#alex quackity #quackity #quackity x you #quackity x reader #quackity x y/n #gender neutral reader #quackity brainrot #quackity scenario #streamer #quackity headcannons #quackity imagines #chef quackity #cooking stream #quackity fluff #quackity my beloved #revealing lovers #leave some requests !!! I am accepting requests #look at me posting a few days apart wooo #quackity <3

[hanoella]

A Matter of Time (1/2)

Pairing: Bucky x healer!Reader

Word Count: Just under 3k

Summary: Healing others took a lot out of you. It was only a matter of time until it was going to be too much on your body.

Warnings: Hardcore angst, blood, grave injury, explicit description of injury, medical life support, needles? still not good at this stuff.

A/N: Another @wkemeup writing challenge prompt! Thanks so much everyone for all the love and support on my first fic!

Prompt: Believing they’re about to die, Character A confesses their feelings for Character B before they pass out.

---

           It was only a matter of time.

          Healing always took so much out of you. One day, it was going to be too much for your body to handle. You hadn’t explicitly told anyone that it drains you. Only the observant picked up on it. It’s the reason why Natasha never asked for your help with minor things. It’s also why Bucky plain refused your help nowadays. He was hyper aware of everything around him and that included you. He always saw the light sheen of sweat forming on your brow, the way you became slightly breathless, and the increase in your pulse. When there was a major injury, he was very well aware of the tell-tale signs of exhaustion.

          The very first time that he let you work on his shoulder, he had asked what it was like out of curiosity.

          “Well… it’s kind of like projecting the pain onto myself. I’ve always been very in tune with my body. So ever since this,” you pause to gesture with your hands. “I can usually tell what the problem is. For example, I can tell that this specific muscle is bothering you,” you say as you gently put pressure on the specific aching tendon in his arm. Bucky winced before feeling the warmth reach deep into his muscles. He let out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Turning slightly so that you could partly see his face, he thanked you. For a reason he couldn’t understand, a big smile slowly developed on your face.

          “What?” He asked.

          “Nothing, I’m just glad you finally let me work on it. I can see now that you’ve been… suffering. I’m just happy you’re feeling better.”

          Bucky felt his face flush slightly and turned back to face forward. Amused, you started humming lightly as you continued your work.

           Not that he would admit it but since then, there may have been… other reasons why he is always paying close attention to you. You reminded him of Steve. Somebody who was truly selfless. The one to make the sacrifice play. You may be less on the forefront of the battles but the work and the sacrifices you make for the world were just as big. Bucky found that he admired you for that. It stirred up feelings in his chest that he chose to ignore. It also made him nervous.

           Every time you were needed, he was assigned as your bodyguard. You could handle yourself better than the average civilian, but you wouldn’t consider yourself a fighter. Considering that he preferred to stay out of the spotlight, as well as the fact that his relationship with the public was still rocky, it ended up being the ideal position for him. At first, he was nervous because he was protecting something incredibly important. More so than any jewel or riches that existed. You were someone that could practically bring someone back from the dead. If he couldn’t protect you, he was practically sentencing anyone who would need your help in the future, to death. Certainly, a weighty responsibility that would make anyone nervous.

           It grew to be more than that though. Each time he protected you from a threat, no matter how small, your appreciation made it worth it. Your gratitude, which manifested itself into words, notes, and small gifts, sustained him. He had a hidden drawer filled with smiley faces on post it notes and cute little Tupperware containers that had held homemade sweet treats.

          But his favorite reward was not anything he could bring back to his apartment. It was your touch. The small brushes against his arm grew into touches and squeezes. In turn, it grew into grasping his hand while thanking him and once, a quick hug before you jumped back and apologized. He blushed lightly and looked away, letting you know that it was okay, he didn’t mind. Actually, Bucky would’ve preferred for that moment to have lasted forever. Because when you pulled away, he was suddenly aware of how starved he felt without your touch. That one action had been the gateway to a life filled with longing. He would chase that feeling forever; He could not bear the thought of being without you. That’s what made him nervous. He felt like he couldn’t think clearly anymore around you. He was going to make a mistake.

          It was only a matter of time.

---

          Waiting in the Quinjet with Bucky, you listened for updates on the mission. This time, they had gotten intel about a subbranch of Hydra dedicated to chemical warfare. Fearing another threat like anthrax, you set out to stop it. Everyone was in the building and you were on standby in case any pathogens got loose. Wanda could contain it, and you could eradicate it by healing all of the infected, and then they could disinfect the area. Hopefully, though, it was just a precaution.

           The atmosphere was calm, the lights off since the night sky was clear in the mountains. Moonlight filtering in through the front windshield, you were taking Bucky through the latest playlist you had curated for him when Nat radioed in.

           “We’ve almost got the lab secured. No injuries.”

           “Word.” You radioed back casually as Bucky looked at you confused.

           You were about to explain the response and pull up urban dictionary when Steve radioed back as well.

           “We had a group escape, some guards protecting the head researcher. They’re headed towards the jet. He blocked off the tunnel he used to escape so they’ll get to you before we can reach him.”

           “Copy that.” Bucky radioed back as he got up.

           When you got up to follow him, he gave you a look.

           “Hey, don’t look at me like that! I’m not completely useless. Besides, I think I could take on a lab lackey.”

          “I don’t want you to get caught up in the rest of it.” He responded seriously.

          Looking at him and realizing it wasn’t up for debate, your expression sobered up.

          “Okay. Just be careful, please.”

          He nodded as he heard voices approaching. He headed down the ramp and met them outside of the jet. You peaked out of the opening of the ramp as he took them out one by one. When all five were on the ground, you came out and checked to make sure he was okay.

          “Wow, impressive.” You commented, nudging one of the guys with your foot.

          “Wait,” you said, eyebrows scrunching together. “None of these guys are in a lab coat.”

           Just as he was about to respond, he glanced to the side and quickly pushed you out of the way. The lab coat tackled him where you had just been standing. They went rolling towards the edge of the cliff and you shouted his name.

           “Bucky!”

           He kicked the researcher away from him while still on the ground. As the man started rolling off of the cliff, he grabbed Bucky’s leg. Bucky started scrambling to find a grip as the scientist slid off the cliff, trying to take Bucky with him. You ran over to the edge, grabbing Bucky’s arm to support him as he tried to kick the guard off of his leg.

           “With you out of the picture, the path forward will be successful. Hail Hydra.” He shouted as he grabbed a knife from his pocket and stabbed it into Bucky’s thigh.

           Bucky grunted loudly as the scientist took the knife out and stabbed it back in. You strained to hold him up as he struggled to kick him off, blood streaming down his leg. With one more heavy kick, the man lost his grip and fell down the mountain. At the same time, the force of the kick had loosened the ground under you. There was a crack and you locked eyes with Bucky in panic.

          You cried out as you used all of your strength to bring him back up over the cliff. It started falling away as soon as Bucky had found his footing and he lunged towards the jet while grabbing you. He held you with one arm and kept you from hitting the ground as the other forearm took the impact and held you both up. Looking incredulously at the strength of his arm and then turning your head back to look at him, he gently set you down. You were both breathing heavily as you lifted your head to see the platform you were just standing on was now gone.

           You laid your head back down and closed your eyes in relief. Bucky took the opportunity to take you in. Your hair formed a halo around your face perfectly as it was spread out on the grass and the moon’s light made you look like your skin was glowing. You looked ethereal. Before you got the chance to see him gazing at you, he flopped over onto his back next to you, catching his breath. You looked over at him, the stars now reflected in your eyes, and started laughing lightly. He didn’t know what you were laughing at, but it made him start laughing. As it subsided, you sat up and faced him.

           “Can I please heal those?” You asked, gesturing towards his leg. You had never worked on his thighs and you wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

           He paused, partly out of shyness and partly not wanting to tire you out. Your gaze lingered on the wounds and he saw how much it worried you. He nodded and you leaned over to take a look. As you moved the blood-soaked fabric out of the way, he winced. The wounds were deep and bleeding still. You focused your hands overtop the injury and concentrated. The soft white glow enveloped your hands and his leg. He watched as the bleeding started slowing. After a few moments, the wound started closing and the pain started easing. Bucky tried to get up as soon as it became bearable, but you put a hand on his chest to stop him. Though your breath was slightly strained, the determination in your eyes stopped him and he slowly laid back down. Soon enough, he couldn’t even tell that anything had happened. Once it was completely healed, you then flopped down next to him.

          You both settled, watching the clouds pass in front of the moon and stars. After you caught your breath, you spoke:

           “Bucky Barnes, I owe you my life. Several times over. Thank you.”

           “I think you’re the one who just saved my life, doll.” He said, amused.

           “Ooh, doll. Somebody’s finally warming up to me.” You said, laughter in your tone as you stood up. “Do you call every damsel in distress you save a doll?”

          The answer to that question was “no” but before he could respond, you held your hand out to him. Bucky sat up and accepted it, standing all the way up. As he let go of your hand, you wrapped your arms around his midsection, cheek resting against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Bucky swallowed and then slowly brought his arms around you, his chin resting on the top of your head. Content.

          Unexpectedly, he stiffened. Something was wrong.

          “Bucky?” You called his name hesitantly as you stepped out from his grasp.

          You peered at his face and saw his pupils so blown out that you could barely see the blue anymore.

          “Bucky!?” You shouted as he fell to the ground.

          He couldn’t control anything except for his eyes as muscles all over his body started twitching. You knelt down and panicked, laying your hands against his chest, searching for an explanation. You hovered your hands over his heart and felt it so tight and strained it was barely pumping. You felt as if you were choking, and you weren’t even feeling the full effect.

          Cardiac arrest. How is this possible?

          You racked your brain for explanations. You instantly thought of the researcher. You traced a strange substance you felt through his veins until you found where it originated- from the knife wound.

           Poison.

           At this point, it had reached his heart. What little it was pumping was spreading the poison. It’s completely taken over his blood. You locked eyes with Bucky and saw the pain and panic in his eyes, his clenched jaw, and the tendons in his neck, outlined clearly by the strain. He was suffering.

          No. Much worse.

          He was dying.

          You had to save him.

          You interlocked one hand over top of the other and started doing compressions on his chest. What was normally a soft white light was now blinding. You could see the outline of his heart, and with each pump, the white light travelled an inch down his veins. Slowly, with each thrust, the white light made it further and further out from his heart.

          “What happened!?” Steve shouted. You hadn’t even heard the team come back.

          “We saw the light and came back as fast as we could!” Sam said.

          You shrugged Steve’s hand off your shoulder as you continued compressions.

          “Poison.” You panted.

          Thump.

          “He’s-”

          Thump.

          “Dying.”

          Thump.

          You hadn’t realized you were crying. Tears now spilled freely onto Bucky’s jacket.

          Steve stayed kneeling next to you as the rest of the team stood back, watching in amazement as the light made its way through Bucky’s body.

