#imagine the bad guys being so distracted by her look that leon uses that to his advantage to pew pew them all dead

[diviedrawn]

I actually had fun drawing Ashley’s look, expect more in the future

#imagine the bad guys being so distracted by her look that leon uses that to his advantage to pew pew them all dead #resident evil 4 remake #leon kennedy #ashley graham #re 4 remake #re fanart #leon kennedy fanart #my art

[milkytheholy1]

Hello!!! I hope you are having a wonderful day! I just wanna say I love your writing!! I wish I could write as good as you! Not to long ago I got into the TMNT Fandom(especially the rottmnt). I really like all of the characters! (Especially Leonardo). Anyway can I have a short story that's about rottmnt leonardo x reader were the reader is sorceress and they are also an amazing fighter. Can the story also be about how leonardo and the reader are hanging out in New york and a crime took place and both of them had to fight the bad guys. Thanks!!!! Lots of love!!!💖💙💖💙

A/N: Aw thank you so much, and I'm sure your writing wasn't that bad :) I just want to clarify that I completely forgot that in the Rise universe the purple dragons are a tech club so kinda just forget about that for a minute. Also, I kinda imagined the reader's powers as being similar to Scarlet Witch or something like that. Hope you enjoy it!

Candy Crush

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

Swinging your legs back and forth over the ledge of the building, you looked up gazing at the full moon in the inky, black sky. Your jacket was flapping in the slight breeze, your fingers tapping keys on your phone. Idly waiting for your partner, you decided to play some mobile games to pass the time.

So immersed in Candy Crush you failed to notice the time change, a presence landed beside you coughing loudly when you failed to look up. Pausing the game with an irritated sigh you looked up, Leo smiled at you his eyes flickering from your face to your phone "Oh-ho-ho Candy Crush, really?"

"What's wrong with Candy Crush?" you asked, your tone slightly offended. Leo chuckled next to you, now squatting down to your level "Well, for starters it's for middle-aged moms who drink wine all night." you pouted at him in response and unpaused the game continuing your level. Leo groaned next to you, deciding to look out over the city than to watch you flick some bright sweets.

Leo leaned his head against your shoulder, throughout your time playing Candy Crush he had become horizontal. Closing his eyes he drummed his fingers against his plastron, humming a gentle tune. "Leon." you moaned out, your brows furrowed in concentration, "Yes my love~" he mused, a teasing smile on his face. Your fingers continued to swipe across the screen "You're distracting me."

"Who? Little old me?" he mushed his cheeks together, his pupils shinning in the moonlight. You risked a glance at him, regretting it instantly, groaning again just louder you turned your phone off and glared at him. You stared at Leo expectantly, the red-eared slider looked puzzled as you had a staring competition "What?" he questioned.

"Well, what do we do now?" your face was unamused, your tone dry and salty. Leo scratched his head in thought "Er, what do you want to do?" he copied, you pushed your hands over your face, slowly dragging them down "OH MY G- are you being serious right now?" you breathed.

"What?"

"You made me end my winning run on Candy Crush just so we could sit and stare at each other!" you yelled, Leo's eyes narrowed "Hey I didn't make you end your game, you did that on your own!" he argued, pointing a finger at you. Pushing his finger away, you opened your mouth ready to scream at him but a distant yell and clatter of bins caught your attention.

Swinging your head to the city of New York, you stood alert scanning the area for a location. Leo stood with you his hand itching to grab his Õdachi, another scream rang out from an alley not too far from you "Over there." Leo stated before dashing off. Quickly running to catch up you saw him dive down into an alley, using your powers you landed safely in the shadows next to your boyfriend.

Observing the scene in front of you, you watched as a young woman got pushed to the ground by what appeared to be a group of purple dragons. Crying out she pleaded for her safety, the purple dragons laughed grabbing her bag and perusing through her IDs and purse. The leader, a skinny man with ragged hair, smirked at the women "Well, looky heres' fellas we got ourselves a scientist." The men chuckled along with him, the leader threw down the woman's bag and slowly advanced towards her.

Turning your attention away from them and to your boyfriend, you saw Leo's eyes focused on the gang. His mouth slightly open baring his teeth, a low growl emitting from his throat. Nudging his shoulder you finally noticed his eyes had turned pure white "What's the game plan?" you asked. Checking back on the women, Leo's brain suddenly came up with a plan "Distract them, give the lady enough time to distance herself then we attack. You take the guys on the left I'll go after the leader." you nodded your head and the plan was set into motion.

A purple glowing trail of light slivered around the men's feet, wrapping itself around their legs. The dragons yelped, scanning the area for the culprit, their hands grabbing at the light trail trying to pry it off. The leader followed the glow to the back of the alley, his hands balled in fists "Show yourself!" he bellowed. Emerging from the shadows the leader growled, "It's one of those turtle freaks and a witch!" yelled one of his lackeys, "I can see that you idiot!"

Leo made sure the woman was distanced enough before he charged at the leader, the purple light dissipating from around their legs as Leo tackled him to the ground. Taking a running jump at one of the goons you went into a flying kick, swiftly knocking him down to the ground while your hands began to glow purple. Another dragon watched as his comrade was sent flying to the ground, looking back up at you his eyes widened in fear. A purple aura surrounded you, running at the man with glowing purple fists you sent a harsh punch to his stomach, the purple glow flowing from your fist to the man's stomach as soon as you made contact with the flabby flesh.

Surprised that he remained standing, you decided to initiate a fistfight with him, give him a fighting chance you thought, snickering to yourself. Taking a swing at him your fist lightly graze his face as he ducked back, heaving out a puff of air you continued in your fight. Aggravated by how many times the guy could perfectly dodge each attack, you charged at him knowing it was a hotheaded move. Skidding to a stop you watched as the guy's body was slammed into the wall with another body, inspecting closer you noticed it was the leader of the purple dragons covered in cuts and bruises.

