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evanpeterswhoresblog · 3 months

Text

Linger

Sirius Black x rockstar! f!reader

warnings: smut, p in v, rough sex, like pretty rough guys he bites you till you bleed, underage drinking, underage smoking, a lot of smoking tbh, drunkish sex, kinda has a plot so yeah lmk if i missed anything

summary: you and your band mates decide to go out to a pub, where you end up meeting the most handsome boy you’ve ever seen.

word count: 4.2k

a/n: guys i’m so bad at these summaries holy. this is probably my favorite fic i’ve written. the flirting and the tension like omg. trust me. also, let’s pretend The Runaways are british and let’s pretend everything id accurate hahaha. enjoy ;)

~~~

“Do you think we’ll be recognized tonight?”

You turn to your bandmate, Joan, and shrug. “It’s fifty-fifty.”

“What pub are we going to again?” She asks.

“The one where they let underage people in, of course, you’re still the only one who’s twenty-one in the band you know,” you reply.

The other two members of your band, Sandy and Lita, are ahead of you, engulfed in their own conversation. You slide your hands into the pockets of your jacket and try to keep up. You’ve been in the band for a few months as the new lead singer. Their old one left to start her own band, claiming it to be more successful. Yet your band is the one that’s gotten sold-out shows, interviews on television, and pictures in magazines. Sometimes you like to think it was fate that she left, and you just so happened to be in town the night they were holding auditions. The fans surely enjoy your voice more, they make you out to be the leader even though you’re only seventeen and the newest member. You don’t mind though, and neither do your bandmates.

It’s almost ten when you arrive at the pub and thankfully no one has recognized you yet, or they have and simply haven’t said anything. There’s no one at the door to check IDs just like Sandy had said. The four of you enter fast and find a table. The music is loud, the lights are low, and people are dancing all over. You like it, a lot.

“Drinks?” Lita questions a few seconds after you sit.

“You know it!” Joan replies.

“I’ll be right back then.”

Sandy takes out a pack of cigarettes. “Care for one?”

“Obviously,” you answer, holding your hand out. She hands you one, you’re quick to light it and stick it between your lips, inhaling a deep breath of smoke. “How come the police haven’t found this place?”

Joan rolls her eyes. “They have.”

“And? Why don’t they shut it down?”

“They have people who come here, of course, sons, daughters, you know that sort of thing. It may be illegal but it’s trustworthy,” she explains. “Why do you care anyway?”

You shrug. “Just curious I suppose.”

Lita arrives back at the table, four glasses held in her arms. You take yours fast, eager to taste whatever liquor she got for you. It’s bitter, with a hint of sweetness in it. Based on the color as well, your guess is some sort of vodka mix. You drink it despite the awful aftertaste it leaves in your mouth. The cigarette between your fingers helps a bit. The four of you talk for a while and enjoy the peace of having no fans around.

“You should go to the bar y/n,” Lita says after some time. “Or well it might be too late now, but when I was there, I saw a boy your age, remarkably handsome.”

Sandy laughs. “You’re trying to send her home with someone already?”

Lita nudges the other girl with her shoulder. “No, I’m only trying to get some new song material.”

“We’ll see if there’s any potential,” you say, taking the last sip of your drink and getting up. You brush down your hair. “Do I look alright?”

“You’re always beautiful,” Joan answers, letting out a cloud of smoke.

“Wish me luck.” You chuckle before heading to the bar.

With every step you take, you feel eyes on you. Most belong to older men who shouldn’t even be paying you any mind. You’re used to the feeling of being watched, with all the fans and paparazzi that corner you before and after gigs. So, you move through the pub without a second thought about it.

In the back of your head, you curse yourself for not asking Lita what the guy looks like. For a moment you question how you’re supposed to find him, but then your curious eyes find one guy who stands out. He’s leaning on the wall, a glass in his hand and a cigarette between his lips. Based on his face, you figure he can’t be more than nineteen. And oh, how right Lita was. His hair is dark and long, almost reaching his shoulders. He’s dressed in a simple white tee shirt and baggy jeans. Despite the distance, you swear you can make out a sliver of a tattoo on his shoulder. He’s gorgeous, almost too gorgeous.

You approach him carefully, thinking of different opening lines in your head. Would it be wrong to use your fame to get him to take you home? Probably. But you’ve seen Joan do it plenty of times. She always says it’s simply a tool and that you should use it to your advantage. You’ve never done it though. Perhaps it’s your little amount of consciousness that remains that tells you it’s wrong. You don’t know and the alcohol in your system doesn’t help. So, when you reach him, you say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Hi.”

He looks at you, the cigarette dangling between his lips. “Hello.”

“How old are you?” You ask, immediately feeling stupid for such a question.

“What are you a cop?” He chuckles.

You feel your cheeks heat up. “No uh... sorry.”

“It’s fine love, just not a very good pick-up line,” he replies. He takes his cigarette out, his eyes locked on yours. “Especially since you look like you’re sixteen.”

“Seventeen actually.” You correct him.

“Ah, well there’s something we share then.”

Something about the way he’s looking at you comforts you. There’s no recognition in his eyes at all. You can tell. To him, you are just another girl. Not the lead singer of The Runaways. Just a simple girl.

“You can try again if you’d like,” he says. You look at him, confused. “Try another pick-up line.”

You gently smile and think for a few seconds. Nothing better comes to mind.

“Come here often?”

He laughs. “Somehow I think that was worse than the first one.”

“Sorry. Usually, I’m better at this sort of thing,” you reply. You put your hands back in your pockets, suddenly feeling very hot with embarrassment.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s cute.”

There’s a moment of silence. He takes a sip of his drink; you stare at his hand. The way it looks wrapped around the glass makes your stomach fill with butterflies. You hate how much you want him to take you home. You don’t even know his name. But he’s handsome, so much so it makes you unable to think straight. You need to know more.

“Are you from around here?”

He nods. “Born and raised in London. You?”

For a split second you wonder, if he’s from London how come he doesn’t know who you are? Sure, your band isn’t on the same level of success as Queen or ACDC but you’re also not underground. You push the thought away.

“Originally from Westchester but now I’m here in London for... work,” you answer.

“Work? I thought you were seventeen.”

“Yes but, eighteen next month. I already finished school.”

He takes another drag of his cigarette. “Wish I could say the same, I still have another year left. Though, I rather enjoy school, gets me away from my dear parents.”

“Oh, where do you go?”

You notice the way he shifts his posture. “Out of the country, you wouldn’t know of it.”

“Like a boarding school?”

“I suppose you could say that.”

You look around the pub, a slight feeling of awkwardness blooming within you. You don’t know why you’re so nervous. You’ve done this before. You decide to blame it on the cheap vodka because really, you’re better than this.

“So, what’s your name then?” You ask after a few more minutes.

“Does it really matter?” He replies, catching you a bit off guard. He flicks the ash off his cigarette, his dark eyes on yours. “All of it’s the same.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Don’t play dumb love, I know this isn’t your first time. I’m sure you’ve chatted up many other lads and had them take you home.” There’s something about the tone in which he speaks that has your knees almost wobble.

“Why would you think that?”

He sighs, leaning over to a small table discards his cigarette in an ashtray, and leaves his glass. When he leans back on the wall, now with both of his hands-free, he buries them in the pockets of his baggy jeans. He looks down at you with an expression that could send your morals far out of mind. You want him, terribly. And you think he knows this.

“Besides the fact that you said you’re usually better at this, you’re also possibly the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he eventually answers.

You can’t help but roll your eyes. “I highly doubt that, but nevertheless thanks for the compliment.”

“I mean it. Most girls I see still wear those long skirts and sweaters, but you, you’re dressed like you could pass as a rock star.”

Your face heats up once again. You know he’s right. With your leather jacket, flared jeans, high-heeled boots, and small tight top you know it’s clear what kind of person you are. Your makeup only adds to it, black smudged eyeliner and glitter on your eyes. It’s a toned-down version of what you wear on stage. He doesn’t need to know that though.

You give him a smile and shrug. “Rock is my favorite genre, what can I say? You sort of got that look too though, not quite as intense.”

“Not a gentleman?” He chuckles.

“No.” You laugh, shaking your head. “At least I hope not.”

“I see. You don’t fancy the good boys. Well fortunately for you, I’m a bit of a troublemaker. At least, that’s what my schoolmates and family say,” he mentions. “What’s wrong with the good boys anyway? They could treat you like a lady.”

“Too gentle, I’m not a fan of it,” you answer honestly.

He smirks, sending warmth straight to your core. “So is your intention to get me out of here and treat you... not gently?”

“My intention is simply to buy you another drink, maybe enjoy a dance or two. What happens at the end of the night is not particularly on my mind right now. I’m more focused on learning your name. Why? Is that what you’d fancy?” You counter, looking up at him through your long lashes.

It has the effect you hoped for because he stands up straight, his back finally off the wall. He offers his hand to you, and you take it softly in yours. It’s so much bigger, so much warmer. You try your hardest to kill all the thoughts of where else you’d like him to touch you with his hand.

“Sirius Black,” he introduces himself.

“Like the star?” You question without thinking.

“Yes, like the star. Now what’s your name.”

“Y/n y/l/n,” you say.

“Charmed. So, how about that drink?”

You smile. It’s going to be a good night, you know it.

The next few hours go by in a flash. You and Sirius drink more than you probably should and dance to the many different songs that play on the jut box. A few different times throughout the night you find the eyes of your bandmates, each of them giving you big smiles and thumbs up as they watch you with Sirius. At one point Joan makes a lewd hand gesture, and you barely get a chance to see Lita smack her. It’s past twelve when you find yourself outside the pub with Sirius sitting on a curb sharing a cigarette.

“I hate these bloody shoes,” you mumble as you dig your heel into the pavement. “They make my feet sore.”

“Then why do you wear them?” Sirius asks, amusement evident in his tone.

You exhale a long breath of smoke, passing the half-burnt cigarette back to him. “I dunno. Beauty is pain.”

“For some, but I’m sure even without those things you’re just as pretty. Actually, I would bet pounds on that being true,” he replies.

“I think I’m rather plain without all this. Would you think the same of me without my makeup and outfit?”

You watch him smirk. “I should think you look even prettier without all of that on. Especially the clothes.”

Your stomach fills with butterflies for the thousandth time tonight. Your shyness left hours ago when you took your first shot. So, instead of simply blushing and looking away, you stand and look down at him with your own smirk.

“Quite the charmer. How about you find come back to mine and find out for yourself?”

He takes one last drag of the cigarette before standing, flicking it to the pavement, and crushing it beneath his sneaker. You watch helplessly as he releases a cloud of smoke, his hand now held out to you.

“I’d quite like that. Lead the way.”

~~~

You don’t know how you keep your composure the whole way home, especially with Sirius’s hand handing yours the entire time. On the train, as you sit, your head on his shoulder, he rubs his thumb across your knuckles. It’s a gesture that makes you glad you aren’t standing because your legs feel like jelly. And on the walk up to your apartment, he lets go of your hand and instead places it on the small of your back. You almost fall down the stairs at the contact.

Once you’re inside you immediately take off your boots, leaving them somewhere by the front door. Your jacket follows, only it’s hung on one of your kitchen chairs. When you turn to look at Sirius you find his eyes wandering all over your apartment, examining the details you assume. His sneakers are off, his hands are in his pockets.

“You must have a special job, this place is wonderful,” he says.

“My mates help me with the money, it’s not all mine,” you reply. It’s true, they do help you earn money from performing. You step closer to him, your hands behind your back. “And it’s really not that big. One bedroom, one bathroom, and one very tiny living room combined with the kitchen. But it’s more than enough for me. Would you like the tour?”

“Of course, if the tour starts in your bedroom.”

You can’t help the blush that takes over your face. “Follow me.”

The walk is fast, with every step you feel your heart rate increase. You’ve done this a few times, but for some reason, this time feels different. Perhaps it’s because all the other guys can’t compare to Sirius’s beauty in the slightest. Or perhaps it’s because you already like him a bit more than you should for a one-nighter. You don’t know. And you don’t care to know because you’re about to reach your door.

You open the door fast, letting him in first, and closing it behind you. It’s dark, the only lights coming from outside your small window. You don’t reach for the lights though. Instead, you step closer to the boy, the sound of your breathing suddenly far too loud for your liking. His silhouette moves closer to you as well. It’s almost like there’s an invisible force pushing the two of you together, and you find yourself liking it.

He touches you first. One of his hands finds your waist, he guides you to him faster. Soon enough, you’re practically pressed against him. You can barely breathe from the proximity. You’ve never felt something this intense. You look up at him, your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Still want me to not be gentle?” He asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I want you to ruin me,” you say, pressing one of your hands to his chest. You’re happy to find his heart is racing just like yours. “Don’t hold back.”

“Alright.”

Before you can even think of another thought, his lips are on yours. You kiss back instantaneously, your hand moving up into his hair. It’s soft, like you expected. He’s far from gentle with his kissing, and you’re glad. His lips move fast on yours, his teeth scraping your tongue. He bites down on your lip so hard you whimper, and the metallic taste of your blood clouds your senses.

Still, despite the pain, when he pulls back you almost whine from the loss of contact. But his hands move fast to pull your shirt up. You help him get it off, then move to his. Through the darkness, you can see the few tattoos he has on his chest and shoulder. They’re dark, they’re beautiful. You run your fingertips over them as he leans back down and connects your lips once again. You begin to guide the two of you towards your bed.

When the back of your knees hit the mattress, you allow yourself to fall back onto it. Sirius doesn’t follow you though. Instead, he stands between your legs at the foot of the bed and begins to undo the buttons of your jeans. You watch in awe, lifting your hips to help him drag them down your legs, leaving you only in your bra and panties. You sit up, your eyes on him, as you start undoing his belt.

After his jeans are on the floor he pushes you back down on the mattress, climbing over you this time. You kiss him deeply, dragging one of your hands down his warm back, and weaving the other through his hair. That warmth deep inside you has grown, consuming you entirely. You can feel the wetness between your legs, surely staining your panties. You’ve never been so turned on by a guy in your life.

He suddenly parts your kiss, his lips beginning to move down your jaw and neck. You moan, throwing your head back to give him more access. When he bites down on you, so hard you can feel a stinging from it breaking skin, you pull at his hair, sounds of pleasure escaping your swollen lips.

Eventually, after leaving many hickeys and bite marks on your neck, he pulls back entirely and flips you over onto your stomach. You smirk against the mattress as you feel him unclip your bra. To help get it off, you lift yourself on your hands, and the straps quickly fall. You throw it off without even thinking about it. You’re about to turn back but Sirius presses a hand between your shoulder blades, silently telling you to stay as you are. You don’t hesitate to comply.

You feel him move and instinctively you lift your hips in the air. He places a kiss on your back, it almost makes you shiver. Then his hands are on your hips, pulling your last piece of clothing off. You normally would feel some sense of vulnerability at this point. Completely naked with your ass in the air. But the alcohol mixed with the utter need you have for Sirius takes control. You feel him shift.

“Do you have a rubber?” The sound of his voice makes you squeeze your legs together.

“Unless you have a disease, you don’t need one. I’m on birth control,” you answer, looking over your shoulder at him.

“No diseases I swear,” he says.

“Then proceed.”

You get up properly on all fours, the anticipation killing you. When he positions his tip at your entrance, you inhale sharply. He rubs his cock through your wet folds for a few seconds, brushing against your clit ever so slightly, before thrusting inside you in one quick, hard motion. You can’t help the moan that leaves you. He’s big, stretching you in a way that’s on the brink of being painful. It’s perfect.

He fucks you hard, very hard. Each thrust hits that spot inside you that makes your legs shake. At one point, your arms give out and your face presses against the mattress. Your hands twist in the sheets, your moans muffled by the bed. Sirius doesn’t like this. He twists one of his hands in your hair and pulls you up, the pain only adding to the building of your orgasm.

