#but also didn't think i would anticipate and enjoy conversations with him the most

[woulnutt]

Waiting... Suffering...

.

.

.

Heart rate...up

#the ssum #ssum henri #he is hank to me tho #i even used batteries to change his name..! so hank it is #hank #my art #i was pretty surprised that i ended up liking hank the most... #never had anything against him #but also didn't think i would anticipate and enjoy conversations with him the most #talking with him is like a roller coaster ride that I actually enjoy #i just hope his route won't go into weird and unnecessary spheres...

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Astarion teaching Tav embroidery/sewing. Preferably with him dragging them onto his lap for a close-up demonstration.

Why do I make everything so long? Do I have a problem? There is always so much introspective nonsense idk man. Anyway adorable idea actualized below!

Also mentions of sex but this is totally sfw. I went with the timeline of when your sleeping together but he hasn't quite admitted his feelings to himself, as a side!

~

Astarion had no idea how he became your camp's designated seamstress. How was it possible that a team of eight adults were all incapable of knowing the basics of such a fundamental skill?

Then again, Karlach seemed to be perfectly fine with wearing her clothes to tatters. Wyll was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Lae'zel, for some gods forsaken reason, was only capable of fixing up heavy armor. Gale seemed to prefer eating magical clothing items versus being able to salvage them and the rest were mediocre at best.

The look of confusion on Shadowheart's, who was the second most skilled by far, face when Astarion tried to explain a ladder stitch was enough for him to give up entirely. It was quicker to fix the tears then to explain simple concepts to simpletons.

Brats. All of you. With one who was significantly more brazen than the rest when it came to using Astarion as their personal tailor.

Tav, the lovely thorn in his side. Who could handle wielding a glaive with startingly accuracy, but somehow managed to consistently stab themselves every time they picked up a sewing needle. It was impressive, how useless someone who was otherwise extremely competent could be.

Impressive as it was frustrating. Because somehow you managed to destroy your clothes more often than anyone else. Always bashfully handing him over torn trousers and ripped shirts every other night. Anyone else he would have told to fuck off by now. Even the rest of the camp knew better than to test their luck with anything more than once a fortnight. But you lacked the very basic level of self-control.

It was his own fault for giving you special treatment in the first place. But sleeping together did warrant a few extra benefits. He got your protection and you got to experience the pleasure of being with him. Simple. Or it would have been if you didn't insist on making things complicated.

Because Astarion was starting to feel things. Things that he hadn't anticipated. Because your company was... oddly pleasant. You were an interesting little thing, he had to give you that. Well-read and talkative, but not boringly so. No, Astarion sometimes found himself losing track of time when he was with you. A simple question could easily turn into a two-hour conversation about the silliest things. It was... nice. New. And oh so different from what he was used to.

Cazador didn't even allow him or his brethren to speak in his home, let alone speak to each other unless it was strictly necessary. But here he was free to do whatever he pleased. And he was finding that included being near you, despite how differently you both saw the world.

He couldn't quite blame you for your delusional optimistic views. As a Tymora worshipper you were basically doomed from the start to believe inane concepts like good fortune, luck, and gods, the good that could be found in "anyone".

You were as sweet as you were aggravating and Astarion truly, honestly, had no idea how your insane trusting nature hadn't managed to get you killed yet. But then again he... kind of liked that about you. He liked that you trusted him. It made his life more convienet and... it was nice to be seen as a person worth confiding in. Instead of the blood-sucking monster he really was.

He... liked that. He liked you. A fact that he didn't enjoy thinking about. He didn't really know what to do with it, and the implications of where his feelings could lead were starting to become unsettling. So he pushed it out of his mind. It was an easy thing to do when doom was always looming in the background. He had plenty of things to think about that didn't include his fondness for you.

Like the inner-rage you caused when you managed to somehow rip the same shirt twice in one day.

"That's it," Astarion announced when you bashfully asked for his help yet again, "Come here. I'm teaching you how to sew."

"But you always get mad when you try," You whined. But despite the hesitancy you still obediently sat next to him as he got out the sewing kit, "Do you promise not to snap this time?"

"That depends," Astarion said with a roll of the eyes, "Do you intend on not maiming yourself with a sewing needle?"

Astarion smirked at the way that made a blush crawl up your neck, "That was one time!"

"Actually darling it was closer to seven," Astarion corrected as he snatched the shirt from your hands, "Now pay attention. Look at where the tear starts. Notice how it's on the seam?"

You nodded along as Astarion explained the basics to you. He could tell that you were trying your damndest to pay attention, but when it was your turn to hold the needle your hands couldn't stop shaking. Astarion frowned as he tried to watch you work, his view obfuscated by the angle and the flow of your hair.

Well that wouldn't do.

Before he could think better of it he was hauling you into his lap, ignoring your surprised squeak as he situated you just right.

That was better. At least now he could see what you were doing. It was a sloppy stich, sloppy enough for him to undo it before putting the needle back in your hand.

"Now do it again," Astarion ordered, "Let me see what your doing wrong."

Astarion watched as you tried again, frowning when he realized your shaking was even worse than before. In fact, you seemed more nervous than ever, your face red as you kept your eyes down.

It made Astarion torn between watching your hands and looking at your face. You really were adorable, getting all worked up from simply being in his lap, all while trying to stay dutifully undistracted. He could almost hear your heart racing, obvious through the tension coursing through you.

Silly little thing, acting all shy like he hadn't already literally been inside of you. But at least you were doing better, your stitching straighter than Astarion had ever seen it. Maybe he'd have to make the lap-sitting mandatory from now on, for the good of your learning.

"See," Astarion said softly, his breath tickling your ear as he leaned in closer, "You're perfectly capable of learning this."

"So it looks good?" You asked, taking a chance to glance at him. Astarion hadn't realized just how close the two of you really were. He had never... seen you like this before. So closely. Even when you slept together, he had been a bit distracted by other parts of your body. He never noticed just how many light freckles were hiding across the bridge of your nose, how your eyes looked almost golden in candlelight. You smelled nice too, sweet. Like you had been rolling around in a field of lilies. Considering your personality, Astarion had to wonder if that's exactly what you did.

It would take almost nothing to press your lips together. Barely a turn on the head.

"Astarion, are you listening?"

The sound of his voice snapped him out of his revelry. He straightened, clearing his throat as he looked over your work again, embarrassed in a way that he couldn't quite describe.

Maybe you weren't the only one being affected after all.

"It looks better," Astarion said honestly, "But still needs work. You'll almost certainly be needing more lessons."

Preferably like this. Astarion wasn't quite ready to let you go yet, not when you felt so pleasantly warm in his lap. But luckily enough for him, you didn't seem quite so keen to leave.

Astarion tightened his hold on you laughing at the way it made you gasp, "But that's enough for today. I think you've earned a reward. Don't you?"

"I-yes?" You said back, your eyes flitting from Astarion's mouth and back, "Please?"

You really were too precious. How could he possibly say no to that?

Astarion grinned as he tilted your chin up, finally pressing your lips together. It was an odd feeling, kissing someone when he couldn't stop smiling, but he supposed you just had that effect on him.

Maybe being the camp seamstress wasn't so bad after all.

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #asks #cutsey #this was a very cute idea

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 3884

Warning: Mild Language, Fluff, Angst, Possessiveness, Jealousy…

Prompt: Gibbs pulled a stunt and you decided to get your revenge—by making him jealous…

Y/N Gibbs POV

I woke up today and had the most brilliant idea. I knew exactly how to get my husband back. I shake my head, still unable to believe that Jethro could do such a thing—especially at work!

FLASHBACK

I hum a tune as I step out of the bathroom with a big, fluffy towel wrapped around my. I found myself sifting through my work clothes when my eyes catch a silver gift bag. I grab it, pulling the card off it.

Y/N/N, be a good girl and wear this to work, will you? -Jet

I open the bag and pull out a beautiful dark red lingerie set. I was trying to think of what the occasion was and why Jethro would be giving me a gift. My heart beats with anticipation at the thought of us having sex. We haven't done anything intimate for weeks besides a quick kiss here and there. We've both put our focus on work and we've come home, immediately crashing is bed.

I drop the towel, sliding on the lingerie set and hum in approval. I loved the feeling of lingerie against my skin. Something about it made me feel confident and sexy. I go back to my dresser and pull on a baggy pair of black cargo pants. I pull on a white baggy t-shirt and a black blazer.

Jethro was possessive and I loved it. I joined the team seven years ago and I may be the baby of the team, slightly younger than Ziva, Tim and Tony, but I worked my ass off. I was the "heart" of the team as they put it. I was a profound profiler and negotiator. We all were great investigators, but I also brought our little team closer together.

When I first joined, I could give a care less about the dress code. Some days, I'd follow it, but my clothes were snug to my figure. I was confident and didn't mind showing a bit more cleavage than needed. Some days, I liked to wear short skater skirts like Abby, to show off my legs. I'd show the occasional stomach here and there.

But, I enjoyed the way Jethro's eyes would roam over me. I chuckle, thinking about the day he asked me over to his house. It was our first kiss and our first time together. We were friends with benefits briefly before I had enough and outed how I felt. Then we dated before marrying. All of which I stopped dressing the way I use to, noticing how possessive he got over me once we were officially together. He's a man who gets jealous easy, not appreciating others staring at "his woman" as he puts it.

I leave my red hair down, grabbing my bag before leaving our home. It was time for work and it seems Jethro left me to sleep in. I was thankful and disappointed. I knew I needed the sleep, but I also enjoy our car rides to work together. I can't remember the last time I drove to work on my own.

It was a quiet drive, mostly filled with humming before I hum my way into the building and up to the bullpen. I saw the FBI here and roll my eyes. Oh, what a case this will be.

"Hon, we are working alongside the FBI on this case. Show them the conference room." Jethro says.

"Well, good morning to you as well husband. Yeah, my morning has been wonderful, thanks for asking. Oh, how's yours? Wonderful too. It was strange coming into work without you. Oh, and I got your gift. And yes, I listened. Oh, your tired of my rambling. Right, don't forget I'm your wife, Jet. Agents, follow me." I say, mocking at Jethro.

He had a small amused smile on his face. I was slightly moody he was acting strange with me today. I lead the agents away, ignoring Tony's grin at my one-on-one conversation with myself.

I leave the Agents to set up and head back to my desk. I could feel his eyes on me and I glance up, meeting those piercing blue eyes. I quirk a brow.

"Yes, Jethro?" I ask.

"Wondering if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He murmurs, smirking slightly.

"Asshole! You didn't even say good morning, we didn't ride together, I haven't even had a good morning kiss or hug, I haven't had coffee nor breakfast, and the first thing you do when you see me is put me to work." I hiss and he snorts.

"I think you woke up with your hair on fire, hon." He says.

I clench my jaw, narrowing my eyes at him. I shake my head as the elevators open and Fornell walks off.

"Y/N! Any chance your divorcing Jethro yet?" Fornell asks with a grin.

"I might just be his fifth ex-wife after this morning!" You tease, sending a glare at a grumpy Jethro who was glaring daggers at the both of you.

Fornell talks to Gibbs, but your eyes widen as you bite your tongue to silence any noise from you as you clench your thighs at the sudden vibrations you felt. It clicked. The lingerie bottoms weren't an ordinary bottoms. They were meant for teasing. In your case, punishment. You glare up at Jethro who's lips twitches as he amps it up higher. You nearly jumped out of your chair, trying to suppress the moan.

END OF FLASHBACK

Oh, how he pushed the wrong buttons. He had left earlier once again much to my displeasure, but today was the day to get him back. Make him jealous and then make him have the bluest balls he's ever going to have.

I walk out of the bathroom, dropping the towel. I put on a lingerie set. I grab my black skirt that ended at mid-thigh—and that’s if I was being generous on that.

It was tight, hugging my ass and my legs. It really brought out my legs and I grin. It has a little slit, but it was cute. Not to mention the designer belt I add to it—a gift from Jethro. I had been talking about it with Abby for months and he got it as a birthday present.

I grab a white top that was like a tank-top with the wider straps. It was clinging to my body, the deep plunge neckline showed off more cleave than I've shown in years. A little bit of my belly was peaking through and I grin. Perfect. I slide on a black blazer before grabbing my black high heels.

This was going to be perfect.

I go to the bathroom, brushing my wavy red hair. I go for a slightly edgy, but neutral makeup look with a slightly dark red lipstick.

I hum, grabbing my purse and begin making my way to the Navy yard. I decided a pit stop was necessary and I grabbed drinks for the team. I get there and decided to go to Autopsy where I leave their drinks on the table as they were out getting a body. I leave a little note, humming as I head back to the elevator and head to Abby's lab.

She had her music going and I walk in, as she spins, she sees me. She turns the music off and looks at me in awe.

"You look so pretty!" She exclaims.

"Thank you, Abs! I brought you a gift." I say, handing her Caf-Pow.

"Your the best! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She exclaims and I chuckle.

"Of course." I say.

I head to the elevator, feeling slightly nervous for Jethro's reaction. I walk off the elevator and Tony whistles.

"I brought you a coffee with loads of cream and sugar." I say, winking at him and he grins.

"Thanks!" He says.

I head to Ziva, pulling a tea free.

"A tea for you, it was a new one on the menu I thought you'd like to try." I say.

"Thank you, Y/N/N. You look gorgeous by the way." She says, smirking slightly and I smile.

"Thanks, Ziva. I felt like dressing up a bit today. I felt like I deserved it after the hell Jethro put my through last week." I say.

"Fornell can be a real pain in the ass." She chuckles and I grin.

"That he can be." I say, even though that wasn't what I was referring too.

I walk to McGee, handing him a black coffee which he quietly thanks me for as he is on the phone. I walk to Jethro, handing him a coffee.

"My office." He grumbles.

"Oh, Jethro. Take that stick out of your ass. Who's looking anyway. It's an outfit and it's cute." I say.

He was silent, staring at me with dark, narrowed blue eyes. I could see the lust in them just as I could see the possessiveness in them...the jealousy coming to the surface.

I turn, walking to my desk, throwing the carton away once I pulled my coffee free. I hum softly as the elevator doors open.

"Fornell! If you like us so much, come join the team!" I say, winking at him.

"FBI is more my forte...although, your always welcome to join my team." He says, his eyes on my chest.

Jethro clears his throat and I look at him to see him glaring daggers at Fornell.

"Eyes off my wife, Fornell." He warns.

That sent a strange sensation to my core. I knew why and I was eager for the day to go on, wanting to press more buttons.

