#gotta double doozy

[metalnecklace]

Sunburn

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader (plus size)

Words: 3234

Warnings: Sunburns (don’t be dumb, use sunscreen and reapply ffs), Established relationship, Fingering, Edging, Dirty talk, Javi is gentle and so soft, Javi is also firm and knows what he’s doing, Begging, Use of y/n.

Notes: Yeah I got a pretty bad sunburn cause I was dumb a few weeks ago, writing this was my way of getting through it. There will absolutely be a second part, it’s already in the works. Takes place sometime back in Texas. Of course a sweaty Javi is needed for this too.

Summary: Reader gets a sunburn, Javi teaches a lesson

Masterlist

Part II - Tanlines

I fucked up.

I fucked up big time.

I had remembered to apply sunscreen that morning right before I went outside to the community pool. However, I was too caught up in relaxing to remember one very important rule.

Reapply.

My skin was practically screaming at me as I turned in the bathroom to observe how bad my new burn was in the mirror. It wasn’t the worst one I’d ever had, but it was still a doozy.

“Fuck,” I said, the word punching out of my lips.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

Double fuck. Javier was home.

“Nothing! It’s alright, I’ll be out in a second!” I called through the locked bathroom door, my voice bouncing off the walls.

“Okay, whatever you say!” He called back before his footsteps retreated down the hallway.

There was no way I was going to be able to hide my mistake, my skin was pink from my head to my toes. Plus I needed some help putting on the aloe lotion, especially on my back where I couldn’t reach. I took a deep breath and raised my chin. I could do it.

The door cracked open just enough for me to poke my head out. “Javi? Baby?”

“Yeah?” He called out from the kitchen. I was surprised he heard me from the next room, considering my voice wasn’t very loud. I was too nervous. His footsteps sounded on the floor as he came over to the hallway. “What’s wrong?”

“I did something stupid,” I confessed.

He came closer with an eyebrow raised. I took a moment to admire his t-shirt that he changed into from work and his jeans that were not as tight as they were in Colombia. His father made enough comments about whether or not he could breathe properly with them on. I didn’t mind either way, the man could fill out any pair of jeans he wore.

“I may have gotten a bit burnt.” I lowered my head so I was looking at the floor, hoping he didn’t get too good of a look at my pink face.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad, (Y/N),” he said softly. I raised my head and he stopped in his tracks. “Oh. Oh boy.”

“I told you,” I groaned while stepping back into the bathroom.

He opened up the door and let his eyes roam over my aching skin. “Oh, baby, look at you. You poor thing.”

I sighed and looked in the mirror, poking my forehead to watch the white shock of skin under my finger immediately turn red again.

“Did you wear anything at all? You know you’re not used to this kind of heat and sun here.” He stepped forward with his hands up but lowered them when he realized I would be in pain if he touched me.

“I did! I swear.” I reached into the bag I had brought home from the store and pulled out the brand new bottle of aloe lotion. “I just forgot to reapply, that’s all.”

“That’s all? You must be in so much pain!”

“Not yet, no. It’s starting to settle in, but it’s not too bad. I’ve had worse, it just really sucks is all.” I turned to face him, bottle in hand. “I can put this on, but I need your help with places I can’t reach. I also need a super loose shirt, which I have plenty of, but may need your help to get it on.”

Javi shook his head, sighing, but took the bottle from my hand. “I’ll help you, but you gotta promise to be more careful.”

“Ugh,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “I promise. I’m uncomfortable enough, just please hurry.”

He instructed me to turn around and face the mirror, and when I did I distracted myself from the inevitable pain by watching him. It was touching how careful he was being as he looked me over, then slowly started to undo my bikini top.

“I didn’t think undressing me was part of this,” I said.

“You need lotion everywhere, plus I doubt you’ll want this on when your skin starts to swell.” His voice was soft, but I could hear the warning in it. He wasn’t unhappy with me, more concerned and slightly disappointed in my poor choices.

“You have experience, I see.” I laughed, imagining the roles reversed. I’d feel pretty bad too but just thinking of the pout he’d adorn while I tried my best to be careful made a smile tug at my lips.

He finished untying my top and slowly lifted the strings off. I could already feel my hot skin starting to swell around the fabric as it was peeled off of me.

“Of course, I lived in Colombia for how many years? Just because Bogotá is cooler doesn’t mean the rest of the place is, trust me.” The bottle cap popped open. “Now hold still.”

I hissed when I felt the liquid make contact with my skin. It felt like ice even though I had heard him rubbing his palms together to warm it up a bit, and his hands felt like sandpaper as he slowly rubbed a generous amount of lotion onto my back and shoulders. My lungs burned as I let out a breath, not realizing I hadn’t breathed since he had opened the bottle.

“There you go, baby. You gotta be more careful, this is not pretty.” Javi’s voice was soothing, and I felt like he held me in the palm of his hand.

“Not pretty?” I pouted.

He chuckled, the sound soothing my nerves now that he was closer. “You’re always pretty. The pain isn’t though, is it?”

I shook my head no. My eyes fluttered shut as his hands moved up my shoulders to my neck, then down to my shoulders and arms. If it didn’t feel so sharp I would’ve been a puddle on the floor, but the pain kept me from fully relaxing.

“Turn around,” he said. “I’m gonna put some on your face and chest.”

“I can do the rest, Javi. It’s alright.” I turned and tried to take the bottle but he held it out of my reach.

“Let me take care of you.” His big, brown eyes widened slightly, and I knew I was a goner. I could never say no to him.

“Okay,” I whispered. “Just please be gentle. It hurts the most on my chest and tummy.” I shifted so I was standing closer and winced. “And the tops of my thighs.”

“I know, cariño, I got you.” He was gentle, but I still closed my eyes at the sensation. It was not comfortable, but my skin did start feeling a bit better with the lotion soothing it. Javi’s presence was very helpful as he smoothed his hands over my shoulders, chest, and arms, while also being respectful of my naked upper half. “There I think I got what I can from here, why don’t you go lay down and I can get the rest.”

“But our bed will be all yucky,” I said.

“I’ll grab a towel, and you can put on a shirt and some loose shorts. How about that?” He waited for my answer with a raised brow.

Slowly I started nodding. “Okay. That sounds like a plan.”

I walked to our room and searched my drawers for some clothes while Javi laid out a towel on the bed. When I turned he was already watching me with the bottle of lotion in one hand and the towel situated on the bed so I’d have my head on a pillow. He really was too good to me.

He placed the lotion on the bedside table and walked over to me. “Here, baby, let me help you.”

I raised my arms to help him slide my shirt over my head and relished in the gentleness of his hands as he pulled it down over my torso. It was basically a nightgown since I had bought it two sizes up and with comfort in mind. I never thought it was the sexiest thing I owned but Javier loved the fact that he could stare at my legs and easily run his hands up my thighs whenever I wore it.

“Let’s do shorts after, because I’m going to have to get lotion pretty much all over your thighs, cariño.” His voice seemed to drop in pitch as he eyes the skin that would need lotion next. “Get yourself comfortable on the towel.”

I did as he asked and crawled onto the bed. My skin felt heated as I made my way over onto the towel, and not just because of my burn. When I laid down on my back I looked up to find him watching me with pupils blown. A glance at his tightening jeans told me everything I needed to know.

“Javi,” I sighed. “Hurry up, please.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but you know those legs drive me crazy.” He walked over so he was standing over me at the side of the bed.

“Why don’t you get a bit more comfortable then?” I batted my lashes at him, feeling the heat from my skin start to bloom within my belly. “You don’t want to get any of that stuff on your jeans. They look too nice.”

“Nice try, but I’m taking care of you,” he said, a sly smile painting his lips. “I can wait. But you can get more comfortable.”

I huffed, but slid off my bathing suit bottoms and relaxed against the bed for him anyway. He popped open the bottle and squirted some lotion onto his hand, then placed it back onto the table before rubbing his palms together. He climbed onto the bed so he was between my ankles and leaned forward to smear the lotion onto the tops of my thighs. I sighed in both in relief and slight discomfort as his hands smoothed over to my hips, then to the crease leading to my stomach. My shirt lifted slightly as he rubbed higher until my entire lower half was revealed.

As he grabbed more lotion I wiggled my hips. I could feel wetness starting to gather between my legs and wondered if he would notice. The smirk that adorned his lips when he resumed rubbing my skin told me he definitely did.

“Cariño, you’re getting turned on from this?” He teased, moving his hands further up the tops of my thighs until his thumbs were spreading the soft inner skin. He pushed my legs further apart until I was spread out for him. I blushed but doubted it would make a difference in my already pink cheeks. “Fuck, you’re so wet and I haven’t even touched this pretty pussy.”

I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes. “I just like when you touch me.”

“Good, because I like touching you.” I squeezed my eyes shut against my arm while he rubbed his hands over my thighs, reaching higher and higher until his thumbs were spreading my lips apart. “I want you to look at me, (Y/N).”

Reluctantly I removed my arm and looked down to see his big brown eyes watching my every move. I almost felt nervous, but the comfort he brought me smothered that feeling. Arousal shot through my veins as he concentrated on his actions. His thumbs kept moving closer, spreading me apart for his eyes, but never touching where I needed him to touch me most.

“Javi, please,” I moaned softly. “I need you to touch me.”

“Yeah? Does my pretty girl know what she needs?” He stopped moving his hands and looked at me. “I don’t think she does, or she wouldn’t be this burnt.”

Mean. He was so mean. “Please,” I groaned.

He shook his head, looking back down to where his thumbs massaged the creases at the base of my inner thighs. “No, I don’t think so. I’ll take care of you, but you’re going to have to be patient.”

My head pressed back into the pillow and my eyes squeezed tight in annoyance.

He pinched my thigh, making me wine as I brought my attention back to him. “And you have to look at me. You’re going to watch me, so you can see how to take care of yourself.”

“Okay, Javi.” I gave in so easily to him. I always did.

“Good girl,” he cooed as he slid back on the bed and laid down on his stomach between my legs.

I made sure to keep my eyes on him as his fingers danced along my thighs, making me squirm. All I wanted was his fingers on my clit or fucking into me, but he was taking his sweet time.

Finally I felt air hit my wetness as he spread me open yet again with his thumbs. Then he slipped a knuckle up my slit and dragged it over my clit. I whined and writhed on the bed.

“Lo sé, lo sé, cariño, I got you.” His voice rumbled through my skin and shot through my veins.

I felt sweat start to bead at my hairline and on the back of my neck while I tried my best to be patient. Javi was right, he did know how to take care of me.

He wiped the lotion off of his hands on the towel and then his thumb pressed just outside my clit, moving in a steady circle around the sensitive nub. My whole body was lighting up as my orgasm started to approach a lot quicker than anticipated.

“Javi, I think I’m gonna-“ I started, but was cut off with a whine as he pulled his thumb away.

“Not yet, baby,” he said, staring up at me with his lips curled up on one side. “That’s way too soon. Take a deep breath.”

I groaned but inhaled, filling my lungs to capacity before emptying them back out. My limbs melted even further onto the bed. Javi nodded and resumed circling my clit.

I could feel the coil in my belly start to tighten again, but held off as long as I could. He pulled away once more.

“Javi,” I panted.

“I could feel you tightening up, baby. Not time yet, I barely got started.” He was fully smiling, and it was probably because of the pout that was on my face.

“Please.”

“Not yet.” He continued locking his eyes with mine as he resumed his actions.

It took a bit longer than before for my orgasm to start building again. I moaned and tried to push myself closer to him, but he held steady with the same movements and praises.

“You’re doing so good for me, I know it’s sensitive, I know you want to cum.” His eyes were locked onto where his thumb pressed closer and closer to my clit, my nerves completely on fire. “Do you want my fingers, pretty girl?”

“Yes, yes, please, Javi.” I was babbling, only knowing what I wanted.

He slipped his thumb down from my clit and slipped two of his fingers inside my entrance. I moaned his name and threw my head back at the pleasure that lit up my senses.

He pulled his fingers back out.

“Now, now. What are we supposed to be doing?”

I hadn’t realized I had squeezed my eyes shut until they snapped open to stare at the ceiling. “Sorry, Javi,” I said quickly while lifting my head to look back at him. “You just feel so good.”

“You’re so good for me, baby. I’ll let it slide this time.” He smiled and pushed his fingers back in, opening his mouth in a gasp at the same time I did. “But don’t do it again.”

“I won’t, I promise, I’m sorry, Javi,” I continued to babble, my head fuzzy with trying to think straight.

“My pretty girl is so good to me, isn’t she? And so so wet for me. Listen to this pussy,” he said, leaving a pause long enough that the obscene squelching reached my ears. “So wet and so sensitive. I know you want to cum, but you can take it, can’t you?”

“Yes, Javi, I can take it.” I was panting, my mouth hanging open while trying to suck in as much air as my lungs would allow.

“I haven’t even tasted you yet, fuck,” he groaned, his eyes following the way his fingers fucked in and out of me. “Can I, baby? Can I taste you?”

“Yes!” I cried out, trying to hold myself back from cumming when his thumb started circling my clit again. “Please, Javi, please.”

He leaned forward and latched his lips over my clit. With the pressure of his fingers curling into that blinding white spot while his tongue rolled over my clit I felt like I was going to break at any moment.

“Javi, please, can I cum?” I asked, tears prickling in the corners of my eyes. “I'm so close, please, Javi.”

He pulled his lips away. “Cum,” he growled against my wet skin before sealing his lips over me again.

I cried out his name, my hips snapping against his face. My orgasm was blinding, a white hot electric current shooting into my fingers and toes. My throat was raw with how loudly I moaned for him, his name falling from my lips over and over until my back finally relaxed back down onto the bed.

“Javi,” I moaned again, my eyelids heavy and hooded over my eyes.

He kissed my clit one last time, my body jolting at the sensitivity, then he pulled himself away. I reached my hands out and tried grabbing at him to pull him closer to me. He smiled and crawled over me, kissing me. I moaned into his mouth as the taste of me mixed with his spit slid over my tongue.

I whined when he stood up and I tried to pull him back down.

“No, no, baby, I have to get your shorts on.” He leaned over the bed and grabbed them, helping me lift my legs and hips to fit them on.

“But I want you,” I said, my eyebrows furrowing.

“Not tonight, cariño.” He leaned down and lightly kissed my burning forehead. I closed my eyes at the comfort he brought despite my burn. He stood back up. “Next time.”

“Please fuck me, Javi. I want you so bad,” I whined. “I need you, please.”

He shook his head, standing over me. “I don’t want to hurt you, baby. Your skin is too sensitive.”

I pouted. “It’s not that bad, I promise. You can hurt me, I can take it.”

“No, (Y/N).” His voice was firm, making my body freeze in place. “Maybe you’ll learn to take care of yourself next time.”

I whimpered his name, but he just smiled sweetly as if he wasn’t torturing me. “When you’re feeling better I’ll show you what good girls get.”

With that he turned and walked out the door of our bedroom. I sighed shakily, my limbs feeling heavy.

“Come eat supper!” He called from down the hall, as if he didn’t just make me a complete mess.

I groaned and peeled myself off of the bed. At least while I suffered from my mistake with the sun I could focus on all the ways he’d get his hands on me when my tan settled in.

I froze and sighed, remembering one embarrassing thing about having a burn.

The fucking tanlines.

- - - - - -

Taglist: @sullyosully

#javier pena #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena narcos #javi peña #javier pena x reader #javier pena fic #javier pena x plus size reader

[doubledyke]

dissociatED ch. 2

the girls (edd and eddy) are no longer fighting

“Greetings! You’ve reached Eddward. Unfortunately, I’m unable to take your call at the moment. If you will, please leave a brief message with your name, and telephone number, and I’ll return your call as soon at my earliest convenience. Thank you!”

Eddy mocked the nasally voice under his breath after hanging up and tossing the phone onto the foot of his bed. It was bad enough that he would yet again be the one admitting defeat in another of their standoffs. Now he had to wait for a call back just to apologize? Restless with frustration, he hopped off his bed and paced around his bedroom as if to follow his train of thought.

He’s ignoring me. He’s gotta be! His phone’s literally attached to his hip with that tacky ass belt holster. He shuddered to think of the gauche accessory.

Maybe Ed’s sixth sense was wrong and he’d finally fucked it up for real this time. The only logical explanation was that Double Dee had reached his threshold for Eddy’s bullshit once and for all and would never forgive him. One dickish remark too many. And the last one was a doozy.

-

“So you’re not coming?” The breath hitched in Eddy’s throat released as a scoff.

“Eddy, if you'd-”

“Y'know, I only agreed to go cuz you looked like you were gonna fucking cry when I said I didn’t want to. Here I was, willing to embarrass myself for you and you’re gonna flake?” He scowled at the shiny plastic garment bag hanging from the frame of his closet.

Edd rolled his eyes at the guilt trip. He looked down at his notepad where ‘sorry’ was scrawled several times in a hodgepodge of print and cursive.

"Due to a… discrepancy in scheduling, I've had to make a few discommodious adjustments to a-accommodate an important - mandatory, in fact - meeting of the associated student body… Believe you me, if there was a way I could be there, I would.” Edd should have left his sputtering at that, but felt compelled to inject additional awkwardness. “Yessiree. Front row." His teeth scraped his lip while he hoped against hope that his lousy excuse would be accepted with minimal scrutiny.

"You lie like a cheap rug! If you cared so much, you'd find a way to be here."

Edd’s cheeks were burning. Though he considered himself to be fairly skilled in the art of prevarication, he should have known better than to think he’d get one over on Eddy “Spinner of Yarns” McGee.

"Y-You don't understand," he choked. Citing the enervating anxiety he felt about venturing back to Peach Creek sounded like even more of a cop out in his head than the nonexistent meeting. In all truth, the mere thought of taking in its familiar sights, sounds and smells for an entire day worsened his chronic shortness of breath. Not to mention the hours-long trip just to get there. Before he could find the words, a gruff voice interjected.

"Forget it, you're doin' me a favor. Just wish you'd told me before I rented the fuckin' robe." he bluffed, knowing full well his parents weren't going to let him skip commencement after they paid for his cap and gown. "And I don't get why you feel the need to lie. You know you suck at it.”

"Yes well," Edd cleared his throat before making another attempt to explain. "Your and Ed’s educational milestone is important to me, Eddy. Unfortunately, I have other obligations." His unintentionally stony tone prompted a softening of his next words. "I do hope you'll still attend. Earning a high school diploma is quite an achievement for you."

"For me? What the hell’s that s'posed to mean?!"

"I meant nothing by it! Though I'm sure you'd agree, things were a bit touch and go for a while there." Eddy remained silent during his friend's dramatic pause.

His trudge to the educational finish line had indeed been a struggle, which was why he was so hurt by Edd ditching. Their off and on tutoring sessions over the years were the only reason he maintained a solid 2.3 GPA. Apparently that all meant nothing now.

"I’m very proud of you, Eddy."

"Uh-huh. Not proud enough, apparently." The cantankerous little cad couldn't help it. If there was a snide remark to be made, his soul wouldn’t rest until he was the one to make it. "All that belly achin’ you do about your parents - now look at you! You’re acting just like ‘em."

Edd's wide eyes blinked incredulously at such an emotional sucker punch. They’d exchanged their fair share of injurious insults across years of tumultuous friendship, but their tacit agreement not to exploit certain vulnerabilities had never been breached. During even their worst tiffs, he wouldn’t have dreamed of such a low blow from someone who claimed to be his best friend.

Eddy's knee bounced furiously while he waited for a response to his odious words that hung like Ed’s B.O.. It was a shitty thing to say, sure, but what kind of jerk misses their buddy’s graduation? As far as he was concerned, he was the real victim here. So he doubled down.

“You can tell Ed too, cuz I’m not in the mood for the waterworks.”

Rustling was heard on the other line before the call disconnected.

-

Edd froze with his hand gripping the front door knob of his shared apartment. The deadbolt clicked with the turning key, then the door gave way to his weary shoulder. He was still adjusting to the culture shock of seeing how people lived when they didn’t have a pathological need for order. Living with strangers - living with anyone was taking Edd much longer to get used to than expected.

Indignation boiled his insides while he stood eyeing the open floor plan from the doormat. As he stepped inside, he kicked the folded corner of an area rug back, and picked up a couple of throw pillows from the middle of the floor. Loose filler paper spilled from the open pocket of a backpack tossed on the couch. He brought his hands up to his temples to serve as blinders to the squalor as he continued toward the hall.

Being the friendly folks they were, his roommates frequently reminded him that he was in fact allowed to come out of his room. Edd always politely declined, confounded by the concept of relaxing in a room that hadn’t been dusted in recent memory. At this point, it was clear that his colleagues were less than receptive to his sermons on the advantages of sanitization, organization and minimalism. Now he just did his best to ignore the unvacuumed floors, the sinkful of dishes and clutter collecting dust on every flat surface. It was just his luck to be housed with two people whose filth gave Ed a run for his money. A lineup of empty soda cans was swiped off the kitchen table by the messenger bag jutting from Edd’s hip as he zipped by. He startled at the noise, but stuck to his resolution to no longer clean up after capable adults.

The door of his austere refuge opened to cool, purified air, subtly scented with lavender from a reed diffuser. He entered just far enough to close the door and hang his bag and windbreaker from the hook on the back. The mattress protector and sheets crinkled as he plopped onto the twin bed and plucked his hat off for a vigorous massage of his tender scalp. As he folded over and tugged at his double knotted shoelaces, he glanced up and saw the phone he’d left on his desk all day.

He first realized it was missing during mid-morning breakfast with his ESL conversation partner. Mostly unbothered, since incoming phone calls were a rarity these days, it slipped his mind before he even finished his crepes. It wasn’t until early evening that he was reminded of its absence when his steel guitar tutee was ten, then twenty minutes late for their lesson. He attributed the absence to end-of-summer blues, but just in case, he tucked his shoes off to the side and grabbed the little nylon pouch. His heart sank when he flipped the screen up and saw that he’d missed six calls from one of the few numbers he had saved.

"Hello?"

"Eddy? I-I'm so sorry, I… I was in a rush as usual and forgot my cell phone at home this morning. Is everything okay?" While waiting for an answer, he’d been recounting a list of worst case scenarios and going over the most logical reaction for each.

"Aye, Sockhead! Long time no talk?" He cringed at the poor attempt at sounding more composed than he felt. "Uh, how are ya?"

"I’m returning your call. Well, calls.” Edd’s concern quickly gave way to snark once he caught his friend's signature cheeky tone. "How are you?"

"Can't complain. Well I could, but who wants to hear it, amirite?"

Several seconds passed before Edd responded to the hackneyed quip.

"Seems I'm not the only one with a tendency to mirror their parents."

For once, didn't take long for Edd to get to the point. Eddy deflated like a balloon. At least with the elephant acknowledged he could cut the crap.

"Look, I didn't mean what I said, okay?" His voice was a low mumble. "I was just frustrated with the whole… thing. If it's any constellation, my folks made me go anyway."

"Oh yes, I feel quite consoled, Eddy." The corners of his mouth tightened. "I do appreciate the effort it must have taken you to form something adjacent to an apology.”

"Right…" Eddy responded, then waited for the "but".

"After some reflection, however, I realized that there may have been some merit to your callous comment." Edd recrossed his legs and leaned back in his ergonomic office chair. "I told you I'd be there cheering you on when you advanced this next phase of life. And I wasn't.” His ears tingled with imminent lacrimation. “For that, I sincerely apologize."

Eddy was used to his friend's frequent blubbering by now, but his chest still tightened when Edd’s voice cracked. Luckily, befriending a crybaby was great practice for offering comfort in moments like these.

"Hey, c'mon. You're nothin' like those tight asses. Not with the, like, important stuff." He still wasn’t very good at it. “'Sides, I still had Ed! Oh man, you shoulda seen it! He tripped over his own dumb feet twice on his way up to the stage." A hearty laugh cut through the tension. “I hope someone was recording! Fuckin’ idiot.”

"Yes, he told me as much.” Edd sniffled and let out a weak laugh. “In fact, he gave me quite the rundown for most of your past academic year. Including the so-called senior prank you hoped to pull." A sneaking smile accentuated his playful scorn.

"Me? A prank?" Eddy gasped and clutched his proverbial pearls. "It was a good one, huh?"

"Mmm, from what I could gather during his breathless retelling, you hoped to replace each student's photo in the yearbook with your own portrait?" Edd's smirk grew. "Sounds less like a prank and more a manifestation of unchecked narcissism."

"I thought it was funny. If that girlfriend of yours would’ve played along it would've been a scream." Eddy replied flatly. "I swear she used her piddly authority as head of the yearbook club to unfairly target me. What’d I ever do to her?” He gestured wildly alone in his room. “She wouldn't even approve my quote! Instead, she put some mealy-mouthed bullshit about the value of education. You need to get a handle on her.”

Edd momentarily ignored the bulk of the erroneous ravings and gave in to curiosity about what kind of trouble Eddy had been causing in his absence.

"Dare I ask just what vile excerpt you insisted be printed below your definitive school photo? The photo, mind you, that generations of our fellow alumni will undoubtedly come across?" Edd closed his eyes as innumerable offensive possibilities raced through his mind.

"It was gonna be that old Sinatra quote. Y’know, 'The best revenge is massive success.’ But oh no, little miss Steinem said it'd be a cold day in hell before a misogynist was commemorated in her precious book. Hell, I don't even care for the guy, but it's a good quote."

"That's it? Funny, I imagined something far more…blue. Although, she does have a point about the normalization of mid-century machismo. I'd think you of all people would be sympathetic to her cause."

Eddy paused to figure out what Edd meant.

"By the way, Nazz and I separated shortly before your class graduation. I was going to tell you when we last spoke but-"

"Woah, woah, woah, hang on! What’d she write ya a Dear John letter?"

A crackling laugh sent Edd recoiling from the phone’s speaker. Eddy made no effort to downplay his glee at the news he'd been waiting to hear for nearly a year.

"What happened, didja sprout a few chest hairs and scare her off?"

Edd held his matter-of-fact reply until the snickering ceased.

"The hardships of maintaining a long distance relationship proved too much to abide, I'm afraid. I think we had an inkling that our dalliance was doomed to dereliction, but it certainly was fun while it lasted."

"The fuck does that mean? You dumped her?"

"I like to think of it as mutual, Eddy. We came to realize that we were simply two ships passing in the night. Alas, separated by the briny tides of the vast ocean of inconstancy we call life."

"Yeah, she dumped ya. And now I see why, ew!"

"Oh, and I suppose women are just lining up to jump into that unmade bed of yours?" Edd snorted.

"Uh, duh! They’re linin’ the block just for the chance. Had to install a turnstile for chrissake!" He smiled when Edd's scoff morphed into a genuine laugh.

"Why, it’s a wonder you found the time to call me. I’m flattered.”

“Yeah well, even Lothario needs a breather from time to time.” Eddy flipped over on the bed to lay on his stomach. “What about you? How's the single life treatin' ya? You must be bumpin' uglies with a different chick every night, huh?"

Edd rolled his eyes at the notably accusatory tone and accompanying vulgar image.

"Please. If I didn't know any better, I’d think I had unwittingly signed a vow of celibacy along with the lease for my off-campus apartment." Edd stood from his chair and stretched with a drawn out groan, then took the three short steps back to his outgrown bed. "Not that I've had the time, nor energy for such extracurricular activities, given my shortsightedness in arranging my summer schedule."

Relief washed over Eddy.

"What, you mean to tell me you ain't goin' to the keggers at Alpha Beta Soup every weekend?" They both chuckled at the absurd idea.

"Tempting as it may be to attend a gathering of belligerent, red-faced bloviators, where the guest of honor is a barrel of Bud Light - I think I'll pass."

"You gotta make time for yourself or you'll go nuts, Dee. What've you been doing all break then?"

"Well, I just finished my final class of the summer… Oh, and I’ve started tutoring again.” Exhaustion stopped him from elaborating. “Now, I’m waffling.”

"About what?"

"Well, I'd really like to see you and Ed before classes commence in a few weeks. I'm just not sure…"

"Not sure?" Eddy's forehead scrunched. "I'm- er, Ed's practically dysfunctional without ya. More than usual, that is."

"Oh good lord, please tell me he's still employed?" Edd's subconscious foot shaking paused while awaiting an answer.

"Yeah, yeah he's still at the plant." Eddy heard a faint exclamation of relief from his friend. "Him and May are still mushy as ever, yadda yadda yadda. I can tell he's missin’ ya though."

"It's not that I don't want to see you! I'm just once again letting worry cloud my better judgment." Edd looked down at the throbbing, red thumb he'd been mindlessly picking at since before their call started. "I'm not even sure where I'd stay if I did come to visit."

There was a brief silence while Eddy's brain caught up to his friend's words. He'd been stuck on the irony of Edd worrying about Ed's job, when in reality he was the one who'd recently nearly wrecked his car looking for "Help Wanted" signs.

"Well, depending on when you wanna come, my folks are takin' their uh… 'couples' cruise' in like, a week. You could stay at my place."

Edd's face lit up at his friend's offer.

"Oh, Eddy, that would be fantastic! And what convenient timing… How long will they be away?"

"Mom said they're leaving for the airport Tuesday morning, but I'll have to find out when they're comin' back. It's usually like a week."

"Excellent!" Edd squeaked excitedly. "As soon as you find out I'll buy my bus ticket, and-"

"Bus?!" Eddy sat up. "You really think you'd survive a ride on the Freakshow Express? Get real! I'll drive it. Just gimme the address."

"Honestly, Eddy, the bus isn't that bad. I'm of the opinion that having to endure a few eccentrics is a small price to pay for ecologically sustainable transportation."

"I want to come get you." He was a little embarrassed by how intense he suddenly sounded. His heart rate picked up. An eyebrow arched beneath Edd's hat.

"Have you been adhering to your vehicle's maintenance schedule?"

"You can't help yourself, can you?" Eddy laughed and shook his head. "My car's fine. I just got the brake pads replaced, and I think they changed the oil. Might've been the wiper fluid... I dunno. How bout I bring ya the receipt and you can write your analysis on the way back?"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not jumping at the opportunity to be stranded on some rural back road with no phone service, and none of the tools required to correct whatever mechanical misfortune undoubtedly befalls us given our seemingly supernatural bad luck. Do you even have a roadside emergency kit? Preferably including road flares?"

"I still have the one you gave me! You act like we're goin' to Canada or something. It's a few hundred miles. I got cables, a spare, a jack, and I'll wear my cut offs in case we need to flag down some meathead to do the grunt work."

Edd's giggling tapered with a sigh.

"In that case, I look forward to seeing you, Eddy."

"I bet you do." He teased, making Edd redden. "Nah, I'm excited to see you too. Maybe we could, uh... get some lunch or somethin' while we're out there." It was a benign suggestion, but heightened excitement made it seem risky.

"I'd like that." Edd's calm voice masked the fact that he was screaming internally. No, he wouldn't read to much into his friend's words. He'd only end up hurt again. Instead, he read his watch. "I hate to cut our conversation short, Eddy, but I've got to start my nighttime routine."

As kids, they'd yap on the phone for hours with no lull until one or both of them fell asleep clutching the receiver. Eddy found himself grinning like an idiot at the not-so-distant memories. After such a long stretch of not speaking, it was difficult to say goodbye.

"Alright, have fun scrubbing your elbows or whatever it is you do."

"You know I will!"

"I'll let you know what my mom says. I'll text you!"

"Sounds great. Good-"

"Don't forget your phone!"

"I'll clip it to my belt tonight."

"'You better."

"Good night, Eddy."

"Night, Dee."

#fic

[wildelydawn]

The (Potential) Symbolism of Kim's Necklaces: Part III.

I’m still shocked over the finale, so we’ll make this quick because I think my previous posts outline some of the potential symbolism of Kim’s necklaces. Here are the links for Part I and Part II in case you want to travel back in time.

The finale picks up exactly where my analysis of episode 13′s necklaces left off. Kim is still wearing his barbed wire necklace. My analysis here hasn’t changed much, since we know that Kim was called in by Korn before things went insane and Korn allegedly “died.” So, I will reiterate. This necklace is barbed wire keeping Kim caged to the Mafia, leaving him with little choice and freedom. I still believe, at this point, he doesn’t have much left besides the Mafia. He’s still alone.

But he does have the Mafia, and because of that, he has his brothers and the seemingly limitless resources under the Mafia’s thumb… like Chan.

There’s a lot of theory behind The Look™ and honestly, I believe it all. (Send me all the conspiracy theories pls.) I think it’s super interesting that Kim, who has this painful chokehold on him, is looking at Chan. I like to think that Chan’s lapel pin with the Theerapanyakun signa functions very similarly to Kim’s necklace here; they are signifiers of who they belong to, who they work for. We also get a shot of Kinn fiddling with his ring. However, I think Kim and Chan, because they share this look and probably are aware of Korn’s plan, share that special hellscape of Mafia Chess Games by Korn that Kinn hasn’t quite gotten the grasp of yet. 

The next shot we get of Kim is when he’s waiting at Yok’s bar for Vegas’ henchmen to steal Porchay away. I have a lot of feelings about this scene, but I’ll try to keep it simple by only focusing on the necklaces for now. 

The safety pin is back. We didn’t see it during the last few episodes, so I’m glad it made an appearance. As I’ve mentioned before, this safety pin necklace is tied to anything Kim does that involves Porchay and the mafia; the pin brings both of these responsibilities together. He’s there because he cares for Porchay’s safety but the threat looming over Porchay is the Mafia. I think my initial “safety pin means connection to music” theory sort of falls apart here, especially since from episodes 11-13, the safety pin necklace doesn’t appear, and neither does music until the very end of episode 14. At the same time, Kim doesn’t appear bare necked which, as I’ve argued before, only happens when he is only acting in the interest of Porchay. As safety pins do, they try to keep things together, and perhaps this is Kim’s last attempt to keep himself together (one end of his necklace being his real emotional investment in Porchay and the other end being the Mafia life) before he loses himself to the Mafia entirely. 

Finally, we have the most devastating scene of all.

This is Kim’s final necklace. The double chain with a single loop. I gotta say, this last necklace is a doozy to analyze. It’s absolutely heavier than the safety pin necklace, so that initial analysis of “heavier the necklace, heavier the Mafia involvement” is still kind of true. And we’ve seen this necklace before. It appears in episode 11, right after Kim destroys his relationship with Porchay and continues his investigation of Porchay’s parents’ death. The fact that he’s wearing it again when he’s serenading Porchay makes me think that this double chain with a single loop signifies both his responsibilities towards the Mafia and Porchay, and how they are hopelessly intertwined, even if he doesn’t want them to be. (More so than ever before now that we know Namphueng is alive and is part of the Mafia family.) The terrible part is that when he’s wearing this necklace, he’s forced to choose the Mafia over Porchay; even sadder is that he ultimately has Porchay in mind whenever he does so, as the video shows us.

But... then, I’m left with this question. What does this necklace mean?