“Sirius,” you gasp. “Fuck Sirius.”

He’s relentless. He fucks you through your first orgasm, not faltering for even a second. He only stops when you can’t hold yourself up anymore, pulling out and flipping you onto your back. You scratch your nails down his back as he begins to fuck you in missionary, your lips on his.

You don’t know how long passes by the time he tells you he’s close. What you do know is that your second orgasm is not far either. With tears in your eyes, you let him switch positions once again, this time you’re on top of him. Your muscles are weak and sore, but that doesn’t stop you from riding him as well as you can. Sweat covers your body, and incoherent words drip off your lips. You can barely take it anymore.

“I-I’m almost there,” you mumble.

“Me too love,” Sirius replies, his breath ragged. “Finish us both off.”

You struggle to hold yourself up, a tear rolling down your cheek. “I don’t know if I can.”

“You can, just a few more minutes,” he assures you, running one of his hands through your hair.

Much to his word, in a few minutes, he finishes. Hard. He moans your name in an indescribable tone, and his cock pulses inside you so intently, it causes your second orgasm to occur. As this happens, you lie on his chest, both of your breathing very uneven. He holds you tight against him.

Eventually, you roll off him and stare at your ceiling. You try to comprehend what just happened. Never in your life have you experienced something so intense. Most of the time when you told guys to be rough with you, they’d be turned off. But Sirius... You turn to your side to face him.

“Want a smoke?”

“Certainly.”

~~~

It’s safe to say, you don’t let him go all summer. You spend every second you can with him. Most of the time in your sheets, but a good amount doing other things. You paint his nails black, teach him how to wear eyeliner, and how to dress more like yourself. You enjoy every second you get with him.

He never does discover your fame, at least he never says so. You think he would know. Each time you go out you try your hardest to be unnoticeable and you always hide away magazines and switch the channel whenever something about your band is shown. But he never does say anything. Sometimes at night, you sing to him softly and you always laugh when he tells you that you should take it professionally.

You learn how much he hates his family, except for his little brother. You learn he loves Queen and David Bowie. You learn his favorite color is ironically black. You learn as much about him as you can and with each fact you do learn, you only fall more for him. But you never speak of it. You know the inevitable ending.

On the night before he goes back to school, the two of you lay in your bed, a thick silence between you. As usual, you pass a cigarette back and forth. Only this time, there are no words accompanying. Until he speaks.

“For once, I’m not looking forward to going back.”

You turn to your stomach and look at him. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Me either,” he agrees. He holds the cigarette to you; you take it fast. “I can phone you if you want. You know, while I’m there. Or send letters.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” You question.

“I think I really fancy you, and I don’t want to leave on a bad note.”

You give him a weak smile and press a kiss on his bare shoulder. “Oh, Sirius.”

~~~

A few months later...

“Five minutes till show time,” an assistant tells you.

You’re sitting in your dressing room backstage. Joan, Sandy, and Lita all have their own space now. You find it funny how much The Runaways have blown up since the summer. Now, everywhere you turn you see yourself in a magazine or a news article. You can’t go anywhere without being recognized, or without the paparazzi showing up.

As you look in the mirror your mind travels back to Sirius. This happens a lot. Right before a concert, you think of him. Sometimes you wonder if maybe he’s out there listening. You haven’t heard from him since he went to school. You aren’t angry, only a bit sad. You’re mostly grateful though. He inspired most of the songs in your number-one album that got the band all the new attention.

You stand from the vanity and sigh. Tonight, your performance is being televised worldwide. Beside the door is your guitar, you pick it up as you begin your journey out to the stage. You’ve got a good lineup, even a small intermission for a happy birthday song. You hope wherever he is he hears it.

After all, it is November 3rd.

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angelltheninth · 3 months

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Just the Fingertips

Pairing: Maomao x Jinshi

Tags: nsfw, smut, future fic, kissing, self-esteem issues, first time, semi-public sex, grinding, erections, clit stimulation, jealousy, protectiveness

Word count: 2.9k

Ao3

A/N: These two are gonna be the most badass couple when they get together.

“Are you sure you need to go to this event? Didn’t I pay your debt already?” Jinshi loosely embraced Maomao from behind, his chin leaning against her head.

“My debt isn’t the issue. They’re short on servers, a few of their usual ladies came down with colds. All around the same time. Funny how they all seemed to spend a lot of time around each other.” She could already deduce why all of them developed the same illness. Close relationships like that weren’t uncommon in the Verdigris House.

“Hmmm. I don’t like the thought of you spending time around lecherous men.” His hold on her small frame tightened, clearly feeling a little more possessive now that the two were finally dating. It took over three years but they were finally at that stage.

Jinshi couldn’t have been happier. He flaunted their relationship, holding Maomao’s hand at every opportunity and telling everyone about his cute and smart apothecary soon-to-be-wife. They hadn’t talked about that part yet but there was no one else Jinshi could imagine marrying. “You’re acting like a child.” He often presented himself as older then he was, trying to fit into a role. When he let his walls down was when Maomao liked him the most. “No one will so much as touch me. It will be optional but-”

“Optional?!” Did he hear that right? “Just what kind of event is this?!”

“One of the high-ranking officials expressed interest of buying someone of the Verdigris House. However he hasn’t yet decided on who it would be. He wanted a… wider sample then what he’s already seen. No one has to attend if they choose not to but they all know that many of his friends are just as rich is not richer. It’s a good opportunity to get new patrons. Naturally my sisters will be attending as well, but only as performers.” The Princesses have more then enough visitors, although their presence alone is sure to get them a few new ones at least.

“Can anyone attend this event?”

“Anyone with enough money. Why do you ask?” Maomao untangled from his embrace to look over the things she’s packed. Jinshi didn’t respond. Oh. “Jinshi, do you honestly think I would let another man lay a finger on me?”

“No, and if they did they’d lose it. But it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you in your courtesan outfit. If other men get to see it then so should I.” Jealous. He was jealous. Of something that hasn’t even happened yet. “Plus... Maybe if I behave myself and you’ll let me have a sample of you too.”

“Guh!” A chill ran down her spine as she looked into his hooded eyes.

They hadn’t gone that far yet. Only making out and heavy touching. She could always feel how hard he was but he never insisted or pushed for anything. Given that he was such a pervert before she figured Jinshi would have gotten her pregnant already.

There was also the fact that if they did have sex she had no experience to speak of. She knew many things, many tricks to make any man or woman lose their minds to pleasure, both in company and on their own. She only tried a few of those on her own when the pressure was too much to ignore. Sex with someone else wasn’t something that interested her until very recently and only if she thought about having it with Jinshi. Would she be any good in practice as she is in theory?

It was a question that weigh heavy on her mind as Meimei applied makeup on her face.

"You're thinking so loud I can hear you." Joka commented as she embraced her from behind as she so often liked to do. All three of her sisters made sure to spend at least some time with her when she came to visit. Her purpose was more of a business one this time but still, they wanted to be the ones to help her get dressed. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Liar." Meimei grinned at her as she pulled back to examine the work of art that was Maomao's makeup. "Is it something at the palace? The Emperor's kids? Jinshi?" Since Jinshi began dating Maomao her sisters didn't bother addressing him by his royal title.

"Is he being good to you?" Pairin chimed in when she saw the brief look of hesitation on Maomao. Joka tightened her hold protectively and Maomao knew damn well her sisters wouldn't hesitate to throw hands at Jinshi if he hurt her.

Was she really about to ask this? Then again who better to ask?

"He insisted on attending tonight." She tried not to bite her lip and ruin her sister's hard work. "The two of us have yet to go all the way. I know he wants to, he's wanted to for a while but all he ever does is try to tease me when we're in bed. I think he has expectations that I... don't know if I can fulfill. He'd probably have a much better time if he married one of you three." All her insecurities came flooding out and once and she was left with uncomfortable beats of silence.

It was Meimei who spoke up first. "Maomao, it's at times like this that I wonder how smart you really are." She took one of Maomao's hand in hers, "Medicine and poison. Those are some of your strengths. Are they useful in bed? Sure, under certain circumstances." Pairin giggled knowingly.

"If you think Jinshi would choose any of us over you then you might be a bit sick right now." Joka's hand rose up to press against Maomao's forehead, also pushing her closer to her.

"Men come to us for company and sex. If that was all that Jinshi wanted he wouldn't have gone to such lengths for you. He's a handsome man with both money and power. Could have spent it on anyone. Yet," Pairin pointed at her little sister, "he choose you to be his future wife. Maomao, I've seen what people look like when they're deeply in love. That look? I see it every time Jinshi looks at you."

Maomao could feel her face heat up at the truth of those words. Her sisters were right, Jinshi wouldn't care about her skills, the man would probably come undone as soon as she touched him from his happiness alone.

What a lovely image.

A bit too much so if the way her heart kept beating on her way to the lavish home. She had her sisters for company, she knew Jinshi would be there too. But that was the problem. After the things she's revieled how could she act normal around her boyfriend?

The moment she saw him sitting all alone in a darker corner she felt a flood that was equally guilt and arousal. Guilt that she ever thought that someone who looked at her like she was the only person in the room would even consider sleeping with someone else. And arousal because the thoughts of something happening between them tonight wouldn't leave her mind.

She, like her sisters and everyone else kept things casual and friendly through the first round of song, dance and drinks. Jinshi's eyes were only on her, the only time he looked away was to be polite when drinks or snacks were served to him, and of course to decline unwanted advances, of which there were many.

Jinshi was always sexy, she knew that from the very first moment she saw him.

"Little lady, want to join us for a drink?" Maomao looked at the table she was serving. They looked like soldiers, youtful, with a strong build. Glorified bodyguards probably.

To stay polite she poured them each a new drink and declined, "I'm already spoken for." For forever. She saw their faces drop and they were about to speak again when Maomao looked Jinshi's way just in time for him to invite her over. "Excuse me, but please do help yourselves to other company." Her glance held a little too much warning. The group collectevly gulped and nodded, silently promiseing to behave.

Maomao walked to Jinshi's table. It was smaller and partially hidden away by the dimmer light and a red, silky courtain.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" Jinshi smiled as he leaned his face in his palm.

"Every time I've been here." Jinshi nodded at her and offered his hand. Maomao hesitated only for a moment, studing his face. He had that relaxed air around him that she liked so much. Here he wasn't a Prince, he was Jinshi, her future husband. She could trust him.

Taking his hand she allowed him to pull her close to his lap. He kissed the top of her head as she leaned against him with her back, his larger frame slouching against her. By the looks of things what they were doing was rather tame by comparison of some heated kisses Maomao had spotted.

It wasn't unusual for things to escalate when touching was allowed although no one went all the way. It was foreplay to the ladies eventually leading their lovestruck cousumers to bed. A game of cat and mouse.

"Maomao." Jinshi spoke in a low tone. "Someone wants to come this way."

She didn't notice them being stared at by a group of women. They were older than her, perhaps her sister's age. Bigger... in many places. And looked at Maomao like she just killed their pet.

Well in a way she did. All women in the red light dictrict were well aware of where they stood in society. Yet some had more standing then others, and sought to exploit it and get even higher, toying with and breaking the hearts of those who visited them. Jinshi, as much as he could try to hide it was a man of high standing. Beautiful and with money he was the mouse, and those women were the cats.

But so was Maomao.

She felt exceptionally petty tonight. Jinshi had an influence on her. Maomao looked up at him but he was already half-way to her lips. His fingers brushed against her chin, his eyes locking with hers for a moment before closing them. Her's remeined open to look at the group of onlooking women who seemed to hate her even more now.

"The color sticks." She whispered against his lips. The red lipstick was indeed smeared against both their lips. Jinshi didn't seem to mind.

"Shall I give it back?" He leaned back a little and let his hands run against her sides. "On other places perhaps."

Her body got hotter, she coukd feel her heart beating and she wanted him to feel it too. Steeling her nerves she took his hands and pushed them against her breasts. Jinshi let out a surprised gasp. "Sorry there's not much to grab."

"What are you talking about Maomao? They're perfect." Jinshi kept one hand on the outside but slipped the other one under Maomao's clothes, his hand palming over her whole breast. "I wouldn't want you any other way."

Based on what she usually saw it was hard to believe that. "Most men prefer them bigger."

"I prefer my Maomao." Jinshi smiled against her shoulder, moving the remaining clothes out of the way. "Is it okay to touch here too?" Two rough fingers slipped between her legs but he didn't move them further then her thighs.

Maomao gulped. Her eyes scanned the room once more. She could hardly ask for much more privacy then she already has in this dark corner. Lucky for her, and her pride and dignity, no one was paying attention to them, not even those women who were now busy with their own clients.

For her this far more then a part-time job. This was the first time she'd let her lover... Jinshi, to touch her in such a way. The first time any man would touch her in such a way actually.

After a deep breath in and out she parted her legs, his hand cupping her pussy with ease. "You can touch me there. And inside too."

Jinshi's hands twitched at that. The one on Maomao's breast pressed back too hard causing her to bite back a moan. She might get fucked by him but she refused to go out of her way to put on a show. But again, like before, the music and the song drowned out her noise, making it one only Jinshi was privlidged enough to hear.

"I won't go inside you. That should be saved for a more private affair." He wasn't fooling her with his sweet and kind words. She could feel his hard cock pressing and pulsing below her. It wanted her, he wanted her and if he were a different kind of man he would have fucked her over the table.

But if he were a different kind of man Maomao wouldn't have fallen in love with him.

With her legs spread enough for him to move his hand as he wanted she let her head fall against Jinshi's chest. Oh. His heart was racing too.

Two fingers spread her open while the third moved down to the enterance of her pussy, circling and pushing in just a tiny bit to get the wetness going. Maomao only had experiance with her own hands and fingers and they were so much thinner than Jinshi's. But his were more gentle, giving away his mostly pampered lifestlye.

He was a hard worker, yet his hands always remained delicate, fitting of someone of his high station. Maomao didn't mind this, he was her opposite and she loved him for it. He completed her.

Once she had his cock inside her he will trully complete her. She could never imagine doing so with anyone else.

Hell she couldn't have imagined herself doing this with him a few years ago. Before she shivered from his fake persona, his flirty nature and beauty that hid all his sorrow. Now that she knows the real him she welcomes his touch, embraces it even.

Now if only he would stop teasing.

Or could it be... "Jinshi, do you not know where the clitoris is?"

"What?! Of course I do, I took my lessons in human anatomy seriously. And..." He went quiet, his hand falling still, "I found it before."

"Have you?" Maomao wasn't about to scold him about having slept with women before her. Why should she? Jealousy seemed pointless given that Jinshi looked at her, only at her for years now. "I need a demonstration otherwise I might suspect you're lying to me."

Jinshi pressed his lips together, pouting at the doubt Maomao cast at his skills. If she wanted a demonstration he would give her one.

His fingers stopped just above her clit, then tapped it twice. Both taps made Maomao's hips twitch. Like him, she was touch-starved, but she had more of a lid on her needs. It was hard for her to be honest with them, with him, at least when it comes to more intimate things.

But she was slowly learning how and accepting her own lust for him.

One hand between her legs, the other on her breast, Jinshi leaned against her shoulder as he moved. Maomao bit the inside of her cheek as Jinshi's two fingers trapped and rolled her clit between the tips, mirroring what his other fingers were doing to her nipples.

As for her own hands Maomao slapped them over her mouth. Muffling her moans she tried to keep her body still, but it was responding to the intoxicating touches. She finally understood what her sisters meant when they spoke about men feeling different. Maybe it was just Jinshi for her but his touch made her feel like she was in fire.

Jinshi's middle finger reached down to Maomao's pussy entrance and gathered some of the wetness and proceeded to roll it over her clit, making it wetter, slippery and sensitive to his touch.