"I don't know how you managed to settle down with this grumpy bastard, Y/N." Fornell says and I giggle, rolling my eyes.

"Y/N, my office. Now." Jethro snaps, standing up as he storms towards the elevator.

I grin which stopped the team from looking so concerned. It was their turn to chuckle.

"You planned this out." Tony says.

"That I did. Revenge is a bitch." I say and he chuckles as I walk toward the elevator that Jethro was waiting on.

The doors close and he hits the button harshly. I purse my lips, swatting his arm.

"Easy there, macho man." I say.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He snaps, glaring down at me.

"Well this is my skirt. Look! It even has a little slit right here. It's so cute. And this top...you know that though." I say, grinning.

"I don't want people ogling my wife. I have some extra clothes of yours at my desk." He sighs.

"I'm not changing, Jet." I say.

"Why the hell not?" He asks, turning back to me.

"Because, I like this outfit. And you'd like it to if you investigated a little more." I say.

"You didn't." He grits out.

"Oh, I did. Your favorite set too." I say and I gasp as he pushes me up against a wall.

"It's one thing wearing this outfit to work, knowing men will stare, but then lingerie. Your asking for your ass to be red." He growls.

His hand twitches on my hip and I smile softly, putting my hand over it as I slide it under my skirt. His eyes were locked with mine and I make his fingers brush the lace bottoms.

"I just woke up feeling really good about today, Jet. I wanted an outfit to suit my mood and confidence." I say, shrugging.

"Your changing. I can't have you on my mind all damn day as we work a case, worrying about someone looking up your skirt." He says and I roll my eyes.

I push him back, smoothing my outfit out.

"I'm not changing, Jet. I'm your wife, not some...dog you can control." I say.

"Your my bitch in bed, aren't you?" He says and my jaw drops.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs! That is so crude and so...s-so unlike you!" I exclaim.

"I thought you liked it when I called you my bitch. Are you not? What happened to being daddy's whore?" He asks and I gulp.

I could feel my skin flush as my panties dampen. Maybe I didn't think this all the way through. He smirks, that stupid lopsided smirk, his eyes twinkling. He knew damn well what he was doing to me.

Two can play this game.

"Well daddy...I do like it when you call me those names. But, I'm not in the mood right now." I say.

"W-What? You just called me daddy. Your doing that thing with your eyes and you wore this outfit. You want my attention. Well, you have it." He says.

Oh, I have it alright and I'll have it the rest of the day, whilst leaving you hanging for that crap you pulled last week.

"I think your profiling skills are a bit off, hon." I say, feigning an apologetic smile.

I pat his arm before moving out from the wall and hitting the emergency stop button. He goes to hit again, but I swat his hand away and the doors open. We walk off and he grabs my wrist. I stop, looking at him.

"Please change...I'll do whatever you want." He murmurs.

"I like my outfit, Jethro." I say, pulling away and going to my desk.

"Gibbs! I brought the file you asked for!" Palmer says before all the papers fall out.

He looks at Jethro wide eyed and I stand, bending over to help. I was well aware what I was going and I heard Fornell and Tony whistle as Jethro curses and I hear his chair.

I feel him press against me from behind, a hand on my hip as he leans down behind me to grab a paper.

"Sit your ass down right now, Y/N or else I'll carry your ass out of here kicking and screaming." He warns quietly.

"I'm trying to help Palmer. Leave me alone, Jethro. Your being moody today." I say.

He grunts, but I finish picking up the papers before standing. I take the papers from Palmer as Jethro tugs my skirt down as it did ride up a bit. I walk back to my desk, working on reorganizing the papers before standing and handing it to Jethro.

I sit and Jethro soon was giving out orders when he realized Tony was alone. I stand.

"I'll go with Tony! It's been awhile since I've been out baiting a suspect." I say.

"Not dressed in that." Jethro says gruffly.

"Oh get over yourself, Jet. I look fine. Come on, Tony!" I exclaim.

"We'll be watching!" Fornell says before he grunts.

"Stop staring at my wife's ass." Jethro warns.

We all get on the elevator and I hum softly as Tony hands me the keys. The keys...to his very nice car that I've been dying to drive.

"You dressed to impress and it's a simple and quick undercover op where you get his attention. So, get his attention tigress." He says, winking at me and I grin.

I follow Tony to his car, more than eager to drive his baby. I glance at Jethro to see his brooding face and fiery eyes. I knew he was growing more pissed off. My eyes were on his slightly growing bulge.

The drive to the nice bar was short. Tony and I made our way to the bar with our earpieces in.

"Look a little more like a couple." McGee says.

"Boss is going to kill me." Tony grumbles before sliding his hand from my lower back to ass.

"I'll protect you." I say.

"Will you?" Jethro's gruff voice comes through.

"If you don't want the bluest balls in history, Jethro, I'd comply a bit." I murmur, looking over the menu of drinks as Tony tries to stifle his laughter.

"I don't know what to get, babe!" I exclaim, moving so I was in front of Tony.

Our chests were pressed together, his hand on my ass and I move my hand to his. His eyes widen before going back to normal. I catch a man staring and I did a brief study before looking back up into Tony's eyes.

"Blue jeans. Hawaiian shirt. Ten o'clock." I say.

"See him." Jethro grunts.

"Why don't you get yourself a martini?" Tony asks.

"I don't like girly drinks, you know that." I say and he chuckles.

"Get her a Black Russian." Jethro says and I smile sweetly up at Tony.

"Hey, can I get a Black Russian and a bourbon over ice?" Tony asks.

I giggle as he lifts me up onto the bar, both of us level almost. I was still slightly short.

"Boss, you got to get some food in her. She's as light as a feather." Tony says.

"Oh stop!" I giggle, smacking his chest.

"Black Russian and bourbon over ice." The bartender says.

Tony hands me my drink and grabs his, both of us clinking our glasses together. He took a sip, but I down mine.

"Easy there, tigress." Tony chides.

"Give me yours." I say.

He hands me his, which solves the problem of his drink and not looking suspicious. I downed his, grinning.

"Want to go out back?" He asks.

"Does either of you have a sidearm?" Fornell questions.

"Inner thigh." I say.

"DiNozzo...if I find out that your hands go up my wife's skirt, you won't have to worry about a funeral." Jethro grunts.

"Come!" I exclaim, jumping off the bar and grabbing his hand.

We walk out the back, and I glanced back at Tony to catch the unsub following us.

"He'll be right behind us." I say.

"I ain't grabbing your sidearm. Gibbs will kill me." He says.

I reach a hand under my skirt, pulling my gun out of the holster before handing it to him which he shoved inside his jacket before he picks me up and pins me against the wall.

"Alright. Couples who drink and go to the back alley do what?" McGee asks.

I could see the eye roll. Tony looked nervous and I roll my eyes, pulling him in for a kiss. He kisses back as the backdoor opens. We pull away when we hear a click and see the unsub pointing a gun at us. Tony had my red lipstick all over his mouth and he slowly sat me down.

"Back away and give me that whore. God! Why can't you guys stop! Your constantly wrecking families. He came in here the other night with a girl. His wife." He snaps.

Ziva and Tony did go undercover the other night. For todays purposes. I reach my hand under Tony's jacket, my hand on the gun before I aim it at him.

"Only one person can call me a whore, and that's for pleasure purposes. Drop the weapon. Your coming with us." I say.

"Y/N! Didn't need to know that!" McGee groans.

"Dirty girl, for real. Jeesh. I didn't expect boss to be that way." Tony says, looking confused.

I could hear Jethro and Fornell chuckling on the other side as Ziva snickers.

"Always knew you were a dirty minded woman, Y/N/N." Ziva teases.

"He calls me other names and I call him some delightful names too." I say, grinning.

Tony cuffs the unsub who finally decided to drop his weapon. Jethro and Fornell walk out the back door and Jethro looks at me with a small smile and an amused expression.

"Really had to keep running your mouth, didn't you hon?" He asks.

"He called me a whore. I didn't like it. It's not like when you call me a whore." I tease.

"Alright. Coms off." McGee says quickly and I laugh.

Jethro puts his hand on my back and we begin walking out of the alleyway. Ziva was helping Tony wipe my lipstick off and I decided to touch up my lipstick. I hum, bobbing my head slightly.

"Hey, is she single?" I hear.

"Do you not see that man's hand on her back? And the wedding ring on her finger. She's happily married. I'd keep a distance if you don't want that man to shoot you in the ass. He's very possessive over her. And I think of her as a sister so get lost asshole." Tony snaps.

I smile, looking up at Jethro who also caught the conversation. He had a small smirk on his face and I walk away from him. Eager to get home.

I walk in, Jethro not far behind me. I walk to the kitchen, grabbing two beers. I glance up when I see him hovering in the doorway with clenched fists and an unreadable expression.

"What the hell was your problem today?" He asks.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I say, shrugging with an innocent smile.

"The outfit. Teasing me. Flirting with people. The undercover op with Tony." He says.

"Jethro, tell me you didn't forget." I chide, walking towards him.

He watches me with those intense blue eyes and I stop in front of him, looping my arms around his neck.

"Elaborate." He demands and I huff.

"Last week. You stepped on my toes, Jet. And you thought I could let you get away with it...you thought." I say.

"Your one hell of a woman. You could of found another approach to seeking your revenge, hon. You flashed your ass today more times than I can count." He says.

"Thankfully I have a nice ass, Jethro." I say.

"My point exactly, besides I don't appreciate people staring at my woman." He says, his hands settling on my hips.

The tingles I felt were unreal. This man stirred a side I didn't know I had.

"Oh, Jethro. Green isn't your color. Who knew you could get jealous over little things." I tease.

"You are not a little thing. Your the most important part of my life. And I'm not ashamed I'm jealous. I have a smart, beautiful and feisty wife that everyone seems to want and I'm not very keen on the thought of losing you." He says.

"I love you, Jet." I murmur.

"I love you too, hon. But, get your ass upstairs. I'm going to get the coffee pot ready for tomorrow. We aren't getting much sleep tonight." He says and my heart speeds up.

"Really?" I ask excitedly.

He smirks, pulling away and walking towards the coffee pot. I push the skirt down while he's turned around pull the shirt off, left in my lingerie and heels before throwing the skirt and shirt at him.

I didn't miss the way he tensed before slowly turning to me. I grin slyly at him, loving how his eyes slowly roam over me. I loved the way they darkened and narrowed. His gaze was intense.

"Upstairs, now." He says.

"You better hurry, Jethro. I might get impatient." I tease before running out of the room.

I didn't miss his low chuckle and I knew that tonight was going to be a long one. But, I knew it was going to be a good night. It's been weeks, a few months, since we've been intimate.

#gibbs #gibbs imagine #gibbs x reader #jethro gibbs #jethro gibbs imagine #jethro gibbs x reader #leroy jethro gibbs #ncis gibbs #ncis fandom #ncis imagine #leroy jethro gibbs x reader #ncis #ncis fanfiction #ncis mcgee #ncis team #ncis tony #ncis x reader #ncis ziva #gibbs smut #ncisedit #leroy jethro gibbs imagine #ncisverse #ncis fic

[tonberry-yoda]

Helpful Human - Ramattra

notes: here it is!! the very anticipated ramattra fic from this poll!!! I really love doing these polls, so expect another one today LMFAOOOOOO. but seriously though, thank you all for your patience. I really like this one. it's based off of a voice line that Rama and Baptiste have together that makes me so soft omg. this is a very fluffy fic that makes me very very happy. and jesus, i love making y/n a little omnic doctor, it makes me smile every time! please enjoy this fic and stay hydrated folks! love you all have a killer day <33333

word count: 1,199

No one looked at you the way he did. He looked at you as though instead of him being the predator, you were. He looked at you as if you could hurt him. As if you hated him. His eyes watched your every move and he even jumped when you would made any short, sudden movements.

You didn't want to hurt Ramattra. Hell, you never once thought about harming an omnic. Even during the war, when you were told you had to fight. All you wished was for a way that Ramattra could trust you. Trust anyone in Overwatch.

He wouldn't let anyone near him except any of the omnics/robots of Overwatch, spending most of his time with Zenyatta and questioning Bastion. If he was in the common rooms of the Overwatch headquarters, his eyes would linger on every human with hatred. He would watch as Bastion and Torbjorn would spend time together and Orisa would make jokes with Hanzo. He watched with what you couldn't tell was sadness, jealousy, anger or a mixture of all three.

He refused your help, even though you were the only one in Overwatch that could repair omnics like a doctor, only letting Zenyatta fix his wounds as best he could. Even though Zen knew what he was doing, it wasn't enough. He begged for you to help Ramattra, but you could only do so much.

"I want Ramattra to trust me," you had told Zen as you were cleaning up your studio. "More than anything. But I also know that he has been through hell and back. I can't force him to like me, let alone trust his lift in my hands."

"I understand my brother," Zen said to you. "But if he wants this terrible burden the world has given to him, he needs to allow humans to help. Especially humans like you." Zenyatta gave your chest a little poke and you smiled.

"I can't convince him to trust me..." You started.

"But I can try." You couldn't see it, but you knew Zen was giving you a warm smile.

After that, you didn't think much of the conversation. There was only so much that the two of you could do. You spent your time doing what you were used to doing, fixing up other robots and omnics alike who have seen more than one should.

Echo would come into your office with a smile and a crack in her arm and tell you stories, which always left you with a smile; Orisa would tell you about her past, and what she sees for her future; and Bastion would beep at you with pleasure, showing you what he had found for Ganymede.

You liked what you had, and if Ramattra wasn't a part of it, that was his choice. And that was the way you thought it was going to be for a while.

Until you heard the door to your studio open, the sound of sparking wires enter.

You smiled and turned around in your spinning chair, nearly gasping at what you found.

Ramattra's giant figure stood in front of you, his entire arm torn off with fiery sparks flying off of him, his artificial breaths uneven.

You jumped out of your seat and pointed to a medical bed large enough to fit him in the corner of the room. You didn't panic or rush, you just did your job.

Without a word, you fixed his arm and cleaned up burn marks and mud dusting his mechanical body. And he watched in silence as you mended his body back together, making it feel good as new.

You looked up at him with a smile and asked him to move his arm. "Better?" You asked, looking into his dark eyes.

He nodded at you, moving his elbow and fingers at the same time, seeing not only that they were fixed, but flowed perfectly, like a river.

"Need anything else done? Anything bothering you?" You documented your work on your computer and turned to Ramattra, who cleared his throat.