That’s right. This café scene is still a thing and I have no idea what it means. To my knowledge, this is the only time this necklace, a single chain with a very prominent stone/charm hanging off of it, appears: in this café scene that we haven’t gotten yet. For now, I will suggest that this necklace is symbolic of Kim’s affections for Porchay because after all, this café scene implies that Kim is singing and Porchay is listening (though, from the music video, it seems that Kim is unaware that Porchay may be listening, but who knows.) The fact that Kim’s wearing such a unique necklace, playing a unique song that he and Porchay wrote together, in a unique setting that is a public café (when Kim is a very private person) sort of implies that he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve (or better yet, his neck). This might be a reach though. Until we get more info, that is. (Give us the side story BoC, I’m begging you.)

Kim. It’s been an honor analyzing your necklaces, and I hope you keep surprising us, you absolutely feral, broken, shell of a person. And I hope you keep looking utterly flawless when you do.

EDIT: Part I & Part II.

#personal #dawn watches KP #Kim Theerapanyakul #KimChay #porchay kittisawast #KimPorchay #KinnPorsche #KinnPorsche Meta #KinnPorsche spoilers #KinnPorsche ep 14 #KinnPorsche the Series #If the side story drops I'll do a follow up #I have another post for you but that one isn't very meaningful or KP related #so this is the first goodbye of two #it's been a real honor

[projectcruise]

Chapter 2

“Peculiar passengers”

Penelope arrived at the cabins with a mission on her mind. It was interview time! First things first though, she had yet to review the case file. Before taking any further action, she took a moment to view its contents.

She sighed after reading all that. It was just so shocking. Who would’ve expected a crime like this to take place on such a lovely ship?

She glanced at the map and noted the location of the first suspect: Room C2. It was right across from Marigold’s room.

The cabins’ layout was simple. It was divided into two sections. C and D respectively with a billiard room in between.

The hall was large, empty, and uninviting despite its pristine appearance. The sound of Penelope’s boots echoed as she walked the shiny wooden floorboards. She glanced at the room number as she passed the first door… It was C1, Marigold’s room... the same place she was found dead. However, this didn’t distract her. She knew she’d have to come back later to investigate but for now she would focus on the interviews.

Across from it was her first destination, room C2. Penelope knocked on the door as instructed.

*Double tap* *triple tap* *single tap*

She waited for a moment, but nobody answered. The captain was right when he said these passengers were difficult. Perhaps they were still asleep? Penelope concluded it would be best to move on to the next cabin and come back later.

Upon arriving at the next room, she spotted a large wooden sign on the door. It read “Cider’s Room” in carved out uneven lettering. Above the sign was a rather cute green and white plaid bow. The sign provided an inviting atmosphere in the otherwise unsavory atmosphere of the cabin hallway.

*Double tap* *triple tap* *single tap*

A few moments later, A tall velvet colored sheep opened the door and greeted the detective with a warm smile. She wore a shirt with the same pattern as the bow on the door and a gardener’s hat with a bow similar.

“Why howdy darling! You must be the detective I’ve been hearin’ all about,.” she said

“Yep, that’s me alright. You’re Cider, correct?”

“Why of course my dear, I’m sure you saw my lovely sign outside! Gee, you’re the sweetest little rabbit girl I’ve ever seen, you’re so small it’s adorable! "Oh, and how could I forget to mention that outfit, it’s like a lil’ detective doll came to life,” she exclaimed with a chuckle.

This was an incredibly common remark amongst those meeting Penelope for the first time. As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t help but feel aggrieved. Although it was not Cider’s intent, it felt infantilizing and demeaning… The young lady really did not appreciate these sorts of comments. She did not take well to Cider’s words and retaliated.

“Cut it off, won’t you? I’ve heard it a million times. I get the gist.”

“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t mean to offend you darling. I really did mean it as a complement. Gotta admit, I was nervous about this whole investigation business… This trip has been a reeeal doozy so seeing such a sweet- looking detective made me feel more at ease. I prolly should’a kept it to myself…” replied Cider disappointed in herself and feeling as though she just gave an incredibly poor first impression.

“It’s fine. Anyway, I’m here to ask you a couple of questions,” replied Penelope. She was rather unreceptive to Cider’s apology.

“Of course, darling ! I’d be happy to answer. Believe me when I tell ya If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t have let any of this happen. I reckon the ol’ Captain is especially troubled…”

“Why don’t we go sit down in the billiard room?” Penelope replied. She assumed it would be the most effective place to conduct the interviews since it was in a comfortable neutral space and there was a low risk of anyone overhearing their conversations.

They both made their way towards the center of the deck. Penelope avoided eye contact as they walked the vast hallway.

Once they arrived, a luxurious pool table greeted them. Unlike the hall, the room had an inviting and cozy atmosphere despite its emptiness. There was a large black wall, mounted television, colorful jukebox, and seating. Several nautical themed posters, old records, and old newspapers describing stories of the sea adorned the brick patterned walls.

Near the jukebox sat a mini fridge well stocked with various beverages. There were bottles of water and soda, but different flavors of “Icey-Cooly” took up most of the space.

Penelope hated those with a passion. The drinks themselves were like a frozen soda slushy with copious amounts of sugar, food coloring, and artificial flavoring. The packaging was also like something you’d expect to see on a kid's toy with its bright colors and sparkles. To top it all off, instead of a regular straw it included a silly straw. It made her recall the time she had decided to try the “peach” flavored one. Her friend really wanted her to try it… she recalled it tasting like melted plastic and giving her a terrible stomachache. Yikes! She decided to ignore the appliance before it distracted her any further .

Penelope walked to one of the small dining tables. “Why don’t we sit here?”, she said while pulling back a chair.

“Whatever you say, my dear!” replied Cider not wanting to further upset Penelope. She was ready to go along with whatever the Detective asked of her.

The two sat down.

“Ok, first off, what’s the deal with the sign?” asked Penelope. She was curious why someone would ever put up such a conspicuous sign like that on their door.

“Well, ya see, truth is, I’d never been on such a large ship like this before, so I was plumb lost whenever I had to find my room! So, I did what any sensible gal would in a situation like that and made ma’ own sign. After that, I’ve never been lost! Thank heavens they had some ol’ wooden planks back in the storage area… I really oughta thank that sweet lil’ nurse for her help back there.”

“Didn’t you have a map you could look at?”

Penelope thought it was an odd choice… Why would anyone go through trouble of constructing a custom-made sign for their cabin door when the map existed?

“Oh, believe me when I say I tried., I just couldn’t figure out how to read it!”

Penelope looked at the sheep in total disbelief… it was difficult for her to imagine that the map was so hard for her to read. Penelope found it incredibly simple and to the point. What more could she need?

“Hm… well tell me then, where are you from and why did you decide to go on the S.S Iris?”, she asked, figuring that it may help explain Cider’s strange behavior.

“Why, I’m glad you asked! It’s always been a dream o’ mine to see the ocean. Back where I’m from, in the green apple woods, there ain’t no place like it. I remember, back when I was no bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond, some o’ my earliest memories were hearin’ stories of the sea and bein’ absolutely fascinated by them. I’ll tell you what, as crazy as this vacation’s been, I just think o’f what my ma’ always told me. She used to say I oughta look on the bright side of things and well, I did accomplish my dream o’ seein’ the sea! That alone is a success in my eyes.”

“I see...”“, replied Penelope. She really didn’t know what to make of all this just yet. She was skeptical of the of the lamb’s overly positive personality and found the story of her sign rather odd as well. Why would one want to visit the storage area and who was that nurse she was talking about?

“Well, I’m sure by now you’ve been expecting this last question… so tell me Cider, what do you know regarding the murder of Marigold Seashine?”

Cider looked around the room and then back at Penelope before answering, “To be frank with your dearie, there’s really not much I can say about it! I really ain’t got a clue what in the Sam Hill would lead anyone to turn to murder of all things! Down where I’m from, everyone’s far too busy competing ‘gainst each other for the biggest harvest. Something of that sort ain’t ever cross nobody’s mind! Boy, am I glad I didn’t have to see the poor lass lifeless on the ground…”, she said before letting out a sigh.

“You didn’t see the body?”, Replied Penelope

“Nope, I was up by the pool readin’ a magazine titled “The top 10 best tropical vacation destinations” when the speaker came on and the Captain announced what had just occurred! After that, everyone lost their marbles.”

“Very well, that’s all I need to know for now.” She said in hopes of concluding the interview.

“Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t be of greater help!”

Penelope ignored her. She had little patience for those who disrespected her. Eventually she’d get over it. Clearly Cider meant no harm, but Penelope was still bitter.

“Let me walk you back to your cabin,.” she said.

The air was tense as they traversed the halls. so much for “a sweet little detective.”.

Next up was room C4. Penelope took a deep breath before walking up to the room. That last interview was rather exhausting. As she got closer, she heard a faint melody coming from behind the door… Penelope had an impressive sense of hearing, but the melody was too soft to single out. It was difficult to discern any particular instrument or voice from the muffled sound. Then, she knocked on the door.

Once again, nobody answered. Perhaps they didn’t hear her? Or were they too busy… either way, it didn’t change the fact that they had ignored her knocking. She decided to move on and come back later in the hope that they’d be done by then with whatever they were up to.

Before she knew it, it was already time to visit the D section cabins. Despite this, Penelope felt as though she had barely made any progress. Once again, she passed through the billiard room, this time paying less attention to the details. She made sure not to look in the direction of the mini fridge again.

Next up was cabin D1. She hoped this time someone would actually answer the door. Things were looking dire thus far… Penelope proceeded to knock the door as the captain had instructed. A few moments later, to her surprise, someone answered.

Behind the door stood a gruff-looking, large brown bear. He was wearing a white button up shirt and a shark tooth necklace. A large scar ran across the right side of his face right through his eye. Wow...

What’s this guy’s story? thought Penelope. He looked like he had lived quite a life.

“Ughhh, what do you want now?!? Wait… You’re that detective the captain warned me about, aren’t you?,” he said while looking down at the tiny detective standing before him. He was totally caught by surprise.

“Yes, that’s correct. I’m Penelope Walker and I’m here to ask you a few questions. Please follow me”

“Fine. It better be important” he grumbled. At least it wasn’t the captain or those blasted cops again.

They both walked over to the billiard room and sat down at the same table she held the previous interview.

“So, what’s your name and why did you decide to go on the S.S. Iris?”

“Name’s Roger. It was that therapist of mine who gave me the GREAT suggestion… thanks a lot, Connie. This “getaway” really helped.”

“Wow,. I’m sorry about that… may I ask why you’re attending therapy…”

Roger paused before giving an answer. For just a split second, it all came back to him...”

“NO.”

“Is everything okay? " asked Penelope. His sudden outburst was completely unexpected to say the least. Penelope was taken aback.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry… “

he said as he attempted to hold back tears.

It’s just… some things never leave…even after the war is done. I...”

“I see… well, you don’t need to explain anything any further, ok?” Penelope said to him in an attempt to reassure him.

“Thanks...”

“Now, let me ask. Do you know anything regarding the murder of Marigold Seashine?”

“About that… I remember seeing something.”

“What did you see?”

“Well, the whole memory is hazy, but me and a few of the others caught someone in the act. Oddly enough, I just... can’t remember any details. Maybe it’s just the old brain giving up on me… I wouldn’t be surprised if it decided to give out. I know that probably sounds awful, but I swear it’s the truth.”

“Wow, do you remember who else was there with you when you saw that?”

Penelope was rather shocked, was this old man just hallucinating? Or was he really serious? This could be a breakthrough for the investigation if it were true. Inversely, it could very well be a false claim. It was obvious the man was suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and this could very well just be a manifestation of his trauma.

“Well, it’s hard to say really. I’m sure that strange little nurse was there when I saw it… someone else was there too, besides the culprit of course. I don’t know. I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to recall…”

This was the second time a little nurse has been mentioned by one of the passengers. Who was this they kept speaking about?!?

“Was there anything else that seemed odd to you?” she asked. Penelope was intrigued. The man’s words felt sincere, however she had to keep in mind that this could all very well be made up.

“Nothing I can recall… actually, now that I think about it, the room was pitch black when we first went inside.”

What!?! This raised so many more questions in Penelope’s mind…

“Marigold’s room?” she replied.

“If my memory serves me right, yeah. It’s all just so hazy now. Agh, just forget about it. I don’t want to throw you off course or anything. Just, ignore me.”

At least the he was self-aware. Perhaps it’d be best to move on, this was all getting too confusing. What was the probability that this all even true?

“Ok, well that’s all I need for now. “

“Great, I’m so tired of all this,” he replied feeling relieved. They both walked back to the cabin.

Penelope had so much on her mind, so many unanswered questions . Her biggest question remained… Who was that nurse?

Penelope’s next destination was room D2. She performed her usual knock. A few moments later, the door opened.

Lo and behold… behind the door stood a small arctic fox with pale red eyes and a large, long, fuzzy tail. Unlike the others, they didn’t say a word to Penelope and did their best to avoid eye contact. They wore a pink nurse’s gown and matching cap… Was this really the nurse everyone kept talking about?!?

“Hi there,” said Penelope

The little fox cleared her throat.

“G-greetings valued passenger, I am Kiba Chapel, Nurse and reader of the infirmity division of the S.S. Iris, do you have any health concerns or perhaps an emergency...?” Said the fox in a soft, airy voice. There were constant pauses between each word, and they were spoken incredibly fast. It sounded as though they were reading directly off a script.

“Don’t you mean… leader?” Replied Penelope.

The small fox glanced at her briefly, then quickly looked away. They were anxiously sweating while cowering behind the door.

“Hey, I’m just here to ask a few questions and I’ll leave in a second. I just need you to come with me to the billiard room.”

“O-Ok…” she replied.

Penelope escorted the fox to the room, and they sat down at the very same table once again.

“So, you’re the nurse on this ship. Were you the one who performed the autopsy on Marigold?” Asked Penelope in hopes of sparking some conversation while still collecting important information.

“Y-yes… I did. Under close supervision...”

Penelope was relieved to hear that second part, otherwise the credibility of the entire case file would be up for debate.

“Do you have any special access to certain areas of the ship?” she asked, curious about what Cider had told her earlier regarding the storage room.

“Um, yes, but n-not anymore… no. Not now.

“I see, so you did but it was taken away for the investigation?”

“Yes… precisely.”

“So how long have you been working here ?”

“For… s-some years. 3 years.”

“Alright, well my last question is, do you know anything regarding the murder of Marigold Seashine ?

“N-no…”

“Really? You didn’t see anyone or anything?” Penelope was incredibly skeptical of their answer. For as much as the others spoke about them, they should at least know something… right?

The little fox looked at Penelope like they were about to cry. It seemed as though all they wanted in that moment was to dissolve into thin air. Something was clearly wrong.

Penelope was concerned about this and decided to ask once again, this time more politely. “You’re not in trouble, ok? You can tell me if there’s anything you saw. I’m only trying to see what happened.”

“No. I can’t….!”, she said as tears rolled down her face.

“Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry…”

Oh dear, this is not what she was expecting at all. Was this a confession? Or was this something else? Penelope felt very uncomfortable. She decided it would be best to end the interview here. She still had so many questions but perhaps it would be best to stop here… if she questioned Kiba any further they’d probably faint on the spot. Penelope was also curious as to what the others had to say about it. After all, if it were really this easy… why wasn’t the case solved before she’d arrived?

“Ok. That’s all for now,” she said. Kiba could barely look her in the eyes.

She walked the nurse back to her cabin. The Captain was right, these really were some peculiar passengers.

#Project Cruise ⚓️ #Chapter 2 #illustrations #literature

[storiesofsvu]

Censured Ch 9

Warnings: language, alcohol, smut, threesome, absolute fucking chaos.

Over the next week you’d tried to set up a time to see Alex but you caught a pretty big case and ended up swamped with work. She was taking a little bit of time to reacquaint herself with the city and law before jumping back into work and you were more than happy to throw ideas over text to help the current case. You tentatively made plans for that Saturday, but then got called into the bar, so you invited her out there instead, saying she was welcome to bring a few friends and you’d try to set aside a table for them. Alex accepted the invite saying they’d swing by but a little later than originally planned.

The week had been long, you’d barely seen Casey (she was the one stuck working late tonight) and the case you’d been working on was a doozy, you’d relayed this to Andrew when you first got to the bar and he was quick to start pouring you double cherry bombs instead of singles. During your first break you were behind the bar with him when one of the players called out to you for “help” on a song, knowing that you and Andrew had a nice habit of twerking/grinding on the bar once you were tipsy. The two of you hollered as the other player started the beat line for Get Low, halfway through the song you noticed Alex coming in the door, you’d obviously been expecting her, what you hadn’t expected was that she had Olivia fucking Benson and Fin with her, you nearly fell off the bar when Andrew gave you a particularly powerful twerk in your shock.

Olivia didn’t know what she’d expected when Alex had invited her out,(she knew you worked there already) but she certainly didn’t expect one of her most decorated and respected detectives rapping obscenely dirty lyrics while basically leading a twerking contest. You were thankful the song was nearly over, you were in too deep now (and not about to ignore the tips you were making). Hopping down at the end of song you were thankful Andrew had already poured another set of bombs, you quickly downed them, turning to him with a laugh and a embarrassed face.

“What?”

“My fucking boss just walked in…”

“Like your COP boss?!” You nodded and he absolutely howled at that, “Is that why you said oh fuck in the middle of the song?”

“Duh!” He followed you over to the end of the bar where you were quick to hug Alex, “Andrew’ll take care of you guys! I’ve gotta—“ You gestured to the pianos and were INCREDIBLY thankful that it was time for a switch off. By the end of the night you’d managed to redeem yourself the best you could, and hoped that the crew was at least drunk enough to maybe potentially forget about it. (or you’d at least have something on the four of them). Alex ended up crashing in the guest room (you’d managed to fill her in on your summer romance with Casey during your breaks) you both ended up waking up around 10, Casey was gone, called away to an early meeting. 

When she got home she found the two of you on the couch engrossed in a Sex and the City marathon on the TV, an assortment of empty and full Truly cans on the coffee table.

“It’s not even noon, little early for the hard seltzer isn’t it?” You glared over the back of the couch at her, “Hey, I’m not judging.” Grinning, she grabbed one out of the fridge before moving over to you.

“I’m trying to forget last night…” 

“What happened.” Casey gently stroked your cheek, kissing you briefly before giving Alex a quick greeting. 

“Alex didn’t tell me the friends she was bringing were Benson and Fin.”

“So?”

“This is what was going on when we walked in.” Alex replied, handing over her phone, much to your horror as the video started to play.

“Noooooo!” Casey absolutely lost it,

“Liv saw this…in person….”

“I hate you.” 

“Fin was particularly fond of it.” Alex cut in.

“Alexandra Cabot you DELETE that video right now!” They both laughed at that, 

“Wouldn’t help, already sent it to Fin.”

“Fuuuuck. I am literally never going to live this down.” Casey started to make her way towards the hall to go change, calling over her shoulder.

“Hey, maybe now you’ll get some cool undercover ops.” You hucked an empty Truly at her in response.

***

A couple of hours of Sex and The City and a smattering more Truly’s later and you were leaned back on Casey who was against the arm of the couch. Alex was curled up against the other half of the couch. You’d let out an involuntary shiver and Casey pulled down the blanket from the back of the couch over your bodies. It was only after she could feel you clenching your thighs together for a hint of friction that she realized the shiver had nothing to do with the a/c and everything to do with the wild sex scene playing on the TV.

She smirked lightly, double checking that Alex’s attention was still on the screen before she left a gentle kiss on the side of your neck. Her hand snuck deeper under the blanket, trailing up your thigh, you were still in your thin pyjama shorts, bare underneath. You gave her leg a warning squeeze that she completely ignored once she could feel your dampness oozing out of you. Her fingers gathered a pool of it, lightly pressing onto your clit before rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. 

You shifted your body in her lap, trying to both give her better access and not instinctively thrust your hips up at the contact. Knowing how sensitive you were, she decided to play at least a little fair, sliding back down to your slit, pumping two fingers in easily with how wet you were. You held back a moan, pressing against her body, she pressed a loving kiss on your bare shoulder, almost reassuring you. Casey’s fingers continued to slowly pump into you, her knuckles brushed your g-spot and your breath hitched. You were thankful the TV’s volume was so loud or you’d be sure Alex could hear the noises coming from your drenched pussy. She curled her fingers right against the spongey spot inside you and you couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh, praying it sounded innocent.

“Did you want two want me to leave?” Alex cocked a brow, looking directly over at the two of you.

“What?” You stuttered out, making her smirk.

“Do you really think I don’t know exactly where Casey’s fingers are right now? I’ve heard you make those noises before.” Fuck…you’d out’ed yourself. It was Casey that spoke next, taking you completely by surprise.

“Leave if you want, but you could always join in.” Alex glanced towards you for the consent right as Casey rolled your clit, Alex’s name leaving your lips in a whimpering moan was all the consent she needed.  Casey tossed the blanket off you, moving to pull off your tank as you lifted your hips for Alex to pull off the sleep shorts. The blonde wasted no time before burying herself in your warm cunt, moaning at the taste of the juices Casey had brought seeping out of you. Her tongue worked its way through your folds, lips wrapping around them, teeth oh so gently scratching just where you needed it. Fuck you’d forgotten how good she was at this. Casey had one arm wrapped around you, pinning you to her while the other started to play with your tits, pulling and pinching at your nipples. Alex’s lips wrapped around your clit, sucking against it, flicking it with her tongue as she plunged her long fingers into you, curling expertly against your g-spot. You were so riled up from the show, and then Casey’s teasing fingers she could feel your pussy pulsing around her. Casey’s tongue darted out, licking up the shell of your ear,

“Be a good girl and cum for Alex.” She husked against your skin, biting at your earlobe and you just fucking lost it, body shuddering between the two women. Casey softly kissed down the shimmering skin of your neck muttering you praises, while Alex gently fucked you through your orgasm before pulling you up into a searing kiss. You moaned against Alex’s lips, tasting yourself on her tongue.

“Still taste so fucking sweet.” She murmured against your lips, moving up to her knees, planting a foot on the floor to steady herself. You shifted in front of her, tugging off the shorts she was wearing, and giving her access to Casey who in turn was shucking off her clothes the best she could. You pulled Alex’s hips towards you, nipping at the supple skin of her inner thighs, hearing Casey’s gasp come behind you as Alex’s fingers found their way to tease around her pussy. Alex practically caged you into the back of the couch as she and Casey met in a searing kiss, battling for dominance. Casey bit at the other woman’s bottom lip, pulling a groan from the blonde that hitched into a whine as your tongue delved into her lower lips. Alex’s hips rolled, practically riding at your face as she curled her fingers inside Casey, flicking her clit with her thumb.

The room was a tangle of limbs, breathy groans and moans, wet sounds squelching off the walls, skin hot with lust, sweaty against each other as you each chased your own releases. Alex groaned out your name as your lips sucked at her clit, fingers pumping into her with ease, curling and twisting, scraping gently against her, juices leaking down her thighs, you could feel her free hand tugging into your hair. You moaned at the sensation, resulting in a gasp from the vibrations, hips rutting against your mouth. You could feel Casey trembling behind you, breath coming out in pants and moans of Alex’s name, hips rolling against her hand faster and harder as she felt the coil bursting in her, letting out a sob, head thrown back against the arm of the couch. You flicked Alex’s clit with your tongue, scraping past her g-spot with a curl of your fingers, you hummed against her, she let out a gasp, thighs shaking as she nearly collapsed over you. 

You fell back onto Casey, bodies sticky against each other, her hand found your chin, turning your head to kiss you, groaning at the taste of Alex on your lips. She sucked you tongue into her mouth, you felt Alex’s hands trailing their teasing way across your body, you arched against Casey, moaning against her lips, Alex chuckling at how sensitive your clit still was when her thumb found it. The three of you spent the better part of the early afternoon tangled in each others bodies, there were mini breaks (hydration is key, even if it in the form of spiked seltzers), you weren’t even sure when the basket of toys made it out to the living room. Half the time you weren’t even sure who’s hands were dragging their way across your body, Alex was in the middle of torturing you with a vibrator when your phone went off, without even thinking you answered it.

“Carisi I swear to GOD if you interrupt one of my orgasms again I WILL kill you!” The other two laughed at that, Alex had at least pulled the toy away from you while you answered, turning onto Casey instead. There was a stagnant pause on the line,

“…It’s Rita..we had late lunch plans. And with whatever knowledge I just received, I’ll be waiting downstairs. Get your shit together.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Are you coming?”

“Before I was INTERRUPTED I WAS.”

“Jesus Christ….I meant TO LUNCH you chaotic lesbian.” Rita heard a chuckle from your doorman at that comment.

“Hey…only I’m allowed to call myself that, and yes, just, let me get dressed will you?” You stood from the couch, not noticing Alex had turned her attention back to you, smacking out a spank on your bare ass, “Ow! Alex!” You shot her a glare while she simply laughed. “I’ll be down in 5.” You said to Rita, hanging up the phone. 

You quickly cleaned yourself up the best you could, making sure to brush your teeth after you were dressed, grabbing your bag before re-entering the living room.

“Feel free to keep torturing her.” You said to Alex, giving her a quick kiss, Casey was practically shaking as the blonde used the vibe on her, “God you’re fucking hot like that.” She whined a groan at you, you met her lips with ease, stroking the side of her face.

“I’m just gonna let her finish, I’ve got to get going anyways.” Alex called out to you, you threw up a thumbs up before quickly leaving the apartment.

Rita was waiting for you arms crossed, but a sly smirk you were oh so familiar with. 

“Sorry…” You bashfully apologized, “Last night was a mess, we caught a little hair of the dog and..got distracted.”

“Who’s Alex?” She smirked across at you while you started walking down the street.

“What?” 

“You said ‘ow Alex’ right before you hung the phone up.” Whoops. Wow, thank God it was Rita who called and not someone from the squad.

“Uh…Alex Cabot’s back from witness.” The older woman furrowed her brow, 

“What happened to Casey?” It was your turn to smirk, 

“Nothing…Casey was there too.”

“Oh Jesus Christ Y/N, who has lesbian orgy threesomes at 2:45 on a Sunday afternoon?!!!” She’s said it louder than you’d expected considering you were in the middle of the streets of Tribeca but hey. You definitely hadn’t expected to round the corner directly into Liz Donnelly and Bill Harriman, what fucking timing that was. Casey’s old boss and Alex’s UNCLE?! It was Liz that spoke first, 

“You know Whitlow, that’s a question I’m curious about, who does have lesbian orgy threesomes at 2:45 on a Saturday afternoon?” Jesus fucking christ. You titled your head to Rita, giving her a glare you usually reserved for the most heinous perps. 

“The characters on Sex and the City…” You turned back to the two, “Your Honours, nice to see you….” You practically dragged Rita away from them before Donnelly called out,

“Detective!” You nearly whined, turning around expectantly, she waved you over to them. “I was on my way to drop this off to the 11th, it’s a stop motion for the Birmingham homicide.” You gave her a wicked grin, taking the warrant sneakily so Rita couldn’t see you placing it in your bag. You weren’t sure why but she seemed to get as much entertainment out of your shenanigan as you did.

“Thanks Liz.” She gave you a smile as you walked back to your Aunt.

“What’d she need?” Rita’s attention was on her phone, 

“Something about the case we cracked this week.” She hmph’d in response turning to keep walking, “Oh! I nearly forgot, I got you a present.”

“If you pull some gay ass sex toy out of your bag I swear to God I will disown you.” You laughed at that comment, pulling out the warrant, blocking the view of her phone with it. She flipped it open, “This is for homicide, where did you even get—“ She looked back to the corner, “Donnelly!!! STOP ENCOURAGING HER!!”

“Have a nice day Counsellor.” She called back, laughing at Calhoun’s frustration.

“Ready for lunch?” You gave her your sweetest smile, she rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, I’ll even pay this time.”

#casey novak #casey novak x reader #alex cabot #alex cabot x casey novak x reader #calex x reader #censured #rita calhoun #law and order #svu #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit

[falasteeniferret]

A Mag a Day Day 19: Episode 018, The Man Upstairs

@a-mag-a-day I thought this was a different episode to the one it was so I’ve gotta be honest, the ending was… a doozy. Definitely a doozy. I’m with Jon, I’m glad I had dinner earlier. But, very interesting to get a Flesh Double Feature.

#the magnus archives #tma podcast #a mag a day #tw raw meat #tw trypophobia #my moodboards

[stringsofstarlight]

Finding the right way to ride this wave, it’s just taking a little bit to get the groove.  🏄🏽‍♂️🤿🧲🥌🔮🥰🤟🏼👑💘🍯💝🌶🔥

    First thing I learned is that I really need to do the journey writing for tomorrow, the amount I wrote got all awash with the feelings as everything works it’s way into my being.  All coming up overly sappy with a touch of sideways, even before the topic of how it went.  Well, I can tell you right now that there a whole something else happening.   One thing I will say, I had absolutely no idea how this would all transition from the last couple of times in the journey to this particular one.  It is such a living process. 🔮        Here’s the truth, while yes, it was just me at the beginning, the voice of the higher self was advising to just lay back, go without any way or agenda, just float into the wave.   Had I been patient enough to just be present, it would have unfolded without the need have the bit of “poor me”, I guess I gotta go it alone thing.  It is lacking a broader and more relaxed understanding of being.  I know cause I thought, ““well, if she’s not here, then I gotta go it alone, might as well get started…”, while my heart and higher self is saying, “maybe you just float in it all for the whole time with out any specific plan or agenda, rather to let it course and flow for relaxation and rejuvenation that each one of us needs for mind bodies and soul.   It was like a super double doozy miracle you were able to find us, like the whole way he was talking about security, the balance of dark and light…much more but it goes with the whole thing.   Pretty sure he acted like the keys were in the door and each one was left a little ajar, yet for some reason I be thinking you just did it.  Thank you, I love you so much.  ❤️‍🔥🙏

😘💋 Blessings and love to the family.💐

eternal love,

james. 11:11

[swan-of-sunrise]

Specs and the Flyboy (Chapter Twenty)

Summary: With the conclusion of the Leviathan-Secret Empire case, Jack and (Y/N) prepare to make good on their long-standing promise to part ways forever. Will they finally admit their undeniable feelings for one another?

Pairing: Jack Thompson X Reader

Word Count: 6.4k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Ahh, we’ve made it to the final chapter and it’s a doozy! Thank you all so much for reading! I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Stark Mansion, Los Angeles (Previous Chapter)

Jack would never admit it out loud but the months he’d spent as a guest of Howard Stark, surrounded by all the finer things in life, had completely spoiled him and as he began waking up, he wrapped his arms tight around the goose-feather pillow and burrowed deeper into the luxurious bedding with a sleepy, content sigh. Something soft began brushing along the back of his neck and he smiled at the sensation; it reminded him of when he’d woken up at the Howling Commandos’ base camp to the feeling of (Y/N)’s fingers caressing his face, the lingering pain from the torture he’d endured forgotten when he’d opened his eyes and saw the codebreaker’s beautiful smile…

The peaceful daydream was suddenly shattered by a joyful bark and Jack shot up in bed, instantly spotting the Bernese mountain dog lounging on top of the comforter beside him; with an exasperated sigh, he reached over and scratched the dog behind his ear, smiling a little when he began licking his hand. “’Mornin’, Benny; for a minute there, I thought you were someone else.” Benny tilted his head to the side and let out a soft whine, making Jack chuckle in amusement. “Never mind. C’mon, bud, I’ve gotta get up soon and it’s about time for your breakfast.”

That’s all it took for Benny to leap off the bed and hurry out the half-open bedroom door, his fluffy tail wagging in anticipation. Jarvis had gotten the young Bernese mountain dog for Ana while Jack and (Y/N) were away in England as an early anniversary gift; Ana absolutely adored the energetic dog and although Jarvis claimed he was indifferent to the newest member of the household, he’d been the one to name him and Jack had even spied the butler feeding him bits of food beneath the dining room table. Such a pushover, he thought to himself with a grin as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Just as Jack was about to flop back down onto the bed, he spotted the half-packed suitcase on the dresser and realization finally set into his tired mind: today was the day he’d finally leave Los Angeles and fly home to New York. His face fell, and it didn’t take long for the memory of Senator Cooper’s visit to the West Coast SSR to unwittingly begin playing in his mind…

“Now double-check that the number correlates with the correct letter…and hey presto!” Jack set his pencil down and leaned back in the desk chair with a proud grin as (Y/N) gave him a round of applause. “Congratulations, Flyboy, you just successfully decoded your first A1Z26 code! This calls for a little celebration, don’t you think?” She opened the bottom drawer of Daniel’s desk and pulled out a bar of Hershey’s chocolate. “One Hershey bar, courtesy of Daniel and his enormous sweet-tooth.”

“You know, I’m beginning to think that I may be a bad influence on you,” Jack remarked but took the candy bar, breaking it in half and taking a large bite of his chunk. “I’ve corrupted the SSR’s top codebreaker into stealing candy from her supervisor.”

(Y/N) quirked her brow at him as her smile widened. “Don’t you mean borrowing?”

“…Touché.” He shrugged noncommittally at her reference to their memorable trip to the SFC, but when he noticed her beginning to shift in her chair, his cheerful demeanor was quickly replaced with concern. “You okay? Did you need some more aspirin, maybe a glass of water?”

She shook her head, her fingers fiddling with the edge of the candy wrapper. “I’m okay, it just twinges occasionally.” Jack opened his mouth to reply but closed it when she shot him a look. “I know what you’re going to say and it’s not happening; there’s still a lot of paperwork to finish and a small stab wound’s not going to stop me from properly wrapping this case up.”

Jack’s brow furrowed while (Y/N) slipped her reading glasses back on and reached across the desk for another document to fill out; in the week since they’d returned from Lithuania, his partner had vehemently refused to take any time off to recuperate so Daniel relegated her to desk duty and Jack took it upon himself to look after her, setting up a workspace for her in the chief’s office so she’d be more comfortable and fetching her anything she needed. Despite what she kept saying, Jack knew that it was a serious knife wound and although he would’ve preferred that she stay home, he also knew better than to try and talk reason into the stubborn codebreaker. Just one of her many charms, he thought with a sigh of defeat, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankles on the edge of the desk while he watched her work with a fond smile.

(Y/N) hadn’t been wrong about the increased workload. The Secret Empire-Leviathan case had been the West Coast SSR’s biggest one yet, and there were countless components to it that each needed to be addressed; all the stolen gold they’d seized from the facility needed to be returned to over a dozen banks across California, they had to arrange for the destruction of all of the illegally-manufactured weapons the Secret Empire had produced from Howard Stark’s stolen blueprints, charges of treason had been leveled against Agent Cabrera but a plea deal still needed to be negotiated for Adam Fieldman so he’d be free to testify against the Leviathan spy, Henry Zhang’s application to the West Coast SSR had to be reviewed and officially finalized, Howard and the SSR scientists still had to find a way to safely destroy Zodiac without alerting the Department of Defense, Dottie Underwood still needed to be apprehended…and then there was Michael. The oldest Carter sibling had been staying under observation at Los Angeles County Hospital for the past week, where doctors ran tests so they could begin curing him of Hydra’s less-than-successful brainwashing; Peggy and Daniel visited Michael every day, and the younger woman cherished all the time she now had to reconnect with her long-lost brother.