It never felt like this. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it was burning up. The only thing that could make it stop was poking her in the ass. Maomao was seconds away from telling him to fuck her over the table. These thoughts were something she had while she was asleep, when she touched herself, now they feel even more intense, almost overwhelming.

This feeling... was she close? Jinshi's breath warmed her neck, breathing fast, grunting as Maomao rolled her ass against erection.

She was getting him all hot and bothered and she wasn't really doing much. He was getting off from seeing her coming. She was right before, he was so cute. And he was about to make her-

"Jinshi!" Maomao moaned his name against her hands, her hips thrusting upwards, rolling her clit against his fingers with no control or care.

"Maomao." He breathed against her neck, quickly kissing it to muffle his own noises. There was a wet stain on his clothes spread, his cock twitching but luckily Maomao was the only one who knew. "Looks like... I found it."

"So you did. Good work Jinshi." Maomao patted him on the cheek for a job well done.

He glowed, happy as a puppy at her small praise.

Jinshi pulled her clothes back in place and wrapped his arms around her, laughing a little loudly and just now catching the attention of a few people. When they looked at them they saw two people in love, blushing for each other and cuddling. Maomao turned her reddening face away and quickly turned to press it against Jinshi's chest.

Somehow having people stare at them while they were a lovey-dovey couple was more of an embarrassing moment then her coming from his fingers just moments before. She would work on that first one in the future.

#kusuriya no hitorigoto #the apothecary diaries #maomao #jinshi #jinmao #smut fanfiction

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canirove · 5 months

Text

In The Name of Love | Chapter 1

Summary: The plan that night was just to have fun and try to forget. And Valeria (or Val as everyone calls her) did forget. But what she didn't expect, was to do it with someone younger than her. Someone who also happened to be a football player, and from her team's sworn enemy: Pedri González.

Little warning: there is an age gap in this story. Throughout it I don't mention any exact number, but in my head she was like 28/29.

Author’s note: Me, a Real Madrid supporter, writing for a Barça player? Yep, it's happening 😅 It all started as a joke with a friend who is currenlty obsessed with him and other Barça players, then I got carried away... and here we are. Hope you like it, and thank you for reading! 💜

Next chapter

Masterlist

"Stop checking that photo, Val."

"I wasn't checking it" I say, quickly putting my phone down.

"Of course you weren't" Silvia says, rolling her eyes. "We are here to forget about all that, remember? Let's focus on it."

"Ok..." I sigh, taking a sip of my beer.

"Great. What do you think about them?" Silvia says, nodding towards the group of men to my left.

"Eww, no."

"And what about… them? The ones ordering a drink. They look quite decent."

"And posh."

"They do, don't they? And we are trying to forget about a posh guy, so they aren't an option. What about… Oh! Them!" she says, nodding towards someone to my right. "I thought the cute one had left, but looks like he only went to the bathroom or something."

"Who?"

"That guy over there, the one with the Adidas t-shirt. He hasn't been able to keep his eyes from you since we arrived."

"Yeah, sure" I snort.

"He is looking at you again."

"Silvia!"

"What?"

"Why did you wave at him?"

"Why not? He is really cute. His friend too."

"I don't trust you and what you find… fuck" I say as I turn around.

"He's a hottie, uh?" she smirks.

"I know who that is."

"You do? Is that why he has been looking at you?"

"I don't know him in person, but I know who he is."

"What?" Silvia asks with a confused look.

"That's…"

"Hello" a male voice says next to us.

"Hi" she replies with a big smile.

"I hope we aren't bothering you. I saw you waving and I just…"

"No, it's fine. It's fine. My friend here was actually telling me that she knows you!"

"Silvia!" I hiss.

"What? You do know him, don't you? Though she said something weird about not doing it in person. Do you follow each other on Instagram or something?"

"I wish" he chuckles.

"Ok, now I am completely lost."

"Silvia, you are talking to Pedri."

"Who?"

"The Barça player" I sigh.

"Pedri? I don't remember hearing you talk about a Pedri."

"Because when I've done it, I haven't said nice things about him."

"Ouch!" he laughs, reminding us that he is standing next to us.

"I'm a Real Madrid supporter. Sorry" I shrug, finally daring to look at him. But he doesn't look like the Pedri I remembered from our last game against Barça. He seems to have gotten rid of the stupid haircut, and looks like he is trying to grow a beard. He looks less like the kid he actually is, and more like a man, kind of… attractive? And the way he is looking at me, the smirk on his face… Fuck. He is attractive.

"Bro, she is gonna be a tough one" his friend laughs.

"You are gonna have to let me buy you a drink. I won't see the end of it if you say no" Pedri says, trying to give me puppy eyes.

"Are you allowed to buy alcohol?" I ask.

"Why wouldn't he? I see football players getting drunk all the time" Silvia says.

"It's not because of his job. It's because of his age."

"What?" she laughs.

"How old do you think he is?"

"I don't know… Twenty something?"

"Without the something" I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "He is a kid."

"Really?"

"I am not a kid" he replies, also crossing his arms and trying to look offended.

"Yes, you are. And I don't accept alcohol from kids."

"Oh, c'mon. As if you were an old lady or something" he laughs. "You can't be older than 25."

"Oh my God" I laugh, Silvia joining me.

"What? What is so funny?" he asks.

"You" I say, trying to contain my giggles. "You are so innocent."

"Now that is something funny" his friend chuckles.

"Ok, fine. You aren't 25" Pedri says. "26 then?"

"I'm too old for you. Let's just leave it there."

"Well, I don't care about how old you are" he shrugs.

"But I do."

"Oh, c'mon, it's just a drink and a chat. There is nothing illegal about that."

"But I support Real Madrid and you play for Barça. I'm pretty sure that is illegal."

"Another excuse" he says, rolling his eyes.

"It isn't an excuse, it's a fact."

"It is an excuse" he repeats, moving closer. "You are just afraid you may end up fancying someone younger and from the enemy."

"Afraid? Please" I snort.

"Then let me buy you that drink."

"If I say yes, will you leave me alone once I've finished it?"

"If that's what you want… But you'll probably want more" he smirks.

"Yeah, sure" I reply, trying to ignore the way my stomach has reacted to that smile. Again. "Silvia, do you… Wait, where is she? And your friend?"

"Looks like they left us alone."

"I'm killing her the moment I find her."

"Or thanking her."

"Why do you keep insisting? Why are you flirting with me instead of those teenagers over there?"

"Because they don't interest me. You do."

"Me? Why?"

"I don't know" Pedri shrugs. "But the moment you walked in, I couldn't keep my eyes from you. You are different from the others."

"Has that pickup line ever worked before?" I chuckle.

"I'm telling you the truth."

"And I'm 25" I laugh.

"You do look 25. And they look so good" he says, looking at me from head to toe, making my cheeks get warm.

"Are you buying me that drink or not?" I say, trying to stop whatever he is doing to me.

"Yes, sure" he smirks. "Another beer?"

"Please" I reply, taking a big breath when he turns his back to me to go order, trying to compose myself. Why is a kid making me feel… things?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"So, how did you end up here tonight?" Pedri asks me once he is back with our drinks.

"Silvia wanted to go out to help me forget about something."

"Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Forgotten about that something."

"I… I actually have, yes. Having a kid trying to flirt with me has helped. Cheers to that" I say before drinking.

"Cheers" he chuckles. "But I am not a kid."

"That's what you keep saying, but I don't believe you."

"I'm drinking alcohol and have a driving license."

"Not enough."

"Do you want me to show you that I'm not a kid, then?" he asks, arching a perfect eyebrow.

"Yeah, why not" I shrug.

"You asked for it" he says, quickly moving around the small table where we were standing and showing up by my side, his hands cupping my face before kissing me.

He is kissing me. Fucking Pedri González is kissing me. And for some reason, I am not slapping his face. For some really odd reason, I am kissing him back, getting completely lost on what is happening.

"Is this enough to prove to you that I am not a kid or do I have to keep going?" he asks, resting his forehead on mine and trying really hard not to smile.

"Not enough" I hear myself saying.

"Ok" he replies, this time fully smiling before kissing me. And, again, I feel myself getting lost on the way his lips and his tongue feel on mine, on his hands on my face, mine resting on his chest. It feels like something completely new and exciting, but also familiar and somehow peaceful. As if we had known each other our whole lives and hadn't met just a minute ago.

"And now?" Pedri whispers against my lips when we finally manage to stop.

"Now what?"

"Do you still think I am a kid?"

"A teenager."

"What?" he laughs.

"You've gone from kid to teenager, congratulations."

"I am not a teenager either."

"You actually are. Scientists say that the teenage years end in your twenties, so" I shrug.

"Ok, fine" he laughs again, moving one of his thumbs over my cheek. "You are hot."

"Thank you?"

"I didn't mean it like that" he chuckles. "You are hot, but you also feel hot."

"Oh. I… I actually do feel a bit hot, yes."

"Do you want to go outside and have some fresh air? I know a place where no one will bother us."

"Ok" I say, letting him take my hand and guide me outside.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I had never seen the city like this. It's beautiful" I say as I look at Barcelona's skyline. "How did you find this place?"

"A security guy from the club brought me here after someone recognized me and things got a bit crazy."

"He brought you to the rooftop?"

"Yep" Pedri says. "Weird, but it was exactly what I needed to calm down."

"Was it too bad? What happened that day, I mean."

"I'm pretty sure I had a panic attack. I suddenly found myself surrounded by too many people with phones flashing everywhere, arms and hands all over me. It was too much."

"I'm sorry" I say, giving his hand a little squeeze. We hadn't let go yet. I hadn't.

"Thank you… Wait, I don't know your name."

"What?"

"I just realized I haven't asked you your name."

"I guess you were so busy putting your tongue down my throat that you forgot to ask."

"I didn't hear you complaining" he smiles.

"Yeah, whatever."

"And?"

"And what?" I ask.

"Your name. Are you going to tell me or not?"

"You'll have to earn it."

"Earn it? How?"

"I don't know" I shrug. "But I'm sure you can think of something."

"I… I actually can, yes. And it is something that will also show you that I am not a teenager even if scientists say so."

"Enlighten me" I say, my words turning into a whisper when I notice the way he is looking at me.

"My pleasure" he replies, guiding me towards a picnic table. Why is there a picnic table on the rooftop of a club? I don't know.

"What… what are you doing?" I ask when he lifts me up and sits me on the table.

"What do you think?" he smirks, sitting between my legs and caressing the inside of my knee, the feeling making me shudder.

"We are on a rooftop."

"And?"

"What if someone comes in? Or sees us? Or… fuck" I gasp when he kisses my inner thigh.

"No one will bother us."

"How do you know? Have you done this before? Is this where you take all the girls you pick up downstairs?"

"You are the first person I've brought here" he says, meeting my eyes before kissing my thigh again.

"Am I?"

"You are" he says, slowly lifting my dress.

"Should I feel flattered?"

"Definitely. I told you you aren't like the others."

"Yeah, because I'm way older" I chuckle.

"Tonight you are 25. And when I'm done with this, so will I."

"Yeah, well. We'll see" I say, biting my lower lip and trying to stay calm despite the way my skin is burning under his touch or what I am feeling… there.

"May I, then?" Pedri asks, his fingers playing with the hem of my underwear.

"Yes" I nod, my eyes focused on his as he pulls it down.

"Try not to forget about your name" he smirks.

"Why would I… Fuck" I gasp when I feel his tongue, everything that he does after making me forget about my name, but not his.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Morning."

"Good morning" Silvia yawns. "What is all this?"

"Breakfast" I smile.

"You made breakfast?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I was in the mood for it" I shrug.

"You were in the mood for it, uh?" she chuckles. "You should fuck a teenager more often if this is what I get in return. It looks amazing."

"I didn't fuck a teenager" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Ok, fine. He did it all while you just had the best orgasm of your life."

"It wasn't the best."

"Top 3?" Silvia smirks.

"Whatever" I say, pouring myself some coffee.

"Are you seeing him again?"

"No way. One mistake is enough."

"Mistake?" she laughs. "Girl, look at you. You are glowing and haven't been able to stop smiling since you said goodbye to him. That doesn't look like a mistake to me."

"He is a kid, Silvia. And a football player. He is like a walking red flag."

"But I'm not asking you to marry him or anything. I'm just telling you to have fun for once in your life."

"Are you calling me boring?"

"When it comes to your relationships, yes, you are boring. This is the most interesting thing you've done since you became single, and he managed to make you forget about you know what, didn't he?"

"He did, yes" I sigh. "But it probably is because I was too busy freaking out about the fact that I had made out with a teen who happens to be a football star and I didn't have time to think about anything else."

"You were too busy thinking about the way he was making you feel, not his age or his job. That's good, you know?"

"That's crazy, Silvia. And dangerous."

"That's good. If he has managed to make you feel like this just with what he did last night, imagine what he can do when he actually fucks you."

"That isn't going to happen, tho."

"Why not?"

"Because he is Pedri! The Pedri! And he plays for Barça!"

"And?" she shrugs.

"Urgh."

"I think you should meet again. He definitely fancies you."

"He doesn't. He just sees me as a challenge because I'm older and support Real Madrid, and if he gets to fuck me he'll be able to brag about it with his friends."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No."

"Then you don't know if that's what he feels" Silvia shrugs again. "And what if that's the case, uh? I'm sure it'll be worth it."

"Oh, yes. Being treated like I'm just a piece of meat by a bunch of teenagers is so worth it" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"But you will also be using him, Val. He gets to brag, you get to be railed. I think it is worth it."

"It is madness, that's what it is. Now can we please eat our breakfast and change the topic of conversation?"

"Yeah, sure" Silvia says when my phone starts ringing. "Oh my God, is that him? Did we manifest it?"

"It's my mum. He probably is still sleeping like the baby he is. Hello, mum" I say, picking up.

"Valeria! Why hadn't you told me that Marc got engaged!"

"I forgot" I shrug.

"You forgot? He is your ex boyfriend!"

"Maybe that's why I forgot?"

"I thought you had remained as friends."

"And we have."

"Then?"

"Then what, mum?"

"Then why didn't you tell me!"

"Because I forgot, I already told you!"

"There is no need to yell, Valeria."

"I'm sorry, mum. I'm not in the best mood right now" I sigh.

"Oh, my poor thing. Knowing that you are the only one in your group of friends who isn't married or in a serious relationship can't be easy."

"I don't care about that, mum" I say.

"Well, you should! I want grandchildren, Valeria!"

"I have to go, mum."

"Where?"

"Silvia is calling me, she needs my help with something. Bye."

"But…"

"Bye" I say before hanging up.

"That was rude, Val."

"I'm sorry, ok? But she can be so annoying. Who cares if… Fuck."

"Uh?"

"He just texted me" I say, my eyes fixed on the notification on my phone, my heart suddenly beating way too fast.

"Who did?"

"Pedri just texted me."

"No way!" Silvia says, quickly moving to stand next to me. "What does he say?"

"If I'm free later today."

"Well, you are."

"Weren't we going to…"

"No, that's been canceled. You are going out with him and hopefully get railed so you can forget about your mum and everything she just said."

"Silvia..."

"You are going, Val. End of the story."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"Why not?"

"Because I am a teenager who plays for Barça and that's illegal?" Pedri laughs.

"Yeah, well. I needed to get out of the house and stop thinking, and you somehow manage to help me with that."

"And is that something good or bad?"

"Silvia says it's good. I don't know yet."

"Then I'll guess we'll have to keep hanging out until you make up your mind" he smiles.

"Maybe... We'll see. I had never been here before."

"That's because this is my secret place."

"Another one?" I chuckle.

"Another one. When you become so famous you can't step outside without being recognized, you somehow manage to find spots where no one can find you, places that are just for yourself."

"It must suck. Not being able to do normal things anymore, I mean. I don't know if I could be able to handle it."

"It sucks, yeah" he sighs. "But then I come here and I forget about everything. It's just me and the sea."