"No. Everything seems to be fine." You realized that this was the first time he had ever spoken to you and the first time you had ever heard his voice this close to you. It was deep and comforting with what sounded like gravel behind it.

"Well, I'm sorry that happened to you, but you should be good as new."

After a bit of hesitation, Ramattra sucked in a breath. "Thank you." His voice was soft and he looked down at his hands.

"You're welcome." You thought he would leave after that, but he didn't.

You paused and looked at Ramattra, who's eyes were still not on you. "You don't mind that I did that, right?" You asked, your voice kind and curious. "I know it must bother you that I'm a human and all."

Ramattra chuckled softly and looked up at you. "Well, actually, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. A helpful human is a nice change of pace. I feel," he looked up at the florescent lights in the room. "Better."

You smiled at him, but didn't know what to say.

"You know," Ramattra said, looking back down at his hands. "My brother convinced me to come here several times, but I never listened. He was on my butt about coming her now because there was no way he was going to fix a torn off arm."

You smiled. "Zenyatta's a great healer, but I don't think he knows how to weld back pieces of his own body."

Ramattra laughed at you, the roughness of his voice now soft and light.

"I don't trust him with fire at all to be honest," you said, laughing yourself.

That made Ramattra laugh harder and he looked at you with what seemed like a smile as he tilted his head.

"This took me a while," he admitted, sitting in a chair next to yours. He was a giant next to you. "But I'm really glad I came here. I don't know how often I'll be coming in though. I'm still... getting used to things."

"I understand," you told him, giving him the space he needs. "But if anything like this happens, know that I'm here to help. I promise."

Ramattra hums in approval and grabs your hand, placing what would be his lips to it, almost like he just pressed a kiss to your knuckles. You feel your face heat up as his cold fingers glide over your warm ones. He drops your hand and bows at you.

"I'll be on my way then," he says, getting up and walking to the door. "Thank you... for being so patient with me."

"Of course." You watch him walk out of the room, your voice trailing off.

