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#back through the checkpoint
kelocitta · 4 months
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Sorry for the sudden shift into RW Saint story discussion but also Yippee for good ol' fashioned RW lore and story discussion
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taterdraws · 8 months
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fontaine doodle dump!!
im gonna explain that first one basically i wanted to draw him in that npc fit bcs i thought it looked sleek af and then i thought, listen. navia would go 'man you've decided to step in front of the chief justice, the hydro archon and like half the population of the court of fontaine. we're gonna get you dressed up!' and the realistic solution, since they cant leave the opera house, would be doing as halsey did and raid lyney and lynette's costumes. however! the funny solution is she goes "Silver, swap clothes with him" (and silver's clothes are way too big)
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juazz5ever · 6 months
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i didnt see a father holding his child remains in plastic bags for yall tumblr little shits to tell me "um um, actually, kicking out the settlers would mean another genocide" SHUT THE FUCK UP!
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sebdoeswords · 7 months
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Sorry bby :(
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aro-aizawa · 8 months
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against my better judgement i did indeed buy the saints row 3 remaster and oh boy i should have expected all the bugs
#shut up danni's talking#its not unplayable bc the original game had a fair amount of bugs#but it is so infuriating that the most visible of bugs were never fixed and its been 2 years since#there's this one bug where one of the main bad guys has a broken textured face#and considering the only thing going for this version is its graphics this is genuinely a huge fuck you#it continues all throughout the entire game and so i have no idea what new cyrus is meant to look like#except his in game model when you get your face to look like his to infiltrate thats like many hours after his introduction#there have been other bugs that were on the funnier side that i didn't mind bc that's half the allure of the saints row game#its dumb and its stupid and cool and fun!!!!#its just. so much fun. not that there aren't flaws there's a lot#but these cookey funny bugs fit w the universe#like at one point there's meant to be a big firefight at the base and i almost died bc i was cackling at this one lady who was just smoking#while there's this big massive shootout she's like hm i may be in this gang but not my problem.#she only started shooting back when she got staggered which reset her#another is when you have to run out a building to a nearby car during a shootout and i pressed the use button to open the door#but i was running and pressed the use button which also executes a quick hijack animation where you leap into a car#so my chara literally yeeted herself through closed doors i had to get back out and open the door for my pal#annoying bugs tho are ones where things don't properly load and i have to start over fro checkpoint to fix it#or when i have a vehicle retrieval mission and the car literally gets stuck in the scenery if you hit it wrong#and also said texture bug#its just disappointing that the series cranks out games but the company doesn't give any love to them#still waiting on that patch for saints row 2 so that i can play it ✨️ one of my faves in the series#dw i won't be buying the latest saints game unless its on ridic sale#no way am i paying full price for that
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good morning my internet friends and enemies. Crunch from Crash Bandicoot is hot. now, other than that, you can hit my ask box and suggest post ideas, if you want to see any sort of ranking or title card analysis, and i hope you have a nice weekend
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#good news: i've finished my degree so i can write sly posts#bad news: i've finished my degree so i can't procrastinate by writing sly posts#i want to rank the series' bossfight locations so maybe i'll do that later today#i've fallen into a dark rabbit hole of Crash compilation videos lately like Evolution of This Character in Crash Games#honestly... diverse rogues gallery? we love to see it#i haven't played a Crash game in so long like maybe 15 years?#and i've learned some interesting stuff through watching these compilations#like how Twinsanity is only 1/3 of what was initially intended ??? the cut content looks insane#like a level in Coco's brain? with lovable plushies as enemies??? need.#it's giving Rainbow Monkeys from Kids Next Door but Twinsanity COULD NEVER#i always struggled with that game i think it had horrible checkpoint placements#and the soundtrack being acapella was a CHOICE.....#idk why Wrath of Cortex gets such a bad rap like... it was so different?#i might replay both when i get back home (if the ps2 discs aren't scratched like hell)#i'm planning on replaying Sly (obviously) and Jak 1 and maybe if i'm in the mood Ratchet 1 too#but i'm currently looking for a cheap student storage space to store my stuff over summer and the br*ts are like... what???#like the guy emailed me and said that Brexit has fucked up cardboard box shipments... should've known better babes xx#ANYWAY long & unnecessary rant courtesy of my life being in limbo rn. will make that ranking soon#sly cooper#lol
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hagravenholm · 2 months
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yuri-alexseygaybitch · 7 months
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Israeli settlers casually fleeing back to the US or Europe or wherever they want to go really thanks to passport privilege while Palestinians are literally trapped in a giant cage waiting for the Israeli military to bomb the shit out of them highlights another power asymmetry of the Palestinian occupation: the freedom of movement, or lack thereof. Palestinians are not free to move across their own land. Everything is controlled through the most elaborate and heavily militarized borders, security checkpoints, military blockades, minefields, etc. in the world. Even if those didn't exist you can bet a Palestinian wouldn't be able to just get on a plane and go wherever they please without so much as a visa (not to mention the likely thousands of Palestinians who have been put on no fly lists due to be pure racism). When conflict breaks out they simply have nowhere to go. An Israeli can hop on a jet and fuck off back to Long Island or wherever until it simmers down.
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zingay · 7 months
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To provide an explanation for people who don't understand the living situation in Gaza:
Gaza is under siege, there are no open exits, the only passages are Israeli checkpoints and the Rafah Crossing at the border of Egypt. The border is completely closed due to Egyptian relations with Israel and the West. Israel does not allow Palestinians to pass through checkpoints.
The other border is the sea, which is not a passage they are able to take as they have no transportation as well as the fact that Israel has an active navy
All of their necessities (food, clean water, medical supplies, electricity) are controlled by Israel, they cannot recieve humanitarian aid as all attempts are met with threats. They are given less than the necessary amounts of resources to sustain themselves. Israel has now cut that off completely. Hospitals are running on generators
They do not have the materials, permits or machinery required to make water purifiers, produce medical equipment, ensure food safety or to even rebuild demolished housing.
This also means they don't have the means to build bomb shelters, something I've noticed many Westerners expect them to have. Gaza has no shelters and nobody is able to build them
This means every time Israel has sent a bombardment, Gazzans have been out in the open or hiding in corners of their hopes hoping not to get killed.
Human rights are non-existent for Gaza. Protest is met with snipers. Children are met with violence. Any non-white, non-jewish people who pass through a checkpoint are forced to strip in order to be searched. Palestinians are treated as subhuman
Palestinian people, including children, have been arrested without provocation and are held prisoner without trial for years on end. Many who were arrested as young teenagers are now adults and still imprisoned, with some in solitary confinement for years
Rape is extremely prevalent among IOF soldiers. Both men and women have bragged about sexually assaulting Palestinian men, women, and children. This includes prison guards, who sexually abuse prisoners. Sexual abuse is also prevalent at checkpoints and during interrogations
Anyone who manages to leave can never come back, as Palestinians are not given a state or government, and are forced into remaining stateless and a refugee in most countries
If I see you people still supporting Israel after seeing this, then I have to believe you're heartless
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faroresson · 1 year
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Checkpoint Starvation is the worst
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astralstarlight · 3 months
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walking in on you with your favourite toy !
w/ sukuna and choso (separate)
warnings/tags: implied fem! reader (bc that's how i'm thinking about it in my head rn), suggestive, 18+, no curses AU, in a relationship with choso, it's anyone's business who you are to sukuna (housemates maybe??), definitely not in a relationship with him though and you probably have to deal with him walking around shirtless all the fine and looking fine, the toy is a vibrator
a/n: thinking about them a lot recently
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Sukuna is not amused. This is not his fault.