          Bucky locked eyes with him. He placed a hand on Buck’s head and wiped the sweat off of his brow.

          “You’re gonna be okay, Buck. You’ll pull through.” He said with a small reassuring smile.

          It wasn’t himself he was worried about. He’d never seen you exert yourself this much. He was in so much pain but dying would be better than seeing you go through this.

          You shouted with each thrust, trying to keep yourself from tiring out and stopping. The white light had made its way back around to the heart and Bucky’s entire body started relaxing. You felt relief as he stopped seizing and his eyes started closing. As you wiped the sweat off of your face, you realized your nose was bleeding. Just as you were about to sit back, you froze.

          There’s no heartbeat. You desperately connected yourself back to his body and felt that his organs were shutting down. You started compressions again, this time more vigorously. You were going to have to filter his organs for multiple rounds to reach every part, every cell affected by the poison. You wailed, crying harder as you felt his ribs crack from the force and then heal, only to be cracked again. You were starting to get lightheaded, and your muscles were burning. You could not keep it up for much longer. Desperate to get him back, you call to Steve beside you.

          “Steve. There’s. Adrenaline. In. Jet.” You gasped between each push.

          Steve was so distraught between seeing the both of you that he didn’t move right away. Natasha instinctively ran to the jet and brought it back, digging through it until she found the syringe and uncapped the needle.

          Natasha knew she didn’t need to confirm whether you really wanted to do this.

          “Injecting now.”

          She thrust the needle into your thigh and clicked the top, releasing the spring and shooting the needle into the muscle.

          You wailed again in anguish, fighting through the pain until you felt it hit your heart. The light had turned into a pillar, a beacon in the sky. Your hair once again in a halo, floating around you. The team had to shield their eyes and brace themselves against the force that hit them. You put newfound strength into each push until you could feel that every single drop of poison was filtered out of his body. Finally, Bucky opened his eyes.

          You stopped pushing on his chest.

          “Bucky?” you asked hoarsely.

          He was still coming to but was well enough to sit up. He clutched at his chest and found no pain. He then looked at his hand.

          “How did you-?”

          You fell over.

          Bucky scrambled over to you and pulled you into his arms. You coughed against his chest, bloodying his shirt. He looked at you and then at Steve, mouth agape. Steve could only look sadly back.

          He cradled you and brushed the hair out of your face, blood from your nose and mouth smearing before being covered by the new blood steadily streaming out.

          “I’m sorry,” You said softly, the sleepy look on your face deceivingly masking the gravitas of the situation.

          “Don’t apologize.” He said quietly, pausing to keep the tears from showing. It proved to be pointless as his voice cracked, asking:

          “Why would you do this? You should’ve just let me die.”

          You closed your eyes.

          “Because I love you, Buck. Always have.” You slurred tiredly.

          You whimpered and then stilled.

          Bucky cried while rocking you in his arms.

 ---

Part II

          You opened your eyes to a black room. No, not a room. There were no walls. You glanced down at your hands. You could still see them so it wasn’t dark, just… black.

          “Well, hello.”

          You spun around and saw the source of the voice.

          A serene, beautiful woman who had long dark hair and dressed in a green tunic addressed you.

          “What has brought you here, young one?”

Read Part II Here

#bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #kas9kwc #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fic #tfatws #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #reader insert #bucky barnes angst #whump

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Northern Exposure | Sam

❄ PART 2 OF THE MINI-SERIES ❄

Part 1

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series); face riding/oral, violence, creepiness on part of our boys, predatory behaviour, Bucky’s an asshole, they’re all too lonely and too desperate, mistaken identity.

This is dark! fic and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Pairings: Sam Wilson x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, A Bad Time x Reader

Series Synopsis: You’re a nature photographer stationed up north but the arctic isolation comes to an unexpected and unpleasant end.

Note: Special announcement later today and as usual, update are consistently inconsistent for my other series but I promise, I’m always working on something.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

The three men, the heroes who were truly villains, kept you tied up as they tied a rope to an old rickety pallet and pulled you on it like a large sled. You shivered as the hills of snow left you dizzy and when you rolled off, you were thrown back on by Bucky who treated you like the spy he’d mistaken you for.

The second time you fell off, they didn’t notice right away. You managed to get your feet under you but before you could hop too far, the snow crunched and you were scooped up again. This time Bucky threatened to break your nose and Steve talked him down as Sam tried to coax you that all would be better if you didn’t try that again.

The sun rose and they continued on. The sky never paled more than a dim grey and the restless night gathered behind your forehead. A splitting headache fed by the biting cold. When the plains began to darken again and the moonlight rose to reflect off the snow, you stilled.

It took a moment to sight the bunker. The doorway was shoveled out and even if it were spring, the roof would look no more than a lump in the ground. You’d been up this way weeks ago, a snow fox and its kits had been skittering around. You groaned at the realisation of your mistake.

You were lifted by Sam and Steve grabbed your chin as you dragged towards the door. He looked you over and shared a look with Sam, “we need to warm her up,” your teeth chattered as if to reiterate his words, “we should’ve let her walk.”

“Just get inside,” Bucky scowled and stomped down the hidden stairs.

You nearly fell down as you hopped to the top step at Sam’s nudge. He caught you and descended at your side, your bodies flush in the tight space. The door opened and Bucky pushed the door in. Steve entered behind you and locked it as the lights flickered on and a generator began to whir.

As Sam guided you to a chair, Bucky elbowed past him and shoved you into the seat gruffly. He was jabbed by the other man and Steve snapped at both of them with his fingers. The blond opened a cupboard in the underground shelter and pulled out a vacuum sealed pouch.

“She should eat, it’ll warm her up,” he moved the kettle onto the gas burner, “and change her clothes. They’re wet from the snow.”

“I still don’t know why you had to bring her back--”

“Why’s it always shoot this and shoot that?” Sam scoffed, “I thought they got all that shit out of your head.”

“It’s our job,” Bucky snarled.

“Our job isn’t to kill civilians,” Steve shoved the pouch in the small microwave above the gas stove and turned.

“And when was it our job to babysit? Or whatever it is you two are planning,” Bucky crossed his arms.

Steve brushed past him and knelt to look you in the face, “Coffee or tea?”

“What?” you blinked and looked between him and the two other men, Sam watched you with a subtle grin as he unzipped his parka.

“We have some hot chocolate but it’s military issued and tastes awful,” he explained, “so?”

You frowned and met his gaze, “tea?” you answered weakly.

“Alright, and…” his hands went to the zip tie on your wrists, “if I untie you, you won’t try anything, okay?”

“Is that really a question?” you asked.

He pursed his lips and tilted his head, “fair enough but it’s your choice.”

You considered and poked your tongue against your teeth, “you can untie me.”

Steve grabbed the plastic tie and snapped it easily. He did the same to the one around your ankles and handed them to Bucky as he stood. He went back to the kitchenette as the microwave beeped. Sam came closer and rested his hand on the chair.

“You want me to get her changed, I got something she can borrow,” he said as he slipped his hand onto your shoulder. You flinched and he squeezed as Bucky tossed the ties and rolled his eyes.

“Get her clothes, I’m sure she can manage to get them on herself,” Steve felt the kettle but didn’t seem to feel the heat as you heard the water begin to roil.

Sam sighed but backed up. He disappeared into another room and Bucky hung his jacket with the others. He dropped down onto the bench by the door and unlaced his boots gruffly. He shook his head as he kicked them off.

“So, what’s your name, not Ursa?” Sam reappeared and plopped a pile of clothes in your lap.

You looked up at him and swallowed. He was so interested it made you want to vomit. His suggestion might have saved your life but it also promised you little more than imprisonment. You weren’t stupid and the way he hovered assured you of his intent. You gave him your name and stood cautiously.

“Where can I change?” you asked softly.

“Just in there,” Steve said when Sam didn’t answer and pointed to the same door.

You nodded and stepped around the other man. Bucky yawned loudly and kicked his feet out. You left them and closed the door. There were no windows and the only other door led to a closet.

You removed your hat, the gloves hastily shoved on above your restraints, your coat, and wet boots. Next you peeled off your jeans and the fleece leggings beneath. You kept looking up at the door as you pulled on the dry clothing; a loose tee, looser sweatpants, and large socks. The hoodie’s zip was broken and the sleeves were too long. Even so, it was warm.

You hesitated and only went to the door when a bang shook it, “your food’s ready,” Steve called through.

You opened the door and stepped out. He stayed close and you felt his heat as he held out a bowl of chunky stew and a steaming mug. You took it and he pointed you to the metal TV tray set up by the armchair. You sat and blew on the tea before you sipped. You didn’t know what else to do.

You ate quietly between Steve’s shy glances, Sam’s constant leer, and Bucky’s blatant indifference. You felt queasy but didn’t know what to do. You could run for the door and then what? Freeze to death on the tundra?

“You could… you could take me back still,” you said, “promise I won’t say anything.”

“We should just get rid of her,” Bucky huffed and finally looked at you, “this place is bad enough without--”

“Man, how about we get rid of you?” Sam puffed, “All you do is complain.”

“Look,” Steve pulled up a wooden chair from beside the matching table, “we can’t do that, it’s too risky.” He sat and gripped his knees, “It’s against protocol to just ignore security risks. It isn’t about you wanting or not wanting to say anything, it’s about what someone could make you say if they found you, just like Bucky here did.”

“They wouldn’t know--”

“The photos--”

“Burn them,” you said, “please, I didn’t do anything.”

“You sure this isn’t her, Wilson? You are a bit slow?” Bucky spat.

“Shut up, jackass,” Sam retorted, “hey, honey,” he came closer, “we don’t wanna hurt you.”

“And what you do want?” you stirred the bowl, “I don’t want that either.”

He arched a brow and smirked at Steve. Steve fidgeted and Bucky groaned.

“We’ll be nice,” Sam said.

“Cap,” you ignored him and watched Steve, “you’re a good guy, don’t do this. Up here, it’s hard, the isolation, I know, but you don’t want this. Maybe you should head back south and get your head on straight.”

Steve’s jaw squared as he considered you. He inhaled and his tongue peeked out between his lips. He looked at Sam and sighed. He shook his head.

“You can’t manipulate me,” he stood and moved the chair back, “Sam’s right, it won’t hurt. In fact, looks like you’ve been here long enough that we’re doing you a favour.”

“No--”

“Should we flip for it?” Sam asked, “who gets the first night since idiot’s a no go.”

Bucky sneered and stood. The other two watched him as he stormed past them and slammed the door behind him as he fled to the other room. Your last hope was gone. You thought even if he was mean, that Bucky might stop them and hopefully not just to tie loose ends up with a bullet.

“Heads,” Steve said as he kept his hand on the back of the wooden chair, his shoulders tense as he hung his head.