You knew you were blushing, but how could you not. You hoped he would be back, but buried that thought. You don't want him to be hurt again, dummy. So you just sat and thought about what Ramattra had told you. A helpful human is a nice change of pace. You smiled at the thought. You hoped you could be the one to help.

~~~~~

overwatch masterlist | pinned post @tonberry-yoda

#i hope my ramattra simps enjoy this one <3 #writing #fanfic #my writing #<3 #fanfiction #overwatch #overwatch 2 #ramattra #ramattra x reader #overwatch x reader #overwatch ramattra #overwatch 2 x reader #ow #ow2 #ow x reader #ow2 x reader #<333 #stay hydrated my loves

[sollattes]

The olive theory

the olive(well chocolate) theory with Tsukasa Takajo

Note: sorry for not uploading for like a 2 months 😭 tho I am alive now dw and sorry if its a bit short:))

Tsukasa hated chocolates, at first he didn't mind the taste of it but now he didn't like it all, he hated the it tasted, the texture of it he hated it, everytime he received for an occasion or an event he would just force himself to smile gratefully at the one who gave it but after that he gives to his friend.

You love chocolates, you love anything sweet really but you would pick chocolate over any candy if you were given the chance, your sweet tooth is always happy and satisfied when you eat chocolates. Your friends would always give you their chocolates if you're down or not in the mood since the sweet treat would always make you happy.

At your first date with Tsukasa he made it clearly that he didn't like chocolate and that made you sad a bit, you really liked him but you don't want to just give up something that really makes happy when you're sad for a boy, though thinking that it woudnt work, and Tsukasa, not willing to give you up, made it work.

Even though Tsukasa knew he didn't like chocolate, he tolerated it for you. He would buy you chocolates when he is at the convenience or at the grocery, bring you chocolate treats or drinks from a bakery, and give you the chocolates that were given to him.

In the pool side at Oya, Shiba brought chocolate cupcakes that his sister baked for everyone. You excitedly got yours and ate it while complimenting Shiba's sister, while Tsukasa only looked at the treat with disinterest and gave his cupcake to you, to which you happily received and ate.

The other boys could only look at Tsukasa with confusion, as they swore they always saw Tsukasa buying chocolates flavoured foods or drinks, but now the said boy seem to not like it one bit.

"Why does he buy chocolates if he doesn't seem to like it?" Tsuji asked quietly, making sure that the blonde boy wouldn't be able to hear them. He looked at his boyfriends for answers, but Todoroki coudnt careless and was just eating the treat quietly while Shiba was also confused.

This also caught the attention of the other and questioned it amongst themselves. When they had enough of questions, they turned to Fujio, who was just loudly enjoying the cupcake and not really listening to the conversation.

Fujio suddenly sensed that his being watched and looked up from his cupcake, "What?" The clueless boy asked while his mouth was still full from the baked treat.

"Why does Tsukasa buy so much chocolates if he doesn't seem to like it so much?" Tsuji interrogated. They all looked at Fujio with anticipating eyes and expecting gazes.

Before answering, Fujio swallowed the cupcake he was eating, "Well, it's because [name] likes them, well actually they love them, it's their favourite thing in the world, it makes them happy whenever they eat one so even though Tsukasa hates chocolates he would always buys one whenever and give it to her just to make her happy" Fujio explained.

Silence fell amongst boys, then they turned their gazes to you and Tsukasa, you still happily eating the cupcake and talking animatedly to Tsukasa and the blonde boy was just looking at you, love and adoration practically pouring out of his eyes, smiling softly, his dimples softly appearing in his cheeks.

They watched in amazement as the once cold and rude boy of the full timers was now undeniably, indisputably, indubitably, beyond doubt, in love, and he was so in love he was willing surround himself with the sweet he hates the most just to make you happy.

"Oh, it's like the olive theory," Shiba pointed out quietly so that his boyfriends were the only ones that could hear. "The what??" Tsuji asked, "You know the olive theory, the one from 'how I met your mother', when the other needs to hate olives while the other one needs to love olives, and in a weird sense that's what makes them such a great couple." Shiba explained

"Ohh, like when Todoroki hates blueberries while we love them," Tsuji realised, and Shiba nodded in agreement while Todoroki could only roll his eyes in fondness of his boyfriends.

tags: @simpforchuchu

#high and low #high and low the worst #high and low fic #high and low the worst cross #tsukasa takajo #tsukasa x reader #oya high #shibaman #tsuji #todoroki yosuke #poly todoroki faction #the olive theory>>>> #had to sneak my favourite poly boys in 🤩

[footywritingworks]

Feels like Home {Martin Ødegaard x fem!Reader}

Summary: Cuddling with your boyfriend is the best medicine after a hard day.

Wordcount: 900

Warnings: fluff, stress from work

This was inspired by a conversation I had with @julianalvarez9 and the Martin brainrot is still very much real

Your day had driven you up the wall. It had started in the morning when you noticed you had forgotten your tram card and had to walk back home to get it, missing your tram in the process. Consequently, you were at work later than usual, which cut your time to prepare a very important meeting short.

The meeting also had gone on longer than anticipated so you missed your usual lunchtime. By that point you were nauseous by the lack of food. The nausea carried on throughout the rest of the day even after eating lunch and when your boss had come in with more work that made you stay overtime you were completely worn out.

It was already evening when you walked into your shared home with your boyfriend, dragging your feet, shoulders heavy. You were welcomed by your dog jumping up at you all excited and it made a smile take over your face.

"Hello my boy. I'm so happy to see you too. You missed me, huh?"

You scratched him behind the ears as he continued to pant and wagged his tail. You kept petting him as you saw a figure walking up behind him. Looking up you saw your boyfriend leaning against the doorway of your living room, a smile on his face and a gentle look in his crystal blue eyes. You smiled back at him.

It was like all the stress had evaporated as soon as you saw him. Standing up and walking over to him he embraced you with open arms. You always loved his hugs. The way his arms wrapped around your waist tightly and tucking your head just under his neck as his warmth surrounded you. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the moment as he kissed your forehead in greeting.

"Hey kjære. I missed you today. I put out some clothes for you to change into. Then we can eat dinner and cuddle on the couch."

His hands were now on the side of your face, his thumbs caressing your cheekbones. A tired smile graced your lips.

"How do you always know just what I need when I come home?"

He smiled back and leaned down to press a kiss on your lips.

"It's my superpower babe. Now go change I'll get dinner ready."

With one last kiss you pulled away from Martin and made your way upstairs to your bedroom, where a pair of his sweatpants and one his his hoddies were laid out on the bed. The hoddie was one of your favorites. An Arsenal one he wore to most home matchdays and let you wear it when he was on away games or when you just needed some comfort like today. It was warm and smelled like him, the perfect combination to relax.

After you had changed in his clothes you went back down where he was already sitting on the dinner table, waiting for you with a big smile.

"I love it when you wear my clothes."

His accent had gotten just a bit thicker at that comment. Of course you knew what you wearing his clothes did to him. But you also knew he wouldn't try to insinuate anything more than cuddles tonight. You kissed his cheek and sat down, seeing one of your favorite pasta dishes was served.

"Did you cook this?"

You glanced up in surprise. Normally you were the one to cook dinner or you ordered something when none of you felt like cooking. But seeing him put the effort in to make it just that bit easier for you warmed your heart. Martin chuckled.

"Yeah I did. I'm not as useless in the kitchen as you might think I am. And I wanted to do something nice for you."

Tears had built up in your eyes and you took his hand and gave it a squeeze to show your appreciation. While you are Martin told you all about the shenanigans the Arsenal team had been up to and it made you laugh wholeheartedly. Sometimes these boys would just do the weirdest stuff. Martin knew you didn't want to talk about your day so distracting you was the best possible option. And he was right. Little by little the bright smile he loved so much came back to your face and your eyes had started to sparkle again as well.

After dinner he commanded you on the couch while he washed up and you did just that, cuddling up into a blanket and petting your dog that had found his place on your lap. It was evenings like these where you felt most comfortable. At home with Martin and your dog and just spending some time together.

At last, Martin had come out of the kitchen and laid down with you on top of him, your bodies covered in the fluffy blanket you had before. He had you tucked just unter his chin as he ran his fingers through your hair and rubbing your back while watching a movie on the TV. You could feel your lids getting heavier, a result of your body being as relaxed as it could be. Martin noticed it of course.

"Close your eyes baby. Go to sleep. You deserve it. I love you."

You mumbled an 'I love you' back and felt yourself drifting into a deep sleep. And when you woke up in the middle of the night, you were in your bed with Martin behind you and his arms wrapped around you in an embrace. Just like every night.

#martin odegaard #martin odegaard x reader #martin ødegaard #martin ødegaard imagine #martin odegaard imagine #Martin Ødegaard x Reader

[ucetheones]

Worked Up | Jey Uso x Single Mother!Reader

tw: mentions of an abusive ex, not detailed. My other fics are still in the works, I just can't let go of an idea once I get it. It's a curse.

(Also writing in second person is weird and I feel like I suck at it!! But whatever, enjoy!! <3)

When you and Jey first started talking, you were hesitant to tell him about your son, your pride and joy.

Your son, Joshia, was the driving force in you finally leaving your abusive ex, Tyler. 

Finding out you were pregnant was one of the scariest days of your life, you no longer had just yourself to worry about. Now there was a life growing inside of you, meaning you couldn't afford to risk your body dealing with Tyler. 

He was too dangerous to outright confront, so you did what you thought was best, and left him a few days after finding out.

That was over three years ago. Thanks to your estranged sister, Samantha, you found a steady job, and a place to stay.

Working with your older sister was strange at first, but you two easily fell into a rhythm like no other. It helped that you were doing your dream job. It might not seem like a huge deal to anyone else, but doing the hair, makeup and wardrobe for WWE Superstars was truly an amazing job. It required skill that most did not have, it made you valuable. Needed.

It was at work where you met Jey. You two hit it off almost instantly, and soon found yourselves flirting. That flirting evolved into talking pretty quickly.

It was Sam that brought up introducing Jey to Joshia, though not without commenting on how similar Jey's real name was to his.

With a roll of your eyes, you sipped your coffee and sighed.

"What if he freaks on me and bails? Work would be so awkward."

Sam squinted at you, lightly scoffing. "You know Jey loves kids, right? I think he'd like Joshia. You're thinkin' way too hard, Jey isn't that deep.

Plus, I love my nephew, but girl…if I have to watch another season of Miraculous Ladybug, I may die!"

You couldn't think of any rebuttal, so you just flicked a piece of your pastry at her. "Shut up, I ain't even ask for your opinion. And that show is good, admit it."

"You did, but whatever!" You can tell she agrees about the show being interesting, but won't give you the satisfaction. 

That conversation was almost a month ago, and the entire time you were going back and forth with yourself on how to bring it up to him.

Sam wouldn't be willing to babysit while you went on dates with Jey forever, and hiring a nanny to work longer hours than you currently do felt like a terrible move; so you knew you'd have to tell him sooner or later.

You just didn't anticipate sooner being so soon. 

You had a week off from work, as you weren't needed for hair and makeup or costume design, you decided to use some of your remaining vacation days.

Your original plan was to tell Jey about Joshia and hope that the week away from one another would be enough time for him to decide whether things were worth continuing. 

You hadn't counted on Joshia getting sick, or Jey showing up at your door on the first day of your vacation. 

Your hair was all over the place, your clothes were a mess, and Joshia was perched on your hip, wailing loudly into your ear, despite all attempts at soothing him.

When you answered the door, Jey's expression was visibly confused. You wanted to slam the door. 

You wanted to pretend you still had a say in whether you told him about your son, but instead remained frozen in place.

"You babysitting or something?"

Before you could answer, your son was whining. "Mama, hurts…" 

The very evident discomfort in his voice had you turning away from the man in your doorway, your hand rubbing up and down Joshia's back in an effort to calm him.

"I know, baby, I know. The medicine will help, we just have to give it time." 

His crying dies down considerably at your words, but you can tell he doesn't feel any better and for a moment you consider taking him to the hospital. If for no other reason than to have an excuse to get Jey out if things turned south. Not that you thought they would, but you could never be too safe.

Jey clears his throat softly, and your head whips back to look at him.

"He's cute, Uce. What's his name?"

His tone is softer than it was previously, there's a warm smile on his lips. You can tell he has other questions, but is saving them for the moment.

"His name is Joshia."

At your response, Jey raises a brow. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know; your names are similar. Sam won't let me hear the end of it."

It's when Jey laughs that you realize he's still outside, so you step aside and watch as he slips into the house. 

It's the first time he's ever gotten to come inside, you usually meet him at the front steps or at whatever hotel you were staying at for work, whilst Joshia was usually with the hired nanny. The nanny, Riah, spent most of the week with him, before dropping Joshia off to your father until you were done for the week.

From there, Sam helped you.

It was never easy, and sometimes you considered quitting, if only to spend more time with your son; but when those doubts came up, Sam would quickly shut them down. The first few times she thought it was financially challenging to pay an overnight babysitter, and had offered repeatedly to help you pay, but you reassured her that wasn't the case. It was just difficult doing this without a partner. You never wanted Sam to think you were ungrateful for her sacrifices, because you were anything but, so it wasn't often you brought up your worries.

Maybe if Tyler was a better man, you could've trusted him to know you were pregnant, and ultimately know his son, but you'd given up on that pipe dream shortly after Joshia was born. He would never be allowed to see him, if you had any say, but you knew one day he'd start asking about his father, and you weren't sure if you could lie to him when the time came.

Right now though, none of that mattered. Because the man you were slowly falling for, was in your home. He was seeing your son for the first time, without any clue he existed to begin with.

Toys littered the floor in some places, there were blankets all over the couch and your coffee table was covered in various sippy cups, from throughout the day.

It should've embarrassed you, but Jey seemed completely unfazed by it all.

He seemed to almost welcome it.

From then on, the bulk of your vacation was spent with Jey, the two of you taking care of Joshia together. It was weird at first, Jey hadn't really interacted with Joshia at all, instead opting to do things like preparing meals, bottles and whatever else needed to be done so that you could focus on Joshia.

On Wednesday, you'd fallen asleep on the couch after putting Joshia to bed, Jey was in the kitchen cleaning up. 

At least he had been. But when you woke up from your impromptu nap, he was nowhere to be seen.

You were afraid he left at first, but instead of worrying about it, you went to check on Joshia. He was your number one priority, even when he was starting to feel better.

When you entered your son's room, you quickly stopped in your tracks.

Jey was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of Joshia's room, cradling the small boy in his arms as the chair swayed softly. When you stepped closer, you saw that they were both asleep, so you grabbed a blanket and draped it over them; deciding you'd wake them up to transition to beds after a quick shower. 

Leaning down, you press a kiss to Joshia's head and then Jey's before turning to step out the room. Jey's sleepy rumble pausing your movements.

"You ain't gettin' rid of me now, Y/N. You know that law, he fell asleep on my chest, I'm stuck here forever." When you look over at him, he's smiling at you. You smile back, shaking your head.

"I'm pretty sure that 'law' is about cats, Josh."

Jey playfully glares at you, "nah, it's about cute two year olds that drool on your shirt, too Mamas. It's what life is all about."

 You raise your eyebrow, humming. "I'll take your word for it then. And a shower, I'm gonna go take a shower."

You watch as he shifts in the chair, readjusting himself and Joshia so they're more comfortable, before nodding. "I ain't tryna' rush you, but…hurry up. I wanna cuddle, and my back starting to hurt."

You detect the slight whine in his voice, a small chuckle leaving you. "You got it, Chief." 

He sucks his teeth, "man, go wash ya' ass." Just to annoy him a little, you stand there unmoving. 

He waits a beat before huffing. "Babyyyy, my ass is gonna go numb."

"I'll massage it, don't worry."

He laughs a bit too loud at that, if the way Joshia wiggles in his sleep and huffs is anything to go by. His tiny cheeks filled with air before he settled down again.

"See, even little man is on my side."

You decide not to mention that he'd almost woken Joshia up, instead you raise your hand defensively. 

"I'm goin', I'm goin' no need for you two to get all worked up, jeez!"

You playfully flip your hair before scurrying out the room, laughing to yourself at the sound of Jey's distant chuckle of disbelief. 

You were worried to tell Jey about Joshia for nothing it seems. They would get along just fine, Jey hadn't run for the hills and had actually stuck around to help you take care of your unwell son. He had no obligation to you, yet he chose to put himself in this position. 

He wanted this, he wanted you. 

#jey uso #angst #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso x reader #jey uso x you #single mother!reader #your sister is Samantha Irvin btw #wwe #slight angst #Y/N x Jey Uso #jey isn't a father in this #i honestly have a few ideas for this lil universe but idk #i may never write it all #but imagine jey and joshia matching outfits #i honestly imagine joshia as looking a lot like jey but not intentionally #it just happened #i can't unsee it tbh