"Look at us, both looking for something that helps us forget" I laugh. "We are so sad."

"But now we have something in common" Pedri winks.

"I guess" I giggle. I giggled? Why did I giggle? "Anyway" I say, clearing my throat. "Can we go down to the beach?"

"Of course. There is a path over there."

"Then let's go" I say, taking his hand on mine and starting to walk.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"You are going to end up falling into the water if you keep playing like that" Pedri says with a cheeky smile.

"Lucky me, there is a young man next to me that will come to my rescue" I smirk, jumping when another wave threatens to touch me.

"Oh, now I am a young man?"

"You've earned it for bringing me here. This beach is perfect."

"I still feel like a kid when you talk about all these rewards, tho."

"That's my inner teacher speaking" I shrug.

"Is that what you do for a living?"

"Yep. This year I will be teaching 6-years-old."

"And I can tell you love it."

"Uh?"

"Your smile. It says it all" he says, looking at me in a way that makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

"Yeah, umm… Should we go for a swim?" I blurt out.

"Now?" Pedri chuckles.

"Yes, now."

"But we don't have swimsuits."

"But we do have underwear, don't we?" I say, taking off my t-shirt. "We do, right?"

"Yes, we do" he laughs.

"Then c'mon" I smile. "You are an island boy, you must be aching to go into the sea and just swim."

"You know what… you are right" he says, taking off his t-shirt too and making me stare at him. I just can't help it. Because a kid should not have those arms and that torso and those things on his hips that go all the way down to…

"Liking what you see?"

"What?"

"You are staring" he says with a teasing smile.

"I was just thinking and not looking anywhere in particular."

"Yeah, sure."

"I was" I insist, getting rid of my skirt. "And now you are the one staring" I say when I look up at him again.

"Yes, I am. I really like what I'm seeing."

"Great, cool. Shall we?"

"After you" Pedri smiles, making me feel his eyes on me as I turn around. He is checking me out. He definitely is. Why did I think this was a good idea? Swimming in the sea in my underwear. What the hell?

"Oh, shit" I hiss, the water feeling colder than I expected.

"You are going too slow!"

"What?"

"Too slow!" he says behind me, lifting me in the air and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Pedri!"

"This is how you do it!" he laughs before jumping with me into the water.

"It is so fucking cold" I laugh when I make it back to the surface, his head popping next to me.

"It isn't that cold, stop complaining" he says while splashing me.

"It is" I reply, splashing him back.

"Maybe this will help" he smirks, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me closer to him.

"Still cold" I reply, putting my arms around his neck.

"What about this" he says before kissing me. It is a short kiss, but it is enough to make me feel my cheeks getting warm.

"That is definitely working" I giggle. Again. Why am I behaving like the teenager here?

"Should I keep going, then?" he asks, trying to hide a smile.

"You should. You definitely should" I say before his lips are on mine once again.

#pedri #pedri gonzalez #pedri fanfic #pedri gonzalez fanfic #pedri imagine #pedri gonzalez imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

105 notes · View notes

macravishedbymactavish · 1 year

Text

Always Attract (Logan Walker x Reader)

TW: Mentions of alcohol and intoxication, otherwise more unedited chaos :D

Blog HQ

Keegester: Bring your boyfriend home before someone else does

You felt your eyebrows shoot up at the text, wondering how much trouble your sweet boyfriend had gotten himself into during their night out.

Give me 10 minutes, I'm on my way. Don't let him leave with anyone, he'll be too shy to leave in the morning.

You walked in, smiling as you saw Logan sitting happily sandwiched between Keegan and Merrick. You realized as you approached that this seating arrangement was keeping your boyfriend in place as the other two enjoyed their beers and soft conversation.

"He's been making a killing tonight" Merrick joked, sliding you a small stack of dollar bills as Logan hummed. Eyes closed as his head was leaned against the older man's shoulder. "We made sure it remained PG though". You stifled a laugh as your boyfriend happily nodded, eyes still closed and head perched on Merrick's shoulder.

Walking around behind the men, you slipped your one arm over Logan's shoulder, pulling him slightly back into you. Pouting softly as he tensed up with a sour look on his face.

"No freebies" he mumbled. Pulling himself forward and leaning against the bar. Keegan and Merrick howling with laughter as you sighed to yourself and grabbed Logans shoulder. "No freebies. I know my worth" he mumbled again, jerking away from you.

"I know your worth too Logan, now let's go home" you sighed, running your hand along his arm.

"Ma'am." He gasped, turning around to look you in the eye "how forward, I'm flattered but no". You watched as he focused on you, as his features softened into a small smile. "Love. You're here" you felt hands on your waist as he leaned his head against your chest.

"To take you home babes. Before one of your spectators beats me to it" you hummed, pressing a loving kiss against his hair.

"One of them has been buying all my drinks tonight, I could get them to pay for yours too" he looked up at you, chin against your front as he wore a proud, lopsided smirk.

"As tempting as that sounds, we could also go home." You wagered, gauging Logans reaction before continuing. "Change into pj's, curl up in bed and watch a movie on Netflix. How's that sound?" You regretted your wording the moment you saw his eyes light up, not with passion. But with a fire started by arson.

"Netflix and chi-" you slapped your hand over his mouth, giving him a stern look as you heard his muffled giggles and hiccups. You chanced a look at Keegan and Merrick, who were clearly highly amused by his antics. You shot Keegan a pleading look, hoping that since Logan looked up to him that maybe he'd convince the boy to go home.

"You're cut off kid, go home." Keegan chuckled, patting Logan's shoulder a couple of times before shoving him forward off the stool and further into your embrace.

"Lame" Your boyfriend mumbled, mouth still covered. He shifted, standing up straight as he (begrudgingly) followed you out to the vehicle. "Don't tell them, but I'm really happy I'm finally going home" Logan attempted to whisper as the two of you left . Clearly not realizing he was speaking at his normal volume.

"I won't say anything, but let's go get some sleep" you nodded along.

"Are you sure we can't do anything? I love you, I want you" placing a bottle of water and painkillers on the nightstand you rolled your eyes.

"I said we could cuddle and watch Netflix. Not fuck and then watch the credits. Now take your clothes off and change into this" you threw the pair of sweatpants at your still very intoxicated, very dressed boyfriend.

"You're giving me mixed messages" he complained, but started fighting to get his shirt off, getting about halfway before stopping. "I might puke". You nudged the garbage can closer to his side of the bed -- planning this out before you left to pick him up. Strategically placed garbage cans and bucket throughout the house.

"Then it's clearly time for sleep Lo" you rubbed your hand lightly across his now exposed lower back. Smiling at how he leaned into the touch slightly, before standing up to finish changing. Once he managed himself into his sweatpants, you flipped the blanket back, ushering him into the bed.

"Don't leave me, I love you so much. You're too good to me" he pouted, watching as you pulled the blanket back over him.

"I'm not leaving, I'm going to brush my teeth really quick then be right back" You pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before walking into the bathroom, quickly getting ready for sleep and cuddles with your extra loving boyfriend.

As you expected, Logan was out cold when you returned. One arm sprawled over your side of the bed as he laid on his stomach. You quietly slipped in beside him, smiling wide as you felt yourself be pulled flush against his body.

" 'm gonna marry you someday" you heard a sleepy, drunken whisper from behind you, before feeling a kiss pressed to your hair and a face nuzzle into your neck.

Bonus:

Keegster: Is he alive?

Ha, barely. Currently curled up in the bathtub with a bucket and crackers.

Keegster: He forgot his tips from last night. Merrick said he can't have them until he comes back to base on Monday

Isn't that big training op on Monday? With everyone under mandatory attendance?

Merrick: Exactly.

Taglist: (thank you beautiful soul for wanting to be part of this ❤️), @bloodonmyhands-1221

#call of duty ghosts #logan walker #logan walker x reader #cod logan #keegan p russ

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asterias-record-shop · 10 months

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╭════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╮

— i'll win him over

╰════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╯

𓆩[main masterlist]𓆪 𓆩[request/ask me something!]𓆪 𓆩[join the taglist!]𓆪

Requested by anonymous: HIIIIIII!!!! Oh boy am I excited. Okay so now it's my turn for James Keene 🤩. Can I please request a story (it's a bit specific, but I've just finished peaky blinders and can't get it out of my head) which takes place after Jimmy has gotten out of jail. The reader has an older brother (think like Richie Boyle from the Outfit..it could even be him if thats okay with you) who runs a similar business like the one Jimmy used to, but they both hate each other. Nevertheless Jimmy falls for his sister which wounds up to be tough for both men. If you want the reader can have more brothers who run the business. THANK YOU FOR YOIR TIME I HOPE THAT WASNT CONFUSING LMAO BYEEEEE

pushed back in time to the 50s I believe, not in the same universe as Black Bird, someone should request for Richie Boyle 👀 *wink wink, request for richie boyle babe-* also, no smut!! i wasn't really in the mood for smut, sorry anon honey :( also, yes, a bit confusing but it's okay! i hope i did it justice :)

Jimmy's front was a bar that he was a bartender for. It fit, honestly, being a bartender for a drug dealing front. The only thing that didn't fit was the flower shop right next to him his competition always frequented.

Richie was too much of a firecracker to be liked, he had a problem with his anger issues so no matter how many times Jimmy tried to make some sort of alliance, it always ended in Richie getting pissed off and leaving — not before punching one of Jimmy's men though.

Today, he was determined to find out what the hell was so interesting about the flower shop next to his bar. Maybe it was just a ploy to see what he was doing? Figure out if they could steal another shipment?

All of the thoughts were running through his mind as he walked into the flower shop, opening the door to make a bell ring out. All of the smells flooded into his nose, his eyes widening when he saw all of the beautiful flowers and mixed bouquets. They were absolutely beautiful and bright, each flower absolutely perfect with zero wilted petals or leaves.

"Hi, welcome in! I'm so sorry, be there in a minute!" Your voice rings out, Jimmy pausing.

Maybe it wasn't what was so in the shop but who.

"That's alright love!" James slowly walked through the aisles, trying to find you in the entirety of all of the flowers that could've blinded him if they were lights. For fucks sake, they were all beautiful. You put together different colors and textures, one bright bouquet of roses and sunflowers catching his eye.

"That was my first bouquet I made," you say, walking toward him with a smile. "N-Not that one exactly, but the roses and the sunflowers. They're one of my favorites."

"It's beautiful." James said, smiling as he looked back at you. "I'm James, I run the bar next door."

You pause but take his hand and give it a firm shake. "Y/N. Nice to meet you. What can I do for you, James?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you know, but I run more of the high-end bars in town, and someone is always asking why we don't have centerpieces in the VIP rooms." James makes up the lie quickly, smiling down at her. "It doesn't have to be very big, and you will have full creative freedom if that helps guide your decision. All I ask is that they are different every week."

"Oh. Oh wow, when would you need the flowers? Come with me," you say, keeping his hand in yours and pulling him to the back. "Is there any color scheme that you want? Or a limit in price?"

"No, again, full freedom. Anything you want, I'll just pay every week." He smiled at you as you pursed your lips, humming.

"Well, it wouldn't be weekly. If anything, it would be biweekly, I make sure my flowers last longer than a week. There's a special element in the water." You say, writing down some ideas in some pretty handwriting. "Each bouquet would range anywhere from thirty to one hundred each. Is that okay?"

"Perfectly fine. I would only need eight each order because it's strictly for VIP rooms."

“Oh, gotcha! I can do that,” you smile one of the prettiest smiles he had ever seen. “I can get these for you in two days. Sound good?”

“Very good, love. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

The bell rings making you look up, yelling out, “In the back!”

“Y/N! Where are you?!”

You rolled your eyes. “In the back!”

“Oi, you seen that-” Richie paused when he saw James, gaping. “Why the fuck are you here?!”

“Richie! Go away, he’s a customer!” You yell, quickly standing up straight. “James, I will have these flowers for you soon, okay?”

“No you won’t!” Richie comes between you both after you go around the desk, shaking his head. “You stay the fuck away from my sister.”

James paused, looking from you to Richie. “She’s too pretty to be your sister.”

“Haha, very fucking funny! She’s adopted, you asshole, leave her the fuck alone!”

“Richie, stop!” You say, pushing him as hard as you could. “I’m so sorry, James, ignore him.”

“I will,” James smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

It makes you smile, nodding. “Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No he won’t!”

“Shut up, Richie!”

After that, you saw him a lot more. James came to see you every day, it was just a matter of time before something happened.

It started off slow, soft kisses behind closed doors and light touches when no one was looking, but Jimmy wanted to change that. You were the first girl he actually wanted to get serious with, he wanted to be able to go out on dates with you without risking being punched by your brother.

Maybe that's the reason why he stood in front of your house, ready to meet Richie and then your dad to continue to court you. It was something stupid he normally didn't believe in, but he wanted to do it right.

So, as soon as he passed the gates, he really did expect the punch he got straight to the face.

"You kissed my sister you bastard?!"

"Rich! Richie, you leave him alone!" You tried to yell, gasping as James shoved him.

"Don't fucking hit me!" He shouted, wiping at his mouth with a sigh. "I came to get your respect, not your approval."

"You don't have any of that, get out!" Richie goes in for another hit before Jimmy caught his wrist, shoving him.

"Listen to me!" James shoved him again, looking over his shoulder to stare at you being held back by one of his henchmen. "I love your sister, even if you don't know anything about that shit."

"Don't you fucking-"

"I'm going to be with her no matter what." Jimmy smiled back at you before glaring at your brother. "So, you better learn how to fucking live with it."

His words make you smile widely, giggling. "Move, Richie!"

Reluctantly, he does with a shout of your father, letting you run forward and into Jimmy's arms. "Oh my, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll take more than a punch to be with you." He smiled as you giggled, pressing a firm kiss to his lips. "I'll win him over, I promise."

"You better, or he might just kill you!"

Regular taglist: 𓆩[@lem0ns77]𓆪 𓆩[@cecepop15]𓆪 𓆩[@memeorydotcom]𓆪 𓆩[@your-favorite-god]𓆪 𓆩[@xyzstar]𓆪 𓆩[@just-my-shit]𓆪 𓆩[@your-mom21]𓆪 𓆩[@c78r]𓆪 𓆩[@dizscreams]𓆪 𓆩[@asrt5]𓆪 𓆩[@xoxomoonlightbabe]𓆪

#taron egerton #taron egerton x reader #taron egerton imagine #taron egerton x fem! reader #black bird #jimmy keene black bird #just hot because of taron egerton #with love asteria ♡#asterias-record-shop #requests open

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jakelandryshorts · 1 year

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Ring of Change: Home Improvements

With Mr. Johnson being so busy at work, I was starting to get a few more jobs put onto my plate. Not that I was complaining as he was happy to reward me with my extra diligence. With the extra time I was spending with him out of the office, he’d given me a key to his place. However, it was also because he needed me to let in the contractors who were currently working on his basement.

I spun the ring, still around my finger. I couldn’t believe how much it had changed, yet everything still felt completely normal. Even though I knew it was wrong, whenever I would try to imagine what had been, that would feel as though it was just in my imagination.

A knock on the door woke me out of my thoughts. “Right,” I sat up from the couch. “The contractor.” I went to the large wooden double doors and opened them. A large overweight man about my age, maybe a few years older, was on the other side. He was tall, with broad shoulders but had clearly gained a lot of weight over the last few years. Most likely keeping his football diet without the exercise routine.

“Hi, I’m Clayton,” he stretched his hand out for me to take.

“Alex,” I found it hard to contain my excitement with how big he was. There was a strong masculine energy hidden deep down in that rounded face of his. But the thick beard and forest of hair running up and down his arms gave him a rugged toughness not many men had lately. Though, I still had other ideas that I would want to try out on him.

“Alex?” Clayton tilted his head slightly. He rested the clipboard on his rotund belly as he looked over the paperwork.