While Jack quietly observed (Y/N), his thoughts drifted back to the moment Attwell’s knife lodged itself into her upper back; in that moment, the world stopped spinning and he’d never felt so scared in all his life. He was vaguely aware that he’d been rambling in a desperate attempt to keep her calm but he couldn’t remember what he’d said, all he remembered as he held her close and desperately tried to stop the bleeding was praying, praying for the first time since Okinawa that he wouldn’t lose her. When Michael shot Attwell and it became apparent that (Y/N) would survive her injuries, Jack decided that he didn’t want to deny his feelings for her any longer but he still wanted to do things right; he’d ask her out on a date to celebrate their triumph and if she said yes, he’d take her to one of the fancier restaurants in Los Angeles and – if her healing wounds would allow it – follow dinner up with a night of dancing, and then end their perfect date by telling her that he loved her.

Sunlight was streaming through the window, illuminating (Y/N)’s features and reminding Jack of the first time he’d laid eyes on her all those months ago. Now’s about a good a time as any, he thought to himself, sitting up in his chair and running a trembling hand through his hair before finally addressing her. “(Y/N)?”

She looked up from the document she’d been filling out with an expectant smile on her face, her (Y/E/C) meeting his over the tops of her reading glasses. “Yes, Jack?”

“I…” Jack swallowed nervously but the hopeful gleam in her eyes gave him the strength to continue. “I was wondering if-”

“There you are, Jack!”

The two of them looked up to see an older man standing in the doorway of the office, and the sight of the familiar older man caused Jack to blink in confusion. “Senator Cooper…” Getting to his feet, he walked around Daniel’s desk and shook the older man’s hand. “Sorry, but Chief Sousa’s not in right now. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I’m not here to see Sousa, son, I’m here to see you!” Jack’s brow furrowed in confusion and he met (Y/N)’s equally-baffled eyes as Cooper’s grin widened. “And after the case you and that fella Agent (Y/L/N) just wrapped up, the one Capitol Hill’s been hearing so much about this past week, I should be the one to ask you that question.” The senator turned towards (Y/N), who was still seated beside the desk with her half-finished documents and translation journals open before her. “Young lady, could you fetch us two black coffees and some sugar cubes if you’ve got any?”

(Y/N) visibly flinched and it was all Jack could do to keep his surge of annoyance in check as he spoke through gritted teeth, “Senator Cooper, this is Agent (Y/L/N), the codebreaker I worked alongside to solve the case.”

The dawning realization on the senator’s face only served to fuel Jack’s irritation, and he was forced to hide his clenched fists in his trouser pockets while the senator addressed the codebreaker. “Well, then, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young lady! The United States government thanks you for all the support you provided Chief Thompson during his investigation; I’m sure that you were a valuable asset to him.” Anger flashed in (Y/N)’s eyes but before she could reply, Cooper turned back to Jack and grinned. “What you did in Lithuania was impressive, son, very impressive! A lot of my colleagues on Capitol Hill agree that you’re the sort of man we need working in the brand-new Central Intelligence Agency.”

“The…the CIA?”

“Tensions with the Soviet Union are only escalating and with all your past encounters with their Leviathan operatives, we feel that a war hero like you has a lot to offer over at the CIA.” Reaching into his jacket’s pocket, Cooper withdrew a letter and handed it to a still-stunned Jack. “This is the copy of a letter signed by myself and fifteen other senators endorsing you as a chief officer within the Directorate of Intelligence; the original’s already been reviewed and approved by the agency’s higher ups, son, so allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your new position.”

“I…I’m not…I don’t know if I’m the right-”

Cooper waved him off with a chuckle. “Oh, come on, Jack, don’t be so modest! You have a few weeks to think it over, of course, but if you ask me you should jump on an offer like that; the SSR won’t be around forever, after all! Oh, and that reminds me, your superiors in D.C. wanted me to ensure that you’ll return to New York within the week…”

While the senator continued to talk, Jack’s eyes stared down at the letter in his hands; he couldn’t bring himself to look at (Y/N) as the reality of their inevitable futures began setting in. People were expecting him to go be a leader at the CIA and (Y/N) was needed at the West Coast SSR…they would truly be going their separate ways…

“It’s for the best,” Jack repeated the words he’d been telling himself for the past three days, hating how hollow and unfeeling they sounded to his own ears. “She deserves someone better than me anyways, so it’s for the best.”

Once he got dressed and finished packing, Jack joined Howard and the Jarvises for breakfast. It was a melancholy affair with Ana doing her best to keep the conversation flowing, but even she was struggling to fill the silence before his impending departure; Jack had grown fond of the happy couple during his extended stay, and he knew that he was going to miss things like listening to the Benny Goodman radio show with them and watching the two of them cook together in the kitchen. Even Howard had somehow managed to grow on him, much to his surprise.

The dining room table had been cleared away and Jack was keeping himself distracted by watching Howard playing fetch with Benny out on the front lawn when two cars pulled up and parked in the driveway; Daniel and Peggy got out of the dark-blue Cadillac and made their way over to where he was standing but (Y/N) lingered near her emerald-green Fleetmaster, her attention focused on raising the car’s convertible top.

“Well, Thompson, you certainly know how to overstay your welcome,” Daniel joked, leaning on his crutch while he held out his hand. “But I’m really gonna miss seeing you around the office.”

“Stop it, you’re gonna make me blush.” Shaking his outstretched hand, Jack smiled and gave the chief a nod of approval. “The West Coast SSR’s in good hands, Daniel; the higher ups in D.C. knew what they were doing when they made you Chief.” He looked over at Peggy, his smile growing more playful as he continued. “And Danny Boy’s definitely in good hands with you, Marge. You’ll keep an eye on the knucklehead for me, won’t you?”

“I’ll try my best but you know what Daniel’s like, so reckless and eager to rush into danger.” They both chuckled while Daniel rolled his eyes at their teasing, but the chief’s expression softened when Peggy pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek; the younger woman turned back to Jack and wrapped her arms around him in a brief hug. “I still don’t know how to thank you for everything you did for Michael.”

Jack pulled away with a small shake of his head. “I was only doing what’s right, Peg.” Looking over her shoulder, Jack’s eyes landed on (Y/N) in the distance. The codebreaker was leaning against her car and grinning as she watched Howard and Benny playing on the lawn, the sight of her looking so cheerful causing something to stir in Jack’s chest; they hadn’t talked much since Senator Cooper’s visit but in the few times they had, (Y/N) was withdrawn and unusually quiet, so seeing her look so happy right before he was scheduled to leave Los Angeles was like a gift. Before he knew it, Jack blurted out, “Keep an eye on (Y/N) for me, will you?”

“Of course we will, Jack. Now, come on, you’d better say the rest of your goodbyes so you don’t miss your flight…”

Jack was surprised by how quickly the rest of the goodbyes went; Ana pulled him into a warm hug before pressing a wrapped loaf of homemade banana bread into his hand, Jarvis shook his hand and gifted him a copy of Murder on the Orient Express to read during his flight, and Howard threw his arms around him and Jack reluctantly returned the inventor’s suffocating hug. After giving Benny a final pat on the head, he loaded his suitcase into the trunk of (Y/N)’s car and got into the passenger seat, giving the group a final wave as the codebreaker pulled out of the driveway. The car ride to the airport was tense, the radio’s soft music filling the uncomfortable silence between the two of them; there were so many things Jack wanted to say to her but he couldn’t bring himself to, especially when she turned into the airport’s main gate and parked on the tarmac alongside the other cars.

“Well, I guess this is it.” Jack remarked, lifting his suitcase out of the trunk of (Y/N)’s car and turning to face her with a half-smile; he gripped the handle of his suitcase tight as he struggled to think of something – anything – to say that could prolong their goodbye. “You know, I heard Stark pitching an idea to Jarvis this morning ‘bout making a film based on our case.”

(Y/N) chuckled, shaking her head at the inventor’s antics. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“You know, I think the guy might’ve been onto something this time; a flick based on the two of us could be a real blockbuster.”

“Looks like I’ll have my work cut out for me trying to stop him from naming it Specs and the Flyboy.”

Shrugging, Jack flashed her a playful grin. “I don’t know, I think it’s got kind of a nice ring to it.” Their chuckles died off and he shifted awkwardly where he stood, acutely aware of the passengers beginning to board the plane behind him; (Y/N)’s beautiful (Y/E/C) eyes stared up into his and for a heavenly moment of time, it felt as if the two of them were the only people on Earth. Reality suddenly intruded on their moment when Jack recalled the words that the codebreaker had spoken to him at the beginning of their turbulent partnership…

“Do you respect Peggy Carter?”

“Yeah? Why’re you asking?”

“Humor me for a moment, please. Since our respect for Peggy Carter is the one thing we can agree on, I propose a truce. We work on this case as partners, equal in every aspect of the investigation, and we put aside our personal gripes with one another in order to successfully solve the case for her. Once we accomplish that, you’ll return to New York and we’ll never have to see one another again for the rest of our lives.”

Their partnership was over and they both were going their separate ways, just as they’d agreed to do all those months ago. Back then, he’d been chomping at the bit for the day when he wouldn’t have to see the snarky codebreaker ever again but now – after everything they’d gone through together and after she’d managed to worm her way into his heart – he was dreading it more than anything.

“Thank you for your help on the case, Agent (Y/L/N),” Setting his suitcase down, Jack took a tentative step forward and held out his hand to her. “It never would’ve been solved without you.”

“You’re welcome, Chief Thompson,” Her gaze softened and with a small smile, she reached forward and shook his outstretched hand. “And…and thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being the best partner a codebreaker could ever hope for.”

(Y/N)’s sweet words and teary-eyed smile nearly made Jack’s resolve crumble; it would’ve taken such little effort to pull her into his arms and soundly kiss her the way he’d wanted to since the moment they’d met. He could do it…he should do it…but he wouldn’t. People were counting on him to take return to New York and take the CIA job but more importantly, he hadn’t done anything in his short but messy life to deserve the love of a woman like her; so with a heavy heart, he let go of her soft hand and picked up his suitcase. Since he didn’t trust the strength of his own voice, Jack simply gave the codebreaker a nod before turning, making his way up the air-stairs and boarding the plane without pausing to look back.

Once he found his seat and made himself as comfortable as he could, the plane began taxiing down the runway and his standard pre-flight jitters began to rise; since he didn’t want to attract the attention of any nearby passengers, he tucked his trembling hands into his jacket pockets but frowned when his fingers made contact with a folded piece of paper. Pulling it out, he unfolded it and his heart hammered away in his chest when he realized what he was looking at: it was the photograph of him and (Y/N) that he’d taken back in their London hotel room. She’d been showing him how Howard’s camera-pen worked and just for the hell of it, he’d tested it out by snapping a photograph of the two of them; he was grinning in amusement at the camera’s minute lens and (Y/N) was laughing, her happy smile reaching all the way to her eyes and illuminating her features as she looked at him. Stark must’ve slipped it into my pocket back at the mansion, he thought to himself, sending his silent thanks to the inventor as he continued staring down at the photograph.

The plane sped down the runway and took off into the sky, but Jack barely registered it; all he could do was think about how he’d just walked away from the love of his life and the possibility of a happy future for something he didn’t even want while his eyes prickled with unshed tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Los Angeles County Hospital, Los Angeles Two weeks later…

“So anyways, I told the others that Peggy was perfectly fine but they didn’t believe me, so they stormed the upper level of the base and arrived just in the nick of time to see her knock a man twice her size onto his ass with a telephone receiver,” Michael burst into laughter and (Y/N)’s grin widened as she continued, “And that’s when the Howling Commandos learned not to underestimate Peggy Carter in battle.”

“Oh, I wish I could’ve seen their faces!” Michael’s own expression was a mixture of amusement and approval as his chuckles died down. “When I first recommended Peg for the SOE job, I’d hoped that we’d eventually be fighting side-by-side in the war but taking everything that’s happened into consideration…well, I’m glad that she ended up with the SSR. She’s truly living the life of adventure she’s wanted since she was a little girl, and she’s doing it surrounded by some of the most remarkable people that she could ever hope to meet.”

(Y/N) smiled at the man’s compliment but before she could respond, there was a knock on the hospital room’s door frame and a familiar blonde-haired nurse poked her head in. “I’m so sorry to disturb you two, but Agent Carter and Chief Sousa are here for their visit and Mr. Carter’s only allowed two visitors at a time…”

“Thank you, Evelyn, I must’ve lost track of the hour!” She got up from her chair, pulling on her coat and adjusting her hat before reaching for her purse. “Remind me to tell you during my next visit about the time that Steve Rogers accidentally gave away our sharpshooter’s position and nearly got his ass kicked for it. Oh, and I’ll be sure to bring you some more books to read as well!”

Michael grinned, sitting up a little on the hospital bed and adjusting the covers over his legs. “I’m looking forward to it. Have a good rest of your afternoon, (Y/N).”

“You too, Michael.” (Y/N) left the room but lingered in the hallway for a moment, the corner of her mouth curving upwards as she watched Evelyn and Michael talk while she fluffed the pillows behind his back. The man’s eyes were filled with such shy adoration and the nurse was practically beaming but as adorable as the two of them were, (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel a pang of loneliness in her chest at the sight of them. Trying not to think about her former partner and failing miserably, she made her way down the hall to the hospital waiting room where Peggy and Daniel were seated. “Michael and Evelyn are awfully sweet on each other, Peg; I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a sister-in-law within the year.”

“We noticed that the other day, didn’t we, darling?” Peggy shared a smile with Daniel before looking back at (Y/N). “Michael really is beginning to resemble his old charming self. He had a bit of a reputation as a flirt throughout secondary school, you know, and he broke the heart of nearly every girl in Hampstead when he left to attend Cambridge.”

Daniel cast a furtive glance around the waiting room before lowering his voice and meeting (Y/N)’s gaze. “He might be back to his old self sooner than we expected. Before we left the office, I got a call from a fella at the Army Counterintelligence Corps and he told me that the SSR’s request for a medical advisor was approved by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency; he can begin consulting with Stark and the hospital’s team of neurosurgeons as soon as next month.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” (Y/N) exclaimed but when neither of them responded, her brow furrowed in concern and she sat down beside them. “Isn’t it?”

With a small sigh, Peggy eventually replied, “Yes, of course, but…the scientist that the JIOA has assigned to us is Dr. Arnim Zola.”

The Swiss scientist’s name made (Y/N)’s blood run cold and her hands tightly gripped the handle of her purse; Zola was not only the Red Skull’s right-hand man, but he committed countless atrocities on behalf of Hydra and was directly responsible for the death of Bucky Barnes. But if anyone has a chance of reversing Michael’s brainwashing it’s probably him, she thought as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I know that Operation Paperclip is meant to keep scientific knowledge and expertise away from the Soviets but what’s to stop Zola from hurting or killing Michael out of revenge for being captured?”

“The JIOA offered Zola a deal on the SSR’s behalf: if he can safely and successfully break Michael’s brainwashing, then he’ll be granted a pardon and a position within the SSR’s team of scientists in D.C.,” Daniel leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, looking as though he was trying to convince himself while he continued talking. “Zola wants to avoid spending the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison and we want a high-ranking Hydra scientist to help reverse what the bastards did to Michael. In this case, both parties will be getting exactly what they want.”

Peggy reached over and placed a hand on (Y/N)’s arm, her brown eyes meeting hers as she gave it a comforting squeeze. “You and I both have excellent reasons to hate the man but as of now, he’s Michael’s best chance at finally being free of Hydra’s control.”

Heaving a small sigh, (Y/N) nodded. “I suppose you’re right. You two should go in before Michael begins to worry and I should head back to the office since my lunch break’s nearly-”

“Oh, that reminds me! I’ve got an appointment with a new applicant at three, so could you keep an eye out for them in case they show up early?”

“Of course,” (Y/N) raised a confused brow when she caught the odd look Daniel and Peggy exchanged as they all stood. “Something wrong, you guys?”

“No, no, nothing at all! We’ll see you later!” Peggy gave her a brief hug and she and Daniel made their way down the hall to Michael’s room; looking after them, (Y/N) shrugged off their strange behavior and made her way out of the hospital.

The drive back to the Auerbach Theatrical Agency was uneventful, as all of (Y/N)’s thoughts were preoccupied with Daniel and Peggy’s troubling news. While she parked in front of the building and got out of her car she spotted a young couple across the street, the woman’s arm wrapped around the man’s as they laughed and strolled down the sidewalk; the sight of them reminded her of when she and Jack walked arm-in-arm together through Gravesend, and she felt her chest constrict at the memory. In the two weeks since Jack had returned to New York, she’d done all she could think of to distract herself from the heartache but nothing really worked. Everything seemed to remind her of her partner, from the diner where they’d often gone out to eat and work on the case to hearing the music of the Andrews Sisters playing on the radio. Work and her visits with Michael helped a little but once she returned home for the evening, all she could think of were the happy memories she’d shared there with the man she’d hopelessly fallen in love with.

“Not telling him was for the best,” (Y/N) quietly reminded herself, the familiar mantra sounding hollow and lifeless even to her own ears. Even if he hadn’t been offered a position within the CIA, Jack would’ve eventually returned to his responsibilities at the New York SSR and she’d remain in Los Angeles, and even if by some miracle he felt the same way about her, the three-hour time difference would’ve been an insurmountable obstacle. So, keeping her feelings to herself was the only logical solution, no matter how much it hurt her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, (Y/N) entered the building and smiled a little when her eyes landed on Rose and Henry talking at her desk. “Hey, you two. How’d your morning firearms training go, Henry?”

“It was great!” Henry exclaimed with a wide grin. “Miss Roberts here’s a terrific instructor, Agent (Y/L/N), she really knows her stuff!”

Rose patted him on the shoulder and gave (Y/N) a nod of approval. “I can’t take all the credit, since our trainee agent’s a much better listener than most our seasoned agents; Chief Sousa was really cookin’ with gas when he listened to you and Chief Thompson and decided to recruit him.”

“Well, after all his help on our case, we both knew that Henry here’s the sort of agent we need working at the SSR.” The trainee agent’s ears turned pink at her praise while she turned back to Rose. “Any messages for me while I was out?”

“Nope, none whatsoever, just your usual bundle of mail!” She replied, her overly-cheerful demeanor and Henry’s sudden interest in the paperweight on her desk making (Y/N) tilt her head in confusion. “I had the fellas leave it in Chief’s office, since he rang ahead and said you’d be in there waiting for an applicant to arrive.”

After a moment’s hesitation, (Y/N) nodded in thanks and bid the two of them goodbye before heading into the office; is it just me or is everyone acting a little weird today, she wondered to herself as she climbed the staircase and walked into the bustling bullpen. She hung her coat on the coat rack in the corner and stopped at her desk long enough to set her hat and purse down on top of the clutter, wincing a little as she examined the piles of documents and empty teacups but electing to ignore it until Daniel returned later that afternoon. Retrieving her reading glasses and entering Daniel’s office, she kept the door open and moved to sit in the chair behind his desk before slipping her reading glasses on and reaching for the bundle of mail addressed to her, crossing her ankles on the edge of the desk while she flicked through the pile.

“Junk…junk…Life Magazine…junk…” (Y/N) muttered under her breath, tossing each piece of mail onto the desk before her. To fill the silence of the office she reached over and switched the radio sitting on the chief’s short filing cabinet on, tuning it until she found a slow melody and lowering the volume so that it was faint background music. A postcard hidden between two advertising brochures caught her eye and she snorted in amusement when she got a clear look at the photograph on the front; Dugan, Sawyer and Pinkerton were seated around a table in a crowded bar, their large mugs of beer raised towards the camera as they beamed from ear-to-ear, and the printing at the top of the postcard read ‘Wish You Were Here!’. Grinning, (Y/N) flipped the postcard over and began to read.

(Y/N),

Here’s proof that me and the guys are doing just fine after all that excitement we’ve had, so you can stop worrying about us now. Next time you and Peggy are in the area, look us up so that we can finally hold that one-armed push-up rematch!

Your friends,

Dugan, Sawyer and Pinkerton

Giving the photograph on the front of the postcard a smile, (Y/N) set it aside with the rest of her mail and placed her reading glasses down on top of it, leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair and resting her head in her hand as she closed her eyes and listened to the radio’s soft music. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the office’s window and warmed her face, and she began to reminisce; she thought about how wonderful Jack’s arms felt around her while they danced, how frightened she’d been of losing him as she worked to treat his hypothermia, how desperately she’d wanted to kiss him once they’d completed their mission in Lithuania…

“Sleepin’ on the job, Specs? I expected more from the SSR’s top codebreaker.”

(Y/N)’s eyes instantly flew open and she sat up so fast in her chair that her nearly-healed stab wound twinged in protest, but she didn’t care. There, with a shoulder resting against the open doorway of Daniel’s office, stood none other than Jack Thompson, with his fedora tilted jauntily on his head and his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. “Jack…” Her heart hammered in her chest when he flashed her his trademark lopsided grin and she felt herself slowly stand up. “What’re you doing here?”

Instead of answering right away, Jack stepped into the office and closed the door before moving to stand in front of the desk. “Since the war ended, I’ve done just about everything I could to live up to everyone’s expectations of a Navy Cross winner; I’ve cheated, lied, back-stabbed and manipulated to get where I am today, all because I believed that I couldn’t ever be more than that goddamn medal. But seeing what Attwell and Hydra did to Michael made me realize that life’s too short to let others dictate it for me, so…” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I turned down the CIA position and I stepped down as Chief of the New York SSR.”

“What?” (Y/N)’s jaw dropped in shock and before she knew it, she’d hurried around the desk to stand before her former partner. “That’s…that’s a massive decision, Jack. Are you sure-?

“Believe me, I’ve never felt surer about anything in all my life,” He insisted, gesturing around Daniel’s office with a wave of his hand. “All of this, being Chief and running my own office, was okay but I know now that I can do more good out there as an active field agent than I can sittin’ behind a desk and playing politics with jerks like Senator Cooper. That’s why I’ve submitted my application to the very-understaffed West Coast SSR; my interview with Danny Boy’s scheduled for three o’clock this afternoon, actually.” While his eyes searched hers, Jack’s hand reached out and lightly caressed the side of her face, and her breath hitched at the gentle touch. “For the first time in a long while, I’m ignoring what other people think I should do and doing exactly what I want to do, and it feels…well, it feels goddamn fantastic.”

“I’m happy for you,” (Y/N) wasn’t sure if it was because of Jack’s words or his touch on her cheek, but she took a step closer to him and boldly asked, “But is that the only reason you came back?”

He shook his head, his blue eyes becoming more hesitant as he softly replied, “I met a woman while I was forced to stay in Los Angeles – sarcastic, smart as hell and just as beautiful – and while the two of us worked together to solve a case I started to feel like myself again, like I did before the war. I thought that version of me would stay buried with that white flag on Okinawa but every time she’d flash me that gorgeous smile of hers while we talked and joked with each other, I felt myself begin to change. I began noticing little things, too, like how my heart would race whenever she touched me and how she could brighten my mood just by walking into the room…” Jack gave her a tentative sort of smile. “I’m in love with you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). God knows I don’t deserve to be, baby, but I am.”

Jack’s love confession echoed in (Y/N)’s mind and the world around them seemed to pause as they gazed into each other’s eyes, she overcome with shock at his words and him anxiously waited for a reply. He loves me, she thought to herself in awe, he’s staying in Los Angeles and he loves me. (Y/N) surged forward just as his smile was beginning to falter, flinging her arms around his neck and pulling him down before capturing his lips in a passion-filled kiss; Jack’s arm quickly wrapped around her waist, tugging her closer while he eagerly kissed back and his hand moved to cradle the back of her head. She found herself melting into his embrace and letting out a pleased sigh as his lips dominated hers, knocking his fedora off his head so that she could card her fingers through his hair, but their kiss came to an end when they were forced to come up for air.

Struggling to catch her breath, (Y/N) pulled back far enough to get a good look at Jack and grinned as she took in his rumpled hair and red lipstick-stained lips; she held his face between her hands and her heart warmed in her chest at the way he was looking at her. “I love you, Jack Thompson, with all my heart.” Jack’s face broke out into a brilliant smile that she couldn’t help but return. “So, you’re really going to stay here in Los Angeles?”

“Mm-hmm.” He leaned in and began pressing gentle kisses along her jaw.

“But what about the sweltering heat?”

“I’ll invest in a Stark Industries fan.”

Jack’s lips grazed a patch of skin beneath her ear that forced her to suppress a moan. “T-the lack of decent pizza joints?”

“Pizza’s overrated, baby.”

“And…and all the annoying people?”

At that, Jack pressed a final kiss to her neck and pulled away to give her a teasing look. “Well, I just made out with a woman I once considered to be the most annoying person on the West Coast, so I don’t think anyone else’ll be a problem for me.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes as he chuckled and rested his forehead against hers, their noses rubbing together while his lips ghosted over hers. “Face it, Specs, you’re not gettin’ rid of me that easy.”

(Y/N) wrapped her arms around his neck again and smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Flyboy.”

Jack flashed her his trademark lopsided grin before capturing her lips again and as they stood there, kissing in the middle of the office where they’d first met while the radio continued playing in the background, (Y/N) couldn’t help but think that their adventures as Specs and the Flyboy had only just begun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Well, guys, here we are at the end of the story! First of all, I want to thank you for reading and supporting this fic, I've loved writing it and I've loved reading all your reactions to it so thank you! And as for any plans to continue the story of Specs and the Flyboy...well, I suppose that you'll just have to stick around and see what happens 😏

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you haven’t checked it out yet, I created a Spotify playlist for this series and it’s linked down below!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21pWY7OiMFj8LaYpxhtVtW

“Specs and the Flyboy” Masterlist

“Tales From The SSR” Masterlist

Tagging: @nnon-it-up @fluffymadamina @remmyswritings @ourstarsailor @darkusangelus @josis-teacup @marvel-jackt-loki-buck @yeetyeetchickenmeat @sameoldbaby @theserenityspace @seeing-but-not-observing @supervoldejaygent​ @momc95​ @brooke0297​ @kinda-c0nfused​ @outoftheregular

#jack thompson x reader #agent carter #jack thompson #peggy carter #daniel sousa #howard stark #edwin jarvis #ana jarvis #rose roberts #michael carter #dottie underwood #arnim zola #marvel cinematic universe #strategic scientific reserve

[tickly-trashcan]

Sorcerer’s Curse {Sukuna and Megumi}

A/N: whoo, this one was a bit of a doozy to write but it was still pretty fun! It was such a neat idea and i love exploring those kinds of things in writing, thank you for the prompt! :D One thing i completely forgot about until I reread over it was that Sukuna has,,, really long nails so lets just ignore that and pretend he doesn’t because tickling would hurt if you had nails like his ouch. i hope this turned out to your liking, and enjoy!

Summary: Sukuna has just saved Megumi from a curse, but when Megumi is still suspicious of his motives, what situation will he end up in? 

Word Count: 1.2k (under the cut)

Megumi panted heavily, collapsing against the ground in exhaustion as he turned to Itadori - no, to Sukuna who had practically saved his life just now. 

He and Itadori had been fighting a high-grade curse when they realized they didn’t have enough strength between the two of them to defeat it on their own. Itadori switched over to Sukuna, who had easily taken care of the curse, but another odd thing happened.

When Sukuna had transformed, two new arms had grown with him, a strange phenomenon that had never happened before. Was this the result of Sukuna taking over more of Itadori’s body…?

Whatever the case, it was weird, and Megumi just stared as Sukuna stood there, turning to face Megumi. He grinned and looked up at the sky.

“Okay kid, you can switch back now,” Sukuna said, raising his arms slightly as he waited for Itadori to come back. But he didn’t. 

Megumi’s heart sank. Was this going to happen all over again? The last time Itadori wasn’t able to come back… no, Megumi couldn’t think about that right now, all he could do was focus on what was currently happening. His energy was somewhat replenished from the previous battle and he stood, preparing to fight as Sukuna turned to face him, a confused look on his face before he smirked.

“Looks like the kid isn’t coming back just yet… That just leaves us.”

Megumi’s heart raced in fear. The last time he faced off against Sukuna it didn’t go well, but he would be prepared this time. He put his hands together, ready to conjure when Sukuna waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head.

“Whoa, I’m not gonna fight you. I made a promise to that stupid brat that I wouldn’t hurt any people, and I suppose I gotta uphold it.”

“I don’t trust you,” Megumi hissed, his divine dogs showing up on either side of him as Sukuna sighed.

“I’m being serious, but if you want to fight, bring it on.”

The dogs ran at Sukuna, but he easily took them out, charging at Megumi. He took a step back, about to conjure another animal before Sukuna grabbed Megumi’s wrists with two of his hands, pinning them above his head and pulling him up, Megumi kicking around frantically as he tried to get out of his grasp.

“Now what to do with you..." Sukuna sang, grabbing Megumi’s face with his third arm, moving it from side to side. He dragged his fingers down Megumi’s neck before pulling his hand away, though he didn’t miss the small hitch in Megumi’s breath.

“What was that?” He asked, and Megumi felt his heart drop.

“Nothing,” He said simply, keeping his voice level. “Let me go.”

“I want to know what that was just now first,” Sukuna said, tracing his fingers down Megumi’s throat once more, making the dark-haired boy huff.

“Stop it,” He huffed, making Sukuna hum before his eyes widened slightly as if he came to a realization. Oh no…

“Wait…” Sukuna started, halting his fingers as Megumi stared at him with a look of fear. “...you’re ticklish?”

Megumi was about to protest when Sukuna suddenly dug his two free hands into Megumi’s sides, making him gasp. He bit his lips, his body shaking as he continued to weakly kick around, trying to suppress his laughter. 

“D-Don’t you dahare,” Megumi started, but that slip of a giggle in his voice sealed his doom as Sukuna grinned like a maniac, a grin that Megumi hated because it had Itadori’s face. Sukuna dug in harder, nearly hurting as he wiggled his fingers around.

“Oh, now this is priceless. A trainee jujutsu sorcerer with such a pathetic weakness?”

Megumi’s face burned in humiliation as Sukuna climbed up to his ribs, making Megumi sharply inhale as he continued to try and keep his laugh from escaping, biting his lip harder as he squeezed his eyes shut, looking down. He couldn’t even fight back with his hands above his head and apart from each other, he felt powerless.

Megumi finally broke when Sukuna started scratching under Megumi’s arms, giggles spilling rapidly from his lips despite how hard he had tried to hold them back as Sukuna grinned.

“This might be a good way for me to get back at you damned jujutsu sorcerers. You guys seriously get on my nerves, but this stupid brat keeps me from doing much.”

“D-Dohohohon’t call him that!” Megumi managed to get out through his snickers, and Sukuna only dug in harder in response, making Megumi squeak as he kicked around again, laughing.

“Hah? You’ve got some nerve kid, I can call that Itadori whatever I want, he’s my vessel. And you’re in no place to be telling me what to do, especially right now.”

To prove his point further, Sukuna scribbled over Megumi’s stomach, flexing his fingers in a way that made Megumi squawk as he kicked weakly, shaking his head back and forth as he laughed loudly as his face burned.

Sukuna put Megumi’s hands together and held them up easily with one hand as Megumi continued to laugh helplessly, squeaking in surprise when Sukuna dug his now free hand under Megumi’s arm, his other two hands still pinching at his stomach.

Megumi threw his head back, his laughter doubling as he kicked his legs, managing to hit Sukuna several times in the gut, but he didn’t even budge. He just kept up the tickling, not stopping despite Megumi’s pleas and how red his face was getting.

“STAHahahap! Plehehease, I-I cahahan’t!” He yelled, his pride taking a serious hit as he begged for mercy from a curse. Sukuna only chuckled.

“You’re begging? How cute,” Sukuna said, his grin wide but his tone dark as he spoke, instilling more fear into Megumi. Itadori had better switch back soon, Megumi wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

As if having heard Megumi’s cries for help, Sukuna’s eyes rolled back slightly, signaling to Megumi that Itadori was switching back. The arms that were tickling Megumi started to dissolve and the one holding him up slowly lowered him as Megumi panted.

“Megumi! Are you okay?” Itadori’s voice came, sending a wave of relief down Megumi as he collapsed on the ground once more, panting heavily as Itadori sat down next to him, holding him up.

“I’m so sorry, I was trying to switch back!”

“I-It’s fine, Yuji,” Megumi said softly, and Itadori frowned. 

“I might do that to your other friends, brat, since you won’t let me kill them,” Sukuna’s voice suddenly spoke, coming from Itadori’s cheek. Itadori slapped a hand over his cheek and yelled at Sukuna.

“Shut up! You leave my friends alone, you - stupid!” Itadori said, not able to come up with a better insult. Sukuna only chuckled underneath Itadori’s palm before disappearing, leaving Megumi and Itadori once more. 

“That’ll never happen again, I promise,” Itadori said with confidence, and Megumi nodded, standing up with Itadori.

“Thank you,” Megumi said quietly, still slightly embarrassed from his previous ordeal. Itadori picked up on his and patted Megumi’s back, leaning down so he could make eye contact.

“You’ll get him back for that,” Itadori said, giving Megumi a thumbs up, who chuckled.

“I’ll try,” he said softly, and he and Itadori headed off back to their school to report their success… they’d leave out what happened afterwards.

#🌈 anon #sukuna #megumi #jujutsu kaisen #tickle fic

[mod-kyoko]

Hey! HCS for makoto and shuichi with a male s/o (seperately) that is usally nice and dosent swear much but when they get riled up or someone insults thier bf they go on a swear filled rampage (not like beating people up type just like cussing the person who got them mad out)

yeyeye here you go

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

makoto and shuichi with an s/o who is usually nice but will go off on someone

cw: heavy swearing

he's never really seen you mad before, so this was a double doozy for him

someone had tripped him while the two of you were on campus

makoto was ready to forgive and forget, but unfortunately ended up being on the receiving end of an insult

"watch where you're fuckin going, idiot"

you stopped in your tracks, turning around to meet the person's face

"excuse me, was that necessary to say?" you glared at him, but he didn't back down

instead, he stepped closer to you, obviously trying to intimidate you

"s/o, i'm fine, just ignore him," makoto protested, but you threw your arm out in front of him

"yeah, it was, tell your little dumbass boyfriend to watch where he's going" the man replied, anger etched into his features

"what the fuck is wrong with you? do you hear yourself? you're so pathetic. it was just a goddamn accident for fuck's sake, leave him alone!"

makoto's jaw fell wide open as he was hearing the words pouring out of your mouth

he tugged on your shirt sleeve

"we should leave, people are staring"

finally, you listened to him

with a sigh, you gave your partner a smile

the jerk in front of you was fuming, screaming swear words back at you as you quickly led your boyfriend in the opposite direction

"jeez, s/o, are you okay? what happened to you?"

with a smirk and a wink, you patted his head

"a partner's gotta look out for their darling"

a blush spread across his face, and he broke eye contact nervously

"well, please don't get into fights. i'd be very worried"

shuichi's social anxiety had been getting too much for him lately

he had his hat on at all times, eyes constantly glued to the ground so he could avoid everyone

unfortunately for him, he became the subject of some awful teasing from his classmates

people liked to pick on the quiet kid, which he was

one day, you were on your way to the classroom when you heard yelling

"what the hell is wrong with you? are you stupid or something? what's with the hat? why can't you look anyone in the eyes?"

you knew who they were talking about, so you immediately ran into the classroom

shuichi had his head in his hands, and his bully was clutching his hat

"hey!" you yelled, sprinting over to them

"give him his hat back!"

the bully turned towards you, sneering

"what's it to you? he won't talk to anyone, i'm just trying to help him out"

you gestured to your partner, who was shaking in his seat

"that is not your job. look at him, how could you do this to a person?"

the bully glanced at shuichi, and scoffed, slapping the hat on his desk

"yeah, fine. he looks ugly without the hat anyway, best to keep it on"

this was the sentence that set you off

"ugly? have you looked in a fucking mirror lately? you're the ugly one here you fucking asshole, never fucking touch shuichi again." you were yelling at the top of your lungs, attracting people to the classroom, but you didn't care

shuichi had finally looked up from his hands, having put his hat back on

still trembling, he tried to speak, but was too shocked

turning to him, you grabbed him by the hand to help him out of his seat

"let's go, this waste of space isn't worth our time"

the bully didn't even have the guts to respond, realizing the other students were staring at him with looks of disappointment on their faces

meanwhile, you took shuichi to the hallway and sat on a bench together

"are you okay?" you asked him

"yeah, of course. but what about you? i've... never seen you act like that before"

a chuckle came from you as you leaned your head on his shoulder

"i don't show that side of me often, but you are special enough to see it"

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

argh, i hope this was good, i'm not the best at writing scenes like this?? like, verbal arguments are the complete opposite of my forte

anyway, thanks for requesting!

