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rhoorl · 5 months

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Are You On Mute | Part Two

Pairing: Benny Miller x Female Reader

Word Count: 3k Part 1 | Part 2 AO3 Link

Benny Miller Masterlist

Summary: These two are back again but this time the tables are turned.

Warning: Smut, with some plot? Established relationship. Oral (m receiving), unprotected P in V (practice safe sex IRL), Benny Miller comes with his own warning. Blink and you'll miss a Papi reference (I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me). A/N: I had thots, this is what came from them. I have also only read through this once and am deciding to post it so I’m going to go crawl in a hole and hope it sounds coherent. K love you byeeee

“Babe, I’m going to be late,” you giggle as Benny comes up behind you, pressing you into the bathroom counter. He wraps his arms around your waist and nibbles your ear, his stubble lightly scratching against your skin. You tilt your head exposing more of your neck, inviting him to trail kisses down, which he eagerly does.

“Say there’s traffic,” his mouth barely leaves your throat as he starts to snake his hand up to pull on the zipper at the front of your blouse.

“Uh uh,” you grab his hand, turning around in his arms. “We can’t babe, I can’t be late today, I have to interview someone first thing.”

Today was one of your most dreaded days of the week, an in-office day. Although most days were busy, the days you were in the office were ratcheted up a level. Everyone wanted to take advantage of being in person to meet or chit-chat. And today was no exception with several people from your New York office in town for the week. On top of that, you were interviewing for an assistant. After several rounds, you think you finally found the one. You blocked off your calendar first thing so you had time to review their resume once.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, your menace of a boyfriend had caused you to run behind and rush through getting ready this morning. You already knew he would be in a mood to see you all dressed up for work, so you set your alarm a little extra early to account for some morning activities – which took place on your bed and on the bathroom counter. Now, as you’re putting on the final touches of your makeup, it appears he’s trying for round three.

“You’re in super boss lady mode today, babe, I can’t help myself,” he pushes out his bottom lip in a pout and lays it on thick with some puppy dog eyes to boot.

You playfully roll your eyes and pop up on your tip toes to give him a kiss, “I have to finish getting ready, you’ve distracted me enough.” You give one more kiss and turn on your heels to grab your blazer out of the closet along with your heels. His breath hitches when he sees the heels you picked out, remembering the last time you wore them … for him.

“Fuck. You're wearing those?” He follows you down the hall.

“Oh, these?” You innocently dangle them in front of you. “I think they match my outfit, don't you think?” You give a little wiggle as you do a turn for him.

He closes the distance between you, walking you against the wall, pressing himself against you. “You know what you're fuck me heels do to me,” he growls in your ear, sending a delicious tingle down your spine.

“I know, Papi, that's why I'm wearing them,” you whisper in his ear, biting it, before moving out of his grasp and down to the kitchen with a smirk.

He's left there resting his head against the wall, “Goddamn, I’m marrying her,” he says to himself before pushing himself off the wall. He trails you like a lost puppy, while you skitter about getting your bag together and packing a few snacks.

“You gonna be home today?” You look over your shoulder as you pour some coffee into a travel mug.

He sighs, realizing you’re very much serious about having to leave. “Uh, yeah. I’m gonna go to the gym soon after you leave and then we have a couple of calls for some new clients.”

“Oh yeah, you all have that big one today, right?” You turn to see him nod as he throws his hair in a bun, that menace. “That would be so awesome if you guys got it, babe.”

“Yeah, it’d be the biggest yet for sure.”

“What time’s your call?”

“Uh, not sure, Will has it all on his calendar, he just tells me when to dial in,” he smiles as you shake your head.

“You have a shitty memory, Benny Miller.” You wrap your arms around his waist and give him another kiss.

“Except about you, I remember everything about my girl.” His kiss is more urgent, his grip on your waist tightening as you open your mouth and let his tongue start to explore. You can’t help the moan that comes out as you press yourself closer to him.

Behind you, Will clears his throat, causing you to jump a bit. You laugh into Benny’s chest as he brings one of his large hands to cup the back of your head, cradling you against him. You're embarrassed that his brother has once again caught you two.

“Sorry to interrupt.” You can hear the smirk in Will’s voice as he walks into the kitchen.

“H-hey, Will, I was ah just about to go,” you secure the lid of your travel mug and slip on your heels, seeing Benny tense up a bit at the sight of you all dressed up.

“Have a good day! Love you, baby,” Benny calls after you as you hurry out the door.

“Love you too!” you yell back as you close the door. “Good luck today!”

_____________________

The morning has gone by painfully slow. Your interview, however, was the one bright spot. The candidate was amazing and you already told HR to make the offer quickly so you don't lose them. You're checking emails before heading to your next meeting when your phone buzzes.

Benny: I miss you

You: Aw bun, I miss you too. How was the gym?

Benny: Pretty good, my second favorite way to get sweaty 😉

You bite your lower lip, shaking your head. He knows what he's doing. As you try and think of a witty response you get another text. A mirror selfie from the gym locker room. He’s got his black basketball shorts on with no shirt and his sweaty hair half up in a bun. You press your thighs together, remembering how it felt to run your hands through his hair this morning.

You: It’s not fair to send me that while I’m at work.

Benny: I don’t know what you mean. 😇

You roll your eyes when an idea pops into your head. Well, two can play that game.

You quickly get up to close your office door, locking it for good measure, and head back to your desk. You undo the zipper at the front of your blouse down to where your bra is visible – the lacy blue one that Benny loves so much.

Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath you lean back in your chair, propping your legs up on your desk and crossing your ankles. You hitch your skirt up a little bit too. It was tricky to try and angle it so he could see both your chest and your legs but you managed.

You take a few shots and look through them, trying to not nitpick how you look. You know Benny is going to be beside himself when he gets this photo since it’s your first time doing something like this from the office. It was easier to surprise him with a sexy photo or video when you were working from home. Zipping your blouse back up and straightening your skirt, you pick a photo and send it to him and then put your phone face down on your desk and head out.

_______________________

You come back from your meeting and smile when you see you have several texts from Benny.

Benny: Holy shit. What did I do to deserve that?

Benny: You look sexy as fuck. Can’t I be your assistant?

Benny: How am I supposed to concentrate now?

Then, your mouth goes dry when the latest one comes in.

Benny: Fuck, look what you did. Wish you were here to take care of me…

He sends you a photo of himself sitting on the couch, and you let out a shaky breath seeing how hard his dick is through his shorts.

“Hey, we're all going to T Flats for lunch, wanna come?” Renee pops into your office startling you.

“Ah, n-no, I gotta run home real quick. Family stuff, something ah, came up,” you let out a nervous laugh. “But, next week I'll definitely go with you all!”

“Suit yourself, more tacos for the rest of us!”

As soon as she leaves you grab your purse and rush out.

_______________________

Will’s Jeep is gone when you arrive at the house, but Benny’s car is there. You can only assume Will decided to go into the office for these calls. Well, you know why he takes every opportunity to be there, it was a day Miranda was in the office. You make a point to ask Benny about that later, but for now, you are on a mission and he is your target.

You hear his low voice coming from the bedroom as soon as you walk in. Since he left the door open, he can see you coming down the hallway. He sits up with a smirk, tilting his head and arching his eyebrows as you take off your blazer and leave it in the hallway.

You run your tongue along your bottom lip as you undo the zipper of your blouse stopping just under your bra as you lean against the door frame. He looks a bit dumbfounded to see you and fumbles with his phone, putting it on speaker before placing it on the nightstand and rushing over to you

“Are you on mute?” you raise your eyebrows, hands on your hips.

“Yes ma’am, I am,” he kisses you, one hand reaching for your ass and the other cupping your face. It's urgent but soft and caring at the same time.

You pull back, “Well, I don’t want to distract you while you’re on your call,” you tut, feigning an innocent look.

“Please fucking distract me, babe. Fuck you look so good…so beautiful,” he kisses you again, running his hand down your side.

“Who’s this call with?”

“Just the guys, we got the job, babe!” He smiles into your kiss.

You pull back, beaming, “What? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, they loved my idea and they want us to start as soon as we can, so Will is trying to sort out the schedule.”

“Mmm, well, I think some congratulations are in order then,” you wink, taking him by the hand and leading him back towards the bed. “Sit down.”

He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he nods and gets on the bed. From the phone on the nightstand, you hear Santiago going on and on about who knows what, with Will chiming in occasionally.

You go to slip your shoes off and he stops you. “I don't know what you've got planned in that pretty head of yours, but the heels stay on,” he says a bit more firmly, causing the slick to start to pool between your legs.

The bed dips as you rest on your knee next to Benny’s hip before swinging your other leg over to straddle him. He’s grinning ear to ear and you can start to feel him get hard.

You lean forward, kissing along his chin over to his ear where you whisper, “I’ve been thinking about you all morning.”

His grip on your thighs tightens as you move down to his neck, sucking lightly against where his neck meets his shoulder. You press against his chest so he lays all the way down as you trail kisses down over his T-shirt until you reach his waist, pausing to look up at him through your eyelashes. He smirks and lets out a shaky breath as you start to move his shirt up with your teeth.

“S-shit, baby.” He whimpers as you run your tongue up his abs, tracing the ridges of his lean stomach muscles. “What’d I do you deserve this?”

You move further up towards his chest and start to swirl around his nipple just as you hear, “Ben? Ben you there?”

“Fuck,” he says, scrambling to get the phone from the nightstand and flipping himself off mute. “Ah, s-sorry, yea, ha sorry, I couldn’t find the damn mute button,” he winks at you.

It’s Frankie asking him something but you aren’t paying attention. Benny responds to Frankie’s question and you hesitate about whether or not to stop, you’re looking at him with a soft smile. He gets so excited and so passionate talking about this stuff, and it frankly turns you on more than it should given the topic.

He’s trying to avoid your gaze as he talks, but he can’t stop touching you. He runs his hand up and down your thigh, before stopping to thread his fingers through yours. He pulls your hand up to his face, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of your wrist as Santiago asks a question.

You decide to tease him a little by starting to slowly grind against him. It feels good, but you know it’s going to feel a lot better once you can get his pants off. Remembering how he’s distracted you at work before too, you decide to give him a little payback. You lay him back on the bed, undo the rest of your zipper, and take off your shirt, throwing it on the side of the bed.

His breath hitches as he sees your bra. Your skirt has bunched up at this point and you move off the bed to slip it off. His eyes follow you as you get up and slowly let the skirt fall to the floor. His eyes bulge as he sees the matching panties you have on. You do a little turn just to make sure he gets a full view of everything.

“Baby, Jesus Christ, you’re killing me,” he laughs.

“Babe, are you muted?”

“Yeah, look,” he shows you the phone, the mute button turned on.

“Good,” you give him a devilish smirk before you climb back on top of him. “How much longer do you have for your call?”

“Fuck, I don’t know, hopin’ Pope shuts up soon so I can fuck my girl,” he laughs, his hands coming back to your waist, moving down to feel the silk of your panties as you straddle him again. He closes his eyes, steadying his breath as he clears his throat hearing his name called again to answer a question.

As he’s talking, you tease him again, bringing your hands behind your back to undo the clasp of your bra. You hold the material in front of you, looking down at Benny who’s biting his lip. He takes a deep breath and continues talking so you decide to slowly move your bra down your front. He goes to sit up and you push his chest back down shaking your head.

You can tell he’s getting frustrated by the incessant follow-ups, all he wants to do is end this call. He’s balling up his fist, bucking up against you out of instinct which makes a giggle escape as you cover your mouth, your eyes going wide.

“What was that?” You hear Will ask.

“No-nothing, I didn’t hear anything,” Benny manages to say as he covers his mouth, trying not to laugh.

Pope chimes in with another question and you move off the bed onto your knees so you can pull Benny’s shorts down. He springs free and your mouth starts to water as you kiss up his thigh.

The conversation on the phone has moved on to something about scheduling or invoices or something, you hear Will dominating the conversation. Benny puts the phone back on mute, tosses it somewhere on the bed, and pushes himself up on his elbows to look at you.

“You look so pretty,” he presses up further, cupping your face and bringing you up to kiss him.

“Lay back, Ben. Let me take care of you.”

He does as you say and you lightly use your thumb and forefinger to grasp around his length as you take his head in your mouth, swirling your tongue over the slit, collecting what’s waiting for you. Benny lets out a shaky breath and you look up at him as you relax your throat and take him all the way down to the base which elicits a groan. You guide him in and out of your mouth, your hand there to help give a little extra pressure just the way he likes it.

His hips buck up into your mouth and you hear his whimpers as he tells you how beautiful you look and praises you for how good you’re making him feel. You smile as you continue taking him in and out, moans coming out from the depths of your throat.

“I need to feel you, baby,” he rasps.

You pull him all the way out with a loud pop and shuffle up to take your underwear off. He grabs your wrists and shakes his head, “No time, just here,” he pulls you up, moving your underwear to the side and guiding you down onto him. You both let out groans that sound sinful as he rests his head back on the bed.

You start to grind, leaning forward over him, an angle you preferred because not only did his dick feel amazing, but he was able to play with your breasts too. He takes one in his mouth, teasing your nipple with the flick of his tongue as the other alternates between gentle kneading and a more forceful grasp.

“I’m not going to last long baby, you’re so fucking hot,” he manages despite his labored breathing. “You close?”

You bring your forehead against his and nod, “Yeah, I, ah, yeah.”

In a move that happens quickly, he flips you onto your back and starts to thrust harder.

“Ben? Goddammit, what the fuck is up with you?” Pope chastizes.

The phone is just above your head and you grab it and unmute.

“Sorry, B-Ben, is a little busy right now boys. I’m sure you’ll understand.”

You hang up the phone and Benny stills, his mouth hanging open wide in shock at what you did. “Holy fucking shit, that was amazing.”

“Where were we? I need to get back to work.”

“Yes ma’am.”

#benny miller x female reader #benny miller smut #benny miller fanfiction #benny miller #the thots thotted and this is what happened

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sammysficfactory · 9 months

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AOT Men’s Favorite R&B/Soul Throwback Song pt.1

Eren, Armin, and Levi

(doing ony and connie separately bc i can’t find anything pink for them😔 i also wanna do the ladies but idk if yall gon be feeling that) pt.2 here

Eren Jeager

Soon As I Get Home by Faith Evans

idc what you say this fits him to a t

sexy but sweet yk?

he serenades you a lot but this is his favorite song to sing bother you with

No matter what, Eren always does his best to keep your relationship fun. Most of the time that just means he likes to bother you when you’re busy. You feel a familiar pair of arms wrap around you as you stir something over the stove.

“Go ‘head Eren. I don’t have time for your foolishness right now.” You give him an empty warning and he knows it, which is why he begins swaying you side to side.

“Come on, ma. You know this is our song. You can’t dance with me for like five minutes?” He begins trying to appeal to you by humming the melody in your ear and pressing his chest closer to your back. You roll your eyes playfully before turning the burner on low and turn in his arms to look up at him.

“You not gon’ bother me after this? You know I gotta hurry up and get this done.” You ask, swaying from side to side as the Faith Evans song played. Eren nods, planting a kiss on your cheek before nodding.

“I won’t bother you, I promise. Just let me dance with my beautiful girlfriend.” His mischievous tone makes him sound unconvincing but you move away from the stove anyway and oblige, dancing with him in your shared kitchen.

he truly is a pain

but that’s my man

and imma stick beside him ‼️

Armin Arlert

You Don’t Know My Name by Alicia Keys

i love this song so dearly

literally such a cute and romantic lil song

perfect for my min🤭

Armin’s hand is on your thigh as he drives to the grocery store when the telltale notes of a piano play through the speakers. Armin looks at you with bright eyes and affectionate smile.

“We should make this our song. You know, like when we old and stuff and the song plays and we dance in the living room.” Armin begins verbally painting a picture of what he wants your future with him to look like.

“That’s kinda corny to think about, but it’s cute.” You joke, watching Armin steal glances at you whenever he gets to a red light.

“It’s not corny, it’s nice. You just tryna be nonchalant right now that’s all.” Armin chuckles, gently squeezing your thigh as he drives. You suck your teeth at his accusation, knowing he was half right. It was corny, but the idea of growing old with Armin also sent a warm feeling through your heart.

long story short

armin is a hopeless romantic

and so am i

Levi Ackerman

Lovin’ You by Minnie Riperton

y’all know levi is an oldhead at heart (and irl)

and this song matches his romantic but refined tastes

it’s nice and calm, but the meaning is significant

The hot water and fluffy suds in the bathtub was a relaxing and welcome feeling after the stressful day you had to endure. It also helped that your handsome boyfriend was behind you in the bathtub, washing your back while humming a familiar. You turn around, smiling amusedly.

“What you know about Minnie Riperton?” Levi looks up at you as if you had taken him out of a trance before giving you a small sheepish smile.

“I know about Minnie Riperton, Y/N. It’s a good song, it reminds me of you a little too.” He chuckles, answering in his regular lovestruck tone before placing a small and soft kiss on your shoulder blade.

“You think so? I like the song but I didn’t think it reminded you of me.” Levi nods before you hum in acknowledgment and continue to let him help you relax.

definitely plays at your wedding if y’all ever have one

like in the mini story, he hums it whenever he helps you destress

he’s so husband

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sturniolowhore · 4 months

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☁️ BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND #6

summary ⎯ venus has had her eyes on her brother's best friend chris for as long as she can remember but she is far too scared that's all she is to him, his best friend's little sister. what happens when she realises he sees her in a different light and how will she and chris keep it hidden from her brother who has always told his friends never to meddle about with his sister.

part one! ♯ part two! ♯ part three! ♯ part four! ♯

part five!

warnings ⎯ suggestive and sexual, eventual smut, chris x fem!oc, fluff, cursing, kind of angst (?)