Sam fished around in his pockets then searched in his parka and finally found a coin in one of the drawers. He held it up and went to stand on the other side of the table. He flipped it and let fall between him and Steve on the wood. The latter sniffed and nodded dully.

“Let her finish eating first,” Steve said, “I’ll deal with Buck, he’s just… standoffish. You know how he can be. He’ll come around.”

“Even if he doesn’t, more for us,” Sam winked and Steve shoved himself away from the table.

You caught his eye as he headed for the bedroom door and when it closed behind him, your heart sank. You scooped up a mouthful of stew and slurped it up. The only man left strode around the room and sat on the low couch. He spread his legs wide and stretched his arms over the back, his gaze intent on you.

You ate slowly even though each bite made your stomach growl and built your appetite. You drank the tea carefully and relished the last dregs. He could hear how empty the glass was and when he stood, you sat back and drew your feet up onto the seat to hug your legs. He cleared the table and folded it.

He stalked around the room like an animal around its prey. You touched your cheeks and sunk down.

“Are you really going to do this?” you asked at last.

“I only want to treat you nice,” he said as he came closer, he reached out and tickled the back of your hand, “it was Bucky who hurt you, not me.”

“You could’ve left me--”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“But you don’t have to do this,” you argued.

“Why is it so bad? Aren’t you lonely? You have to be,” he slipped his fingers under your hand and drew your arm away from your legs, “all the way up here, alone.”

“That’s not--” you trembled and he tugged until you were out of the chair, “I don’t know you.”

“But you’ve heard of me? And Steve. Even Bucky,” he purred and put your hand on his chest. He wrapped his arm around you and swayed as if he was dancing with you. He took your other hand and twined his fingers through yours, “Come on, baby, I just want to make you feel good.”

You batted away the glossy tears with your lashes as you were trapped in his embrace, “why?”

He chuckled and kissed your forehead as he turned you, “because I gave Bucky your coordinates,” he backed you up slowly, “because I knew you weren’t her but knew I wanted you.”

“No…” you breathed as your legs met the low seat of the couch, “you were following me?”

“I just… stumbled upon you and…” his voice trailed off as he focused on your lips and his eyes turned smoky, “baby, you know you need it too.”

“No,” you gasped and pushed against him.

He crushed his lips into yours and leaned on you until you were forced back onto the couch. He angled you across it, his arm beneath you as he moved his hips slowly. You felt his excitement through his jeans as his breath stuttered in your mouth.

You turned your head away as his other hand skirted along the hem of the loose tee. He slid his fingers under the open hoodie and the cotton shirt. A shiver went up your spine as his hand crawled up your stomach.

“Please,” you whispered as you stared at the carpet.

“Does it hurt?” he asked, “am I hurting you?”

Your eyes were wet but you fluttered away the tears, “no,” you mumbled, “but…”

Your voice dissolved as he cupped your chest and ground his crotch against you harder. He grabbed your chin and turned your head back, his hot breath slipped through your lips before his tongue and he hummed. He kissed you hungrily and pulled his hand back to grab your shirt. He shoved it up your torso and his fingertips danced over your skin.

He parted from your lips and sat up. He tugged at the hoodie and lifted you. He pushed his legs around you and pushed the sleeves down your arms. He untangled you from the sweater and yanked on the tee until you raised your arms. He pulled that off too and flung it.

He drew you further into his lap and laid back on the couch. His fingers hooked under the elastic of the sweats and he pulled until you were forced to raise your pelvis. You shook as you got to your knees and looked down at him.

“You can stop…”

“I don’t want to,” he said and tugged, “up.’

You stood and your pants were ripped to your ankles as he kept hold of them. You lifted one foot then the other as he pulled off your socks and the sweats. They fell to the floor with the rest and he grasped your calves.

“Sit,” he patted the top of his chest with one hand.

You stared down at him and gulped. He slipped down on the couch and his eyes lingered between your legs. He squeezed the back of your leg.

“Sit,” he repeated darkly.

You bent and gripped the arm of the couch. You put a knee beside his head and then the other. He grabbed your hips and guided you down until you felt his breath on your cunt. You held yourself up and he pulled you down entirely.

“I bet you taste so good,” his voice was muffled as his breath tickled you, “I bet…”

His tongue made you wince and squeak. His fingertips poked at your hips as he gripped them tighter and he lapped at you from below. You tried to lift yourself but his hold on you was unbreakable. He purred and began to rock your pelvis over him. You felt your core react to him and you quivered as you let out a shattered moan.

He flicked his tongue more eagerly and your chest swelled as a lump rose in your throat. You held your breath as you tried to hide how he affected you. Your thighs tensed around his head and soon it was you moving your hips, not him.

Your mind was a haze as your voice flew out of you and you clung to the arm of the couch. You rode his face without thinking as the stunning sensation drove you on. He delighted in the taste of you and his hand ran up and he scratched down your back.

Your shallow pants turned to frantic mewls and you gritted your teeth as you came violently. You didn’t want it but you couldn’t fight. The months alone, the endless cold, the pure desolation, it all spilled over and burned deep inside of you. He didn’t stop until you were weak and your legs trembled and stilled.

He tilted his head back and licked his lips, “that’s it, baby, wasn’t that nice?”

You looked down at him as he watched from between your legs. You pushed off of him and his hands fell from your back. You climbed off of him and huddled on the far end of the couch as he sat up. He wiped his mouth and stood. You were humiliated at how easily he had you.

You hung your head and when you heard him come close again, he was naked. Your mouth fell open as his dick bobbed before him and you looked away shyly. He grabbed your elbow and pulled until you let him move you again. He led you down onto your stomach across the couch and dragged his fingers over your shoulders, down your back, and along the curve of your ass.

“All those layers, I knew there was something sweet hiding beneath,” he pushed apart your legs and felt your cunt.

He put his knee between yours then brought his other down as he climbed up behind you. He slid back and bent over you as he pushed his dick down between your legs. You tried to close them then tried to wriggle away. His hands settled on your hips and he leaned his weight on you entirely.

“Come on,” he lifted your ass slightly and rescinded a hand, he angled his tip along your cunt, “that’s it.”

He pushed into you, just an inch and you clawed the arm of the couch. You groaned as he sank deeper and pulled you back onto him. He spread his thighs over yours and placed his hands on the cushion around you. He eased out of you and slammed back in, the sound deafening in the underground room.

“Shit,” he moaned, “that’s good.”

You buried your face on the couch and crossed your arms over your head. He thrust again and you whined. He did it a third time and each tilt of his hips was followed by a pause as he basked in the feel of you. 

His flesh clapped against yours and the sound made you both sick and excited. Your mind felt trapped in your body as he used you, fucking you faster as he felt your natural response. The wet noises fed his lust and soon the whole couch shook.

“That’s it, baby, take it,” he snarled as he pushed down between your shoulder blades with one hand and the other lifted your hip as he lifted himself on his knees, “take it.”

His hand snaked up under your neck and he gripped your chin and forced your head up. Your back curved as he pounded you mercilessly. Your eyes rolled back and your tongue threatened to loll out. You moaned and his motion turned fractured and frantic. He jerked into you harshly and jolted your body with each crash of his hips.

“Ah, baby, I’m cumming,” he rasped and quaked as he burst inside of you.

He slowed down and stopped entirely. He straddled you still and when his breath steadied, he wiggled his hips until you squirmed. He chuckled and rubbed your back. He gasped as he pulled out of you and the cum spilled down the crease of your leg. He groped your ass and kneaded it with a growl.

“Get up,” he ordered as he stroked his softening dick, “put your hands on the couch.”

You got up, barely, numb and shaking, and turned to bend and press your palms to the cushion. He caught your hips before your legs could collapse under you.

“I told you I wouldn’t hurt you, baby,” he cooed, “don’t you feel so good?”

#sam wilson #bucky barnes #steve rogers #dark steve rogers #dark sam wilson #dark bucky barnes #dark!sam wilson #dark!steve rogers #dark!bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #sam wilson x reader #steve rogers x reader #fic #miniseries #series #northern exposure #mcu #marvel #dark fic #dark!fic #captain america #falcon #winter soldier

[whatupitsastarrynite]

It Was Always You

A/N- HEY HEY! This was our first time writing for Coco and we had so so so much fun and we are now starting to feel our boy Johnny more. (or at least I know I am- Britt)

Cheers to Coco, the man who deserves so much more than he has been given thus far! 🥰😘😍

We also have a group chat that you can join and we will post our fic updates in that! 

Thanks so much everyone! We love youuuu!!! 

Imagine: You and Coco grew up together. The pair of you were the best of friends, inseparable right up until he met the woman who would eventually become the mother of his child. From there, you started studying hard in an attempt to get out of Santo Padre and into New York's best writing program. Coco on the other hand spiraled out of control, he was incarcerated and then later he enlisted into the marines. You kept tabs on him, but ultimately you focused on school. You got into the writing program of your dreams, you moved to New York and everything was perfect...so yeah, every now and then you had to ignore the voice in your head that told you that you missed Coco and should call him..but you leaned to cancel that voice out.

Every year for your parents birthday you would facetime them and send them a gift in the mail. As a huge editor to a very popular magazine, you couldn't afford to take time off. This year however, your father was sick, and you knew you needed to see him.

So you packed your bags, jumped on a plane and flew out to Santo Padre. The entire flight you were nervous and you kept fidgeting in your seat.

You had not set foot inside Santo Padre since you were 19 years old. You were in your early 30s now. So many things had changed, but deep down you knew in your soul that one thing remained the same....

Your love for Coco.

You parked in front of your parents’ home, letting out a sigh. Driving through Santo Padre, memories hit you left and right, thinking of shooting the shit with your cousins, sneaking out to smoke some weed at the outskirts of town around a bonfire. 

Santo Padre held such sweet memories for you, but they were also bittersweet. You passed by the park where you and Johnny used to play as children, your love for him growing from there. You passed by the elementary school where you and Johnny held each other down during the third grade, shared lunch since Celia was the worst fucking mother. You passed by the middle school where you realized you had a crush on your best friend. You passed by the high school where you and Johnny eventually grew apart. 

Coco, it was a nickname you fondly gave him, a nickname you made for him and it just stuck. You can’t even recall why you called him Coco, but here you two were now, apart and strangers. But you had to do what you had to do. Seeing Coco with another woman was hard enough, knowing they had a child? It was even worse. But in some ways, you were happy for Coco, it was his chance to have a family.

Even though your family was essentially his. Your parents adored Johnny Cruz. He was always so good with them, helped your mother whenever he was over, learned the ins and outs of car mechanics with your father. He was essentially an adopted son, but when you pulled away, your parents respectively did as well. 

You were startled by the knock on your window. You looked to the side and found your father, looking frailer than usual, but a bright smile still on his face. You returned his smile and quickly got out of your car. Feeling your father’s warm embrace, it made you regret not coming home much more often. You weren’t obtuse, you knew your time with your parents were slowly dimming, it was the harsh reality of life. But you were going to make sure your father was going to be healthy so he could come visit you as he intended to later this year for Christmas. 