If you were going to be doing such private things, then you should lock your door.
"I can explain." You say.
Sukuna gives you a once-over. You're extremely calm for someone who's just had a ruined orgasm. The vibrator is still buzzing a little away from where you'd given up on trying to turn it off and just thrown it to the side for hopes of bringing some small sense of decency back onto your naked form. The blanket is haphazardly tossed over your legs.
It barely covers you.
You're wearing a big t-shirt and nothing else on the bottom half. He got a pretty good glimpse in your panic anyways — wet, wanting, twitching... He can't seem to get it out of his mind anymore.
An eerie acceptance settles over your face. It must be the adrenaline, Sukuna deducts.
"Okay." Sukuna says, crossing his arms and pushing the door closed behind him. "Explain."
"Well." And you have the audacity to hesitate on your words still, as though he isn't already wasting his time and attention on you. "You should knock." Pause. "Next time."
Sukuna lets out a barking laugh. "There won't be a next time, brat." He stalks over to you. It's a bit more imposing than you would imagine, especially when his eyes are scanning over your form as though he's already eating you up in his mind. He decides to toss a side-glance to your vibrator in an attempt to embarrass you further, before drawing his attention back to you.
It works, a brief flicker of panic exposing itself on your face as you seem to finally catch up to the situation.
"Just ask. But don't try to be cute about it." Sukuna continues.
"Sukuna?" You ask timidly, still trying to figure out what he's actually proposing.
"I told you not to be cute about it."
That seems to rile you up, and you feel a flash of annoyance run through you. "I'm cute about everything."
You just get to finish your sentence, before he cups your jaw dangerously tight, tilting your face to look up at him. Perhaps you weren't such a quiet and innocent housemate after all. The way your cheeks squish together is kind of cute actually.
He thinks you might look better crying.
A sound between a questioning mumble and a choke leaves your throat. You open your mouth to say something else, but his fingers are already tracing down to your collarbone. He tilts his head slightly as he feels your breath hitch.
"Lie back." Sukuna says, nudging your shoulder a little.
It's a final warning, you realise. A checkpoint in deciding whether you want to continue or not.
You do follow his instructions, jerking slightly as he manages to slide his hand onto you and press down onto your sensitive clit. His hands quickly move to keep your legs open.
He stops moving for a bit and you peek up at him to see what he's doing. The vibrator is in his hand, looking rather small and pathetic.
"We'll see how easily you cum from this, and depending on whether you impress me..." His eyes travel from your lower half up to your eyes. "I'll show you how good it'll feel to take me."
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Choso is polite about it. Every kiss you've shared with him has been soft, sweet even. He's never shown any particular interest in furthering it. It's why you're so oddly embarrassed when he walks in on you with your vibrator pressed against your clit.
"Choso!" You manage to slip the vibrator out of your hands and turn it off, ignoring the urge to pull the blankets over your head.
His face reveals no surprise, nor a blush. A feeling of insecurity runs through you and a stinging starts behind your eyes. Huh.
In the silence, he's staring very intently at your closed legs. He takes a step into the room, still saying nothing.
You jump slightly when he sits beside you on the bed. He's uncertain, bordering on nervous as his fingers twitch slightly.
It's quiet enough that you think you should say something.
"Choso—" You say again, in a softer, more reassuring tone.
He cuts you off. "I'll help."
The matter-of-fact tone makes you blush. You forget how straightforward he usually is.
You shake your head. "It's fine. If you're uncomfortable with it or you're not really sure, you don't need to—"
Choso reaches under the covers from where you've thrown your vibrator. The top of it still glistens with your slick. He takes it out, twisting it in his hand as though to investigate it. He presses the button until it vibrates a bit too loudly.
It's not a setting you usually would have set it on to start with.
"Just tell me what to do." He says.
Good thing there's a lot of different settings for him to play with under your guidance.
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iwanthermidnightz · 10 months
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When I think back on the Speak Now album, I get a lump in my throat. I have a feeling it will always be that way, because this period of time was so vibrantly aglow with the last light of the setting sun of my childhood. I made this album, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. I've spoken about how I feel like those ages are the most emotionally turbulent ones in a persons life. Maybe when I say that, I'm really just talking about myself.
I think they might just be the most idealistic, hopeful years too. At this point in my life, I had released my second album, Fearless. It became the breakthrough moment I'd always dreamt of, one that catapulted my career to new realms of success. It had brought with it a tidal wave of pressures and pitfalls and growing pains. All the while, I was encountering the milestones and checkpoints of normal teenage growth. I had cataclysmic crushes and brushes with heartache. I moved out of my parents' house and set my bags down in a new apartment. I hung photos on my own walls and decorated the space where I would sob and cackle and shatter and dream. Sometimes I felt like a grown up, but a lot of the time I just wanted to time travel back to my childhood bed, where my mom would read stories to me until I fell asleep.
In my darker moments, I was tormented by the doubt that swirled loudly around my ascent and my merits as an artist. I was trying to create a follow up to the most awarded country album in history, while staring directly into the face of intense criticism. I had been widely and publicly slammed for my singing voice and was first encountering the infuriating question that is unfortunately still lobbed at me to this day: does she really write her songs? Spoiler alert: I really, really do.
In the years since, I've developed a thicker skin about public criticism and the cynicism with which some people approach the music I make. At that time, it leveled me. I had these voices in my head telling me that I had the perfect chance and I blew it. I hadn’t been good enough. I had given it all I had and been found wanting.
I wanted to get better, to challenge myself, and to build on my skills as a writer, an artist, and a performer. I didn't want to just be handed respect and acceptance in my field. I wanted to earn it. To try and confront these demons, I underwent extensive vocal training and made a decision that would completely define this album: I decided I would write it entirely on my own. I figured, they couldn't give all the credit to my cowriters if there weren't any. But that posed a new challenge: It really had to be good. If it wasn't, I would be proving my critics right.
I had no idea how much this pain would shape me. That this was the beginning of my series of creative choices made by reacting to setbacks with defiance. That my stubbornness in the face of doubters and dissenters would become my coping mechanism through my entire career from that point forward. This exact pattern of enacting my own form of rebellion when I feel broken is exactly why you're reading these very words, and I'm re-releasing this album now.
I went through my first worldwide scandal (the mic grab seen around the world). I experienced the weirdness of trying to get to know a boy while a swarm of paparazzi surrounds the car. Media contacting my publicist for an official statement on why two teenagers broke up. These are weird experiences to have at any age, but even more surreal when you're 19.
I had the nagging sense that in the most intense moments of my life, I had frozen. I had said nothing publicly. I still don't know if it was out of instinct, not wanting to seem impolite, or just overwhelming fear. But I made sure to say it all in these songs. I decided to call the album Speak Now. It was a play on the speak now or forever hold your peace' moment in weddings, but for me it symbolized a chance to respond to the chatter and commentary around my own life.
Some of these emotional revelations were surprising to people. Some expected anger and instead got compassion and empathy with 'Innocent'. Some expected a kiss-off breakup song but instead got a hand-on-heart apology, 'Back to December. It was an album that was the most precious to me because of its vast extremes. It was unfiltered and potent. In my mind, the saddest song I've ever written is 'Last Kiss'. My most scathing is 'Dear John' and my most wistfully romantic is 'Enchanted'.