A/N ⎯ finally working on something with parts to it so i'm excited!! as a reminder, leo and venus do not exist irl, i just chose any random names for the sake of the story.

i hope you enjoy <3

CHAPTER A/N ⎯ i was supposed to be studying but i decided to write this instead. this is based on a request i got about chris and a volleyball reader but seeing as venus is already a volleyball player, i thought i'd just include it here. it isn't letting me reply directly to the request but this is for you anonymous. this is also the final chapter of brother's best friend, i hope you all loved it!! i'll start working on my other requests once exams are over <3

❛ ━━･❪ ִ ࣪𖤐 ❫ ･━━ ❜

"matt hurry the fuck up! i'm not going to be late," chris' voice travels from downstairs to matt's room and a few moments after, matt comes trotting down the stairs with an apologetic expression on his face.

"fucking finally, i thought kid's ears were going to start releasing steam because of how annoyed he was," nick gestures towards chris who rolls his eyes but chooses not to respond, instead opening the front door and making his way quickly to matt's car because matt decided he didn't mind taking all of them to venus' volleyball match.

it's one of the final matches in this new tournament her team is competing in and it's honestly a pretty big deal. if they make it through this competition within the top three spots, they'll qualify to the next competition. venus has been going on about it and chris honestly finds it adorable; he loves listening to her ramble and explain every little detail excitedly. he also loves going to support her in every match. he hasn't missed a single one since they got together and he doesn't plan on doing so either which is exactly why he's annoyed at matt for taking so long. he doesn't want venus to think he isn't coming to cheer her on before the start of a very important game.

"relax we're going to make it on time, i promise," matt reassures him as he steps into the driver's seat and begins pulling out of the driveway.

chris doesn't really pay attention to the conversations happening in the car as they continue to approach their destination because he's too busy thinking about seeing venus in her element. he doesn't even completely register matt parking the car until the car door at the back opens and nick steps out of the car. chris follows with an eager smile planted across his face as they make it towards the top of the stands where family and friends of players can easily find one another.

as soon as they reach the top, chris immediately spots leo who's busy texting on his phone. he approaches his best friend and pushes his back slightly, making him jump but then break out into a large smile.

"you're here, thank fuck. venus keeps messaging me to ask if you're here," leo shakes his head, turning his phone so chris can read the multiple exchanges back and forth between the siblings where venus is doing exactly that.

chris isn't by any means late, in fact the match isn't set to start for another fifteen minutes but he's usually a lot earlier, staying with venus behind closed doors and reassuring her until the game begins. he feels bad that she probably has been worrying all on her own, without him there to tell her it'll all be okay.

"where is she?" he asks leo with a frown and leo tells him the specific room number she's occupied alone and so he quickly parts ways with his best friend and brothers, their chatter with one another fading as he walks away to the room.

he knocks on the door a couple times and waits until he hears the familiar sound, "come in."

he opens the door and sees venus physically ease, the tension in her shoulders disappearing slightly at the mere sight of him. he opens his arms out for her and she steps into his embrace with no difficulty, pressing a small kiss to his cheek and inhaling his scent to provide herself with a form of stability within the nerves that are circling through her.

"hey ma," he whispers into the hug before she pulls away, a nervous look now planted across her face that makes chris' heart swell slightly.

"i'm sorry, i'm just worried," she tells him when she notices the sympathetic gaze he's giving her.

she doesn't want to be on the receiving end of sympathy but it's so hard for her to mask her feelings around her boyfriend. there's something about chris that makes it so easy to be her genuine self and showcase her genuine feelings. she's rather grateful for it because she doesn't feel like she has to be someone else or put on a facade of some sort just so chris likes her and can handle her. he likes her for who she is, flaws included and that makes her heart feel full.

"venus, i barely knew anything about volleyball before i became your boyfriend and then the moment i did, i became some sort of expert all because of you. you weren't even making me feel bored when you taught me everything because it was so obvious you loved everything about what you were saying. this is your thing saturn and every single game i come to, everyone in the crowd has eyes on you, especially me. you're going to be amazing and i'm going to be here watching you and cheering you on through every last minute, okay?"

venus nothing short of melts due to his words. they travel straight to her heart and for a moment, she's unable to do anything, too thankful and in utter adoration of the person standing in front of her. she eventually does connect their lips and it's her way of responding to chris without having to say anything at all. the kiss is intense because she's pouring every ounce of admiration she has for him into it. she doesn't ever want to pull apart because of how right his lips feel against hers. it's not even sexual she finds herself thinking, it's pure and fierce and as though she's a warrior defending the love she has for chris.

the love she has for chris.

neither one of them has said anything about love just yet but venus knows when she looks at chris, when she hears his voice, when he's simply him; she is in love. when they pull apart, she knows for certain the emotion running through her veins is real and she'd be damned if she doesn't tell chris exactly what she's thinking.

"chris..." there's a pause where he nods his head and smiles at her softly, making every last bit of doubt fly out of her, "i love you."

the smile she receives reminds her why she loves him. he looks so fucking thrilled at the thought of her loving him and his cheeks turn the slightest bit pink. she thinks he looks beyond adorable and when he starts to reply, she swears she loses sense of anything but him and the sound of his gentle voice.

"i'm in love with you," it's like reassurance for something she never even knew she needed.

there is no doubt in her head that she loves chris but the thought that he might not love her is always present. now, it's not as though she thinks it's chris' obligation to love her but the emotions she feels when he confirms that he does feel the same are greater than any before.

"come here," he pulls her into his chest and hugs her so tightly, she can almost feel his love transferring onto her.

"now come on, you're going to go out there and be the best player ever like i know you are," he turns her body around and leads her closer to the door.

he watches the slight sway in her body as she walks for a few steps and god he's so in love with everything about her. his hands go to either side of her waist and stop her in her tracks. she doesn't turn around, simply waits for him and practically shudders when he pushes her beautiful ponytail over her left shoulder and his lips brush against her neck from the right.

"those shorts are going to be the end of me," he speaks against her skin and she laughs, relishing in the soft touch he provides.

he steps back and admires her before delivering a small, playful slap to her ass that makes her body jolt in a way he wants to replay in his mind forever. she turns around with a sheepish grin and he can't help but return the expression.

"let's make a deal," he tells her and she raises her brows at him, turning around entirely so now their eyes are looking into one another’s.

"when you win, i'm going to lower those shorts just a little so i can fuck your brains out," he whispers and she splutters on air before a smirk settles on her face.

the way he says when instead of if makes her heart flutter and his words certainly aren't helping but, in all honesty, she loves the sound of them. she nods her head in agreement eagerly, "remember that time you said you'd make the fuck out with me if i won?"

she reminds him of the time before they even got together where he was about to say something along those lines before leo walked in and he beams at her. of fucking course, he remembers but knowing she remembers just as well makes it all the more worth it.

"what are you trying to say?" he's teasing because he knows exactly what she means; to be frank, he just wants to hear her say it.

the smirk doesn't leave her face when she answers, "you can do exactly that whilst i sit on that pretty little lap in these exact shorts."

he groans. he actually groans at the thought and she loves the way she can see the effect she has on him because she's more than aware he has the same effect on her. they both drive each other crazy and they truly love it beyond words can explain.

"guess my dreams are gonna come true. come on, let's go before your team wonders where you are. good luck ma," he presses a short but sweet kiss to her lips and she smiles into it, thanking him shortly before they go separate ways to their respective areas.

chris returns to the stands where his brothers and leo are looking around for him with a grin on his face. when they spot him, they finally sit back down in relief.

"took your fucking time," leo narrows his eyes at him in suspicion.

if only he knew.

"i was helping saturn," he shrugs, blocking out their responses and glancing at the time displayed on one of the screens extremely close by.

two more minutes until he knows venus will absolutely destroy the other team. two more minutes until he's guaranteed to fuck her in those pretty little shorts. two minutes until he's the proudest boyfriend all over again for yet another game.

maybe he just really wants to see venus play but the two minutes seem to drag for an eternity so when the players finally get into their positions, he sits up in his seat and quickly locates venus. a proud smile settles on his face when he notes she's going to be the one to serve. even if she wasn't serving though, he can’t confirm that he'd be looking at the game because all he can seem to do is stare at her.

the whistle blows to signal the start of the game and her serve is perfect, in fact everything about her is perfect and chris is in complete awe. he watches the game eagerly, not peeling his eyes away from her for even a second and grinning like never before when her team's points pile up in contrast to other team's few. he observes her every move and anytime she's the one to score, he goes absolutely crazy. people even turn back to stare at who's making such commotion but he doesn't care in the slightest; he's here to support his girlfriend and that's exactly what he's doing.

after around an hour and ten minutes, the game comes to a close and that means their team is through to the next round. chris goes insane in the crowds and he can hear his brothers and leo doing the exact same. he watches as venus looks to stand to find him and when she does, the smile on her face is the prettiest thing he has ever seen. he beams at her, clapping loudly, making her shake her head fondly. she smirks for a second as she snaps the waistband of her shorts against her skin; chris cheers even louder at that.

"you were fucking amazing," he finally tells her when she's stepped away from leo, nick and matt.

"i was thinking about how you fuck amazing," she retorts and he laughs loudly, a glimmer in his eyes as he captures her hand in his own and leads them to matt's car.

"i should've brought my car," he groans quietly to her when the others enter the car and matt begins driving them to the triplets' house.

"patience, we'll say you're taking me out to eat and while leo stays at your house, we can go back to my place and do whatever," she responds softly and he nods his head, rubbing circles against her hand with his thumb delicately.

they do as planned and so chris takes his car and they begin driving home. the only thing on his mind is venus. every last thought is screaming her name and when she places her hand on his thigh and inches closer to his dick, he swears he loses all composure.

"venus," he warns her and when he glances to the side, she has this perfect, teasing smile on her face that he just wants to kiss senseless.

"keep driving, we're ten minutes away," she tells him but he can't for the life of him focus on the road when her hand is dangerously close to where he needs her.

the thoughts of her start getting to him and he can feel himself begin to harden in his sweatpants. he groans and starts driving faster in the hopes of getting to her house as fast as possible. she notices the increase in speed and laughs inaudibly to anyone but herself. her eyes glimmer when she notices chris getting hard and she finds herself getting more and more turned on by the second. she stares at nothing but the familiar outline being showcased through his sweatpants and her movements against his thigh go still.

he doesn't notice at first until at least a minute passes and her hand is still on his thigh and her eyes are still trained in the same spot. he grins and turns to her briefly, "you have to be good and wait saturn."

and oh fuck. he is not helping in the slightest and she starts to understand why he was so frustrated just seconds before. she needs him and she needs him now.

"chris," she whines a little and he hums in response, "i need you."

"we're just over five minutes away," he plays her at her own game and she throws her head back against the chair.

"please," she mumbles and how on earth is he meant to deny her of anything when she sounds so desperate and beautiful all for him?

they're lucky there are secluded areas nearby that people rarely go to because chris drives around a minute until they reach one and then he parks the car.

"get in the back," he instructs and she doesn't even hesitate for a second, instantly moving to climb into the back and falling into the seat when chris slaps her ass in the process.

said boy gets out of the car and slams his door shut before moving to sit beside her in the back. as soon as his back hits the seat, she moves to straddle his legs and kisses him as though she has no other purpose. the kiss is eager and desperate and shows her want flawlessly. the feeling of her grinding against him in those shorts he fucking loves gets him even harder and he just needs to be inside of her before he implodes.

"fuck baby, i need to be in you," he says against her lips and she moans in satisfaction, lifting her hips lightly in a message that chris understands immediately.

he pulls her shorts down ever so slightly so that he can align himself with her whilst she still has them sitting perfectly on her thighs and his sweatpants down to his knees. he teases her for a while, not quite giving her what she wants and she whimpers in need.

"please chris, need you so badly," she grinds harder against him and the skin on skin sensation drives him crazy.

"you have me," he smiles softly and then slams into her like he's made to do that and that alone.

she falls into his chest at the rough thrusts and he grins, his hands moving to either side of her waist to keep her upright. her pants fill the car and when she meets him halfway her with her grinding, moans start to escape his lips uncontrollably. the sound of arousal fills the air and is like music to their ears, making them increase their paces to hear the tune more.

her lips press against his whilst he slaps her ass again. he really is in love with her ass but when it's paired with his favourite shorts, he swears he's on cloud nine. he moans when she bites at his earlobe and thrusts into her faster, practically making her scream. chris loves the way she doesn't hold back from screaming her pleasure. it makes him want to thrust into her forever.

skin on skin, tongues against tongues and moans warming the car is sending them both beyond the edge. chris' thrusts are getting faster because he knows the two of them are close. he can feel her clenching around him and forming incoherent words as she moves against him.

"fuck, fuck, fuck," she yells as she presses legs against him and begins to cum, the sight making chris reach his orgasm too.

they cum together with sloppy kisses and rushed movements and they swear there's no greater feeling than the intimacy of sex and cumming together in a union of the souls.

❛ ━━･❪ ִ ࣪𖤐 ❫ ･━━ ❜

tags: @mattslolita @sturniolololover @mattsleftnipple03 @that-general-simp

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the-fiction-witch · 5 months

Text

How Much?

Media IRL

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Smut

I hummed my little tune as I stood in the monochromatic bathroom and I got dressed for the work ahead. I have worked for this company for a good few years now. It was easy money. Some jobs could make a pretty fun night. The Odd Rich Boy Bachelor party Or Bankers Party bus could make you a few thousand pounds a night for really just showing up. I once had a man tip me a pair of Tiffany earrings just for serving his drink with ice. But I did like the small quieter jobs some days. It certainly was nice to have the smaller jobs as you always knew you'd get paid. This. Was one of my more favoured.

I left the little bathroom and headed into the little London house, the place well-decorated and recently renovated, littered with items most of which I didn't know much about. I had this job for about a year or so now, I was hired, as a maid my job was to come on every other Friday from four till six and clean the house topless in a little maid skirt. I suppose it sounds strange, but it's a fairly normal ask in this job. I don't question why people want me to do it, they are willing to pay me so I don't ask. Some people are just into that sort of thing. And it paid extremely well for what little work was actually required, Go around with a fluffy duster, push a vacuum around, wash the dishes with a bunch of soapy bubbles that sort of thing. I had met the guy who owned the house a couple of times mostly in passing but I didn't know much about him, Most of the time he wasn't here. He worked away a lot, but the house had a few of those little motion-detecting security camera's lot of people have for pets and often when I'd been over I'd get a tip from him showing that no matter where exactly he was in the world he would always take the time to sit and watch me work. What he does with the video's, Not my business. What he does do while watching them? well, I can imagine but again not my business. Today he was actually here and sat on the sofa reading some paperwork in jeans and a silk skirt so I smiled at him as I got my duster and began my work going around picking up all his little items and dusting the place all with him and sitting watching me. "Pass me a light would you maid girl," He asked, So I spotted a lighter on the table and went over to him as he had a cigarette hung from his lips so I clicked the lighter on and lit the end for him

"Here you are, sir." "Thank you very much," He smiled blowing me a kiss as I went back to work "I haven't been here while you work for ages. I've really missed you," "You've still seen me work," "Yeah, but it's not the same," He shrugged "I missed you," "I missed you too" I smiled as I kept working finding myself upstairs making his bed and he came and leant on the doorframe to watch me as I changed the sheets "y/n?" "Yes sir?" I asked "Just thomas you know that" "Sorry, Yes thomas?" "Bend over." "Yes Thomas" I giggled moving to bend over as much as I could and still work for a moment I was confused why but then it hit me as I caught the sight of the mirrored door on the wardrobe behind me, meaning as I bent over his bed he could watch my ass and pussy in the mirror "There all done" I smiled "Is that all for today Thomas?" "Actually, just before you go" He smirked putting his cigarette out on the ashtray on his chest of draws "Sit." He demanded pushing the centre of my chest so I landed on his bed "This all?" I giggled "I wanna look at you" he smirked “How much for you to spread your legs?” "What?" “How much for you to spread your legs?” "How wide?" "All the way." "A Hundred." "Deal." He smirked grabbing his phone from his pocket and fiddling with it a moment "Done." He smirked turning it to show me he sent it I smiled and did as he asked leaning back on his bed and opening my legs as wide as I could, he smirked leaning on the door frame and staring at me for a while "You're beautiful." he smirked “How much for you to finger yourself?”

"Really?" "Really" "It's expensive." "How much Maid girl?" "Eight Hundred." He glared a moment but opened his phone again "Better be worth it." "It is. I promise" "There you go" I smiled and took my hand to my mouth slipping my fingers inside warming them and licking them before I slowly pulled them out let my hand slip down my body and gently rub on my clit I gasped as I gently circled it playing with it softly before moving my hand down to slip two fingers inside myself, I moved my legs up higher and more apart so he had a better view as I worked pushing my fingers hard often making myself squeal or drip from the pleasure he watched eagerly for a while until he came sitting beside me on the bed he grabbed my wrist so he could control my hand making it go faster and harder as he whispered “How much for you to blow me?” "Depends" "On?" "How you want me." "Humm on your knees. Naked. sucking my dick maid girl." "one-fifty" "Ohh now that is a little too much." He said, "How much just to fuck your tits?" "Two." "Two? Why is that more?" "Messier" I giggled

"Fine." he smirked getting his phone and fiddling a moment and handing it to me as he began to kiss my neck moving his hand from my wrist to circle my clit hard as my fingers worked "You just put in, however much it's gonna cost me for you to get naked. lay on my bed with your legs open, and let me fuck you till I cum" "However much?" "However much it costs. You just type those little numbers in and and well go from there." "It would be a breach of my contract" "you think I care? If you get in any trouble I'll make you my little sugar baby that a deal?" "Deal" I giggled typing the number in and handing it back "Ohhh you are an expensive little thing" he smirked "Humm you worth it though" He smirked sending it through before throwing his phone and dragging me into an intense kiss

#tbs #thomas brodie sangster #thomas sangster #tbs smut #thomas sangster imagine #thomas brodie sangster imagine #tbs imagine #tbs imagines #thomasbrodiesangster #thomas brodie sangster smut

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sapphires-and-silver-linings · 9 months

Text

Half-Life | Chapter Four

You realized then how delicate this all still was.