-mod kyoko

#mod kyoko #danganronpa imagines #danganronpa headcanons #danganronpa #danganronpa x reader #kyoko kirigiri #v3 killing harmony #drv3 shuichi #shuichi saihara #shuichi x reader #makoto #makoto naegi x reader #makoto naegi #swearing cw #cw swearing

[bruhlsbees]

sweet disposition ; 2/? || modern!alex kerner x fem!professor!reader

summary: in a string of odd events, you and alex grow closer - but just as you grow closer, you take two steps back.

pairing: modern!alex kerner x fem!professor!reader

warnings: drinking (alex and reader), smoking (reader)

word count: 10,952 - this one was a doozy

a/n: part two!! here is the set list playlist for the club that is in this part!! thanks everyone for reading this one and enjoying it!! :) if you'd like to be on the tag list please let me know what account to tag as well as if you'd like to be added to this tag list or another fic!!

Sleep didn’t come easy for you that night. While the first day back from break went smoothly, getting back into the routine of teaching again hit you like a wall of bricks. By the end of your second class, you were already feeling yourself begin to drift off, deciding instead of the lecture slides, you’d put on a video discussing who Mary Shelley was and her novel, Frankenstein. Your students didn’t seem to mind all that much, in fact they probably were enjoying the video instead of the slides - still, you couldn’t help but feel bad for slacking.

You were a terrible overachiever - doing your best to be the picture perfect daughter your parents raised you to be. You got high honors throughout your time in school, captain of the girl’s rugby team, a member of the debate team, and at one point you even had two part time jobs. It was incredible that you even managed to keep your grades so well with all that you did.

But that obsessive behavior you were conditioned into left you burnt out after high school. You felt lost, as if you weren’t a person and simply a robot taking orders. You had no idea what interested you or what you even wanted to do with your life. Of course, you went to college, as your parents expected it of you - that and they did oh so graciously pay for your tuition. Your father constantly wished for you to become a dentist, as that was what he did, but your mother wanted you to become a nurse, like herself. But that was just it - you didn’t want to be like them. You were already their child, looking like a spitting image of the two of them, but to live in their shadow, take the torch they passed down to you? That just wasn't you.

It wasn’t until your sophomore year of college that you finally realized what you wanted to do with your life. In your ‘Romanticism in Literature’ class, you realized your love for words. You were deeply inspired by the language of romance and the stories that were created to have you question one's own thoughts. You were especially touched by Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, which is one of the many reasons you taught an entire section dedicated to her and the novel. As a teacher, your only hope was to inspire students the same way you once were and have them discover their own passions - that to you was the greatest lesson of all.

When you told your parents what you wanted to do, how you wanted to study English and teach at the university, your parents all but bit their tongues. They weren’t fond on the idea of you studying English, as they didn’t see the full purpose of it, but when you explained your interest in teaching, that seemed to be enough for them to support you. Though, even if they didn’t, you would have still continued on. For once in your life, the first time, you finally knew what you wanted to do.

Though the constant bundle of nerves that sat in your stomach never seemed to fade away. Some days were easier than others, but other days, when you stared at the picture of you with your parents on your desk, that bundle of nerves seemed to sizzle until you were left questioning your own motives. Were you even doing a good job teaching? Was this really what you wanted to be doing? Were you making the wrong choice?

The bad nights were the ones that left you awake all night, tossing and turning until the sun came up and the birds began to chirp. The sleepless nights also welcomed your new habit of smoking terrible cheap cigarettes. On average you found yourself having maybe two or three, but that particular night, you woke up to see doubled the amount of butts in the ashtray next to your bed. It was worse than a hangover, the guilt of succumbing to such a poor habit. When you finally managed to get out of bed, you grabbed the ashtray from your nightstand and went into the bathroom, dumping them into the waste bin before setting the tray on the counter, letting out a sigh as you looked at yourself in the mirror.

You would be turning thirty-three by February, and it made you sick. Thirty-three. Jesus, how did you get so old? You knew the cigarettes weren’t helping the older you got; the faint yellow coming through your teeth that was stained from the smoking and excessive coffee drinking, the stray silver slips of hair, hell, even the wrinkles you caught that morning. Pulling at your skin, you frowned seeing the crow’s feet that sat in the corners of your eyes, the lines in your forehead beginning to deepen.

“Great, this is great.”

You knew that obsessing over your age would get you nowhere. If you obsessed over it, you’d be smoking triple the amount of cigarettes and looking even worse by the end of the month. Taking the cup from the counter, you filled it with water and started lapping the water up, setting it back down while you wiped your mouth as you started to get ready for work.

The routine you had for getting ready was perfected into having you be able to get out the door within the half an hour. You were fairly good with getting most of your things around the night before, so all you truly had to do was get dressed, do your makeup, and leave. Coffee was set to be made ready by the time you were heading out the door so all you had to do was pour it and go. Today though, everything around you seemed to be falling apart.

It wasn’t until you were out of the bathroom, ready to sit at your vanity and do your makeup, that you realized you forgot to get around last night. You noticed the chair was empty, leaving you to quickly move to your closet and dig for an outfit. Unfortunately for you, laundry must have slipped your mind over the weekend, because you had no clean work clothes.

Stumbling back, your mouth fell open in shock, and disbelief, as you stared at the empty closet. It was a college, you knew the dress code wasn’t all that strict, but you still liked to keep it semi-professional. Moving back into the closet, you began to flick through the hangers, looking through your shirts, blouses, and dresses that hung up before finally finding a simple green dress in the back.

“This’ll have to do.” You mumbled, pulling it off the hanger roughly, hearing the hanger snap as it broke before hitting the floor. That was the least of your problems right now. You’d deal with it when you got home.

Turning, you pulled your pajamas off from the night and slipped the dress on over you, letting it settle over your body, clinging to your hips before stopping at your calves. You decided on your black vans that day, not wanting to even bother with the thought of heels as you were already beginning to run late. Pulling the chair out from your vanity, you sat down to do your makeup, reaching for the spot where your makeup bag usually sat only to find the space empty. What? It felt like a sick joke at this point, having your whole routine be off on a morning where you needed to be at work.

Extending your hands out, as if to stop the moment, you closed your eyes and tilted your head to the side slightly, “Take a breath, it’s fine. You’re fine. Everything is fine.”

Opening your eyes, you looked at yourself in the mirror and knew that it would just have to be a bare-faced day. The faint wrinkles on your face seemed to be more prominent today, and it would eat you alive all day. Running the brush through your hair, you tried to ignore the flicker of silver as you untangle your hair, soon pulling it back into two low pigtails. You pulled some pieces out to frame your face before realizing you had to get going for work soon.

Coffee though, that wasn’t something you could negotiate. You could deal with wearing no makeup and wearing something out of the ordinary for a day, but coffee was out of the question. It was your morning fuel to get you through the long day of teaching. It was an on-going joke within your friend group in the English department. By the time you met with them at lunch, they already had their guesses as to how many cups you’ve had. The record one day was seven, which made you realize then just how bad your addiction was. You didn’t mind though, other than the staining teeth, you never thought of it to be much of a problem - until you were needing to use the bathroom every twenty minutes.

After gathering your bags up, keys and phone in hand, you went to the kitchen to pour yourself coffee on your way out the door. It didn’t take more than one step into the kitchen when you realized something was terribly off. The smell of coffee that usually greeted you was not there.

“No...you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!”

Frozen in your spot, you saw that the coffee machine was not on, a warm pot of coffee not made for you to indulge on your way to work. You felt your eye twitch slightly, as if you were on the downhill path to cracking. You realized that though that there was nothing you could do, and you had to leave for work now or be late.

Shaking your head, you headed out of your apartment, slamming the door and locking it behind you before stomping down the steps, grumbling to yourself as you headed towards your car. “So fucking stupid, so stupid...stupid….stupid…”

Stuffing your bags in the back seat, you climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the door behind you before letting out a frustrated scream, gripping the steering wheel in front of you. When you finally came to you, you let out a shaky breath before pulling the seat belt over you with a click. The tension in your body was oddly familiar, like how you were back in high school when things began to fall apart in your “perfect” life. This had to be the universe’s way of pulling a sick joke on you. Did you do something bad? Was karma getting back at you?

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

It didn’t take long for you to get onto campus and into your office. The parking lot was surprisingly not as packed as you had expected it to be, which felt as though at least something was turning up for you. You grabbed your things from the back of your car before rushing in the building, deciding to take the stairs this time - climbing up the three flights, soon reaching the English department.

You pushed the doors open, heading down the hallway towards your office before stopping at the one just three doors down from your own, hearing the familiar set of laughs. Standing in the doorway, you watched as your friend group gathered around, discussing something while staring at the computer that was opened.

It was Jaxon who noticed you first, the film professor that all your friends tried to set you up with. You couldn’t deny his charm and obvious handsomeness, but he wasn’t your type. You saw him as just that, a friend, and sometimes you wondered if he understood that. His expression softened slightly before leaning back in his chair, “Hey, you look like shit.” He stated, causing the others standing around him to turn and look at you.

“God, yeah you do. What the hell happened?” One of your friends, Jess, questioned, moving towards you to look at your face.

Gently pushing her hands away from you, you could only roll your eyes, “It’s called having a bad day...and me not wearing makeup. Thanks for the kind words you guys, as if I’m not already having a shitty time.”

It was Jaxon who laughed at your sarcastic comment, as he always seemed to do, standing up and handing you his cup of coffee, “Here, it looks like you need this more than I do.”

You felt bad, stealing away his precious cup of morning joe. It didn’t even look like he had gotten the chance to take a drink from it, but you were so moody and having a rough time...a cup of coffee was just what you needed. Smiling, you took the cup from him, feeling his hands rest on yours for a moment before your eyes snapped up at him, “Thanks, Jax, I appreciate it.” You mumbled, bringing the cup to your lips before taking a deep sip.

Sighing, you closed your eyes for a moment before opening them, leaning against the doorway, “Sorry, just had a rough first day I guess. I was exhausted last night and didn’t get around. This morning was rather hectic at my place,” You ran your free hand up your face before shaking your head, “Can’t get any worse though. ‘Least I hope not.”

Your other friend, Gihan, who stood beside her boyfriend, another professor within the English department and a friend, Oscar, smiled, leaning into him slightly, “You still coming out with us tonight? I’m sure letting off some steam would help.”

Ah, that. You had forgotten that it was Tuesday - meaning happy hour at the Sour Apple, a club on the other side of town. It was a regular social gathering for the five of you. Heading to Jaxon’s after work to pregame and then head to the Sour Apple until Jess passed out. You were usually always looking forward to going, but this time, you just didn’t know if you had it in you.

“I don’t know...I’m not sure if I’m in the drinking mood today.” You admitted, taking another sip of your coffee.

“Oh come on, just at least go with us. If you don’t wanna come over for pregaming, why don’t you just meet us there? Or we will pick you up on the way, yeah? You can get a nap in before we tear up the dance floor.” Oscar suggested.

Damn them. They always knew how to convince you to tag along. After a moment of silently debating, you rolled your eyes and let out a huff, “Fine, fine,” When your friends let out a cheer of victory, you could only laugh, shaking your head, “But I’m not getting fucked up! I’m not! I got classes tomorrow.”

With a deep laugh, your attention shot over to Jaxon who was back in his seat, looking up at you with a grin, “Yeah, cause we haven’t heard that one before. Wasn’t it just last semester you were showing up to teach hungover wearing the same outfi-”

“Hey! We don’t talk about that!” You couldn’t help but laugh, smiling as you tilted your head back, finishing the coffee before throwing the cup away in the waste bin beside you. When you stood back up, your attention was drawn to the hallway, seeing Alex, the student from yesterday, standing behind you, an almost embarrassed look on his face.

“Hi...sorry, am I interrupting something?” He questioned, his hands holding onto the strap of his bag, looking in the office to see the five of you. You noticed his cheeks going pink, probably feeling bad for stumbling into the office when he did.

You opened your mouth to explain that he was okay, but Jaxon beat you to it. “Alex? Hi, sorry, I’m not having office hours right now. You know that, right?” Jaxon stated, standing up from his chair to make his way to the doorway, standing beside you, almost too close.

You watched as Alex’s nose turned slightly, shifting his weight back, “Yeah...I know. I’m not here to see you.” He noted, clearing his throat awkwardly before glancing your way, as if looking for some backup with the situation.

Moving away from Jaxon and into the hall besides Alex, you looked up at your friend and smiled reassuringly, “Alex is a...semi-new student in my class, I told him he could meet with me today if he had the time to go over some things for the class,” You turned and looked at Alex, smiling sympathetically, “Sorry, Alex, I’ve been having a rough start to the day. Listen, guys, I’ll talk with you later, okay?”

You didn’t notice the look Jaxon and Alex shared between each other as you left to go down the hall to your own office. The two men, nearly standing at the same height, slightly glaring at one another, as if having a silent stand off between the two. When you unlocked your door and flipped the lights on, you turned and looked at Alex, motioning for him to come in. Hearing Alex scuff in, you set your bags on the floor before pointing to the seat at the round table in the middle of the room, “Please, have a seat. I’m just going to get some things out.”

You heard Alex sit in the chair, his bag settling down beside him while you bent over, reaching into your bag to pull out your laptop, glasses, and copy of Frankenstein, in case he had any questions over the text. You weren't entirely positive as to what he wanted to talk about, but you didn’t mind with whatever it ended up being. It was nice to have the time to get to know him. While he wasn’t properly one of your students, you would at least treat him as such.

When you stood back up, turning around to sit down, you noticed his face was rather red, his body tensed as he quickly turned his attention towards the other side of the room, desperately looking at anything else. You laughed the behavior off, sliding into the seat across from him before opening your laptop up. “You’re rather jumpy, I’ve noticed.” You pointed out, eyes scanning over the screen while you read over some of the emails that sat in your inbox.

Looking from your screen and to him, you could only smirk at his expression. It was like he was trying to be mad, but just couldn’t. “Sorry, sorry. Guess I should cool it on the teasing, huh? Second day and I’m already bullying you. I think one of the signs in the hallway would prompt you to report this behavior to the counselor’s office.” Shaking your head, you squinted over the harsh lights before picking up your glasses, sliding them up your nose, looking back up at him.

“So, is there anything specific you’d like to discuss. I know we didn’t get the chance to properly meet yesterday so if you just want to talk, I’m fine with that too. You decide though, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Alex’s face seemed to cool off, returning to the paler complexion he had, sitting up slightly, his body relaxing, “Um, well, I read some of the book last night.” He explained, bending down to pull out his copy, putting it on the table in front of him. “It was a little hard to get into, but I think it’s just because I was reading it so late.”

You couldn’t help but smile, nodding in agreement, “Yes, I wouldn’t suggest reading this at night unless you’re trying to fall asleep. It can be incredibly dull at points.” Leaning back in your seat, you crossed your arms over your chest, “How do you know Jax- Professor Thorne, by the way?”

The question caught him off guard, not expecting to switch conversation topics so quickly. You realized this and leaned forward again, “Sorry, I just - I didn’t realize you had him for a professor. Then again, I don’t know anything about you except that your name is Alex and you are friends with Denis.” Laughing, you shook your head, closing the screen to give him your full attention, “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

Blinking slowly, Alex’s mouth fell open before he quickly caught up, “Oh, I’m a film student. Professor Thorne is one of my main professors. I actually have his class before your’s. He’s teaching ‘Authorship in Cinema’ this semester. I’m in my last year so I’m just finishing the last few requirements I have,” It was his turn to ask a question, “Are you friends with Professor Thorne?”

You felt your mouth turn into a smirk, “Hard to believe, huh? He’s not as bad as he likes to present himself...he can have a soft side. Film student, huh? You like to make movies?” You asked, tilting your head to the side as you waited for his response.

Alex shrugged his shoulders, “More or less...Denis is the one who is more into movies, at least making them. I’d be fine filming the news or something.” After explaining what he wanted to do, he realized how dull it sounded. He was going to school just to learn how to stand behind a camera and film reporters? His mother was probably rolling in her grave.

You recognized the expression as it faltered on his face. It was one of shame, as if his goals and dreams weren’t good enough for the stereotypical standard and admitting them meant he was no good. “You know, my parents weren’t too fond of me teaching English...couldn’t wrap their heads around why I wanted to do something so ‘pointless’. But that’s just it, it was something I wanted to do, not them. If you want to film for the news, Alex, go for it! Nobody is stopping you but yourself.”

The silence that settled in between you two felt heavy, a laugh escaping your lips to lighten the mood, “How’s that for some teacher’s advice?” You shook your head and shrugged, “You said you are a senior? You’ve obviously been doing this for a long time, if this wasn’t something you wanted to do, you would’ve got out a long time ago.”

Sitting in silence, Alex thought on what you said, bringing his fingers together, picking at the skin around his nails. “My mom died not too long ago. It’s why I started going to college actually,” He began, pulling his fingers away from each other to stop picking at the skin. His fingers began to drum lightly on his book. “My sister and her boyfriend have a baby and nobody needs me to take care of them. I think I went into film because it was something I knew how to do to an extent since I work with television satellites and stuff. It’s weird...doing stuff for my own. I guess sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right thing, because it’s for me and not someone else.”

You listened to him carefully, hanging on every word he said. Dead mother, sister - assuming she is older than him, with a baby. You listened as he went on to explain how his mother fell into a coma and when she woke up he did everything for her - for his family. Of course he was feeling guilty about doing something he wanted to do, he hadn’t been able to put himself first for a long time.

Reaching across the table, a sad smile on your face, you gently placed your hand over his, “You know, Alex, if you ever just need to talk, I’m here. I know you probably don’t want to discuss this with Professor Thorne, but if you are ever just having a bad day, I’ll make myself free for you.”

You had to admit, you were a sucker for the sob story - the broken and troubled upbringing that left someone so fragile. Maybe it was the teacher in you, that enjoyed watching the delicate flowers bloom into something strong and beautiful. Or maybe it was just the human in you - hearing him talk about how after two decades he finally has put himself first, made you take pity on him. Either way, Alex knew how to make your heart hurt.

Pulling away, you watched as his smile turned slightly, taking his hand to move up to his nose, wiping it with the back of his sleeve before dropping his hand back down. “Thank you…” He mumbled, his eyes drawn to the blank space on the table. Alex tried his best to blink away the tears, not sure as to why he was getting so emotional suddenly.

Clearing his throat, he shook his head and looked up at you, who had been watching him carefully, ready to jump and comfort him if things went south. You had dealt with your fair share in emotional students. Typically they were girls, but you wouldn’t deny the gentle embrace for a male student. To say a boy couldn’t cry like a girl, well, that was just ridiculous.

Alex wasn’t expecting to open up so easily with you. He had whole-heartedly intended to come in to discuss the course, ask you a few basic questions about yourself, and go. Alex couldn’t lie, seeing you talking with Professor Dick made his blood boil. How could someone like him associate with someone like you? And to hear you defend him, to say he wasn’t ‘all that bad’...yeah right. It was bad enough that Alex saw him in class, but whenever he wanted to talk with you he’d see him then too.

Perhaps that was what was so wrong about it all. He knew he was jealous of him, of his friendship with you. Not because he looked better than him, no, it was because if Professor Dick wanted to, he could have you. He was your age, a colleague, and enjoyed kissing ass. He would say that he read Frankenstein to impress you, because he knew that was your favorite, but he wouldn’t really.

Alex though, Alex would read Frankenstein for you.

It didn’t cross his mind that you were older than him. He knew that most guys his age were pining after someone their own age. Someone who was still naive, perkier maybe, and would be wrapped around your arm at all times. But Alex, Alex liked that you were older. You held yourself in a different way than other girls. He liked how you had dimpled skin, wrinkles from age, and you weren’t as perky as girls his age.

Jesus, mommy issues much?

So that was it - he enjoyed having someone worry about him for once rather the other way around. When you spoke so carefully towards him, holding his hands and not questioning the tears that so obviously burned in his eyes, he felt safe.

“Thank you…” He found himself mumbling out, looking back up at you with misty eyes. He felt his smile grow as his cheeks ran pink, watching as you nod, your own smile on your face.

“Of course, Alex. I’m glad you came in today to chat, it seems like you needed it. Us teachers, it means a lot to us when our students feel comfortable enough to come and talk with us about personal issues. At least for me, it makes me feel more like a person than just someone who gives you a failing or passing grade.” You admitted, shrugging your shoulders before looking down at your watch. Technically your office hours hadn’t even begun yet, it only being 12:54. You wondered if Alex was hungry, would it be appropriate to ask a student to get lunch?

Before you could even attempt to ask Alex if he wanted to go out, you noticed someone standing in the doorway. Fixing your attention behind Alex, you smiled, seeing Lara, one of your students from your other class in the doorway.

“Oh! Hello, Lara! I’ll be with you in just a minute,” You felt bad for rushing Alex out, but it didn’t seem right to leave a student hanging, “Um, I’m sorry, Alex. I forgot that Lara had emailed me about having a meeting. I’m not sure how long we will be, but if you want to wait we can talk some more after.”

You noticed him frown, clearly not wanting to leave right away, however he gathered his things without an issue, forcing a smile on his face as he stood up, “No, don’t worry about it. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Turning on his heels, Alex moved out of the office, bumping into the student, Lara, who tried to take a step in too soon, running into his chest. “Oh! I’m sorry I-'' Looking down, Alex felt his ears grow warm, watching as Lara stared at him for a moment before blushing, “Hi...I’m Lara, I’m in Professor’s class that’s held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” She explained, taking a step back.

She was cute, Lara, there was no denying that much. But Alex didn’t feel the same spark as he did with you, so when she was painfully trying to flirt with him it just went over his head. “Alex. Nice to meet you. I’m not, I’m not really in her classes,” There was a brief, and awkward, pause, before Alex moved around her. “Uh, sorry, I gotta run.” He rushed out of the conversation and down the hall, quickly making his way out of the department and to his class.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

“I’m just confused as to why we are going.” Denis explained, taking the shot glass from Alex before ‘clinking’ it against his, tipping his head back to take. He gagged slightly at the burn, but finished it nonetheless.

When Alex stopped in earlier that day to meet with you during your office hours, he overheard you and your friends talking about going to the Sour Apple after work. You knew the club they were talking about - it was the one that he lived just down the road from. He didn’t expect you to be the type to go there, but then again, he didn’t know you at all.

But he couldn’t tell Denis that, no. He couldn’t tell Denis that he had the hots for their professor after just one day and he wanted to go and see her. He was a boy, though, so of course he had no real plan as to what he would do if he saw you there. It’s not like he could buy you a drink and ask you to dance. So what would he do? Watch you from the corner like a creep? Part of him truly just wanted to go and make sure that Professor Dick didn’t do anything stupid. It was his caretaker personality kicking in, the need to have to defend you, even though you never asked for it. So what was he going there for?

“Look, you know I’m all for your movies and drinking some beers and watching what you’ve created, but why don’t we go and do something different tonight, yeah? Let’s go down to the Sour Apple and who knows, maybe you’ll even find a girl?” Denis rolled his eyes at the comment, shaking his head before leaning against Alex’s counter.

“Plus, they got happy hour going - or so I’ve heard.”

“Yeah, but on a Tuesday?” Denis shrugged and looked at Alex, with a flicker of concern in his eyes, “No offense, Alex, but you aren’t the best sometimes when holding your liquor. It’s already bad enough when you stumble home from my place, but a bar? You think you’re gonna wake up to see tomorrow?”

Denis was right - Alex suffered under the addiction of two things: beer and cigarettes. During his time taking care of his family, he relied heavily on the two to keep him in check, give him a bit of a release. But now that he was on his own, he didn’t need to rely on them.

“I get where you’re coming from, I do, but let’s just go have some fun, okay? If things really aren’t fun for you, we can come back here and do our usual. Does that sound fair?”

For a moment Denis seriously considered just heading home then, but deep down he knew that the change would be good for them. He had a suspicion though that there was something Alex wasn’t telling him, about why he so badly wanted to go down to the Sour Apple. Finally, after what felt like forever, Denis nodded and smiled as Alex clapped down on his shoulder, shaking him.

“I know you’re gonna have fun, Denny Boy - come on! Let’s get going before all the happy hour drinks are gone.” Pulling his jean jacket over the red flannel he decided to wear that night, Alex grabbed his keys and wallet, stuffing them in his pockets before opening the door to head out, locking it once Denis made his way out. The two trekked down the steps, moving quickly to get outside. Once the two were hit by the breeze of the evening air, they began their journey down the road to the Sour Apple.

It didn’t take long to hear the music booming out onto the street, the neon lights illuminating the block while the line of club-goers waited outside to be checked in. As Alex and Denis waited in the back of the line, he anxiously looked around, seeing if he could spot you with your friends. He wondered if you were here already and inside, or if you hadn’t left yet. Maybe you decided to not come at all? Alex was so worried about searching for you that he didn’t even realize the line was moving until he felt a sudden shove to his back.

“Hey! Pay attention!”

The rough voice from behind sent an instant headache to Alex. Looking behind him, he glared slightly at the older gentleman who towered him that was just as impatient as everyone else. The gentleman had a look on his face, almost testing Alex to see if he’d say or do anything. Denis, however, was the one to pull Alex away, gripping his arm tight as they moved up even more.

“Sorry about him,” Denis quickly rushed out to the angry man behind them, looking at Alex after. “Dude, what is your deal tonight? You aren’t acting like yourself?”

Pulling his arm away, Alex shook his jacket back down as it had bunched up, shaking his head, “I’m fine, man. Let’s just hurry up and get in.”

Alex didn’t mean to snap at Denis, in fact he really didn’t know why he was in such a poor mood to begin with. Yes, there was the boyish lust for you that he had fogging his brain, but that wasn’t enough to give him any reason to snap. As the two continued their way through the line, getting up to the bouncer and showing him their ID’s, Alex let out a sigh once through the door.

“Listen, Denis, I’m really sorry man. I didn’t mean to snap at you back there, that guy just really pissed me off is all.” It wasn’t a complete lie, the guy really did piss him off, but again, it wasn’t enough of a reason to have him snap at Denis.

All Denis could do though was shrug, smiling weakly towards his friend, “It’s cool man, come on, let’s not kill the mood before we even get a drink. Make it up to me by buying the first beer, yeah?”

It was a deal that Alex couldn’t say no to and after nudging his friend, Alex and Denis made their way towards the bar, wedging themselves into a couple seats before ordering the first round.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

You could already feel the buzz settling in once the sudden rush of heat hit you as you made your way into the club. You couldn’t remember what Jax said he put in the punch, but you knew having three cups probably wasn’t the smartest move. Everyone else seemed to be doing just fine, but then again - you also were the one running off of no sleep.

When the five of you got in, Gihan and Oscar instantly took off towards the dance floor, grinding up against one another to the sound of the music. You turned your nose slightly, more so at the sight of how obscene they looked. You heard Jess yell for them to get a room in which Gihan only flipped her off as a comeback. The remaining three of you headed towards the tables that were in the back of the club, grabbing one that would fit all of you before dumping your coats down.

“I’m going to get a drink, who’s coming with me?” Jaxon asked, clasping his hands together before grinning, clapping hands with Jess who announced that she would as well. Shaking your head, you felt Jaxon and Jess grab your arms, pulling you with them.

“So it seems even if I wanted to say no, I wouldn’t have had a choice.” You laughed as you stood at the end of the bar in between the two, waiting for one of the bartenders to grab your order. As you leaned against the bar, you couldn’t help but groan, your feet already killing you in the heels that Gihan and Jess offered you. It wasn’t that your outfit was uncomfortable or you hated it, but you didn’t see why you couldn’t just wear what you were wearing early.

“And what if there is a cute guy there who wants to take you home? You’re gonna leave wearing your work clothes?” Gihan asked, digging through her closet to try and find something for you to wear.

You could only roll your eyes, sitting on her bed, playing on your phone, “Gi, who says I wanna go home with someone? I got classes tomorrow, I’m not trying to wake up at some stranger’s house and figure out where the hell I am.”

Jess could only laugh at your annoyance, flopping down on the bed beside you, “Oh come on now, lighten up a bit. We are only trying to help you. You found your makeup bag and dolled yourself up, might as well finish the look off with something cute.”

Before you could ask why what you were wearing wasn’t cute, Gihan triumphantly stood up, presented the silky white pants and brown one shoulder tank top.

“I have a belt too,” She explained, moving to lay the outfit on the bed, “Snatch that waist of your’s up a bit.” You couldn’t help but laugh, looking down at the outfit before nodding, giving in to the makeover that Gihan was having with you.

“Thanks, Gi, yeah, this is great.” You slipped your vans off first before pulling your dress off, tossing it to the side before putting the outfit on that Gihan picked out for you. It was cute, and you were glad it wasn’t some 2006 hooker look that you feared she would give you - the last thing you needed was for someone you knew to see you looking like you were trying to pick someone up.

It was Jess who wanted to do your hair, pulling it out of the pigtails you had in earlier, fluffing your hair out before pinning some of it back out of your face. “There, now you look ready to go and have some fun.”

“Is that who I think it is?”

Looking up from his drink, Alex frowned, letting the straw dangle between his lips for a moment, squinting over at the end of the bar where Denis was pointing to, seeing Professor Dick and you. He tried to hide his excitement, playing it casual before nodding, “Oh yeah, it looks like it’s Professor,” He shrugged going back down to his drink, “She looks nice.”

The casual comment sent Denis laughing, looking back at Alex who was sipping down his Jack and Coke, “Nice? Man, she looks hot! For a teacher I mean...damn.”

Alex had to fight back his eyes from rolling, the twinge of jealousy settling in him. He knew that Denis was only looking at her because she was out of her typical teaching attire, or so he assumed given he’s only seen her now in two different outfits. Denis didn’t like her the way he did. Alex tried to suck his drink down, chewing on the straw now as he avoided the thoughts that ran through his head. When he glanced back up to see what you were doing, he frowned when he didn’t see you at the end of the bar anymore.

“No way! What are you two doing here?”

Turning around, Alex was pleasantly surprised to see that you had made your way over to them. There was a grin on your face as you shook your head, hands on your hips, “Don’t you both have homework you should be doing?” You teased, laughing as both men blushed.

“Oh, I’m only kidding. I’m sure you kids like to let loose sometimes too. Weird ain’t it though, running into your professor at the club?” You lifted your glass to your lips, finishing it off before wedging between them, motioning towards the bartender for a refill. “I’m buying their next round! I’m at the end seat!” You shouted over the music, watching the bartender nod in understandment.

Alex did his best to not get too hot and bothered by how close you were, your body practically flush against him with how tight the space was as you wedged yourself in the middle. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until you stepped back. Exhaling, Alex opened his mouth to speak before hearing Denis beat him to it.

“Hey, Professor! Now that you’re here, I actually had a question abo-”

“Oh no, no! I’m not answering any questions about the reading right now,” You let out a laugh and looked over at Alex, motioning towards Denis, “He always a goody-good?”

It was Alex’s turn to laugh, watching as Denis blushed from the teasing that came from you, “Oh yeah, can’t ever get him to loosen up.” He teased, winking at his friend who could only swat at him.

You laughed at how silly the two looked, shaking your head before taking a sip from your glass, “You boys are ridiculous. Listen, I’m going to go and have some fun with my friends...don’t, don’t be ratting me out to the board if you see us doing anything not family friendly, okay? I’ll pretend I don’t know you, if you pretend you don’t know me. Yeah?”

Before you turned to head back to your friends, you pointed at the two bottles of beer that were in front of them that you bought, “And don’t be telling anyone I’m out here buying you guys drinks.” You shot a wink their way before disappearing into the crowd.

Feeling his cheeks grow warm, Alex turned, taking the bottle into his hand before tilting his head back to drink. He typically wasn’t this flustered, but damn did you have to wink at him? Denis, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear, nudging Alex with his elbow, “See? I told you she’s cool. What professor would buy their students booze at a club?”

Meanwhile on the other side of the club, as you returned back to your seat, you could only think about how silly it felt seeing students at the club. Of course the two of them were allowed, it’s not like they weren’t able to just because they went to school - but running into students at such a taboo place, it made you almost feel...wrong.

You slid into your seat at the table, Jess and Jaxon talking amongst themselves before they noticed you returning. Looking over at you, Jaxon’s smile faded slightly into a frown, “Where’d you go?” He asked, almost sounding possessive.

Trying not to think too much of it, you motioned at the bar, “A couple of students are here and I just went and said hi to them. Alex, a student from your film class, he was one of them. He’s here with one of his friends.”

At the mention of his name, Jaxon frowned, nodding once before glancing over at the bar, “So I see,” He picked up his drink and downed it quickly, setting the glass back on the table before glancing at you, “So what’s up with you and him?” He asked suddenly.

Taken back, you sat back a bit, not being able to help the laugh that escaped from you, “What are you talking about? Up with us? Alex? Jesus, Jax - he’s a student. What do you mean what’s going on between us?”

The way he shrugged his shoulders so carelessly made your blood boil. This wasn’t the first time he questioned our relationship with anyone of the opposite sex. Anyone who could be seen as a threat in any way towards him, he wanted out of the picture.

“He’s not the type to just go to the teacher's office hours. I just think it’s a little weird. You said you just met him yesterday? I’ve known him since he started college, okay? He’s not as nice as he likes to say he is.” Jaxon spun his finger around the rim of his glass. Jess, on the other hand, sat in awkward silence, not sure what to say while you sat on the other side, red in the face.