“How are you?” You questioned as you pulled away.

“I’m fine, your mother was overreacting. I had pneumonia, it takes the wind out of you, but I’m feeling better. I even helped Coco with this car he got for his daughter.” Your father froze at his words and he sighed. “You know we’ve been talking to Coco.”

And you did, your parents were always honest with you and when you left, they rekindled their relationship with Coco. They excused that one kid was out of the way, at least they still had their other. It made your heart clench when they said that, it was even worse when your mother wanted to update you about Coco, but you refused. No matter how much time had passed, your love for Coco was still ever present, but you figured it would.

He was your first love, and you never had closure. 

“Pops, thanks again.” His voice made the butterflies in your stomach go crazy, you almost felt embarrassed how juvenile it was. “Leticia should be coming in a few hours, if she gives you shit let me know.” He couldn’t see you since your father was blocking your way. As frail as your father was, he was 6′4, 250 pounds, he covered anyone. 

“Coco, you know Leticia loves us, she can be like you, but we’ve done well with you.” Your father moved to the side and Coco’s steps halted, stopping at the middle of the street.

“Hello Johnny.”

Coco blinked a few times as he continued to stare at you. The expression that was plastered on his face made him look like he had seen a ghost.

Your father cleared his throat and that seemed to snap both you and Coco out of your trance.

“I’ll be inside…oh and Johnny, Selena is making dinner tonight if you want to stay. It's homemade enchiladas.”

Coco let out a tiny groan that made your stomach clench as the sound made your thoughts darken to a more impure path.

You felt the blood rush to your face- you had not even been home for thirty minutes and you were already thinking about dragging Coco to your old room.

You took another kick to the stomach as you remembered that Coco never belonged to you that way, he never wanted you that way and he never would. In the past you had hoped, but almost a decade had passed by and he never bothered to reach out.

If he had truly had anything to say to you he would have at least sent you a damn text message.

“Yeah- yeah enchiladas sounds good pops… I just gotta call Letty.” Coco responded

Your dad waved him off.

“Nonsense, she is welcomed too. It’s a family reunion.”

You bit down in your jaw and tried not to outwardly cringe at your dad. He truly was making this more awkward than it needed to be.

“See ya kids inside” He said as he walked off.

Coco watches your dad for a second before he looked back at you. It seemed the initial shock had worn off because he gave you a small smile and shuffled over to you.

“Damn long time no see chica, how the hell have you been?” Coco asked

His voice sent goosebumps crawling up your arms and you couldn’t help the warm feeling that spread through your body as you locked eyes with him.

“I’ve been good, busy… but ya know. Good…..you? What’s um… what’s a Mayan?” You asked as your eyes hovered on the leather kutte he was wearing.

Coco glanced down at his kutte as if he didnt wear it all the time. His eyebrows furrowed before he looked back up at you and huffed out a nervous sounding laugh.

“Its a motorcycle uh club.” He responded

You leveled him with a look, half of you wanted to push him for more information because he was clearly hiding something, the other half just wanted to catch up with him like the old days.

“Ah… so what’s been going on with you? I see you’re still stalking my parents.” You joked as you moved to pick up your suitcase.

Coco laughed and moved quickly to scoop up your bag. As he took the handle in his hand, his fingers brushed over yours and it sent a shockwave through your body that you had not been expecting.

You let out a small gasp and Coco just stared at you with his intense, soul piercing gaze.

You swallowed thickly and moved around his body so that you could make your way to the house.

“I don’t stalk, I’m welcomed here. I’m like their son they never had.” Coco joked back

You snorted but didn't respond. How could you when his joke had landed harder than he had meant for it to.

“So you and Leticia are close huh…I’m glad to hear that Johnny. If I’m being honest I was worried about you… especially since I never heard from you after I left.”

Coco stopped walking and his actions halted yours. You glanced over your shoulder and raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“What?” You asked as he stared at you.

“I’m sorry you know…. for like never reaching out. I-I figured you were out in New York doing big things and uh..I–I didn’t want to bring you down so uh, I never reached out.”

Your heart clinched at his words and you turned your entire body around to face him. Your feet began to take on a mind of their own and you found yourself walking over to him, stopping only when you were about a foot away from him.

“Johnny…seriously? You were my best friend, I cared about you, I could have never seen you as someone who would have brought me down.”

Coco dipped his head and stared at the ground in silence as he took in your words. You desperately wanted to know what he was thinking, but you knew you couldn’t push him, so instead you stood there in silence, waiting for him to respond to you.

You sighed, somehow you always found yourself waiting for Coco Cruz.

Coco knew you were waiting for him to respond. But where does he even begin? He was sorry he basically walked away from you after he met Alejandra? That he was sorry that he didn’t have the balls to talk to you? To reach out to you? That every day for the past decade, the itch to call, to text you was always great, but it heightened during your birthday or the holidays? It was acceptable to text people during the holidays with no pretenses besides the fact it was the holidays, but you were too special to Coco for that. 

And he was a fucking idiot. 

He didn’t know where exactly it went wrong. He just knew that after he met Alejandra, you ceased to exist in his life and he didn’t even know how to make it right. If anything, he didn’t want to make it right since he spiraled out of control. If Coco was going to ruin his life, he would do it on his own, he could never drag you down with him. It would kill him, knowing he was the reason you were stuck in this god forsaken town. He got out and came right fucking back.

But not you, you were Ms. New York now. 

Missing you never became easier, but it became easier to hide it. Though during the time he was intoxicated, where his inhibitions were low, he called out for you then, it was pathetic, but he couldn’t help it. You were the best part of his life and he was blinded by everything. In hindsight, he felt that he did it himself, to let you see your potential, but he couldn’t credit your greatness to him.

You’ve reached your dreams and it was further proof that you didn’t need him, that you were much better without him. 

You waited patiently at what seemed like forever, but Coco finally opened his mouth to speak. 

“Because after what happened, how I abandoned you during your time of need, I never forgave myself for that. You may not see me as someone who brought you down, but I did. Look at where you are now, if I stayed put, you would be stuck in this fucking town with me.” He grimaced, saying it aloud hurt him much more than he would like to admit. 

“What do you mean?” You were confused as to what he was referring to. High school was tough, but it wasn’t unbearable. 

“When your abuela died, I was so fucking high, you called me ten times and I didn’t fucking answer.” You couldn’t recall that day much, the only thing you remembered was your mother holding you, trying to soothe you the best you can. 

But you guessed that was when things changed for you two. You began to stop relying on Coco, replying to his messages, but not going out of your way to talk to him. It wasn’t all on him, losing your grandmother was hard on you and the following years went by like a breeze. You immersed yourself in school work because you knew she wanted you to further yourself. 

So you did. Trying to distance yourself from Johnny, find a way out of Santo Padre and make your grandmother proud, it was your driving force. 

“It’s fine Johnny shit happens.”

“Stop that, don’t brush it off like it didn’t mean shit.”

“It’s not that it didn’t mean anything, why am I gonna hold it against you that you had a life?”

“I was your best friend, but Alejandra just had this fucking hold on me.”

“She gave you the attention you wanted, can’t fault you for that.”

“What?” 

“Alejandra made you feel good about yourself, there was no pretense with her. She didn’t know you well enough so whatever you gave her, that’s what she knew about you. And she worshipped you, you were basically the greatest thing since eyeliner for her. Can’t fault you for that, you loved her.” 

Alejandra did a number on your relationship. She didn’t like how close you two were, boys and girls couldn’t be friends. They could be, but Alejandra saw how you looked at Coco and made it a mission to break you two apart. 

“I gave up Letty since Alejandra turned up to be the bitch you told me she was.” And he didn’t believe you then, he told you that you were just jealous because you had no one.

But you did have someone, you had him. When those words came out of his mouth, you realized you didn’t have him after all and it hurt you, but it pushed you away, just like what he wanted to do.

“I never cared for Alejandra, but I wanted to be there for you. You were my best friend, I could swallow whatever Alejandra threw my way as long as I had you, but you know, I didn’t.” The chuckle you let out, Coco could hear how forced it was, how you were trying to make light of the situation in some ways. “But, what’s done is done. I’m glad that you’re doing well for yourself Johnny. And it seems like you’re doing well with your daughter.” You offered him a small smile. “I always knew you would be an amazing father, you wouldn’t be like Celia or your deadbeat dad. My parents would have killed you.”

“It does matter, what happened between us, how much time I let pass, it should have never happened. It killed me that I couldn’t bite the bullet and just call you, shit,” Coco sighed. “You were the best part of my life, you gave me a family and you gave me a reason to keep pushing forward.”

“Let’s not dwell on the past, I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

If you were being honest, you just didn’t want to hash it out with Johnny in the middle of the street. Your neighbors were nosey and it was not needed drama. You also didn’t want to tell him that your mother kept you updated on the latest happenings of Johnny’s life. As much as you tried to defer, your mother knew you wanted to hear how your old friend was doing. You knew about Celia, his daughter, and how he was doing better, to some extent. You didn’t know what the hell the Mayans were, but from what you gathered, they were like a family to him. “You live across the street from my parents?”

“Yeah, your pops helped me out with it and it was easy cause I served.”

You nodded your head. “Son they never had.” You shook your head playfully rolling your eyes. 

Coco couldn’t help but look at your left hand and noticed that something was missing.

“Where’s your ring?”

At the mention of your ring your left hand clenched shut. You hid it behind your back and grimaced.

“How did you….” you asked trailing off “My dad talked to you about it??”

Coco sighed and nodded.

“He didn't mention that you broke up though… or why.” He stated

“I didn’t tell him! ” You snapped. Your ex fiance was a sore subject for you, especially since you had just called off the engagement a month ago.

Coco evaluated your body language… he knew you well enough to tell that there was a story there. He didn’t want to pry or upset you, but he also needed to know what happened.

“What happened Y/N?” He asked

“It's a long story.” You replies shortly. You didn't want Coco to find out the reason you dumped Adam. Besides, who was Coco to know practically everything about you when you knew nothing about the man he was today.

“I got time. Shit….its not like I live across the street or anything”

You rolled your eyes at his dry sarcasm as you messed with the finger that used to hold the diamond ring on it.

“It's nothing Johnny….turns out Adam wasn’t who I thought he was.”

Coco gave you that intense stare again and tgrb he smacked his lips together.

“He cheated?” Coco grilled

“Amongst other things.” You shrugged.

Coco took another step forward, effectively making the distance between your bodies smaller.

“What, is he a drunk? A liar? An addict? Controlling? Abusive?” Coco listed off all the reasons he thought you would leave someone over. He gauged your reaction for each one and then stopped when you flinched at the word abusive.

“I’ll fucking kill him.” Coco growled. 