Pairing: Plaga!Leon S. Kennedy/F!Chubby!Paranormal Investigator!Reader

Tags: Fluff, Mutual Pining, Angst, Sexual Tension, Masturbation, Blood, Body Horror, Animal Injury & Death

Notes: Heeeeey, guys. It's been a minute since I last posted, but here is chapter 4 (finally)! My summer has been more busy and stressful than I ever could have imagined, so I'm happy to finally be able to finish this chapter, which is the longest chapter of anything I've ever written at just over 14k words!!! I keep breaking my own personal record every time I write, it feels like lol. I also think this is some of the best writing I've ever done and I'm extremely proud of it! Not sure when chapter 5 will come out, as school is starting back up for me soon and a couple people I know irl are getting married this fall, so I'll be traveling a lot as well. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts! (And here's a little behind-the-scenes tidbit: the painting I describe at the beginning of this chapter is actually in RE4R in the grand hall!)

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You awoke before Leon, for once.

You couldn’t stop yourself from sitting up on your air mattress and looking at his curled-up form, finally allowed to take in his appearance fully without having to sneak a glance or risk embarrassing yourself and him by getting caught staring.

You had yet to see him so at peace until this moment. He was laid atop his blankets, nearly in the fetal position, one long arm tucked under his pillow while the other was slung across his exposed midriff. His appendages were retracted again and his tail was hanging off the side of the bed, twitching slightly in his slumber. His breaths were deep and even, and his messy blond hair covered his closed eyes.

Never in your life did you think a literal monster could be so damn cute—so damn attractive in ways most humans hadn’t been to you before. Even the ones you dated. You wondered what that said about you.

As you gazed at Leon, you were reminded of the day before, a lovely warmth settling over you like that of the sun spilling in from the window above.

You could feel yourself blush as you recalled him carrying you across the bridge; how he had plucked a flower just to stick it into your hair; the fact he was willing to dance with you in the dilapidated ballroom simply because you asked; the way he played into your little game as you sat upon the throne, faces so near, you could brush your nose against his if you had just moved a little bit closer.

But then he had pulled away, leaving you breathless… and confused.

You weren’t sure why he would humor you with the flirting and the lingering glances and the gentle touches just to distance himself again—why he was holding himself back.

It was maddening, and you struggled to muster the courage to ask him about it or take matters into your own hands. Because, if you were honest with yourself, you were terrified of what it would mean if you did.

Worst case scenario, he would reject you and send you away. It would sting, but you had grown accustomed to the feeling; almost expected it by now. Besides, you were going to leave anyway, weren’t you?

Best case scenario, though? He would reciprocate and then… what? What could come of this? Would you still go home and let this remain as some passionate, short-lived fling? Would you work out how to stay and leave your entire life—friends and family—behind? Or would you come and visit him when you could manage it, living some kind of half-life split between your world and his?

Every outcome you could think of seemed to hurt, and you thought maybe it would be better to keep things as they were; tense but platonic.

However, being with him was so easy. Natural as breathing (when he wasn’t stealing your breath away, that is). Sure, there had been hiccups and misunderstandings. The both of you were stubborn and set in your ways, but you put your differences to rest so quickly.

But god, were you different. The type of different that you thought before meeting him would never work. As a human, he was handsome. Devastatingly so. Could have been a model, had he chosen another career.

And, most notably, he could have had anyone he wanted.

You had come to love your body with all its curves and marks, but you doubted he would even look your way if you had crossed paths in another life.

You knew it wasn’t fair to yourself or to him to compare who he was to who he is now, considering how much he had gone through over the years and his transformation. However, you couldn’t help but think the attention you were getting from him came from loneliness and nothing more.

If anyone else had been just as stupid and nosy as you, he probably would have acted this way towards them in your stead.

Could you so easily be replaced?

Your chest clenched painfully at the thought and you forced yourself to look away from him, eyes bouncing around the room until they landed on the painting hung on the nearby wall.

It was a beautiful depiction of the castle—how it must have looked when it was occupied by people instead of dust and crumbling stone. The colors were vibrant, and a couple in the foreground were walking away from it, arm in arm. You admired it for a long while, feeling a sense of serenity overtake your anxious mind for a moment.

And then memories of the day prior flooded it instead, how you and Leon had spent the rest of the evening making crude wooden frames for the paintings you had “borrowed” from the castle, carefully finding the best places to hang the new pieces on his once empty walls.

Leon acted like he didn’t care, letting you decide for him, but you caught him glancing at the artwork from time to time, a gentle smile on his face at the way they brightened up his home.

You knew once you left he would be lonely again. You hoped if you could make these changes for him it might be enough to keep him content, even for just a little while. And, selfishly, you felt that if you couldn’t have him, you could at least inject remnants of yourself into his life. Maybe then he’d think of you the way you knew you’d think of him until your last breath.

Everything about it was unfair.

You heard a rustle and a quiet call of your name, your gaze meeting the half-lidded one of Leon as he sat up to look at you. He let out a yawn, his impossibly wide mouth gaping open in a way you once thought to be terrifying, those razor teeth glinting in the low light of the morning sun. Now, as he blinked the sleep from his red eyes, you found it more endearing, like the maw of a cat. Precious in all its sharp edges.

“Good morning,” you told him softly, a smile playing on your lips as if you hadn’t nearly worried your teeth through them moments ago.

“Mornin’. You been up long?” he asked as he swept his hair from his face. You wished you could do it for him, but you pushed that thought deep down instead.

“Not long. Was just looking at the painting,” you replied, half-lying as you pointed at the artwork in question.

His gaze trailed up to it, a small grin alighting his bizarrely beautiful features. “It really was a great idea, bringing them back here. Makes the place a lot less depressing.”

“I have those, occasionally,” you joked, pulling yourself to your feet. “I’m gonna start breakfast if you’re interested in something other than fish.”

With a tilt of his head, he asked, “What’re you makin’?”

You smirked as you walked up to him. “You can find out for yourself if you get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

He rolled his eyes playfully, catching you off guard by leaning in close, so tall that even sitting down he was the same height as you were standing. “So demanding, bunny.”

You scoffed. “Forgive me. Please get dressed and meet me downstairs. Better?”

“Baby steps.”

Splaying your hand against his chest, you teasingly shoved him, “Whatever. I’ll just cook without you.”

He grabbed your wrist, clawed fingers cool against your skin, causing a shiver to run through you. “C’mon, you’re breaking my heart here.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes, pulling slightly against his hold. “Then be good and do as you’re told.”

He sighed dramatically, releasing you from his grip. “Yes, ma’am.”

You grinned triumphantly, gently tapping your finger against the tip of his nose. It caused him to scrunch up his face in a way that made you laugh, and then you turned on your heels and strolled to the door.

You glanced back at him as he stood and stretched. “Bacon and eggs, by the way.”

“Now that’s something I can’t pass up.”

“Figured.” And with that, you were on your way.

You kickstarted your morning by brushing your teeth and washing your face in the sink, then quickly got dressed so you could begin working on breakfast.

Leon was swift to join you, staying out of your way as he would be little help with his claws but keeping you company regardless. You made sure to leave his eggs runny and his bacon undercooked to abide by his more primal eating habits.

Soon enough, the two of you were at the table, sitting across from each other as was becoming the norm. It all felt so… domestic.

“Got any plans I need to know about?” he inquired after emptying his plate.

You swallowed the bite you had been chewing, glancing out of the nearby window. “It’s a nice day out. Pretty warm for autumn. Would that lake trip I mentioned yesterday be out of the question?”

“Don’t see why we can’t. And there’s lots to see. I think you’re going to have a good time.”

“With you? Always.”

You could have sworn a faint pink rose to his face, but he was quick to stand and place his used dishes in the sink, so you couldn’t be certain.

After a quick prep for the trip, you headed down to the lake, Leon helping you get onto the boat, which rocked violently as you stepped onto it, to your dismay. He chuckled as you grappled his shoulders to steady yourself, slowly lowering onto the bench beneath you.

“Not too keen on a swim, huh?” he teased you.

“Not fully clothed, at least,” you muttered in reply.

He simply smirked at that but didn’t respond.

Leon smoothly directed the loud motorboat to the first location you had agreed upon back at the house, which was a small cave that held a wooden shack inside. It was such a strange little place, but you liked to hear the echo of your voices bounce off the cave walls, as well as the sound of the boat gently slapping against the dock.

The headless statue with the dark stains on it—that looked an awful lot like old blood—made you uneasy, but you could see yourself camping out at a place like this.

After that, Leon said he was taking you to what he called “chicken island”, which made you laugh.

“Can’t imagine why they’d call it that,” you mused.

“It had chickens there if you can believe it,” was his deadpan response.

And he didn’t lie. Although the birds were no longer present, many rusted cages full of straw nests were stacked across the small area and worn feathers littered the ground. There wasn’t much to it, as he had warned, but you felt the need to at least say you had been to such a silly place.

He then took you into another cave, pulling up to a large dock with only your flashlight as a guide. You climbed up the ladder to the deck above—a place that you had passed through to get to the lake in the first place—to sit on a crate and eat your lunch.

Time was passing rather quickly while out on the water, and you worried if you spent too much time dawdling, you’d have to come back the next day and waste precious hours you could be doing other things.

The end of your visit here was coming up sooner than you’d like, after all.

You were halfway through your sandwich, giving the room a more intense sweep, when your eyes fell upon the elevator in the corner. You had pointed it out before, but Leon wasn’t keen on using it, as the generator keeping the thing in service had long since lost fuel.

Apparently, there had been a shooting range with moving targets on the floor below, to your bewilderment. There was also one inside the castle and another in the mines beneath it, though Leon told you it was too dangerous to trek the old shafts.

You glanced at the counter next to the elevator and a thought came to your mind. “Hey, Leon, you said there were moving targets in the shooting range, right?”

He looked at you quizzically but nodded, mouth full of sliced ham.

You giggled at the sight, but continued your questioning, “So if they were moving, was someone controlling them?”

He swallowed thickly before answering, “Yeah... This guy I just referred to as ‘The Merchant’. He popped up all over the village while I was trying to save Ashley. Helped me a lot by selling me supplies. He was in charge of the shooting ranges around here.”

“How did he know where you’d end up in time to set up shop? And how did he avoid getting infected with the parasite?”

Leon clicked his tongue. “Your guess is good as mine. He was… weird… but he did me a solid, so I figured it would be best not to ask questions. Even sold me some things to live on after I turned. He never came back after that.”

“Do you wish he did?” you asked, unable to stop yourself from prying. It was a bad habit, you knew, but you couldn’t help it.

You wanted to get to know Leon in every capacity, even though leaving would only hurt worse if you did. You must've been a masochist, then.

He sighed wearily, crossing his arms. “If I’m being honest… every day I wished someone would come back. Didn’t matter who. Used to lay awake at night and think about Claire or Ashely or Ad—” he paused at that, and you were going to ask what name he was about to say when he continued, “Anyway, I used to imagine them coming to find me. Just to say hi, I guess. To see how I was doing. But they never did. Not that they should. I told Ashley not to come back for her safety, and to not tell anyone I was alive. Don’t know why I hoped she’d break her promise.”

“Well,” you started, reaching over and wrapping your fingers around his hand, “at least I’m here.”

“Yeah, and I’m glad for it, even if it's just for a week.” He was staring down at your knuckles and you wanted nothing more than to coil your arms around him, but you refrained.

You considered him for a long moment instead, all your overthinking from earlier being tossed out of your mind as you promptly made a decision, saying, “I could always come back. Make this a yearly trip or something.”

His gaze jumped up to your own, then, shock evident in his pale features. “And why would you do that?”

You let out a huff of laughter. Was he really that clueless? Well, you weren’t about to give him the full truth—that you were utterly infatuated with him—instead replying, “Because I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

“Friend,” he repeated, voice low. Was there a hint of disappointment in his tone, or did you imagine it? “Yeah, I guess at this point, you really are. But I don’t know if it would be a good idea for you to come back.”

“Why?” You felt hurt by that, but you tried to hide it behind a nonchalant attitude, attempting to sound more curious than bitter.

“We’re wasting daylight,” he said instead of answering you, standing up from his crate. “We should keep moving.”

You stood up, too, confusion and frustration circling in your head like vultures. “Fine, but this conversation isn’t over, Leon.”

“Hm,” was all he replied, already making his way to the boat before you even finished zipping up your backpack.

The short trip to the other side of the cave was one full of awkward silence. You didn’t want to show that you were annoyed, but it was difficult to mask it while he was giving you the cold shoulder.

You realized then how delicate this all still was. A few days together was not enough time for him to fully open up to you. You were upset, but he had a stormy history—one he wasn’t keen on sharing.

Whether it was to protect himself from the vulnerability or spare you from the weight of his past, you didn’t know. But you wanted nothing more than to assure him that he meant something to you. That he could trust you.

You kept your mouth shut.

Despite the change in attitude, Leon was still quick to help you out of the boat. It was something you appreciated, given your apparent lack of sea legs.

Your concerned thoughts were replaced with a renewed sense of awe, though, as you shone your flashlight over the cave walls and rushed forward. Leon simply followed behind you while you explored the place, as he made a habit of doing since your arrival.

You found another headless statue stained in dark brown, to your disgust, but not much else resided in the labyrinthine tunnels.

You went back to the boat, and as you were about to leave the area altogether, you pointed out another small dock nearby. “What’s over there? Can we go?”

He seemed hesitant, shoulders tensing, but he eventually nodded, pulling up alongside it.

Once on solid ground, you were swift in finding a painting on the cave wall, which was a large and very old map of the lake with what looked like a whale in the center.

“What is that?” You asked Leon, the uneasy silence from just before fading as your curiosity took root in its stead.

He grimaced as if remembering something terrible. “Del Lago. Giant fish monster in the lake. I killed it, though, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, a Spanish Nessie, then,” you teased despite your horror at such a concept. “Must have been old, if this painting is anything to go by.”

“Its body sank to the bottom of the lake pretty much as soon as I downed the thing,” he said, looking up at the depiction of the creature. “It’s almost a shame, what happened to it.”

“Why, cos you killed an ancient majestic beast?”

He turned to you with a smile. “No, cos I wasted all that meat.”

You laughed and he chuckled in response, the awkward tension from earlier finally giving way to the easygoing banter you enjoyed so much.

“C’mon, there’s more to explore,” you urged, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along.

Near the mural was a shrine with two large hands sticking up from the cave floor, a head sitting in either stone palm.

Well, that explains the headless statues, you mused.

You moved on quickly after that, the cave giving way to a forested path. You made a face as you skirted past a sacrificial altar, gripping Leon a little tighter.

After having to crawl underneath a tiny gap in a stone formation, you made it to a fork in the path, a small building to your right, and a winding trail to your left.

“What’s over there?” you asked Leon as you pointed to the trail, leaning down to wipe the dirt from your clothes.

He seemed to freeze before responding a little too quickly, “Not much. And that cabin just leads to another dock. We should head back to the boat.”

“Oh, c’mon, we’re already here! Might as well take a peek!” you chirped, marching onto the trail.

Leon didn’t argue, but he was tense as he followed you up to the end of the path.

You were more than a little confused by what you found there.

“Graves?” you questioned aloud as you looked upon the two crosses made crudely of sticks, names carved into the wood. They weren’t next to each other like you’d expect, but spread apart and angled toward the center of the dead-end path. “How strange. The only other ones I’ve seen were in the church cemetery.”

“Yeah, strange,” Leon muttered behind you, sounding almost… nervous? You wondered why.

You leaned down to the cross on the left, barely able to make out the name “Luis Serra Novarro” on the wood. An old lighter was on the ground beside it. You wondered if it even worked anymore with how long it looked to be sitting there.

You then crouched before the other cross, “Major Jack Krauser” etched messily upon the surface.

“Well, his name isn’t very local-sounding,” you joked of the latter.

Leon didn’t reply, but you were too distracted by what was dug into the ground in front of the cross to comment on it. It was a large knife with an engraving of a snake on its rusted blade.

“Wow, that’s cool,” you mused, reaching out to pull it from the dirt. It felt like a waste to leave such a well-crafted weapon just sitting there.

“Stop!” Leon barked, lunging forward and yanking your hand from where it brushed against the scales.

Shocked, you pulled away and stood up, taking a step back at the snarl on his face. “Whoa, what’s wrong? The thing booby-trapped or something?”

He sighed, his expression turning weary instead of angry. “No, just… would like to respect the dead.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Respect the dead? You piled up human corpses at the entrance to the village. Not sure how that’s exactly—” You stopped mid-sentence, realization hitting you as you took in the miserable look on Leon’s face. “You… you knew these guys, didn’t you?”

He grimaced at your words but slowly nodded in response.

“Who were they?”

Leon crossed his arms over his chest tightly, as if to hug himself, before jerking his head to the grave on the left. “Luis helped me and Ashley. He actually saved me from him, too,” he said, looking at the grave to the right. “He was killed by that very knife.”

“Why bury this guy next to your friend if he murdered him?” You were flabbergasted by this whole thing, desperate to make sense of Leon’s strange actions.

He winced at that. “He was my mentor. Trained me to be an agent in the first place. Without him, I don’t think I could have survived.”

“What caused him to change?”

Leon decided to plop onto the ground, his tail whipping in agitation along the dirt. You joined him, sitting cross-legged beside his slouched figure, waiting for him to say something.

“He was betrayed by the very country he fought to protect. His whole unit was wiped out and he was badly injured, unable to fight like he used to. He ended up going MIA and joined the cult. They infected him with the Plagas, too. I had to fight him. I had to—” he stopped to take a steadying breath, “I had to kill him. With that same blade. His blade.”

“I’m so sorry, Leon,” was all you could offer him, placing your hand over his and squeezing gently. He closed his claws into a fist and squeezed back.

“I buried Luis first,” he began. “Had to go into the mines to retrieve his body, ferry it out here. Then I went to the island on the other side of the castle to find Krauser. The whole place had collapsed in on itself, but I had hoped I could get to him. Dug in the rubble for days, but… couldn’t find a body. The knife is all I had left of him, so now it’s here.”