“Funny, I think the one who isn’t as nice as they like to say is you.” Your comment earned a jabbing glare your way from Jax, who’s own face began to turn red.

“At least I don’t play hard to get.” He mumbled, although both you and Jess very clearly caught what he said. Oh what a turn of events.

“So this is what it’s about? You’re still hung up on the fact that I turned you down?” You let out a laugh, so rocked by the disbelief that you weren’t even sure how to react, “If you weren’t such a presumptuous asshole, maybe I wouldn’t have turned you down.”

And you thought that was it. He fell silent and his drunk brain was malfunctioning, desperately trying to figure out what to say next. What came next though surprised all of you at the table.

It was almost an instinct. You caught what he said to you so quickly and then the next moment your drink was in his face. Serves him right for calling you a bitch.

Pushing yourself off the chair, you grabbed your coat and headed towards the exit, ignoring the calls from Jess and eventually Gihan and Oscar who were returning from the dance floor, confused as to what was all going on.

“Are you dense? What the fuck is your problem?” Jess demanded, shoving Jaxon’s arm as he tried to coward away in his drunk shame. She scoffed and shook her head, grabbing her own coat before beginning to chase after you, calling out your name over the music and crowd of people.

When you burst through the door, the breeze hitting your face, you quickly dug in your coat pocket for the carton of cigarettes, pulling one out before sparking a light, bringing the cigarette into your mouth and taking in a long inhale, blowing it out in a huff.

“Fucking prick.” You mumbled, moving away from the busy line and to the emptier side of the building, leaning against the wall as you smoked your cigarette, looking out at the road as cars rushed by, ignoring the people who walked by you.

You weren’t surprised to hear the sudden rush of clicks that came out of the club, your name called out as Jess rushed up to your side, “Hey, Jesus, I don’t know what that was about. You okay?”

Flicking your cigarette into the road, you exhaled your last puff before turning towards Jess, motioning towards the club, “I mean, yeah, but really what the fuck was that?” You did your best to not project your anger out onto Jess, but you couldn’t help the yelling that soon came out of you. “Who the fuck does he think he is to sit there and question anything I do? Hmm? I’m so sick of him. I’ve been playing nice for months now, defending him to everyone - and this is what I get back?” You shook your head, laughing as you fumbled into your pocket to get another cigarette, “No, I’m done. Done! I ain’t going back in there and I’m not speaking to him.”

Your hands were shaking from anger, trying to spark the lighter and light your next cigarette before Jess finally had enough of watching you struggle, stepping forward to take the lighter from your hand and lit the cigarette herself. You took a long inhale before exhaling, offering it to her, “Thanks…”

She took it without a second though, nodding once before inhaling, “Look,” She began, tilting her head back to blow the smoke out and not in your face, “I’m not saying you gotta listen to what he says, but there’s a good chance he’s not going to remember this in the morning. You gonna tell him or let him figure it out?”

You fell silent, debating with yourself on the best approach to this. “I’ll text him, tell him how it is and he can read it in the morning. Like I said though, I’m not talking with him. Not now, not ever. I’m done. I don’t care if you guys still hang out with him, that’s your choice, but don’t drag me into any group outings again if he’s going to be there.”

Nodding, Jess handed the cigarette back to you, watching as you quickly finished it off yourself, flicking it this time on the sidewalk before crushing it out. “You need a ride home? I can come back and pick you up after we drop Jax off at home.” You shook your head, declining the offer quickly.

“No, no I’ll figure something out. Thanks, though.” You smiled weakly at Jess and watched as she nodded again, reaching down to squeeze your hand. After a moment, she let go and turned, heading back inside to find the others, leaving you to your thoughts outside.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Alex had noticed your absence, or at least not seen you, for quite some time now. He knew he shouldn’t be worried, because you were a full grown adult and with friends, but what worried him was when he saw the table you were sitting at with only your friends and not you. At first he waited, hoping you were in the bathroom and coming back soon, but when you didn’t, that’s when he got nervous.

Denis seemed to be in a trance, perhaps it was the last shot he took, sending him over the edge; but whatever it was, he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to Alex fidgeting in his seat beside him.

“Hey, man, look. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but I think I better head home,” He hiccuped and groaned, feeling sick to his stomach, “I’m gonna catch a cab home, so don’t wait up for me, yeah? I had fun...see you tomorrow?”

Alex smiled and nodded, standing up to help Denis from slipping, grabbing his jean jacket from the stool before shaking his head, “Let me help you get a cab, okay?” Denis didn’t seem to protest, leaning into Alex’s hold as he pulled him out of the club and out onto the street, waving a cab down before helping Alex into the back.

When he told the cab driver the address, he smiled once more at Denis before patting his chest, “Take it easy, man. Call me if something happens and you need me, okay?” Denis nodded slowly, squeezing Alex’s hand before sighing, “Thanks, man. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Taking a step back, Alex watched the cab pull out, sighing as the sudden rush of cold air hit him, prompting him to pull his jean jacket around him tight. When he turned around on the sidewalk to start heading home, he wasn’t expecting to find you, standing outside, smoking a cigarette.

It took a moment for you to really process who it was, feeling a bit out of it. You had gone back in the club once after Jess left to get a couple drinks, slamming down a few shots out of anger before heading back outside, finishing the carton of cigarettes off shortly after.

Alex was the one to approach first, a worried expression on his face as he stepped closer to you, “Hey, what are you doing out here?” When he was close to your face, he noticed under the illuminated neon sign how red your eyes were, as if you were crying. You wouldn’t admit it to him, but you were, crying pathetically out on the street.

“O-Oh! Hey...Alex…” You felt yourself struggle to make a cohesive sentence, leaning against the side of the building for support. “What are you still doing here? Is Denisss here?”

When you began to slip, losing your balance, Alex was beside you in seconds, catching you and holding you in his arms, “Hey, woah, careful!” He helped you regain your balance, although his arms stayed wrapped around you, “Denis just left...I could ask you the same. Why aren’t you inside with your friends?”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes as you adjusted your stance, leaning your weight into him. You noticed how warm he felt, despite standing outside in the cold, and how he smelled of a mixture of liquor and cigarettes. To anyone else, you’d probably gag at the smell, but in that moment, it was comforting.

“My friends are not someone I want to see right now.” You explained, turning your head into his chest, resting your cheek against him.

Was it friends? Or someone specific? Alex of course wouldn’t push it - if you could hardly stand on your own, how did he expect you to explain something to him that obviously was a little complex.

He only nodded his head, bringing his hand to your head for a moment, hovering his palm over your head before gently resting it on top of your hair.

“Do you have a way home? Do you need a way home?” He didn’t know if he trusted you or a cab driver enough to make sure you got home safely. It wasn’t something he was too thrilled on, despite the obvious attraction for you, but he began to realize it was your only option.

“Why don’t I take you home? To my place?” He suggested, coaxing you to stand up as he began to walk you down the sidewalk carefully, back to his apartment, “I can take you home in the morning. But you should probably sleep.”

You were the one to stop, pulling yourself away from him slightly. Despite being a little too drunk for your liking, you still felt in your gut that this wasn’t right, “Alex...I don’t know if I can do that. It’s not appro-”

Alex quickly stopped you, balancing you as you began to lean too far back, “I know, but you can’t get home alone. Please, just for tonight. You can sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch. You can trust me.”

You should have turned away, asked for him to take you back inside to your friends. You would deal with Jax for the extra hour if you had to if it meant ending back up in your own bed...but for some reason, you knew that just wasn’t going to work tonight.

And in some sick way, you did trust Alex. More than perhaps anyone else in that moment. The student you just met, you trusted him more than your own friends.

Nodding your head slowly, after a moment, you sighed and leaned closer to him, “Okay...thank you.” You felt the embarrassment sinking in, the idea of a student taking care of you made your stomach twist...or was it the one too many drinks?

It didn’t take long for Alex to get you to his apartment. He only struggled when it came to the stairs, practically having to carry you as your legs began to turn into jello on the second flight of stairs. He remembered doing this for his mother’s birthday, after her coma, when she wanted an old friend to come over.

He was so drunk, Alex remembered, that he had to help him shower and dress. Thankfully for Alex now, all that was the issue was getting you up the stairs. And finally, when he did, Alex could only sigh in relief, pushing his front door open as he coaxed you onto the couch. He locked the door before returning back to you, kneeling as he pulled your heels from your feet, putting them near the door for you to find easily in the morning.

“Okay, come on, let’s get you to bed.” Bending down, he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you up, tightening his grip so you wouldn’t slip, turning to his right to walk with you towards his bedroom. He did his best to not trip over the stuff on his floor, making sure to watch your feet so you wouldn’t do the same. He became almost embarrassed with how messy it was. Thankfully you were too drunk to realize the mess, and hopefully in the morning you wouldn’t pay too much attention to it.

He got you to lay back on his bed, adjusting the pillows under your head before pulling the duvet up to cover you. “Okay, you good? I’m going to be out in the living room, I’ll keep the dorm open in case you need anything. If you do, just yell and I’ll come in.”

You nodded, eyes closed as you tried to relax. Your head was spinning and your heart was racing. “Thank you, Alex.” You mumbled, body curling under the duvet.

Smiling, Alex nodded and stood up, turning the lamp off, leaving the lava lamp on, before heading out of his room and into the living room again. He let out a sigh as he picked up one of the pillows by the window, a blanket as well, before making his way to the couch, kicking his own shoes off and tugging his jacket off before laying down. Alex adjusted the blanket to cover him before staring up at the ceiling.

He waited until he heard you fall asleep, not taking too long before he heard your deep breathing, a faint snore kick in. Closing his eyes, Alex smiled to himself, soon letting sleep take him over as well.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The next morning, Alex woke to the sound of the birds chirping from outside, the sun peeking through the curtain and hitting him in the eye. With a groan, he sat up, rubbing his eyes and processed his surroundings. He felt his eyes droop shut again, tired from the night before. Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket, he leaned to the side and pulled out his phone, looking to see that his boss had texted him, asking him where he was.

It was then that he realized that Alex had work. Muttering a string of swears, Alex quickly texted his boss, explaining that he wouldn’t be able to come in today due to him feeling under the weather. He had hoped that Denis didn’t text something similar - the last thing he wanted or needed was for his boss to call and chew their asses out.

When Alex didn’t get a text back, he assumed that his boss was pissed, but accepted the fact that he wasn’t coming in. Swinging his legs off the couch, Alex took a deep breath, letting out a yawn before pushing himself off the couch, stretching and cracking his joints.

The apartment felt particularly quiet that morning, and Alex couldn’t figure out why. That, and why he was sleeping on the couch. When he headed from the living room and to his room, seeing his bed made, a scribbled note on the pillow, he carefully made his way over, picking up the note.

Alex,

Thanks for letting me stay the night. I’m going to assume that nothing happened and I don’t need to change my name and flee the country - given that we were in separate rooms and wearing our clothes.

While I appreciate the gesture, I would like to apologize for my behavior. As your professor I recognize how inappropriate it was last night and I would like for this to stay between the two of us. Along with that, I think it would be for the better if perhaps you didn’t sit in my class. Instead, go to Professor Thorne’s office hours - I’m sure he would appreciate it.

Again, thank you.

Alex had to read the letter four times before he finally really processed what it was that you wrote. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew Professor Dick must have said something to you last night, and that’s why you were acting this way. But...what if it wasn’t him at all? And this truly was your own words, how you really felt?

Stuffing the letter in his jeans, Alex quickly changed his shirt, freshening himself up before grabbing his school bag and heading out of his apartment. He needed to hear from you what this meant, if you truly meant this, or just what exactly was going on.

By the time he got on his scooter and made it onto campus, it was only going on 12:30, meaning there was a good chance you weren’t there yet. When he made his way up the stairs and into the English department, down the hall to the end where your office was, he stopped short, noticing that you were at your desk, back turned towards the door.

He took a deep breath first, pushing down on the handle before opening the door quietly, knocking on the door to signal you were there before shutting it behind you. When you had turned around, you hadn’t expected to see Alex, with your letter in his hand now. It was then that you felt your face grow hot, standing up from your chair.

“Alex, good afternoon. Is there something I can do for you?” You asked casually, trying to avoid staring at the letter to make it known just how oblivious you were trying to act with the situation. Shaking his head, Alex took two steps forward, stopping when he noticed you take a step back.

“I don’t get it. What happened? I mean, I read what you wrote, but it just doesn’t make sense.”

“What don’t you get?” You felt your eyebrows furrow before looking behind him at the window, making sure nobody was listening before back at him. “Look, I appreciate what you did for me last night, but that was a mistake, okay? I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that. I’m your professor and you’re my student. What happened was incredibly inappropriate and I do not feel comfortable right now with everything going on.”

It felt so sudden. The past two days were truly a blur. One minute you were meeting a student who was eager to join your class, the next you were in his bed drunk. Maybe it was what Jaxon had told you that made your head spin so violently, lash out at Alex with your own fear - whatever it was though, you knew that as a professor, your only choice was to be professional.

“So, what? I’m just supposed to walk away from this and pretend it never happened?” Alex asked suddenly his own irritation building. He knew this wasn’t you - it didn’t take a genius to know that you weren’t the type to push a student away like this, even if you had made a mistake.

He took a step forward, his expression softening, “Did Professor Thorne say something to you last night? Did he do something?” He was taken back with just how quickly your own expression changed. Going from a rather solemn one to red, pure rage. It was as if he tripped over the wire of a ticking time bomb.

“Even if Professor Thorne were to have said something last night, that is none of your concern. I’m sorry Alex, but I believe you have overstayed your welcome. Please, leave my office.” You pointed towards the door, eyes shifted down as the tears began to build. You hated making a student feel so confused, so sad, but in this case, you knew it was only for the better.

With his mouth fallen open, Alex stared at you for another moment, almost waiting for you to tell him to stay, that you were sorry and changed your mind. But it didn’t happen, it never came. He stifled a laugh and shook his head, looking her once over before turning and leaving her office, slamming the door shut behind him as he made his way down the hall.

He was slightly disappointed to see that Professor Thorne had not been in his office that day, because if he was, Alex knew he wouldn’t have been a student for much longer.

#daniel brühl #daniel bruhl #daniel bruehl #alex kerner #alex kerner imagine #alex kerner smut #alex kerner x reader #good bye lenin #goodbye lenin #sweet disposition

[ill-skillsgard]

Bred For Blood - Part 19 - Promise-Promise

Title: Bred For Blood

Warning: 18+ - sex/mature language & themes/gun violence/substance abuse etc. *mentions of coma/unconsciousness, injuries, and sex in this part*

Characters: AU Axel Cluney, AU Ivar Lothbrok, AU Valter x OC

Description: A bright, young survivor meets an acid-gun slinging headhunter with a knack for melting faces and connections to a prodigal Utopia embedded in the heart of a deadly forest. Violence and passion incite a battle of fealty while betrayal nips at Zed’s heels.

Note: Sooo many feelings in this part, you guys. Next part will be the finale! My gosh, it’s actually coming. Stick around because it’s gonna be a doozy! Much love to all the readers who’ve waited patiently and shout out to any new readers who’ve taken the time to let me know their thoughts. I appreciate all the comments and reblogs forever! With that being said, please comment and reblog. It’d really make my day. XO

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

Zed waited for Vee next to the window overlooking the vast green ocean of vegetation. The sliver of sun painted the sky aflush, rolling west in shades of violet. Pinprick stars perforated the melting spectrum, and the phantom moon showed its impatient face fully before the horizon swallowed all light. It was a soothing array of scenery, and Zed rested her head on the glass until footsteps drew her attention to the door. She smiled as Vee came in carrying a plate of zucchini fritters and mashed chickpeas, returning the warm greeting silently.

"Hungry? Axel wasn't a fan. He wants a cheeseburger from McDonald's," said Vee, handing the platter to Zed.

She accepted the dish with a nod. "Did you tell him why that's not possible?"

Vee sighed. The dark beneath his eyes seemed permanent now. "I didn't get into detail. He wouldn't understand."

"Shouldn't we make him understand?"

"It's too soon. The big lug just woke up. It was a challenge just to get him to lie there. Soon he'll want to leave the lab, and I don't know how he'll fare around his adoring fans."

Zed bit into a greasy fritter and scooped a dollop of the paste with the leftover crescent. "He'll love the ego-boost, I'm sure."

"That's what I'm afraid of. All those people will confuse him. Who knows what that might do to his head. We're in a delicate situation."

"Axel seems to like me. Maybe I can convince him to stay put."

Vee grimaced from the thought of Axel working Zed over with his motoring mouth and crass sense of humour. The scientist had grown accustomed to nights alone with her, cooking together and discussing their future. The night they'd spent alone in the greenhouse rang in his heart; the night he admitted his feelings and begged her to squash them. The thought of her alone with Axel picked a scab he didn't know he had.

"You're worried about something," Zed said.

Vee snapped from his bittersweet reverie and sighed. "Am I ever not worrying?"

"True," Zed snorted. "Now, eat. I can't finish this all myself."

The pair finished the plate before Vee set the dish aside and motioned her to the sofa.

"We need to talk about what we found in Glott's notes. I know we can't test this theory, but we should treat it as the truth," said Vee.

"Okay, well, if that's how we're approaching this D negative blood sample... What's the next step? We have no medical supplies. I checked the med tent in the courtyard for the third time just for fun."

"Then we have to visit Glott and get some answers. And by we... I mean me."

"Valter—"

"I know you don't want me to leave, but what other option do we have? Every day we waste here is another step backward."

Zed shook her head until a thin braid dislodged from behind her ear and swung in her face. Vee resisted the urge to tuck it back. The girl's face swivelled toward the window, and she pondered and watched the premature stars twinkle across the bruised sky.

"We go together," Zed said firmly. "I won't budge on that."

"And what about Axel?"

"We wait until he's better. We'll need him to navigate the way."

"And if he never recovers?" Vee asked.

"Then we go anyway. All three of us. We get Axel better, and we go together."

Vee inhaled through his nose as Zed screwed her eyes into his. When he nodded, a smile unfurled across her face, shadowed by the last drops of brassy sunlight.

"I hate this plan, but I suppose it's all we have," said Vee.

"Promise we'll all stick together."

"Of course, Lea. I won't leave without you guys. Promise."

"Promise-promise?"

"I double promise with a cherry on top. Stick a needle in my eye and call it macaroni."

Zed stifled laughter beneath her palm. "I think you've been hanging out with Sam too much."

"That, or I'm just tired."

"I'll let you sleep now. You look beat."

Vee twisted his mouth in lopsided agreement. "Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna hit the shower first. Unless you want to?"

"No, you go ahead. I'll stay here a little longer," Zed said as she laid her temple against the cool glass and looked out over the forest floor, now drowning in the twilight.

~*~

In the morning, Zed left the apartment and padded down the hallway in her mismatched slippers. She slowed as she turned the corner and found the brothers talking. Axel's eyebrows were locked in a line, and Vee looked up at her with relief.

"Lea, can you help me explain to Axel why he can't leave the hospital room?"

Axel whipped the covers off his thighs. "This place is fuckin' weird, and I know you're lying to me. That doctor you had in here is a whack-job. Something isn't adding up."

"Stay put," Vee commanded.

Zed rubbed the sleep from her eyes and prepared to take both sides with a long breath. "Axel, your brother is right. You can't leave yet. Just stay a little longer and heal."

"Where the fuck am I, Vee? This isn't like any hospital I've ever been to. And why can't I use the phone to call mom and dad?"

Axel's question erased all the sleep Vee had gotten the night before. His fatigue was contagious. Zed approached the bed and brushed Axel's shoulder. The touch diffused the tension in his upper body and opened him up to a new explanation, one that hadn't come from his kid brother's mouth.

"There are no phones here, Axel. You're right... This place is different. We're missing a lot of things you’d consider normal."

"Look, darlin', I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but none of what you're saying makes any sense. What do you mean there's no phone? There's electricity, isn't there? So why can't I hobble my way to a pay phone or borrow someone's cell?"

Vee and Zed exchanged pained looks. The younger brother kneaded his brow and offered Axel the same explanation he had before, reworded. Axel refused to believe a word and scrambled off the gurney, throwing Vee's hands off him as he limped a few steps and realized his mistake.

"What the fuck is wrong with my foot? Did someone sliced my ankle in half? What is happening to me? I feel like I'm on an acid trip that never ends. I go to sleep and see crazy shit, only to wake up in an even crazier place where there're no phones and no fucking food! You're talking in goddamn riddles, Vee. The least you can do is get me a Baconator for my trouble! I can't walk—I can't even jerk off 'cause my good hand is fucked. You gotta help me out."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Axe? There are no restaurants!"

"Bullshit! Sweetheart, come on, you can help me, right? Can you please just grab me something greasy? I'll pay you back, I promise. I'm good for it."

"I wish I could help you, Axel, but Vee's right. There's nowhere to get stuff like that anymore."

"Anymore? What does that even mean? You guys are talking like I slept through the apocalypse or something!"

Zed turned to Vee, who blocked the way to the courtyard. "Come on, Axe. Just settle down, and get back into bed."

"Are you gonna find me some painkillers then?" Axel faltered toward the bed and hoisted himself onto the flat mattress with his right arm.

"I'll see what I can do, buddy, but will you promise to stay here for a little longer?"

"Whatever," Axel scoffed. "What else am I gonna do?"

Zed waited until Axel slid back under the covers and tilted his face away from them both to assess Vee's mood. She suspected Axel's recovery would be difficult. Still, when she pictured him with his eyes open again, she heard laughter and saw game nights, shared wine and inside jokes knitting them closer together—not disarray and a friend who'd forgotten her. And if Vee had left the day he championed himself, Axel wouldn't have any flagship of his past. The scientist's presence tranquillized her despite Axel's rotten mood fouling the atmosphere.

"You're hungry, Axel?" Zed asked.

"Starving."

"I'll try to track down something tasty to eat. It won't be a greasy burger, but maybe I can find you something close to fries. I'll make it myself if I have to."

Axel flipped his eyes to the girl standing with her arms knotted behind her back and smiled. "Oh, darlin'...You're a sweet thing. I'd hate to ask, so I'll just accept the offer. Or maybe Vee can go, and you and I can chat a little more?"

Zed chuckled at the man's slyness. "I have some other things to do. We’ll talk when I get back."

"Don't rush for me, honey, but if you do, I'll take it as a good sign," Axel said with a wink.

At the cost of one of her knit blankets, Zed found someone in Athena to chop and bake a sweet potato in peanut oil. She bartered for garlic and salt to sprinkle on the dish. The redheaded child spotted her making transactions and stopped her at the mouth of the Hives with a cloth of fermented cashew cheese and a large chunk of bread that sat out overnight but was still soft. She offered the foodstuffs to Axel on a thin wood slab, and he accepted with an obsequious grin. He relinquished his dissatisfaction and warmed next to Zed.

"Aw, darlin', look at you go. How can I thank you for your trouble?" Axel asked as he chomped a crispy strand of sweet potato.

Zed stepped back from his bed, blushing. "It's okay, Axel. You don't have to do anything but get better."

"Will you stay with me for a while? If I have to stay in bed, it'd really make my life easier if I have someone to talk to. That is if you don't mind my chattiness."

"Sure. Let me grab a chair from the apartment," said Zed.

Axel finished his meal quickly, and as if he hadn't eaten at all, felt the pang of hunger moments after the last bite of bread. His appetite woke up ravenous, and no amount of homegrown food could satiate the growl.

"I might need to eat again in an hour," Axel informed as Zed dragged the chair across the floor. “I’m a big boy, you know.”

"That's fine. I'll find you something in a little while ."

The injured man nodded and sighed, eyelashes fluttering over tired green eyes. A bloated silence proceeded, and Zed wondered how to initiate a conversation. Vee told her not to confuse Axel with present-day news, but all she wanted to do was ask about Richard Glott's underground bunker and with who he'd crossed paths that left him slashed and maimed.

After a couple of deep breaths, Axel murmured, "I see you in my dreams every time I fall asleep. Is that strange?"

Zed hid her shy smile behind her palm. "Oh, stop."

Axel shimmied his torso higher on the bed and frowned in pain. "No, seriously. Not trying to be slick, honey. I see the most fucked up things when I sleep. You know the kind of dreams so vivid, you wake up and your heart’s pounding, thinking it's all real for a minute? Then you're like... No way."

Zed shifted closer to Axel's bed. "What do you dream about?"

Axel smiled to himself. "You, mostly... Us. You and me doing crazy shit together. Sometimes I'm in the desert, and I see this airplane in the distance. It's on the ground, and I ride toward it, you know, you're not gonna ignore a crashed plane, right? Then I find you there, but these guys are hurting you, and you're going nuts trying to shake 'em, but there's too many, so I shoot 'em all, and they melt like popsicles. You stab one good, though."

"What else?" Zed asked.

"I dunno... Sometimes it's just me and you cruising through the desert, and I get the feeling you hate me, but I kinda like it. I'm happy you're there, even though we're in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea what's gonna happen next."

"Sounds like some pretty weird dreams."

"They're so lucid. It's like a movie, and I'm the main character, and you're... Well, you. Like my cool sidekick."

"Sidekick, huh?" Zed scoffed.

"Yeah, you have this air about you that's like not to be fucked with. Then things always get real dark. I don't even want to tell you about it 'cause you'll think I'm fucked in the head."

Zed knew this part of the story and lowered her eyes to the floor. "It's okay. You can tell me if you want. It's just dreams, right?"

"Nah, I'll just leave it at that. It's not sex stuff or anything if you're wondering."

"Your dreams are more entertaining than anything I have going on today."

With Zed's green light, Axel inhaled deeply before launching into the story of their past. Before he uttered another syllable, a severed connection sparked in his head. His eyes grew large, and he looked around the makeshift hospital room, awestruck.

"In my dreams, we're trying to get to Vee. He needs us for some reason."

"What does he need?"

"Some science shit, which makes total sense because he's a scientist. He's actually a scientist, and not just in my dreams."

"Axel... These dreams you've had... Do you think they have significance?" Zed asked carefully.

"Totally. They have to. Right? Or am I fucking crazy?"

"You're not crazy, Axel. I promise."

"But what if I am? This place... I get such a bad feeling when I'm awake in this room by myself. Vee won't tell me where we are. It's like he's hiding something, and he never lies to me about anything. We don't do that."

"Vee just wants you to get better. He's under a lot of stress, and your recovery is a big part of that. We didn't think—he didn't think you'd make it through. Another complication is the last thing you guys need."

Axel went quiet again and fixated on the dust motes and bolts of lightning crackling up his leg. A storm grew behind his eyes, the same torrents Zed saw when she tried to stop him from leaving Kinderfeld and her behind. Sickened by the thought of Axel sneaking off, she touched his arm and offered a warm smile.

"Talk to me, Axel. Please. Don't keep anything inside."

Axel glanced at her small hand on his tattooed bicep and the lightning in his body faded.

"We were friends in a past life," Axel claimed.

"We're friends in this life."

"Can I tell you one other thing, then I promise I'll stop talking about my bonkers dreams?"

"Yes. I don't mind at all."

Axel curled his bicep and touched Zed's fingers, feeling the motion out until she grasped his hand.

"I think I have to take you somewhere."

"Oh, yeah?" Zed giggled. "And where's that?"

Axel blushed for the first time and brought her hand to hold next to him on the bed. "Not like on a date or anything. I just get this feeling that I'm supposed to protect you, even though you seem capable of looking after yourself just fine. This dream voice keeps reminding me to stay with you and Vee... Like I'm not allowed to let either of you out of my sight. Especially not you."

"Then don't," Zed said.

He squeezed her fingers gently. "I won't."

~*~

Word of Axel's consciousness seeped out of the lab and into the village. Nobody knew who had made the discovery—Vee blamed Samson while Zed suspected Nalani, who'd waltzed by the lab doors at a suspiciously slow pace several times each day—and leaked the information. They barred visitors and only allowed the doctor in to help change Axel's bandages until Ivar arrived.

Axel was alone, humming a tune from his teenage years when the king came through the doors and stopped to stare at his bed-ridden friend.

"Zee, you're awake? And no one thought to tell me?"

"Sorry, hombre, but I think you have the wrong room. Name's Axel."

Ivar flashed all his sharp teeth in a sly smile and wagged his finger. "Always a joker."

"No, really," Axel chuckled, then went deadpan. "Wait... Who are you?"

Before Ivar spoke, Vee walked into the lab and froze when he saw Ivar standing a few feet from Axel's bed.

"Ivar. I wasn't expecting you."

The king sneered and motioned toward Axel. "What's with this guy?"

"Hey, maybe we can talk for a second?" Vee invited Ivar down the hall, out of earshot.

Ivar glared at the scientist. "When exactly were you planning on telling me he woke up?"

"That's the thing, Ivar. You don't understand... Axel's suffering from amnesia. It's common for coma patients to lose parts of their memory. Right now, he's in a very touchy state. He has no idea where he is, who you are, or what any of this is. I've tried to keep people away from him to avoid confusion, but now everybody knows. It's not good for him. Subjecting him to all this new information can cause anxiety, panic... Who knows. We're trying to ease him back into life."

"What do you mean he doesn't know who I am? I'm his best friend."

"Trust me. Axel doesn't even remember serving in the army."

"That's crazy. We should tell him—"

"No. It's too big of a shock. Axel's already gone through hell. Imagine trying to explain our world to somebody who has virtually no idea what's happened in the last couple of years."

Ivar pondered and didn't respond to Vee's relief, then sighed as though he accepted the explanation.

"So what does this mean for you? I assume you're retracting your claim and staying in Kinderfeld?"

Vee twisted his mouth to the side. "How can I go now?"

"You volunteered."

"That was before Axel came home. He needs me. I'm the only person he recognizes. Give me some more time with him, get him back on his feet and see if he'll start remembering, then I'll go."

Ivar crossed his arms across his burly chest. "Who knows how long that might take?"

"Would you leave someone you loved in that state?"

"I'd do what's for the greater good."

"He's your best friend. He's my brother. Axel needs us right now, Ivar. Think of all he's done for us. We owe it to take care of him until he's fit to at least walk again. I need him to remember what happened so I can get a better idea of what's going on outside."

"I suppose you're right," Ivar conceded. "You can't go out blind by yourself."

"Yes, you're right," Vee said with great relief.

"So what now? I can't talk to him?"

"You can speak to him if you like, but try not to bring up things that might confuse him. Don't talk about the army or mention recent times."

Ivar looked over his shoulder at the apartment's open door and heard the muted humming of a girl filtering through the corridor.

"And how's Lea taking all of this?"

Vee stiffened. "She's helping out."

"Axel has no idea who she is? He really doesn't know what's happened?"

"Not that I can tell. He keeps asking for cheeseburgers and to call our parents."

"Wow," Ivar whispered.

"Yeah, it's hard."

Ivar went quiet, distant, and shook his head slowly before inhaling through his nose and squeezing Vee's shoulder. "I trust you, brother. Maybe we'll talk more about your expedition in a few days when things have a chance to settle with Axel."

"You got it."

Axel pretended he wasn't trying to listen to the conversation between his brother and the brown-haired man with the striking blue eyes when the pair returned. Ivar nodded at Axel, his eyes awash with sympathy for the indisposed man.

"How are you feeling, Axel?"

"A little on the shitty side, my man. Not gonna lie. Hands busted, foot's bum... Can't fuck my way to a decent meal in this place, and everyone's tiptoeing around like I'm a sleeping baby. Gotta say I've had better days."

"Well, I hope you heal up quick. There are a lot of people who want to see you."

A coy smirk unfurled over Axel's face. "Yeah, I kinda get that impression. Sometimes, I see people looking in through those doors. I feel like a panda at a zoo. Everyone wants a peek at little ol’ Axel, huh?"

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"Cheeseburger?" Axel asked hopefully.

"Would if I could, friend."

"Goddamn it," Axel lamented.

Vee widened his eyes when Ivar looked at him, confirming what they'd discussed in the hallway.

"Say, how do you stay so beefy if there's no meat in this place?" Axel asked Ivar.

"I get my protein where I can. Try to stay fit. I'll get someone to bring you something good to eat."

Axel snorted. "Yeah, that's what that sweet-lookin' one said, but everything tastes like tree bark. No offence to her. She tried her best, and I'd never insult a lady's cooking to her face."

Ivar sucked in his bottom lip and nodded. "Well, I'll see what I can do for you, Axel. Get better soon."

Vee held his breath until Ivar left the lab and shrunk once the doors closed.

"You sure have a way with words, don't you?"

"Everyone who walks in here acts like they know me."

"We might have to move you to the apartment. Put a cap on your visitors."

"Who was that?" Axel asked.

"That's Ivar Lothbrok. He kinda runs things, in a sense."

"Nice guy."

Vee scoffed. "Yeah. Nice."

An itch stuck in the back of Axel's head, and he grew quiet once again, trying to unravel the mystery he'd woken up inside. He was a figure in a snow globe, a permanent fixture in a landscape rife with faces he'd seen in dreams. Sitting up in his bed, Axel wondered what laid beyond the confines of his glasshouse. Never one to follow the rules, even under the firm guidance of his smart younger brother, Axel decided once everyone fell asleep, he'd find himself a walking post and go exploring.

~*~

Zed woke to the sound of Vee's soft snoring coming through the open door of his bedroom. The possibility of sleep retracted with every second she spent staring at the smooth, globular ceiling in the dark, trying to make shapes out of the dream residue behind her eyelids. The sofa stiffened her back, and she twisted her spine until air bubbles popped and her muscles strained from the motion. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and squeezed her eyes shut for a few minutes, but Axel's stories followed her from sleep, brushing up on her with sharp quills. Since Axel painted his dream world, she hadn't stopped thinking of him and mourning the loss of his memory for the both of them. Axel didn't know his missing pieces were dancing under his eyes each time he slumbered, and she longed to stitch them together to create the full picture.

She squinted into the darkness, fatigue long since faded, and left the apartment. Light on her bare feet, Zed padded down the hallway and turned the corner to find an empty bed. Her heart twinged from Axel's absence. She considered going back to the apartment to tell Vee his brother was missing but found herself propelled to seek Axel out herself. There was nowhere in the lab a man of Axel's stature could hide, so she went out to the courtyard to begin her search. The floodlights cast pyramids of light over the foothills but revealed nothing but stone paths and glittering grass ranks. She started left first, then changed her mind and shot right toward the warehouse. Zed minded her steps as she picked up a jog, extending her legs to clear the roiling yards until she reached the square entrance of the warehouse. A guard leaned against the steel wall next to the exit, blinking and wiping a hand over his face to rouse himself. He saw Zed across the cement expanse and stood up straight.

"What're you doing out here?" The guard's voice clattered through the chamber.

"Sorry," Zed said, casting a thorough glance around before retreating into the light and shadow of the courtyard again. She rushed to the Hives, taking quick strides to reach her abandoned apartment before anyone else noticed her. After a quick knock, Zed opened the door to find her former living quarters as deserted as ever. Nobody had claimed the space in her absence, nor was Axel's adjoining apartment occupied. Both rooms were empty.