I'll be forever proud of setting a goal and seeing it through. I'lI always feel shivers all over when I remember singing 'Long Live' to close the show every night on tour. The outstretched hands of those bright and beautiful faces of the fans. Their support was like an open palm that reached out and helped me up off the ground when others were, frankly, mean.
These days I make my choices for those people, the ones who thought I had been good enough all along. I try to speak my mind when I feel strongly, in the moment I feel it. I'm still idealistic and earnest about the music I make, but I'm less crushed when people mock me for it. I know now that one of the bravest things a person can do is create something with unblinking sincerity, to put it all on the line. I still sometimes wish I was a little kid again in a tiny bed, before I ever grew up.
I always looked at this album as my album, and the lump in my throat expands to a quivering voice as I say this. Thanks to you, dear reader, it finally will be.
I consider this music to be, along with your faith in me, the best thing that's ever been mine.
Yours,
Taylor
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orcelito · 2 years
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im at about 7.3k words for chapter 41 now
this is me being about halfway through scenes 1 and 6. and with 2 though 5 entirely unwritten.
Yeah.
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heritageposts · 1 month
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[...] More specifically, the cycle of violence in The Last of Us Part II appears to be largely modeled after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I suspect that some players, if they consciously clock the parallels at all, will think The Last of Us Part II is taking a balanced and fair perspective on that conflict, humanizing and exposing flaws in both sides of its in-game analogues. But as someone who grew up in Israel, I recognized a familiar, firmly Israeli way of seeing and explaining the conflict which tries to appear evenhanded and even enlightened, but in practice marginalizes Palestinian experience in a manner that perpetuates a horrific status quo. The game's co-director and co-writer Neil Druckmann, an Israeli who was born and raised in the [occupied] West Bank before his family moved to the U.S., told the Washington Post that the game's themes of revenge can be traced back to the 2000 killing of two Israeli soldiers by a mob in Ramallah. Some of the gruesome details of the incident were captured on video, which Druckmann viewed. In his interview, he recounted the anger and desire for vengeance he felt when he saw the video—and how he later reconsidered and regretted those impulses, saying they made him feel “gross and guilty.” But it gave him the kernel of a story. “I landed on this emotional idea of, can we, over the course of the game, make you feel this intense hate that is universal in the same way that unconditional love is universal?” Druckmann told the Post. “This hate that people feel has the same kind of universality. You hate someone so much that you want them to suffer in the way they’ve made someone you love suffer.” Druckmann drew parallels between The Last of Us and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict again on the official The Last of Us podcast. When discussing the first time Joel kills another man to protect his daughter and the extraordinary measures people will take to protect the ones they love, Druckmann said he follows "a lot of Israeli politics," and compared the incident to Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinians prisoners in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. He said that his father thought that the exchange was overall bad for Israel, but that his father would release every prisoner in every prison to free his own son. "That's what this story is about, do the ends justify the means, and it's so much about perspective. If it was to save a strange kid maybe Joel would have made a very different decision, but when it was his tribe, his daughter, there was no question about what he was going to do," Druckmann said.
And continuing, on the security structures featured in the The Last of Us Part II:
Besides the familiar zombie fiction aesthetics of an overgrown and decomposing metropolis, The Last of Us Part II's main setting of Seattle is visually and functionally defined by a series of checkpoints, security walls, and barriers. There are many ways to build and depict structures that separate and keep people out. Just Google "U.S.-Mexico border wall" to see the variety of structures on the southern border of the United States alone. The Last of Us Part II's Seattle doesn't look like any of these. Instead, it looks almost exactly like the tall, precast concrete barriers and watch towers Israel started building through the West Bank in 2000.
Illustrations, from the article:
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The first barrier Ellie and Dina encounter when arriving in Seattle / West Bank barrier.
. . . article continues on Vice (July 15 2020)
Backup -> archive.today link /archive.org link
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freedomfireflies · 6 months
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A-Mazing*
Summary: An extra for 404*
The one where you and Harry find yourselves lost in a corn maze together.
Word Count: 7.5k
Content Warning: 18+, smut, exhibitionism, size kink, Daddy kink, enemies dynamic, Harry being a little bitch 🫶
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“Oh, absolutely not.”
Harry smirks as he turns to you, hands sliding into his hoodie pocket. “Gee, thanks.”
“No, I’m serious, I’m not getting stuck with you,” you argue, glancing toward the rest of the group that’s already heading inside the corn maze. “Seriously, please. Anybody else. I will take literally anybody else.”
“Well, you don’t get anybody else,” Harry snorts, much too smug for your liking. “You were late.”
“Yeah, and I was late because I was fixing your mistake,” you remind him. “It took me three hours to recode that sequence. And I’m still not finished—"
“Right, because it wasn’t a fucking mistake, Princess. The way I designed it was going to help it run three times more efficiently than the way Prescott suggested. And you just fucking undid it—"
“You weren’t asked to make it more efficient. You were told to do it the way the client wanted—”
“Well, the way the client wanted it was slow and stupid—”
“And you would be the authority on slow and stupid.”
Harry’s eyes narrow while his lips press into a thin line, looking quite incensed. “Very mature. Are we going in or what?”
“Fine,” you agree through a heavy exhale, shoving past him to head toward the entrance.
You have no idea why you even agreed to come in the first place. Sure, the idea of getting a few coworkers together for some fall fun was sweet, but truth be told, you don’t really care about any of these people outside of the office. You don’t care to see them, or get to know them, or hang out with them.
And the one person you do know happens to also be the one person you can’t stand.
Corn mazes are fun. Even pairing up to do them together is kind of exciting.
But with him? You’d rather get lost.
“All right, here’s your map,” the kind, older woman at the table says, handing you a piece of paper. “Answer the questions at each fork and follow the path according to your answer.”
You nod your understanding and offer a quick thank you before slipping past the tent and toward the beginning of the maze. The setting sun casts shadows across the field as you both make your way through the stocks.
You feel a sense of adventure as you make your way to the first checkpoint. Taking in the lingering scent of kettle corn somewhere off in the distance, and the excited chatter of the other people inside the maze. It’s exhilarating, and you feel a sense of purpose as you stride forward. Spurred on by a need to win – to do better than him.
And you hear Harry subtly huff from somewhere behind you, clearly annoyed with the way you’ve left him behind. “Real fucking mature,” he scoffs, and you can practically hear his eyes roll. “We’re supposed to be a team, Tinkerbell. You know, work together.”
“Well, I don’t want to be on a team with you,” you retort. “And we’ve never worked well together. As is evident by your complete lack of common sense and understanding of the system we’re trying to design.”
“Oh, this shit again—"
“Yes, this shit again. You’re costing us time and money by trying to prove you’re so much better than everyone else—”
“Well, I can’t exactly help it if I am, now, can I?”
You feel your expression fall as you spin on your heel to face him. “You’re fucking annoying, is what you are. It’s not my job to clean up after you. Okay, I’m not your mother, I’m not your babysitter. I am your equal. And it’s about fucking time you start treating me like it.”
Even in the dark, murky space, you can see a certain glimmer in his eye. One that challenges the frown on his face.
He studies you for a moment, eyes searching for a response. “Careful what you wish for, Princess.”
With that, he shoves past you and forges ahead into the maze. Leaving you to stare at his back with a glower.
You’re both silent as you approach the first fork, offering nothing more than looks of indignation and huffs of apathy as you raise your map and scan the question. 