“No. No,” I said quickly. “You have the right house. Mr. Johnson just wasn’t able to make it home yet. He has me run errands like this for him from time to time.” After I finished the statement, I started to wonder if that was the reason he’d told me to come over. Time paradoxes aside, I was still happy to do so. “It’s just a quote today. Right?”

“Right,” Clayton nodded. The clipboard went back to his side. “Mind showing me in?”

“Of course,” I moved to the side and then closed the door behind him. He put on some white booties, and I led him to the basement. Just like the rest of Mr. Johnson’s house, it was large and open. A full living room along with a TV and what had to be hundreds of movies that he’d never even watched lined one of the walls. A full bar with stools, glasses and an entire wall of alcohol was just a little bit past that. There was even a pool table, foosball table and a punching machine that he’d actually gotten into using since the transformation.

Clayton’s eyes couldn’t help but wander. Not that I blamed him. Houses like this were always impossible to not want to gawk at the opulent wealth. This entire basement was larger than my apartment. I didn’t even have a wall big enough to put Mr. Johnson’s TV against.

“This way,” I said. Clayton’s eyes snapped to me as he waddled over to the back room. “Mr. Johnson said that there was a leak with a window back here. He just needs the window to be fixed.” I paused. Thinking about it a bit more. This was just a storage room right now. Technically I could make it whatever I wanted and Mr. Johnson would be none the wiser. “After the window is fixed, he’s going to turn it into a gym.”

“Oh? I don’t know if he mentioned that on the phone,” Clayton said. “I’ll go ahead and get some measurements for the whole space then. And he can call back if he wants us to do more.”

Part of me started to worry that it didn’t work. I didn’t know if there were more rules or if someone like Clayton really wouldn’t have been informed about something like that. I spun the ring around my finger. Then pushed forward. “I guess this would be something you’d specialize in, because you go to the gym a lot.”

“Hmm?” Clayton looked up from his measurer. “I guess. But it’s mostly just for work. I haven’t been there to work out in a while.”

Somehow, I’d screwed up. I huffed a bit out of anger. Then realized my mistake. “What do you consider to be while? A day or two.” I answered my own question, hoping that it would work. To my excitement it did as his hefty body started to tone ever so slightly. Muscle mixed with fat making his body far more imposing. His rotund belly tightened up and pulled backwards. It still pushed at his shirt, but now his heavy pecs were doing some of the work as well.

“Something like that,” Clayton laughed. His much tauter belly still bounced as he did so.

“People must think your addicted because you go four or five times a week,” I said, trying to make it sound like a statement as much as possible.

“Sometimes,” he laughed again. Then threw up his arm. The muscle was molding itself into something a bit bigger than it had been. The fat tightened more against his much harder bicep. “But can you argue with the results?”

“I can’t. And I’m sure all your male fans love it too,” I started pushing the conversation about his body harder. He looked shocked for a second. But I quickly made it normal. “Don’t act so surprised. They love your photos and you love them fawning over you and your body.”

A cocky grin appeared on Clayton’s face as he lightly flexed his arm. Muscle was rapidly overtaking the fat. Yet, none of the size of his arm disappeared. Instead, his skin just tightened around his muscle as thick veins started to bulge out. The amount of blood rushing through his body to consistently maintain oxygen to his muscles must have increased substantially. Though, I was more surprised as to all the hair that had been covering his body disappeared. The thick forest of hair running along his arms was gone, and his beard had trimmed closer to his angular jaw. I stared dumbfoundedly as he continued to stress the sleeves of his shirt with his new muscles.

“I guess you’re right,” Clayton bragged. He flashed me a wink and my face burned red.

Words were caught in my throat. I still wasn’t used to getting attention from guys like this. Each time he’d turn or bend over, I’d get a new glimpse of his hard-earned muscles. Even though he’d only had them for a few minutes, they had been earned over decades in the gym. “You—You…” I gasped trying to get the sentence out. “You like it when guys flirt with you.” I paused making sure it was a complete thought. “Right?”

Another cocky smile flashed on his face as he stood up after measuring something. “I guess you could say that.”

“That must be why you’ve been hard since you’ve come inside,” I quickly added. His smile didn’t falter. Only his eyebrows raised as though he was to say, ‘you just now noticed?’ He started to break the distance between us. The small room we were in suddenly felt so much smaller. “You’ve been thinking about all the ways you want to fuck me.”

Clayton nodded. “I have…” His big hands gripped my wrists and then pinned me against the wall. He leaned in. His beard brushed against my bare face. The hair tickled against my skin as he leaned in to kiss me. My mouth naturally accepted it. His tongue wrestled against mine. I writhed under his control.

Then it stopped. I leaned in, only to be rejected as he spun my body around. His thick hands ran down my sides and then undid the button on my jeans. It was barely even a thought before my pants and underwear were around my ankles and his tongue was in my ass.

I gasped. “Oh fuck…” I moaned. “You’re so good at this…” It was just a natural response but suddenly the way his tongue moved was far better than it had been. Suddenly, he knew all the most sensitive spots of my insides and could lick them accordingly. Thoughts were getting harder. My hands clawed at the wall for support, digging into the plaster as much as they could. I was barely able to get the next sentence out. “Every woman you’ve been with is so impressed because you’ve practiced with at least ten times as many men.”

Clayton laughed. “Are you jealous?” he whispered into my ear, biting it lightly. His hairy face nuzzled against my neck as the tip of his cock pressed up against my asshole.

I gasped again. “It’s so big…” I muttered. Suddenly, the average sized cock grew in size. The mushroom tip was bigger, pressing against my sensitive hole.

“Think you can take it?”

I nodded.

“Good man,” he whispered. His kisses continued as his cock pushed harder against me. Slowly the thick rod dug into me. I gasped. Clayton chuckled. “Too big?”

“No…” I breathed as more of his dick entered inside of me. “It fits perfectly.” My asshole held his cock not too tightly, but not too loosely.

Clayton chuckled again as he started thrusting inside me. One of his big hands had found it’s way under my shirt and was clawing gently against my bare skin while his other was holding me tightly in a hug. His warm breath graced my neck as his speed increased. The hug tightened as his moans grew louder. Each thrust he was losing just a little bit more control of himself. His breathing grew haggard. Then he squeezed my body hard.

I felt him finish inside me. “F-fuck,” he winced as his cock slowly started to soften.

“Upset that it’s over,” I made sure to make it into a statement instead of a question.

Clayton pulled out. His cock was shrinking ever so slightly. Apparently he shaved all over as there weren’t any pubes of hair on his thick quads either. “Little bit,” he muttered.

“Don’t worry,” I smiled, leaning in for another kiss. “There will be a next time. And maybe I can show you a thing or two.”

“I don’t know what you could show me,” Clayton had a cocky confidence as he said it.

“A few things,” I grabbed his exposed ass.

He winced. “Don’t know about that bud.”

“You’ll make an exception for me,” I said.

The worry turned right back to his cocky nature. “Will I?” he tried to act all confident again. Though, he wasn’t fighting off my fingers as they drew a ring around his hole.

“You will,” I smiled, leaning in for another kiss.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

More stories over on my wordpress

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popculturebuffet · 7 months

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Beetlemania Epilogue: Batman Brave and the Bold (Rise of the Blue Beetle, Fall of The BB, Revenge of the Reach and Meanace of the Madinks) (Comission for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy beetlemaniacs and welcome to the long delayed finale/epilogue to my look the blue beetle. So while I was working on this project which for those just tuning in was a look at all three men to wear the blue, Kev asked me to take a look at Ted and Jaime's brave and the bold apperances. Being a massive fan of both, enough that Brotoman asking me to do this retorspective in the first place was one of the easiest yesses i've made in my career, and absolutely loving brave and the bold it was an easy addition.

So for those less familiar with this cartoon, Batman: Brave and the Bold was a 2009 cartoon. Brave and the Bold is easily the most unique of the batman cartoons thus far: while each one has it's own touches, Bold decided to go against the usual dark and broody nature of batman he'd had in the 70's to do something a bit diffrent.

Instead BATB takes after the silver age of comics, a time of camp, innosence, and fun goofiness like batman getting his own dimensional imp, Superman and Supergirl having two pets with superpowers and capes a piece, and of course a bunch of kids from the future who still act like it's the 50s who come to grab a young superman, leading to one of my faviorite teams of all time. But not before you know making him cry because 50s. It was a time of brilliant concepts, bonkers carefree storytelling and superman in a pope hat.

And while some fans titled their head, some wailed he needed to be grim and gritty and I just said "oh cool plastic man's in this"... the change in tone was both brilliant and needed. We'd already had three fairly serious batman shows, each distinct: BTAS is a noir masterpiece, Beyond is neo noir putting someone else in the role and thus giving us a batman with school and family to juggle and an older bruce as the mentor, and The Batman was an attempt to really shake things up, using both a younger batman and wildly diffrent versions of his rogues. So while another likely would've worked, and as seen with Beware the Batman it did as likely will the caped crusader, I can't blame showrunners James Tucker and Mike Jelenec for deciding to do something entirely unique.

Thus while Batman's still stoic, instead of being a loner who slowly adds sidekicks and uses over the top silver agey gadgets, from having a jetpack and helmet in his suit, to being able to summon fighting gloves to having his batmobile as a transformer. It comes off as a child's idea of batman: a guy who can do anything and can use all those neat toy add ons you usually only see in his action figures. It's a batman that has a sense of fun about it: While he's stoic as ever, the world he's in is werid and he adapts to it.

The the other secret sauce here is the show's decision to be a team up show: instead of the batfamily, who still show up on occasion, Batman teams up with a fellow superhero in each episodes opening teaser as a fun one off adventure and then in the main story, another nod to the silver age in how many books would have more than one story, batman in particular. It's also telling that most of the main focus heroes are almost entirely b listers: Common sights include Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel (aka Shazam, pre movie), Guy Gardner Green Lantern and Aquaman, the only a-list of the bunch and the main character. Some had shown up before in the DCAU, sure, but most hadn't gotten this kind of focus and some like Blue Beetle, our natural focus for today's, hadn't shown up at all thanks to rights issues. And even some like Aquaman got a revamp, with the stoic brooding 90's anti-hero of the DCAU replaced with a glorious large ham whose every bit as goofy as the silver age but every bit as badass as he is now. They also wisely kept his beard.

It provides a nice mix of actual silver age characters, and more modern ones like the Jason Rusch firestorm or Jaime that simply hadn't been adapted yet, as well as for whole teams like the Metal Men, JSA and Freedom Fighters to get proper first appearances in animation. This series is one giant love letter to dc and just about every hero they could cram in here and have it make sense is here> And if that wasn't enough, for me personally instead of doing a big 7 lineup of the justice league or just using heroes batman had teamed up with a lot like green arrow or plastic man, they just straight up decicided to recreate my faviorite Justice League Lineup of all time, the Justice League international, even bringing in Martian Manhunter just to make it as close as possible to the core lineup of Batman (Who was leader in those days), Martain Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Fire and Ice. The only changes were changing the beetle from Ted to Jaime (to fit the shows continuity) and adding Aquaman as it'd be all kinds of weird to not feature the shows breakout star.

So with what the show is down that finally brings us to the Blue Beetle and his long overdue first animated apperance. The DCAU PLANNED to include him but rights headaches meant Ted was relegated to the tie in comics. And since Jaime was such a fan faviorite , when it came time for Brave and the Bold he became the primary beetle instead, providing the fun angle of batman having a teen sidekick.. whose far more powerful than he is, if lacking experince. We rarely see Batman mentor superteens, and it's an intresting concept: He has a partner he can order around and such but can't REALLY stop if Jaime wanted to operate without him. IT's something I hope gets explored again sometime.

That said while Jaime was the main blue beetle, and one of the most common recurring cast members, the series , like most adaptations didn't forget ted exists or to honor him. And while they sadly didn't give us the two beetles operating at the same time, something we didn't get in full blast until Blue Beetle: Graduation Day LAST YEAR (He did mentor Jaime for a while but weirdly they didn't have him resume the costume for a while), we do get one hell of an episode focusing on both beetles in the past and present, another hell of a heroic death, and a time travel episode with Ted's best buddy booster going back to see his friend one last time... and fucking it up because it's his superpower. So join me under the cut as we put on the armor and see the dawn of a new blue beetle and the legacy he protects one more time.

The Rise of the Blue Beetle!: Stinger: Batman teams up with Green Arrow to defeat clock king. Honestly my reaction to this version of Ollie is mostly

As he dosen't really have anything that makes him that.. unique or intresting. He's cocky and wants to one up batman. That's about it. I love Ollie, but this version is so boring. It dosen't help most of his spotlight episodes feature someone more interesting.

The opening however.. is solid, spotlighting the two's competitive nature with each other (and contrasting Ollie's open boasting with Batman being reserved and not showing his compettive streak outwardly), and fighting Clock King. And not the more grounded, awesome version we saw in Batman TAS, but the goofy silver age version complete with robes and a clock face.

Is it the best cold open they could've used? Probably not. But it gets across the team up theme of the series, and the important fact that most of the foes we face.. aren't batman's usual foes. Most of his Rogues are mia, and the only one who gets used a LOT is Joker, and even then it's in more creative ways like having him be Batman's team up for the mid season finale (And leading to the glorious scene in the final fight of him just running around with a mallet like a giddy three year old), teaming up with his own inspiration, or adapting emperor joker. Just like the team up format allows for a wide exploration of the dc's heroes, the antagonists are usually guys you wouldn't see or at least wouldn't see fighting batman.

The episode proper begins with Jaime and his best buddy Paco talking superheroes, with Jaime hyping up batman. It's here we get two big changes: the first is Jaime's personality: Instead of a kind, reserved, if with a biting tounge when called for it kid who just wants to help out his friends and family and who feels overwhlemed, this Jaime is a superhero fanboy whose super jazzed to have power armor.

This change is hit and miss for me: it does kinda miss a lot of the point of Jaime and his personality, a kid burdened iwth incredible power and responsibility who uses it not because he wants to but because it's the right thing.. but I get it for the context of this series. Here Jaime's being trained and mentored by batman, and thus having him be a bit more cocky and eager in places opens up stories more as otherwise Jaime would just be waiting at home. Not only that the series already had a reluctant legacy hero in Ryan Choi, the Atom, so at least one of them had to change personality a bit and it made more sense with Jaime. So while i'm not a huge fan of this change, I understand it enough to not be all that bothered by it, especially since both his Young Justice and Movie Counterparts hem closer to the comics.

A change I DON'T like at all.. is that Jaime's best friend Paco (his family and brenda don't show up).. has NO IDEA who he is. There is absolutely NO justification for this either. We don't see enough of Jaime's home life for him having a secret identity to have any impact and there's really nothing about his appearances that coudln't of been done without him knowing. In fact his next two probably would've been better had he known. It feels like the producers didn't know how to handle a superhero who doesn't have a secret identity.. despite Plastic Man and Aquaman, neither of whom have one and are just fine, being recurring characters. It's an annoying decision and one i'm not a fan of at all, especially since Paco doesn't seem to be in ANY other adaptations.

The rest of the episode is okay. Out of the episodes I had to rewatch (and in our last case watch for the first time) it's the one I was the least happy to see again as it didn't leave much of an impression. On rewatch it has some intresting ideas, but is mostly just a typical "supehero needs to not rely only on his powers" story mixed with a training the peaceful villagers one: Batman and Jaime are shanghied to a colony of admittedly neat looking little protoplasmic blob men woh put out an energy charge. They kidnapped Jaime to help because a previous wielder of his Scarab saved them from Space Pirate and justice league villian Kanjar Ro. Ro is part of why I largely forgot this one as i've never been a huge fan of the guy. He dosen't look terrible but other than space pirate there isn't much to him. The DCAU used him well but also had him as a simple criminal helping frame John Stewart. Here he works decently enough as he's intimidating ENOUGH to be a foe for Jaime, whose the real focus here, and give batman a fight, while still clearly being a villian of the week.