[thoriffix]

you're telling me he gets THREE boyfriends???

words: 4.6k

summary: cole's dad assumes the ninja are dating, which - as far as cole is concerned - is ridiculous. of course, it sends him on a bit of a feelings spiral, and maybe he does in fact have a few crushes he has to deal with.

some polyninja goofs! set vaguely in s2 idk when exactly but uhh theyre living on the bounty and lloyd isnt aged up yet thats all thats important. also im trying out posting full fics on here for the first time! this is also on my ao3 ill link it in the rbs

enjoy!

"So, how are the boys?"

"Ugh, Dad." Cole rolls his eyes. Every time he visits, his dad ends up trying to get him to talk about the other ninja, and he doesn't understand it. "They're fine, same as always. Busy training, probably."

"Shame they never come to visit," Lou comments, sipping his tea. "I really would love to get to know them better."

Cole squints dubiously at his father, who seems to be trying to appear nonchalant. "...Why?"

"Well, why wouldn't I? If my son suddenly came home with one boyfriend I'd like to get to know him, let alone three!"

What.

Cole stares at Lou. He puts his tea cup down and furrows his brow as he tries to process. Dad thinks- okay. Dad thinks the ninja are his… boyfriends? The ninja. All of them. Boyfriends?

"We're not dating, dad," he says, after a solid few seconds of confused silence. Lou tilts his head.

"You're not?" he asks. "None of you?"

"No, none of us!"

Why would he even think that? Do they act like boyfriends? Dad didn't even know he was gay until a few weeks ago. Why would he just assume Cole’s friends were dating him? Or each other, for that matter?

"Well," says Lou, frowning. "I must have misread. Sorry, son."

"That's okay, dad," says Cole. His head is spinning, though. Misread what? Normal, friendly, platonic interactions between four close buddies? How could you possibly misread that? "What, uh- why would you… what made you think that?"

Lou hums, taking another sip of his tea as he thinks about it. Cole finds himself leaning forward in anticipation, and immediately feels weird about it. Why is he excited to know? That's weird. Stop it, Cole.

"You were the happiest I've ever seen you," Lou finally says, and Cole feels his stomach flip. "When you were fighting, yes, but even more so when you were just with them. The way you looked at them, I… well, it reminded me of myself when I first fell in love."

Cole really, truly, has no idea how to feel about that. He stares down into his lap. This isn't exactly a conversation he'd love to be having with the father he's fairly estranged from, anyway. Maybe once they were closer he'd be willing to talk about his nonexistent love life, but apparently it's happening now, because apparently he looks at the other ninja like he's in love with them, which is- well, it's a lot to unpack. 

"Why so interested?" Lou asks teasingly, after Cole hasn't said anything for a few minutes. Cole’s stomach flips again.

"I'm not!" he defends, though he can't really deny that he is. When he thinks about it his heart keeps doing these little flutters. Maybe he just has a heart condition. That's probably more likely. A rare heart condition that only shows symptoms when he thinks about the idea of dating his fellow ninja. The idea of boyfriends. Having boyfriends. Dating them. Maybe even kissing them! He-

Wow, that heart condition sure is a doozy.

"Well, I'm not going to sit around and tell you how it looks," says Lou. "I think you might need to work out how you actually feel."

"Unhelpful, dad," Cole grumbles. His father laughs, and picks his tea back up.

"If you say you're not dating, I believe you. But maybe I wasn't misreading your expressions?" He raises his eyebrows and sips his tea meaningfully. Cole can feel his face going hot.

"Yeah, yeah," he mutters. "I'm changing the subject now. How's the weather been lately?"

–

Later, on the Bounty, Cole can’t stop thinking about it. What the fuck did his dad mean about him and the other ninja? He spends most of the day after he gets home stewing about it, brooding in various spots aboard the ship and generally overthinking. It doesn't make him feel any better in the slightest.

Eventually the others notice, because of course they do, because they share a space of a couple hundred square feet at best. Kai corners him on the deck first.

“Hey, man,” he says, slapping Cole on the back and joining him in peering over the edge of the boat. “You doin’ okay?”

Kai’s picked up a habit of checking in on the others the moment they seem even a little off, and he seems scarily attuned to when they’re not feeling great. It makes Cole smile. He’s a good guy. Much more sensitive and caring than his cocky outward self would have you believe, and Cole’s lucky to get to see it. Lucky to get to see his face, too, cause he’s sure easy on the eyes. And-

Cole’s cheeks go hot. Oh, boy.

“All good!” he replies, maybe a little too squeakily. Kai narrows his eyes suspiciously. His stunning, deep brown eyes. Cole scolds himself mentally. Where is this coming from?

“You went to visit your dad today, right?” asks Kai, and Cole nods. “That go okay?”

“Been worse. We, uh, talked a lot."

“Hey, that’s a start.” Kai smiles lopsidedly and reaches out, covering Cole’s hand with his. His palm is warm and comforting. Cole smiles back. “Wanna come play some games with the guys? We got some time.”

“We should probably be training,” Cole says, raising one eyebrow, but it’s more of a tease than an actual protest. He’d much rather play. If nothing else, it's fun to watch Jay rage when he's losing.

“Eh, what Wu doesn’t know won’t hurt him. C’mon.”

Cole allows himself to be led the relatively short distance from the deck into their room, where Jay and Zane are already battling it out. 

“Ah, hello, Cole,” says Zane, pausing the game and turning to smile up at Cole with that sweet, awkward smile he always has. “Are you alright?”

“I’m peachy, snowflake,” Cole replies, grinning as he sits down between them. Zane tilts his head in apparent confusion. “I’m good. No worries.”

“Good,” says Zane. Kai sits down on Zane’s other side and picks up a spare controller, passing Cole the fourth. Jay nudges him.

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” he asks, smirking, and Cole just smirks back.

“I’d be careful who you threaten, motormouth.”

“Ooh, fighting talk!” exclaims Kai. “C’mon, I wanna get into it already!”

Zane sets up a fresh game. Cole sits there, idly playing with the buttons as he waits, and smiles. He’s got the best friends.

–

It doesn’t entirely clear his mind, but digitally brawling with the other ninja certainly makes him feel a bit better, right up until Wu finds them and scolds them for shirking their duties. He finds himself in the kitchen with Zane, washing dishes as Zane starts to get dinner ready.

“Do not laugh, please,” Zane says shyly. Cole blinks at him, and then suddenly realises that Zane is bashfully tying his pink apron around his waist. He feels guilty immediately.

“I won’t,” he promises. “Sorry for laughing at you for it before.”

“That’s okay. I understand it is a little silly. It’s pink, after all.”

“No, it- it still sucked for us to laugh. You don’t look silly. You, uh- pink suits you.”

It’s nowhere near a lie. Zane looks great in pink. He looks great in anything, honestly. Most of all, he looks great wearing the pleased smile that crosses his face at that. It’s infectious - Cole finds himself smiling too, distracted and scrubbing the same spot on a bowl over and over. He snaps his attention back to the dishes. FSM, what is with him? His dad’s comments must have got in his head. He doesn’t remember ever noticing the others’ appearances this much before, nor feeling this fluttery when he thinks about them. But then again, didn’t he? Weren’t they always this handsome, now that he thinks about it? Maybe the butterflies are new, but they don’t feel out of place, exactly. When he casts his mind back, maybe he does remember feeling a little fluttery whenever Kai puts his hand on his, or Jay poorly trash-talks him, or Zane makes extra dumplings because he knows they’re Cole’s favourite. He stares into the soapy water, suddenly unsure of himself.

“Cole? Are you alright?” Zane asks, placing a cold hand on Cole’s arm and pulling him out of his thoughts. Cole nods.

“Yep,” he says, and it’s not a lie. He’s just… confused, is all. There’s no way his dad was right, right? Not about them dating, of course, but about his, uh… feelings. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? His dad, who he barely sees, picking up on Cole having a- well, multiple crushes before it even crossed Cole’s mind. “Sorry, Zane. Just thinkin’.”

“No need to apologise,” says Zane. “And, um. Thank you for saying pink suits me. I rather like it.”

He smiles, and then makes a beeline for the stove to start cooking. Cole watches him move perfectly around the kitchen, each movement graceful and well-oiled. The water's long gone cold by the time he actually resumes doing the dishes.

–

Dinner is perfect, as it always is when it's Zane's night to cook. Cole devours his own helping and then a fair bit of Jay's, when he isn't looking. Lloyd watches him sneak food off Jay's plate from across the table, wide-eyed, and then utterly fails to do the same to Nya, who notices immediately.

After the meal, Jay and Cole end up on the deck together, trying to make the most of the time before bed. The sun's gone down, leaving them chugging along through dusky indigo skies, a few stars twinkling above them.

"Don't think I didn't notice you stealing my food all of dinner, mister," Jay says, and Cole grins, embarrassed. Busted. 

"Well, why didn't you stop me then?"

Jay shrugs. "I figured it would mean that you owe me! Besides, I know you love Zane’s cooking."

Cole knows for a fact that Jay also loves Zane's cooking. They all do. He doesn't comment on that, though, just raises an eyebrow instead. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep!"

He doesn't elaborate. Cole chooses to assume he'll be doing Jay's chores tomorrow. He rolls his eyes, and leans over the side of the boat. The moon is so bright tonight, illuminating everything in a pale glow. He chances a glance at Jay out of the corner of his eye, and sure enough; beautiful. Damnit. Why couldn't he have less handsome friends? And kind, too, and funny. And caring. And-

Jay catches him looking and scrunches up his nose, sticking his tongue out. Cole feels his heart skip a beat. 

God damnit.

He has three whole stupid crushes, doesn't he?

And that means his stupid dad was right, too.

Cole stares down at the distant desert below them, slowly passing by. This is stupid. Feelings are stupid. They're his friends - his only friends, not that he really likes to admit it. Well- he still has Wu and Nya and Lloyd, but still. They're his team, for another thing. How's he going to fight effectively alongside them when all of a sudden he gets butterflies looking in their eyes for too long?

Jay pokes him. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Just- stuff," says Cole vaguely. 

"Ooh, mystery man, huh? Bet I can guess what you're thinking about."

"Jay, I-"

"Cake? Video games? The fact that it's your turn to mop the deck this week? Dragons?"

Cole should've known that vagueness would get him nowhere with Jay. Annoying, adorable little shit. Instead he just sighs and nods. "Yeah, uh, all of the above."

"Ha! You're so predictable, Cole."

I guess I am, Cole thinks, leaning on his hand and watching Jay's smug face turn to look back out at the clouds. He's only thinking a little bit about kissing him, which he's going to count as a win. He continues to think about it until they go to bed for the night, but it’s only a little bit, so. He’s doing well.

–

The next evening, Cole finally finds himself alone on the deck of the Bounty, having spent all day in the company of at least one of the other ninja, all of whom are suddenly the most attractive guys in Ninjago and he might be going a little bit crazy. Getting some time alone is rare under normal circumstances, but while dealing with this newest revelation it's nothing short of a godsend. 

He begins pacing up and down the deck, debating just what he's supposed to do now. Right. So maybe, just maybe, he has three new crushes. Or, more like, he has three old crushes that he's only just noticed and is kind of kicking himself about in retrospect. 

He has a few options, Cole supposes.

One, he tells them all how he feels. The idea of this one makes his stomach tie itself into twelve different knots and then throw itself off the side of the ship, so he's not really sure it's ideal. But then again, if it went well… he doesn't dare think about it. The odds of it going the way he'd like it to are so tiny that he doesn't even bother properly entertaining the idea. This option isn't really an option. 

Two, he picks one of them to confess to and buries the other two crushes down deep and doesn't think about them ever. This one is more plausible, even if the idea of choosing between them seems impossible. Any time he thinks he's settled on one of them, one of the others will float into his mind and his heart will do the flutter again and he'll be back at square one. Besides, he doesn't even know if any of them would like him back. This option isn't ideal, but it's there.

Three, he buries all of them down deep and pretends they don't exist. This one, as far as Cole can see, has no downsides. Nothing has to change, no one has to get rejected or ruin any friendships or teamwork, and he can go on having fun with his best friends and never think about kissing them at all. Ever. It's the perfect plan.

Of course, perfect plans often have a little snag or two, which Cole discovers as soon as he marches proudly back into their living quarters and is met with three stupidly handsome and loveable faces. 

For the next few days, Cole engages in what can only be described as the most miserable game of tag he’s ever played, in which he’s constantly running from his own gay thoughts attempting to catch him. Every time he sees the other ninja, his heart utterly betrays him by trying to thump itself out of his chest, and his brain betrays him even more by refusing to stop imagining them kissing him, or holding his hand, or even cuddling. Luckily, it doesn’t interfere with their ninja work too much, because Cole is a professional, and their well-oiled team is second nature at this point. At home, though? Well, those two days of performing arts school he attended are really putting the work in.

It doesn’t help that recently the ninja have become more affectionate than ever, constantly checking in on him and asking if he wants to hang out, and there’s only so many times he can turn them down without coming off rude or suspicious. He’s been hanging out with little Lloyd a lot instead. To be fair to the kid, he’s a lot of fun to hang out with, actually. Plus, as a bonus, the ninja don’t seem to be quite as affectionate when Lloyd, Nya or Wu are around, which Cole is putting down to them not wanting to exclude anyone from their little best friend group. 

He’s hanging out by himself in the sleeping quarters, reading a book that Zane’s been trying to get him to read and eating a sandwich, when Nya pops her head round the door and says; “Hey!”

He glances over, brushes some crumbs off his chest, and sits up, putting the book down. “Hey.”

“What’re you doing in here? Everyone's up on the deck, training.”

She steps into the room and walks over to his bunk, sitting down next to him. Cole shrugs.

“I was tired?” he tries, and she laughs.

“Nice try. Wu will never let you get away with that one. Ninja never quit!” she says, doing a scarily accurate impression of Master Wu. Cole snorts, and then looks at his hands. It’s not that he doesn’t want to train. It’s more that Kai had bumped into him earlier and for some ungodly reason had reached out to brush a lock of Cole’s hair behind his ear, and Cole’s now worried that if he looks Kai in the eyes he might actually explode.

He’s not gonna say that. He just sort of shrugs instead.

Nya pokes his cheek. “What’s going on with you?” she asks, raising one eyebrow. Cole looks at her.

“What do you mean?”

She shrugs. “You’re acting weird lately. Around the guys mostly. You feeling okay?”

Damn. Cole cringes slightly. He’s probably being very obvious, huh? He opens his mouth, fully intending to make up some excuse, even if he has no idea what would sound plausible, but what actually comes out is; “I think I’m in love with all three of the other guys because my dad thought we were all dating and it made me realise I really like them all and I have no idea what to do about it and I was trying to ignore it but that’s really hard and I don’t wanna ruin the team or our friendships or anything and it sucks.”

Nya stares at him.

“And also I’m gay,” he adds, belatedly realising he's never actually officially come out. He’s pretty sure they all know, but still. Worth adding.

She takes a second, looking almost confused, and then laughs. “Okay,” she says. “Lots of information there, Cole.”

“Sorry,” he mumbles, smiling a bit himself. Her smile is infectious. She sighs, and then pats him on the shoulder.

“First of all, congrats on the coming out. I mean, I did already know, so. Y’know. Still congrats!”

“Thank you…?”

"Secondly, that's really cute. You should tell them!"

Cole stares at her. "Nya. You gotta be kidding me."

"I'm not! What's the worst that could happen?" She’s grinning at him, with a sparkle in her eye like she knows something he doesn’t, but he just frowns.

"Uh, I don't know. Everything? Breaking up the team for no good reason? Losing my only friends?"

"Pssh, that's nothing." She sounds cheery, but Cole's not smiling, so she sighs and pats his shoulder. "Right. Sorry. Unhelpful. But look, I really do think you should tell them. They're worried about you, y'know."

Cole blinks. "They are?"

"Yeah, of course. If nothing else, telling them will get you closure, right? Your friendship is stronger than you think, and they care about you, so even if they don't like like you back, is that really the end of the world?"

Huh. Cole looks down at his hands. "I guess not," he admits, frowning. It doesn't feel like it should be that easy. Admittedly, the idea of rejection does make him want to crawl into a cupboard forever, but Nya has a point. She grins again, toothily.

"I'm always right," she says, smug. Cole rolls his eyes and leans into her. She wraps an arm around him. "Oh, and I'm rooting for you, champ. I guarantee it’ll go better than you think."

“Why are you so sure?” Cole grumbles, and she opens her mouth, and then closes it again, shrugging.

“Just am!” she says, slightly sing-song, and he groans. Why is everybody he knows so smug?

–

"Hey," says Cole, and only Zane looks up. Kai and Jay are too busy intently focusing on the game they're playing, which, honestly? That's fine. Cole’s feeling pretty nervous, so the less eyes on him right now the better. "I need to talk to you guys."

"What's up, dude?" asks Kai, narrowing his eyes at the TV, and then groaning. "Oh, damnit, Jay!"

"Ha! Get good, loser!"

"Are you guys done?" Cole asks, feeling endeared and irritated at the same time. God, why'd it have to be these idiots? They pause the game, finally, and turn around to face him, nodding. "Okay."

"Are you alright, Cole?" asks Zane, looking worried. 

“Yeah, I just- I have to tell you all something.”

“We’re all ears, bro,” says Kai, grinning up at him, and Cole’s heart flutters embarrassingly. Oh god. This is gonna suck. He takes a deep breath.

"I like you guys," says Cole. "Like, like like you. All of you."

There's silence. Cole resists the urge to squeeze his eyes shut so he can't see them all looking at him. This is terrible. His heart is pounding.

"...I thought we were all already dating?" Zane says, sounding genuinely bewildered.

“Yeah, I kinda- are we not?” asks Jay, putting down his game controller. Kai nods in agreement, frowning at Cole.

What.