“I see,” you said quietly, staring down at the muddled reflection of Leon’s dirt-covered leg in the rusted blade. “Why’d you place their graves so far out of the way?”

“It’s secluded. Quiet. Peaceful,” he replied, head tilting towards the sky and closing his eyes. “Figured I would bury Wolfie here, too, when he eventually dies. Just thought it would be a good place to…”

You saw him swallow back his words.

“A good place to what?”

He sighed and shook his head before looking at you, those red eyes so hauntingly melancholy, it made your heart ache. “A good place to rest.”

The two of you sat quietly in the dirt, simply holding hands and watching the breeze ripple through the foliage surrounding you.

He’s right, you thought, comforted by the shade of trees, yet still able to make out the blue of the sky above, it is a good place to rest.

You knew Leon grieved the life he once lived, so evident in the way he carried himself—the way he spoke. But this kind of loss was news to you. You never realized just how much weight he carried.

You were determined to lighten the burden in any way you could.

“Come on,” you told him, finally standing. “We have one last stop, don’t we?”

He didn’t need your help to get to his feet, but he still took your outstretched hand, giving you a small, grateful smile when he towered over you once more. “Yeah. We do.”

Before you knew it, you were back on the motorboat, heading straight to the center of the lake for your last location.

You had seen the old, half-sunk fishing vessel from the shore, but wanted to explore it last for the hell of it. You were glad you made that decision, hoping that spending more time on the calm waters might lift Leon’s spirits.

He came to a stop at the port of the large wooden boat, gracefully exiting onto the dilapidated vessel before reaching his hand out and pulling you onto the algae-slick deck with him.

“Careful,” he warned, releasing his hold on you. “The boards are pretty damaged. Wouldn’t want you to fall through.”

“Yes, sir,” you teased, but you took your time walking around, just in case. You heard him chuckle as you shuffled slowly forward, giving him a lighthearted glare in response.

There really wasn’t much to see of the place, only able to access the front of it.

You leaned against the railing of the bow after a brief sweep of the area, looking out onto the blue, blue water. It was beautiful, and you could see why Leon would spend hours fishing out here beyond catching a meal or two.

You glanced over your shoulder at him, finding him leaning against the front of the cockpit, his eyes already on you. You wished you knew what he was thinking when he looked at you like that. You hid your blush by turning back around.

You placed your hands on the railing, a light giggle escaping you as a thought crossed your mind.

“What’s so funny?” he questioned, and you knew he was smiling without needing to face him.

You tapped your fingers on the wood. “You ever see the movie Titanic?”

He scoffed but didn’t answer, instead stepping closer. Before you knew what was happening, he had gently tugged your arms up, holding them in the air as he leaned down to place his chin on your shoulder. Your breath was caught in your throat by the proximity, his own tickling your cheek.

“Was this what you had in mind, bunny?” he asked you, voice low and teasing in a way that made your stomach flip. You kept your arms up as he slid his hands down to rest on your waist and you wondered if you would pass out from your inability to pull oxygen into your lungs.

You needed to get yourself together, so you forced out a nervous laugh before saying, “If only we had Celine Dion playing in the background. I think we’d be dead ringers for the remake.”

Leon laughed heartily. “I can’t imagine they’d do a remake of such a nineties classic.”

You giggled, turning slightly to meet his eye. “They remake everything these days.”

“Well, I don’t think I have what it takes to play Jack, but you’re pretty enough to go on the big screen.”

Oh.

That compliment made heat flood your whole body, though you didn’t want him to notice it. “What are you talking about? You’re practically Leo DiCaprio two-point-oh.”

“Mm, maybe ten years ago,” he mused, pulling away from you, to your chagrin. “C’mon, we should head back to the house.”

You pouted as you turned to face him. “But I don’t want to yet!”

“Well, there’s not much left to do out here,” he replied, as if coaxing you to follow his lead.

But that wasn’t exactly your style, now was it?��

Instead, you let your hair down from its messy bun, kicked off your shoes and socks, and yanked your shirt over your head.

Leon’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as you stripped in front of him, pulling your jeans off and leaving yourself only in your underwear. You could tell he was trying not to stare, focusing solely on your face as he choked out, “What the hell are you doing?!”

Still, you saw his gaze drop to your bare skin. You felt utterly exposed, but you weren’t ashamed.

In fact, you felt good.

You felt free.

You sat on the railing of the boat, smiling wickedly at him as you flipped your legs over the edge. “I told you if I was going to have a swim, it wouldn’t be fully clothed, didn’t I?”

Before he could say anything else, you plunged into the water.

It was so cold, you locked up for a moment, your body shocked by the sudden change in temperature. You stayed under for a few seconds, willing yourself to adjust before breaching the surface.

You wiped the water from your eyes, blinking up at Leon as he hung off the bow of the boat. It looked like he was about to dive in after you, as if he was worried you wouldn’t come back up.

His concern for you warmed you right up.

“Are you serious?” he interrogated, breathing out a sigh of disbelief. “You said it was too cold to bathe out here, but you’ll take an afternoon swim?”

“Definitely too cold for a bath,” you replied, nodding sagely. “But you should still come join me!”

“Absolutely not. You’re crazy, you know that?”

You smiled, all teeth. “What was your first clue, sweetheart?”

He scoffed. “You showing up here in the first place, probably.”

“So…” you began, “you should learn to expect the unexpected. And jump in. I know the cold doesn’t bother you, Leon.”

He sighed, staring over at the shore for a moment before turning to face you once more. “Fine.”

You whooped in victory as he stepped back from the railing, and then bit your lip as you watched him pull off his shirt, revealing his lean, taut upper body. His legs were obscured by the boat as he tore his pants from them, but you got a good look when he leapt onto the ledge of the bow. You had to crane your neck to take in all of him, grazing your eyes up his muscled form, covered only by boxer briefs.

Before you could stare for too long, he dove into the water behind you, and you covered your eyes as it splashed up in a small wave.

He quickly rose to the surface, flipping his blond hair from his face.

“See? Not so bad,” you told him, paddling closer to where he was treading.

“Guess not.”

You were about to speak again when you felt something large slither along your leg. You yelped, pulling your body away from the sensation. “Oh my god, something just touched me!”

Leon shrugged. “Probably just a fish.”

“No, no, it was definitely a snake!” you told him, eyes staring down as if you could see into the dark water.

“It’s possible. There’re vipers in the area, I told you that before.” He seemed to be taking joy in your distress and you glared at him angrily for it.

“Leon, if that’s true, I need out RIGHT now.”

You began to swim towards the motorboat, suddenly very over this whole situation, when something touched your leg again. You screamed as it wrapped around your ankle, pulling you under the water.

You weren’t under for very long, whatever it was almost immediately releasing you. You sputtered as you pushed your head above the surface, panicking.

But then you heard Leon laughing hysterically nearby, and the realization that he was just screwing with you hit you like a brick.

“Oh, you asshole!” you yelled, wading back over to him and shoving his chest in rage.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just had to,” he told you between laughs.

“Yeah, you will be.” With that, you splashed his face with water, feeling smug that you got him before he could use his arm as a shield.

You splashed him a few more times until he lunged toward you, grabbing your arms, “Okay, we’re even now. Happy?”

He released you and you pretended to think about it for a moment, easing closer. Your faces were mere inches apart, and you wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss him. You weren’t sure how the action would even work, considering his protruding fangs, but that didn’t stop you from wanting to find out.

He seemed to edge nearer, and you wondered if he had the same idea.

But your nerves got the better of you.

Instead, you jumped up and shoved his shoulders down, dunking him completely under the water.

It was your turn to laugh as he came back up, his wet hair covering his eyes. “Now I’d say we’re even.”

He pushed the strands from his face and shook his head, chuckling. “Yeah, I deserved that.”

Before you could say something else, the sky seemed to darken suddenly. You still had a couple hours of daylight left, so you glanced up, confused. You saw that clouds had converged over the sun, looking awfully heavy.

Something splattered against your forehead, and you wiped it off, realizing it was a raindrop. Several more began to fall on and around you, and you knew it was time to head back to shore.

You and Leon quickly got dressed as the sprinkle of rain turned into a steady shower, dampening your once-dry clothes. Still, you made the time to glance at Leon’s cute butt as he leaned down to pull up his pants, and when you turned to put on your own, you could feel his eyes on you too.

Thankfully, Leon decided to head back to the cave, the rain only coming down harder as you finally entered it. Leon moored the boat, and the two of you hurried through to the quarry.

A flash of light streaked across the sky as you reached the church, the echoing BOOM that followed it making you jump out of your skin. You must’ve looked like a wet chihuahua with how you shook, both from the sound and the cold rain seeping down to the bone.

Leon turned to face you, his expression concerned. He got close, placing his palms against your arms. “You’re freezing. C’mon, let’s get you home.”

Despite your misery, you couldn’t help but feel warmed by his words.

Let’s get you home.

He said it like it was yours, too.

He grabbed your hand, tugging you along as you rushed back to his place, knowing it was still quite a trek.

You finally made it to the house, and you doubled over as soon as you crossed the threshold, panting heavily from practically jogging the whole way. You were shivering violently, your teeth chattering as you finally caught your breath, when you felt Leon lay his hand across your back.

“Hey, you should get changed. I’ll start a fire,” he urged, eyes soft as he looked at you.

You nodded, doing as he said, wringing your drenched clothes over the tub before hanging them on the sides of it.

Feeling slightly better, you went back into the main room, seeing that Leon had pushed the dining table over and moved the couch in front of the fireplace, where a stack of logs was piled in the hearth.

He was struggling with the matches again, so you gently took them from his hands, alighting the kindling yourself. He simply nodded at you before you sat down on the couch and reached your hands towards the slowly growing flames.

“You’re soaked,” you told him. “Go change. I’ll make dinner when we warm up.”

He smiled down at you as he stood, stroking the top of your head. You never wanted him to stop. “Be right back, then.”

You were finally losing the chill as he returned, sitting down beside you, his tail draped between you on the seat.

Another loud crash of lightning made you cry out, flinching.

“Whoa, there,” he said softly. “You okay?”

You grimaced. “Yeah, I’m not… the biggest fan of storms. I like the rain when I’m cozied up inside, but thunder and lightning… I don’t know. It freaks me out.”

“So you’re afraid of heights, snakes, and storms. Anything else I should know about?” he asked lightheartedly.

You rolled your eyes. “I’m not afraid of heights, just falling off a shoddy bridge, thank you very much. And snakes only scare me when they’re venomous and I think they’re slithering around my leg.”

His tail flicked up as you stared pointedly at it, the movement incredibly cute to you. He could really be just like a cat sometimes.

“I stand corrected. Just storms, then,” he teased.

The conversation flowed to other things, but looking around, you realized with sudden concern that Leon’s dog wasn’t nearby. “Hey, where’s Wolfie? Was he upstairs?”

Leon’s brows furrowed at that, standing and glancing around the room. “No… he wasn’t. He usually doesn’t stay out when it storms.”

“Is he okay?” you questioned.

Leon crossed his arms. “I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe staying somewhere out of the rain.”

You nodded, though you worried for the poor dog’s safety.

As you promised, you made dinner—a roast, actually—and you had never seen Leon so excited by something you had cooked thus far (though he wouldn’t touch the potatoes, onions, and carrots that simmered alongside it).

As you worked on washing dishes, you saw Leon staring out of one of the windows, and you knew he was looking for Wolfie. You finished the chore, walking into the main room to stand beside him.

“He’s never been gone this long,” Leon stated with a frown.

You worried your bottom lip. “Maybe… Maybe we should go find him.”

Leon glanced at you, then, brow raised. “I’ll go find him. You should stay here.”

“No way,” you argued, already pulling on your hiking boots. “I’m not letting you go out there alone.”

“You could catch a cold, and that bear is still around. Besides, you hate the thunder and lightning, and it's only getting worse.”

“Well, I’m worried about him too. I want to help.”

He sighed as you stood upright, seeing the determination in your eyes. “Fine, but dress warm.”

You nodded vigorously. “I have a raincoat and a jacket, don’t worry.”

You quickly ran to your luggage, throwing on your hoodie, sliding the raincoat over it, and grabbing your flashlight from your backpack.

You met Leon at the door, the two of you heading out into the dark.

You kept your arm braced above your brows to block the rain from your eyes, the hoods of your jacket and coat pulled over your head still not enough to prevent the onslaught, raking your flashlight over the ground as you and Leon called Wolfie’s name.

You didn’t know how long you were in the storm, and although the clothes on your top half helped to keep you dry and warm, your legs were getting soaked through. You pushed past the discomfort, your concern for Leon’s animal companion taking precedence.

The look of worry on his face was compelling enough to keep moving forward on its own.

You were near the church again, calling out the dog’s name as loud as you could, getting desperate to find him safe, when you heard Leon gasp beside you.

“What?” you questioned.

“This way,” was all he responded, bounding through the woods at a speed you could barely keep up with.

Leon was taking you deep into the forest, and you could focus on little else but his darting form as you followed him, afraid to be left behind in the dark.

You thought you were gaining on him when you tripped over a root, cutting your knee as you fell to the ground, hard. You were quick to pick yourself back up, sprinting after him and gritting your teeth against the pain.

You lost him, though, the realization filling you with panic. You just continued running in the direction you saw him taking off, calling after him frantically.

The thunder rumbled deafeningly from above, making you cower in fright, but you knew you had to keep going. The darkness seemed to encroach upon you, the torrent of rain pelting against your whole body hard enough to hurt.

You don’t think you had ever felt this afraid.

To your relief, you finally caught up to Leon, but it was short-lived when you took in what was ahead of you.

Leon was crouched over, and you could hear him muttering in distress. Before him was Wolfie, laying motionless on his side, four streaks of dark red seeping out of his white fur.

You rushed forward, dropping onto your injured knee, not caring how badly it stung as you assessed the animal in front of you. He was still breathing, thankfully, and letting out quiet little whimpers. The wounds looked deep as you appraised them, wondering what could have done this to him.

As if reading your mind, Leon growled, “It was that damn bear.”

You didn’t respond as he stripped his shirt off, easily ripping it into strips. They were soaked through with rain, but it was better than nothing.

“Here buddy,” Leon reassured Wolfie as he grabbed his own tail.

“What are you doing?”

Ignoring you, he gently pricked the barbed end into the dog’s side, who yelped and writhed at the feeling before near-instantly relaxing.

“Kills the pain,” is all he offered as you looked at him in shock. He then shoved the strips of cloth into your hands. “I’m gonna lift him up and I want you to wrap these around him, okay?”

He’d only ever been this serious when protecting you from that bear two days prior, and you swallowed before nodding in response.

You began to carefully slide the first strip over one of the gashes, about to tie it off, when Leon interjected, “Tight, but not too tight.”

“Got it,” you said, fingers shaking as you followed his direction for each wound. You weren’t sure if it was the cold or the nerves but you managed it well enough.

When you were done, Leon stood. Wolfie was held in his arms, the dog’s blood smearing against his bare chest. It made your stomach twist with unease.

“I have bandages in my first-aid kit,” you told him as he began the trek back to the path, trying to keep up with his long, hurried gait.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Leon said. “We can change the bandages, but I don’t know if he’s… I don’t know if he’ll make it.”

You couldn’t reply, tears pricking your eyes at the thought.

Leon’s voice wavered as he continued, “I know he’s old. I knew I’d lose him eventually. But not like this. Not this soon…”

You pushed back your tears, sadness giving way to conviction. “After we replace the bandages, I’m gonna take him to the vet, okay? You’ll have to carry him to my car, but I think if we’re fast, we can do this.”

“What if he dies on the way there?” Leon asked miserably, “I don’t want to be away from him in his last moments.”

“I know it’s a risk, but we have a real chance of saving him, Leon. You told me to trust you yesterday, right? Well, now I need you to trust me.”

He seemed so conflicted but eventually nodded, his features solemn. “Okay. I’ll trust you.”

You reached over and squeezed his arm comfortingly.

God, I hope I’m right about this.

+++

It had been a long time since Leon felt this afraid.

He had lost everything once, and was forced to spend a decade trying to survive the hole that loss gouged out of him. Just a void sitting inside his chest, the edges slowly creeping out to devour what was left.

Wolfie had been there for him in ways humans never were. Even when he wasn’t this grotesque monstrosity, he would rather die than burden someone else with his innate brokenness, preferring to mask it with his need to help or his oftentimes cynical sense of humor.

The truth of the matter? He didn’t know who he was when he wasn’t useful to someone. When he wasn’t a protector. He had never felt so unmoored, going without this self-imposed purpose to drive him forward.

Wolfie had renewed that purpose a month after his transformation, when Leon was at his lowest. He limped up to him with a swollen leg after being bit by a viper, clearly recognizing him despite his mutated features. He had done all he could to nurse the poor dog back to health, and Wolfie hadn’t left his side since.

He sometimes wondered if it was fate that brought them together again—if he allowed himself to believe in something beyond the mundane—but he had renounced god and any other spiritual bullshit ages ago.

He looked down at the dog in his arms, no longer in pain due to his venom’s painkilling properties, but his breaths were still concerningly shallow. He wanted nothing more than to sprint full speed back to the house but worried the movement would only exacerbate Wolfie’s injuries.

He wasn’t completely sure he was okay with letting you take his dog from him—not wanting to miss any precious time he might have left—but he agreed that it was worth a shot to bring him to the vet clinic, even if he couldn’t join you.

He glanced over at you, your teeth gnawing into your bottom lip as you silently walked beside him, and was at least glad you were here with him in this nightmare. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to do this alone.

Eventually, you made it to the house, and he moved aside to let you open the door for him. You both rushed into the building, you grabbing your first-aid kit and a pair of scissors.

You were quick to find the proper bandages, and Leon just held Wolfie’s body out so you could cut off the bloodied strips of his shirt and re-wrap the wounds. Your hands were shaking, but you were careful and methodical, so he didn’t comment on it.