I do like that already, even before we get to ted, the writers of the show get that Jaimee. .is tied into legacy and It's a neat idea to hint at just who carried the scarab before Dan Garret, the first beetle, who for all we know very well COULD have been the person who fought Kanjar Ro before. It's just a shame this NEVER comes up again which is disappointing. It'd be neat to know if the Scarab had a host before the reach dispatched it to earth.

The rest of the episode is pretty by the numbers though, and while the idea of jaime getting cocky isn't bad... he's just not cocky Enough with his powers for the message to work. The episode has more clever stuff like batman hooking one of the little goo people up to a power cable to save them when kanjar leaves them all tied to a piece of debris to die, with the little guys later hooking their guns into themselves, using the fact Kanjar Ro harvests them for fuel against him. It's a clever chekovs gun and speaks to the message of the episode that DOES work: relying on one's self and the power of inspiration.

I"ll also say Batman is kinda.. fucked as a mentor this episode: While I get his logic, having Jaime pretend to be his predecessor to inspire these adorable blobs to kill their opressors, a good message for all, it's still mildly fucked up Batman is asking a children to lead a bunch of people to posisbly die in a war against a ruthless space pirate. I get jaime needs to be a symbol but maybe do't gloss over just how big an ask your asking bats.

Finally i'll say the episodes climax has a good idea: Jaime forced to rely on his brains.. and Kanjar Ro taking the armor. The problem.. is the latter RAISES A LOT OF QUESTIONS, especailly since later episodes go with the idea from the comics, that the scarab coudln't bond with ted kord and specifically choose jaime, making it come off contrived as all apokalips that Kanja Ro JUST SO HAPPENS to be a compatable host. It dosen't ruin the climax, seeing someone evil let loose with the armor is neat and Jaime turning the gamma gong, Ro's weapon he used to strip Jaime of the armor in the first place, against him is genius.

Overall an episode that's jus tokay. i'ts not a bad start to the series or Jaime's time on the show, but it's still clear they needed an episode or two before they started really cooking with gas. Thankfully that only took the first 4 or so episodes and by the time we next saw Jaime this season, the show was firing on all cyllnders with a true classic.

Fall of the Blue Beetle!:

Fall of the Blue Beetle! is more like it and while i'ts not where my obessesion with ted started, that'd be

This episode certainly didn't hurt. It is where Jaime started to grow on me though and where a lot more of his character from the comics comes from.

The biggest part of this.. is Legacy. We got a touch of that with the previous scarab wielder in Rise, but a key aspect of Jaime is that he ISN'T the first blue beetle. That he has to step into someone else's shoes. And it's something that fits dc like a glove as one of DC's bigger draws, one that they snuffed out for a while, is Legacy. Most heroes have more than one version and many have sidekicks, something marvel almost completely avoids thanks to Spider-Man's existence being a direct response to the concept, who more often than not later take up the mantle or find their own new one, leading someone take up THEIR old costume. Often you'll also get heroes sharring identities: it's why we have 9 earth green lanterns, three flashes, and two supermen.

So the fact that Blue Beetle was ALREADY a legacy made ted fit right in long before Jaime had to follow him up after his fatal case of bullet to the head. And Jaime learns that early, and thus has to carry around the fact that not only did Ted die a hero.. but armor or no this could EASILY happen to him. He has to learn to think with his head and learns to appricate Ted as he was. It's not an overwhelmingly major part of the book but the fact Jaime is part of a proud legacy is still important and when he needs help for his final fight, it's Ted's grandaughter Dani and Ted's friends in the JLI who come to help... because they know it's what ted would want.

Brave and the Bold cleverly plays with this as while like his comics counterpart Jaime knows there were other beetles.. he dosen't know what happened to Ted off the bat and this episode brilliantly plays with that.

It also plays with another Key aspect of Jaime: his self doubt. At the end of the days Jaime is a throughly normal kid given great power. In the comics and movie a lot of it is simply not WANTING this power, but with no way to remove the scarab and live he does what he can with it anyway because it's the right thing. The poor kid teared up because during a fucking hurricane, made worse by a supervillian, the kid couldn't save everyone, with his vetran dad having to explain that.. you simply can't. And the fact Jaime was there still saved a LOT of people.

While this Jaime's way more happy in the roll from the off, being a superhero fanboy, the idea that he's not worthy of it still crops up here in a clever way: He and Paco have a campout, and when he recites the Hal Jordan Green Lantern's origin (Which he likely knew as he easily could've met Hal at this point as he DOES exist in this continuity), Paco is doubtful. For those whose attitude to green lantern lore isn't

Like yours truly, a quick recap: The Green Lantern corps are space cops, though thankfully not nearly as corrupt as that implies, who patrol sectors of space. When one dies, their ring finds a replacement. But in this case, dying Green Lantern legend Abin Sur didn't really have time for the ring to do it's thing so he crashed his rocket on earth near Hal Jordan, the nearest worthy canditate and gave it to him personally.

Paco.. dosen't buy any of this, thinking heroes aren't chosen and most dickishly that a hero.. is just their powers. It's just the RING that's special not the person.

Okay look I try not to go on tangents refuting a fictional character.... but given this kind of argument occasionally crops up in real life... no. While a heroes powers are cool and what allow them to do the job...it's the person that makes the hero. And the green lantern's are the biggest example of that. They were all chosen sure but each chosen because they can overcome great fear (Paco IS right that the idea of someone being WITHOUT fear is kinda fucked and the daredevil comics have gone into what exactly that means, it's why they changed it), nad because each one of them chosen brings something to the table. Hal Jordan can think on the fly like noone's buisness, Guy Gardner WILL never give up (Wether he actually should or not), John Stewart is a tactical and archetcural genius, Kyle Rayner has a boundless imagination and some of the best contracts, Jessica Cruz has deep and noble heart and empathy and the power to go on and Simon Baz has a drive no lantern can match. And tha'ts not even getting into Alan Scott, gay icon or the ones whole books I own but haven't read like Jo Mullen or Tai Pham, both of whom deftinely deserve it.

I do love the episode exploring this idea though as given it's something a kid watching this might've thought it nicely deconsturcts it.. and shows what hearing that would do to a person. IN Jaime's case he sprials and goes to his mentor for validation. And this brings us to one of the weaker parts of the episode as Batman is in Batdick mode this episode. Granted at FIRST it's a bit understandable: jaime interupts him during a fight with Doctor Polaris. That fight itself.. is a nice subtle nod to Jaime's history as in the comics, one big arc had him fighting the newest Dr. Polaris. It's really damn good for the record and I hope it gets reprinted. Later we can see batman having recently beaten the Squid gang from Ted's first solo issue. It's some nice background stuff.

Jaime is worried he wasn't chosen for a reason, and while Bruce not reassuring him at first is okay... bruce saying, and I quote "you are NOTHING like the blue beetle I knew" is a level of dickish only suprassed by this guy

Seriously bats, a teen comes up to you, is clearly going through something regarding being worthy of this. I get it, Bats was close to ted in this continuity.. but even in that context it's comes off pretty dickish to compare the kid to someone who had years more experince in the field.

Also yes, in this continuity Ted and Bats.. were besties. I had honestly forgotten that and it's a fun uniquely wholesome take. See in the original comics.. Ted and Batman weren't exactly FRIENDS. They were coworkers: Batman was the stern, often mean boss who expected everyone to do what he said without question, and Ted was the snarky guy in his cubicle who'd shut up when that guy said to but certainly would talk behind his back. It was a good comedic value. Even later, when ted was in his final hours in countdown, batman was someone he turned to.. and Bats didn't take him seriously.. and later deeply regretted it.

Here? The two utterly respect each other, and we get a lot of fun dialogue as the two talk about their gadgets: Bats is impressed Ted managed to get a mini laser working, he switched the coils, while Ted is suprised he can get smoke pellets on his belt because his always blew up. Bats then explains he had the same issue and the casing was ungodly expensive. Thankfully he just put it on the bat credit card.

As for how the two are interacting when Ted's a corpse in present day, that's where one of the episodes most clever aspects comes in: rather than have the intro be an unrelated cold open... the intro is Bats and Ted's on Ted's final case. We don't find out the last part till later, but it's a clever way to have ted around while still having him sacrifice himself in some way.

I'd also like to stop for a moment to talk about how great the voice actors are for our beetley buddies.. and this show in general. For Jaime we have vetran voice acting legend, feeeeee-hany fan, podcaster, and critical role hall of famer Will Fredidle, who does a great job with Jaime's wide eyed enthusasim, ocasional haminess.. but also his vunerablity and depth. You can sense at times in these episodes a kid who badly WANTS to be a good as hero as the heroes who inspired him, covering it up with a layer of jokes... just like his predecessor really. Granted this all comes with the necessary asterix of THEY SHOULDN'T OF HIRED A WHITE GUY TO PLAY JAIME.. which.. they really shoudln't have. It's.. not complicated and it shouldn't of taken till 20goddamn20 for that to be standard practice and not just what some productions did and other didn't. Given a cast this size they STILL coudl've cast my boy in a roll that wasn't racist. Hell he woudl've made a great booster (though who we got is excellent). So the casting decision dose'nt have a leg to stand on.. but Will still did a good job and I dearly miss his voice acting. He's still around granted: he's currently doing the podcast pod meets world with fellow BMW allums Danille Fischelle and fellow voice actor who really should be doing more of it these days Rider Strong. Seriously he was great in Star Vs. Maybe he's focusing more on his family, as he sometimes watches episodes of BMW with his son for the pod, and if so.. fair enough. I do miss these guys and I am glad Will at least is showing up in Legend of Vox Machina and that they have a podcast together.

The other will in the equation is will wheaton, star trek's scrappy doo turned geek icon. Will is a natural fit for ted and does him justice: this version's a bit more anlytical, but as we see later with boosters ep he can play the jokey side just as well and does ted really good. he's the bar that's set for whoever plays him in live action.. and i'm pulling for their top pick of Jason Sudekis. that is PERFECT ted kord casting and the only thing that could top this casting. If not.. will is old enough to still fit the part in the live action dcu. Just saying.

The freindship adds a nice layer to Batman's action: yes he's being bat dick... but it's clearly hard to talk about his best friend's death, someone who really got him as a crimefighter and he could relate to. Green Arrow uses similar methods.. but Ollie's ego's so big he's more concerned with one upping bruce instead of talking to him like a person. Given mots of Batman's partners defer to him in some way or form (and it's telling that for as much as his boisterous baffles our blue bat, he treats aquaman with respect), it had to hurt deeply. And as we'll see later the pain is still there and he's still not quite over Ted's death. It also explains why he's specifically mentoring Jamie: he wants to protect Ted's legacy. While the meteor mission in the last episode was to test of Jamie was ready to partner with him regularly with this ep it feels more like he wanted to make sure Jamie was worthy of his friends mantle.. and makes how proud batman was at the end all the sweeter. It also shows that despite batman using the worst possible phrasing, he DOES think Jamie is worthy.

It also adds a layer to Batman's

Behavior regarding what happened to ted, refusing to tell Jamie and then flying off in his batjet. Bats later fully admits he was worried Jamie coudln't handle it.. but it may be in part he simply didn't want to relive one of the worst moments of his life, when once again someone he loved died and he could do nothing but watch. He didn't want to saddle a teenager with his grief or the fact that in this job you CAN die. And that's something shockingly consitent about this series: Dead.. means dead. There's only three major deaths in the series: Ted's, B'wanna Beast's and the Doom Patrols, but all three stick. All are given weight and gravitas and all deeply effect bats.. not from episode to episode as this is more episodic but the moment still clearly shakes him.

Jamie isn't really happy with that explination and the scarab suggests checking the internet. Turns out ted has a fanpage run by a notboostergold. Who knew? It tells Jamie ted vanished a while back and is headquartered in Hub City, Ted's hometown in the comics though where he operates out of varried: he also operated out of Chicago, New York, el Paso and currently Palmera City alongside Jamie and his long lost slightly older sister we just met because the movies gave him one and DC thought "eh this could work". Which .. honestly it does, with Vicotria being more buisness minded and ruthless. Also sidebar but.. this.. this has happened with booster and ted right?

youtube

This had to have happened. We're alli n agreement, good.

Anyways Jaime heads to Hub City and finds Ted's old layer, covred with dust, something the movie ended up copying and I fully approve of. In fact it feels like the movie took some cues from this episode, turning Ted's adventure on pago island into a jamie story, having someone try and use the scarab to create robots, little touches like that. I don't mind as they did enough of their own thing with it and frankly more people are going to see the movie over this episode, so i'm fine with a good idea being used twice.

Speaking of which Jaime finds out the last cordinates were Pago Island. For anyone who knows Ted's origin that's a red flag. Quick recap for those who didn't read my review of Ted's first two solo issues: Ted worked with his uncle jarvis, found out he was a bad dude, and then brought dan to stop him. Good news: it ended terribly for jarvis with his robots sealed and him dead. Bad news: it ended with dan dead. Gooder news: Dan told ted to take up his legacy. So the fact Ted died on an island where nothing good happens cannot end well for Jaimie.

Batman DOES try ot make up for earlier, calling Jaimie.. only for Jaimie to tell Bats where he's going and where to stick it. Batman takes it like a mature adult and while flying ot rescue Jaime, mumbles "no more teenage partners"

This line.. just.. my god> I mean yes he says "adults got him into just as much trouble " right after.. but he still soley blames JAIME for this catstrophe. Jaime is screwing up yes.. but h'es a kid desperate to know he was chosen for a good reason and to live up to someone he found out went missing on his own because you coudln't take two bat minutes to try and explain things. Maybe tell him about ted without telling him what happened just yet. INstead you accidently told him he wasn't good enough then got mad when he was rightfully pissed you gave him nothing. His timing sucked, but you really should've brought up ted LONG before this.

And as a result.. it makes it VERY easy for Jarvis, still alive here, to con Jaime into giving him data on the scarab , claming he intends to improve humanity's lot and make things better. I get not telling him he was dead.. but maybe if you'd screamed "Ted kord was dead", as traumatizing as that would've been it woudl've at least stopped a villian you KNEW was still around fro mconning him

I"ll also say this.. Jarvis' scarab based tech.. looks amazing, very beetly and while I saw the twist coming... most viewers not familiar with jarvis' existance wouldn't. The tech all looks like something ted would make. It's something I give it over the movie where despite victoria kord's OMAC"s being based directly on the scarab.. they look NOTHIGN like the scarab armor nor the actual omacs. i'm fine with it being different enough to be visually intresting but the omacs and later caprapax armore are just.. boring. But that's a rant for another review.

The main takeaway is that Jamie has accidently given a mad genius an army of super fighting robots.. and by bringing up batman NEARLY caused the man's death. But not only does Jaime catch on the robots are weapons whne one spills i'ts bullets, Batman, being you know, the goddamn batman, is alive and well. He only gets tied up when Jarvis puts a gun to Jamie's head.. which i'm 90% sure is a bluff as the scarab can take on MULTIPLE green lanterns as we'll see next episode, but it speaks to Batman's character he doesn't risk it.

Jarvis.. is an excellent villain here, taken from your usual cackler to a guy who genuinely seems like his talk about wanting to make the world better is legit.. he's just willing to conquer it to make that happen. And a utopia forged in blood isn't rally a utopia is it? But Will does a great job as Jarvis too, making his voice similar enough to ted to buy him as an older ted.. but diffrent enough to hint at the twist.

With that Batman FINALLY is forced to explain what happened: Ted gave Jarvis the scarab because he genuinely thought he could help him use it. IN this continuity dan died another way. So when Ted found out from Batman that Jarvis was instead plotting world domination, he lept to stop it.