You watched his whole body transform in front of you. He went from soft and sweet to angry and murderous in two seconds flat.

You sighed as you ran a hand through your hair.

“It's over with Johnny.” You stated

‘The fuck it is!!! I’ll cut his hands off and make him eat them, then I’ll kick his ass, then I’ll kill him.“

You couldn’t help it- a chuckle escaped your lips and you shook your head. Maybe a normal person would find this declaration insane, but you knew Coco, and you found it charming that he was so upset and ready to commit literal murder in your honor.

“I’m fine Johnny, please…please just dont tell my dad. He’s already sick and I don't need him worked up over this.” You pleaded taking another step towards your best friend.

The muscle in Coco’s jaw twitched dangerously, and you knew he was still angry, but you also knew that he would keep this secret…for you.

“Fine….but lemme see this dick on the street. I’ll have him dead on the sidewalk in no time.”

You let out a loud laugh now and before you could stop yourself you threw your body into Coco’s surprised arms. Your chest hit his firm one first , and then after the shock wore off his strong arms wrapped around your waist and he pulled you to him tightly.

His chin rested on the top of your head and you both took a moment to learn each other's new bodies. You breathed in his scent, a deep cologne mixed with cigarettes and leather. You memorized it and decided then that it was your favorite smell in the entire world.

Above you, Coco’s lips brushed your head as he kissed it gently.

“I missed you…” Coco whispered into your hair

“I missed you too…” you said without hesitation.

You could feel Coco’s lips pull into a smile before he placed another kiss on your head and pulled back to look at you.

“Listen mama, I gotta tell you something…. but you gotta hear me out and promise not to get mad, okay?”

You looked up at his worried face, and nodded in confusion.

“What is it Johnny?”

He inhaled and then slowly breathed out before the words tumbled out of his mouth like a stolen train.

“"After Alejandra I…I didn’t think I would fall for anyone again….she fucking wrecked me….but the day you moved away to New York was the day I realized how badly I fucked up. I..shit…I loved you more than anyone else and I didn’t even know it, shit maybe that was part of the reason she and I broke up, because I always loved you….. and I- I still do. Ya know….love you.”

You wanted to slap yourself, pinch yourself, anything that would give you painful stimuli so that you could wake yourself up. Were you still on the plane? Was the flight attendant about to wake you regarding your arrival to the airport?

It had to be a fucking dream.

For years, you’ve had different versions of this dream, you’ve had different versions as to how Coco would confess to you. One was back in high school, another one when he came to stop your wedding and another was during your Christmas visit, which was totally out of one of those Hallmark films. Regardless, you always thought it would remain a dream. That you would never hear such sweet words come from Coco.

Coco watched as you looked at him, speechless. Dread seeped in. Maybe it was too quick, this was your first meeting in so long. Maybe you didn’t feel the same way, he couldn’t blame you. What would you want with someone like him? Even his own flesh and blood didn’t want him. He was waiting for the let down, the ‘I’m sorry Johnny, I just see you as a friend’. He felt like he was taken back to high school, to where girls made him fucking nervous. But it was the worst with you because your opinion mattered most.

Just as you opened your mouth to reply, you heard your mother shriek out your name. You turned around and caught her, wrapping your arms around her. She pulled away, pinching your cheeks before pulling you into her embrace again. Coco loved your mom but for once, he was not happy to see her.

“My baby is home.” She cupped your cheeks. She turned to Coco and she clicked her tongue. 

“Johnny, cut your hair, you look so unkempt.” She sighed. “Trying to make me bring out my scissors.”

Coco laughed and shook his head. “I told you mama, I like the wind blowing through my hair.”

“Stubborn as always.” She shook her head but had that smile she always had for Coco. “Come, I prepared snacks. And don’t you even try to get out of it, I had Bishop give you the day off so we can spend family time.”

It dawned on you that your parents were trying to set up a reunion between you and Coco. While your father was sick, he was fully recovering. Your parents were such meddlers.

“I know what you’re doing.” You informed your mother.

“What am I doing baby?” She looked at you with such innocence in her eyes, it almost made you feel bad about accusing her, but you also knew your mother.

“Don’t faux innocence with me, I see you.” You playfully narrowed your eyes at your mother.

Selena laughed. “I think you need more sleep.”

The day went off without a hitch and you met Coco’s daughter, Leticia. You were grateful that Leticia hardly had any of Alejandra’s features. She was definitely Johnny’s child. Dinner was served and the laughter and conversations you all had was nostalgic. You felt like a child again, enjoying dinner with your parents and Johnny. Having Leticia as an addition was even better.

“Are you sure you’re okay with watching her tomorrow?” Coco questioned as you two made your way towards the front door.

“Not at all, as much as I want to get my nails done, I do not want to do it alone. This town pounces on you.” You’ve been gone for quite some time, you knew the people of this town never forget and they would be on you regarding the various rumors they heard through the years. “See you tomorrow Letty!”

She waved goodbye, crossing the street to go to their home. Coco watched her till she was inside. He turned to you and smiled. His confession from earlier was still replaying in his brain but you two have had no moment alone. With your parents in bed, it was just you and Coco.

“This was nice.” You commented.

Coco nodded his head. 

“Yeah it was.” He didn’t want to keep you up, it seemed like you had a busy day tomorrow. 

“Good night preciosa,” it was Coco’s nickname for you and to this day, the butterflies in your stomach still went wild.

“Good night Coco.”

He smiled and turned to make his way to his own home. He wanted to kiss you, to finally feel your lips against his, but he didn’t even know how you felt about him.

“Wait,” you called out, going down the few steps on your porch. “About earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it, I get it, you don’t feel the same way.” The smile on his face hurt you, it was the one he gave people to show he was okay, but he was hurting inside.

“I love you.” You didn’t beat around the bush. “It was the reason I worked so hard to leave because I couldn’t be in a place where I would have to see you be a family to someone who made it a mission to drive us apart. I couldn’t bear seeing you two together because Alejandra was right, I wish I was her, I envied her.” It felt good to let it out. “I love you Coco, I loved you then and I love you now.”

Coco froze and you watched his body transform as he took in your words. At first it didn’t seem to register with him, what you said, but then his eyes widened and a smile broke across his face making him look 10 years younger.

He let out a laugh and shook his head as he half jogged over to you. His hands came to rest on either side of your face and his thumb caressed your cheeks.

“Shit, we wasted so much time when we could have just been together.” Coco whispered

You shook your head and brought your hands up to rest on his forearms.

“We didn’t waste time Johnny, we were just getting ourselves together.”

Coco huffed but didn't disagree.

“Say it again…” He said in a way that sounded like both a command and a beg.

“I love you Johnny Coco Cruz.” You said softly while you absentmindedly traced this vein on his forearms.

Coco stared at you for two more seconds before he dipped his head and connected his lips to yours. His hands slipped down to your waist and he pulled you flush to his body while he pushed his tongue into your mouth. Coco kissed you passionately, aggressively and soft all at the same time. He took control of your mouth and he had no plans on giving it back.

Coco knew that if humans didn't need oxygen to breath, he would spend his entire life kissing your lips.

Butterflies flew in your stomach and goosebumps broke out on your skin as he traced your bottom lip with his tongue. You were trying your best to keep up with his energy but he was like a man starved.

He slowly walked you backwards, your back hit the side of your house and everything faded away. All you could focus on was Coco’s lips and how they felt so perfect against yours. His hard body was firmly pressing yours into the wall while his fingers squeezed tightly into your hip bones.

You bit down on his bottom lip and he let out a small groan. You shifted your body a tad to the left and felt a shift in the energy.

What was a simple sweet, much over do, was now quickly turning into a hot, desperate attempt to get each other in bed.

You gasped as you broke free of Coco’s lips. He tried to chase after you but you pushed him backwards by his chest.

“We need to get a room…” you laughed

Coco was quick to respond. Grabbing your hand and pulling you towards his house.

“Wait, letty….” you started

Coco ignored your question and gripped your hand tighter. He walked faster and you struggled to keep up.

The next thing you knew you were standing in Coco’s living room.

“LETICIA- I need you to leave. Go hang out with Gabi.” Coco yelled

You heard Letty open her door and listened as her footsteps made their way to the living room.

“Oh great, your having sex…. just use protection. You don't want another me.” Letty said before she smiled at you and brushed past her father.

She shut the door and left you and Coco in silence. A nervous energy washed over you as Coco leveled you with a look that sent your libido into hyperdrive.

“You sure about this?” He asked

You rolled your eyes, still surprised that he was questioning your intentions. You wound your arms around his neck and pulled him closer before you smiled.

“I’m 100% sure Coco.” You whispered before you brought his lips back down to yours.

Coco lost himself in you.

Years of longing, wanting, loving, it was all coming down. He was able to push all of this for years, fucking bitches didn’t require anything, just his dick to be hard. But with you, it was different, of course it was. He didn’t want to just devour you, he wanted all of you. The cries of pleasure, the feeling of your body in one with his, he wanted it all. He always imagined how it would be to kiss you, to be with you.

This was knocking every expectation out of the park. 

He’s never made love to a woman before and he knew if he ever did, it would be with you. For years, he wanted to contact you, to swallow his nerves, his fear, his pride, but now, the wait was well worth it. You were right, you were working on yourselves and now, he would never let you go.

He pulled you closer to him, one hand cupping your face, while the other rested against your hip. You couldn’t believe this was happening, whatever you imagined before, this blew it out of the water. You never felt this when you kissed your ex-fiance. This was something else, something more.

Coco lifted you up, carrying you to his bed, gently, he placed you down and reluctantly parted with you. He looked at you as your chest rose up and down, letting the oxygen trickle in once more. Removing his clothes, he left his boxers on, making his way over to you, causing you to move back on his bed. He wrapped his fingers around your ankles, pulling you towards him. 

“These leggings are going to fucking kill me.” His hands moved up and down your legs, shivers going down your spine. You were wet, you’ve been wet, but the way Coco’s voice dipped a lower octave, the way his hand was just hovering over your clothed core, you wanted to scream. But you didn’t want to rush through it. You’ve only had a handful of partners and you knew Coco was the far more experienced one. 

He pressed two fingers against your clothed center and you let out a low moan, which in turn made him moan.

“Fuck, I’m never going to get tired of that.” Coco’s fingers went to the waistband of your leggings, pulling them down. He threw the article of clothing behind him while you took off your shirt. His eyes roamed around you, taking in every part of you. It made you flustered, flushed, and scrambled to cover yourself. He smacked your hands and made a ‘tsk’ sound. 

“Don’t let me admire my girl.”

You smiled. You were nervous, this was Coco. This wasn’t anyone else, this was Coco.

“Hey, don’t overthink it, just let me make you feel good ma.”