“What does WWW stand for in a website browser?” you read aloud before snorting. “World Wide Web. C.”
An easy question. You both know the answer, and there's no way he can argue with you.
So, instead, he says nothing. Merely glancing over the paper almost skeptically before heading toward the third row.
Pocketing the trivia questions, you chase after him. “So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? The silent treatment?”
Harry’s back stays to you as he slips between the stocks. “I’m not giving you the fucking silent treatment; I’m not twelve.”
“Then why aren’t you talking to me?”
“Because you’re a fucking brat.”
The vicious way he sneers the word sends a certain reaction down your spine, but you brush it away just as quickly as it appeared. “I thought I was your teammate.”
“You said it yourself, we’re not a team,” he retorts. “You’re not my babysitter, and you’re not my mother. Unless what you were really trying to say is that you want me to call you Mommy.”
You feel yourself hesitate, confused, and slightly startled by the suggestion. “Ew. Why would I want that?”
You see his shoulder lift and fall in a shrug. “I don’t know. You’ve always been a kinky little thing. Maybe it gets you off.”
“Oh, fuck you, I don’t have a mommy kink. Especially not with you.”
“Fine, a daddy kink then. Don’t think I forgot how eager you were to say it last time—”
“That was for you,” you hiss, once again glaring at his hooded back. “Okay, I was trying to see if you liked it, and you did—”
“Of course I did. It’s hot.”
“Sure, yeah. But I’m the kinky one?”
“I never said I wasn’t. I’m just saying, if you want me to call you mommy…all you have to do is ask.”
You come to the second fork, forcing the conversation to a halt as you feel your heart hammer in your chest. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Fine.”
You unfold the map and search for the next question. “What is cynophobia?”
“Easy. Fear of cats.”
“That’s ailurophobia, you dipshit. Cynophobia is a fear of dogs.”
“Dipshit. Classy. No, that’s real nice, Tink. Very romantic.”
“Well, it’s true. Look it up.”
“Can’t,” he says calmly. Confidently. “There’s no service in here.”
“Oh, yeah? And how do you know?”
“Cause I’ve done this before. Many times.”
Your eyes narrow. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“…why?”
There’s a brief pause before he says, “She used to love it here.”
Your heart instantly drops into your toes, grimace untwisting as you glance toward the ground. “Oh.”
Another shrug. “Point is, I can’t look it up. So…pick whichever. I don’t care.”
Swallowing thickly, you gesture toward the second exit. “B. The answer is dogs. My brother used to have it when he was younger.”
And for the first time all evening, it’s Harry’s turn to look surprised as he nudges his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “You have a brother?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you learn that from my file?” you tease, and you notice his lips twitch up into a smirk.
“Not exactly.”
“Yeah, well…I don’t really talk about him. He doesn’t live here, he lives back home. After my dad left, he stuck around to take care of our mom.”
You see a flash of sympathy streak across his expression, but you’re brushing him off before he can comment.
“Anyway, it’s B,” you repeat, walking toward the middle row. “If you don’t believe me, then go your own way.”
For a moment, Harry hesitates, almost as though considering it. Then, he sighs, and begrudgingly follows your lead.
This time around, you’re both quiet. Listening to the sounds of everyone else further on in the maze laughing, or talking, or squealing with excitement.
A few scattered lamps help guide you through the dark labyrinth. You can see the wind move through the corn stocks. The way they rustle as they sway with the breeze, adding an element of eeriness to the already spooky scene.
Furthermore, the night air is beginning to grow cold. The fall chill nipping at your skin and reminding you once more that it’s no longer summer as you shiver and pull your jacket further around your body. 
“Should have brought a real coat,” Harry comments, almost haughtily, and it makes your eyes roll. “It’s October, Princess. Can’t wear booty shorts and flip flops anymore.”
Despite the fact that you’re wearing neither of those, you still feel the need to scoff, “Well, of course it’s not cold to you. You’re already dead inside.”
“Ooo, ouch. You got me. Sick burn, Tink. Real sick.”
His flippant response makes your skin crawl. “You are so fucking annoying, do you know that?”
“And you’re a fucking brat, do you know that?”
“I’m not a brat, I’m just right.”
“Sure. Whatever you say.”
“Yeah, it is whatever I say, actually. I’m the one with the fucking map.”
To prove your point, you wave the paper in the air before stopping beside the next checkpoint.
“What are the names of the four women on the show, The Golden Girls?” you read, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “Uh…I know Rose is one of them.”
“And Betty White,” Harry adds.
“No, her character. Not her,” you huff. “And I’m pretty sure Betty played Rose, so that’s only one.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to help,” he scoffs before glancing over the multiple-choice answers. “Then it’s probably A or C. Those are the only ones with Rose in them.”
“Well, we have to pick one. Okay, we can’t do both—”
“Yes, I fucking know that, Tinkerbell. I’m just narrowing it down—”
“Well, maybe be less condescending about it.”
“Fine,” he nearly snaps, angrily stabbing at the map with his finger. “A. Dorothy, Rose, Blanch, and Samantha.”
“No, that doesn’t sound right. I don’t think they had a Samantha. It was…it was something else. Either Sophia or Sarah.”
“Well, you have to pick one. You can’t have both,” he repeats mockingly, and you begin to glare. “Besides, statistically, it’s more likely they switch up the letters with each guess. We’ve already done B and C. Next should be A.”
“Really? That’s your reasoning?”
“That’s my reasoning. Take it or leave it.”
And you don’t like it. You don’t feel convinced by it. But you decide – just this once – to put your faith in his incessant need to be right. To trust him and his judgment.
You nod once. A curt gesture of good will as he sighs gratefully and takes off toward the first row. 
An eerie feeling follows you as you trail behind. Perhaps an ominous warning to turn around. That something is about to go wrong.
At first, you shake it away. Equating it with your distaste for the man before you.
But soon…you see the real reason why.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” you groan when you’re both forced to a stop by a dead end. “See? What did I tell you?”
“Fuck off, you didn’t tell me shit, Princess. It’s a dead end, not death,” he huffs. “We’ll turn around and try again.”
“Can we? We passed like two other rows and now I can’t remember which way we came.”
“Well, that’s not my fault.”
“Oh, bite me, Harold.”
“Just tell me where.”
You feel your heart race beneath your chest. Spurred on by adrenaline, slight fear, and the brisk cold air. “Can you please stop being so infuriating?”
“Can you please stop being such a bitch?” he replies cooly before his eyes flick down toward your shivering frame. “You’re shaking.”
“Yes, I know,” you grit through clenched, chattering teeth. “It’s cold. And don’t you dare make another joke about flip flops. I don’t have the energy to slap you.”
That arrogant smirk returns. “Cute. Told you, you should have brought a coat.”
“Well, I didn’t,” you hiss. “So can we please just get the fuck out of here before I freeze to death?”
Harry’s eyes roll, but you notice his grin grow as he sighs and lifts a hand toward the collar of his hoodie.
In one fluid motion, he’s slipping the sweatshirt up his torso and over his head to hand to you. Dangling the dark fabric between your bodies as you stare at it incredulously.
“Take it,” he grumbles, waving the material in your direction. “And don’t fucking say I’m never nice to you.”
Stunned, you blink quickly. “What…are you doing?”
“Just put it on,” he huffs, gesturing toward you again. “Cause, if you die out here, I’m not dragging your body back.”