In the end though while they did beat Jarvis... he had one last play: launch a rocket full of his robots out to begin his world conquest. So much like with Countdown when backed into a corner.. Ted sacrificed himself to save the world, not telling Bruce exactly what his plan was till the was already on the rocket. As for how the Scarab got away that's easy: ted stole it back during the scuffle and put it on the rocket, so like the comics but in a much simpler way, it still got rocketed to el paso. Ted Kord once again died a true hero.

This dosen't help Jaime as he feels he failed Ted and his leagacy and was chosen just to do this. Batman explains the episodes aseop, similar to last times but executed better: it's not being chosen or what powers you have that make a hero. It's choosing to do the right thing> Despite not having the scarab Ted choose to use his intellect to fight crime. And while Jaime didn't chooose the scarab.. he choose to use it to help people and fight for good.

The two naturally escape, fight off jarvis, and fight the throng of robots, actually beating him this time and with Jaime setting it to explode. Our heroes win, Batman shows his pride and Jamie has his confidence back.

As you can probably tell.. I love this episode> it's one of brave and the bold's best and aside from the excess of bat dick, it's a compelling story of legacy and loss. If you haven't seen the show or are curious about ted and jaime after watching the film, this is an excellent watch.

Revenge of the Reach:

Revenge of the Reach is another banger episode. On first watch I wasn't really into this one and didn't really remember it but on rewatch it was a lot of fun. I'm also happy this episode is as good as it is... as this marks the final Jaimecentric episode in the series. The big reason for this is simple: The Justice League International.

For those less familiar with Ted and this show itself, the JLI was the first version of the justice league post crisis on infinite earths, the grandaddy of crisis crossovers and the event that brought Ted into the DCU. Writer J.M. Demattis finally got the gig writing the league after begging for it but the amount of stuff being reworked post crisis meant most of the vetran justice league was off limits. Demattis and his partner in crime Keith Giffen decided "Fuck it let's make this a sitcom", and used lesser known heroes including good old ted. The only vetrans to join the team were Black Canary (Who only stayed for about the first 12 issues) , Martain Manhunter, and Bats himself as leader before giving that headache to Jonn.

And since Brave and the Bold already had prominent spotlights for key members Blue Beetle (Jaime instead of ted), Booster Gold, and Green Lantern Guy Gardner, featured Fire as a guest star and had Batman as it's lead, it was easy enough to simply introduce Martian Manhunter and Ice. Also Aquaman was there since, as said before, he was their biggest star. The team showed up a decent amount in season 3 and likely would've more had the series not been cut so short, eventually adding other members from the comics like Rocket Red and Captain Marvel.

So with season 3 cut in half and the crew knowing the end was nigh, there was less time to give Jaime more stories, instead focusing more on stuff they clearly wanted to get in before the end: Stories with the league, a whole episode dedicated to Superdickery that's one of the most glorious things ever put to film, an origins episode for batman and his other recurring patners that weirdly didn't have jaime. Season 3 was just packed and had only so much time left. It also had powerless which objectively sucks and I will get to when we eventually do a JLI in brave and the bold retrospective, one of a few Kev's floated along with the Starro arc and Batmite (the latter I especailly want to do as I forgot the late great paul rubens was his voice. ) So this is Jaime's last hurrah. And lucky for him, he got a heck of a writer on board as J.M. Demattis himself wrote this one.

Spekaing of the Starro arc, our intro ties into it and i'll likely be covering again when I do that one. It features a jack kirby creation, THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, with the intro for the segment funly done in the style of a 60's tv show. THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN are a quartet of adventurers who well.. challenge the unknown, experts in their fields who survivied a plane crash, put on matching jumpsuits and took on weird cases for the pentagon. They , to my shock came BEFORE Kirby would move on to Marvel, and with the challengers not having got a lot of traction, and even in recent dc works mostly showing up for one off apperances, I wouldn't be shocked if he reworked the concept of four adventuerers with public identtites who fight weird shit while wearing matching jumpsuits as the fantastic four.

Anyways the quartet fight a weird creatue with batman... but where this connects to the eventual story arc.. is after batman leaves a bunch of mini starros popping out of the meteor to posses the challengers.

So let's move on. Our main story has Jaime going out to space for an unauthorized solo mission. I'd say it was suprising Batman dictated when he could save lives or not .. but he is batman. And TBF, Batman probably wouldn't chastise Jaime if say he stopped a local fire or helped out with disaster relief. I"m sure the kid does the basic heroing stuff daily to stay sharp, and Batman, for all his faults would never want someone to not step in and help when they could. He just likely dosen't want Jaime tackling super crime without him.

Jaime fights Evil Star, whose name isn't a joke from me, but an actual Green Lantern villian, fitting given the Corps plays a large role in this. With some unknowing help from Paco, Jaime does in fact win on his own merits. Batman however isn't pleased as he apparently has Jaime chipped and followed him out there in his bat space suit. What I like though is Bruce isn't mad and his reasons for keeping Jaime on a leash aren't dickishness like last time: he TRUSTS Jaime, he both likely worries about his young ward, especially after loosing ted.. and DOSNE'T trust the Scarab, knowing nothing about it.

The two take him to Oa to drop Evil Star off. Oa is the home of the Green Lantern Corps I mentioned earlier, where new corpsman are trained and the central power battery, the source of their power is stationed. It's there a squad of Lanterns comes to pick up the leftovers, lead by Guy Gardner

So quick backstory for guy: guy was the second space cop green lantern for earth, being a backup for Hal Jordan and only not picked because Hal happened to be closer to where Abin Sur could land. For a while he was an also ran who ended up in a coma.

Eventually though Steve Engleheart decided to make use of him. During his run Steve made John Stewart the main green lantern and had Hal depowered for being mad at the responsiblity and such. Standard angst. Many a fan was simply, as tends to happen in comics, waiting for Hal to come back. Steve however didn't want that and had a simple thought: "Why CAN'T there be more than one earth lantern? Ther'es thousands of others up in space". So he not only allowed John to remain in the role, hence John getting to be the GLC's rep for crisis, but also brought Guy back, this time as a jingoistic right wing loud mouth. According to wikipedia Steve.. regrets the decision a bit as other people around him weren't fond of it and he got no royalties as he didn't create guy. Which is sad as this version became the premiere one.

But while steve lit the spark, it was Demattis who turned him into the tire fire we all know and love, deciding to pick guy for the JLI, likely because out of the four lantern's avaliable, Guy fit into the dynamic the most. While the JLI was still fighting superheroes, it made sense for a more comedic group to have a resident asshole, someone within the group who generally tends to start shit. The person no one likes but they can't really chuck for whatever reason. So for the JLI, guy was that dick, swaggering onto panel demanding to be leader and pissing everyone off with his abrasivness and general dickishness, paticuarlyl Black Canary who, in one of JLI's weaker moments, was portrayed as a straw feminist, working best against guy as a chauvnist. It was essnetially if someone had given Steve Dallas a power ring.

While Guy has mellowed out slightly over the years, he's still largely the loud obnoxious older brother of the superhero set, mostly known for challenging batman to a fist fight with predictable yet hilarious results

Guy ended up as BATB's main GL, mostly because he fit the tone well and James Arnold Taylor did a pitch perfect job getting Guy down. He never got bumped up to the status of Jaime, Plastic Man or Aquaman of being as close to a main character as the series format allowed, but he was still a memorable part of it and they did him good.

Which is bad for Jaime as Guy's approach to the lantern's request to take JAIME in with his prisoner goes over like a lead ballon, not helped by Guy basically saying "Shut up and get in the van' While his fellow lanterns do fuck all to actually explain WHY the guardians want Jaime. A fight insues and it's easily the best part of a standout episodes. See with the Green Lantern's what makes them so awesome is that the power ring can make ANYTHIGN they imagine. Any thought can be a weapon. There's limits of course: some things can tamper with the vibration, the user needs to be able to concetrate, the rings have to be recharged by reciting the badass oath, stuff to keep the stories interesting, but even with those limits the ring is a deadly weapon in the right hands. It's also what makes the lanterns fun in comparison to other heroes who share the same power sets: while they all have the same ring, each person uses it diffrently: from Hal Jordan favoring planes due to his airforce background, to Kyle Rayner going with a lot of Manga style designs due to being a self confessed "Manga nut with a power ring". It's just some writers can't see the full potetial and just have it be a glorified ray gun or have them only reatrain people with rings and such.

Demattis.. dosen't have this issue, and also fully gets that Jamie's scarab is just aas formidable, leading to a dope as hell fight as we get two fighters both experinced, both with weapons that can do anything going at it with highlights including guy making a sword and shield and later armor for himself, befitting his brawler styles.

Batman eventually steps in and stops this, though I like that he dosen't chastise Jaime. While Jaime esclated, he was faced with a bunch of people wanting to take his incredibly dangerous scarab that he saw as a friend and not explaning why. Guy on the otherhand.. is guy and tries to get Bats to butt out.. only for Batman to remind him he punched his lights out in this contuity too. Yes folks BATB made sure to adapt that moment for Guy's debut. Guy wouldn't listen to batman on a mission, with Bats keeping him on a short leash.. so Guy decked him. While Guy mumble's it was a lucky shot.. it's clear he's cowed and the Guardians step in.

They explain things to the trio in private: the Scarab is, like in the comics a dangerous weapon of the Reach, intergalactic conquerers the Corps defeated years ago, with the scarab users being a false flag: heroes sent to help them.. to keep the planet alive long enough for said user to conquer later when the programming tookover. The diffrence here is in the comics, the Reach played the long game, planning to wait a few generations to sell the planet and use it's inhabitants for slaves, slowly making them docile so by the time they were ready for market, they woudln't fight back. IT's part of what made them such a threat: Jaime coudln't just punch them away, he had to outsmart them.

Here their more like the borg from star trek: a cold collective with but one purpose, a hive of insects planning to swarm. The false flag part remains, it's just less nuanced. And tha'ts.. okay. I didn't like it at first, but I get that unlike Young Justice after this... BATB simply didnt' have the real estate for that kind of story, so they codnsensed it.

The Guardians let Jamie go for now as they want to see if he can control it and trust Batman's words. Guy being guy.. isn't convinced.. and proves a broken clock is right once a day as the Scarab, now in position to do some damage way sooner, regretfully hyjacks Jaime. The one weakness of this one is it's hard to buy Jaime and the Scarab as friends given we've barely seen the two and don't really see them bonding. It just beeps behind him, with the comics, movie and young justice taking effort to show Jaime warming up to his metallic parasite.

Most of the ep is really just a large fight between a possesed Jamie and the corps, and unlike the comics, where their on an even keel, or when Jamie is in control.. this scarab easily mows through them without anyone holding the leash, and Jamie only gets to wake up for a secona nd panickedly try to fight it's control.

So we're left with two sides; Guy who, again, being a dick assumes Jaime is a willing traitor

And Batman.. who see has come a long way, now fully respecting Jaime and has all the faith in the world he can fight this. He gets blasted a lot but is ultimately p;roven right even as a small reach squad arrives.. and easily mops the floor with an ARMY of green lanterns who barely hold them back.

Jaime ends up turning the tide though, fighting his way free and proving himself.. and Guy decides to trust him because why not. How Jaime wins is also clever: he has the lanterns load him up with thier power.. but choose THEM for a reason: since the lanterns run on a user's will, it allows jamie to tape into the scarb's hosts an dresotre there,s disarrming the scarabs. The guardians not only thank jamie ut plan to destroy them... and Guy, as is necesiated by tv law, steps in and tells them not to include Jaime's, with Batman fully graduating his old sidekick.

Revenge is a solid ep. It lacks some of the depth of Fall, but is still a fun episode with some really tightly animated action and plays with the toys it has beautifully. So that leaves us with one last beetlecentric episode.. only this time.. it's Ted's farewell.

Menace of the Madniks!:

We end this retrospective still in season 2.. and this is a very close second favorite out of this pile. It's also the only one I hadn't seen, having not really tracked down most of the episodes I missed, apart from the Doom Patrol one.

The opening.. is the Haunted Tank. Now the concept of a possed wwII era tank, is awesome and the car chase is great. But for some reason not only did the original writers think it being a CONFEDERATE ghost was okay.. but so did the staff of BATB. I get this was long before BLM but.. come on. Just.. come on. He has CSA ON HIS HAT. WHy is batman riding shotgun with a racist confederate ghost? WHY IS BATMAN TEAMING UP WITH...

Menance builds on Batman's characterization from Fall of the Blue Beetle, having been one of Ted's closest friends and working hard to mop up the Madniks, the only member of Ted's rogues gallery to have staying power after his death. Their a bunch of artists, doodly doo, who want to peddle their weird anti-society ways man. Basically their what Steve Ditko thought beatniks were, but work because they have great designs that help cover up being created by an old man who yells at clouds.

Batman is trying to take them down in ted's honor.. but wasn't the ONLY one with that idea as we get the glory that is Booster Gold. Booster was ted's best friend in the comics, a janitor from the future who came back to our time to get rich being a hero, learned to be a hero, and spent most of his time in the league dragging Ted into get rich quick schemes

The two are joined at the hip, with Ted's death shattering the poor guy. Their also shipped a lot. Not really my thing in most cases but this episode is very much "the two guys into me have to hang out and neither likes each other", and I suppport it.

And tha'ts how they cleverly account for Booster and Ted's history not having been brought up till now: Ted was close with both bats and booster.. but made sure neither one knew about it, with booster only finding out when Batman berates him.

Booster being a time traveler also allows for them to cleverly bring ted back without undoing his sacrifice: While he is VERY dumb, Batman outright snaps at him later when he asks too many time travel questions a time traveler should DAMn well know, and Skeets, Boosters robot buddy voiced by voice acting legend billy west (Who along with Booster's va tom everett scott is reprsing his role from the DCAU, the only actors to do so here), is worried Boost just wants to save ted. He dose'nt know: while he'd LIKE to, he's again not THAT dumb and simply wants to see him again and wrap up the madmen as they were the last case Ted worked before Pago island.

It's sweet at first as we see how close the two are: Ted's super happy to see booster, glad to work with him, and only mildly confused his best friend is here after seeing him just a week ago. It speaks to the type of friends they are: wo goofuses who need each other and speak the same very dumb language. Ted is way more relaxed in this episode and it implies his more withdrawn manor with batman.. is simply matching bat's energy. IT's a nice way to have ted still be the awesome science guy.. but inject the fun back in.

The two go to stop the Madniks together, but booster makes an oopsie and shoots the gun their stealing. Their all imoblized by it but if you thought "a weird raygun backfiring and spraying red ominous energy over a bunch of c list villians" is going to end badly, your correct as Booster going back to the present.. finds it ravaged by three weird energy monsters who i'm calling the Meganiks as unlike booster, you can put two and two together. Booster tells on himself, and Batman, having not even REMOTELY suspected him, makes Booster take them back.

This leads to the fun part of the episode: Ted awkwardly having to navigate his VERY different besties, with batman being utterly shocked Ted spends time with such a goofus, not getting that not EVERYONE thinks fighting crime is the funenst thing possible. Seriously this episode has such "my best friend hates my boyfriend" energy and I love it. The two naturally bicker a lot with Ted trying to be civil before just telling the two to shut up and admitting this is WHY he didn't tell them about each other. Eventually the two DO end up working together well enough when Ted's in real danger.

And that's where the two sweetest parts of this come from. The first is when Booster finally admits he just wanted to see Ted again.. and Bats not only realizes he was a bit hard on the moron, accidently end of the world or no.. but that their friendship was as strong as Bats own with ted. I mean really.. who WOULDN'T want one last moment with a loved one, wether that loved one knew it or not. It bonds the two.. and in doing so gives ted something better than simply finishing his last case.. he gets to see the two people he cares about most actually get along. It's a really nice way to end it and when they get back to the present bats decides to invite booster to patrolw tih him. They may not really get each other.. but mayeb they can help each other move on.