He crawled over to you, hovering above you, he kissed you once again, his hands were all over you. Wherever he touched, your skin burned in the most delicious way.  He slipped his fingers under the band of your underwear, teasing your aching pearl before slipping a finger inside you. Moaning into his mouth, you arched against him, one hand caressing his cheek, while the other slid down his stomach and inside his boxers. He groaned against your lips as you wrapped your hand around his cock. 

“Fuck princesa,” you took your hand out of his boxers, spitting on it before putting it back inside, sliding your hand up and down his cock just as he added another finger inside of you. 

“Fuck Coco, that feels so good.” Your ex hardly provided foreplay. He lubed it up, condom on, and you two fucked. No emotions or regard for you, it was just sex. But this, this felt so much better. 

“Yeah, that pendejo didn’t know how to pleasure you?”

You shook your head, you let out a breathy gasp as his thumb made contact with your clit. You clenched around him and it didn’t take long for him to get an orgasm out of you. You whimpered, moving your hips down to meet the thrust of his hands. Before long, you were both naked, Coco slipping on rubber. 

He tapped his cock against your folds, the tip hitting your clit. You looked at how well endowed he was, which almost made you laugh. You always thought Coco was gifted, but to confirm that suspicion? It was fantastic. 

“You ready preciosa?” 

You nodded, never more ready for anything. He bent down and kissed the tip of your nose and then he slowly pushed the head of his dick into your wet, awaiting folds.

You let out a low, broken sounded moan. Seeing Coco’s dick had been one thing, but feeling it as it stretched you out almost to the point of pain was a completely different experience.

Coco’s left hand grabbed onto the sheets by your head and he clinched them while his other one stayed firmly on your hop- helping to ease him in without hurting you.

He was so close to bottoming out, but before he could fully set himself in you, bubbles of laughter started coming out of your mouth.

Coco moved his head so that he could look at you, his body hovered over yours and he froze, mid stride, with his dick more than 80% of the way in you.

"What?” He asked

You laughed again and pushed Coco’s stray hair behind his ear.

“My mom was right, you do need a haircut.”

Coco tsked and shook his baby hairs out of his eyes.

“Don’t be jealous because my hair is more luscious than yours.” Coco joked back

You laughed some more and Coco took this opportunity to push himself the rest of the way in you. Your laughing faded off and turned into moans and despite trying his best to make this all night, he couldn’t stop the quick pace he had set from happening.

His senses were overwhelmed by you, he wanted to fuck you deep and slow, but he also wanted to fuck you hard and quick. He wanted to kiss your lips, but he also wanted to kiss your neck and map out your entire body with his mouth. He wanted to intertwine his fingers in your hair and pull just enough for it to sting but not too hard to where it pulled out your roots, but he also needed to touch every part of you.

There wasn’t enough time.

He wanted all of you- he needed all of you but the way your warm heat wrapped around his dick and pulled him in was intoxicating him more so than any drug he had ever used.

“Fuck! You feel so good. I’m never letting you go again.” Coco said into your ear.

His breath ghosted across your skin but you were too blissed out to respond. One of your hands found their way into Coco’s thick hair and the other gripped tightly onto his forearm.

Your body bounced softly as Coco rammed into you. He kept pounding your G-spot over and over again to the point where you were now seeing stars. Your moans were now just whispers, and all you could say was Johnny over and over as if you were praying to him.

He lowered his head down and caught your lips with his. He kissed you once before you broke apart and simply breathed each other's air. Your lungs were burning and your breaths were coming out ragged.

Your orgasm was quickly approaching, and despite never having sex with you before, Coco knew you were right there on the edge.

He gripped your body tighter and forced himself to slow down his thrusts.

As he did, you let out a needy whine which caused Coco’s heart to melt. Seeing how much you needed him was all he ever wanted from you. Selfishly, he wanted you to need him so that he could always be apart of your life

“Don’t worry preciosa. I got you.” Coco whispered.

His next movements were smooth and calculated. He pulled himself all the way out and before you could complain, he grabbed your legs and roughly flipped you over onto your stomach. His hands found your hips and he yanked them upwards so that your ass was sticking out and your head was down.

You glanced over your shoulder and locked eyes with Coco as he pushed back into your pussy. He let out a groan and your head fell back onto the bed. You gripped the seats as the muscles in your stomach clenched.

You were so close, so fucking close you just needed–

Coco knew what you needed. Fuck he always knew. He moved his body so that it draped over you more, and his long arm reached under you and his fingers found your clit. He began to rub on it and press down on it while he fucked into you with a precision that was blinding you.

Your body was overheating and shaking, your mouth was spilling Coco’s name along with a stream of cuss words and you knew that if you didnt come soon, you would die from overstimulation.

Coco let out another moan and he wrapped his free arm around your waist and yanked you up, making your back flush with his chest. The new angle caused you to let out a louder scream. Coco pressed on your clit harder and started licking at your neck.

It only took two more thrusts before your body broke. Your legs shook so badly that they threatened to give out on you, your moans suddenly cut off and your breath left your lungs. Stars exploded behind your closed eyes and you realized that this is what they talked about when people said orgasms were like little pleasure bombs.

Your body was lit up with ecstasy and you rode it for as long as you could before your limbs went numb and refused to hold you up and longer.

Coco eased you down onto the mattress, still on your stomach. He pushed your legs together and straddled you as he gently pushed on your lower back and fucked in and out of you.

“Shit Y/N. This pussy is addictive.” Coco groaned out

You pushed your ass back as best as you could- attempting to meet Coco’s rough thrusts head on. Based on the way he was moaning and cursing you must have been doing a good job, so you kept doing it until you felt his thrusts becoming shaky and uneven. The fingers on your back dug into your skin causing you to hiss in pleasure.

You turned your head to the left and let out some breathy moans.

“Johnny…I… I need you to come for me. Come for me please.” You begged

“Fuuuuck, you’re sinful as shit and I love it.” Coco groaned out.

He thrusted into you a couple more times before he stilled.

You couldn’t feel his seed due to his condom, but you could feel his dick pulsing in you and your needy walls contracted around him, begging him to rip that stupid condom off and fill you properly.

After a couple of minutes, Coco gently pulled out of you. You slowly rolled over and groaned as your back popped slightly.

You tracked Coco as he made quick work of peeling his condom off and taking it to the trash can in the corner of his room.

You sat up on your elbows and admired him from afar. You cataloged every tattoo and vowed to ask him the story behind each one.

“Imma add today’s date to them…” Coco said as he caught you staring.

“To what?” You asked in confusion as he made his way back over to you.

The bed dipped as he climbed on it and crawled in between your still shaking legs.

“My tattoos. I’m getting today’s date tattooed on me.”

“But…why?” You laughed out

Coco smirked and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips.

“It's the day you and I changed forever. The day I got to be with my true love. Why wouldn’t i want that on my body as a reminder.”

#mayans #mayans mc #mayans fandom #mayans fic #mayans fanfic #coco cruz #johnny cruz #johnny coco cruz #coco cruz x reader #coco cruz fanfiction #coco cruz imagine #whatupitsastarrynite

[canceltheact]

Cancel The Act: The Definitive Theory of Lunky, Lixian, and Actor Mark

Hello there theorists! This is the big one - the (hopefully) final draft of CancelTheAct. 

For those of you that have been following this tale of truth, perserverance, and chromatic aberration,you may find that a few section of this are exactly the same. It basically is the same theory, but with a few things tightened up (see post from two days ago) and some updated information. This is the big one we’re hoping on spreading, so be sure to reblog this one like you’ve done before. We really appreciate all the support you’ve given this assertion.

 And for those who are seeing this for the first time...welcome! This is a theory exploring what's been going on the past few months on Markiplier's channel, and the side story that connects the odd goings-on. If you support this theory, spread the word on Twitter and reblog, not just like, on Tumblr with the hashtags and this very site.

 Thank you for all the support, folks! Now...let's talk about the truth. We'll see you on the other side.

So, if you are a Markiplier fan on the interwebs, you have no doubt seen the newest Cloak ad that was in the Cooking Simulator video from about a month ago and noticed something...off. Something... suspicious. And if you follow Mark lore, you know that this was NOT ordinary Mark. This was Actor. The robe underneath the Cloak merchandise he was wearing, the spotlights and cracking of his body reminiscent of the Darkiplier ending from AHWM, and of course, what he says in a haughty tone of voice, seeming to be the opposite of his opening stair spiel in WKM: "It's not about you...it's about me." Heading over to instagram, we get more interesting stuff, with a description of the ad clearly reflecting the events of WKM from Actor's skewed and self-righteous perspective.

Was this just a ploy for marketing purposes, you ask? How could it be important to something? Well, Cloak's response to said post says it all: "oh". Meaning they had NO CLUE this was coming.

Even in that Cooking Simulator video, there were signs that this wasn't just pertaining to an ad. In the kitchen of the game, he comments "Modern is stupid; I’ve always said this; I want the classics," quite a different opinion from the man we knew that owned FIVE OVENS, but would seem quite on brand for someone who lived in a old-style manor - even the Youtube description seems a bit suspicious saying that "this time, I'm gonna show everyone what I'm all about." No doubt, Actor Mark has made quite a return, for seemingly NO REASON, right? Right? Well....not exactly. We’re here to tell you that Actor's been here for quite a longer time than you might expect.

For those who have been paying attention to Markiplier for the past couple months, you may have noticed some strange, yet fleeting events.

The stick figure monstrosity known as Lunky invading Mark’s channel for one day. The strange revelation that Markiplier isn’t real, yet 6 days later denied by the very man who confirmed it. The erratic behavior of the editor known as Lixian.

Such strange goings on, isn’t it? But I have reason to believe that these incidents are part of a greater step in the lore of Markiplier. That these very events are tied to each other, and something much bigger than the sum of their parts. Many people have had their thoughts on what this all means. It’s time we threw our hat full of overthinking and crazed observation into the ring. Hopefully, this theory will help uncover a bigger story. A story of control, reality… and CHROMATIC ABERRATION.

First of all, let’s answer the question: is Markiplier real? Answer: No, he’s not. Even with the “Markiplier isn’t Real” videos not being canon, it doesn’t mean that Markiplier is “real” after all. Because he is, and always has been in terms of CANON, Actor. (Now this doesn’t mean that every video Mark has done has been in character, just the ones that have correlation with the Lunky arc, Lunxian affair, and the Mark isn’t real stuff, as this relates to bigger story beats that are happening.) Think about it. After the events of WKM, Actor (who already was a Youtuber as seen as one of the points on the Detective’s theory board reads “What is a Let’s Play?” implying to Mark’s original ticket to Youtube) used Damien’s body as a replacement for his own and going on with his life, rising to even more Youtube fame. This makes him not who he seems, and definitely not real as the person his fans and editors in canon thought him to be. But what does this have to do with Lixian? With Lunky? What about those confessions? Well, for that, we have to start at the beginning.