Cole stares at them all. He’s desperately trying to see in their eyes if this is some weird prank, or joke, but they all look utterly baffled at the idea that they’re not all dating him. They all think they’re dating him? And each other? All of them?

This might be the weirdest turn of events in Cole’s life, and he once had an old man on top of a mountain ask him to become a ninja to help save Ninjago from evil.

“Wh- we are?” he says desperately, holding out his hands in confusion. The others make eye contact with each other and then look back at him, nodding. Cole’s head is spinning. “For how long?”

Jay shrugs. “I dunno, a couple of weeks?”

A couple of weeks? He’s saying that Cole could have been kissing all three of them for weeks? He must look shaken, because Kai holds out a hand comfortingly.

“How did I not know?” he asks. They look at each other again.

“I do not know,” says Zane.

“We just sort of assumed you wanted to take things slow?” explains Kai. “And we didn’t wanna push you or anything, y’know?”

Cole really does not know what to do now. He goes and sits on the floor between them all, and then suddenly has a realisation. “My dad was right,” he groans, dropping his head into his hands in shame. This is awful. Not only was his stupid dad right about his stupid feelings, he was right about them dating, apparently. And apparently, everybody was aware of this except for Cole!

Wait. “Wait,” he says. “Does Nya think we’re dating too?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m gonna tell my sister, dude,” says Kai, and Cole groans again. Great. No wonder she’d seemed so sure of herself when he asked for her advice. He feels a hand pat his arm slightly awkwardly.

“Are you alright?” asks Zane, sounding concerned, and Cole nods into his hands. It’s not quite settled in yet, given that this was the exact opposite of the outcome he was expecting and all. It might be starting to, though, given the way his stomach is starting to fizz with excitement. 

“So,” he says, lifting his head out of his hands. They’re all looking at him with eyes that are far too soft and gentle and beautiful. “You’re telling me you all want to date me?”

“Well, I thought we all were for several weeks, so I’d say yes,” says Jay, and Cole partially considers dropping his head back into his hands. He puts them down on his lap instead.

“What now?” he asks. He’s pretty sure he’s just mightily embarrassed himself, so he’s half expecting one of them to go well, actually, we don’t really like you that much anymore, Cole, sorry! Instead, Kai starts grinning and adjusts himself so he’s on one knee.

“Well,” he says, making eye contact with each of them. “Would all three of you do me the honour of being my boyfriends? Officially, this time.”

Cole might be dying. His heart rate would certainly suggest that he is. Beside him, Zane giggles, and Jay groans and rolls his eyes.

“You’re so annoying,” he complains, and then leans forward and kisses Kai’s cheek.

“I would be honoured,” Zane says, seriously, and leans in to kiss Kai’s other cheek. Kai raises his eyebrows at Cole, the cocky grin melting into something softer as he looks at him.

“If you’d rather talk about it first-” he begins to say, before Cole gets his courage up and all but jumps forward to plant a kiss directly on Kai’s lips. They’re soft, and warm, and he can feel Kai smiling against his lips. His heart hammers furiously against the inside of his ribs as he pulls back and grins awkwardly.

“Yeah,” he says, slightly embarrassed by the way Kai is smiling at him. Jay makes a noise.

“My turn!” he says, and pulls Cole into a kiss as well, their noses squishing uncomfortably against each other and teeth clacking slightly. He pulls away, slightly dazed, and Jay all but sparkles at him with the joy in his grin. Zane clears his throat politely.

“May I?” he asks, and Cole nods, his head spinning too much to answer properly. Zane leans in and kisses him, much gentler than Jay, and then pulls back after a moment and smiles. Cole’s tempted to pinch himself, just to make sure this isn’t some big self-indulgent dream. His heart is calming down, convinced that all is well. 

“Glad we got that sorted!” chirps Jay, picking his game controller back up. “Cole, do you wanna join the game next round?”

Cole has to laugh. He feels a bit ridiculous. Knowing that he could’ve been happily with them all for weeks rather than tearing himself up inside trying to escape his crushes stings a bit, but at least he got this outcome instead of something worse. Honestly, this is the best possible outcome he could have hoped for. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says, and grabs the spare controller.

–

Cole’s dad opens the door not ten seconds after he rings the bell, which suggests he’d been waiting by the door for Cole to show up, which is either quite sweet or a bit weird, he can’t decide.

“Cole!” he says, opening it, and then his eyes widen. “Oh!”

Cole grins, gesturing to the other three ninja, who have promised to be on their best behaviour and are dressed in their nicest outfits. “Surprise?” he says, and they beam at his dad. Lou looks utterly thrilled, clapping his hands together and grinning.

“Oh, this is wonderful! Cole never brings friends home,” he says, and Cole’s face goes a bit hot. He looks around at the other ninja, who smile at him encouragingly.

“It’s actually, uh. Boyfriends, dad.”

Lou’s face shifts through surprise, to joy, to smug understanding. He smiles at Cole, who rolls his eyes. 

“Boyfriends, eh?” he says, raising his eyebrows. “Who knew?”

“Lay off it, dad,” says Cole. “Can we come in or not?”

Lou steps back to let them all pass through, waving them in with pleasantries and greetings, and when Cole passes him he pats him on the shoulder and smiles, his eyes gentle and proud. Cole smiles back, embarrassed. He’s still a little bit mad that his dad figured things out before he did, but honestly? He can’t be that upset, what with the way it all worked out.

Okay, maybe a little. But only because his dad is being so smug about it. Otherwise, he’s completely fine. After all, he’s dating the three best people in Ninjago, so what’s he got to be mad about?

Cole grins as he walks into the living room to find Kai and Jay mid-bicker already, with Zane attempting to act as mediator. They stop when they see him, all three sets of eyes lighting up, and his grin grows wider. Yeah. He’s doing pretty good.

#grays fic stuff #ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago fic #i dont rly know how to post fic on tumblr aha #hope this is good #polyninja #cole brookstone #lou brookstone #kai smith #kai jiang #jay walker #zane julien #nya smith #nya jiang #fics

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 9: Oliver's Anticipation

Masterlist

September 1925

TW: Imprisonment, mind control, restraints

He was next.

He tried to talk to Emily, to get his mind off of things, but it wasn't working.

Medium course of conditioning.

This could be his last few hours with a mind that was his own.

Obedience and docility.

He had to resist it, but he didn't know how, didn't even know what they were going to do to him. He'd read about hypnotism and mesmerism in pulpy magazines before, but he didn't believe any of that truly worked. This was clearly different -- vampires, with supernatural means. He had no way of knowing what they were going to do to him. It could be anything from the most painful torture to something that was over in an instant. The waitress in the cell next to Emily's certainly wasn't forthcoming with details.

"So, um... when you get back to your bookshop, you were saying you need to fix the shelves in the history section..."

"Yes," said Oliver curtly. He wanted to comfort Emily, but his heart wasn't in playing along with this game right now.

"...I'm sorry," she said.

"I'm sorry, too. After all, you're in the same situation as me."

"I'm not going to let them have their way," she said, voice brimming with determination, determination that Oliver envied.

"I suppose not," he said. He left the rest of it unspoken, the fact that she was still going to be sold to a vampire. "They've been gone with Joe a while now."

"I wonder what they're doing to him. They said they were erasing him. Do you think he'll be like Betty here, unable to talk...?"

"Unfortunately, I think that's a possibility."

The possibility that they would also do the same thing to the two of them hung in the air, unspoken. Cecily had mentioned leaving his mind intact, but who could say what that meant to them?

"I mean it, though," she said. "I'm not going to let those vampires do whatever they please. And you shouldn't either. You're smart and deserve your own life -- we both do. There must be some way to stop them."

"Yeah, there must be," he said, not quite believing it.

"If it's pain they use -- I've been through a lot of pain, I've been beaten plenty before, and --"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm saying that I've been beaten plenty and still never gave in. And if it's fear they're going to use, well, I'm not afraid of them. And if it's magic...? I guess it's magic, then, but I'm still going to fight them as much as I can."

"Right," said Oliver. "We both should. Our minds are precious. They might be all we have left. I don't want to live forever as a mindless servant. If there's a way out, we have to find it."

The sound of the lunch cart startled them out of their conversation. Oliver was surprised by at the meal placed in front of him: a juicy steak already cut, whipped potatoes with butter, a large pile of leafy greens.

"You got a steak?" said Emily. "I got a ham sandwich."

"The vampires said they were changing my diet."

"Oh. Do you think..."

"Do I think this food is meant to make my blood richer and more delicious to them? Yes." He stared down at the meal, determined to enjoy it anyway. If this meal was his last, if he was turned into a vegetable after lunch, he may as well. The steak was perfectly seasoned and served medium rare, the kind of meat that Oliver rarely splurged on, and he savored each bite. 

The delicious food only provided the briefest of respites from Oliver's dark thoughts, as he became increasingly aware that his hour must be approaching. His mouth felt dry and his hands shook, and when he heard footsteps approaching, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

It was exactly as they had feared. Joe, who had been dragged from his cell screaming, was now following along behind Lily with an empty look on his face. He was trailed by a couple of scrawny looking vampires, people that would be no match for Joe if they didn't have superhuman strength.

"Joe!" Emily called out. "Joe, can you hear me?"

There was no reaction at all, not the slightest twinge of recognition on his face.

"Joe, talk to me. Give me a sign you're still in there," said Oliver, as Joe walked back into his cell. He was met with utter silence.

"Yes, this one," said Lily, pointing Oliver out to the other vampires. "Lot Seven."

It was time.

Oliver shrank back and flattened himself against the wall of his cell, looking for anything sturdier than the faucet to latch onto, as they unlocked his cell and entered it.

"Please don't be afraid." Lily smiled and held out her hand like she was coaxing a small child. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"The hell you aren't! You erased Joe's mind!"

"I'm not going to do that to you. You have nothing to fear."

There was nowhere to run, no chance of escape, but he had to do something, at least make an effort to save himself. He ran for the small opening between the two vampires, but he didn't even make it past Lily, who grabbed him firmly by the arm with an unshakeable grip.

"Take his legs, and I'll support his head," said Lily.

"No, no!" Oliver thrashed in the vampires' grasp, to no avail. They were carrying him away with ease, taking him to his fate. "Emily!" he called out as he passed her cell. 

"Stay strong! Remember what we said!" she said, clutching at the bars of her cell. 

The vampires moved quickly. People in the cells watched fearfully as he went past, and then he was out of the prison area, out into the halls, taken into a sterile looking room with low lighting and a soft leather chair. They made swift work restraining him in the chair with thick cloth straps around his wrists and torso, his fierce struggles barely posing an inconvenience to them. One wrapped a cloth gag around his mouth, ignoring Oliver's desperate attempt to bite him.

Finally, with Oliver helplessly secured, the two vampire helpers left the room, leaving him alone with Lily.

She pulled up a chair opposite him and smiled. "I know you're nervous, but you truly have nothing to worry about. I'm going to help you."

The curses he spat at her were muffled from behind the gag, but he thought she could probably understand them anyway.

Part Eight >> Masterlist >> Part Ten

Thank you for reading this story about a man who is doomed.

Tag list - please note if you'd like to be added

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night

#whump #whump writing #whumpee #mind control #vampire #tw kidnapping #vampire whumper #captivity #rare bookseller #oliver #lily

[procrastinatorimagines]

You knew Spock had feelings, all Vulcans did, they just didn't show them in a way humans, or most species, were used to, preferring to be guided by logic.

Your problem was that you didn't know whether Spock had feelings for you.

And you had no idea how to figure it out, without potentially making a fool of yourself. He didn't exactly wear his heart on his sleeve.

You were both working late, studying the artefact retrieved from the last away mission, and you couldn't stop watching him as he worked next to you at the table.

It took you a minute to realise you were even doing it, too tired and too distracted, until Spock turned to you, feeling your eyes on him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, causing you to sit up straight suddenly, feeling your cheeks heat up.

"Me? Er yeah, fine, just a little tired," you tried, mentally kicking yourself for how unconvincing you sounded.

"The tone of your voice indicates that you are no being entirely honest," Spock devised, placing the scanner he had in his hand down to give you his full attention, "if something is bothering you, you can tell me."

You hadn't anticipated doing this here and now, but you could tell that Spock was not going to let it go until you were honest with him.

"I've just, been thinking," you began, not really sure how to phrase this.

Spock raised one eyebrow, "thinking? About what?" He turned on his chair so his whole body was facing towards you.

"Vulcans and their... feelings," god, you were failing at this miserably.

"Our emotions?" He asked slowly and you nodded, "why the sudden curiosity?

"Forget I said anything," you replied quickly, feeling your cheeks heating up as you walked away.

"I can see from your embarassed reaction that I might have something wrong," Spock tried to deduce, angling his head slightly as he watched you.

"No, you haven't Spock, I mean it isn't-" you blabbed hopelessly, seeing no way out of the ginormous hole you dug for yourself.

Spock studied you for a moment, and then when you felt like you couldn't take his eyes burning into you any longer, what appeared to be a look of realisation passed over his face.

"Ah," he said, "I believe I know what this is about."

"You- you do?" You blinked, unsure of where this was going. You'd known Spock a long time, and the last thing you wanted to do was ruin your friendship.

"Yes," Spock said matter-of-factly, but then said nothing further for a long stretch of a moment.

"... and?" You prompted, not wanting to be the one to fill in the blanks in case you were wrong.

"And you are wondering if I have feelings for you," he told you, watching as you took a sharp inhale of breath. His statement had given nothing away.

"Spock-" you began, hoping to explain yourself in a way that would salvage his conversation.

"I do," he cut you off, and you felt the tension that had been building disipate instantly.

"You do?? You doublechecked, voice quieter than you'd intended.

"Yes, I believed that was obvious," he informed you, "we have been spending a lot of timetogether, working yes, but also eating together and spending time alone together for the sake of enjoying each other's company."

That was true, and it was when you'd developed feelings for him too, learning about each other, opening up to each other, finding out what you had in common...

He noticed your confused pause, and continued, "I can see now that this was not as obvious as I had previously thought, I apologise, on Vulcan-"

"No, it's okay Spock," you smiled, feeling a little silly, "I thought maybe, you know, that you did, but I didn't want to think I was reading into things the wrong way."

"I assure you, you were not," Spock promised, putting a hand on yours. You squeezed his hand, very much relieved

"Might I also assume," he added after a pause, "that this means you have feelings for me also?"

"Huh?" It took you a second to realise what he was asking, before you laugh, "oh, yes, yes I do."

"Good," he nodded, the corners of his lips twitching into what you would consider a smile for him, "because that would have made this rather awkward if not."

Before you could ask what this he was referring to, he leaned in and kissed you.

#spock #star trek #star trek strange new worlds #strange new worlds #snw #star trek snw #spock x reader #spock imagine #star trek imagine #strange new worlds imagine #spock imagines #star trek imagines #strange new worlds imagines #star trek strange new worlds imagine #star trek strange new worlds imagines #spock one shot #star trek one shot #strange new worlds one shot #star trek strange new worlds one shot #imagine #imagines #one shot

[mayhem-neverending]

Would You?

Neji Hyuuga x F!Reader Mini Series

Summary: They are poth from prominent families, and Neji is being pushed to marry. He doesn't like the idea of suitors being pushed on him, so he asks you, his long term friend. Not for love, but because he can't really picture marrying a stranger. Will you be able to love your new husband?

No Warnings.

Word Count: 1184

At nearly twenty-one, Neji Hyuga was being pestered by his uncle to get married. He had been accepted as a part of the main branch, and as a male, he had a duty to produce Hyuga heirs. Neji, never being one for romance or copulation, was not a huge fan of this idea, but understood his duties.

The last few weeks they had discussed and met with suitors from other prominent clans in and near the village. He was disinterested for the most part, and had a sense that some of the women were intimidated by him. He couldn't blame them, he was aloof, disinterested, and a ninja to boot.

There was, however, someone who piqued his interest. He hadn't thought about it previous to Hiashi's suggestion. Y/n L/n was a year his junior, a fellow ninja, and a friend. Her family didn't quite rival the Hyuga's status, but they were high enough up that the two would make a suitable match.

Y/n wasn't a super close friend of his, but they had been on missions together and complimented each other fairly well. He would even venture to say he enjoyed working with her. He didn't think that she was much interested in marriage, from their conversations, but he knew her family also followed the tradition of arranged marriages. As the oldest heir, he was sure that she would be pushed to marry soon, too.

The morning after the conversation with Hiashi, he went looking for you. You would be his best option, he decided. You trained most mornings before breakfast, so bright and early he wandered to the training grounds.

He found you easily. You were practicing taijutsu with Tenten. Tenten spotted Neji almost immediately, signaling you to pause when she saw he was approaching you.

You turned around, sweat already on your brow from the mornings workout. You smiled at Neji, bowing slightly to him as he stopped in front of you. You had always liked him in a general way, he was a good comrade and someone you enjoyed working with.