Your eyelids narrow into small slits while you cautiously reach for the hoodie. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Once you’ve taken it, he uses his knuckle to shove his glasses back into position. “Like you said, I can’t get cold. I’m dead inside.”
You smile at this before pulling the cozy jacket over your head. It smells…good. It smells like him. Radiating heat and the faint scent of his cologne. 
Truth be told, it feels like a warm hug. Something you can’t imagine Harry ever giving you on his own. And a part of you feels…relieved. Relaxed and almost…enamored. Perhaps even grateful.
“Thanks,” you murmur, snuggling against the fabric before slipping your hands into the pocket. “You didn’t…have to. I know being nice isn’t your thing.”
He snorts, turning now toward the tall lookout platform just beside the dead end. “Whatever. Maybe we should go up and see if we can see the exit.”
“Okay.”
With that, he turns toward the stairs and begins the trek up. You rush after him, trying hard to see the steps without much light, and thankfully making it to the top in one piece as you begin to look around. 
It’s beautiful. Absolutely stunning, the design lit up by the soft glow of the moon. An almost romantic touch, although you shake the thought away. You can see a few groups spread out throughout the rest of the maze, but most of them are already making their way out. Having figured out the riddles much quicker than the two have seemed to.
You pout. “Nuts.”
“Yeah,” he agrees in a low grumble. “Okay, we’ll…we’ll turn around. Maybe you were right. Maybe it was C. We can try that next.”
It’s strange to hear him admit you could have been correct, and you can’t help but smirk as you nod. “Okay.”
You follow Harry down the other side, focusing your attention on your footing as you take each step one at a time.
But once you’re toward the bottom, your tennis shoe suddenly catches on a rogue nail, and you begin to stumble. Body falling forward before you can even reach for the railing.
Instantly, Harry – who’s already made it back to the ground – reaches out for your arms, slipping his hands beneath your elbows to help steady you and catch you just in the nick of time. Sparing you from a rather embarrassing fall.
You gasp as you’re flung forward, allowing yourself to settle in his embrace for support while you work on your balance and place your feet back where they need to be.
And once you’re sure you’re sturdy, you take a deep breath, and straighten up.
“Shit,” you whisper, lashes fluttering from the rush of adrenaline, and the feel of his touch. “I hate these shoes.”
You expect a snarky quip, but instead, you see his expression twist from behind his glasses as he glances over your face. Hands still glued to your arms. “Are you all right?”
A bit stunned by the soft and rather gentle tone of voice, you nod once. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m…sorry. I should have been looking.”
He seems confused by your apology but chooses to ignore it, instead watching you closely as if monitoring your reaction. “If you wanted me to hold you, Tinkerbell, you could have just said so.”
Despite yourself, you laugh, cheeks growing warm as you push yourself out of his arms. “Fuck off.”
“Fuck off? Or fuck me?”
“Ha. Very funny.”
“Maybe I’m not being funny,” he argues. “Maybe I mean it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really.”
You snort. “Harry, come on. This would be the last place to fuck.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Yeah, why. What’s wrong with it? It’s dark. Secluded. There’s the element of getting caught, which I know you like.”
“Harry,” you repeat, almost doubtfully. “We…there’s no place to even do it. It’s way too exposed, and cold, and dangerous. We’d be better off just fucking in my car.”
“If we can even find our way back to your car,” he retorts teasingly. “Besides, I thought you liked danger.”
You gaze at him with suspicion, feeling that odd racing return to your chest. “You’re not being serious, are you?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. I wasn’t at first, but…it’s not a bad idea.”
“Please. You can’t be that horny that you have to fuck me every time we see each other.”
“Okay, well, I’m not and I don’t,” he scoffs. “It’s just…different.”
“Oh, really? Why?”
Another shrug, but this time, he’s stepping closer. Those soft, green eyes dancing down your body as if drinking you in. Indulging in the sight of you. “I don’t know,” he repeats, a bit quieter. Thicker. “There’s just…something about you, in my clothes. It’s…it’s good. You look good.”
The look in his eye is primal. Breeding a new sense of desire deep within the pit of your stomach. You shift under his lustful gaze, fingers curling into your fist from inside the pocket.
“Thanks, I guess,” you manage to say, noticing the way he continues to move closer. “It is comfy.”
“Good,” he mumbles, still studying your stance before dragging his attention back up to your face. “And you’re warm?”
“Getting there.”
A short nod. “You know…there are other ways of heating you up.”
The sneaky remarks are back, and even though you can feel your legs squeezing together from the suggestive tone of voice, you grin. “Yeah?”
“Mhm.” He finally reaches you, fingers outstretching for the front of his hoodie. Moving up your chest almost innocently before slipping around the back of your neck. “Want me to keep you warm, Tink?”
And you want to tease him a little longer, make him wait. Suffer.
But he’s too good. He’s always been too good at catching you off guard and luring you into submission. The way he speaks, the way he looks at you, the way he pulls you closer with the palm of his hand. You can practically taste him. Can smell him everywhere. Feel him in places he’s not even touching you.
And you need it. You need him, you want him. Right now, more than anything.
“Yes,” you exhale, almost shakily. “Yes, please—”
He surges forward, lips connecting with yours almost violently. Stealing the rest of your plea before you can make it.
You can’t breathe. Can’t do anything but whimper as he sucks on your tongue and presses his fingers harder against your head. Trapping you against his mouth until you feel dizzy. 
And he’s so warm. A stark contrast to the brisk, autumn air. And he’s soft in a way you hadn’t anticipated. Inviting. As though he’s been waiting his whole life to lay his mouth to yours.
“Har—” you gasp when he pulls back to nip at your bottom lip. “Har, please—”
You sound deranged. Wounded, almost, and so goddamn pitiful. You’re tugging on his shirt, trying to yank him impossibly closer. Tilting to the left for a deeper angle and raising up onto your toes in order to taste him fully.
“Easy,” he whispers, and it’s so very strained. Like he’s using what little strength he still has to speak to you. “Easy, Princess. S’okay, I’ve got you.”
It’s possessive the way he talks to you. Commanding you to listen. Insisting that your pleasure is his. That your wellbeing is in his hands.
He’s not a caring man by nature. At least not to you. But in moments like this, his dominance takes control. Turning him into a desperate man eager to care for you. To protect you and keep you safe.
Perhaps it’s a more caveman mindset. The idea that he needs to look after you. That you’re his to keep and care for.
But right now…you adore it. Feel safe in the idea of submitting to him.
“Please,” you try again, breathless and desperate as you cling to his strong frame and beg him for something only he can give you. “Harry, please…hurts.”
There’s a teasing glimmer in his eye, brightened by the reflection of his glasses. “Yeah? Is it achy, Tink?”
You nod quickly, grabbing onto his other hand to slide it down your stomach. Right toward where you need him most.
And he lets himself be moved, watching with intrigue at the way his fingers are dragged toward your thighs. Smirking rather sadistically while pressing his palm against your pussy with fervor.
You whine at the subtle friction, already attempting to grind down against the heel of his hand as he meets your pace with soft strokes of his own. 
“There you go,” he murmurs, watching your hips before returning his attention to your face. “Feels good, baby, yeah? Like to use me, don’t you?”
Another quick nod, and you sigh contently when he presses his lips to your cheek. Placing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw and down your neck.
“Har,” you try again, nuzzling closer. “Har, they’re…they’re gonna see. Can’t…can’t do it here—”
“Yes we can,” he replies calmly. And the soft, secure tone of voice instantly turns your insides to jelly. “Promise I won’t let them see, okay? Gonna keep you to myself.”