When you finished, you grabbed a blanket and a towel, laying them on the dining table so Leon could bundle the dog tightly inside to protect him from the rain. It was a bit of a walk to the hunting lodge, after all.

You moved away to wash your hands and find your car keys, but Leon could only stare down at your leg as you came back into the room. There were mud and grass stains, which he expected, though he was caught off guard by the knee of your jeans being torn, bright red trickling down your shin in a small but steady stream.

“What happened to your leg?” he questioned, unable to recall when you could have gotten the injury.

“Oh, it's nothing. I just tripped when I was chasing after you. Nearly lost you completely because of it, but I found you pretty fast,” you told him nonchalantly as you packed your bag.

He felt his stomach drop at your words, realizing that he hadn’t once looked back to check on you during his mad dash to find Wolfie. The thought that you were hurt and lost in the middle of the woods during a storm that scared you, and he just left you there, making bile rise to his throat.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. I should have waited for you… I didn’t even know you weren’t behind me anymore…”

You shook your head, smiling at him, but the expression couldn’t hide the exhaustion in your eyes. “It’s okay, I promise. You were worried about Wolfie. I don’t blame you.”

“It’s not okay,” he seethed, his own self-hatred pooling into his chest. “I left you alone in a storm! In the dark! What if that bear was still around, huh? It could have killed you and I left you there, with nothing to defend yourself with!”

“Leon, I’m fine. Nothing happened beyond this little cut.” Your voice was calm and he wished he could hate it. Hate you for how you could talk him into or out of almost anything.

It had been mere days. He didn’t know you, and yet he trusted you implicitly. Trusted you with the life of his only companion.

And then, when he asked you to trust in him, he had sabotaged it in an instant.

He didn’t respond, knowing he might say something he’d regret, so he only watched as you quickly rolled up your pant leg to blot and disinfect the cut. He disliked seeing you in pain, witnessing the way your face screwed up as you used peroxide on the small wound—heard the hiss you made as it bubbled up on your broken skin.

You were wrapping one of the extra bandages over it when Leon looked out the window, the storm only hitting harder as the hours passed. “Maybe we should wait it out. You shouldn’t be driving in this.”

You sighed as you unrolled the leg of your jeans, walking over to stare into the dark with him. “Under normal circumstances, you couldn’t pay me to go out in this weather. But I don’t think we have time to waste, Leon.”

You both glanced over at Wolfie on the table, wrapped up and hopefully comfortable in the blanket. Leon had no choice in this if he didn’t want to lose his dog.

He was meant to protect him and now he was sending him off with someone most people would call a stranger.

Any quality of his that could be halfway useful in this situation, and he wasn’t even there when Wolfie was attacked. And now his only companion was bleeding out on his dining table and he could do nothing to stop it but put him in someone else’s care and hope he lived.

Leon had all this strength, all these heightened senses. His entire body was deemed a weapon. And yet he couldn’t even save his dog.

What was the point of any of it, then?

And what would he have done if you weren’t there to help him? Watch Wolfie slowly die, helpless to prevent it?

Worse still, what if it was you who had been attacked?

He imagined your lifeless body lying in his arms, frightened eyes wide and staring off into nothing, drenched in blood that wouldn’t stop pouring out of you, and he could do absolutely. Fucking. Nothing.

“Come on, Leon. We have to go,” came your gentle voice, pulling him out of his dark thoughts.

He only nodded in response, grabbing Wolfie and heading back out into the downpour, beyond the safety of his home.

The two of you trudged in silence through the village, the storm raging above your heads. He could practically sense your anxiety coming off of you in waves, but you were doing your best to remain stoic. He didn’t know if it was to calm yourself or him, but he appreciated the attempt.

Finally, you made it to the hunter’s lodge, and you spoke up as soon as the door shut out the torrent. “I was wondering, how did you know where Wolfie was? Back there in the forest?”

“The storm dampened it, but I could hear him whimpering from the path. When I got close enough, I could smell the blood.”

“Right, super senses. Thank god for ‘em.”

He glanced at you sharply. “I’d rather have stopped him from getting hurt in the first place.”

“Hey, I know this sucks, but he’s alive and he’s going to stay that way if I have a say in it.”

He really took you in at that. Your face was wet, strands of your hair sticking to your forehead, but the fire in your eyes…

He had no way to know if things would work out the way you wanted, but your conviction—your unyielding, infectious hope—quelled the needling fear, if only for a moment.

He might not believe in god, but angels must be real if you were standing beside him.

You made it to the car shortly after, Leon gently placing Wolfie into the backseat as you threw your bag into the passenger side and sat behind the wheel.

You turned the ignition, the vehicle roaring to life as Leon looked down at you, urging, “Please be careful. I might lose Wolfie, but I can’t lose you too.”

“I will be. I promise.” Before you closed the door, you glanced back up at him, asking, “What are you going to do while we’re gone?”

He clenched his clawed hands into fists, feeling the sharp edges dig into his skin as he grated out, “I’m going to kill that fucking bear.”

You looked shocked by his words but nodded in agreement. “Okay. Good luck.”

And with that, you closed the door.

Leon stepped back to let you drive off, knowing that the fate of his companion was out of his hands.

He exhaled harshly and turned on his heels, ready for the hunt.

Now this is what he was good for.

Shifting onto all fours, Leon was quick to shed his more human qualities for the sake of the kill, sprinting faster than he ever had on his legs alone. He focused solely on his senses to direct him through the downpour and to his prey, feeling his claws digging into the wet earth below.

As he had told you earlier, the storm dampened his abilities, but that wouldn’t stop him from reaching his objective.

In fact, it only made him more hellbent on completing it.

It took him nearly an hour to find where the massive animal was lurking: a cave not far from where he had found Wolfie bleeding into the mud.

Despite its size, there was not much of a fight as Leon latched those deadly teeth of his around its throat and ripped. It barely had time to even register him launching at it before it was wheezing and choking on its own blood.

In this form, Leon was too proficient at killing. A part of him—deep, deep down—wanted to take his time tearing the beast limb from limb, listen to it roar and whine in agony before he finally put it out of its misery.

When its jilted movements eventually stilled, blood coating the cave floor and Leon from his mouth to the knees of his dirty pants, he stumbled back into the wall and closed his eyes tightly.

Vengeance. It was something he understood, but he didn’t see the point of it. Blood for blood’s sake never sat right with him. He only sought to kill out of necessity—to survive.

And yet, here he was, bloodlust finally fading as the bear’s large corpse laid before his weary gaze.

He could pretend all he wanted that this was an act of protection, a means to prevent further attacks in the future, but the sadistic glee he felt when his teeth sunk into warm flesh… there was nothing to excuse that.

This bear was simply living as it was born to do, even in its aggression.

Maybe Leon really was losing his humanity. Not a descent into a mindless killing machine, but a dissipation of self—fully aware of his own cruelty, but basking in it instead of rebuking it.

He wasn’t sure which version scared him most.

He had to make this worth it, then. He had to alleviate this burning shame and break apart the guilt sitting heavy in his gut like a stone.

And so, with care, he carved up the carcass of the once dignified beast and devoured it, leaving only bones and fur in his wake.

It was the only form of reverence he could convey.

He dug a shallow hole in the mud beside the cave, laying the gory remains inside before covering it once more.

The storm had finally started to clear as he finished the task, the scent of petrichor not quite able to hide that of blood.

Unsure of how long it would take for you to return with news of Wolfie’s condition, he rushed over to the hunter’s lodge to wait out the hours.

They passed slowly. Agonizingly. All he could do was curl in on himself and sit just inside the door of the old building, wet with rain and blood and mud.

He once thought his initial transformation was the worst he had ever felt, that it was rock bottom. Before that, it had been what transpired in this village. And before that, it had been the disaster of Raccoon City.

He realized bitterly there was always further to fall.

He wasn’t sure why you were so adamant to befriend him like this. To help him. Was this pity? Was Leon some charity case for you?

But then he thought of the way you smiled at him, the look on your face as he joined you in the cold water of the lake, the way you drifted to him like you were caught in his orbit and couldn’t fight the pull.

The thought that maybe, just maybe, you felt the way he did… it was a jolt across his slumped form.

However, nothing could change what he was. His nature, it was a vicious one. And someday, you might not survive the animal that unfurled inside of him—through him.

Whatever happened after tonight, he knew one thing: his only escape was death.

He would simply wait out the end of your trip, selfishly wanting to wring out any joy he might find in your company, and if Wolfie survived the night, he would send him home with you to live out the rest of his days. He was certain you would take good care of him, provide for him better than Leon could ever hope.

But, he was reminded, Wolfie might not survive.

And it was Leon’s neglect that was to blame.

Useless, useless, useless, he repeated like a mantra in his head.

He never imagined he’d have more to lose than he already did. More to ruin.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, the dawn breaking up the night. The sun’s warmth upon his skin did little to lighten his mood—as it burned more than soothed—but then he thought of the way your soft flesh felt against his and he nearly fell into a dream, eyes drifting shut.

He shot up suddenly at the sound of an approaching vehicle, though, his misery morphing into an all-consuming apprehension.

Was he prepared to grieve?

Your car finally pulled up near the lodge, and he rushed to the side of it, his heart palpitating as he stared into the backseat window.

He saw Wolfie laying there, breathing slow and steady.

He was alive.

Leon had never felt so relieved.

He turned to face you as you opened the door, looking up at him with tired eyes.

Your expression turned to full-blown concern when you took in his appearance, reaching out to touch the blood staining his bare chest. “Are you okay?”

Leon placed his fingers over your hand, holding it close to him, the warmth of it more of a balm than the sun ever was. “I’m fine. It isn’t mine.”

You sighed, eased by his words. “You found the bear, I take it?”

He nodded solemnly. “It won’t bother us anymore.” You didn’t reply and he looked back at Wolfie’s unconscious form once more. “How did everything go? Will he be alright?”

“It went great. He got stitches and a blood transfusion, and they kept him overnight for observation. Went ahead and got him a few shots when they said he was in the clear this morning. He took it all like a champ.” You dropped your hand, to Leon’s chagrin, grabbing your bag from the passenger seat. “They told me to change his bandages every few hours and monitor for any infection. Gave me antibiotics and a few days' worth of painkillers. He should be just fine.”

“What did you tell them about the injury?” he questioned, suddenly concerned by what information you might have let slip in your distress.

“Don’t worry, I told them he got attacked while I was out camping. No specifics, I promise.” A look of realization then dawned on your features, to his confusion, before you began sifting through your bag.

You then pulled out a blue collar from its depths. It jingled as you held it up to Leon, shot tags dangling behind a bone-shaped one at the front, sporting the dog’s name and what he assumed was your number.

“Picked this up before I took him from the clinic. Hope he’ll wear it,” you said, shrugging as you stood from the car.

A flood of emotions washed over Leon, then, namely an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what you had done for him. It went deeper than the collar in your hand, deeper than even saving his dog.

You had faced a storm for him, soaked to the bone and afraid. You suffered being lost in darkness with an injured knee, even if it was only briefly. You drove through a torrent and stayed up all night to make sure his companion would live. You witnessed him covered in blood and filth and you reached out…

You were always reaching out.

Before he could think it through, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace. He felt your plush body pressed against his hard edges—heard the way you gasped in shock. You almost immediately settled into it, though, holding him in turn despite the drying grime flaking onto your clothes.

“Thank you, for everything,” he murmured, face buried into your neck, the natural smell of you drifting to his nose. It was all at once sweet and grounding.

There was so much more he wanted to say, but this would have to suffice, the words caught in his throat.

“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” you whispered, your small hands sliding across his back soothingly.

The warmth of you made him ache, made his eyes burn, never wanting to let you go.

He knew he must.

The walk back to the house was a silent one, the only sounds the rainwater dripping onto the ground and the squelching of mud underfoot, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The two of you were just exhausted and still reeling from how the night had spiraled to near tragedy.

Leon glanced down at Wolfie’s sleeping form in his arms, so drugged up on pain meds he likely wouldn’t wake for anything. He gave the dog’s head a gentle stroke, beyond relieved that, for now, it wouldn’t be the last time.

The three of you entered Leon’s home, deciding that you would bring Wolfie’s bed and blankets downstairs, nestling them beside the fireplace to keep him comfortable and prevent him from exerting himself more than necessary once he was up and moving again.

Once the dog was settled in, Leon could only stand and stare, worried that if he took his eyes off of him for a moment, he might die in his absence.

“I’ll make you up a bath, Leon,” you said quietly from the kitchen, already bringing a large pot to boil on the stove. “You could really use one.”

He sighed, finally dragging his gaze from Wolfie so that he could level it on you. “Don’t worry about that. I can just clean up at the lake.”

You huffed indignantly, approaching him and taking him in—in all his filthy, monstrous glory. “No way. You need a nice hot bath, and that’s that.”

“You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?” he replied, scoffing good-naturedly. In truth, the thought of you caring for him like this made his heart beat a little faster.

“Oh, I know,” you said with a smile, one that was so sweet, he would hold on to the sight of it for the rest of his life, “but it’s what you like about me.”

He found himself chuckling for the first time since last night, always so surprised by your ability to pull him out of his misery.

“Not the only thing,” he said lowly, fingers twitching at his sides to reach out and touch you again.

Your cheeks flushed pink at his words, but you shook your head and laughed. “Go on, sit down for a bit while I finish what I started.”

He wanted to argue—to assist you in your task—because being waited on like this was something he had never been used to. Instead, he did as he was told, plopping down next to Wolfie on the floor and petting him to pass the time.

He had almost fallen asleep again, unable to fight his eyes from drooping closed, when you called to him, informing him his bath was ready. He stood and stretched, yawning as he met you at the entrance of the side room.

“Here,” you told him, a pile of his clothes, a towel, and a washcloth in your arms, “knock yourself out. Well, don’t really.”

He took them gratefully, smiling at your ridiculous comment as he thanked you and disappeared behind the corner.

He quickly shed what was left of his tattered clothes, dropping them haphazardly onto the floor before stepping into the tub and lowering himself in the water.

It was hot, but it didn’t burn. In fact, it was rather soothing as it lapped at his skin. The tub was almost too small for him, however, his knees peeking out of the water from having to fold his long legs.

It was cramped but not completely uncomfortable. He sunk in a little further, letting out a pleased sigh.

This was definitely better than the lake, that was for sure.

Before he could relax fully, he caught sight of something on the side table next to him. He turned his head and instantly regretted it.

It was a makeup mirror you had brought, and it was angled in a way he could stare directly at his own reflection.

It made him flinch.

He didn’t look away, however, gritting his teeth against the image of himself he had loathed from the moment he transformed. But not only was he faced with his monstrous visage once more, he could now see the blood and dirt caked onto his skin, exposing him for what he truly was.

Something that was meant to kill.

He fought the urge to shatter the glass, not wanting to destroy something that belonged to you, instead leaning over and turning it away.

As he laid back in the water and began scrubbing the grime from his body with the rag you had provided for him, a barrage of thoughts overtook his tired mind, all of them relating to you.

He couldn’t bear to look at himself, yet you rarely took your eyes off of him.

He was disgusted by his own existence and the form he was forced to live in, yet you treated him like he was normal. Like he was a person.

He quickly finished bathing, the water starting to cool, but he was in no rush to leave, allowing himself this moment of peace and to think.

He rested his clawed hand against his chest and could still feel where your small palm had been placed there, could still feel the way your flesh gave under his tight hold when had embraced you. The warmth that radiated from your very being.

His hand lowered mindlessly as he lingered on the image of you stripping bare to him on that boat, offering him your impish little smirk and batted lashes over twinkling eyes.

It lowered further as he thought of your lips, wondered how they’d feel against his skin—how soft they would be.

He hissed as his hand gently wrapped around the base of his cock, almost shocked to feel it was already achingly hard.

Leon couldn’t remember the last time he had touched himself like this.

In the beginning, he worried he would hurt himself, what with the small daggers that were his new fingers. Eventually, he dared to wander—carefully, of course—and soon it was one of the few things human left of him, to have this libido to relieve. But as the years passed and his body changed, he hardly had the urge.

And now here he was, fisting his cock at the thought of you.

He held back a groan as he slid his thumb across his slit, imagining it was your tongue instead.

He could picture your pretty eyes looking up at him as you took him into your mouth, how you’d tease him with kitten licks and the gentle scrape of your teeth until he was begging you for more, how you’d pull away just to level him with that mischievous smirk you wore so well before you’d cave and take him to the hilt.

Leon gasped as he picked up the speed of his pumping fist, lifting his hips above the cooled water, trying to avoid sloshing it onto the floor with the motion.

He then thought of your cunt, how sweet it would taste as he laved it with his tongue—mused about what precious little sounds he could pull from those plush, kissable lips of yours. He could almost feel how your fingers would card through his hair, yank it to get him closer to where you wanted him; how he’d tease you the way you did him before finally conceding, your desperation for him almost more delicious than the very essence of you that he fed upon.

He grit his teeth as he neared the edge, fighting to hold back.

Too soon. It was too soon.

He paused his movements, taking in a slow deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart, letting the wave of pleasure that nearly crested over him fade to a lapping tide.

His mind slipped back into his fantasy, then, needing to finish what he started before he was driven mad with desire.

He imagined you underneath him now, bodies flush together, the head of his cock sliding against you—not a taunt but a preparation for what was to come.

He wondered how tight you’d be as he pushed inside, how warm and wet and inviting, squeezing his hand as he emulated the scene from his head.

How well would you take him?

Although much of his body had changed over the years—grown—what sat beneath his belt had not. This was not a concern for him, however, having been well-endowed even for a human man of his former stature. In fact, he almost seemed more… proportionate… now.

Would he be too much?

Or would you plead for him to go harder and faster? Deeper?

Leon couldn’t stop the near growl that escaped him as he imagined the way you’d cry out into the crook of his neck, his name like a breathless prayer against his skin. He could feel you wrap your legs around him, scraping your nails across his spine hard enough to draw blood.