Zed's search for Axel continued and grew in urgency with each lonely cove and space she found. As she made her way around the central dome where the courtyard bordered the largest hill, she stopped at the mouth of the Chrysalis and addressed the men standing guard.

"Have either of you seen someone limping through here?"

"Nobody's come 'round here, Zed. Who're you looking for?"

Zed cocked her head. "Who do you think?"

"You mean Zee?" The man on the right asked. "Thought he was paralyzed."

"So it's true? He's awake?"

"Please don't tell anyone. Not yet."

The bearded guard rose a dark eyebrow at Zed. He was one of Ivar's highest-ranking patrol. Zed recognized him from the night they'd brought in the Zeronaut captain, Monk. He often stood by wherever Ivar went and didn't talk much unless addressed. "Ivar know about this?"

"I don't know what Ivar knows. Vee communicates with him, but we're trying to keep this from the general public."

"What do you think, Fen? Should we tell Ivar?" The scrawny, clean-shaven guard asked.

Fen sneered and told his partner to close his mouth before angling his torso toward Zed. "We'll keep an eye out, petite fleur."

Zed nodded and continued on her way, but there were few more spots Axel could hide unless someone had intercepted him and invited him into their hovel. She thought of Nalani, who often wandered the courtyard at odd hours and Trinity, who adored Axel and might jump at the opportunity to lead him to a private alcove. The two of them shared living space in Athena. Zed wanted to keep the search party light, and asking around would only spread curiosity like wildfire.

She continued touring the courtyard, her naked soles sore from hurried walking. Finally, she stopped at the greenhouse gate, its series of coiling iron bars and metal flowers welded to the columns in intricate clusters. Zed lifted the latch and pushed the gate open, taking care to shut it quietly. The greenhouse where the citizens grew aloe and berries was the little-known getaway spot Axel and Vee coveted as their private paradise. Zed zigzagged through the raised beds, taking care not to trip over the irrigation hoses and climbed the wooden steps at the back of the third square house. Around another corner and through the thick blackberry bushes nestled in rectangles of sodden earth, Zed rushed to the spot under the sky where the light poured in but found nothing.

"Shit," she whispered, out of breath and reeling in the thick, tepid air.

Zed looked up to the cloudless velveteen sky, crushing disappointment wringing her heart. In a throng of shadow off to the right, a figure shifted and startled the woman backward.

A tired voice called her name.

The shady form lengthened, struggling to stand. Once it stood at its full height, the vice pressing Zed's chest disappeared. Axel hobbled into view, using the overhead pipes to help himself along.

"Axel! There you are. Oh my God, you had me so worried. Why did you leave the lab?"

"The lab? Is that where you've been keeping me?"

Zed clapped her palm over her mouth. Axel gave an elongated nod, eyes wide and accusatory.

"Is that what I am? Some kind of experiment?"

"No, Axel—"

"What are you and Vee doing? Tell me why he's keeping me locked up. Tell me where the fuck I am, Lea. Please. This place... Something about it seems wrong. It scares me."

Axel wilted against a plant bed as Zed approached and caught his elbow to keep him upright.

"Axel, don't be scared. Please, I promise you're safe. We're not trying to keep you captive. This is all difficult to explain, and you were asleep for so long parts of your memory are missing. Vee's only trying to make it easier for you to cope."

"Cope with what, Lea? Cope with the fact I'm a prisoner? That I can't sleep because my nightmares are so vivid, I feel like I'm dying? That people watch me like some sideshow freak?"

"Everything," Zed sighed. "The new world. How can we explain all this to someone who woke up in the past?"

Axel looked up through the skylights and whimpered. "Something terrible has happened, hasn't it?"

Zed, wounded from the dejection in her friend's voice, led Axel to sit on the floor, then sat next to him and draped her arms over his shoulders, resting her cheek on the thin cotton shoulder strap of his tank top.

"I wish I could say you're wrong, but I can't lie to you, Axe."

"My instincts were right. Something is very wrong. After that Ivar fella came through, I started getting this feeling you all weren't telling me something on purpose."

"Don't be angry with us, Axel. We didn't know how to tell you."

Axel leaned his head on Zed's and sought her hand to hold. She slid her fingers through his and gripped tightly. "It's okay. I get it now. I'm supposed to be here. You and me... We're meant to be together. Otherwise... Why would I see you every time I close my eyes?"

"Axel," Zed whispered. "I missed you so much when you left. I thought I'd never see you again. Now everything is different."

"I'm sorry. If I hurt you back then... I didn't mean it."

"Just don't leave me again. Please. I can't fool myself into happiness without you in my life."

"I won't leave. I can't."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Lea."

"Promise-promise?"

Axel chuckled and kissed the top of Zed's head before laying his cheek on the ruts of her braids. "Yeah. I promise-promise."

~*~

Axel and Zed laid on the floorboards and watched the stars twinkling above while the chamber filled with water vapour, obscuring the glass until the condensation evaporated. When the infinite black sky lightened to meteorite violet, Axel used Zed as a crutch to stand up. He stole a fistful of blackberries, stuffing the fruits in his mouth and mashing them until inky juice seeped from the corners of his lips. He complained about his ankle, which he'd suffered walking on during his solo excursion to the greenhouses. Zed berated him for wandering off and helped him down the steps and through the rows of potato plants, arms locked, their pace slow to accommodate Axel's injury.

A murmur greeted the pair as they approached the iron gate. A dozen villagers gathered around the entrance to witness Axel emerge with smiles on their faces. Frozen from the elated faces beaming at him, Axel pulled on Zed's arm, alerting her to the hoard of onlookers.

"Who are they?" Axel asked.

"Zee! Happy you're awake!"

"What happened to your arm, Zee? Are you okay?"

"He looks terrible."

Zed opened the gate, and the crowd dented but didn't part. "Make room, please!"

"We want to talk to Zee!"

Axel then realized the group addressed him, their wide eyes drinking in his bruised and broken state with smiles unfitting his poor condition. An overwhelming sense of worry touched his skin, and he grabbed for Zed to lead him, but they huddled around the gate until a tall head of blond hair sliced the crowd in half. Vee shouldered past, his eyes hooded and brow furrowed.

"Axel! Lea! What the hell are you doing out here? Lea, did you let him out?"

Zed frowned and drew her shoulders up. "Of course not! I'm the one who came looking for him."

"Let's go. Come on, now. Everyone make way. Go back home!" Vee barked.

"We want answers! What's happening outside the walls?"

"We'll answer your questions later," Vee said disdainfully. "Lea, help me get him back."

The trio staggered to the lab, breathless from the trek over the bowing foothills. Vee waited until they were behind closed doors to deliver a speech about how irresponsible and defiant Axel was, how his behaviour might cause unwanted ripples where the scientist required placidity. Axel hoisted himself into bed and accepted his lecture, sullen and quiet, occasionally glancing at Zed, who also wrung her wrists.

"I told you not to leave the room, Axe. Why? Why can't you listen to me for once in your goddamn life?" Vee asked.

"You're not my mommy, Valter. I can do what I want, and frankly, I don't appreciate you keeping secrets from me!"

"What are you on about?"

"Oh, don't play dumb. You've lied to me this whole time! About where we are, what's happened to me. I think you know much more than you lead on."

Vee scoffed and looked to Zed for reassurance. The girl stood still with her shoulders hunched.

"Lea, help me out here."

"Well, Vee... Maybe it's time we tell him everything. There's no use hiding the truth anymore. He already knows something's wrong."

"Yeah!" Axel cried. "I'm done sitting around twiddling my thumbs. You have to tell me what's up. How did I get like this? What the fuck happened to me, and why can't I remember anything? I don't know how I got here or who all those people are out there."

"That's the thing, Axe... We don't know what happened to you. You left, and when you came back, you were unconscious and hurt. We don't leave this place, so I can't tell you anything more than that. I didn't know if you'd wake up and certainly didn't know you'd have amnesia when you did."

Axel turned to Zed for verification, and she nodded her head regretfully.

"It's true, Axel. I wish we could tell you more."

"Then at least tell me where I am. Start there," Axel demanded.

Vee and Zed stood speechless for a moment until she sighed deeply. "Vee, maybe we should give him the postcards and his journals."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're right, Lea. Go get the box. Tonight's gonna be a long one."

Zed hauled the box of postcards and dog-eared journals into the lab and hefted it onto the foot of Axel's bed. Vee unpinned the postcards from the corkboard and offered them to Axel with a pinched smile. Zed sat in her chair while Vee laid on the floor, a long arm slung over his eyes as Axel began to read aloud from his workbooks. The three of them listened to the stories Axel had penned years before while he was in the infantry as if none of them had heard the tales. From time to time, Axel stopped narrating and glided over the lines, taking in details he should have known, but couldn't place. During these silences, Zed and Vee would look up at him to assess his emotions, whether or not the words shifted the pieces into place or made any difference at all.

Axel took in a strained breath. "Ivar and I aren't talking. He wants to be the leader on this ship, and if things don't go his way, he turns into a giant douche-nozzle," he broke into giggling at his insult. "I haven't eaten in three days, and the water supply is low. We're down to a cup a day each. It's not enough, but it's gotten us through so far. One of the guys got sick, and they've taken him below deck. He throws up constantly even though there's nothing in his gut and howls all night in agony. I swear to God I'll shoot him in the head tomorrow if he doesn't let us sleep tonight. Someone needs to put him out of his misery."

Zed grimaced, and Vee stared at the ceiling with dry eyes, unflinching from the story.

"Day six... I now know what rat meat tastes like."

"Oh, god. Ew," Zed mumbled.

Axel continued without pause. "It's not that bad when you haven't eaten in almost a week. I've set up more traps in the galley to catch the rest. If Ivar plays his cards right, I might share my rats with him, but he's still a stuck-up twat.

I'm not sure how the rats are surviving. Maybe there's food still hidden somewhere on the ship. Maybe they're eating each other."

"This must have been when you were on your way back to America...Or... Whatever you want to call this half of the world now," Vee said.

"What do you mean?" Asked Axel.

"The Unity... The government... They abolished the borders, erased the country names and burned the history books. The states became part of the North-Western Hemisphere. Same with Canada and all that. No countries. No names."

Axel seemed to accept his brother's explanation that nothing would ever be as before. The commune in which he now resided was the only tangible place left in existence. Outside the walls lay sites changed from war, stripped of home and heritage. A tightness in Axel's neck prevented him from speaking until the revelations grew too heavy for him to bear.

"What happened to everyone else?" Axel asked.

"It's hard to say," Vee whispered, then cleared his throat. "A lot of people died."

"How many?"

"Billions," Zed said.

"You mean... We're the only ones left?"

"No, we're not. There are other survivors out there, people who were meant to live through the storms."

"Storms?"

Vee sighed, the farfetched nature of their fates exhausting him before he began. "The Unity developed a way to return the planet back to its natural state. No more electronic communication, no more broadcasts or satellites or TV. After the extinctions reached an all-time high, they introduced these plants that could suck the pollution from the air quickly. They grow extremely fast and are lethal to anyone who wasn't vaccinated against the spores. One plant can release a spore cloud big enough to cover half a football field, and they breed and multiply like vermin. Even a small cluster can kill a stadium of unimmunized people in a few minutes."

"But why would they do this? Have I been vaccinated?"

Axel's questions ripped holes in Vee’s composure. Zed's stomach churned and flipped as the scientist fished for the least aggressive explanation. A gloss came over his eyes, and he avoided his brother's bewildered stare.

"No, Axe. You're not."

"Oh... Are you?" Axel whispered.

"Yeah, I am. So is Lea."

"Why? Why didn't I get vaccinated?"

"You were lost at sea with your platoon for weeks, and before that, you were overseas. They didn't immunize the troops."

"Are you telling me the government wants us all to die?"

"Most of this is widely debated. There are some theories that the Unity had a strategy in mind."

Zed lent the scientist a hand and cut the heavy topic with a smile. "Axel, you're much more special than you know. Those people out there all adore you because of what you've done for Kinderfeld. You were the only one brave enough to go out when they needed supplies. People know your name not only here but out in the world. I've seen you fight and shoot. You're a natural."

"Well, yeah. I've been shooting guns since I was a kid."

"You were a special ops sniper. More than just a good shot."

Axel warmed to the compliment. "And what about you? Are you the mercenary of my dreams?"

Zed blushed and failed to hide her pride. "Not a mercenary... But I've murked a few Scavs in my day."

"Man... I like you," Axel tittered. "Ain't she great, Vee? What a prize."

For the few seconds of silence that passed, Vee's expression darkened. He recognized the reverence pulling Axel's features, the heartfelt way Lea relaxed when they spoke. Even in the absence of memory, Axel and Zed forged a bond too strong to pry apart. He would never wish ill upon his brother, but he mourned the days past with the woman whose eyes shone like vats of golden syrup passing under the morning light. At the risk of sharing a likeness with Ivar, the king who could never quite capture the woman's love, Vee thought of what life might have been like had Axel never returned. Would Zed love him? Could she? Had he ever toed the waters of her unspoken affection? Vee cursed his stupidity the night he told her how he felt and quickly dismantled his chances before she had the opportunity to consider him more than a close friend.

As Zed stared at Axel upright in his bed with his journals splayed out around him, Vee knew it was too late to rescind his platonic claim. A victim of his own sabotage, the scientist turned from them and pushed out every last ounce of breath to make room for another stale intake.

"I think it's time I showed Axel the Crimson Yawn."

Zed nodded and left the brothers, sensing a gloomy air rising between them. Vee was much better at explaining the inexplicable. He delivered news with a needed bluntness, one Zed had never mastered. Once she left the lab searching for distractions, Vee helped his brother box up the journals and offered his elbow to guide Axel back on his feet. Amid the bleak news, Axel had almost forgotten the pain in his extremities.

They waddled to the locked chambers where the bulk of Vee's scientific discoveries came to light. Axel squinted against the bright white walls and polished floor as he followed his brother through a series of doors leading to a clear dome similar to the greenhouses he'd found, only this hollow contained a twisted swarm of redheaded plants, mouths bloody and agape. Each one stood over seven feet tall and lifted its black-spotted maw to the sky in a silent scream. Axel turned from them.

"I've seen these before, but never this many. In my dreams, there's always one growing in a container."

"You recognize them?"

"And you say these things can kill me? How is it possible?" Axel asked.

"They're a sophisticated hybrid plant. They release spores like mushrooms, and those spores become airborne. If you breathe them in, they attack your blood, soaking up the nutrients and essentially turning it into a highly acidic jelly. You burn from the inside out. Well...Dissolve is a better word."

"And you've brought me here why!?" Axel shouted, dodging backward and planting too much weight on his bad ankle.

"Don't worry! They can't hurt you from in here. The filtration system's design protects everything inside."

"I still have a hard time believing all this. You know how crazy it sounds, right?"

Vee clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Oh, I realize. Why do you think it took me so long to break the news? You try finding a delicate way to explain this to someone who just came out of a coma."

Axel became transfixed on the plants again after Vee's assurance. He shuffled to the glass and studied the roaring heads, each one slightly different than its neighbour. They resembled demons, bizarre red monsters with thick necks and broad leaves of wax. Their spiked roots toiled in the ground, gnarled and tangled in a hellish orgy above and beneath the soil. Beyond the ranks, Axel saw the roiling jungle and all its hues of green and black. The sun broke through parts in the towering trees. How he longed to feel the wind on his burnt skin and walk among the flora. Axel observed the plants for a few minutes as Vee stepped back and allowed him time to digest.

"Am I in a nightmare?" Axel met his brother's eyes and did not blink.

"Some might say that. And I'm sorry. I've dedicated my life to making things better for the survivors, but there's nothing left I can do. All we have now is the village and each other."

"And mom and dad?"

"They're gone, Axe. They've been gone a while."

The tattooed man swallowed bitterly and nodded as a wall of tears blinded him. Vee touched his brother's shoulder and shared his pain through the comforting gesture. Axel crossed his chest with his good hand and patted Vee's fingers.

"Do you mind if I spend some time alone? This is... It's just a lot."

"Of course. Take all the time you need, Axe. I'll leave the doors unlocked. You good to walk?"

Axel's voice floated below a whisper. "I’ll manage."

~*~

In the apartment, Zed held her arms out before her and swung them in half-circles, stretching her muscles in preparation for another stiff night spent on the sofa. Vee came in after dinner and found Zed flinging her limbs outward.

"Nightly aerobics?" He asked with a touch of humour, the most he could muster after a day of harsh truths.

"Just stretching out before bed. My back's been killing me."

"Oh," Vee's green eyes popped open wide. "Don't sleep on the couch, Lea. You can take the bed tonight."

"Nah, it's okay."

"No, really. I insist. You deserve a night without hanging off the edge of the cushions."

"Then where will you sleep?" She asked.

"The couch."

Zed laughed at the idea. "You're far too tall to fit comfortably."

"I've passed out there dozens of times. Don't worry about me, really. Take the bed."

"Why're you being so nice, huh?" Zed snorted.

"I've seen you in pain the last few days, and I feel bad. It's rude of me to have one of the biggest beds in this place when I don't do anything to deserve it."

"Oh, shush," Zed jested. "You've done more for this place than anyone."

"There's always the Chrysalis."

The good humour in the room vanished with Vee's maladroit suggestion. Zed shook her head and scoffed. "I'm not going to the Chrysalis. I want to stay here with you guys."

"Fine by me. You'll take the bed tonight then. Grab your blankets and go."

Zed and Vee swapped bedding and wished each other goodnight. Though she deemed herself undeserving of the luxury, when Zed crawled onto Vee's large bed and spread her limbs from corner to corner, her skin bristled with goosebumps. The scent of the sheets belonged to the man outside the room, sprawled on the sofa, long legs dangling over the arm—cotton and boyish musk, the redolence Zed had grown accustomed to except in this moment. Lying on the mattress reminded her of the hugs and closeness she'd received from Vee when Axel had fled.

She relived their days together in clips of happy memories and some not so joyful. Across the apartment, Vee recalled the same night playing in Zed's mind—their evening in the greenhouse when they'd held hands, so close together yet barred by the promises of friendship. Vee cursed himself repeatedly while Zed entertained the idea of getting together with the scientist.

Soon, Zed's thoughts slid over the night she'd spent with Ivar. If she concentrated, she could feel the fullness between her legs still. Ivar had made love to her the way couples did in films. He'd stroked her and kissed her skin, took her nipples gently between his lips and sucked until she giggled. What might have excited some left her shivering. Was one of the brothers more deserving of her love? Was she foolish to think herself so desirable her attention was a coveted badge of excellence?

What a prize!

Lea... I want you to tell me no, right now.

It's like you were made for me.

With her heart racing, Zed turned over in bed and clamped her eyes shut. Debating which of the three men in her life she wanted more made her stomach flip, yet she couldn't keep the lewd considerations from pouring into her head. In these fantasies, she replaced Ivar with Vee. Yes, he was smart and gentle and keen on her, but he'd told her not to let him cross the line, claimed he didn't want her that way despite his feelings. Vee's kind face took the place of Ivar's, coasting down her stomach, stamping her thighs with kisses from luscious lips. She squeezed her legs together and let the inevitable shift knock Vee from the picture to make room for his older brother.

The tattooed man with all his addictions and his looming depression positioned himself between her knees and grasped her ankles delicately. A murderer and womanizer leaned over her body, caging her with long limbs decorated with sparrows, weapons, chains and barbed wire.

We're meant to be together. I see you in my dreams every time I fall asleep.

Zed bit her lip when the phantom sensation invaded her. She knew not how Axel would moan or if he'd coo and sigh the way Ivar had when they had sex. She wanted very much to think Axel would treat her with respect and scorned the claims Trinity had made about his wild side. Then the obscene journal entries came to life, glowing, fanned by salacious visions. What if she didn't want to make love? What if she wanted to be taken hard and fast by a man who worshiped her? Guilt and arousal mixed in her chest and sat heavy, grinning evilly like a demon poised to possess her body.

Sleep wriggled through Zed's conjurations and pulled her under before she realized she was slipping into blackness. The cozy bed and Vee's sheets lulled her, and soon, she dreamed of ordinary things, forgetting her personal stash of pornographic thoughts. She slipped further as the moon made a lazy arc through the night sky until something touched her shoulder and jarred her from sleep with a sharp gasp.

Her scream ripped through the apartment, sending her waker toppling out of bed.

"Lea? Oh, fuck. Fuck!"

"Axel?"

In the dimness, neither of them saw each other but tasted each other's heavy breath. Soon the light snapped on, and Vee stood at the door, chest heaving.

"What the hell is going on?" Vee asked. "Axel? What're you doing?"

"Christ, I thought Zed was you. I just came to... Well, I couldn't sleep," Axel cringed. "Shit, my hand. Fuck, I landed like a sack of bricks."

Vee snickered, setting off a series of giggles. "You came to sleep in my bed?"

"I didn't mean to scare you, Lea."

"It's all right," said Zed. "Really. On any other night, it would have been Vee in here."

Axel pulled himself up by the elbows and sat on the edge of the bed, grimacing from the agony of his agitated wounds. "Sorry, guys. It's hard to sleep out there. People are watching me."

Zed scooted over and patted the part of the mattress warm from her body. "Come on. Lie down. I think we could all use a sleepover after the day we've had."

"You're not serious," Vee said with a scoff as his brother took up Zed's offer and laid down next to her.

Zed nodded with conviction. "Absolutely. You too, Valter. Turn off the light and get over here."

He rolled his eyes as he flipped the light switch. "This is hardly a three-person bed."

"Well, cuddle up, pal."

"Lea takes up a fraction of the bed, anyway," Axel pointed out.

"Is this not weird to you? Three adults sharing a bed?"

Zed moved to the center as Vee climbed into bed from the left. To her right, Axel had already sprawled and turned over to face her in the dark.

"It's no stranger than how half the people in this place sleep all piled on top of each other. Humans were meant to nest. In the wild, this is how we'd sleep."

"Yeah, but we're not in the wild," said Vee.

"Yes, we are, little brother. Have you seen it outside? We're literally in glass bubbles, in the middle of a rainforest. Now shut up, and go to sleep."

"You shut up."

"Guys?" Zed chimed.

"Yeah?" The brothers answered.

"I love you both.”

Robbed of their voices, Axel and Vee set aside their bickering to bask in the genial haze of Zed's words. Axel shifted an inch closer while Vee laid stiffly on his side, eyes wide in the dark. As though her claim was bathed in wine, they soaked in the meaning and slipped drunkenly into slumber.

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[lils-writes-stuff]

Hit

spencer reid x reader

Best years part eleven | part ten | part nine | part eight | part seven | part six | part five | part four | part three |part two |part one

Summary: a day so normal can turn on a dime so quick.

warnings: normal criminal minds things, torture, kidnapping, confession of undying love, angst 

A/N: based on season 7 episode 23; it’s a doozy and this is going to get good. 

 The morning seemed normal, nothing special about it really. It was a Saturday, a beautiful Saturday morning where Y/N thought nothing, particularly life-altering, would happen. 

 But, oh, was she wrong. Spencer was going to a convention with Penelope who didn’t want to go alone after her and Kevin’s breakup. Hotch was spending the day with his son and Beth, his girlfriend. JJ was spending the day with her son Henry while Will worked. And Derek was with Emily looking at her new house, who Y/N was supposed to meet but never did. 

 The day was so normal, she woke up at seven, got dressed, and went out for coffee and a muffin before going to meet Emily and Derek. Everything took a turn of fate when she walked out of the coffee shop, seeing the person she had no expectation of seeing that day. 

 Y/N’s heart skipped a beat as she made eye contact with Caroline’s sickeningly beautiful ones. She had a smile that played on her face that told Y/N she had already done something to her. 

 Y/N looked down to her half-empty coffee cup, horror washing over her face as she realized that the man who had made her drink (who she recognized but couldn’t place)  was the man from the diner. 

 She had been drugged and there was no way of getting out of it as her vision blurred and she watched as Caroline got closer.

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

 “Thank you,” Emily said, grabbing the paper from the realtor as she exited the bottom of the house. 

 “Thanks.” Derek nodded to the man. 

 The two walked up the steps from the basement and onto the sidewalk. 

 “I don’t know,” Emily said, conflicted about her decision on the house.

 “Emily, what’s not to know? It’s a beautiful place,” Derek said, confused about Emily’s words. 

 “There are cracks in the foundation.” Emily turned to face Derek. Her face was ridden with hesitance about the home. 

 “Cracks can be fixed,” Derek replied. 

 “No, they can be hidden, they’re still there.” Her words were talking about the house but truly she was talking about herself. 

 “What, are you afraid the place is gonna fall down?” Derek asked her with a puzzled face.

 “I’m afraid it’s never gonna be as strong as it was,” Emily replied, still referring to herself.

 “Okay, somebody’s heart is not into it,” Derek stated, catching onto that this wasn’t really about the house anymore. “What’s going on?” 

 She let out a telling sigh. “I don’t know. When I first came here, I felt like I was home and now, it’s just an uphill battle.”

 Derek looked back at the house, thinking about what Emily was saying with intense thought. 

 “People kill for opportunities like these, am I crazy to pass it up?” She asked. 

 “Well, you gotta do what’s best for you,” Derek replied. She nodded, letting out a quiet ‘yeah’ and shoved the paper into her purse. 

 As the two began to walk down the street Emily thought back to Y/N. “Hey, I wonder where Y/N is? She doesn’t show up for something without telling someone.” Emily began to feel that gut feeling she gets when something was wrong. 

 “She’s probably with Pretty boy, two of them spending a day together,” Derek said not really concerned. 

 “No, he’s with Penelope, they’re at a sci-fi convention, that’s why I asked Y/N to come with us.” Emily pulled out her phone to call Spencer, but couldn’t as she got a call from Hotch. 

------------   

 When Y/N woke up, she was cold, her body shaking from her drenched clothes that clung to her body. The next thing she noticed was that her hands were zip-tied to the sides of a bolted down metal chair. 

 Her eyes still heavy, she assessed her state and where she was. 

 “Loopy, I am very loopy.” Her words were mumbled as she didn’t feel a need to stay quiet. “An apartment.” That’s where she decided she was, the small empty room telling her that. It was mostly dark, a hanging light above her head being the only source of light.

 “Wow, for someone who is just starting to wake up, you are very observant.” A voice came from the shadows of the room. Caroline walked out, her tall figure had aged since Y/N had last seen her, she almost looked old. Her long brown hair had lost some of its volume but she still retained the beauty Y/N saw all those years ago. 

 “You’ve gotten old,” Y/N said, her eyes squinting as she looked at the new forming wrinkles on Caroline’s face. “Must be from all the stress of trying to stay hidden and the prison of course.” 

 “And you still have the attitude I remember,” Caroline laughed, enjoying the moment they were having. 

 “What do you want?” Y/N asked, not wanting to appease whatever moment she was having anymore. 

 “I think you know what I want.” Y/N had an idea, but she didn’t know if it was right. 

 Her to suffer, more than likely, her friends to suffer, sounds more probable. She probably needed to get off from watching her longest victim suffer again.  

 “I have some theories,” Y/N replied, her eyes meeting Caroline's. 

 “Ah, well then Ms. FBI-profiler, let’s hear these amazing theories.” Caroline pulled a chair from behind her. She sat in it backward, her legs draping over the sides. 

 “I rather keep them to myself.” Y/N was stalling now, hoping to God that someone would notice she’s missing and find her. 

 “You know, Honey-- do you still go by that, or have you grown out of it?” The nickname made Y/N want to puke, the sound of it coming from her lips bringing back many painful memories she had locked away. 

 “Things like that, are what are gonna get you hurt.” When the words left her lips, an electric jolt shocked Y/N in her side. The jolt was enough to send her doubling over in pain, but it wasn’t enough to cause major side effects.  

 Caroline laughed and stood up, clapping her hands together. 

 “That’s what I like to see!” She exclaimed as she walked closer to Y/N. She grabbed her face with her index finger and thumb, squeezing her cheeks enough to leave bruises. “And Honey, we’re just getting started.”

-------------- 

 When the team arrived outside of the bank of the robbery, it was frantic. Cop cars, helicopters, swat, the whole get-up was there.

 JJ ran to Will, who was one of the responders to the robbery that was called in. His partner had been shot and killed, but all JJ was worried about was him. 

 “It’s definitely them,” Will said looking at Hotch. “I only saw the King and the Jack, but I figured the queen’s inside, too.” 

 Hotch was listening but he was looking around for Y/N. Spencer was doing the same, but his concern was higher than Hotch’s. 

 “The media’s calling them the Face Cards, seven bank robberies in seven months, they’ve killed one person in each robbery.” Hotch began walking to the swat cars and tent set up. “Has anyone talked to Y/N?” 

 “She was supposed to meet me and Derek at the house-showing this morning but never showed,” Emily answered then turned to Spencer. “We thought she could have been with you.”

 “No, I called her this morning before I left to meet Garcia, she said she was going to get a coffee before she met you.” Spencer was scared now Y/N didn’t do this. She would never go off without at least telling someone what she was even remotely doing.

 “Okay, going back to this case, serial killers who have a thirty-day cooling-off period and we’re only hearing about this now?” Emily asked, changing the subject to the case at hand. 

 Spencer was listening, but his thoughts kept going back to every word Y/N had said to him that morning. Going over it, over and over again. Nothing told him anything that would hint she would be leaving or doing something spontaneous.

 “Well, headquarters has always characterized them as robbers first, serial killers second,” Hotch replied to Emily’s question. 

 “No one kills seven people without serious psychopathic tendencies,” Spencer said, trying to stay somewhat focused on the case. 

 She’s probably fine, she’s probably fine, his gut was speaking louder than his brain that she wasn’t. 

 “I disagreed with the original assessment, I was overruled,” Hotch said looking at Spencer. He took note of the way he was nervously swaying and messing with his hands. That was one of his tells that something was bothering him. 

 “So why are we here?” Rossi asked Hotch.

 “Because crisis negotiation is overseas,” Hotch replied. 

 “What more do we know about them?” JJ asked. 

 “They’re organized, they’re efficient. Each strike lasts about two minutes.” Hotch turned and began walking again to the tent set up. 

 “They gotta be scouting the banks in advance,” Derek speculated. “Why haven’t we been able to I.D. them off of the surveillance footage?”

 They walked into the FBI on-scene command center where Penelope sat in front of a makeshift home base. 

 “They hack the security feed and turn off the cameras, both during the initial canvass and during the robbery, until the masks come back on, and then we’re allowed to watch.” Hotch stood behind Penelope, looking at all the screens with the footage. 

 “They’re using the hostages as human shields,” Rossi said, observing the way the hostages were lined up in front of the doors. 

 “This is the first time they’ve been interrupted. What went wrong?” JJ asked. 

 “It’s a big bank, it’s possible they weren’t about to round everybody up before someone triggered an alarm,” Emily answered with a theory. 

 “Why haven’t they cut the feed now that they’ve been cornered? Letting us see inside gives up a tactical advantage, they gotta know that.” Derek said, confused as to what their plan was.

 “They don’t seem to care,” Hotch said. 

 Spencer stopped all thoughts he had on this case when the words left Hotch’s mouth. 

 “She never cared about if people saw her it seemed.” Y/N said as the two sat over dinner. She was in a blue dress that complimented her skin and eyes so well, Spencer remembered. “She said she always loved to put on a show.” 

 “Reid?” JJ asked, pulling Spencer out of his memory. 

 “What?” He asked, not knowing what she had just said. 

 “I said they’re overconfident and arrogant and was wondering if you could relay onto that,” JJ said, repeating her words.

 “The, um, the face card masks could add to their narcissism,” he responded, recalling what he was thinking before his memory. “Their personas are the royalty of poker.” 

 “JJ and Prentiss look at past robberies, that’s gonna be our victimology, pull another analyst if you need to,” Hotch ordered, the two leaving the van to head back to Quantico. “Dave, I want you to handle negotiations, and Morgan, strategize tactical options with MPD.” They all nodded and left the room, Rossi staying along with Spencer. 

 “Reid, do you have any idea where Y/N is?” Hotch asked him, knowing this wasn’t normal for Y/N to not show up like this. 

 “I-I had a thought,” Spencer responded, nervous all a sudden that if he said this it would be true. “I think Caroline Roberts might have her.” 

 “How can you be so sure?” Hotch asked, unsure if that was true. 

 “Because when you said that these guys didn’t seem to care, I remembered something Y/N said about how Caroline liked to put on a show.” Y/N’s voice rang through his head, the words from that night repeating over and over. “She also would have the ability to control an operation like this, Y/N always said she had a thing for robbery.”

 “Who’s Caroline Roberts?” Rossi asked, looking between the two. 

 “The woman who tormented Y/N in college,” Hotch answered, knowing that there was no hiding it from Rossi anymore. “Garcia, can you track Y/N’s phone?” 

 “Yeah, of course,” Penelope’s voice was shaky as she began typing. She was worried about her friend. Y/N had told her what Caroline had done and if that’s where she was she didn’t want her to be hurt. 

 “Reid, do you think this Caroline woman had something to do with these robberies?” Rossi asked. He had no idea what was going on with Y/N’s past, but if it could help them with this case, he wanted to know everything. 

 “She could, but that’s only a hunch,” Spencer responded. 

 “Her phone’s sim card has been removed, I can’t track it,” Penelope said, a tear rolling down her cheek knowing that meant she was probably taken.

 “Reid, go back to Quantico to help JJ and Prentiss, I will let you know if anything comes in.” Hotch did not need Spencer here as Caroline showed up with Y/N, it didn’t take a profiler to see that Spencer would risk his life for Y/N. That is not something he needed today. 

 “But Hotch--” 

 “Now.” 

--------------- 

 “Agh!” The jolt of the taser made Y/N scream again as it shocked her for what felt like the hundredth time. 

 “Tell me all about this new boy of yours Honey.” Caroline stood in front of Y/N with a hose she attached to a sink. “Tell me all about how much you love him.” 

 “How do you know that?” Y/N said, panting heavily from the jolt she had just received. 

 “That’s not the answer I was looking for.” Caroline turned the hose on and sprayed Y/N again. 

 Y/N was gasping as the water running all over her face and chest made her shiver.

 “I love him, yes I do.” Y/N said, just wanting the water to stop because she was freezing. She did not want to admit that to her, but that atser was really painful and she just wanted it to stop.  

 “See was that so hard,” Caroline said, talking to her like she was a child. “I just want some girl talk, you know like we used to have.” 

 “That’s not what you want.” Y/N muttered under her breath. 

 “Speak up Honey, you know I can’t stand when you mutter,” Caroline said, holding her hand around her ear. 

 “I said that’s not what you want, bitch.” The words were hard and cold as they left Y/N’s lips with hatred. “You want to watch me suffer and fall into pieces again, but I won’t let it happen. You’ve been sending me letters again, you’ve been watching me suffer from a distance for your own amusement.” Her voice was seething as she glared at the woman. 

 “Well, guess what, I will not let you break me again, ever.” She leaned forward in the chair, tugging on the restraints that were bound to create bruises. 

 Y/N was a woman now, who wasn’t afraid to tell Caroline off. She didn’t want her to have what she wanted. 