Lixian and the Lunxian Affair

Though the MarkiplierIsntReal videos aren’t meant to be canon, as told to the member mixers by Mark himself, we have seen behavior from Lixian that is still similar to the entire week-long event - that Lixian has found something out about Mark. We can gauge this through not only the behavior of Mark, but of Lixian as well. Most notably, in 3 Scary Games #46, we see the description of the video of what reads like Mark’s pleas to us, calling Lixian “a monster” and that “the old methods aren't working anymore.” Actor is trying to control Lixian, and even sow the seeds of fear into his audience. Lixian, in that same video, pulls a knife on Mark and, in general, acts more antagonistic towards him. From 3 Scary Games #46, we can gather that Actor isn't happy about any information Lixian may have leaked or let loose at this point.

There are 2 big points that support this:

1. Lixian's animation sprite during the episode mainly shows up as a shadow, otherwise known as "Shadow Lixian". Lixian's animation sprite typically assumes this shadow form as a visual way to let the viewers know that he's sneaking around and doing something that Actor wouldn't approve of.

2. Actor develops the idea of a "controlled Lixian" (which is later to become known as "Lunxian") to where Actor can use his arcane powers to have Lixian do/say whatever he wishes.

But of course Actor can only come up with the idea of a perfect editor at the time, and has no real way to actually manipulate Lixian at this point. It's not until Lixian leaves for vacation that Actor puts a plan into motion.

In an attempt to try and get rid of Lixian, Actor created Lunky to try and make a replacement Lixian. This obviously didn't work, as Lunky is barely like Lixian and was seen for a time by Actor as a poor carbon copy. And as we can see in the Minecraft video where Lunky is introduced, Mark dislikes Lunky immensely, pushing him off to the side and not wanting to even edit him in. Mark doesn’t even say that he made Lunky - he just says that he’s here so that he’s not talking to himself.

Despite this separation, though, there are clues right off the bat here that Lunky and Mark are connected. Where, may you ask? Well, in the outro of this very video (Lixian Is gone, Lunky Is Here), there were some awfully interesting shrieking sounds. Almost sounded….backwards. And wouldn’t you know it, after we reversed the audio, we could hear a voice. And with a few more tweaks to the speed and to isolate all of the echoing sounds that were added to the audio (which is actually a tad important), we made out “Thanks for watching - don’t forget to like” before it dribbles off. (Hear audio here: https://canceltheact.tumblr.com/post/645011603474038784/backwards-lunky-audio-for-reference-in-todays Also, if there are any audio expert theorists out there who are more skilled than us that can get a better result, write us and tell us what you find!) However...this echoing that comes off the audio seems familiar. What other type of person has a voice that echoes? Oh right! ACTOR when using arcane powers!

This CONFIRMS, through the echos and that would be what Mark would say, that Lunky was created by Actor through the arcane power stuff and Lunky, at the moment, though trying to be a poor carbon copy of Lixian, is at most being a channel for Actor's things he would typically do on the channel, as that encapsulates the story dimension and his power as a whole. And not only does the presence of this backwards audio reveal more about this seemingly joke character, it also reveals that this is something that Mark has put time into and planned for this to be something bigger than a one-off.

But then Actor realized that he could use Lunky to do the next best thing - be an extension of his own power and subdue Lixian enough so that he would be kept quiet. So Actor bided his time with Lunky and ‘allowed’ Lixian to trap Lunky in a cage. 

This backfires on Actor though, as Lunky manages to harness some of that Actor power and attempts to complete his original intent...to destroy Lixian. Lunky goes on a rampage, overtaking both Lixian’s channel and Markiplier’s channel until Lixian kills him - Or so it seems.

Actor realizes what has happened and decides to do a combination of his two previous plans: have Lunky possess Lixian, making Lunxian (a name we have come up with for this phenomena), in order to keep Lixian completely under control. We see this through two things:

1. Lunky's rainbow glitch, or chromatic aberration, around him is transferred to Lixian AFTER Lunky gets killed - and we see Lixian acting VERY differently towards the editors, saying that he’s watching them, being present in several videos outside of 3 Scary Games and being generally creepier than usual when judging from the scope in general.

2. Lixian screams "I'm the Editor" after ‘defeating’ Lunky. Interesting, isn't it? Lixian has said a few times before that he doesn’t like being called editor. But Lunky, in control of Lixian now, has a different want. Lunky was meant to be the editor for Actor, hence why Lunky would want to be called editor.

#CancelTheAct Reasoning

But now, to let you know exactly WHY we're pushing "CancelTheAct". So, Actor has used the story dimension in order to keep those he has trapped in the manor in playing out his stories, such as Dark as the villain and Abe as the detective archetypes, right? I realized: the story dimension IS the channel. And what does the channel drive on? Fans. So, Actor derives his power from being able to be the hero, the lead of the stories, and his channel in canon gauges his influence and power right? Well... Lixian is trying to EXPOSE ACTOR from what he’s found and we see that as not just exposing... but “cancel” him in the eyes of the people who GIVE HIM POWER... his fans in canon. Thereby making Actor powerless. The fans in canon will see him as a fraud, not support him, and take away his strength of his ego. Jabbing a slight bit at the now-popular cancel culture, we are siding with that fight with a clever little hashtag that can be made alongside #MarkiplierIsntReal. Though MIR was never actually a canon intention by Mark, it’s still a hashtag that people are familiar with - and as it relates to the fact that Actor has been putting on a facade, we can use it in order to rally our cause.

Rainbow Chromatic Aberration Breakdown

Why would this rainbow aberration be cause for identification of something being off? Of Actor?

Well... back in the WMW breakdown video, Mark talks about this one point in the mini movie where there’s this aberration, when Wilford and Abe go from the detective’s office to back at the dance club. Paraphrasing here, he says that this is not Darkiplier and that he just wanted to replicate the effect of a VCR rewinding to establish to take things “from the top” with Wilf and Abe’s meeting. Remember the VCR thing though, that’ll be important later. (Time stamp: 2:07:50 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rsi_L1b1RwE&lc=Ugwo26EalTI5QP15ooF4AaABAg) This thereby establishing Warfstache’s use of gelling and framing this weird reality by manipulating time and space. We see this AGAIN in AHWM, as when the box is used in the Bob/Wade endings and we go through time, we see the SAME COLORS OF ABERRATION. Warfstache does the same VCR type thing in the interview as well. Ok, so we’ve established that the rainbow aberration implies when one (besides Dark) manipulates their time and space.

Now, these colors look familiar... where have I seen them before OH RIGHT. LUNKY. Lunky has appeared with this aberration through that video with his song (you know the one) and in the 3 scary games videos. Since we’ve seen that Lunky is connected as an extension of and creation from Actor’s power, it makes sense that Lunky would have a similar chromatic aberration. We see this fabrication from time and space (Lunky) use this manipulation power, and then, as Lixian is possessed and subdued by Lunky to become Lunxian, this aberration is also adopted. (for image examples, see Lunxian picture in the first part of this theory)

However, we have seen some slight resistance throughout these Lunxian appearances, showing signs of Lixian trying to break free, as we see in the Forest video “Escaping the Sinkhole” where he says “You think you can replace me?” But instead of the typical rainbow aberration, the colors are inverted to a purple and bluish green.

An aberration we’ve seen a couple times before: in the “DEAD” post that Lixian posted on his Twitter when he was thought to be killed, and in the flashback sequences in Lixian’s Confession which, while doesn’t give us any information for the story, still gives us context for what colors show Lixian in control.

However, despite the control of Lunky over Lixian, the past few weeks has shown the emergence of Actor, despite how he tries to keep it under wraps.

Events Post First Lunxian Emergence - Post MarkiplierIsntReal

In the past few weeks, we have seen through the types of video uploads that Mark has put out, along with Lixian’s behavior, that despite Actor’s attempts to keep his identity under wraps, there have been increasing signs in the in-canon Actor channel and Mark’s real life channel stuff that tips us off otherwise.

First off, in the first week after Markiplier Isn’t Real, there were only compilations and old footage from streams, which wasn’t exactly too important, except for a few hints through the editing that Lixian gave us - first, the fact that a lot of the text and effects were surrounded in that Lunky/Actor rainbow aberration - implying that Lixian isn’t really acting of his own free will...not controlled, per say, but not allowed to talk about the secrets of Actor.

In this same compilation, we even get a hint that something is amiss from Lixian - in a moment from the end of 3 Scary Games #38 where Mark is wholesomely preeshing Lixian, suddenly, the moment glitches in a similar fashion to how it was done at the end of Lixian’s Confession - then cuts to the scene where Lixian “kills” Lunky. This type of unusual transition into such an event lets the audience know that this event is important and something to pay attention to.

Secondly, in the 3 scary games compilation, we have an interesting change in edit that Lixian made - instead of the normal jumpscare from 3 scary games #57 with Mark with no eyes, Lunky is plastered over Mark’s face, implying Actor and Lunky’s connection.

The interesting thing that has popped up from these videos isn’t just the type of game that has been done, but, specifically, the behavior of Lixian. And it mainly started with the editor collabs that Lixian has been doing with Marcus (aka Nerd Fiction) and Rachel, the two new editors for Markiplier’s channel- not only a tool to help them learn the ropes to the type of editing Lixian does, but also leaving room for an interesting plot device.

In the first simulator collab episode, “Cooking Simulator”, Lixian seemed to be able to be in control by Actor, doing his VCR chromatically aberrated bidding, but being a bit more acting of his own free will, being a bit more resentful of the job instead of compliant.

However, in the second simulator collab video, “Car Accident Simulator”, Lixian seems a LOT LESS compliant and even rebellious. Yet Mark seems to be ok with joshing Lixian’s chain around, even mockingly calling him editor. Even more interesting…the fact that Lixian says “I’ve got all your dirt!”, implying his knowledge and slight ability to share the truth.

So, why is this? Well we think that Mark still thinks Lixian can’t escape, but Lixian is simply biding his time to get free from Lunky and Actor’s grasp... still playing along with Actor’s game, but planning to get stronger and plan an attack.

Unfortunately, this state of the upper hand does not last long. In the Forest 3 Peens stream before this, we get another Lunky appearance, with Mark seeing. Combined with the rebellious behavior he sees Lixian have and Lunky now being separate from Lixian, Actor sees that Lixian is not under control again, and realizes he has to take further action.

Breaking the Facade

This leads us to the latest 3 Scary Games: #64 and #65. In these two, some of the last regular appearances of Lixian, we see jumpscares like usual, but these monsters are...different. The spider monster in #64 is much more detailed than any monster we’ve seen before, and in #65, the fake Mark stand-in speaks in a newer type of audio voice effect. And in both of these video outros, Lixian is shown defeating them both with an axe, fighting them off. (not showing images due to arachnophobia that spider is dang scary) This tips us off that these monsters are different than just the typical jumpscares we see in 3 Scary Games - Lixian is deliberately against these monsters. And in BOTH VIDEOS, Lixian is in the same position, asking where Mark is.