He was on the precipice once more, but this time he didn’t hold back.

He thought of you looking into his eyes as you came undone beneath him, wide and full of unshed tears, overwhelmed by the euphoria coursing through you. His body shuttered at the idea of your walls tightening impossibly around him, pulsing and wet.

He managed to bite back the whine that clawed up his throat as his cock twitched, his seed spurting across his chest and stomach.

He collapsed back into the tub, his mind so gloriously blank and full of fuzzy warmth as he caught his breath.

And then the realization hit him.

He had just masturbated. To you. While you were just on the other side of the wall, without even a door to fully separate the room.

He was flooded with remorse, then, wondering if he had managed to keep quiet enough so that you wouldn’t hear or suspect his reckless sin against you.

He stilled, listening intently to any sounds in the house, his inhuman ears able to pick out the overlapping breaths of you and Wolfie over the whistling wind outside, right there in the dining room.

He swallowed the lump of shame that formed in his throat and roughly wiped the spend from his flesh, the harsh scrape of coarse fabric a small punishment for his transgression.

As he dried himself and changed into sleepwear, he wondered how disgusted you’d be with him if you knew just what he was thinking.

Surely, you’d never look at him the same.

He wanted to blame his exhaustion from a sleepless night, but he knew deep down this was bound to happen eventually. Your very existence was a temptation to him, after all.

He took a steadying breath before he finally turned the corner to face you, pleasantly surprised and more than a little relieved that you were fast asleep, curled up on his couch with a blanket draped across your legs.

He smiled softly as he approached you, all worry forgotten as a swell of affection replaced it.

You looked so sweet laying there, head resting upon the pillow you must have brought from upstairs and your pressed hands, your breaths puffing out a strand of hair hanging over your mouth. Leon quietly chuckled as he tucked it behind your ear and pulled the blanket up and around your shoulders to keep you warm before standing upright once more.

He knew as he gazed upon you that regardless of whether you returned his feelings or not, his own might never leave him. He would have to make his peace with that.

He sighed, closing his eyes tightly before opening them once more, deciding that was a problem for later.

He then sat beside Wolfie, checking on him briefly before laying down right there on the floor, exhaustion overtaking any real need for comfort. Not like he hadn’t done it the first night of your arrival, anyway.

As he drifted into a deep slumber…

He couldn’t help but dream of you.

+++

The night had been a long one.

You had sat in the emergency room of the vet clinic with Wolfie for hours, watching as they tried to keep him alive.

You would never get the image of his terrified eyes out of your head, looking to you for help or for comfort as people he didn’t know surrounded him while he couldn’t even move.

You didn’t let your tears escape until they told you he was stable, locking yourself in their bathroom across the hall and sobbing into your hands, the events of the night finally catching up to you.

He would live.

You weren’t sure you could forgive yourself if he didn’t. You wondered if Leon would have.

Oh, Leon, you thought worriedly, I hope you’re okay.

You wished you could get ahold of him somehow to let him know Wolfie was alive, aware of the fact that even if he owned a cell phone, the village had no service anyway. You were half tempted to drive out to see him and tell him the news, but you didn’t want to leave Wolfie alone for that long.

You then recalled the bear and Leon’s promise to kill it, hoping desperately it didn’t hurt him. You didn’t know what you’d do if you drove back just to find him bleeding out in the mud like he had found Wolfie, the thought piercing your heart like a bullet.

To calm yourself, you replayed the day in your head, focusing only on all the good parts.

You thought of how he opened up to you at his friends’ graves, how he held your hand as you sat in the dirt together.

You thought of how he slipped his palms across your waist on the boat, how he spoke so lowly in your ear, how your faces got so close in the water.

You thought of how he stroked your hair while you sat by the fireplace, the affection so freely given it was as if he couldn’t stop himself from touching you.

You thought about how concerned he was for you when you returned to the house after finding Wolfie, how he was upset you had gotten hurt and lost in the woods and blamed himself.

And then you thought of what he said before you left for town:

“I might lose Wolfie, but I can’t lose you too.”

Those words were looping in your brain over and over.

You knew he was just concerned with your safety, that he’d probably feel guilty if something happened to you while you were trying to save his dog, but the way he said it… The way he looked at you…

“I can’t lose you.”

It was like he meant it.

Despite your anxiety, you managed to nap a bit on the bench outside of the observation room, asking the veterinarian to wake you when Wolfie came to.

In the morning, while he was still out cold, you took a brief stroll outside of the clinic, making your way into the neighboring pet shop to bide the time.

As you passed the shelves of toys and supplies, your eyes caught on a large blue collar, realizing that it was about Wolfie’s size. You held it aloft as you considered buying it, thinking it was almost silly to put a collar on a half-feral dog.

But then you thought of the other outsiders that might appear in the village every so often. You worried they might dog-nap Wolfie for his friendliness or kill him for his intimidating appearance, deciding it may be worth the purchase, just in case.

Besides, Leon seemed drawn to the color blue, if the majority of his shirts and his preference regarding the castle’s art was anything to go by. It was oddly endearing imagining the scorpion man and his wolf-dog matching in such a way.

After buying it and getting an engraved name tag, you returned to the clinic, petting Wolfie and offering him soft words of encouragement as the vet gave him some much-needed shots.

The rain finally subsided as you made your way back to the village, your nerves still alight despite Wolfie’s improved condition.

When you finally pulled up to the dirt road near the lodge, you were overjoyed to see Leon appear beside the car.

Your heart was in your throat, however, when got a good look at him, his face and still-shirtless torso covered in dirt and so much blood.

You couldn’t stop the instinctual need to touch him, reaching out and placing your hand against his stained chest. “Are you okay?”

He gently laid his clawed fingers across your knuckles, pressing your palm into his skin, as if your very being was a solace to him. “I’m fine. It isn’t mine.”

Your relief at that was palpable, beyond overjoyed that he was perfectly safe. Though, the blood had to come from somewhere, and it wasn’t all Wolfie’s. “You found the bear, I take it?”

Leon’s eyes seemed to darken, but he nodded, replying, “It won’t bother us anymore.”

The answer was jarringly cryptic, and Leon seemed more upset to admit he killed the bear than you would have thought, considering how eager he was to do it before you left.

You shook away your thoughts as he asked you questions, the conversation turning to Wolfie’s health.

You then recalled your purchase at the pet store, pulling it out of your bag and waving it in front of Leon. “Picked this up before I took him from the clinic. Hope he’ll wear it.”

You stood from the car, ready to get back to the house and take a nice, long nap, when Leon wrapped his arms around you, to your utter shock.

He held you close to him, the strength of it enough to feel your bodies meld together, but not enough to hurt you.

It took you a moment to register it all, short-circuiting at the feeling of him against you, but you eventually hugged him in return, shivering as he tucked his face into the crook of your neck and let his breath fan across your skin.

“Thank you. For everything.” His voice was tight in his throat and it made your heart ache to hear it.

It was the least you could do, a part of you deep down blaming yourself for what happened to Wolfie, because you had kept Leon out longer than he wanted. What if Wolfie had only been in the woods waiting for the two of you to come back? Maybe if you had agreed to return to the house before the storm hit, none of this would have happened to begin with.

Instead of saying that, you only replied, “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

It was still the truth, as you would do anything to protect this half-man and his dog—willing to suffer more than just a nasty cut and a sleepless night if it meant they were safe.

Leon pulled away, to your despair, and grabbed Wolfie, the three of you heading back to the house.

As you set up Wolfie near the fireplace, you couldn’t help but notice the way Leon wouldn’t take his eyes off the sleeping dog, and although you understood it, he needed to wash the blood and grime from his body and get some much-needed rest.

If your night had been rough, you couldn’t imagine what his had been like.

He argued against you making him up a hot bath, but you wouldn’t hear it, telling him your decision was final.

“You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?” he said in faux annoyance.

You replied, smiling, “Oh, I know, but it’s what you like about me.”

“Not the only thing.” The words and the way he said them made a tingle run up your spine, but you were quick to shoo him off, taking a deep breath as you went about your task of filling the tub.

You changed quickly into your pajamas before sending Leon to his bath, flopping onto the couch with a quiet groan after fetching your pillow and a blanket from upstairs.

You thought that maybe you could sleep forever as you shifted, getting comfortable on the old piece of furniture. You wanted to wait for Leon, though, staring up at the ceiling in quiet cogitation.

Despite your fear that you were the reason Wolfie was out in the storm in the first place, you couldn’t understate your role in saving his life. Had you not been there, Leon wouldn’t have been able to do anything, and you could sense the distress that caused him at the realization.

You worried deeply about what might happen after you leave.

A stray tear escaped your eye and you battled the awful thought of one or both of them dying out here in this village, all alone, with no one to call for.

Wolfie was old and this place was dangerous. And even if Leon ended up being fine physically, you knew his loneliness would eat him alive, especially with the inevitable loss of his dog an ever-looming threat.

You squeezed your eyes shut, wiping them to stop you from crying.

You thought about Leon’s smile instead. Thought of his voice and his laugh and the way he looked at you. Like you were normal. Like you were important.

You could still feel the way his arms wrapped around you, how safe you felt. How cherished.

You sighed deeply, turning over to stare at Wolfie, watching the slow rise and fall of his side as he breathed. You reached out your hand to him, gently stroking his head, his fur soft and warm.

You wondered as your eyes drooped shut and your mind began to fade to unconsciousness, your fingers slowly falling away from Wolfie’s form:

How could you leave them now?

--------------------

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#plaga!leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x reader #plaga!leon kennedy #leon kennedy #resident evil 4 remake #re4r #chubby!reader #half-life

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absolutebl · 10 months

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Hello, let me begin by saying that I love your posts and I love your opinions, analysis, and point of view, I think you have a rare mind and I'm glad you're covering BL as I think it's a very complex and dynamic genre in today's industry.

I work as a middle management business consultant, related to management of PR and marketing although not for film industry, but i've had experience in handling products as a brand manager so i imagine the case with GMMTV and other TV productions are smiliar if we can replace 'product' with 'artists' in this case.

I have some questions relating to the branding of First and Khaotung as a CP by GMMTV, for the life of mine I just could not understand the business reasoning behind it for several reasons:

1. They are both versatile actor with good experiences on their belt and so far has chemistry every other actor they played with. it might be a bit of a waste for GMM to lock them both in a pair.

2. At the time it seems Gawin and First was more popular than FK, it should be easier and less risky to market and sail this pair, this pair also have the advantage of being in a more well known series (Not Me).

3. Both First and Khaotung relationship dynamic seems to not fit any existing mould that current BL pairs have (e.g. there's no clearly defined S/U between them), this seems risky and might not be well received by typical BL fans (esp. Thai Fans).

4. GMM has been trying to replicate OffGun formula a lot, all of GMM other CP seems to follow OG formula to an extent, which is not the case at all with FK.

5. All of the series that both acted as a pair in (Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken, and OnlyFans), are series that i think contain mature themes and not generally something that caters to the taste of Thai BL fans.

This question has been bugging me for awhile. The funny thing is: I am personally a SomSom, an FK stan :D I love them both very much and I absolutely love them together, but the decision to pair them together just doesn't make sense to me, I don't understand what GMM is trying to do here with both of them.

Sorry it's a bit long and thankyou so much if you decided to answer this :)

Hi! Thank you!

(As usual I did this and then Tumblr ate it. I am so tired of this bullshit, why can't they fist the undo bug in the new editor? OR stop forcing us toe USE the damn thing.)

1. They are both versatile actor with good experiences on their belt and so far has chemistry every other actor they played with. it might be a bit of a waste for GMM to lock them both in a pair.

I don't think they will in the long run, I think they are just co-branding at the moment, probably because of all the sponsorship offers. And because they've been recast a few times as a pair since The Eclipse.

They seem to be having a good time with it.

I could be wrong. I picked K a while back as one of the GMMTV stable who was too versatile for them (and valuable to them because of that), and they'd never co-brand him in a big way (after the failure of Tonhon Chonlatee). Then The Eclipse happened.

But to be frank? From the actor career perspective? If they can co-brand into consistent leading roles... F & K are probubly gonna - it's better money than character work and solo or side couple gigs.

Gawin doesn't co-brand. Never has. Seems like he never will. He clearly doesn't like shipping culture or anything about it. (Doesn't like reality TV shows or variety or anything like that, either.) Which I get. Oh boy do I. I wouldn't be surprised if it's in his rider that he won't cater to performative ships. I've always suspected this is because he's half American. (And East Coast to boot.) He's... tough.... reads as a little grumpy and reserved. Won't soften his IRL image to cater to the public. It's a very individualistic attitude.

It's certainly clear he's turned down sponsorship gigs (as a co-brand), and if he took one in the future it'd have to have a dump truck of money attached. I was legitimately shocked he took on Be My Favorite.

So far as Not Me is concerned? Now it's too late, that ship has sailed. So to speak.

Yep, they are more like Nanon & Ohm. I'm actually pleased that GMMTV is letting them do this and not trying to force seme/uke on the brand.

It's a model set up somewhat by TayNew. I mean GMMTV tried to force that one, but as Tay said, "Just look at him, he's huge."

They always managed a very brotherly casual fun ship.

4. GMM has been trying to replicate OffGun formula a lot, all of GMM other CP seems to follow OG formula to an extent, which is not the case at all with FK.

Yes, because it's the most profitable formula. Especially in country. I would put EarthMix in as their clearest successors.

Parent houses always lack imagination.

Find a money-making formula. Repeat it until the audience gets tired or supersaturated or both. It's how market capitalization works.

To change is to impact the bottom line and that is dangerous. Generally speaking, it takes small upstart companies to truly effect change in this regard.

OffGun is an interesting case because Off was so resistant to the brand at first. He's come around, but it took a while.

Yes, it would be interesting to chart their sponsorship gigs. My guess is it's more global brands or those with an eye to the global market that use them.

I'm thinking it's a lot more like KARD in Kpop (performing better outside of country than in-country). Or the way Ukiss was for Japan. (An expansion intended group tailored to that market).

A country with an active and intentional soft power usually has subdivisions of effectiveness in the ranks of that power's product (in Korea's case Kpop, in Thailand's case BL). Stars that do better overseas - individuals, couples, groups. Ones that do better in specific countries.

A clever product manufacturer looking to contract with one of these branding elements, tracts this (popularity figures and market reach) and picks their representatives accordingly, and in accordance with their expansion interests.

#ABL talks about couple branding and Thai BL shipping as a market share #this industry is grasping and advantageous and kinda gross #that's the entertainment industry for ya #thai bl #firstkhao #OffGun #TayNew

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marveinator · 1 year

Text

Bad Idea Bella Ramsey x fem!oc (original character)

inspired by "Bad Idea" by girl in red (after part one) masterlist

This story is complete imagination and how Bella acts here is probably not how they would act irl. They/them pronouns used for Bella. pairing: Bella Ramsey x fem!oc (Mina Willow Lane) word count: 2.4k summary: You and Bella have been childhood friends, but broke off contact because of their acting career. Will your paths ever meet again? a/n: I´ve had this obsession with girl in red for a while now and of course with Bella so... here yall go! I hope many people read this story, because I am again putting my whole heart into this. And I figured since I basically already read all the Bella fics existing, I´d just write my own. Enjoy! I will try to make the chapters as long as possible so that I don´t have to post so many parts and yall can read the story faster! (Don´t be mad I simply but Pedro in the hashtags because he´s a part of the story) chapter warnings: nickname calling, ig that´s it? next chapter: Bella and Mina decide to go to a party as friends- but are they leaving it like this again?

I closed my laptop. I had just finished watching an interview of Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. Not only because I was so interested in the series "The last of us", but also because… well. Long story.

I knew Bella. Well, at least I used to. I don't know what they´re like now…. but I'm trying to find out by watching all these videos about them. I miss our friendship a lot.

When we were little, our parents were very good friends and so we always played together. However, when they turned 11, their career went on and on and we broke off contact. They were too busy and now we really had no contact at all, especially since their new series.

I read through the comments under some tiktoks about them and realized how many girls admired Bella. Not only because of their acting, no, also as a person. For whatever reason, I felt an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I wanted to go out and scream loudly "I know Bella Ramsey in person!" just so- I don't even know why. I knew all these girls probably had no contact with Bella, and to be exact, I was one of them too.

It just hurt to lose friends. I missed how Bella would still send me videos every now and then of them practicing their guitar, or when we would have a pie-eating contest together when we were 8. I missed their brown eyes and their beautiful hair. Which, as I had now noticed, was a lot shorter.

But Bella was without a doubt still beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remembered, to be exact.

Sometimes I wondered if they still knew that I even existed. My Bella would never forget me, they were outgoing and cheerful. But were they still like that? What if they had changed? I probably wouldn't even find out.

I turned over in my bed with a sigh. For a few months now, I no longer lived with my parents, but in a small apartment on the outskirts of London.

I grabbed my phone from the table besides my bed and decided to go a bit on Instagram. Only to find a new post of Bella on my home feed. They posted a few behind the scenes pics of their new short film “Requiem” which I had obviously already watched. I sighed and liked the post.

This is how it had been for years. I went on their Instagram, liked the new posts and it went unnoticed by Bella. Of course, they probably got thousands of notifications a day, but still, it made me a bit sad. Almost seemed like they completely forgot about me.

Sometimes I wanted to post something just to see if they would like it- but on the other hand I knew that if they wouldn´t, I´d be heartbroken.

I sighed and switched off my phone, after seeing it was already 11 pm. Usually I stayed up longer, but today I felt extra exhausted. Which didn´t make any sense, I mean I stayed at home the entire day.

That´s what I do most of the time. Normally I work at a small café, but it´s currently closed because they are fixing some stuff in there. I´ve been looking for a new job for the few weeks while it´s closed, but everybody said they only would accept me if I would stay. And I love the café I work at too much and having two jobs isn´t an option right now, so- whatever.

The boss said they´d probably open again in 2 weeks- which was 3 weeks ago. I honestly didn´t know what to do because I did slowly run out of money… I just hoped they would open as soon as possible again.