 “Are you sure about that? That I won’t get what I want, I mean,” Caroline laughed as she spoke. She walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed an IPad. “I mean the letters I’ve been sending have been fun and all, but I needed to see you again. To watch as you collapse into a shell of who you were-” she took in a hiss of a breath- “well, I guess it’s who you’ve become.” 

 When she opened the IPad she pulled up to a live feed of what looked like a bank robbery. She pointed to a woman dressed in all black. “You see her? That’s my partner, I love her, well I love what she can get me really.” 

 “What can she get you?” Y/N asked. If she was here she might as well get as much information as she could. 

 “Well, she’s gotten me lots of money since her and her gang of robbers has gotten me,” Caroline explained. She pulled her chair closer to Y/N, so now they were face to face. “I am, well, I guess you could say their boss, but the two guys she works with don’t want to put a title on it. In fact, I think they think I don’t exist, crazy right?”

 “Crazy,” Y/N said with no emotion. 

 “They also don’t know that this whole thing is a set up for my partner and her boyfriend, who also works with us, to satisfy whatever need they have. I don’t even really care what that is to be honest. And for me to torture you again by making you watch your family suffer.” Caroline was laughing as she pulled the IPad back to her to look at the feed again. “Satisfying my needs.” 

 Y/N’s face filled with horror. “What?” She gritted her teeth with anger at her words. She wasn’t scared yet, her first instinct now being anger instead of fear like it used to be. 

 “I said, my team will get yours to suffer so I can make you watch, and then I am either going to kill you or you can join me in my escapade,” Caroline continued. 

 Y/N shook her head, tears of rage falling down her face. “No-no, I will not let you do that.” Her voice was thick and full of determination. “They will find you, they will.”

 She leaned forward again, with much more force that she hoped it would break the restraints or move the chair. “Do not touch them.” 

 “Yeah, not so sure I’m going to listen to you on that one,” Caroline said, sucking in a breath. She got up from her chair and walked over to a camera in the corner. She pulled it closer and turned it on. A flashing red light appeared and Caroline walked back into the frame. 

“Say hi to your friends Y/N!” She said, her voice happy as she waved to the camera. Y/N had tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at the camera, a pleading look on her face. 

----------- 

 “In six robberies no one’s been able to build a sketch of the unsubs before they put their masks on,” Emily said to Spencer and JJ as she read some of the files. “These witness descriptions are all over the map.” 

 “Probably because of the trauma suffered inside,” JJ said looking at Emily. 

 Spencer sat with a marker as he worked on the map, his mind not being able to focus completely as he thought more and more about Y/N. God he felt so stupid, he had o focus and all he could do was think about her. 

 “Reid, what you got?” Emily asked when she noticed Spencer had stopped writing on the map. 

 “Uh, I-I've noticed that they’ve been zig-zagging north and south but in a relative straight pattern from Washington, D.C.,” Spencer said. His words were stuttered as he tried to focus on what was in front of him. The two women noticed but didn’t mention it yet. 

 “This is the largest bank they’ve hit, before today, it’s just been small branches in rural communities,” JJ said. 

 “So today was always a part of their plan but why the nation’s capital?” Emily asked, her pen pointing to Spencer’s map. “To make a statement?”

 Spencer tried to think more into it as his mind overlapped stuff with what Y/N had told him about Caroline and their victimology of the case. He was currently coming up with nothing, but that was because he had only gotten through half of the information in his head.

 But for all he knew, Caroline had nothing to do with this and Y/N could be lying in a ditch dead from something else. Okay, so that wasn’t very probable, but he was so annoyed with the fat of not knowing, he lost rational thought about it.  

 “I pulled schematics from the previous banks,” Kevin Lynch said walking into the room with some blueprints. “This is the first one with the metal detectors, maybe that’s what went wrong.” 

 “No, they cased the branches too well in advance. They’d know to be ready for them,” Emily said, debunking Kevin’s theory. “These are takeover robberies. No faces, no passing notes, no prints. They’re professionals.”

 “Hey, there is something all these robberies have in common,” JJ said, bringing the attention to her. “The queen’s the only one who pulls the trigger.” 

 Spencer was pulled back into another memory of something Y/N had told him. 

 “She always said, ‘Y/N, the woman has all the power, they can pull the trigger if they have the right mindset, anytime they want, it’s how we are made.’”

 They all sat quietly again and began to work. When Kevin had left the room, JJ and Emily looked at each other before turning to Spencer. 

 “Spence, what’s up?” JJ asked, concern evident in her voice.. 

 “Y/N.” He said with a sad voice. 

 The two women looked at each other confused, not understanding what he meant. 

 “Spencer, I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that. What about Y/N.” JJ’s voice was motherly like she was speaking to a small child. That’s how Spencer felt about this, small and helpless.

 “I think she’s been kidnapped by whoever is controlling this,” Spencer explained, finally looking about at the two. 

 Spencer knew he couldn’t hide this if it meant they could stop the madness inside the bank. 

 “What do you mean?” Emily asked, confused about what Spencer knew. Her question made him irritated because all he had right now was speculation on the matter. 

 “When Y/N was in college, she was mentally tortured by a woman who took her under her wing named Caroline Roberts,” Spencer explained as he looked up to JJ and Emily. 

 “Mentally tortured? Like, she verbally abused her?” JJ asked, not fully understanding. 

 “She would torture Y/N’s friends and convince them it was either Y/N’s fault or they did it to themselves. Y/N couldn’t handle watching people she cared for getting hurt, so she isolated herself from the rest of the world, no friends, no boyfriends, and she limited conversations with her mom and best friend so Caroline couldn’t find them,” Spencer explained. His voice raised with annoyance with the woman who did this to her. 

 The information JJ and Emily received overwhelmed them. Spencer just spat it out, but he didn’t care if it meant saving the woman he loved, he would say it. 

 “Well, how do you know she’s behind this?” Emily asked. 

 “Because I remember every conversation we had about Caroline, and there are things happening here that line up with things she would tell Y/N.” Spencer jabbed his finger into the table aggressively as he got irritated. It wasn’t completely true, he needed confirmation on it because for all he knew she was lying in a ditch.

  Stop thinking that Spencer.  

 “Spence, this is good, what you remember might help us solve this,” JJ said, her hand grabbing his bicep. 

 “So when we say something that reminds you of it, tell us, okay?” Emily said looking at Spencer. 

 He nodded. God, he felt so helpless. He felt like he couldn’t do anything to save Y/N, but he promised her he wouldn’t let Caroline hurt her, and he intended to keep that promise. 

--------------  

 “All right Honey, you ready to shine,” Caroline said walking behind Y/N. “If you say anything about what I told you, I will kill them faster than you can say my name, understand?” 

 Y/N nodded, too tired from being jolted again and again to muster up the voice to speak. She knew they were lies, Caroline wouldn’t kill them without making her watch them suffer first. Having her see them panic as they looked for her or watch as she was tortured. She couldn’t do it, it wasn’t who she was. 

 When the video became live, a link appeared on Penelope’s computer. Curious she clicked on it on another screen, keeping the ongoing investigation on the one directly in front of her. 

 She gasped as she saw Y/N on the screen. Her hair was wet and clinging to her face, her light blue shirt was stretched from all the water and almost see-through, her black jeans were dripping at the hems, and she was barefoot. 

 “Sir, I found Y/N,” Penelope said, bringing Hotch’s attention away from Strauss and to her computer screen. A tear rolled down Penelope’s cheek as she watched the woman she recognized as Caroline take a taser to her back. 

 Y/N’s back arched as she tried to pull away from the pain. She let out a cry of pain, this one being the worst pain she’s felt yet. 

 “I said to say hi to you technical analyst Y/N,” Caroline barked at Y/N. “What’s her name? Isn’t it Penelope? I noticed she had put tabs on me, your doing I assume.”

 “Oh god,” Penelope cried as she watched Y/N and heard her name. 

 “Garcia, can you track this?” Hotch asked, rushed as he leaned next to her. 

 Garcia began typing furiously on her computer, trying to triangulate where the video was coming from. “No, sir, it says it’s coming from inside the bank, I think she connected the feed to the banks so we couldn’t track it.” 

 Y/N screamed again as Caroline shoved the taser to her side. Hotch and Penelope winced as they watched her scream. 

 “Hi, Penelope.” Y/N panted, tears spilling out of her eyes from the pain. She wasn’t going to lose, her competitive nature wouldn’t allow it.

 But damn, that taser hurt, even after she had turned it down.  

 Caroline laughed again. “Now tell your unit chief you can’t come to the scene.” 

 “Hotch, I can’t make it into work today…” Y/N trailed off. She was panting and becoming really tired again. Caroline stalked over to the hose picking it up and spraying Y/N to keep her awake. 

 Y/N gasped as the cold water hit her stomach. 

 “Continue please,” Caroline said, turning off the hose. 

 “I can’t make it because this bitch is too much of a coward to work her own unit in the field as you do.” Y/N knew that her telling Hotch that Caroline was their leader would get her in trouble, but if it meant helping them she would do it.

 “You little--” Caroline grabbed the taser again and put it against Y/N again. Y/N screamed but then laughed when it was over. Adrenaline mixed with some anger was fueling her words. “What’s so funny?” 

 “They’re gonna stop this,” Y/N sang a laugh taking over her at the end. She sounded loopy and almost crazy with the way she was singing her words. “And Honey, believe me Spencer will know what to do.” She hoped Spencer would remember the time she told him about the nickname, praying he would know where to find her,   

 “How? We have this all planned out.” Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. 

 Hotch, Strauss, and Penelope watched the scene intently as if it was a movie. 

 “Because they’re smart and they know how to.” The kick of adrenaline was wearing off now, and her eyelids become heavy again. 

 “Okay, we’re done for now,” Caroline said walking over to the camera and turning it off. 

 “No,” Penelope said as if she could be heard. “We-we can’t show Reid that.” 

 “We have too, he might know what she meant,” Hotch said, pulling out his phone to call Spencer.

- 

 Caroline squatted in front of Y/N, grabbing her chin she lifted it harshly to have her look at her. “I’m giving you a break, for now.” 

 “Wow, how nice of you, why?” Y/N’s words were slurred from her exhaustion. 

 “You’re gonna need your strength for when your boyfriend gets there, so you can tell him how you feel before he dies,” She said with a chuckle. 

 Y/N’s stomach churned at the thought of her hurting Spencer. Her face red with anger, she said through gritted teeth, “They’re gonna stop this.”

 “Damn Y/N, when will you learn, the good guys don’t always win,” Caroline said, moving from her squatting position to standing. She gripped the hair on the top of Y/N’s head, pulling her head back to have her look at her. “One of your cops shot one of the brothers, so there’s no telling what’s going to happen now, so just you wait.” 

-----------   

 Hotch stood with Rossi outside of the bank as they called in to let them know a medic was on his way in. 

 “Why hasn’t anyone come in yet?” The king, now identified as Chris said to Rossi on the phone. 

 “We’re sending in the medic now, Chris. Tell Oliver help is on the way,” Rossi said, identifying the two men to let them know they had their identity.

 “Hurry.” Chris hung up the phone.

 Rossi, Derek, and Hotch stood watching the live footage from the post outside. After Identifying the two men, the queen took off her mask and looked directly into the camera. They watched as Green, the medic agent, entered Oliver collapsed. 

 “This is not good, Aaron,” Rossi said.

 “Morgan, tell Green to make a move before Chris does,” Hotch ordered Derek. 

 “Green, you gotta go, Green, go,” Derek said into his mic. 

 Green leaned up from over Oliver now dead body, reaching into his bag for his gun. Before he could get a shot off, Chris’ anger struck and shot Green right in the chest, then one right in his head.

 They all stood in disbelief shaking their heads. 

 Back at Quantico, Spencer rushed down to Penelope’s office where Kevin was. Hotch called him and told him they had gotten a video feed from Caroline of Y/n.

 With every step he took, he felt lighter. Knowing there was a video gave him hope and almost felt like security.  

 “Kevin, Hotch said you have a video of Y/N,” Spencer said, leaning down to look at the screen. His voice shook with anticipation and order.  

 “Yeah, uh, let me just skip to the part--” Kevin began running the mouse over the video bar but Spencer stopped him. 

 “Don’t skip, I need to watch the whole thing,” Spencer told him. 

 “I don’t know if you want too,” Kevin said looking at Spencer sympathetically. 

 “I need to, Kevin.” 

 He didn’t care if she was yelling at him that she hated him, he needed to see the woman he loved. He knew what it was like to be tortured like this and he didn’t want her to go through two days of pain and suffering like he did. He hated that thought. He hated it so much that he almost wanted to throw up. 

 Kevin sighed and clicked play. Spencer watched with horror as Y/N screamed in pain. Tears filled his eyes as he watched his love in pain. He wanted to throw up now, and his hand was ready to reach for a trash can to do so. 

  “They’re gonna stop this,” Y/N sang a laugh taking over her at the end. “And Honey, believe me Spencer will know what to do.”

 When the name Honey left Y/N’s lips, Spencer was sucked back into another memory. 

 “She called me Honey, a mock to my southern background I always thought. But the first time she called me it was when I moved into a new apartment, and she was still being nice at this time.” 

 His feeling of nausea went away as he now knew where she was and that gave him a good feeling. 

 “An apartment, that’s where she is,” Spencer said, wiping the stray tears that he let fall. “Kevin I need you to look up apartments or properties, things like that, bought in the name Caroline Roberts.” 

 Kevin began typing on the computer, all different receipts popping up on the screen. None showing any apartments or properties in her name. 

 “There’s nothing man, I’m sorry,” Kevin said as he came up with nothing. 

 Spencer wanted to throw something. He wasn’t mad at Kevin, he wasn’t, he was furious at Caroline and himself. She probably used a fake name, a stolen card or she’s in an abandoned building. So many thoughts were circling his mind it made him want to pull his hair out.   

 Why didn’t he just stay with her this morning? That could’ve prevented all of this. He felt helpless, and all he wanted to do was hold Y/N in his arms, but he couldn’t. 

 His brain raked through everything he was told about Caroline. How she had to have the satisfaction of watching someone suffer, how she had to watch her victim fall apart. That’s when he knew. 

 “There’s gotta be more. She’s going to give us another message.”     

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

 Emily had received a call from Clyde Easter, giving her some information on the mystery woman. Easter informed her that she had been a part of robberies back while Emily was in Paris she had heard about, but the woman had no partners. 

 “What if the smaller banks were training runs for the Stratton brothers?” Rossi asked. Spencer, JJ, and Emily were still back at Quantico while Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan were still at the scene. 

 “Well, it could be. She took two relatively amateur thugs and turned them into an elite team of efficient robbers,” Derek said.  

 “And don’t forget, we found out from Y/N that Caroline Roberts is the head of the operation,” Hotch added. “She could have helped the female unsub train the Stratton brothers.”

 “But why? To turn them into patsies?” Emily asked, confused. 

 “All right, so let’s look at it. Up until now they’ve been highly organized, striking only on deposit days when the most amount of cash is on hand,” JJ said, verbally having them take a step back to look at the whole picture.  

 “But today’s different, it’s their first Saturday hit, where families are present, more foot traffic throughout the day, and their leader has taken someone captive who is a federal agent,” Spencer said, his voice cracking when he spoke about Y/N. 

 “It’s a riskier attack,” Will spoke. 

 “We should consider the media attention, too,” Hotch said, looking at Will. “It’s the first time they’ve had an audience.” 

 “That might be why the female unsub is so vain, she wants to look good for the cameras,” Emily posed. 

 “She searches the bank but doesn’t actually look for a means of escape,” Rossi stated confused as he watched the footage of the woman walking around the bank. “She appears to be almost enjoying the situation.”

 “We know the brothers are in it for the money, but what are Caroline and the mystery woman in it for?” Hotch asked.  

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

 Y/N gasped as the cold water hit her face. Her eyes shot open and met Caroline’s, who was holding a bucket that she filled with water. 

 “Rise and shine Honey,” she said with a sickening smile. “My people are trying to get out, they’re getting a little antsy. And get this Chris, one of the guys, he thinks he’s in charge.” She laughed at her words. Caroline was trying to make conversation, her sadistic way of torture being that she would act like a friend than an enemy.

 “Haha, that’s funny,” Y/N said, giving a fake laugh. She knew Caroline liked to pull the strings from behind the curtain. It was her way of getting whatever she wanted.

 “Your team I believe has also discovered that my partner has an accomplice in the bank, took them long enough. They’ve found out that we wanted them there.” She was laughing as though saying it took them long enough.

 “Wait, there’s another one?” Y/N asked, confused. She had no idea Caroline would work with so many people that could take control. 

 She nodded her head as the response to the question. 

 “It’s gonna be a huge blast watching them, well, be a part of a blast,” Caroline said, revealing that she had more planned than Y/N initially thought. 

 “No, they’ll find out, they will.” Y/N shook her head furiously, tears streaming down her face again. She had given up on trying to stop them. 

 This was the first step of her unraveling. She had given up on trying to stop tears and her body was just falling into every word she said. This was not what she wanted to happen, she needed to fight back.

 “Yeah, I don’t think so.” Caroline placed her hands on her hips. A pout on her face as she looked at Y/N with fake sympathy.  

 “Okay-” Caroline rubbed her hands together as she got excited for what was to come next- “It’s time!” 

 “Time for what?” Y/N asked, not amused by her excitement. 

 “Time for you to confess your feelings for Spencer of course,” She scoffed in disbelief that Y/N would even ask such a question. She brought the IPad back over to pull up the live video feed. 

 Y/N watched as what looked like Will enter the building. “Will?” 

 “Is that his name? I didn’t know, JJ’s husband though right?” Caroline asked looking at Y/N who didn’t respond but watch the screen intently. 

 “Well, he shot Chris’ brother Oliver, so this should end well,” Caroline said excitedly. 

 “No, no, stop this, Caroline he has a son, a beautiful son, don’t let him hurt Will.” Y/N’s voice hadn’t been so pleading yet. She couldn’t dare watch as the love of JJ’s life and the father of her son die. She knew Caroline deep down inside her had some morals, for what she didn’t quite know but she knew it was there.  

 “Yeah, can’t do that.” 

 Y/N kept pleading her voice cracking as tears fell down her face. He has a vest on, he has a vest on, she repeated in her head. Will walked in with his hands up, Chris pointing the gun at him as he entered.

 “Let these people go,” Will said to Chris. 

 “All right, you, you and you-” Christ pointed to a woman and two children. “The kids, get out.” The mom and two kids ran out of the bank. 

 Y/N let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She was relieved that the kids got out safe. 

 “Hey, what’s your name?” Chris asked Will. He had lowered his gun by his side by now, but Will still kept his arms up. 

 “William LaMontagne Jr., MPD,” Will answered. Chris looked back to the woman before smiling in a mocking way. 

 The next moments played in slow motion as Chris turned back around and shot Will. 

 “No!” Y/N cried. He has a vest on, he has a vest, she kept saying to herself. The video feed then cut out as Will fell to the ground. 

 “Oh, that sucks,” Caroline winced.

 “JJ, I’m so sorry,” Y/N whispered to herself. She was apologizing like how she used to in college. That was Caroline’s know that she was getting into Y/N’s head.

-----------

 “How’s JJ?” Spencer asked Penelope over the phone. He was with Kevin in Penelope’s office in Quantico still, everyone else at the scene. 

 “It’s bad, Reid,” Penelope responded. Not only was Spencer worried sick about Y/N but now his best friend’s husband could be dead. 

 “I should be, we’ve learned everything we can from here,” Spencer said as he began to pace around the room. 

 He wanted to throw up again. There had been no word on Y/N since the video and his mind was thinking the worse. No one could go look for her because one: all teams were deployed to help with the bank. And two: because they had no idea where she could be. 

  He was really trying to get rational thought back, he really was, but it was hard. He was in love with her and all rational thoughts are clouded by his overwhelming desire to hold her. He needed to do it, to smell her shampoo, to feel her soft skin, and to kiss her lips. 

 “No, you can help more by helping me and your brain works faster than mine,” Penelope said, typing on her computer swiftly. “And Hotch told you to stay there remember?”

 “Yeah, but seeing what’s going on outside doesn’t help us inside, or finding Y/N.” Spencer’s eyes went to the TV with the news on.

 Spencer could hear Penelope’s shrug of sympathy. He could feel the pout she was giving, and it only made him feel worse.  

 “Kevin, can you pull up the surveillance feed prior to Will being shot?” Spencer asked, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. That was really difficult.  

 “Sure, what are we looking for?” Kevin asked as he began to pull it up. 

 “The female unsub disappeared once before if she wasn’t looking for an escape--” 

 “Reid, you need to see this,” Penelope cut Spencer off. 

 Popping up on Kevin’s computer was a now live feed, but not of the bank. It was Y/N sitting in the chair of the apartment she was being held captive in.

 “Garcia, is this live?” Spencer asked getting closer to the screen as he saw Y/N scream when Caroline put the taser to her back again. He winced as he watched her cry. All he wanted to do was reach through the screen to save her. 

 “Yes, it is.” Penelope’s voice was cracking from her tears.

“Say it,” Caroline sneered, grabbing Y/N by the back of her hair and pulling her head back to look at the camera. “Tell him what you’ve been so afraid to say because of me.” 

 “I love you.” Her voice was thick as she tried not to cry and she was panting from the pain still.

 Spencer stood speechless, that wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. Not at a time like this at least. 

 This isn’t how she wanted to do it, not at all. She wanted to tell him while they sat and read, or when they laid in bed at night and talked into the early morning hours, she didn’t want to tell him like this. 

 “Oh come on you can do better than that.” Caroline’s words were seething and evil as she enjoyed watching the woman battle with her emotions. “Tell him all about how you feel, because if you don’t you won’t be able to repeat it again.” 

 They were empty threats, Y/N knew that Caroline wouldn’t kill her yet.

 Y/N breathed in deeply, a fatal attempt to compose herself before she spoke. “I love you, Spencer Reid. I love you more than anything I could ever love. I love how you know exactly what I’m thinking when I can’t express myself. I love how you hold my hand when you can tell I’m nervous. I love-” she choked up as her tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks.

  “I love how when you get excited you overly talk with your hands. The way you smile when you talk about a book, makes my heart soar. When you make me a cup of coffee in the morning, I know that’s how I want to spend every morning until I die. I love the thought of you holding our children and teaching them how to read. I love the thought of you holding me while I cry over how stressed I am with work and kids and you telling me everything’s going to be okay. I can’t even breathe at the thought of not loving you, because I-I never thought I would have or need someone like you before. Everyone talks about their great love. I never thought I would have one, but you’re it, Spencer. You’re my great love.” 

 When she finished, her eyes were filled with tears that she tried to keep at bay until the end. Finally, she released them. She was shaking, not only from the sobs raking her body but because she was cold. Her wet hair on her neck made her shiver as Caroline let it go. She knew that Caroline wanted more, she always did, and when she did that is when she would tell Spencer about the bomb.  

 Spencer watched the live feed. His own eyes welling up with tears. 

 “Spencer.” Penelope’s voice was quiet and sad as her voice was heard over the phone.

 “We have to find her.” He was pacing, hand grabbing the back of his head, breathing heavily. “She’s gonna be okay, she’s strong, she won’t be beaten,” he muttered the words under his breath. 

 “Anything else, Honey?” Caroline asked Y/N, she was squatted in front of Y/N. 

 “Spence, I’m sorry, you got to stop them you’ve gotta- she’s got a -” a Harsh slap cut her off. She was trying to tell him something and Caroline wasn’t going to allow it.  Caroline stood up and turned off the camera, the feed becoming static again.

 “No,” Spencer’s voice cracked as Caroline shut the camera off. “Kevin pull up the videos of the female unsub.”

 Spencer stared at the blueprints of the building, following the path the female unsub was on from the videos. “She was following the electrical lines…” he finally knew what was about to happen. “Gas mains. Oh, no.” 

 “Garcia, get them out of there!” Spencer exclaimed to Penelope over the phone. 

 Penelope, Strauss, and Rossi ran out of the van. Rossi yelled into his watch to abort. 

-

 Caroline held the screen of the live feed she was able to get off the bank. Y/N watched as some of the agents walked in. 

 “No, no,” she whispered tears rolling down her cheeks. An explosion was heard and the feed cut out. “No!”

 “Now we’re getting somewhere.”   

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added!!):

@throughparisallthroughrome​ @word-scribbless​ @nintendumbfuck​ @confused-and-really-hungry​ @justine-en​ @andiebeaword​ @itsarayofsunshine​ @baby-i-am-fireproof​ @abitofeverythinggg​ @nanocoool​ @marceline-is-my-spirit-animal​ @fancyfaucet​ @im-a-raging-gay​ @atletino @mo-whore @peterparkersdestiny​ @bandsandjill​ @mbowles23-blog​ @sarcasm-n-insomnia​ @citrussirus​ @nerual222 @april-14-blog​ @reidloversisforever @heavenlyholland​ @justawildmarebae​ @sana-li​ @thesailbells​

#spencer reid imagine #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid series #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds meme #criminal mids fic #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch hotchner #derek morgan #derek morgan imagine #luke alvez #Penelope Garcia #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n

[everything-laito]

Laito Sakamaki and His Relationships with the Sakamaki Family: an Anthology (more like biggo rant)

DaYUM; I’ve accidentally let these pile up in my ask box, so I will answer all of these in one post… Prepare for a huuuuge rant under the cut! Also thank you so much @hotline-to-hell​, you’re so lovely and supportive as usual, and thanks sm for contributing, same goes for you, anons!! Let’s break this up into parts tho… and start with the biggest one yet: Laito and Ayato’s relationship. 

I swear this is like an anthology,,,,, biggo rant under the cut!

Laito’s relationships with Ayato

I regularly call Ayato and Laito “double trouble.” This is because they’re usually found as a pair when some ultra-harassing is being planned. Despite Ayato sometimes visibly being uncomfortable as a result of Laito’s antics, he’s the one that gets along with him the most. The reason why Ayato has resentment for Laito seems to be that Laito wouldn’t help Ayato when they were kids; and Laito would be a bystander. Ayato was also a bystander in the Laito situation too. A very heartfelt moment occurs at the end of Ayato and Laito’s VS CD: [9/28/21: UPDATED TRANSLATION; THIS ONE’S MORE CORRECT]

Laito: You see, I often thought about why I was the person I was. Or why I couldn’t be like you or Kanato-kun instead? That’s why I hate you…I loathe how you feign ignorance when you actually know exactly what’s going on. And above all…I’m envious of how you can be so honest and upright about everything. …I know I can never be like that. I’ve been ruined by that woman. I’m not hiding my feelings either. They’ve simply been erased from within me. …Haha. Ayato: I hate you too. You’re never honest…I mean, if only you had asked for my help at some point, I would haveーーI knew you were putting up a tough facade the whole time. …However, as much as I admired you for your strength, it also pissed me off at the same time. I couldn’t forgive you.

(First of all this confirms that Laito didn’t like what Cordelia did to him; it was forced emotion on this end, thus creating a facade. I think I went over this in my Hilde analysis a little bit through the context of Hilde’s situation). Laito feels like he is permanently soiled and cannot move past this situation, and that’s terrible. However I should do a separate analysis on this drama CD. (I was going to put this in another analysis I think but then took it out last minute) 

Second of all, I believe that what Ayato means by that Laito’s “not honest” is that he knows Laito has a facade [with updated translation: this is confirmed]. Aka having a facade does not make you honest. I mean, he’s known Laito throughout his whole life; and Ayato is decently observant. He also obviously hangs around with Laito more often than his other brothers, (and vise versa) so it makes sense that Ayato would know something was up. He just has a vendetta against Laito because Laito would avoid conflict [UPDATED:] and the fact that Laito didn’t come to him. 

----------------UPDATED ANALYSIS 9/28/21----------------

The fact that Ayato sees Laito being strong is,,,,, so sweet and very accurate. Laito is defnitely strong and Ayato being like “if only you’d ask for my help”––GOD THIS BREAKS MY HEART AAAAA but Laito wasn’t honest with Ayato especially when they were kids because Laito probably didn’t know how to vocalize what was happening between him and Cordelia. And on top of that, there was no emotional stability in the triplet’s lives, so Laito felt like he needed to take it upon himself in order to to try his best to protect Ayato and Kanato. Obviously, this made Ayato feel bad because he wanted Laito to come to him too, and be there for Laito like how Laito was there for him. Sure Laito couldn’t do much when they were children, but he tried his best with what he was able to do. Ayato can’t forgive Laito for doing this to himself and pushing all his emotions down just so he could be there for Ayato and Kanato. It makes sense why Ayato was pissed off by this, yet grateful at the same time.

And Laito being absolutely self aware with his own lack of honesty just,,,, gives me the feels. But Laito calling out Ayato for feigning ignorance also makes sense too. Ayato knew about the whole Cordelia thing with Laito, and yet never reached out with that. I mean, I’m not sure what Ayato could have done at that point since it happened when they were older (at least the first time Cordelia sexually abused him––I know things happened when Laito was a child but I think he was more groomed as a kid in my opinion and from my deductions) and Ayato and Laito were drifting at this point.

Ok now that’s my updated part of this analysis, this was a pretty old one and I just had new thoughts and found a better translation.

---------------------------UPDATE END-------------------

Remember the whole thing I said in Laito and Shin’s VERSUS CD analysis was that Laito hates conflict and runs from his problems. It’s probably a defense mechanism of his but it’s honestly done more harm than solve it. This caused Ayato to kind of be stronger for himself, since he couldn’t get that strength from Laito. So that’s really sad, and answers the question whether or not any of his brothers know about his mask. But I believe it might just be Ayato, and I will get to that in a minute. It also answers Laito and Ayato’s love/hate relationship. 

I think that Ayato is more scared of Laito in the sense that he’s concerned about what’s he’s become. Like Ayato is always down to clown with Laito, and then Laito says some really weird shit sometimes that makes Ayato be like “oh god why”. I know I mentioned this but it is something to emphasize. I do think that Ayato knows that Laito is calculating, cunning, and manipulative as all hell. I don’t think he’s scared of him, or else why would he choose to hang out with Laito? Laito has nothing to gain by forcing Ayato to clown with him.  Ayato usually doesn’t let Laito mess around with him if Ayato’s already got it going with another person; in this case, Yui. Their interactions within Vandead Carnival and Lunatic Parade is more like “omg Laito don’t embarrass me in front of Yui” (which,,, Laito does, and tells Yui that he’s so superstitious that he sleeps with a belly warmer lol just so Ayato can exchange something embarrassing too). I’d say they have the most “brotherly” relationship out of all the Sakamakis (rivals Subaru’s and Shuu’s relationship but that’s really an unspoken one).

Despite them being closer than the rest, that doesn’t mean they’re the closest pair. Laito still feels the need to prove himself that he doesn’t have his emotional problems in front of Ayato still, which is also probably why it drives Ayato away. Ayato can’t comfort Laito usually considering his facade builds a wall. And it’s hard to get to someone’s heart when it’s reinforced with steel, basically. So yes, he still wears his facade around Ayato; considering it only seems that they hang out when they’re horny and want some fun lol. I haven’t seen another instance where they do, or at least that’s the most common one. 

Laito’s relationship with Kanato

I finished Kanato’s HDB route a while back, and I just gotta say,,,, man,,,,, wow,,,,, that was quite the doozy. As for him and Laito? It’s quite hard to tell, but, Laito is still there for Kanato. Sure Laito’s there when Ayato harasses him and calls him “hysteric” but Laito never insults him. There’s even a point where Laito plays a “big brother” role and gives Kanato advice: 

Laito: Fufu~ Kanato-kun, shall I give you a little warning? Kanato: I don’t need such a thing. Laito: Don’t say that and just listen~ …If you take your sweet time, she’ll get snatched away from underneath your eyes, you know? Kanato: …

Sure it’s kinda…. morbid advice, but it is advice that helps Kanato regardless. And Kanato takes it! He listened to Laito! It’s obvious that Kanato is really annoyed by Laito (which gives me a reason why he doesn’t know about Laito’s situation with Cordelia on top of Laito’s facade) and doesn’t want anything to do with him (or Ayato, for that matter). I believe he says at one point in his route how he was isolated from the other siblings, mainly due to Cordelia. However, since Kanato listened to Laito despite him saying “I don’t need such a thing” kinda implies some kind of respect for Laito. He might know that Laito is calculating and smart in that manner. But do I think that he caught on to Laito wearing a facade all the time? Nah, he cares about himself too much and also just does his own stuff most of the time. 

This quote I’m adding also happens in Kanato’s route; it doesn’t add much but I did laugh a little reading this: 

Ayato: Does she like Kanato that much? That’s impossible. She’s heading down a path of despair for sure. Laito: Fufu…That’s something you could say about any one of us though~ Ayato: …Che.

It’s just a well crafted meta joke from Laito; he says it in such a cheerful way but man, that’s sad.

That’s about it for Laito and Kanato; I don’t think Laito says much about Kanato and vise versa. They really stay out of each others’ business, mainly because Kanato isolates himself out of spite, really. 

---------------------------------INTERMISSION------------------------------------

Before I move onto the other ones, just a little shoutout to my inspiration for this blog: @/akai-anemone 

I read her analyses on Laito about five years ago, and unfortunately, she has stopped. But, she has some really good stuff and I definitely recommend checking it out. Here’s some big bro Laito moments she’s brought up too: 

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/68549708275/heres-one-of-my-favorite-big-bro-laito-moments

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/68539626117/on-the-subject-of-the-relationship-between-the

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/65005954447/narihira-ayato-tells-laito-that-hes-building-a 

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/64621970821/big-bro-laito 

Please check her out!! She’s so lovely and although she’s not active anymore, I want to pay tribute to her too. I really hope I can be a good successor of her’s for the DL/Laito community. 

------------------------------INTERMISSION END---------------------------------

Laito’s relationship with Subaru

Honestly probably one of my favorite Sakamaki brother dynamics aside from Ayato and Laito. If you haven’t heard of the Laito vs Subaru, here it is for your listening pleasure (LINK). It’s probably one of my favorite fanservicey CDs, because Laito really just is getting the most out of the situation. 

Laito and Subaru are quite the dynamic duo. Subaru doesn’t have an affinity for Laito and man, it shows. He’s always telling Laito to shut up, and similarly to his other brothers, he’s always like “wtf” when Laito says something wack. Laito’s absolutely entertained by this though, and since he’s older than Subaru, he definitely uses it to his advantage to mess with him. Since Subaru’s your “tsundere” part of the group (more than Ayato), and easily read more than Ayato is, Laito has so much fun teasing him and calling him out in front of Yui. Here’s one of my favorite interactions from the CD:

L: Ehe~.. I’ll be taking those words as a compliment. Your jealousy is really a pleasant thing to me, ahaha. S: Ah?! JEALOUSY?! L: Oh? Aren’t you jealous? Extremely? Ufu, the reason Subaru-kun is so annoyed is that.. S: Fuck that! There’s no way it’s that! Don’t make me laugh!! It’s not like I… to this girl… L: Mm, tsk tsk tsk. Subaru-kun isn’t very honest, is he. What I said is the truth. You’re– S: SHUT UP! *breaks something* L: Woah! Geez… when I hit the nail on the head every time I’d like it if you didn’t break the things around us. Look, bitch-chan is also scared, isn’t she? Am I right? 