This is why we haven’t seen Lixian in videos since this - because he is trapped in an area either by Lunky or Actor, fighting off these monsters and unable to escape while Actor keeps up his facade.

However, despite this, through real life and in canon, Actor’s facade has been breaking to us little by little.

The Reddit banner changing from a Heist promo to a picture of Date Mark a week after MIR.

In the “Teardown” video, Mark is shown with some interesting edits when he goes to shoot a tree - seems normal, but with that font being Lunky’s font and his background being red, this definitely seems like Actor - even the things he says,” You wronged me and it’s only right for me to come to pay back what is due” - seems like he’s projecting anger from the people in his past onto this tree.

Then, even the day after the infamous Cloak promo, we see even MORE allusion through referencing Actor scenarios THREE TIMES in the “Stormwatch” video: once referring to WKM, once referring to the END music and filter from WKM, and a reference to the Warfstache Markiplier interview, which points to Actor from THIS CONVERSATION: “You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen Markiplier has admitted to NEVER KILLING ANYBODY.” “Well I never said that”.

Looking back at the cloak promo for the self love story line, Mark himself has said that the promo featuring him wearing Actor’s robe was a last-minute choice by him, as he was largely involved with the release of this line. Even so, there are certain details that simply can't be ignored. Enter: At Dead of Night Part 1. During the video, Mark just decides that he has to leave the room, glitches out of the room, and after an uncomfortable amount of silence, he jumpscares us after some spooky red light engulfs the room. In this period of time, there are TWO things that separate it from the normal type of jumpscare that would be found when Mark plays a scary game (despite it NOT being 3 scary games video)

1. We see a quick flash of what appears to be Shadow Lix...until we look at the eyes.

This aberration definitely shows signs of Lunky - looking like Lunxian has returned.

2. Mark returns...with the same Cloak shirt that Actor was wearing in the promo over his robe. Probably just promoting the brand, right? Well this video was five days after the promo was released, quite an arbitrary number for just doing an empty reference to the promo, especially since the day of its premiere, February 16, was around the day the Self Love Story line was dying down and not needed to be promoted. And all the while Mark plays, the Actor robe is on the dresser in the background - the first time we've seen it since the promo in the first place.

Even considering the fact that the promo was a last minute choice, WHY would Mark bring it back up again? WHY would he nudge us with the hints to connect the promo to something bigger - unless he WAS planning something a bit bigger.

Other strange occurrences have been happening in bits and pieces throughout other videos. A Lunxian appearance in the Barn Finders episode.

And curiously enough, a jumpscare in a Forest video from a previously used 3 Scary Games video - #62, to be exact, and the only one who has eyes that are similar to Lunky’s.

Combine that with the fact that despite Lixian editing a lot of this video, he doesn’t show up at ALL to being called editor - this is showing that Lixian isn’t in charge of editing the videos - Lunky is in control. And the monsters coming out of the closet is a clear sign of another one of Lunky’s monsters that might have bled through the area between where Lixian is trapped and where Mark is - the 3 Scary Games dimension, if you will.

The Next Plot Step

The next 3 Scary Games videos since this time have clearly been very, very telling of this banishment and kidnapping of Lixian. Let’s go over some of the most important details, namely from #66, #67, and #69.

In #66, we see the latest monster in the line of the three we’ve seen before, such as the spider and the fake Mark; the squid monster fake Mark. This monster says the same things as the last monster: “Your end is near. Your end is here”, with the same font we’ve come to know of Lunky and Lunxian. (first pic #65, second #66)

But this time…Lixian’s axe doesn’t work. Why? Well, as we can see, there’s some kind of…force field.

Of…dark red. HMM…. looks awfully familiar. Even though we’ve never seen it before. Like RED, ARCANE ENERGY. There’s no doubt about it. Lunky, and by proxy Actor, are making the monsters stronger. So Lixian can’t escape.

And as we see in #67...this has seemed to work. As towards the end of that episode…

Lixian is…not doing good. At all. As we see him in an area, a rock or something, coated in red. Lixian is in trouble. It seems the monsters have finally banished him to a place where he cannot fight back, where he cannot tell the truth he knows. The red lighting looks similar to the prison in where Lunky was kept, possibly entrapping him in a prison of his own making.

Interestingly enough, before this, we see Mark’s “monster” thing: his eyes, moving aLLLL around. And the aberration on him is a tad rainbow-y. Could this be an allusion to Lunky, whose power is all about his eyes?

But...the most INTERESTING video was of course, #69...where quite a few things were confirmed. Let’s tackle them in this breakdown linked here, shall we? https://canceltheact.tumblr.com/post/649094311147978752/3-scary-games-69-the-eldritch-resurgence 

We should have you caught up with all of our important findings for now. As you can see, Actor has been playing his games for quite some time. But he’s gotten bold - far too bold, to reveal himself to us like this. And this is where you, dear reader, come into play. It’s not too late to end this game Actor has us in. We, the viewers, give these alternative egos power, and if we refuse to play Actor’s games any further and cancel his acts, we can begin to weaken  and perhaps even eliminate Actor’s grip on the channel. We believe that the time is now. Spread this post if you support it - reblog it, hashtag it on Twitter or Tumblr, use the hashtags #CancelTheAct and #MarkiplierIsntReal. This may be our only avenue to have our voices heard, and to truly unearth what the Actor has been threading together all along.

Chromatic Aberration Appendix (Yay!)

Hey there folks! I’ve decided to do a companion writing on my theory, that explains exactly WHAT chromatic aberration is and why it’s important to the current Mark lore.

Chromatic aberration is the glitchy effect of various colors surrounding words, objects, or people. There are quite a few different types of this aberration, and as they are an important part of this theory, this section is to denote the different types of aberration and what they mean.

“Rainbow” Aberration - This aberration has been used multiple times as a representation for the manipulation of time and reality in order to control someone - we see this used in AHWM as we surge through time using the artifact, and as Warfstache brings us to our proper interview location in time/space. This effect has also been associated with the effects or rewinding of a VCR, as Mark says in his WMW breakdown video when discussing said effect when Warfstache takes Abe back to the disco club to “have a little fun”. And as we have seen in this part of the lore, Actor has used this type of power as well in order to control people’s reality. This aberration, therefore, denotes for those OUTSIDE Actor’s planned story - which is why Warfstache has it (since he has no role), why Lunky has it (because he was created as something to exist outside the story dimension and to fill a role that wasn’t a set role in Actor’s story in the first place) and was used initially, yet unsuccessfully by Actor to control Lixian (because he was working outside his story onto someone who didn’t necessarily have a role)

Heavy Presence of Red Aberration - this aberration, though more of an aura than anything else, indicates the control and presence of Actor, as seen in “Damien” - though this isn’t used too often, it is often used with Lunky’s rise of power, such as in “He escaped...” and at the end of various 3SGs.

Lixian’s Aberration - this combination of dark purple, teal, and greenish blue aberration is present in Lixian’s confession and is a marker of when Lixian is in control - as seen in Lixian’s confession and the “DEAD” picture post on his Twitter.

#markiplier #markiplierGAME #markiplier game #markiplier lore #markiplier lunky #markiplierisntreal #markiplierlore #canceltheact #lunky #lixian #markiplier theory #actormark

[riricitaa]

Sorry not sorry but this is going to be long!

Some people don't realise that the constant hate, bullying and harassment would make the receiving end refuse to listen and stop caring even if there is valid criticism!

I won't deny that there's in fact valid criticism and I won't deny either that there has been some bad decisions and choices from Seb's part that me myself didn't agree with and found them to be not smart, but he's only human just like the rest of us and we all make mistakes and we all learn and grow, I mean I'm not the same person from yesterday, let alone months ago or even years and decades ago.

And just because I support him and I love him doesn't mean I support what he says and what he does at 100% because that would be hypocritical, because when we love someone, whether it's a loved one, a friend, family or even a celebrity, we love them with all their flaws, and we love them despite all the imperfections, loving them doesn't mean we support them and agree with them at all times!! That's what some people won't understand. They think that since we're still supporting Seb, it means we don't see his mistakes and we're defending him, when it is not! We support him and we love him and we still acknowledge when he does something wrong. We just don't jump on straight up starting a hate campaign and a death hashtag! That's the difference!!!

While there has been few valid criticism points, but the hate, the harassment, the bullying, the body shaming, the disgusting comments, the harassment towards his friends, family, loved ones and fans who support him clouded all of the valid points and made it difficult for us to enjoy things anymore, suffocated us, exhausted us! And if we're just his fans and we're feeling this way, imagine what he's feeling! He's a human being and has feelings like the rest of us, he's not a rock! He keeps getting attacks after attacks after attacks, and just like he said, even if he moves a piece of paper from left to right, someone will have something to say about it! And if anyone got offended by what he said, I say that the shoe fits perfectly.

Because lately it has been like that! Commenting on every single detail of his life, both professional and personal, even twisting everything he says, putting words in his mouth, spreading rumours and lies, and that really makes no room for any bit of ability to try and listen to anything "they claim to be holding him accountable and calling him out with" .

Some people were like he shouldn't have said what he said, it's going to make him look bad, well in fact I'm so happy he said that!

Because try for once and put yourselves in his shoes, having every single detail of your life commented on in a negative way, getting hate and cancellation attempts over stuff you did a decade ago, and the disgusting comments on your social media for 24/7, it's not cool right? Y'all forget he's a human being and has feelings like everyone else, and sometimes we just can't take it anymore and we just snap! Damn the consequences! It is too much seriously! Too fucking much! And yet he's still doing these kind of things and interviews and panels, because that's who he is, he cares about us, he loves us! And y'all making it so hard lately for everyone! Like I can't enjoy anything related to him without being attacked myself! ( example: the majority or our simple posts/tweets about him, the ones that we enjoy him and every new update of his or just random old pics and gifs, there isn't a day where I don't see some rude unnecessary comment like 'he's ugly' 'can't believe u still support a racist' 'how do u even find him attractive? he's old' ... and so many other things, when we want nothing but to enjoy and be left alone)

You don't want to support him anymore, that's fine, nobody is forcing you to do it! But don't ruin it for others who don't see eye to eye as you!

I don't know what's the goal of all this because it is definitely not about calling anyone out at this point, it's just straightforward hate for the sake of hate! I mean he can literally say "Hi" and you'd see wonders of how that "hi" is wrong!

It is too much!

But I will never stop being on his side and I will never stop stating my opinions when it is necessary! And no one will stop me! Because it is my right, just like it is yours to state your opinions! The only difference, is that I never hijack anyone's opinion with rude comments and hate and attacks, I just scroll past you, move on, and block if it's necessary!! And I hope you learn and do the same, it would spare everyone the headache!

Thank you very much!!

#sometimes I just can't not speak about things #sebastian stan #long post #in case the read more link doesn't work