*1 week later*

I didn´t even know if it was legal that I wasn´t even paid while the café was closed (because that seriously wasn´t my fault?) but I managed to handle everything and was back at work again now.

I wiped all the tables clean; we would open soon. I already saw some people outside patiently waiting, so many loved this place.

Not going to lie, I mean the drinks were good, the workers were friendly, and the little muffins were worth coming here.

After we finished preparing everything, I nodded at my coworker Jamie, and he opened the door.

3 hours later the whole café was full, except for one table. This was good, maybe I would get a lot of tips today. I thanked an older couple who just paid and went over to the next table. “Hey, what can I get for you?”, I asked as I looked up from the wallet where I had just put the money in. You gotta be shitting me.

“Mina? Oh my god, you´re the last person I thought I would see here!”

It was Bella.

Bella fucking Ramsey was sitting on the table in front of me.

What is this, a fucking movie? I surely doubt that.

“Hi, Bella”, was all I managed to say. Bella smiled from one side to the other and happily jumped up from their chair to hug me. It hit me all of the sudden and so I awkwardly hugged back. Bella seemed to notice that I was quite surprised about their sudden action, because they replied with a short “Shit, sorry, that was a bit- out of nowhere…”

They sat down again and looked up at me. We were almost the same height; I was just a little bit shorter. I know, I was tiny or something. Sorry.

“Uh- how have you been? Oh wait- I´m probably interrupting you and your work- uh… Can you recommend anything that is vegan?” I looked at them. Seeing them in real life after such a long time was insanely weird but amazing at the same time. “I´ve been alright I guess, and no worries, they won´t mind if I stay here a minute longer than I should. Well, we have normal juices that are probably vegan, but also, I love the vegan version of our hot chocolate or the iced coffee”, I replied.

Bella smiled again and nodded. “Choose one of those for me, I don´t mind which one, it´s your choice.” I agreed and went to get them a drink. I decided to serve them the iced coffee, I loved it a lot. When it was done, I made sure to decorate it a bit, just because it was for Bella. I know, you shouldn´t prefer any customers, but… could you blame me? I just met my childhood best friend (who is also like- really famous now) after years of no contact again.

With this in mind, I went over to the “boss” of the café, Brian. “Hey, uh, would you mind if I-“ He nodded, without even letting me finish my sentence. “You´re free for today, I figured out it was them.” I had told Brian everything about Bella because overtime we grew closer. Not in any romantic way though, I mean he was a 45-year-old married man, and I was definitely a lesbian (he also knew that). I smiled as I thanked him before running of to Bella (not forgetting their iced coffee of course).

I asked if I could sit down a bit, and they said yes. “So- you just got free for today? That easily?”, Bella asked as I gave them their iced coffee. “Yes, but, it´s only an exception, because well, we haven´t seen each other in such a long time and… yeah- “, I answered.

“I missed you, Mina Willow Lane. I´m sorry I didn´t stay in contact with you, I was just so… busy with work and I know that´s a shitty excuse because I mean almost everyone our age works and you should never leave your friends behind”, the brunette across me explained. “I just felt like it would be easier for the both of us that we weren´t in contact that much anymore because I knew that if we stayed best friends, you would be pulled into the spotlight too and I knew you wouldn´t want that.”

I looked into their eyes and tried to smile a bit. “I know… still. You just like- vanished. I´ve missed you like hell too though, Isabella May Ramsey. Don´t ever leave me like that again, or I swear to god I´m gonna get more mad than last time”, I explained. Bella laughed and nodded. “Do you maybe… wanna hang out a bit? I´m not working for a few weeks and we could- get to know each other again, I mean it was a long time, right?”

I decided to agree with Bella and later that day we went for a walk outside.

“You know, I live in this hotel and the people there are like sooooo rude. I´ve been trying to find a better one for weeks. But they have so many good vegan food options, that´s the main point why I chose it”, they explained while walking next to me. I was so happy we were finally together again; I had missed them so much I almost went insane.

“You could stay at mine, I mean, I still have a guest bed left, and it´s just a tiny apartment, but I could make you any vegan food you´d like-“, I said without any hesitation.

Bella Ramsey POV

I stared at Mina. Was she serious about this? Oh.

"I mean, yeah, I'd love to.... But I really don´t want to get into your way of living-", I replied to her offer. "Keep it down Bella, you're not going to get in my way or anything. Besides, if you live with me, we can spend more time together, I mean you owe me that somewhere after all...", said the girl walking next to me with a grin on her face. I couldn't stop smiling either, we had seen each other for the first time in years and had only been walking for 1 or 2 hours- but I already never wanted to leave her again.

I had to admit, I had missed Mina a lot. Sometimes I even went to her Instagram account, but they didn't post anything there and so I couldn't even know what she looked like now. But when I saw her in front of me today, I recognized her immediately. She hadn't changed a bit. Her hair was still long and dark blonde, her eyes green. Her style was a bit different, but I wasn't complaining, I was convinced that she looked good in everything she wore.

"So... you get your stuff, and we meet at mine again?", Mina asked, nudging me out of my thoughts. I nodded and we parted ways again.

As soon as she was gone, everything was different. I immediately missed her laugh, her beautiful green eyes and her unique way. I hated myself inside that I had pushed such an amazing girl away from me.

Just as I was packing up my things in my hotel room, my cell phone rang. Pedro.

"Hey Pedge, what's up?", I picked up. "I just wanted to check up on you, you haven't called in a while..." I had to chuckle, Pedro worried about me so often, for no reason. But I was grateful to have him, he was almost like a best friend by now- or more likely an annoying MUCH older brother. (To be honest- most of the time it was a father-daughter relationship, with me being the dad of course-)

"You're not going to believe this. I met her. Let´s keep it short and sweet, we uh- move in together?" Pedro stared at me (he just loved video calls, okay-) "You what?!" (A/N: I swear I wrote that and had Bill's voice in my head...)

I just grinned a little sheepishly and stared at Pedro.

"I'm so happy for you. You had missed her so much, and now you're going to see her every day for a while.... But- Bella. Keep me up to dated... if- you know- anything happens-" Pedro said with a wink. I just rolled my eyes.

I had probably told him about Mina almost every day, so now he thought I wanted something from her (in a romantic way). Sure, I loved her, but she was really just a friend- (A/N: Adrien Agreste who?)

"Pedro please, nothing special will happen between the two of us," I replied dumbly. After a while I hung up again, I finally had to finish packing.

Mina Lane POV

Nervously, I bounced around my apartment while waiting for Bella to arrive. Everything was clean, I had put a new bar of towels in the bathroom, picked out a few vegan recipes, and prepared the guest bed for them. The guestroom was right next to mine, and about the same size.

Sure, why had I left this room vacant when I lived alone? Well... just in case an old friend would show up here once-

Suddenly I heard the doorbell ring and I pressed the door opener, so that the front door opened downstairs. Now I had only a few seconds until Bella would stand in front of me, with their luggage, ready to move in for a few weeks. Everything had happened so fast, I couldn't even believe it yet.

When there was a knock on the door of my apartment, I felt goose bumps rising all over my body. Carefully I turned the door knob to the right and opened the door. Bella was dressed differently now, they had gray sweatpants and a dark green sweater on, much more simple and comfortable - but still beautiful.

"Hey, come on in," I said and accompanied Bella into the kitchen. It was an open kitchen overlooking the living room (A/N: Here a plan I MADE of the apartment, so that you can imagine it better <;3).

"Cozy in here," Bella said with a grin on their face. I had to giggle and showed them around.

"There's only one bathroom, unfortunately, but it's between our rooms, so I hope that's okay-", I explained. "Oh love, don't act like I'm a complete stranger, we've definitely had sleepovers, so if we ever run into each other in the bathroom at night, I think I'll be able to handle it-", Bella grinned. My face turned red. Not only because of the nickname, but also because of the way they looked at me. What was wrong with me?

"Um yeah... I think it´s pretty late already, I picked out food, plain pasta with tomato sauce, hope that's okay..." Bella nodded and thus I started cooking the food while they settled into their new room. This was going to be a few interesting weeks....

#bella ramsey x you #bella ramsey x reader #bella ramsey #ellie williams #fluff #lesbian #sapphic #writeblr #pedro #lgbtq #pedro pascal #fanfiction #fanfic #the last of us #isabella may ramsey #marveinator #friends to lovers

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nighty-night-nh · 1 month

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I finished two books in the span of a month, be proud of me.

Here I stand on the other side of Eagle Strike and I have some Thoughts. A little negative to start but we go up from there.

First off, not gonna lie, I think I was less engaged with the book than the others for the first half. Unfortunately I didn’t find Damian Cray an interesting main villain at the start or when it was all over. He’s at the bottom of favorite main bad guys for me at the moment behind Julius Grief, and I like Grief so that’s an oof for him. He does get brownie points for the pennies execution method and his own ‘Syndrome from The Incredibles’ adjacent death.

Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely bits at the start I enjoyed. Like the fact that we hardly get 300 words into the book and Yassen is just There to ruin Alex’s holiday and the matador moment but overall it was a slightly sad “Ok he’s dealing with a madman with nukes that thinks he’s doing the world a favor two books in a row. Sarov did this way better than you months ago and this book is rapidly ending. Where is the third act shoe-drop that makes people like this book?”

And, um, the shoe certainly did drop. Several of them.

Starting with Sabina’s kidnaping at the hospital. Not only was it the first ‘normal’ thing in the book grounding it to reality but it just made me feel sick to my stomach because something like that happens to girls often irl. I really hope she does ok until the next time we see her. Then there’s the whole business with the plane. I’m not American but as somebody who watches videos speculating on hypothetical WWIII start points, the hijacking of air force one did properly freak me out.

And finally, what you’ve probably been waiting for me to get to: Yassen and The Big Reveal.

Yall just watched me get attached to this man knowing full well this is the book he died in, huh.

I was so enjoying him fighting himself on what he was doing with Alex and trying hard not to strangle Damian. Of course there’s the conflict of interest: Money vs not being able to live with himself if he killed the son of the man who saved him. No wonder he spoke so fondly of him. I mean he still put him in the bull ring but w/e. But this isn’t everything. He may be dead now but I’m still in the dark about a part of his story. Why and how did he start? How did he get to be this good, and this hardened to contract work? Where exactly did his code of not killing kids come from? It couldn’t have been from Alex, he already didn’t kill kids. I have so many questions that’ll probably get answered in the next few books.

My last point of note is realizing the Rider brothers were on two sides of the same coin. They both killed. John was a contract killer for money, Ian worked for MI6 and both hid it from people in their lives. Did they know? Did they ever know? We can’t ask dead men questions, can we.

Now with all of that out of my system, I move onto Scorpia. Which is the book I am actively scared of. I heard whispers of it in Never Say Die, Its consistently voted the favorite of the entire series and I’ve heard it’s the start of Alex’s even emo-er arc which he 100% deserves by the way.

I am in for a world of pain for this next book n’ I don’t think I’m ready.

#nicky rambles #alex rider #alex rider eagle strike #ar: eagle strike #yassen gregorovich #i literally had to take a 5 hour break to look at cotl stuff and calm down b4 a made this post the ending shook me that bad 😭#not much in the way of tags this time. said all i had to say in the post itself #except that this traumatized British boy might be the thing to break my 4 year streak of now humans drawn #i might have to make fanart chat. i love him that much now #anyway. onto scorpia. its prolly gonna kill me lamo

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artsyunderstudy · 1 year

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Happy New Year!

I want to open with saying thanks to everyone in this amazing fandom, both the creators and the cheerleaders, because all of you make it an incredibly fun and warm place to be. I’ve consumed and created so much this year it’s hard to narrow things down to my favorites, but damn it all, I’m going to try.

We Still Bloom (T, 18.4k)

The Mirrors that Hold Us (E, 70.4k)

Sixty Seconds (T, 2.8k)

What Lies Behind Doorways (M, 10.8k)

A Mild Case of Madness (M, 22.6k, WIP)

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (T, 4.7k)

Every One With You (M, 5.3k)

What We Crave (E, 9.3k)

Touch Starved (E, 5k)

Here in the Dark (E, 4.7k)

Total: 9 complete fics, 1 fic in progress

Word count: 154k

Favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest?

We Still Bloom, definitely not my most popular but it was my personal favorite.

Okay, now your most popular story?

Sixty Seconds, which was unfathomable to me because I wrote it in two days (though it was HEAVILY edited over a week) and it’s very short, very simple, and VERY fluffy. And I was so terrified while posting it because I didn't know if it was any good at all. But apparently fluff is the business I should be in because the two fluffiest fics I wrote were much better received than I originally expected. (The other is Meet me Under the Mistletoe.)

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

I wouldn’t say We Still Bloom is "underappreciated", but it’s the one I’m most proud of but has the least amount of kudos, which honestly I understand. It’s angsty, its sad and tense the whole way through. And while I personally enjoy stuff like that, not everyone does. But I think it’s some of my best writing, and has a really lovely conclusion. The whole point of it was to explore why they love one another, and how. And honestly how hard it is to accept love, sometimes.

Story that could have been better?

I’m generally the most critical of my longer works, because they take a lot of planning, and even if pieces are really good there is pacing and build-up and the overall flow to consider. So I think Mirrors could have been better? It was my first long fic for the fandom, and honestly the first long thing I’ve written in a decade, so I’m overall proud of it and happy with it. But I’m sure it could have been a lot better.

Sexiest story?

Touch Starved is the hottest thing I’ve written, I’m pretty sure. (Here in the Dark is a close second, they are both PWP lol) It’s one fic where I allowed myself to go a little darker and filthier, since usually I tend toward tender intimacy/emotions over sexiness. Though TS has a lot of both, it definitely lets itself just be a horny little fic.

Saddest story?

Mirrors? Probably? It depends on what makes you sad, but that story is mired in grief which is sad. But What Lies Behind Doorways is sad in that it’s about Baz dealing with PTSD alone, and We Still Bloom is about Baz loving Simon without a lot of hope, and breakup angst always hits ME the hardest. So, I dunno. Take your pick. I write a lot of sad shit.

Most fun?

A Mild Case of Madness has been so much fun. I didn’t think I could be funny. Like, I’m funny IRL, but I’ve never tried to write anything funny. It’s not hilarious by any means, but it’s got this sassy energy I don’t think a lot of my other stuff has. It’s been so much fun to write. (I NEED TO FINISH IT)

Story with the single sweetest moment?

I have … no idea. Probably every hug in Sixty Seconds, or the last hug?? The whole thing is about comfort hugs, it’s the definition of saccharine.

Hardest story to write?

We Still Bloom was written very very quickly, but only after MONTHS of fussing over it. I thought that fic to death, and there was a point I was wondering if I’d ever be able to actually write it, so it was definitely a challenge. Once I had the plan, though, I feverishly wrote it in only a couple weeks.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe was very quick and easy to write. It’s just a bunch of kissing!

Most overdue story?

Well clearly it’s A Mild Case of Madness.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Everything feels like a risk, honestly. Maybe What We Crave was the biggest risk, and I still feel really conflicted about it? It also happens to be my least favorite fic of the year. If I had known what it would end up being, I probably would have planned more, and maybe I wouldn’t have posted it at all. I don’t know. Mmm. On a more positive note I am glad I took the risk and got outside of my comfort zone. I do think parts of it are really good, specifically the final chapter.

Coming back to edit because I need to add Sixty Seconds, I challenged myself with brevity for this fic and I have to say it was absolutely a great experience even if it felt risky. It taught me a lot about how to make cuts and really narrow down the narrative to its more important components, something I definitely struggle with.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it?

I tend to focus on emotional intimacy in pretty much everything I write. Most of my stories revolve around the exploration of that intimacy or striving to correct intimacy that’s missing, like Baz finally opening up about his trauma to Simon in What Lies Behind Doorways, or Simon recognizing and pushing beyond his fear of loss in We Still Bloom. Then, the way intimacy helps them to express themselves and get closer, like the comfort sex in Every One with You, the hugs in Sixty Seconds, and the way Baz touches Simon and allows himself to be touched in Touch Starved. Intimacy, intimacy, intimacy.

I drew a ton of art this year, so I'm just going to highlight a few favorites. ♥

I just joined this fandom in March and I have read so, so, so much fic. it's not going to be possible to highlight all my favorites in this post, so I just want to preface this by say if I kudosed, commented or bookmarked any of your fics, I loved them. That being said, here are my top 10 completed fics and top 5 WIPS, and my apologies if they weren't all written this year. I tried, but like I said. I read so much.

Completed

Ready or Not by @bookish-bogwitch (E, 20.7k)

Baker boxer teacher grief (Or: The thing that lasts) by @chen-chen-chen-again-chen (E, 21.3k)

Snow, Baz, and the Seven Bunces by LakeWitch (M, 54k)

London Loves Us Only by imjusthereforthefreefood (E, 47.6k)

Restoration Ecology by @captain-aralias (E, 51k)

What's Left by @cutestkilla (M, 133.8k)

when the dust settles (you'll come home to me) by @diningpagentry (E, 65.8k)

Where the Sand Meets the Sea by @amywaterwings (T, 76.5k)

A Light from Miles Away and A Light From Within by @stillmadaboutpetra (T, 67k and 60k)

The Space In Between by @whatevertheweather (M, 101.1k)

WIP

What Remains After The Storm by @hushed-chorus (M, 14.7k)

Depth of Reason by @you-remind-me-of-the-babe (M, 22.7k)

A Dangerous Affinity by @larkral (T, 67.8k)

Every little helps by @nightimedreamersworld (E, 28.6k)

More Than Friends by @fatalfangirl (E, 6.3k)

Comment more and do more fic rec posts. ♥♥

Finish a new fic over 70k

Be kinder to myself and stop being so self-critical. Enjoy the process.

Participate in more fests

Make more fandom friends ♥ There are so many amazing people here and I would really love to get to know you all better.