So all in all one meh, early episode and a bunch of REALLY strong episodes. In general Brave and the Bold was really fantastic and only had maybe a few duds. It's a glorious celebration of the dcu and I wholly recommend checking it out especailly if you love those boys in blue

For now.. it's time to let Jamie and Ted have a rest. I'll go back there someday, I still want to cover the movie at some point, the rest of Jaime's run but for now we can simply watch as one flies and one swings off into the sunset, for more adventures, and a bright future. The bluest, and bravest, heroes there ever were. Thanks for reading.

#batman the brave and the bold #ted kord #jaime reyes #blue beetle #booster gold #guy gardner #will wheaton #will friedle #the madniks #the reach #the green lantern corps #green lantern

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poetrylesbian · 6 months

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not to be a bummer but i need to rant about this to someone and what better someone than this blog

i am very sad lately and it is mostly because my grandpa is not well and i don't know how long he has left. a year ago i was living with him and he was pretty good, occasionally forgetful sometimes but ultimately himself. but i haven't seen him in a month or two and now ive found out he's had a lot of problems and was actually keeping it from everyone.

backstory is that this is my paternal grandfather and even though my parents got divorced 20 years ago he's always stayed close with my mum, and ever since dad moved overseas my mum has insisted on being very present in his life even more because she's lowkey pissed that dad went and moved overseas when he had sick elderly parents. which was driven home 5 years ago when my granny died. so basically my parents do not get on and barely interact now that their kids are adults but my dad's entire family still gets on with and cares about my mum and vice versa.

so yeah. a month ago my mum visited my grandpa to pick up something of mine from him place bc i was in melbourne and she was worried because he seemed to be thinner and less himself. usually he always invites her in for coffee but he didn't. it was weird.

she texted my dad (even though she hates to lol) and dad asked my grandpa and basically we found out he'd spent some time in hospital and told NOBODY, not even his son who still lives in brisbane, and gotten a pacemaker put in.

basically fast forward to now and he has been in hospital since sunday. my mum was having trouble finding out what happened bc she's obvs not the next of kin and my uncle, who is, is not a great communicator (just like most of the men in this fucking family lol) and was not super clear.

basically, he's had a few falls. the most recent one I think he fell over and hit his head. and it must have been very bad, because he is not well at all. mum and my brother and i went and visited him two days ago and it was like he had dementia. he kept thinking he was back in england. at this point we didn't know why he'd gone to hospital in the first place so we asked him and he said he got a taxi to the airport and took a plane. he asked us about our flight because he thought we had flown to england to visit him. he was worried about losing his permanent residency in australia. he also kept forgetting my granny, his wife, had died five years ago. it was horrible. he said he'd called my dad and he hadn't picked up, then he said he'd called her and she hadn't picked up. at one point when i went to find my brother who had just arrived, apparently my mum asked him if he remembered what had happened to granny and he got upset and said he didn't, and cried. i dont think any of us have ever seen him cry. my mum explained what happened and he thanked her for telling him, because his oldest son (my dad, mum's ex, we don't think he remembered his name) wouldn't have told him that. then ten minutes later he'd forgotten and mentioned granny visiting again.

he also had to ask my brother all about his apprenticeship (poor tom came straight from his job at the quarry and was covered head to toe in dust from fixing a rock crusher) even though of course he should know all about it

he's also very very weak and not eating. when he left he kept trying to stand up to see is off but he couldn't get out of his chair and we had to ask him to stop trying in case he fell again.

but he did have his sense of humour. he was making jokes. there were moments of lucidity. but mostly he was confused and it just made me feel so helpless.

i know things like this are normal when people get older. he's 82. i get it. but it's not something that happened gradually - last time i saw him was only couple of months ago and this is so bad, so suddenly. it's not dementia.

and i feel awful. he's been living alone for the last five years, after spending 7 years caring for my granny 24/7. i am certain he was depressed but he'd never tell anyone. i can't stop thinking about all the times i told him id visit on the weekend and i fucking forgot because im so fucking forgetful. i cant stop thinking about how in 2019 he and my uncle and aunt were planning to rent a house with a granny flat or whatever for him and then covid happened and they basically used that as an excuse not to. and they left him alone, even when he'd had falls, even when he had to wear one of those emergency things around his neck that could detect when he fell and he had to fucking email my uncle every day after he showered to tell him he was alright.

anyway that's my rant.

i stayed in his house for 2 months last year and it was nice but i wanted to be closer to uni and my friends so i moved out when i should have just stayed and payed him rent and helped him and kept him company. and i should have visited way more often after i moved out in december and not fucking let my stupid stress get in the way of making him a priority.

oh also now my mum is telling me i need to beg my dad to visit earlier (he's supposed to be here dec 27) but i don't know! i tried to tell him how bad it was. but i don't know if he really got it.

#this can be summed up by my grandpa is not well and i am sad and guilty about it

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garbinge · 1 year

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Pottery

Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & Sister OC Cynalena ‘Cyn’ Reyes

Day 15 from these April Prompts: “Pottery”

Summary: The youngest Reyes sibling deals with the death of her mother and the effect that has on each of the Reyes men.

A/N: I apparently love to give funeral backstories to sibling OCs I have full multichap stories for. I have a whole nestor x cyn story that I’ve been working on and hope to post sometime soon, but in the meantime enjoy this little back story of her life with her brothers.

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Mentions of death and blood. Angst, a whoooollleee lot of it.

Mayans Taglist: @justreblogginfics @drabbles-mc @narcolini

The house was empty. Not physically by any means. There was furniture throughout, pictures hung along walls, some older, some newer. There were even signs of life, keys hung on hooks that were conveniently placed near the front door, shoes tossed around underneath in an untidy pile, and finally a chair pulled out from under the table, like someone had just gotten up and was expected to be back. But unfortunately, no one was expected to be back in that seat. Which is why the house felt empty.

Cyn stood at the front door taking in the emptiness, staring at the chair right hand to the head of the table, taking note of the plate full of crumbs and mug that had dried coffee stains in it by now. It had been 3 whole days since her mother had passed but each one felt like an eternity.

The first day was when she found out, the numbness hadn’t hit anyone yet, the shock was still prominent. Each member of the Reyes family trying to wrap their heads around the news, except EZ, who was there. Who saw his mother laid out on the ground, the blood leaving her body. EZ had hit numbness the minute the paramedics pronounced her DOA.

The second day was when everyone else was caught up to the middle Reyes sibling. That’s when the quiet overcame them, no one had much to say. The only chatter in the house was Cyn who ended up putting together her mother’s memorial services. It was very much a ‘if she didn't do it, it wouldn’t get done’ situation but she took the opportunity to really just dive into it, push the grief and mourning aside and just busy herself.

The third day was the day before the services. There wasn’t anything left to do which is what left Cyn standing in the house she was currently growing up in, just barely 17. She stared at the dishware for a moment before making her way through the living room and into the kitchen. There was no sign of anyone being in the home, but she knew her father was probably laying in bed, it took him two days to even enter the bedroom, let alone sit in the bed he shared with his now late wife, but once he did there was no getting him out.

Cyn looked around at the kitchen, her face filled with sadness but also a tad of disgust when her eyes roamed over the misplaced stack of dirty dishes and trash bin that was overflowing. After a quick deep breath, she decided to fill her mind with more busy work. Cleaning the dishes, taking out the trash, clearing the dining room table. Her last task was washing the blankets from the living room, figured she could at least swap out whatever her father was using in the bedroom with a clean blanket. As she was taking things out of the dryer she heard the front door close rather loudly followed by heavy footsteps. Angel. She knew each of her brother’s footsteps, she had come to learn through the years of them sneaking in and out of the house. Angel’s were heavy even when they wanted to be soft and secretive, while EZ’s were more calculated, like him.

She peaked her head around as she folded the last blanket. Angel caught her movement and nodded his head toward her.

“Sup.”

“Hey, where’ve you been? Where’s EZ?” Cyn picked up the blanket she was going to bring in for her father and folded it over her arms so it was cuddled in front of her.

“What is this, 20 questions?” The sound of the fridge opening echoed in the house as Angel opened it.

“I just figured we could go over the schedule for tomorrow.” Cyn walked into the kitchen beside him.

“Schedule?” Angel frowned. “We get her ashes, we spread her ashes, and then we drink at some shitty restaurant afterwards with people we haven't seen in years telling us how sorry they are for our loss.”

Cyn wasn’t going to argue with her eldest brother, she understood they were all hurting and Angel had a tendency of acting out even on a good day.

“Pops hasn’t left the room, I’m not even sure if he’s eaten.”

Angel popped open a beer, “He’s been drinking though, there’s only 6 beers left, I bought a 24 pack yesterday.”

“I had a couple,” EZ said as he entered the kitchen from the back door. “Needed to get out and get some air last night, took some with me.”

“A couple? You took like half the fuckin’ case,” Angel snapped.

“They’re in the family fridge, figured they were up for grabs.” EZ shrugged his older brother off.

Cyn knew what was about to happen, she’d seen her brothers argue with each other time after time.

“Family fridge? What the fuck is that?” Angel was shutting the fridge.

“Do you want me to pay you back, Angel? Fifteen fuckin’ dollars for the case of stale ass miller lite?”

Angel scoffed and ushered out the kitchen chair and sat down abruptly. “Man, shut the fuck up.”

Cyn quickly brought herself into the conversation in hopes to de-escalate it.

“I cleaned up, Pops–”

“You what?” EZ turned to her, his eyebrows frowning while his eyes were wide. His head snapped as he rapidly moved through the house leaving Angel and Cyn alone in the kitchen looking at each other in confusion.

He stomped back into the kitchen, practically running to the microwave and looked at it displaying the time.

“Why would you do that?” His voice was nervous, but scaringly loud.

“What? Clean?” Cyn frowned, a little bit of attitude dripping off her voice.

“The microwave had 3 seconds left on it, she always left it at that when she’d reheat her morning coffee,” EZ was moving just as quickly as he was talking. “You washed her blankets and cleaned up her mess, those were the last things we had of her.”

EZ’s voice was starting to become more shaky as it raised at his little sister. Cyn stared at him, shaking herself because this was one of the handful of times her brother ever yelled at her. They were close, not just in age but also as siblings, Cyn even considered him a friend. They went to school together, they talked all the time, he knew the girl, and yet he stood there, during one of the most heartbreaking times of their lives, losing it on her.

Angel spoke up. “You sound fuckin’ crazy bro.”

“Me? I’m crazy? At least I’m acknowledging she’s gone, you’re in denial and Cyn’s trying to be her.”

Angel saw Cyn’s face drop, the pain of EZ’s words slashing through her like a knife.

“Yo. Watch it.”

Angel stood up, still towering over EZ in height.

“Come at me all you want, but don’t come at our baby sister on some bullshit.”

EZ got up in Angel’s face, not letting the height the eldest Reyes had on him sway his ego in the slightest. “I’m doin’ for this family, what it can’t do for itself.”

“What the fuck does that even mean, bro?” Angel was frowning down at EZ.

EZ didn’t answer, he just stood there for a couple seconds before he turned away and walked right back out the door he came through.

Cyn felt her stomach fall into a pit, the tears were welling up in her eyes. She was staring empty out of the kitchen window, the words of her brother still sitting fresh inside her brain. All of them, not just the ones that were directed at her. It was the moment she fully realized she lost what she had with her brother. He was no longer her friend. The only thing connecting them now was blood and that even felt shaky.

Angel’s hand on her shoulder caused her to jump and turn to him. “Don’t let his dumb ass get to you, he’s all fucked up from seeing it all go down.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Cyn’s voice was pointed. Old habits die hard, she tended to always take EZ’s side growing up because he always had hers. She felt like she needed to defend him in this moment.

Angel’s hand fell from her shoulder at her response and she immediately back tracked. “Fuck, Angel. I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m fucked up too.”

Angel nodded, his face solemn as he chugged the rest of his beer and placed it empty on the table. “I gotta head out, I’ll see you tonight or tomorrow morning or whenever, just text me the details for the service.” He was placing a quick kiss to her head and making his way out the same door the other Reyes brother had just left from.

“Angel.” Cyn called out, taking one step forward but it was too late, he had already left. Her head fell in defeat and her eyes closed for a couple seconds before she processed everything. After a deep breath of accepting everything, she shook it off, grabbed the empty bottle, threw it in the recycling and walked over to her parents bedroom with the blanket still draped over her arm.

She lightly knocked on the door, waiting for a response but opened it even without one.

“Pop?” Cyn peeked her head in and saw him laying on his side in bed, the blankets were moving up and down from Felipe’s breathing, which gave Cyn a slight bit of relief. She moved into the bedroom swiftly, not wanting to disturb him much more than she already had.

“I have a new blanket for you. Fresh from the dryer so it’s still warm.” Her voice raised in a hopeful tone, thinking maybe that fact would bring him some type of comfort. “I’ll leave it here at the corner of the bed.” She placed the blanket down gently and moved to grab the empty glasses and plates that were in the room to move them to the sink. As she reapproached the bedroom door, she turned and spoke up. “I’m going to be heading down to the crematorium, we’re picking out an urn for them to place Mom’s ashes in. I told Angel and EZ about it but I have a feeling they’re probably not gonna be able to make it, but I just wanted to let you know, in case, but no worries, i can handle it. I’ll pick up dinner on my way home, too.” She felt herself rambling, her father wasn’t much of a talker usually, but the silence felt worse these days. “Um, alright. I’m gonna head out.” She started to close the door but then opened it again. “Love you.” It was said at that same hopeful tone as earlier but this time she was closing the door before she could be let down by his lack of response.

_____

She felt small staring up at the wall full of urns. She felt alone too. Her eyes were darting from one row to the next, taking in all the urns, some made out of ceramic, some handmade in Mexico, some porcelain, some marble, metal, and even glass. Scanning them all trying to pick one for her mother was seemingly difficult, her mind was scattered all over the place.

“That one.” Her father’s voice startled her. Turning her head she saw him standing next to her, pointing to the handmade and hand painted urn on the second shelf. It was black and clay coloured with accents of blue, green, orange, and yellow as flowers and patterns along the body of the urn. It felt like Marisol. Cyn actually was wondering how she had completely missed it.

Cyn nodded and got one of the operators of the crematorium to assist her in the purchase. Her father stood outside and waited for her to wrap up, it was probably his first time out in fresh air since the day everything happened.

“You want to walk downtown and grab a bite?” Cyn asked as she approached her father. Her face wasn’t looking at him as she asked, she was too busy fidgeting with the receipt into her bag to notice he was in his own world.

“You’re not replacing her, you know.” Felipe’s voice was raspy and low as he spoke.

Her face snapped up to see him staring into the sky.

“I heard what EZ said. You’re not replacing her.” This time Felipe’s voice was more stern.

“Thanks.” She wasn’t quite sure what to say here.

“You should leave.” Felipe looked over at her now.

“Alright, I’ll bring food home for you.” Cyn didn’t take his words to heart.

“No, Cynalena.” Her full name left his mouth. “Leave Santo Padre.”

Those were probably the heaviest words she heard all day. She didn’t respond. Not just because she didn’t want, but because she had nothing to say.

“The service is at 11AM tomorrow, I’ll let EZ and Angel know. The word has spread to the family, everyone who needs to know, knows. Love you, Pop.” She kissed the side of his head and made her way in the opposite direction, not taking a second to look back at him but just keep walking forward.

Her footsteps stopped and she looked up to see a neon sign turn on. Dusk was approaching so the moment it turned on and illuminated onto her feet she was looking up at it. Her gaze turned to inside the tattoo shop in front of her and before realizing it, she was inside and on the chair getting something permanently on her skin to commemorate something she wanted to permanently forget.

#angel reyes #ez reyes #ez reyes x oc #angel reyes x oc #reyes brothers x oc #reyes brothers #mayans mc #mayans fx #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fanfiction #Reyes Sister #Reyes Sibling OC #OC Cynalena

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