He removes his hand from your pussy to place it on your hip. Guiding you back until you feel your body connect with something hard. You glance around just long enough to find that it’s the wooden frame of the lookout. And he keeps you trapped there as he hides you both beneath the structure, tucking you away from any prying eyes that might pass.
“There,” he says, grinning to himself at the eager look on your face. “Now Daddy can see just how wet you really are, hm?”
You can tell he’s using the nickname sparingly. Tentative of your reaction as he waits to see how you might feel about it.
And truthfully, you hadn’t anticipated liking it as much as you do. Especially in this moment, when he’s giving you everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s like music to your ears, orgasmic just to listen to.
You swallow thickly and nudge your nose against his cheek. “Yes, Daddy.”
He tenses beneath your touch, cursing against the shell of your ear before he whispers, “Show me.”
He returns his hand to yours, allowing your fingers to interlock as you shakily guide him toward your jeans. 
After a bit of maneuvering, you get the zipper down, and help slip his hand inside your underwear. Straight down to your cunt as his fingers glide through your folds until he can find what he’s looking for. 
“Oh, Tink,” he coos almost sympathetically. Stroking your pussy as you move to grip his wrist excitedly. “S’all wet, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Daddy,” you mumble, leaning your head back against the wooden board for stability. “Hurts.”
“I bet,” he tsks, sliding his middle finger toward your hole. Circling it once before glancing over your expression. “Need something to fill you up, hm? Get you warm again?”
You hum your agreement, tugging his touch further into you as he chuckles and steps closer. “Please…”
“What, baby? What do you need?”
You whimper again and roll your hips against his fingers. Needing the friction of his thumb against your clit which he refuses to give you.
“What do you want, hm?” he mumbles, dipping down to ghost his lips across yours. “Just ask…and Daddy will give you anything you want.”
And in this moment, you know he means it.
“Want you…to fuck me,” you exhale, reaching now for the curls lying against the back of his neck. “Please, Har. Need you to fuck me. Make it better. Make it go away.”
“Is that right?” He slips a finger inside, and you feel your insides twist as you gasp and squirm against the pleasurable touch. “Need something bigger, yeah?”
“Yes…yeah. Please. Please, Daddy.”
He smiles again before slipping his hand from inside your jeans to help tug them down your legs. Yanking almost furiously until they’re settled near your ankles. Allowing him just enough room to slip between.
And once your cunt is on display for him, he stares at it with a certain mesmerized admiration. Allowing himself to enjoy you before he reaches for his own belt and tugs it free.
Once he’s managed to pull his cock out, he reaches again for your hips. Squeezing them once before turning you around.
His arm slips around your middle to keep you secure and you grin lazily as you rest yourself against his chest.
“Gonna hold you, just like this,” he whispers against your cheek, and you feel the tip of his cock trailing against the curve of your ass. “Keep you warm.”
The hand against your ribcage is gentle. Keeping you steady as he attempts to hold you close.
“Deep breath, Tink, okay?” he instructs next, nudging the crown against your dripping hole. Warning you of his next step. “Know it’s a lot, but you always take me so well, don’t you? Gonna take me again?”
You grab onto his arm, nails scraping down his skin as you whine, “Yes. Yes, I’ll take you. Just need it, Har, please—"
“Okay, all right,” he shushes, nudging his cheek against your temple. “Need you to relax, okay? Are you relaxed, baby?”
And you think you are. Mentally, anyway. You’ve never felt so comfortable in someone’s arms. Under their influence and control. Even despite the cold air nipping at your thighs and the outside threat of getting caught, you feel at ease. Adrenaline coursing through your veins as the sounds of people somewhere else in the maze float toward you. Reminding you of where you are. What could happen.
“Tink,” he warns, sliding his cock through your folds in wait. “I need you to relax for me, okay? I really don’t want to hurt you.”
“No?” you manage to retort, and you catch his smile out of your peripheral. “Thought you liked to hurt me.”
 “I do,” he agrees, lips following the shell of your ear. “But not like this. Don’t wanna split you in half.”
“Maybe I want you to,” you breathe, reaching back for his neck. “Maybe I need it, Daddy.”
He chuckles almost darkly before pressing his mouth against your heated skin. “I’ll remember that.”
With that, he drops his hand down to your cunt, circling his fingers around your clit until he feels your body unwind. Allowing him just enough room to begin pushing his cock in.
“There you go,” he sighs, both of you groaning when you feel how easily he slips in. “So fucking good. Take me so well, don’t you? Always do, I know. Relax, baby. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
The burn is almost overwhelming. Demanding your focus and attention as you feel him stretch you open, forcing your walls to accommodate his size.
“Hey,” you hear him murmur, his palm coming up to cup your jaw. Thumb sweeping across your parted lips. “Are you breathing? Gotta breathe, Tink, come on. You know better—”
“I know,” you gasp, sucking in a greedy gasp for air before you suck in his finger. “I know, Daddy, m’sorry.”
He hums his approval before allowing himself to sit inside your warm mouth. “It’s okay, know it feels good, hm?”
“Mhm,” you agree around the large digit, allowing your tongue to settle him on your tastebuds. “More.”
“More?” he repeats, using his other hand to squeeze your hip. “Want more, greedy girl?”
“Please…”
“Please," he echoes thoughtfully. "Greedy Girl has manners, how precious.”
There’s a slight air of condescension and teasing to his response, and you feel yourself flutter around his length.
His grin grows. “You like that, baby?”
You manage one more weak nod as you press yourself against his body, squirming in his hold while his cock pushes in to the hilt.
“There,” he exhales, groaning some before falling still. Allowing your body to adjust to his size. “You okay?”
“Yes…yes, m’okay. Please move, please…please, Daddy—”
“Okay, all right,” he agrees coarsely, readjusting his stance before returning his arm to your stomach. Just beneath your chest. “Need you to be good, okay? Just listen to Daddy’s voice and do what I say.”
“I will. I will, I promise.”
“Good.” He begins to pull back. Dragging his cock through your quivering hole as you moan his name.
But such a loud noise isn’t quite what he had in mind, his other palm reaching up to smack across your mouth to silence you.
“Uh-uh,” he grunts, pausing the rhythm of his hips until he’s sure you’ll obey. “None of that. M’keeping you for myself, remember? Can’t let them know.”
You make an incoherent noise against his hand before writhing back against his cock. Needing more friction and movement that he refuses to give you.
“Unless that’s what you want, Greedy Girl,” he whispers into your neck. “Want them to see what I do to you. The way I make you fall apart…the way you beg for my cock. Even when you hate me.”
The idea sends a shiver down your spine as you groan his name and claw at his wrist.
“Is that what you want?” he murmurs between sharp thrusts. “S’it why you keep this pretty pussy so nice and tight for me? Cause you want them to know that it’s only me? That everything…everything…you do is because of me?”
Your eyes roll back, either from annoyance or pleasure. But it’s blissful, this feeling. This hard fuck, this angry connection. 
And yet, this infuriating man is oddly tender with you. Holding you close and helping you find your release, despite the way he goads you.
“Do you, Tink?” he asks again. “Do you want Lucas to see? Want them all to fucking see what you do to me?”
His nails are scraping down your ribcage, pulling you taut against his chest as he drives his cock as deep as it’ll go. Hips meeting your ass as he releases your mouth to hold onto you again, keeping you still.