"Tenten, Y/n." He bowed. "I apologize for my interruption. I was hoping to speak to you,"

You made eye contact and you raised your eyebrow. "Um, okay,"

You turned to look at Tenten in question but she just shrugged. "Walk with me, please,"

You followed his lead, walking next to him to the outskirts of the field. "How are you?" He begun.

"Well." You replied, but backtracked. "I could be better, I'm a little stressed that my father is pushing for me to marry, but otherwise I'm doing well." You tucked some stray hair behind your ear, but smiled at him.

Neji widened his eyes in surprise. This was perfect. What better timing could he have?

"It's funny that you say that, actually." He glanced at you through the corner of his eye, averting them when they made contact with yours.

"I came here with a proposition. I'm in the same position that you are. I have considered my options, and if you would, I would like to propose a marriage between us."

You halted midstep, nearly causing yourself to fall. This was not something you thought you would be hearing this morning - not something you thought you would hear from Neji period.

Neji watched you carefully. He had anticipated surprise from you and waited for you to recover.

"Neji, I- What made you come to this conclusion?" You furrowed your brows.

"We work well together, and you are not intimidated by me. You would make a good partner, I think, and it would be better than marrying off to a stranger."

Neji thought you would be a good partner? What? He wasn't wrong about marrying a stranger, though. You had also hated that prospect.

You nodded, straightening your back. "I will think on it and bring this proposal to my father, if it would suit you."

He nodded once, and walked you back to the field in silence. "Thank you, I await your answer."

"Uhhhh, what's that about?" Tenten asked.

"Neji Hyuga just asked to marry me,"

Tenten choked on her own spit, eyes bulging. "What?!"

"I think I'm going to head home, I'm sorry to cut our training short." You started walking back without an answer from her, seeing as she was frozen in shock.

You took the long way home, contemplating. It wouldn't be the worst thing to marry him. Even if he was standoffish, you would marry into a nice family, and your children would be gifted with an incredible jutsu. It was tempting. Not to mention the suitors your father had brought had not seemed keen on such a capable woman. They liked soft things, the ones who stayed soft.

Of course there was nothing wrong with that; having a soft wife. You doubted, however, that they could make you feel safe enough to become soft. And although you were a powerful woman and a skilled ninja, you would like to be soft someday, sometimes. Fall into your femininity. Could Neji be that safe place for you?

You wondered. He was a good man, someone you could easily communicate with, and someone who could offer true protection to your future heirs, and someone who would not doubt your abilities.

By the time you reached the gate to your family home, you had reached a decision. Inside, you walked around to find your father in the garden, enjoying a cup of tea.

"Y/n, you're home early," He smiled warmly at you and gestured to the seat across from him at the stone table. You bowed to him and perched near the edge of your seat, a serious expression masking your features.

"What is it, dear? You aren't going to start complaining again about the suitors you have to meet later, are you?"

"No, actually," You said calmly.

Your father looked at you in surprise, but recovered quickly and smiled with humor and a quirked brow. "Then what is it?"

"Neji Hyuga, standing heir of the Hyuga Clan, has proposed a union between us... And I would like to accept." You placed your chin on your hand delicately.

Your father, who had taken a sip of tea, spluttered, spitting tea everywhere. Between coughs, he asked. "You.. choose.. to accept?"

He beat a fist on his chest, trying to stifle his cough. He took a deep breath. He eyed you almost warily. "I had no idea you had an interest in that boy. He is a comrade of yours, is he not."

"He is. However, I can't say I've really ever held an interest in him. I do believe he and I are compatible, and that we could work very well together in a partnership, as we do in the field." You tried to hide your smile at your father's confusion.

Suddenly, a huge grin broke out on his face. "Then yes, of course I accept! A higher status clan and you are not complaining to me about the arrangement? Yes, this will do quite well." He clapped his hands together once.

"Well, should we go to them and start the arrangements?"

#neji hyuuga x reader #neji hyuga #hyuuga clan #x reader #naruto

[tss-whumper]

christmas when you're alone - i

some lovely roman christmas angst for the soul.

merry christmas eve to all who celebrate! this story is for those who love a bit of sadness during the holidays. or in this case...a LOT of sadness.

2.3k words (i plan on coming out with a part two soon that's based on a request! all you rosleep fans out there will be a big fan of it, wink wink!)

(cws -> emotional/psychological abuse, guilt-tripping, toxic parental figures. also, patton and janus are the main "whumpers" so to speak while logan, remus, and virgil are more like bystanders. this is just a very sad day for roman.)

Christmas was one of Roman's favorite holidays. Everything about it to him was nothing short of spectacular--the lights, the beautiful music, and most of all, the Christmas spirit. The giving and the wishing and the believing. Roman really, really liked the believing. After all, what was Christmas without the magic?

This year, Roman was determined to create the best Christmas yet. After a turbulent year with a lot of hurt feelings, Roman figured that a fantastic Christmas would be the best way to make everything perfect again. So he worked tirelessly on decorating the house, making sure there were elements to the decorations that everybody enjoyed. Sentimental ornaments for Patton, tasteful silver string lights for Logan, golden candlesticks for Janus, a gingerbread graveyard for Virgil, and a creepy-looking inflatable Santa for Remus. While none of it was particularly Roman's taste, it did look cool when it was all put together, like a kaleidoscope of Christmas spirit, aesthetics bumping into each other and mixing together. And besides, it didn't matter if Roman liked it. Christmas was about giving, after all! And Roman would do anything to make the others happy with him.

When the house was finished, Roman started on creating and wrapping his gifts. Being Creativity, he had the entire universe at the tips of his fingers. He could give anybody anything he wanted, as long as it fit in the mindscape. So he tried very hard to give everybody gifts that would be meaningful and sweet, and he wrapped them with gentle care. Roman wasn't particularly good at being gentle or careful, but it didn't matter what Roman was good at. All that mattered was his friends' reactions to his beautiful and thoughtful presents. He desperately wanted to see them happy, but he was also worried about what might happen if they weren't happy.

Thinking about that made Roman's stomach twist, so he distracted himself by blasting "All I Want For Christmas Is You" while taking a shower with hot-chocolate-scented sugar scrub.

---

The month zoomed by faster than anybody had anticipated, and before he knew it, Roman was waking up on Christmas morning. And everything felt perfect. He could smell cinnamon rolls being baked in the kitchen, and the cheerful chatter of his friends. Being a heavy sleeper, Roman was used to being the last one awake, so he was quick to get himself ready so the rest of the group wouldn't have to wait on him for much longer.

After putting on a red sweater, brown pants, brown socks, and a reindeer headband, Roman felt ready to go. He smiled a few times in the mirror, just to make sure that he looked perfect. Then, he walked out, joining all the noise and bustle that his friends were making seamlessly.

The cinnamon rolls were warm, the conversation was silly, and everyone seemed to be getting along. Roman just sank in his chair, taking in all the celebratory atmosphere as if it was more valuable than oxygen. Everything was going so well. It felt too good to be true.

Probably because it was.

"Roman, what took you so long?" Janus asked, "Was getting your hair and makeup perfect more important than having breakfast with us?"

His question was carelessly flung into the air with a teasing attitude. The words stung Roman like a slap.

"I don't have any makeup on," Roman replied, trying his best to keep a smile on his face, "I got ready as fast as I could. I'm sorry, I must have slept in a bit more than usual. You all weren't waiting too long for me, were you?"

Silence hung in the air like a cloud of fog, until finally, Patton spoke up.

"It's okay, buddy! We learned our lesson now. Next year, we'll just start without you! That should motivate you to get up on time."

Roman winced, his cheeks burning as Logan and Virgil chuckled, and Remus dove into another cinnamon roll. His eyes felt hot as Janus stared at him with a cruelly amused expression, his gaze practically boring into Roman.

This was going to be another hard day, wasn't it?

---

Things started to go even more downhill when presents were being opened. Roman struggled to stay still, so excited about both his gifts, and the gifts that others were receiving, that he found himself constantly squirming in his spot on the floor, surrounded by crumpled up wrapping paper and shiny new items.

"That one's from me!" Roman exclaimed eagerly as Virgil opened up a new pair of black Converse. "They're high-tops, see? And they're platform, because you said you wish you could grow taller for Christmas. Now you can! And look, there's spiderwebs on the bottoms! I painted them myself!"

"Wow..." Virgil said, putting on the shoes and walking around in them. "Cool. Thanks, Roman."

The air turned cold, and Roman started to feel very, very uncomfortable. Virgil seemed happy with his gift, but everybody else seemed upset. Roman didn't understand. Was something wrong with Virgil's shoes?

"Roman, do you- really think that was a sensitive choice?" Patton asked, "How would you feel if someone got you a gift targeting something you're insecure about?"

"Insecure about?" Roman asked, his heart leaping out of his throat, "What- what do you mean? I didn't mean to do anything wrong!"

"Stop attacking Patton and answer the question," Janus hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"I-" Roman choked, looking around the room for any semblance of support. He didn't understand. Why was this happening? He thought he'd gotten Virgil the perfect gift. He looked at his list and picked the one thing that seemed impossible. The one wish that Virgil added, but didn't expect to receive. What was so bad about that?

"Are you just going to sit there and look stupid, or are you going to apologize?"

Even Logan was doing this now?? Roman tensed up. His heart started to pound, and his hands trembled against his will. He slid them under his knees so nobody else would see how afraid he was. After all, that would probably make everyone madder.

"I'm sorry, Virgil," Roman whispered, his voice too watery to speak any louder. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong. I just wanted to get you something thoughtful."

"Thoughtful," Janus muttered under his breath with a short laugh, exchanging a glance with Patton, who quietly giggled. "Is he even capable of thought?"

"It's...whatever, Roman," Virgil said awkwardly, "They're cool shoes. Can we just move on to the next person?"

Everybody else carried on, perfectly normally, as if nothing had happened. But Roman just couldn't. Tears stung the corners of his eyes, and he repeatedly squeezed them shut and opened them, trying as hard as he could not to cry in front of all of his friends on Christmas.

When it was his turn to open a gift, Roman smiled when he saw that it was from Janus. The past gifts Janus had given were lavish and extravagant, and Roman loved things that made him feel even more like royalty. He carefully unwrapped the golden paper, and tried to mask his confusion as he held up a very, very large book. It was incredibly heavy, to the point where his muscles were straining while he tried to read the cover. And when he did, he felt like he was going to die.

A Comprehensive Guide to Manners and Etiquette.

As everyone else read the title, they started to laugh. Remus high-fived Janus, and Patton snorted, hiding his smile behind his hands.

"Look, Roman, it's extra convenient for you," Janus said, "See? It's almost as big as your ego."

This caused the rest of the group to howl with laughter, and Roman to bow his head, quickly swiping a hand over his cheek before anybody could catch a glimpse of the tear that had fallen as his heart broke on what was supposed to be the most magical day of the year.

But no matter how Roman felt about it, this was a present. He had to do the polite thing.

"Thank you, Janus," he said, cringing at how choked up he sounded.

"Aww, you're welcome, Roman," Janus cooed, "Merry Christmas."

He patted Roman on the head patronizingly, and Roman felt like he was going to suffocate. He was only able to breathe again when the attention was off him, as Patton opened his next present.

Roman tried to steady his breathing, focusing on what everyone else was receiving. He laughed at their jokes, marveled at their presents, and pretended like everything was perfect. It really wasn't much different from performing onstage. All he had to do was play a character. He just had to be the happy, indestructible Princey that everyone wanted him to be.

But that was much easier said than done. Even when Roman stopped speaking, the insults and cruel remarks continued.

"A megaphone! Better not let Roman have it."

"I love this poetry book. It's way better than all the sappy shit Roman writes."

"Roman, aren't you happy with your gift? Now when you feel like being an attention whore, you can write in this diary instead of whining to us about how the lipgloss you ordered is the wrong color."

"This is the last time we let Roman decorate. Look at how gaudy this room is. It's almost as loud as him."

It.

Didn't.

Stop.

The world was spinning. Everything was going wrong, and Roman couldn't understand why. He had tried so hard. He did everything he could to make the others happy, putting in hours to prove that he was more than the selfish, egotistical, bratty caricature that they berated him constantly for being. Maybe Roman was being stupid, thinking that things would be different today just because it was Christmas. But now, Roman was experiencing his very first Christmas in which his biggest wish didn't come true.

He just wanted a day where he wasn't being berated and teased for every move he made. If it was really that hard for the others to resist pulling their tricks and humiliating him, then maybe Roman was the problem. Maybe he had messed up too many times, and was now irredeemable. He would always be the evil twin. The stupid one. The bratty bitch who always ruined every room he walked into. The egotistical one who needed to be knocked down a peg. It wasn't fair. Couldn't they see he was trying? What more did he have to do to prove that he was more than his past mistakes? If groveling and changing everything about himself to the best of his ability wasn't enough, maybe it was time for Roman to give up. Maybe he was going to have to resign himself to being the first punching bag in history to wear a crown and a sash.

"Roman, what are you doing?"

Roman blinked as he heard Patton's voice, stopping his zoning out as he realized something dreadful. His shoulders were rising and falling sporadically against his will, and his breathing was audibly stuttered. Everybody was staring at him with wide eyes, and something salty and wet settled in the groove between his lips.

He was crying. Not just crying--sobbing. Uncontrollably.

"Oh, great, here we go again," Remus sneered, "Little Princey didn't get exactly what he wanted on Christmas."

"That's not why I'm crying!" Roman choked, "I have to go-"

Hands tightly grasped onto his shoulders, pushing Roman back down into his sitting position before he was able to get far off the ground. Janus smirked at Roman as the creative side flinched.

"You're not going anywhere," Janus said, "On a family holiday? What would Patton think?"

"Ro, I just don't understand," Patton cut in, "Why do you always have to make everything about yourself?"

"You totally just killed the vibe," Virgil added quietly.

"We were having fun before you had to go and put a damper on everything," Patton added, "You're ruining Christmas, Roman."

As Roman gazed around the room, he saw not a shred of sympathy. Not even a hint of curiosity or recognition pertaining to why he was feeling this way. Why he was choking on his own tears instead of laughing and having fun like everyone else. Nobody cared. Nobody wanted to keep Roman around except to further embarrass him.

His tears were funny to the others. To them, he was nothing but a sad clown.

"Please let me go," he begged, "Please. I'm sorry. I just need some time in my room, and then I won't do anything wrong for the rest of the day."

"Maybe you should go to your room," Logan said.

"But maybe you shouldn't come out," Janus added, "What do you think, Patton? Is it too harsh to give him a time-out on Christmas?"

"The better question is, can we trust him not to be a whiny little bitch for the rest of the day?" Remus chirped.

As the group deliberated over whether or not Roman had a right to celebrate his favorite holiday with his dearest loved ones, the prince shut down. He closed his eyes and stopped fighting for air through his gasps and sobs. What was the point? What was the use of doing anything if every day was going to be like this?

Roman didn't even push back when Janus carried him to his room, placing him on his bed and locking the door behind him with a magic seal.

How did the fun sound so much louder when Roman was far away from it?

As Roman curled up under his blankets, he let himself cry fully, knowing that nobody would be able to see him and ridicule him anymore. His sobs echoed off his walls, dissonant with the joyous laughter that taunted Roman outside his door.

He really was all alone, wasn't he?

---

taglist -> @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @amazon-me-bitches @izaachehim

(let me know if you want to be tagged in the second part!)

#sanders sides #tss #thomas sanders #whump writing #whump community #roman sanders #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fic #tss roman #tss whumper writing #tss angst #roman sanders angst #emotional abuse #psychological abuse #guilt tripping #toxic parents #whumpee roman #whumper patton #whumper janus #whumper remus #christmas when you're alone

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

Someone Close By

TW: references to a difficult past, blood and burning mentions (nothing happens they're used in conversation, it's mostly just fluff)

Note: Villain is referred to as 'Tiger' once. Also, I am incredibly tight on time, n I just found this in my drafts, I will get to the asks, I just have 16 million hw assignments to do 😣

One of the most annoying things about Villain was his stupid habit of throwing out a cryptic "You'll see," when anyone asked why he was doing something. He responded casually and automatically, with a languid gaze. And it was infuriating.

So when Hero had asked another question, she was quick to add a "Don't say it. Don't you dare say it."

"You'll see," he replied, tone lazy and offhand, maybe even a little self-satisfied.

She slammed one of her fists on his desk. "Why can't you just answer the question like a normal person?"

"Show, do not tell." He shrugged at her nonchalantly.

"You- you suck at writing," she accused, wagging a finger at him. Anything to gnaw at his ridiculously inflated ego.