Here's to 2023! So excited for what's ahead. ♥

#snowbaz #year in review #long post #about me

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knowlesian · 2 years

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i’ve talked about it through a super narrow lens, but because i love the izzy’s revenge scene in e9 and there’s a bunch going on/acres of unspoken and very cool history at play, why not. time for a line by line!

we start with izzy, sitting and eating what looks like a steak, flanked by a standing ivan and fang.

the thing about captain hands is: he’s tough, yeah. but also, he’s fair, as ivan and fang can attest to. needs more salt.

so after asserting he can speak for them, izzy does not pause ask fang or ivan if they agree. he doesn’t even let them respond at all; just demands fang put more salt on the meat for him, despite the fact that it’s right in front of him and it would actually be easier to just do it himself.

the history of the spice trade is one that’s... ooof. if i start talking about islands razed to the ground and endless scores of people murdered over nutmeg and pride, i will never stop. suffice to say, the demand for spices (and desire to keep them out of the hands of fellow colonizer competition) is inextricably linked to the whys and the hows of this era of colonization.

the use of salt in particular carries a lot of resonance; one of the stories told about columbus and his proverbial “first contact” with indigenous people was that he stumbled over some local taínos— the spanish would later name this particular group the lucayans— just out collecting sea salt and went, oh shit look what i discovered!

(how true this version of the story is... look. there’s a lot of debate going on as we speak among historians about which modern island was the first landing spot at all, so the point is it’s one of those things that businesses will quote and not cite their sources, because a neat little trivia fact like ‘salt was there at first contact!’ stripped of all nuance helps... sell more salt. ew. love 2 live in a society.)

so: there’s a lot of oomph in that there demand. moving it on along, as the music starts to gently rise behind izzy’s Moment Of Triumph.

all right, all right. listen up, listen up! work hard, keep a spring in your step, and you’ll all have a long tenure aboard... izzy’s revenge.

con just CHEWS on the word revenge for a minute while he says it, as the show allows izzy to enjoy the taste of power on his tongue. this is his ship now: this is his revenge. look at him, dad (metaphorical and societal)!!!! he’s doing manhood and masculinity right, everyone is gonna see it and goddamnit he is going to get his entirely earned reverence and applause. right? right?????

...right?

lol no. the music drops out, and wee john starts to laugh at this sad little man and his sad little powertrip.

because why wouldn’t he laugh? fuck that. ‘do what i say, exactly how and when i say it and pretend you’re happy about it no matter what, and then you’ll be fine’? i would snicker at somebody who said something like that, and i know that because i have snickered (usually where they could not see me, admittedly) at managers who said shit like that.

here’s the thing about living aboard a ship irl that i would assume is also true in the show despite the dream logic of canon: no matter what’s going on there is always more work that could be handled right then and there, always always always. it’s a little like working in a restaurant; at any given seeming lull in the action, there’s 1000000% a chore or task left undone that needs attending at some point, maybe even soon. however, the key words there are ‘at some point’.

that’s the problem with the respect and immediate presumption of skill and perfect authority izzy is demanding from the crew; it doesn’t matter what practical skills he does or does not bring to the table, he hasn’t earned anyone’s respect and actively runs around doing a lot to make sure if he doesn’t course correct and sincerely attempt to display anything resembling real solidarity and mend some fences, he never will.

when it comes down to 'but what about the practical measure of his Good At Pirating Quotient!’ i would say izzy’s skill with a sword is not in dispute so much as his skill with adaptation, and he’s seemingly good enough at sailing to stay on ed’s ship or he wouldn’t be there. however: there’s a pretty big difference between meeting the standard/keeping up your end and absolute mvp, The Most Skilled and Important in every single way. you can be a good pirate and not be the only reason a ship’s afloat; a lot of the oomph to izzy’s character build for me is that it’s not the usual ‘he’s just so goddamn right and skilled and above everyone else it’s understandable that he treats people like shit and he doesn’t ultimately need to change that because look how good at everything he is!’ mode on any level.

izzy’s a decent pirate, but he’s certainly not a pinnacle of the career who simply isn’t being given his due. the men in that bar in the finale do not give a single fuck about izzy hands; and sure, they don’t actually know him or ed. but fang and ivan know them both, and thanks to fang we know for a fact ed’s crew referred to him as izzy the spewer behind his back before canon started.

i think it’s notable that the people who spend all their time around izzy do not like or particularly respect him— i’d say it’s because he never really gives them a reason to, either through personal interactions or grudging acknowledgement of his practical skills because they are irreplaceable and fall far outside fang or ivan’s own capabilities.

on the other end of the spectrum, ed does shit like make fang kill his dog and fang still respects him. he’s also clearly holding the world’s most valid grudge on that one (and seriously: what the fuck, ed, justice for fang’s poor dog and justice for fang) but they contrast fang’s immediate ‘oh fuck, boss is here!!!!’ when he thinks ed is back with ‘oh, izzy??? yeah if it’s still just him who cares, none of us actually give a fuck about that guy on his own merits and we tolerate him because ed likes having him around for whatever fuckin reason’ when it turns out ed’s still gone. and ivan is the one who pipes up all ‘that’s why you DO NOT doubt the captain!’ in e4.

(this is part of why i don’t buy izzy is handling all of ed’s day to day enforcement, and that the crew rarely saw ed because he was hiding away. ‘most emotionally available’ implies a lack of emotional availability, not a lack of physical presence. if it had been some variation on 'i haven’t seen him this much in ages’, ‘usually we never see him’, sure. but a comparison on emotional availability literally requires a basis for that comparison.)

so i would argue the crew sees a lot of ed and a lot of izzy, and they have fair reasons to resent them both, but they still respect ed while talking shit behind izzy’s back whenever possible. honestly, the only person we ever see be obsequious towards izzy is geraldo— and i’m not sure given things like jackie’s constant exasperation with him we’re meant to think geraldo is an accurate judge of character or indication of wider opinion.

izzy is good enough to pass muster or he wouldn’t be there, and as long as everyone plays by the rules he holds to and doesn’t think outside the box, he seems to do battle/executing prisoners type shit pretty reliably well. however: the only supplies we ever see him ask about or show any interest in are munitions (weapons and ammo) and every single time we as an audience see him insist/demand a specific sailing chore must be done at the very moment he wants it done, it is never once about an actual immediate need.

(even the request for munitions is not actually the right call to make; they would have been blown to smithereens. it’s an out of the box let’s be a lighthouse!!! plan that saves them, just like surrendering and invoking the act of grace was the right swerve to make in e8 instead of stede’s initial izzy-like idea to go ...idk, let’s just start shooting first???? see where that preemptive attack life leads, seems like not a bad idea at all.)

so, narratively speaking, the thing we are meant to take away is not that izzy is just always right and underappreciated and making everything work, but rather that he is quite often wandering around being a real jerk to people and he needs to knock it the fuck off. even more than that: that it’s not a sign of good leadership when you consistently treat people like shit and call it a necessary evil, or if you admit you do it but refuse to do any real work to curb that impulse and change that behavior.

there is a pretty big gap between a person knowing how to do something on a technical level and knowing how to accurately gauge if they can do it later and for now it’s time to take a second and eat/take a break/socialize. we can (and knowing fandom, probably will) argue forever, trying to pinpoint izzy’s exact levels on the first; his skill at the second is unquestionably fuckin subzero.

part of being a good leader is being able to discern the difference between when it’s appropriate to say ‘no, literally it’s gotta be now we are in the weeds and there’s no time to waste, this is no joke do it or else time, kids!!!!’ and when a task can wait for later, then being able to communicate those different states of urgency and encourage others to follow suit.

i don’t think we see any of these situations played out via izzy, but both states do exist! there are times in life when your job involves managing people and it’s not a subjective ‘well i just don’t think you should be chatting right now’ thing, it’s a ‘you can’t put bananas in instead of strawberries and say you just have a different vibe than the recipe; unless you are actually asked to 86 the bananas and double the berries, please don’t do that again. additionally don’t lick the nozzles on the ice cream machine anymore, we will be forced to fire you if you keep that up’ thing.

sometimes people need to be coaxed along, and sometimes they need to be firmly told to shape up when coaxing fails to work. but being firm and matter of fact about what needs to be done isn’t being an asshole— and neither is correcting a genuine mistake, because there are ways to urge people to understand when they need to step on the gas or change up the procedure that don’t involve crossing lines into empirically shitty behavior.

honestly, this is one of the differences between a good manager and a great one. the front half stays the same, but a great manager adds a second step: is it possible that in this case someone actually managed to improve upon my procedure, and i should consider a new way of doing things/allow that their different path gets them to the destination required without causing any issues for themselves or the rest of us?

a lot of the time, asking that question does end up on ‘nope, we fill the spice canisters that way for a good reason and this new spin on pouring is getting parsley all over the goddamned floor and i will have to mop it up later, so thanks for that!’

but every so often, it ends up the other way and you realize you can fit six rolls in the bag instead of four and then you only have to use one bag if you align them like this instead of how corporate said to do it. that cuts down on waste and time spent bagging; everyone rejoices and says ‘ahahaha fuck corporate, those assholes are wrong about everything anyway’. those times are super cool, but they only happen when the people who get the final word on those sorts of things listen to the people who are doing the actual on the ground work.

(yes, i have worked in food service on both sides of the manager line. how on earth could you tell???? etc.)

okay, back to the scene itself. notably: nobody else laughs yet. and other than jim and the swede, they’re all there! buttons is in the background winding rope, lucius is sweeping off to the left, pete is just standing there hanging out on the right, and at this point i think we’re all aware of who izzy had doing the hard labor, no matter where we land on why exactly it happened. jim’s off the ship for the moment, and the swede’s... either i missed him, or he’s there but hiding in a barrel again or something.

point is: wee john is the only one who doesn’t just roll their eyes and ignore izzy, at first.

izzy, quite obviously, is not thrilled that somebody didn’t find that little speech super cool and intimidating.

what’s funny, mr. feeney?

it’s just that... ‘izzy’s revenge’ sounds a bit like an intestinal condition.

once wee john lays it out, everybody else starts to laugh, too. we don’t get direct reaction shots from buttons or lucius and my ears are not good enough to pick out nathan’s laugh by sound alone if it’s there in the mix, but everyone we see outside fang and ivan— including pete— are now unified in agreeing, yeah. that does sound like a gnarly stomach bug and izzy’s being a dick, we don’t need to keep our heads down in hopes he won’t notice us and pretend otherwise.

as an audience, we get an extra punchline because we know: it’s funny because it’s true. izzy’s revenge sounds like montezuma’s revenge, which is a colloquial term for traveller’s diarrhea and supposedly a curse laid down and/or just the cosmic price white people have to pay for their ancestors’ sins.

so that’s joke made just for us, the audience who live in the real world and know the reference being made, done as a wink by the writers who also know exactly why that’s funny. because that line only makes any sense if they’re referencing montezuma’s revenge, and i find it pretty implausible this team made the joke on purpose and simultaneously had no idea why the term exists, or what it would imply to say izzy suffered from symptoms of the same the single time he took control of ed’s ship. anything’s possible! but i’d lay down money they knew what they were doing there.

although i guess on that first ‘is it a joke the characters get too’ question, it might be more up for grabs: the actual history and the man at hand here is from the 1500′s, even if the term is modern. maybe in ofmd’s world, ‘montezuma’s revenge’ is already a thing people joke about when white people metaphorically or literally head south, cross a border and then immediately shit their pants.

and just as a personal sidebar, because it sort of itches at the back of my brain and bothers me a little bit more every single day: this is why i am less than fond of the jokes and headcanons re: izzy the spewer being about anxiety or lack of dramamine or food issues.

where i keep getting stuck is that not acknowledging or engaging with the montezuma’s revenge connection the show is making and all it implies ends up in some pretty uncomfortable places. ignoring the undertones there entirely inadvertently turns a joke where the punchline is ‘lol, ha ha ha @ colonizers getting a little of their own back, and the metaphorical standard bearer for that history in the form of an angry little man telling people to do things his way or ELSE is being a dick rn’ into a thing where izzy is the victim and we should feel sad for him because he just needs care and affection because until then, of course he acts like this & etc.

it’s not that they’re bad jokes as a matter of course and i’m judging anybody who makes or enjoys any of them; and i would absolutely be the first one to say i would prefer izzy have an arc where he does the work to unlearn all his toxic shit, show some real solidarity for once, and become someone who will allow himself to receive/give care and affection in ways that aren’t damaging everybody involved. and maybe he does have any or all of those medical issues, maybe it wasn’t a one-off and he does throw up all the time, etc etc etc. debating the particulars doesn’t much matter to me on this one.

i’m just saying i wish people would engage with both sides of the izzy the spewer/izzy’s revenge setup and payoff if they’re into the jokes and ‘izzy didn’t just throw up once while in charge, he throws up all the time for this practical, in-world reason’ headcanon lane, because the montezuma’s revenge joke is both funny and really thematically resonant/important.

okay, sidebar over and now back to canon.

thanks to wee john, the crew is united in acknowledging that izzy sucks and his Big Moment was actually just funny.

izzy can’t let that stand; in his world, respect and power are granted after performing elaborate rituals of violence and intimidation.

i wonder what the condition of your intestine might be after, say... no rations for a week?

so, first off because it’s another subtle note of acknowledging without centering historical pain: izzy threatening a character played by a guy from northern ireland (and yes, i very much understand that wasn’t a thing in 1717, but neither were a lot of things that exist in this show) with starvation as a punishment... there’s A Lot being said there in the subtext, done so deftly that if you’re not aware of the history and/or thinking too much about the larger history of ireland at the same time you process that scene, it could easily slip by.

much like the subtle acknowledgments of racism or homophobia existing in the the world of ofmd (because in a world without homophobia or heterosexuality being the assumed norm, why would lucius’s mother just assume he liked girls, and why would he feel any pressure to let her keep doing it?, etc etc etc) trauma doesn’t need to be overt and centered in the narrative to be there.

god, this show is good.

wee john’s face falls somewhere in the middle of izzy’s threat, and when he cuts his eyes to the side to look for support everyone else has fallen silent again. and since very understandably he would like to be able to eat over the coming week, wee john shuts up without further commentary or complaint. he doesn’t look happy about it, but to izzy’s ...credit? i suppose? he gets what he wants in this immediate moment: wee john is no longer pointing out izzy said something that sounded unintentionally funny, and absolutely nobody is laughing.

so, flush with success, izzy looks around at the crew and addresses all of them one more time, making sure everybody feels a little bit of the sting.

any other funny bits?

the subtle thing i maybe love best here is that wee john was just empirically right. izzy’s revenge quite literally does sound like the name of an intestinal condition! so wee john just stated a fact that made izzy feel some kind of way, and izzy went ‘counterpoint: you say something that makes me mad, you eat no food for the next week’ in response.

we all know wee john is right, even those of us in the audience; but nobody on the crew thinks it’s worth a week of no food to say so now that izzy’s set the terms of engagement.

so everyone stays quiet, including wee john, but that’s not enough for izzy. he needs to get in one last reminder he’s a big boy, in big charge, and everybody needs to shut up and respect his authority.

yeah, i didn’t think so.

izzy, bless his motherfucking heart and may gay god love him, thinks this is winning. when you’ve got the power, you can do what you want with it; you go the extra mile to make sure the people under you understand you have all of it and they have none.

because in terms of in-world reasoning, there really isn’t any reason to give that little speech while eating a nice meal except to establish power and then luxuriate in it while reminding the crew their place is below him.

the kicker might be that he’s also being incredibly foolish. it’s not about being a badass pirate, being used to a different life or rules or metaphor canon; mutinies absolutely happen in izzy’s world, and giving a speech to the people who work for you about how they better smile when they say yes, sir and hop to it while you sit there and chow down on a meal they will not be allowed to partake in is a good way to get the ball rolling.

you can eat while they work but be nice and get away with it; you can be an asshole who isn’t flaunting their bounty in the face of someone else’s lack and get by depending on who you’re with, but you can’t do both at once or guarantee future trouble from those holding the shittier end of the stick. the way izzy is acting right now isn’t just arrogant, it’s tactically stupid. there is zero chance it will engender respect and overall good conduct, and every single chance it breeds resentment and makes solidifying any sort of movement against him that much easier.

he’s getting what he wants in the very, very short term by any means necessary; he is not considering that in the longterm, this is the kind of shit that can only come back to bite him.

because what izzy displays in this scene is the kind of unnecessarily dickish behavior that turns a mutiny from a possibility into a slam dunk, you know? the ‘fuck that guy’ factor is often what turns the tide, when people are hesitant to take action otherwise. ‘i hate this job but my boss is nice to me, personally’ introduces a conflict of interest. if you hate your job and your boss... well. all that’s standing in the way then is coming together on the low, making a plan, and having to wait for an opportunity to do something about it.

so if izzy can’t see fit to treat people with a baseline modicum of respect because it’s just... you know. the right thing to do, and because there’s never a good reason to be cruel, he might consider that doing so would be better if he wants to maintain power and not end up thrown to the sharks.

and who knows!!! maybe someday he will. i have said it before, and i will say it again: fuck linear time not existing and ocean travel being more like teleportation, the toxic white guy getting it together and becoming a member of the community instead of resorting to siding with the system when the going gets rough is the twist of a LIFETIME, and i think this team could pull it off.

to end: this show is fucking wild. barely one minute of screentime and you can talk about irish history and taíno history and implicit bias v overt racism and How To Manage Good and some very granular art of war type advice like ‘being literally the worst and threatening people with out of pocket cruelty like starvation encourages people to band together in solidarity against you, and it does not increase overall productivity, merely gains you an immediate— but ultimately false— pretense at compliance’ and then a million other things on top of that.

you can fit ALL the oomph in this baby and i will meet the writers, as ever, OUTSIDE.

#this is NOT EVEN A MINUTE OF SCREENTIME I AM. I HAVE. I AM NORMAL ABOUT THIS SHOW????????#long post. super long post. very long post. hey: if you finished this what's up we're friends now i guess #anyway now to go eat pizza GOD i just fucking love this show #my ofmd meta #our flag means death

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