“Tell me,” he says between deep breaths. “Tell me you’re mine. Tell me you only cum for me—”
“Har—”
“My greedy little whore. My dirty fucking princess.” His tone is angry. Dissolving into something feral as he begins to pound into you with a harder force. Nearly knocking the wind from your lungs. “Not his. Mine. Always mine—”
“Yours,” you repeat between soft whines. “Yours, Harry, you know that—”
“Yeah?” He holds you tighter, allowing you no room to squirm as he nears his release. His pace becomes faster and sloppier the closer he gets. Allowing your warmth to soak him, draw him in. Using you as nothing more than a toy. A means to his end. “Then prove it.”
Even without much extra stimulation, you can feel yourself getting closer to the brink. Harry has always had this innate ability to get you there without much more than a few pumps of his cock. Perhaps it’s his size or his technique. The way he knows exactly where to thrust in order to hit the right spot and make you see stars. 
And maybe there’s a part of you – albeit small – that enjoys the idea of being good for him. Of coming on his cock (or his tongue or his fingers) just so he can watch. So he can feel what he does to you.
Maybe…you just want to be good for him. At least in moments like this. To know that you’ve earned his approval, his praise. That such a brilliant man has devoted his time and attention and body just to you. 
That you’re worthy of his time.
Worthy of him.
It’s almost degrading to think about and yet…it makes you clench. Pussy clamping down on his beautifully thick cock until he groans and nuzzles his nose against your neck.  
“Shit,” he hisses, rhythm stuttering as a shot of pleasure rolls through him. “Tink, if you’re gonna do that, I’m gonna cum.”
“Good,” you answer instantaneously. “Want you to. Need you to, Daddy, please—”
“No,” he huffs, and he stills for only a moment as if attempting to refrain from falling apart. “No, need you to cum first. Daddy needs to feel you cum first, okay? Come on, baby, gotta give it to me—”
You mewl helplessly, drowning out the rest of his instruction. You’re close, and you know it won’t be much longer until it overwhelms you.
And there’s some part of you that feels…disappointed. Saddened by the idea of things going back to how they normally are. That he’ll take himself from you – take his cock from you – and return to the maddening man you can hardly tolerate.
Maybe subconsciously, you try to hold off. Keep your orgasm at bay so you can keep him just a little longer. So you can appreciate the caring man behind you and the way he’s so desperate to put you first.
He’s quite wonderful when he’s not being an ass.
“Tink,” he grunts, hand moving up toward your jaw. You feel his palm press to your throat, and you swallow thickly against his skin. “Baby, I want you to cum. Wanna feel you. What do you need? Hm? Wanna play with your pretty button for me?”
You nod pitifully and allow your own fingers to move down toward your cunt. It’s wet and achy and swollen so much it almost hurts to touch. But you release a strained breath, nevertheless, appreciating the sting of overstimulation as you writhe in his hold.
You can feel your body beginning to overheat the closer you get. Helping warm you up from the October chill still biting at your skin. And the sounds of your friends aren’t far behind. Perhaps looking for you, waiting for you both to exit the maze and continue on with your evening.
But you don’t give a damn about anybody else right now. Just him.
Something you never thought you’d say.
“Getting closer, yeah?” he hums against your ear, fingers tightening around your neck. “I know. Fucking shaking, baby, you’re okay. I got you. Just let it happen, let go.”
There’s something about his voice. About the feel of his glasses against your temple. About the way he makes you feel safe and secure. The way he effortlessly brings you to the edge and promises to catch you when you fall.
You know he hates you. And yet you also know that despite this loathing you share, you’re still his priority. That he’ll put your pleasure first, no matter what. That he wants to be good.
“Har,” you whimper through a high-pitched whine. “Shit, please—”
“You close? Gonna give it to me? Make Daddy happy?”
The reminder of the nickname makes you moan, a bit softer than before, but still rather lewd. And Harry tsks from behind you, once again sliding his palm up to your mouth.
“Dirty fucking princess,” he grits before he’s suddenly slamming himself into you. “Can’t ever do what she’s told, hm? Just loves to disobey me. Wants to get caught. Wants to be my greedy little girl—”
My greedy little girl.
That’s what does it for you. His possession, his mark, his claim. Reducing you to nothing more than this thing he uses for his pleasure. An object to be had.
In any other moment, you’d chastise him for it.
Right now, it’s everything you need to hear.
You cum on his cock without much choice. Pleasure unfurling like the petals of a flower in spring. For a moment, the overpowering sensation is all you can comprehend. Just ecstasy, a weightless euphoria. Lifting you up and dropping you back down.
He curses when he feels it, offering you quick murmurs of praise before he’s grabbing onto your hips with both hands and yanking you back. Using this leverage to drive his cock in in sharp thrusts before he’s following. Releasing himself into you with a groan as you gasp and grab onto one of the beams for support.
Thirty seconds pass of heavy breathing and lingering whimpers before you both fall quiet, chests heaving and legs still shaking.
He doesn’t pull out for at least a moment or two, merely holding onto your waist as he works to gather himself together.
“Shit,” he finally whispers, and you feel the subtle stroking of his thumb against your tender skin. Right over the bruises you’re sure to find tomorrow. “You okay?”
“Mhm,” you hum weakly, nodding once. “Really good, actually.”
“Yeah? Good. You needed it.”
You feel your lips pull back into a smile. “Oh, did I?”
“You really did.”
“Right. Even though you’re the one that fucks me every time you see me.”
You hear him scoff as he finally – and slowly – pulls out. Allowing your muscles to unwind as you release a deep breath. “I’m doing you a favor,” is his reply. And it’s laced with a condescension and haughtiness that you know all too well.
“Oh, is that what you’re doing?”
“Yes.” He tucks himself back into his briefs before crouching down to reach for your jeans. Pulling them back up your legs with a strange amount of care, despite his snarky attitude. “I do a lot of favors for you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
You turn around while he steps back and readjusts his glasses. “Was getting us lost one of those favors?”
A strange, almost sadistic kind of grin begins to stretch across his face. “Maybe.”
You hesitate. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugs once before backing out of the lookout as you rezip your jeans. “It means…maybe I knew this was the wrong way.”
“…I’m sorry?”
His hands shove into his pockets while his sly smile seems to mirror his satisfaction. “I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to do some…exploring.”
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” you nearly gasp, striding after him so you can swat your hand across his chest. “Are you fucking serious? You got us lost on purpose?”
“We were never lost, Tinkerbell. I knew exactly where we were."
"Yeah? And where are we?"
"Taking a detour."
“I cannot believe you,” you murmur, staring at him rather incredulously. “God, you are so fucking horny, it’s insane.”
“Oh, relax,” he snorts. “I didn’t take you back here to fuck you. I just thought you’d wanna see the top of the maze.”
“And you couldn’t have just asked?”
“Would you have agreed?”
You consider this. “…all right, maybe not. But you’re still a fucking ass.”
“Yeah,” he agrees coyly. “I know.”
You keep your stern glare, but your grin is playful. “Whatever. Does this mean you know the way out?”
“I do,” he says. “There’s a shortcut. Cassie and I used to cheat and use it all the time.”
The revelation of her name makes your breath catch. You hadn’t expected him to reveal something so personal, and there’s a part of you that isn’t quite sure what to do with it.
You can tell he hasn’t realized his slip, because he’s still smiling at you like he’s waiting for you to get the joke. To laugh with him.
But there’s something else in his eye – something beautiful and reminiscent. Excited. Like the mere mention of her name has calmed him. Reminded him of a better time. A happier place. 