"Hmm, tragic." The sarcasm lined his tone, like a thin, sheer veil draped over an otherwise emotionless attitude. The more striking irony was the fact that he complained about being assigned essays for school and his piss-poor writing skills on the daily. Bringing it up wouldn't affect him, she learned. Not after that reaction.

"You're incredibly dense, you know," she breathed out, frustrated, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Mhm. And yet here you are, wasting your time conversing with someone as incredibly dense as me." He spoke with a hint of amusement, more self-satisfied than anything, his eyes still fixed on his computer screen.

"Sometimes," she attested through gritted teeth, "you have to force yourself to endure what you don't really enjoy in the slightest, for a greater benefit."

"Ah," he concluded, some sort of finality to his tone, "so you admit that you have to put up with however I behave." The corner of his lip twitched up only slightly, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips. Unlike how she'd anticipated, it hadn't seemed so ill-fitting on a normally emotionless visage.

"I could still break your nose," she threatened, letting her shadow fall over his seated form.

He only raised an eyebrow in response, the dirt-eating smirk still visible on his lips.

"You know, you seriously need to relax." He continued typing with his left hand, and he let the cool fingers of his right hand stroke up and down her arm, almost soothingly.

At that, she froze. "Y-you don't like. .  .you don't like touching people."

"True that," he admitted. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"No," she replied, before she could stop herself, and her face burned with an emotion she couldn't discern.

"Ah well, I remember you saying a touch could be calming?" At this point, he just sounded uncertain, a little confused if you will, every trace of the smug know-it-all from before vanishing.

"Yes, but I thought you were doing this to mess with me? Annoy me?"

This time, he finally met her gaze, lowering his hand to the desk again. "No. I think I've done enough of that."

She would rather be burned alive than to admit her arm felt cold where his hand had just touched. "That you have," she replied, rolling her eyes and earning a snort from him.

"It was reflexive. But I wasn't joking. You really do need to relax."

He was right, and she hated it. But she'd always been so tense; she couldn't even tell what being normal felt like to her. She didn't know it was so obvious that he could read it off her like a magazine.

"Do you want to watch a movie? I could use a break."

"You and a break? Don't you have a bad relationship with those? You never get tired," she mocked, smirking.

He turned around in his chair, "Not tired, just bored. Not doing something that important anyway."

Liar. He was both bored and tired, if the dark circles under his eyes and the way he seemed to slump, trying to let the tight line of his shoulders fade. He slowly ran a hand through his hair, a common tell for when he was exhausted. Except he hadn't known she could tell.

So, they found themselves sprawled out on the living room couch, the lights dimmed and a bowl of salted caramel popcorn resting on Tiger's lap.

He may have pretended to be a health nut, but deep down, he was a major sweet tooth. The movie playing on the flatscreen TV was terribly violent, gunshots and a ridiculous amount of blood featured in every scene or the other. It was definitely NOT the kind of movie one would relax to. Yet here they were, Villain was leaning back, one leg crossed over the other, and Hero had unclenched her jaw, her shoulders more slack now.

To the film's credit, there were a few light-hearted moments, mostly dark humour, enough to draw a laugh even out of him.

"He's not going to kill him," she said, completely certain.

"There would be no point of all this then. He's definitely going to kill him," he countered through a mouthful of popcorn.

And sure enough, he did not kill him.

"No way!" he protested.

"I've seen enough movies to read between the lines, kitty cat." She let a smug grin dance across her face.

The nerve of her. "Alright, Steven Spielberg, I get it," he huffed out.

The movie wasn't over yet. This was only half of it. Again, she found the fingers of his right hand running up and down her arm, his left currently sticky with caramel and tiny bits of popcorn alike.

The touch was relaxing, even with his calloused fingertips. Maybe even more so. "Do you want me to change the movie?" he asked softly, reaching for the remote.

He must've taken notice of how the line of her shoulders went taut only slightly. A scene in the movie where an older sibling took the pain to save the younger ones. The way it was acted out hit a little too close to home. "No. I'm fine really, and besides there's not much time left, and I wanna know what happens."

"Anytime you want me to change, just say it." And he continued caressing the skin of her arm absentmindedly. If she focused on that, then whatever the movie dished out wouldn't matter.

There was much worse she'd lived through, much more provocative to her triggers. At least right now, she had the comfort of someone close by.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @catsarecool00 @muffinrebel44

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

#hero x villain #writing #hero #villain #heroes and villains #villains and heroes #fluff #slow burn #enemies to lovers #sweet #lamy writes #a little gremlin's writing #writers on tumblr #fiction #my writing #f/m #female writers #humour #difficult past tw #Tiger

[georgegraphys]

Dissecting this article "Mercedes F1 report over £500m turnover for 2023"

So according to the financial report, it is reported that Mercedes, despite a flop season, records the highest turnover in Formula One world with +£500M revenue which is a +£71.9M increase from 2022.

"How are they exactly able to do this?? Didn't they flop? Didn't *** or ******* do better?? We didn't have any wins last year!"

According to the article, the sponsorship revenues were the highest contributing factor to the financial growth for Mercedes. This also brought them more partnership in 2023 and later for 2024. And it is worthy to note that although

"“The team’s share of television coverage showed a small decline to 14.7% for 2023, reflecting the lower number of podium finishes the team enjoyed versus 2022, The cumulative Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) remained strong for commercial partners and shareholders, at $5.3 billion. The team continued to grow strongly on social media, with a cumulative followership of 36 million (+15%) and a total of 465 million engagements (+9%).”

Let's first talk about AVE. What is Advertising Value Equivalency? AVE is a commonly used term in the PR world that measures the monetary values of media coverage of a PR campaign. How do you exactly measure an AVE? It is done through ROI (Return on Investment), Revenue made by the company, CPC (Cost per Click), Conversion Rates, Average CTR (Click-Through Rate), ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), and others. It is also noteworthy that even though AVE is commonly used, AVEs do not FULLY measure the value of a company's PR work and is never the standard for a company's successfulness i. AVE just measures the monetary part and reflects nothing to the whole PR works (Some damned it too lol).

But back to the topic, this case shows that in the end even if Formula One is a sport, money stood the highest and the contributing factors around it are sponsors, every single PR campaign, media coverage, etc. It is no surprise that this year will generate more profit for Mercedes in terms of AVE, television and media coverage, etc. And this is all thanks to the second seat drama that is going on right now.

Judging by how the drama is boiling hot, I doubt that the second seat will be announced soon because the drama generates a crazy amount of coverage for Mercedes' rn. Every week, Mercedes name got to be one of the most mentioned of all as everyone waits out in anticipation of the second seat. This does not only benefit Mercedes but to all the sponsors, shareholders (Toto, Benz, INEOS), George, and to everyone in F1 that has their name mentioned. This type of coverage would boost Mercedes valuations and stocks like crazy and that is the amount of money you'd never think about. Think of every time Mercedes' name is mentioned, it is a money in the pocket for them thanks to the coverage and exposure they got.

This whole thing shows that money wins and money talks. From a PR and business standpoint, it's not always about the idealism of "who wins" but sometimes it's about "who's the most talked about". The next time you see Toto Wolff yapping, think of it as a way of him and everyone else involved getting the ka-ching. Because in the business world, good or bad publicity has a paper thin difference as they both generate money and money is the most important thing. As much as you'd think my word is dramatic, the amount of money they generate from the exposure and coverage also helps the human resources they recruited and the development of the team. It is also reported in the report that they increased the staff in the factory, they paid a lot for it and they must pay more taxes. Again, this is not just a two-dimensional way of seeing capitalism happening but also by seeing the small percentage of people getting a job in these tough times (reducing unemployment for a country) and the taxes regulating back to the citizen (well if it's not corrupted but if it did yeah...). So yeah, the money they get from benefitting on those media coverages, no matter how stupid it is, will come back to the people working for them and to other external parts. It is a very complex yet interesting economic cycle that starts from maybe the tiniest PR agenda 😉

#corporate talks #pr talks #sponsor talks

[evelhak]

Old art #18: Self portrait

Lol I found this one I had made for my DeviantArt profile in I'm guessing 2011, so I was probably 17. I was not that cute. Arina Tanemura was in my head. (Can you tell how much I had been reading Shinshi Doumei Cross, just by looking at that hair and face? Wasn't that some manga, huh. Would certainly spark... conversations these days. But even looking back, there were a few things that were quite captivating and great about it.)

Meet my whole cat gang. If you've been here a while, you already know Bell, she's the grey one. A little princess with two braincells and a bottomless stomach. Eats literally like a snake, without chewing. She's the pinnacle of self-centredness which she gets away with because she's just so dumb. Also very loud and fond of crocodile tears. Really, the complete lack of self-awareness is impressive. The way she walks through life sticking her butt and puke exactly where she pleases at any time she pleases reminds me of the people I was always kinda jealous of. The ones who can be as unapologetically annoying, shallow, selfish and boasty as they want and most people still love them. Probably because they are very pretty and perceived to be too stupid to be held accountable for their lack of consideration of others. Bell is also so pretty everyone compliments her face, her bones, her colour and the pattern of her fur. My drawing really doesn't do her much justice. Her beauty is very superficial and decreases significantly as soon as she moves or opens her mouth, because she just looks that dumb doing anything. But alas, I love her.

Then we have Aatu, the black one, who is Bell's kitten actually. Still small in this picture but he grew up looking a lot like his dad who was a neighbourhood cat and the biggest one I had ever seen. Very hairy, clearly some Norwegian forest cat in him. Aatu ran away when he was two, but I think in truth he just got hit by a car or eaten by a fox because he had zero self-preservation instinct and half a braincell. He went towards all animals and cars in oblivious curiosity as they approached him. He was attracted to the vacuum cleaner when it was on. He was literally not scared of anything. He thought he was a dog, an owl, a cow, and also human. He loved when you made him slide across the floor. He loved to be dragged around and ruffled in all ways. He didn't know how to hiss, growl or make any type of angry or dissatisfied sound. He was very, very happy. Apparently too happy and unbothered by anything to survive.

Then there's Nöpö, the big one. He died a few years ago at 17. He was our first cat. Braincell count would compare to a human. Very sensitive, very angry, dominating but also gentle, intelligent, pessimistic and depressed. The look of his build resembled that of a lot bigger wild cats, especially when he hunted. He wanted his own space, didn't enjoy people initiating touch, he would come to you instead when he wanted it. He was always like that but it got worse when Bell came into the house and was her charming self. Nöpö's nervous system clearly couldn't handle sharing his territory and had I been able to anticipate it, I wouldn't have taken Bell. Nöpö did everything with so much more care and attention. He needed time and space, he wouldn't even be able to eat with Bell, because she gulped everything down while Nöpö chewed each bite with care, and nothing would be left for him because Bell has no concept of moderation. So Nöpö would always need to be fed in a closed room. He would attack people and other cats frequently because he just had a very strong hunting instinct ever since he was born and didn't like anyone too close unless he asked for it. But he was also very cuddly when he wanted to be, and he didn't want his people to go too far away. He would come crying after me every time I went to get mail. Classic example of "Leave me alone, no wait, where are you going??" I miss that grumpy old guy.

This wasn't supposed to be about cats but there you go.

#repostober #traditional art #original art #cat stories

[mahalkitajohnnysuh]

Midnight Sky

The thought of Mark Lee playing the song this piece is titled after will never leave my mind.

I am confident he can do it, and it suits his voice. A girl can dream, right?

I hope you enjoy this rejection fic featuring Mark and my main OC Essie.

Mahal ko kayong lahat! :)

POV: 2nd person

Word count: ~1,000 words

Additional notes: This is part of the Main Timeline pre-Essie and Johnny. Please refer to the Masterlist, which I will update shortly with this one. I'll get to writing the other missing pieces of Mark's story, even Jaehyun's. Some things might not make sense now, but it will in the future. We'll get there, okay?

Recommended listening: I will now associate the title of this fic (also mentioned in the story) as a song Mark should sing to us. You have to agree with me.

---

You never wanted to be in this situation, but sometimes, life hands it to you. It was never easy to break someone’s heart. 

Mark Lee was kneeling in front of you after serenading you in a bar he rented for this purpose. 

This was a more intimate affair than his confession in front of Johnny and Key because he thought you didn't take that seriously. Hopefully, this moment will get through you.

He sang a couple of your favorite songs, but when he sang ‘Midnight Sky,’ you figured out what would come next. 

“Noona, please say something,” he said softly, his doe eyes looking at you with anticipation. 

It has been a couple of minutes since you remained silent after his grand confession. Your mind kept replaying the words he told you – I have been in love with you for some time, Essie noona. I hope you’ll give me a chance to be the partner you’ve always wanted and deserved. 

Those were some big claims, and deep inside, you were curious about what he could give you. But it would be best if he knew the real story of why you were afraid of being in a relationship again. 

“Mark…” you started, holding both of his hands so he could stand up, “I think you have to know something first.” 

You led him to the edge of the stage he performed on and told him to sit beside you there. After a couple of deep breaths, you started to share some of your past. 

As you told him your reasons, your mind was also wondering about the possibility of being with Johnny, the guy who made you love again. 

If you could just go straight to the point that you weren’t expecting his confession and that you were in love with his hyung, then this would be all over. 

“But noona, I am not like your ex. I’m a different person, and I’m not one to ignore and ghost,” Mark replied, his tone a bit on the edge. You could tell he was becoming impatient with the way your conversation shifted. 

“I know, Mark. But…” You busied your hands by clenching and unclenching them on your jeans, still delaying the inevitable. “I’m really sorry; I didn’t expect this at all.” 

The silence that enveloped you both felt suffocating, but you knew that if you said the wrong words, things would never be the same again. 

“So, I guess that’s a no then?” Mark’s voice was barely a whisper, and you felt that he was on the verge of crying. 

You diverted your eyes away from your lap to look at him, and your suspicion was correct. Your heart ached at the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, but you knew what your heart wanted the most. 

“I’m sorry, Marky. Maybe in another lifetime or parallel universe, we could be.”

“Why not now? Is there someone you like more?” He hesitated to ask you, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t take this chance.

“Yes, Mark. I think you know who that is, right?” The tears that pooled in the younger guy’s eyes slipped, and he had to look away from you to wipe them. 

“I think I know who that is,” he said in between sniffles, “but you know what?” He faced you with slightly red eyes. “I’m glad I took the risk to tell you how I feel. If I keep this bottled up for too long, I might resent everyone.” 

You didn’t know what else to say, so your tears decided to speak for themselves. You never thought of the depth of his feelings for you. You always saw him as an affectionate little brother that you wanted to shower your love and praises. He deserved everything he was getting, but unfortunately, not the love he wanted from you. 

“Don’t cry, noona. It’s alright; I can take this.” He smiled at you to reassure you he’ll be fine, but you knew he wouldn’t be after going home to your respective apartments. 

“I’m really sorry, Marky…” More tears spilled on your face, and despite the rejection he got from you, he wiped them with his handkerchief. 

“Don’t be sorry. I can’t make you do something you haven’t set your heart on,” You noticed his small smile can break any moment now. You had to give it to him for being strong after being turned down, but at the same time, you wanted to console him. 

“Can I request something?” His ears perked up at your question, and you saw his beautiful eyes glimmering in the dark. “Come here,” you motioned to your lap, and slowly, he crawled to you. 

You pulled him into your embrace, which was something not uncommon between you two. Mark buried his face in the crook of your neck, taking in your scent. You nuzzled on one side of his head, with one of your hands ruffling and playing with his hair. 

“Do you think I led you on, Marky?” You asked softly, not breaking away from your intimate position. 

“To be honest, yes. We always have moments like this, noona. I could lose myself in your hugs, and you’re one of the people I don’t mind playing with my hair.” 

That got a chuckle out of you and pecked his head afterward. “Are we too close for your liking?” 

“Yeah, and I wish we could be something else,” he mumbled before pecking your neck. “Can I request something this time?” 

Mark broke away from your hug and looked at you intently. God, his eyes were making you feel weird and fuzzy inside. 

“Can I get a…” Before he finished what he was saying, he looked at the floor. You glanced at what he was looking at, but you became distracted by his red ears. 

You already know what he wanted to request, but it would better if it came from him. 

“Can I get a kiss from you?” 

---

FIN

P.S. My brain stopped with that ending, and I don't know if I should proceed lol.

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