Laito, the perceptive motherfucker (,,,,dark joke im sorry), is back at it again, but terrorizing Subaru (and indirectly terrorizing the infrastructure of the house lol). I think it’s another brotherly moment of him to kind of make Subaru realize his feelings too. I don’t know too much about Subaru (although his MB route made me cry lol) but I do know that he’s just a fiercely independent guy that also kinda self isolated himself similarly to Kanato; but doesn’t nearly have as much built up hatred to his siblings. 

 Here’s some more Laito messing with Subaru quotes from that CD. Mainly because I find it so entertaining. 

L: Uwa.. Subaru-kun is scary~ dragging along a senseless girl by her hair. S: SHUT UP PERVERT!.. Right now as you wish.. I’ll make this girl crumble… everything is working out like you desired, right? L: Ufu, really? I did it! In that case, why don’t I stay here and watch your excellent ideas slowly and carefully?

Laito: Fufufu~ You just don’t understand the depths of love yet, Subaru-kun~ Laito: …Well then, Bitch-chan…Doesn’t seem like anyone will come and save us any time soon, so let’s have lots and lots more fun, okay? Haahn…Mm… Subaru: The fuck’s the ‘depths of love’!? I don’t care if I don’t understand that crap. I’ll love you…in my own way. So brace yourself, okay? …Mmh!

That’s so damn rich coming from Laito. This is just Laito’s version of a “haha virgin” joke (which I don’t think Subaru is lol). However, it seems that Laito considers Subaru “pure,” similar in Ayato’s fashion. Maybe this statement is a little jealous quip at that. Who knows!

Laito’s relationship with Reiji

Laito and Reiji…. Man, this is an entertaining relationship. They’re seemingly opposites: agent of chaos and agent of order. (However, Subaru is more physically chaotic lol). Although Laito does kind of fill the “big bro” position for most of his brothers, Reiji is definitely more of a “parental” figure. Laito knows how to get under Reiji’s skin and just does it for fun. I just find it really entertaining. Sure I’m not the biggest Reiji fan like I’ve said before, but wow I love their interactions. Reiji can be a buzzkill for Laito, which certainly annoys him as well. Their relationships in the tokuten CDs are my favorite; especially when Kou and Laito pester Reiji to make them food. However, Reiji treats Laito like a nuisance as well, especially during his MB out when a desperate Laito comes to Reiji begging for help. Reiji’s extremely blunt in that situation and basically is like “why don’t you just kill her” and doesn’t attempt to comfort Laito when he’s crying when Yui kills herself in MB. I feel like Reiji is a nice foil for Laito’s character in their interactions, especially during that scene:

Reiji: Oh… …Are you crying? Laito: Eh, this… …is what you call tears? Reiji: The water that flows from the eyes are tears. Laito: Why am I crying for? Reiji: … … Are you happy or sad, it can be either. Laito: I’m… … Reiji: Well, please leave quickly and carry the corpse out with you. Laito: It’s cold… …I’m shedding so many tears, why are they coming out so fast… … Reiji: … … It would be the result of which you invited.

They don’t interact often, and when they do, it’s either entertaining or meaningful, it seems. At least in my opinion.

Laito’s relationship with Shuu

Now this one’s interesting. Exaggerated “pervert” vs actual pervert. Putting it out there, I don’t think Shuu’s a closet pervert as most say; he’s just quiet in general, but his perverse remarks are incredibly obvious. These two don’t interact often (although Shuu interacts with his brothers less than Kanato) but WOW can they freaking duet!! I love their song Camouflage. But, that aside, their reactions are limited to Shuu making quips at Laito; either telling him to shut up or like “wtf Laito” (similarly to his other brothers). My favorite scene of them both is when Shuu calls Laito a “wannabe pervert”. 

Laito: Haha. Shu, isn’t it unusual for you to feel uneasy? Are you jealous? Fufu… … Shu: Bothersome… …I’m in a bad mood now. My music is spoiled because of your useless chattering. … … As for the concept of jealousy, it’s impossible for me to express… …you imitated pervert. Laito: … … Do you want to be killed? Shu: Hmph… …whatever you like?

This sets Laito off a bit, and Shuu definitely knows what he’s doing. Laito’s even taken aback, given his pause and the lack of a retort. It’s uncertain to see if Shuu actually knows what’s up with Laito or not, but I do think that Shuu is more perceptive than what he lets on. This also just reinforces the fact that Laito wants to meticulously build his character/facade as the perverted type, and doesn’t want it to be broken down; which is why he gets mad at Shuu. 

Well that’s all of Laito’s relationships with his brothers! Now onto the bigger picture.

Laito’s overall relationship with the Sakamakis and their implications + conclusions

This one’s gonna be a bit all over the place, so I apologize for that. 

Have you ever noticed that Laito doesn’t resort to name calling like the rest of his brothers? Even Reiji, the more “””refined””” brother calls Shuu a good for nothing. He only resorts to name-calling women. This, I find very intriguing. He usually has more indirect comments at his brothers, but they’re not nearly as malicious as the others. Or they’re insightful or just him teasing them; I don’t believe he has malicious intent towards his brothers like he says he does. Unless if he says he does; Laito doesn’t get actually LEGIT mad that easily. 

Also, yes, Laito does keep his mask on around his siblings. He’s just not as pervy when Yui’s not there because,,,, Yui’s not there, or if she’s not the topic of the conversation (or any woman for that matter), he has no reason to be pervy unless if something comes up. He always feels the need to be pervy though; Shuu straight up calls him a “wannabe pervert,” since Laito heavily exerts it to the point where it’s probably a joke. 

However, there’s something that’s been bothering me. I did mention it in this (https://everything-laito.tumblr.com/post/624910343406256128/impromptu-analysis-more-of-this-coming-soon) analysis, but TLDR; Nobody interacts with you or Laito in Laito’s HDB route. I could even say the same with his MB route, but that highlights his rivalry with Kou. In HDB, there is rarely any interaction with other brothers or even implied interaction with them. Subaru doesn’t even show up in the entirety of Laito’s route from what I can remember. In Kanato’s route, (which Kanato is the most overtly possessive/yandere of them all imo) Laito and Ayato still interact with him when you’re around, or even when he’s not around. But nobody dares to interact with you in Laito’s route much when you’re alone. Its bone chilling isolation. If there is interaction with the other brothers, it’s very limited and very quick. They’re very careful about what they say to you, when Laito’s around or not. They know he’s always watching, and we know he’s always watching. 

But, Kanato’s the one that spits out death threats all the time and is definitely like “Yui’s mine” in his route. But, it seems that he’s not much of a threat to the other brothers; and like I mentioned, Laito even gives him advice, which he listens to. However, nobody dares to get under Laito’s radar, because it seems that he can turn into an actual threat to the others. I mean, Laito probably has killed as many people as Kanato, if not more. Laito is no stranger to killing in cold blood. He’s killed so many suitors under Cordelia. This is beyond the other brothers being disgusted with Laito’s actions. This is the other brothers not wanting to mess with Pandora’s Box. 

Sure, we know that Laito dislikes outward violence, but he’s a master at manipulation and gaslighting, and doing stuff sneakily. They don’t know what to expect because of his mask being on at all times; they can’t get an efficient read on him, and even if they were “plotting” something against him or wanting to take Yui, they couldn’t. He has eyes everywhere. So instead, the other brothers avoid him in the sacrificial bride situation. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and they seem to know that he’s smarter than what he lets on. 

Well, if you’re still here, thanks for reading as always! So sorry this has been so delayed! (And Hotline, I will get to your other part of your ask in another post, I didn’t forget about it!!)

Hope you all are doing well!

-Corn

#Laito sakamaki #sakamaki laito #analysis #dl #dialovers #dialover #diabolik lovers #raito sakamaki #sakamaki raito #hotline-to-hell #anonymous #anon

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 315 Quick Analysis: #GiveDekuTherapy2021

Ok, another chapter!  And it’s a doozy that’s for sure.  Man, the people on social media were NOT very happy with what happened and I understand why.  Though, I think Horikoshi has bigger plans going on in his head.  So, I’m not going to go screaming to him telling him how to tell his story.  I personally still liked it a lot and have hopes for our lovely Lady Nagant.  

Anyway, doing these smaller analyses actually do make my life easier since they consume less time.  To give you an idea, the Spoiler Analyses I did before took 1+ hours to complete for me since I had so much to say and I had to constantly go back and forth with Tumblr and the leaks.  At least here, everyone knows what’s going on and I can go off the official translations.  TL;DR: Doing the Quick Analyses are easier and I think I’m going to stick with them.  Onto the chapter:

It’s actually kind of good to know that not all of Overhaul’s screws are loose.  He’s still ultimately thinking about the Boss and wanting to fix him, but he does still recognize Deku and is willing to ID him for Lady Nagant. Of course, he’s so eager to get to the Boss that he’s practically scolding Nagant for not holding up her part of the bargain yet.  

Holy crap that Rifle can get swole.  No pun intended, that thing on Lady Nagant’s elbow is massive.  I guess this is what happens when she exchanges her accuracy for speed and power.  It’s cool, but damn is it gnarly to look at.  Looks like something out of a gorey horror manga.

But, Deku swings in and uses his new Quirk to speed blitz his way to push Overhaul out of the bullet’s way!  What a badass!  Deku using his brains is aways cool as hell to see.  You love to see it, my dudes.

And we FINALLY get an explanation on the 3rd Holder’s Quirk: Fa Jin.  It’s basically stores and releases kinetic energy that is built up through repeated motion.  So here, Deku uses Fa Jin on his legs which is why he was kicking and squatting so much earlier.  So, he used that energy to boost his speed + 45% of OFA + use of centrifugal force via swinging with Black Whip = Faux 100%!  Deku is insane; the guy’s a madman and I love it!

After saving Overhaul, Deku tells Overhaul that they’ll talk later.  It’s just one panel, but this implies that Deku really will try to at least have a conversation with Overhaul to understand him since he was unable to back in the Yakuza Raid Arc.  So, we’ll see if Deku will help Overhaul go down a better path.  Though, again, I really wouldn’t blame Deku if he chose not to given the horrors Overhaul has done in the past.

And then we have a beautiful double-page-spread of Deku using the last of his Fa Jin to pull a sickass Faux 100% Manchester Smash on Lady Nagant’s Rifle to break it. Horikoshi is really drawing straight fire at this point.  You can even see close-ups of the raindrops at a few points.  It’s so cool to see Deku go 100% again even though this one is a pseudo one.  Not only is Deku powerful as hell, but he’s also not breaking his body too much this way.  Though that’s gotta hurt for Nagant since that Rifle is a part of her body.  Yeesh...

Now Lady Nagant can’t fight and her Air Walk stopped working for some reason (AFO?).  As she falls, Deku grabs her hand and realizes that she still has the heart of a hero despite everything.  Deku begs her to fight along side the good guys again.  You can even see that small glimmer of light back in Deku’s eyes again.  God, I love Deku.  He really does try to understand and see the best in everyone.  He did it with Bakugo, Shoto, Gentle Criminal, La Brava, and even Shigaraki.  He has this way of reading people and getting to people’s hearts.  That’s one of the main things that makes Deku a true hero.  

And Lady Nagant agrees... Until AFO reveals that he (probably) used one of his Quirks to secretly plant a bomb in Lady Nagant to blow her up in case she turned on him.  Man, fuck AFO.  All my homies hate AFO.  I want to burn this fucker alive and watch him suffer.  What a despicable waste of air.  Good thing we’re actually meant to hate him.  

And Deku just watches Lady Nagant blow up right in front of him.  This kid is screaming in horror and I’m positive he’s even more traumatized after this.  Deku’s been though far too much over the past month alone and I really REALLY worry about his mental health at this point.  I’d hate to see him break down emotionally, but I would be ok if he did because Deku deserves a good cry at this point.  I want him to see some kind of therapist after all this is over.  IDK if Horikoshi will let him, but at least before this series is over at least.     

Then Hawks finally appears like I though he would!  He uses his little feathers to catch Lady Nagant from falling further.  Good on him for saving his senpai!  And I’m glad this confirms that Hawks’ wings are growing back.  They’re so cute and tiny!  Hawks isn't Quirkless after all.

So, Lady Nagant’s probably not dead.  I know people are pissed that she was basically used as a plot device for other characters, but even Horikoshi acknowledges that through AFO’s dialogue about Lady Nagant constantly being used as a tool.  Horikioshi knows what he’s doing; it’s not like he’s getting rid of her just because.  The man wouldn’t let a character like her, one given a LOT of important backstory and development, die just like that.  I’m thinking that Deku’s probably going to force Overhaul to use his Quirk on Nagant to heal her if he can.  And if he does, not only is Lady Nagant ok, but this could be that better path Overhaul could go down.  All in all, I don’t think Lady Nagant is dead.  I think Horikoshi has bigger plans for her.  I really hope I’m right

Horikoshi writing his characters at this point:

#My Hero Academia #Boku No Hero Academia #MHA #BNHA #BNHA 315 #MHA 315 #Deku #Izuku Midoriya #Lady Nagant #Overhaul #Kai Chisaki #Hawks #Keigo Takami #pls don't be dead #I really liked her #at least Deku was badass #you love to see it #fuck AFO tho #that man needs to go #Chapter 315 #Kohei Horikoshi

[asterekmess]

S3A - E8

I’m realizing just how damn far behind I am on working on season 3, but I don’t wanna skip any episodes of the rewatch, so let’s get to it! Double time, double time!

Content warnings for discussion of cannibalism.

Forewarning, this one is a doozy, so be prepared to Read More:

Lesgo!:

First thing’s first, Derek has experience with those awful sound thingies? Can you imagine how freaked he must’ve been seeing Chris bring those out when they were tracking Boyd and Erica?

Also, Chris Argent has been hunting Derek one way or another since he was a child. Even BEFORE Kate. Why the hell do we have a Derek & Chris broness in the later seasons? This kind of shit doesn’t just go away. I can’t believe I forgot about it.

I love how awkward sweet bby Derek is trying to run through the trees and tripping on branches everywhere. It’s honestly so much more realistic for a teenager than just the crazy cgi stuff. Also, since we know Derek is comfortable in the woods, it really gives you a hint as to how truly messed up he is from fear right now. He’s off balance in a dozen ways.

DEREK HAS BEEN WATCHING PEOPLE DIE IN FRONT OF HIM SINCE HE WAS 15. I’m gonna CRY. If I wanna hurt myself even More, you could argue that the Random Beta (RB) got shot bc he stopped to talk to Derek. So...guilty minds would assume Derek has been watching people die because of him since 15. I hate everything.

PETER comin’ in clutch. Also, hilarious that they use that arrow catching move so much.

I almost like how they tried to make Gerard look younger by just having him wear a douchey leather jacket instead of the serious grandpa one he wears in S2. He swaggers over to the body of RB, and it’s hilarious.

Okay, what is this bullshit about “Bring them back alive, we go by the code?” If you were going by the code then you wouldn’t be fucking hunting them AT ALL. They’re innocent! Why the fuck are you ‘bringing them back’ in the first place? Chris, you piece of shit. This is supposed to demonstrate that you’ve always been a stickler for the code, but all it does is emphasize how little that code actually means. “We hunt those who hunt us.” Fuck off, you hunt anything you deem ‘dangerous’ and find excuses to kill them so you can feel righteous.

Gonna casually note that RB was shot in the Throat with an arrow, but bc of makeup necessities they moved the arrow down to his chest when he’s shown on the ground. It’s funny. :)

It’s seriously so hard to hate Peter, do the writers realize that? Like, yes, he did horrible shit and I’m not denying that, but when you show him running into the hunter-filled woods to save his nephew’s life at 24 years old, then hiding with him in a cellar for two fucking days when he could probably have escaped on his own, it’s hard to see him as a heartless bastard.

I’m almost afraid to find out why Cora knows the details. Can you imagine? She would’ve been, what, 9-10? Her big brother and uncle both go missing for two days after a hunt and she had to stay at home waiting for someone to say they’d found their bodies. God, the lives of the Hales are so fucked up.

The rain is really making the mood here.

I gotta say, I’m confused about this initial Cora-Stiles interaction. He goes on about everyone who’s died or nearly died, but then Cora assumes he wants Derek to do something about the deaths, and Stiles agrees? Except that Derek currently fits the COD that all the other sacrifices have hit. Missing for about two days. Everything Stiles has said implies that he’s worried Derek is also dead. I don’t get why they go with ‘I’m worried about the missing man that I’ve been helping for the last four months because I blame him for the Alphas even coming to town”?

One thing they got on point here is just how disgusting they made Gerard. The slime and the spitting and ugh *shudders* it’s just so gross.

I’m also...I think intrigued is the right word--that they shoved this whole story into the episode without ever addressing the fact that Derek IS missing and they should go looking for him or something. It starts with Stiles asking where the hell he is, but then everything else is about this past moment. Talk about going off on a tangent. I mean, I don’t blame them, but if I shoved this much character background into one chapter people would call me out for the infodump that it is.

Which is all this episode is. Info-dumped exposition. Here’s how werewolves were made. Here’s why Derek’s cranky. Here’s why Duke’s an asshole. Here’s why the Hales are ‘special’

Again, I don’t blame them. It’s just...a lot.

Just a tiny thing: Why do they both roll up their sleeves when Scott only has to touch Gerard’s hand?

It is also very hard to believe that either Allison or Scott are remotely good people when they’re both lying to everyone about Gerard’s existence.

*finger guns, bc now i have to use the tag* I think this is the longest I’ve ever gotten before using it.

Another thing: Why does Gerard make the gross noises like he’s in pain, when we know it doesn’t hurt to get the pain taken away from him? It certainly didn’t hurt that lady in the ER.

I know this is a weird thing to notice, but I find it interesting that Paige is wearing actual makeup. Not just the ‘natural’ look, but eyeshadow that’s visibly dark. *shrug*

Is she Actually playing the cello? The notes Don’t look like they match up with her bowing and fingerings.

HA that music cut in is fucking Hilarious. Derek turns around like he’s in a teen rom-com, with that casual “I never stop smiling all the way bc I’m the coolest guy around” grin and the music just WHAM. That’s right, Derek Hale used to be a JOCK. He didn’t used to be ‘a lot like Scott.’ He was a lot like JACKSON.

So, this group of cronies Derek has. What is that about? He’s gotta have that posse just like Jackson did in S1? Unnamed people to cackle at his jokes.

Paige’s face, right there? That is the SHIT for me. That’s not hidden attraction, that’s genuinely “What the fuck is my life, why are you so lame?” and I am LIVING for it.

Derek peacocking is also hilarious. Peacocking so hard he (THE WEREWOLF) didn’t notice that she’d left the hall, is even more so.

I hate to tell you this Paige, but THAT is where I could tell you liked him. Giving in to his bullshit offer was the first step, that look on your face when he said, “Hold on” was Blatant “Holy shit, my crush wants to talk to me” but then all you idiots did was make eye contact. Paige, if you’re trying to get the ball, try looking away from those pretty eyes, okay?

Derek, you always go too far. You can see Paige lose interest when she realizes that he’s not actually into Her, he’s into showing off.

OOOF, i guess they weren’t such good friends after all, cus’ they left when Paige did.

I also feel the need to point out Derek is WEARING A CHECKERED SHIRT. *inarticulate screaming* Everyone who makes jokes about him thinking plaid is disgusting owes me five bucks bc he CLEARLY didn’t think checkers/plaid were that bad when he was in high school.

I’ll admit...the instant sorry is like...really good. If they’d had him come in and be More of a dick and then end up together, I’d be a lot more bugged. But his First real introduction to her is an apology.

THEN he goes back to being a dick. But at least this time it’s not about him, he wants to know about Her.

And I LOVE the turnaround! THIS is flirting. THIS is cute teasing. She plays his game Back at him, shows her own skill and forces him to get on her level. Then he weasels out of it, but in a Cute Way.

If there’s one thing that I’m routinely impressed by in TW it’s the scoring. They’re Really good with music to fit the moods and the vibes of the whole episode. For instance, all the transition music in this episode is Cello, bc it’s about Paige.

I hate agreeing with Gerard on Anything, but he makes a good point about the Dark Druid taking and killing someone else right alongside Deaton. Why would she take 4 people when she only needed three? She wouldn’t know that Deaton got a message out or that Scott would save Deaton. Plus the addition of the mountain ash circle is kind of weird, don’t you think?

Yah, I have no clue why your body is producing anything Either. You literally make no sense and you shouldn’t be alive. Period. Bringing you back was a lazy way to have someone who could be a sub-sub plot and hand out exposition and red herrings that are totally useless.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT GERARD? You weren’t There when Deucalion found out he could still see with his Alpha Eyes (Which makes no sense btw, he doesn’t have TWO sets of eyes???) and if you’d interacted with Deuc since then he’d have ripped you to shreds.

SERIOUSLY people, why the FUCK are we getting this information from Gerard when it makes WAY more sense for Deaton to tell them this? He was THERE for the whole thing!

I get that the point of the episode is supposed to be “Unreliable Narrators” (The whole show has an unreliable narrator.) but you had that covered with Peter’s story. You could’ve Instilled TRUST in Deaton by making a contrast and having Deaton TELL THEM THE TRUTH. Show the difference between reliable and unreliable. Gerard doesn’t need to be here!

Stiles, asking the real questions.

AND GETTING THE MOST BULLSHIT ANSWER IN THE UNIVERSE.

Could these writers GET any lazier? Put some fucking effort in and give us some information about Werewolves IN YOUR WEREWOLF TV SHOW.

What the fuck were Paige and Derek into that they knew where an abandoned distillery was when it wasn’t even in TOWN? And you’re telling me they left town every time they wanted to make out? Even worse, are you implying they had SEX in that distillery? And then trying to tell me that none of the fucking Alphas and their packs noticed the smell of Derek and his girlfriend all over the building?

...what...do people seriously not remember being teenagers? What the fuck Peter? In what fucking universe  is “one minute it’s ‘i hate you, don’t talk to me’ the next it’s frantic groping in any dark corner’ remotely accurate to real life?

Teenagers in the majority don’t DO that. I really fucking hate that all teenagers are made out to be like this. Like they’re “run by their hormones” and “everything is sex to you” STOP. Seriously, STOP. Saying shit like that completely negates the fact that Teenagers are Real fucking People. They’re not just buckets of hormones and sweat that need to be shaped into an adult. They’re fucking PEOPLE and reducing them to sex-crazed idiots is lazy and stupid.

Are you ALSO telling me that the hunters dragged RB’s DEad Body to an abandoned building, then strung the corpse up and cut it in half? AND that someone happened to go the abandoned building and found the body and called the cops, or that they MOVEd the two halves somewhere they would be found, Or that They were the ones to call and report the body?

Has teen wolf got even a Single brain cell?

ALSO, what the fuck is this timeline? Derek and Peter went missing for two days after RB was killed, but the packs don’t get together to discuss RB’s death until After Derek has run out of the building with Paige because he could smell blood from RB being hemisected. So, they waited at Least two days before talking to each other about RB’s death? And Derek apparently recovered Instantaneously from his two day nightmare and went right back to macking on his girlfriend and laughing freely the Day he was found? Or did they wait even longer? I’m so fucking confused!

Okay, you tell me that this place is their favorite makeout/groping spot, but they seriously just walk in the door and start kissing in the middle of the room? You guys didn’t bring some blankets and pillows here? You’re gonna stand there the whole time?

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU MAKING PETER A PERVERT? He was fucking watching his nephew make out with his girlfriend through the wall??? WHat is WRONG with you?

ALSO, Cora was alive and active in Derek’s life at that point. She wasn’t That young. She could easily point out that Peter being Derek’s best friend is total bullshit if it weren’t actually true. Which means Peter is telling the TRUTH here. Hell, she doesn’t call out his heartbeat for lies the entire time, and while they imply at the end of the episode that Really Good Liars can just force their heart to be steady while lying so they don’t get caught, that isn’t a thing for the entire rest of the show. Derek trusts KATE when she says she’s not lying. So the evidence actually points toward Peter telling the TRUTH in this entire episode.

THAT is accurate to teenagers. Using the word “like” and “liking” so many times in a conversation that it doesn’t even sound like a word anymore.

Paige...dude, I’m so torn. Like I’m glad you’re being honest with Derek about your worries, but also it’s a complete dick move to just Assume that he’s gonna bail? To say to his face that you Know he’s leaving you and you’re just waiting for it? Fucking rude.

Ennis...bro...how exactly did your Beta “Accidentally” kill a hunter? How would that happen?

AGAIN WITH THE TIMELINE. If the packs only CAME to beacon hills because of Ennis issue with the hunters, why was RB running through beacon hills when he was killed?

Also, side note: Where are all of these werewolves staying? Are they territorial so they like, all claimed different hotels to take over? Or do they not mind, and THAT’S why the Hale house is so big for such a small family? Because they had a ton of guest rooms for packs that visited to get that sweet, sweet Hale Wisdom?

I firmly believe that werewolves are clothing-optional people. Talia straight shifts into a naked human form in front of over a dozen other wolves.

Also, where the hell is the Hale pack here? Some random chick comes up and gives Talia a robe, but that person is standing with Deuc’s pack. So....what?

I’m so curious about the formation the wolves make when they hear Talia coming. Everybody backs away, except Deucalion. And they do this weird focus on his face as he watches her come in. And her eye contact is JUST with him.

OH GROSS. DID DEUC HAVE A THING FOR DEREK’S MOM????

I will admit that watching things with subtitles sometimes ruins the surprise. There’s that little pause before “I’m just a deputy” like it was supposed to be shocking to the audience, but the subtitle on Amazon Prime just Pops up right away and it kind of ruins the effect.

Here we go! The one piece of concrete information on “Packs” and “pack members” that we’re given in the whole fucking show. Word for Word. “Losing a member of your pack isn’t like losing family, it’s like you lose a limb.”

That is....severe. Now imagine that your entire family IS your pack. And losing almost every one of them. Is it any wonder that Cora, Peter, and Derek are so messed up? That they’re so dark and wounded looking?

I s2g sometimes Peter literally just sounds like he’s a self-insert for the writers. He explains shit that the writer’s are showing Really Badly as if to wave away the fact that the Ennis flashback is pretty much Completely unnecessary. “You just don’t understand my artistic genius, it’s never just a single moment, it’s a confluence of events. I have to show you all these random flashbacks because you need to understand why Derek is soaked in MANPAIN all the time. Which is totally relevant to the current plot bc....bc....bc ART (and also Tyler Hoechlin was busy so we could only get one shot of him for the entire episode)”

That is just the cutest shit oh my god. Derek listens to Paige’s music while he’s in class and doing homework. THAT is love, you realize? He doesn’t just deal with her dedication to her music, he loves it.

THat little wince when he says “Are you sure about that?” Paige knows he’s gonna screw with her.

THAT IS A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP. He gives her space! She likes studying during lunch so he Leaves her Alone. I LIKE IT.

What do you mean “Laura told you about the packs being here.” Derek KNOWS they’re here because he watched RB DIE IN THE WOODS. Seriously, I”M SO CONFUSED.

FUN FACT (that I might’ve already shared) Oak wood was liked by the Celts because it was really sturdy and hardy and bore food, but it wasn’t their favorite type of wood! Rowan was the favorite, and Irish pagan practitioners used to sleep in rowan trees so they could have prophetic dreams. After that, it was Hazelwood. :P

I...do not enjoy when they bring up the Celtic Druids. *Scuttles to get my textbook bc this is my nerd shit*

“We’re in a Nemeton” This is the correct wording, actually! A “Nemeton” isn’t a thing, it’s a “sacred meeting place” as Chris calls it. Go chris! Nemeton refers to the entire grove/area around the main tree.

I can’t speak to whether they chose a ‘Large, older tree in a grove” but it does make sense bc if we’re talking about Oaks they were a symbol of food and safety (acorns were a staple to Celtic diets) so choosing an older tree would not only look more impressive, but it would probably bear more acorns for the clan.

“It would represent the center of the world” *Puts on vine voice* THat is NOt Correct! The tree at the center of the Nemeton was called a “crann bethadh” or “Tree of Life” and it was essentially a Totem that marked the center of the tribe’s territory. It was not ‘the center of the world’ it was the center of THEIR world. Their land.

“There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages” Not sure if ‘villages’ is the correct term for the era, but the rest of it sounds like a close mistranslation. See, in Ireland there were raids people would do against other clans where the SOLE PURPOSE was to destroy their crann bethadh, because it was demoralizing. It’s like graffiti-ing the front of a church. But technically, it WAS severely frowned upon to harm the tree in any way.

This is mostly because in most Celtic areas, Oak trees were considered symbols of the “Father of the Sky” or the “God of Thunder.” Of course you don’t wanna piss off Thunder man.

Also, you notice how I’m saying CELTS and not DRUIDS. It’s because DRUID isn’t a cultural label, it’s a SOCIAL CLASS. It’s like saying “The Educated”

Okay, back to the--OH WAIT. Before anyone gets any ideas, the blood on the crann bethadh isn’t human. Estonian Celts smeared animal blood on the tree roots as an assurance for rain and good harvests. This is the same concept as TONS of other religions, including Christianity. (Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God, but God stopped him and had him sacrifice a Ram instead. So, Yes. Christians used to perform animal sacrifices.)

NOW back to the show.

THe fact that gerard doesn’t know this stuff implies that Chris is the nerd of the family.

I LIKE THIS. I hate that I like it bc it’s Gerard, but I LIKE IT. Gerard gets up from his wheelchair. He doesn’t need it All the Time.

I’ve never seen another show that bothered to have a wheelchair user who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, which is stupid because it’s Very Common for people using wheelchairs to not need them all the time.

though it does beg the question of why he’s sitting in a wheelchair when he’s in his own bedroom? Was he going somewhere? Or did he know he wouldn’t have enough chairs and didn’t want Allison or Scott to sit in his chair?

The story of Lycaon, who was considered a savage ruler of Arcadia and Zeus went to his house disguised as a human (this is v common in myth) to find out if he was batshit. Lycaon and his FIFTY SONS (he also had one daughter) wanted to know if the stranger was a human or a mortal, so they fed him human flesh in stew. Zeus flipped shit and blasted the room with thunderbolts, murdering all but one of Lycaon’s sons, and then turned Lycaon into a wolf.

So...this whole ‘myth of lycaon’ is totally fucked up when it didn’t need to be? Like, they didn’t NEED to change it to make it a messed up origin story of wolves. It already was.

There’s three major versions to choose from

Lycaon was a pius man who founded the city of Lycosura on Mount Lycaeus and used a child as a sacrifice to Zeus, thinking it would please him. Zeus flips shit and turns Lycaon into a wolf. FROM THEN ON; at every sacrifice made to zeus a man was transformed into a wolf and if he managed to restrain himself from eating human flesh for 8-9 years, he would be turned human again.

The same story as the first, except Lycaon Knew Zeus was in disguise and the child he fed him was Zeus’ own son, and it was revenge for seducing his only daughter Callisto.

If you want to make it match what you’ve already said about wolves in the show, they could’ve used the last one and it would’ve demonstrated how Ingrained the concept of vendetta/revenge is for wolves.

If you wanted to focus on the Turning Human part and working with Celtic Druids to learn to become werewolves, you could’ve used the second one.

there was no reason to add in the bullshit about Prometheus except as an excuse to make Deucalion look like he picked his name to be an asshole, which he fucking didn’t.

 I’m so sorry about all the classical shit (i’m really not) but I studied it in college and I can’t just let this bullshit stand.

I’ll give them a pass on the ‘the lesser known part’ bc it’s technically plausible for the wolves to have run north to the Celts and beg for help, And the Druids (those who’s education was specifically in magic, not all of them) were known for shapeshifting (though not usually into animals. They did that to Other people, not themselves)

I cannot believe this is so long, i’m so sorry.

But WHY tho, Cora? How is an Emissary supposed to keep you connected to humanity if No ONe KNows Who They Are?? How are they supposed to do their job??

Yeah, well now Deaton is a sour bitch who has a chip on his shoulder against the Hale pack so like...fuck his advice.

I will say though! Pre-fire Deaton doesn’t give me the heebies like post-fire Deaton. He’s much more clear about the advice he’s giving, and it’s actually helpful! He still has a dumb little anecdote/parable about the scorpion and the frog (which...in most circumstances I hate. It doesn’t even match what happens) but he gives Real Advice instead of vague asshole nonsense.

“I’m an Alpha, I never walk alone.” I have an inordinate affection for this line.

Paige is clearly some kinda bad bitch if she thought nothing of going to hang out in the school in the middle of the night with Derek.

Okay, but like...why would he attack Ennis like that if he was the one who asked him to bite Paige? And why is the moment played up “A fifteen-year-old boy against a giant” Derek was literally swatted to the side while Ennis walked out of the building. this wasn’t some big showdown.

If she’d already been bitten, why was Ennis still grabbing at her??

....seriously? Peter is literally right there? And no one noticed?

Again with the “Scott is a genius now” LIsten, bro, why the fuck would Scott know a sanskrit fable? If he Did know a story like that, it would be bc Deaton taught him. In which case he would know the FROG and the scorpion. Come on, guys.

OH MY GOD GERARD DOES IT TOO. GERARD, PETER, AND DEUC all have a CHRONIC case of verbal diarrhea when they’re trying to be intimidating.

I do NOT understand this warehouse scene. It’s a GAS gerard, if you stabbed yourself with some sort of...antidote or whatever it wouldn’t save you from the GAS you’re inhaling. At the very least you would be shouting like everyone else because it HURTS going in.

why did it take so long for Talia to come? It’s implied that Peter left to get her, so why did it take so long? Even PAST peter looks fucked up at seeing that Paige is dying, it’s not like he would wait.

I’ll be real, i get weepy so i’m skipping the actual death. Just know that it hurts me. Severely.

Y’all know how much I hate this ‘innocent life’ bullshit for blue eyes. It’s very True Alpha-y in that it’s impossible to pin down the specifics. What constitutes an ‘innocent life’? What constitutes taking it? With wolf claws? With a gun? What counts and what doesn’t count? Ugh.

Eyyy, so I’m exhausted and this is so long that my computer is fritzing. There are five minutes left and nothing happens in them at all. Just Scott pointing out the heartbeat thing and threatening to kill Gerard (so he’s still fine with murder at this point in time. Good to know). Stiles telling Cora that he doesn’t think Peter was telling the truth (which she would Know if he wasn’t) and that he’s gonna ask Derek about it (which we never got to see). And Deucalion murdering his own Beta (who, tbf, tried to kill him first. Which, again, what the fuck is up with Deaton’s office that wolves are able to rip each other apart in it, but it’s still ‘hard for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble.’ I’m just so confused

Final Thoughts: This episode actually had some interesting stuff in it, which is kind of sad considering there was no PLOT, just Exposition. I look forward to tweezing the bits out that I want and dumping the rest in the garbage where it belongs. Oh, and like I said, the music was on Point.

#personal #anti-Scott McCall #TeenWolf-Rewatch #long post