Reminded him of someone who isn’t you.
“I see,” you manage, choking the words out as you glance toward the dirt beneath your sneakers. Avoiding his eye. “Well…great. Get me the hell out of here, please.”
He studies you for a moment. You can feel his eyes boring into your profile, as though attempting to work out just what changed in your demeanor.
Then, he runs his tongue over his bottom lip, and says, “Yeah. This way.”
With that, he maneuvers back through the large stocks of corn and leads you through the intricate labyrinth. Weaving his way along the path and bypassing each checkpoint with ease, almost as if he’s done this a hundred times.
You imagine he has.
You reach the exit in only a few minutes, and relief washes over you as you catch sight of your car in the distance. Your means of escape and your excuse to leave him behind. 
“Thank God,” you mumble as you both slip out from the corn and back into the light. “That was…excruciating.”
“Oh, was it?” he teases. “Really? All of it?”
“Yes, all of it,” you snort, but you feel rather amused as you glance over his expression. “Let’s never get stuck in a corn maze together again, agreed?”
“Agreed,” he replies, but there’s a certain playful glimmer in his eye. “We can just fuck the old-fashioned way. In your car.”
“Gee, great.”
You both fall silent as your quippy remarks die down. Looking at each other like you’re waiting for someone to break the spell. To return you both to your anger and your rivalry. To poke fun at the few moments of intimacy and understanding you shared and release you from this strange yearning.
You decide to be the first, clearing your throat as quietly as you can while reaching for the collar of the hoodie to slip it off. “Uh, well…thanks again. For letting me borrow this.”
He blinks, momentarily puzzled – or perhaps…disappointed? – as he watches you pull it from your body. “Yeah. No problem. Just bring a fucking coat next time.”
“There won’t be a next time, remember?” you retort, tossing it over. 
He catches it with one hand, and smiles. “Right. And thank God for that.”
“Exactly.”
Another lull, the two of you continuing to stand in the dimly lit parking lot as you wait for him to say goodbye.
And suddenly, you realize…you don’t want to go. You don’t want to say goodbye. That you feel…safer when he’s around. More relaxed and at ease. Even when you’re griping with him or resisting the urge to put his head through a wall, he’s still…comforting. A forceful and reassuring presence that you otherwise feel lost without. 
Because you remember who he was before…Cassie. You remember his kindness and his ability to make you laugh.
And you know that he’s still that person. He’s still trying to take care of the people he feels closest to, even when he doesn’t mean to. Even when he doesn’t realize.
You know why he pushed you away. You know why he’s created such a vast, unyielding distance. And you can’t exactly blame him.
But the version of him that automatically thinks to care for you…that’s the version you’re drawn to. That’s the version you don’t want to say goodbye to.
“What?” he asks, grinning again as his head cocks. Seeming to notice the shift in your expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
You hesitate, lashes fluttering as you work out a response. Wondering just how much you can share…and how much of it is real. “Nothing, I…this was just…”
He waits, brow raised. 
Your lips clamp. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about all the fucking work I have to do when I go in tomorrow, thanks to you.”
And you can see he’s unconvinced, eyes flicking between yours as if looking for the real answer. But he waits a beat before his smile fades and he asks, “Why did you really come tonight?”
A bit caught off-guard by the question, you blink. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you could have partnered with anyone else. If you really wanted,” he explains, slowly stepping closer. Forcing a hitch in your throat. “Could have left me behind. Gone ahead. But you didn’t. Why?”
And there it is. That hint – that almost undetectable trace – of vulnerability behind the usual arrogance. He’s giving you the chance, offering you an opportunity for truth.
And maybe you want to take it. Maybe you want to confess and unburden yourself of this weight that’s settled on your shoulders. 
The truth teases the tip of your tongue, laden with consequences.
But just before you can offer him the real answer, there’s a distant laugh from one of the groups back in the maze. Interrupting the moment and stealing what little courage you had left.
Your lashes flutter quickly as if shaking yourself from a daze, and you step back. Forcing distance between your bodies in an attempt to find clarity. 
Harry watches you go, expression hard and etched with frustration, while you swallow thickly and spin on your heel. 
He doesn’t call after you as you race to your car. Doesn’t insist on an answer or try to make you stay.
He merely stands there beneath the warm hue of the streetlamp, allowing you to run away, and disappear into your car before fleeing the scene.
Leaving him behind. 
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oldpotatoe · 6 months
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as many of you know, gaza has now gone dark.
targeted israeli strikes have wiped out the telecommunications infrastructure. phone lines and internet services are gone. gazans cannot call their loved ones to check if they are still alive. they cannot call for ambulances for aid. if they survive the increased bombardment tonight and the following nights, they will bleed out alone with no aid.
now i will tell you what will happen in the next few days/weeks, and i pray it to be untrue. unfortunately the apartheid state, also known as israel, has been quite obvious and transparent with their plans.
the stated goal of many politicians over the years from israel, including netanyahu, has been to have the entire strip of land of gaza as israel, with no separate region for palestinians. i am not going to provide links, google is free and i am fucking tired.
what they had done before tonight, in the last two weeks, was destroy over 50% of buildings in gaza city as well as neighbouring areas, so gazans have nowhere to return to. gazans have been forced south, and israel will use this opportunity to have troops in north gaza (currently referred to as the ground invasion) advancing south while bombing "h*mas sites" in the south. israel will do this knowing there are plenty more civilians there that will die, causing terror and panic and having palestinians want to flee to anywhere, anywhere that is safe.
israel is doing this in the hopes that this panic and terror will convince egypt to open the border (well, the border israel isn't currently bombing) so that palestinians can escape to the sinai desert in egypt.
once survivors leave, the area that is currently the gaza strip will 1) be reduced in size if a lot of palestinians stay, should they not be bombed out of existence, or 2) be entirely absorbed into israel if very few palestinians stay, which is the ultimate aim of israel. those remaining palestinians will be moved to the west bank, or the remainder of gaza will be converted to west bank conditions where they'd go through the same problems palestinians in the west bank go through (reduced access to water, checkpoints to go from any place to any place within their own land, getting dispossessed, or randomly killed by racist extremist settlers).
now, egypt has been adamant not to displace the palestinians. in online discourse, people have been dehumanising palestinians by talking about past disruptions in other refugee areas and saying that is why egypt does not want to take them. while there may be slight truth to this from egypt's perspective, the major reason egypt is refusing is that no palestinian refugee abroad has even been given the right to return to their own land. and this will be the fate of gazans if they are made to leave in a mass exodus to egypt/other neighbouring countries such as jordan, which these leaflets from army-backed israeli are threatening palestinians with (photo from salfit in the occupied west bank):
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therefore, what i likely see happening is the above bombardment (in increased numbers now that gaza has gone dark) -> mass panic in gaza, more so now that gazans are cornered in the south -> a reluctant egypt, but with the US will promise a large amount of "aid" money to egypt to facilitate the mass exodus of palestinians, the borders will open.
palestinians will be forced out. israelis are already planning on hoovering up the prime real estate there, for amusements park no less!
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this is nabka 2.0. this is genocide.
btw, as we speak: israel's leading newspaper is already making claims that h*mas's main operation base is under shifa hospital. the hospital currently housing 50,000 displaced palestinians. the idf is claiming h*mas is using the hospital as a human shield, which is their new favourite phrase to justify killing civilians. so you already know what to expect in the news.
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