Looking back over to Leo you saw him dusting his hands off with a proud grin on his face. Lifting the unconscious men with your powers into a dumpster, you rang the police notifying them on where the men could be found. Leo ran over to the women's bag, turning his head left and right trying to spot her. Walking over to him you plucked the ID card he was holding in his hand, squinting at the small text you found an address "C'mon, we can drop the bag off on the way back to the lair." Leo nodded in agreement, hopping up onto the nearby fire escape offering out his free hand to you.

You two got onto the roof just in time, blue and red lights illuminated the dark alley, police sirens obnoxiously blaring out. Making your way over to the lady's apartment to return her bag you glanced at Leo, his mask tails were trailing far behind him as he ran, a big smirk on his face. Up to no good you presumed. Finally approaching her apartment building you placed the bag at what you assumed was her window, if you had read her address correctly. Leo still retained his teasing smirk, sitting on the roof of the apartment building you yielded, lifting your hands into the air "Alright I give, what's got you so smiley?"

He chuckled before talking "Are you ready for this? I need you to be 100% ready for this, because if you're not-"

"Okay okay get on with it." you mused, he continued to chuckle "Okay okay-" he coughed trying to calm himself "What was that saying again? Oh yeah! there's always something that goes bump in the light." he cackled, wiping a tear from his eye. Unamused, you flicked him on the forehead "Booooo, lame~" you laughed, against your own will. "Oh like you could do better," he said, leaning back on his arms taking in your beautiful face.

"I could do so much better lamenardo~"

"Har har, very original."

#oneshot #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom #fan #x reader #tmnt #one shot #rise of the tmnt #rise of the turtles #leo tmnt #tmnt leonardo #rottmnt #request #rottmnt leo #rottmnt leo x reader #tmnt leo x reader #teenage mutant ninja turtles #nickelodeon

[popculturebuffet]

Blacksad: Somewhere In the Shadows Review

Hello you beautiful people! I have a WEIRD relationship with Noir. It’s weird because i’ve never really dived into the films of type, though I really should, But as a kid I absolutely LOVED the tracer bullet arcs in Calvin and Hobbes, where everyone’s favorite hyperactive and imaginative six year old would plant himself as the hero in a noir pastiche.. ironically like myself Bill Watterson was also not a huge noir buff and just relied on Cliches but hey, it worked. 

Still love these. So from fourth grade on it imprinted a lifelong love of a good bit of detective noir. Not enough to you know, get me to read any traditional noir books or watch any noir tv shows or detective procedurals but I still love a good mystery from time to time and some of my favorite comics such as Howard the Duck by Chip Zdarksy and Peter David’s second run on x-factor run on the genre while having fun with it’s cliches. 

I also love anthropormphic animal stories. Dunno why, I just do, so once I found out about Blacksad, a comic that combines disney quality art from a former disney animator with gripping, adult noir that rips your heart out... I couldn’t resisit trying it. Telling the tale of John Blacksad, a cynical private detective and the cases he steps into via gorgeous, straight out of a disney storyboard art, the series is by  Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist), the latter a former Disney artist who worked on several Disney films, meeting in the 90′s while working on licensed works and hitting it off, leading to this series.  That’s.. really all I could find about the making of the series in English. The only other fact is the series is designed for first release in France, which has a huge comics market, hence the various volumes being called “Albums”, with them later being released in Spain and then english, currently in the latter through Dark Horse Comics, who last year collected the current 5 albums and some side stories into one big volume. And with Dark Horse having infrequent sales including Blacksad on comixology it’s easy enough to pick up all 5 volumes in one complete package on digital for 9 bucks, as it is right now. Seriously I’m not trying to shill for Comixology or Dark Horse, I just love these comics and suggest picking them up. The creators DO intend on new volumes... it’s just both have been busy with other work so they’ve been stuck in development hell since 2013. However given there have always been, if much smaller, the biggest being 5 years, gaps between the Albums, I don’t think the series is dead quite yet and with Dark Horse fully backing it, taking the series from only two volumes getting translated to both translating the first four AND translating the fifth within a year of it’s release, we’ll undoubtly get the next one quickly. The series has also spawned a game, Under the Skin, which i’ll probably also cover some day as i’m dying to play it, but i’m waiting for a sale because it’s around 30 bucks and I can wait. It’s also been nominated for an Eisner three times to no suprise and has had fans in Stan Lee, Jim Steranko, Tim Sale and Will freaking Eisner. Yes the GUY the awards were named after liked the series.  So yeah, I love this series and highly support it, but the thought of covering it hadn’t occrued to me.. in part because I already had three comic retrsopectives going, my looks at The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Scott Pilgrim and New X-Men, and simply because I just hadn’t thought of it till Kevin, frequent patron and comissioner of the blog whose paid for tons of reivews, suggested covering the second Album, Arctic Nation, which has our hero searching for a missing little girl he feels has been taken by the titular white supramacist movement.. and if your wondering “Wait how the fuck does that work their animals”, John is black coded due to his black fur, while the white suprmacists are all Arctic Animals.. a touch I really like as I’d honestly never thought of that as a metaphor but it fits like a glove, especially given that most white furred arctic mamals are pretty agressive looking. So yeah I’ll be covering that one next month for Black History Month, among many other things, but I felt I wanted to cover the series in order and since again, it’s only the second of five and I had a free space on the schedule. So without further adew, join me somewhere in the shadows and under the cut as we enter the world of one John Blacksad. 

We open as you’d expect for a Noir with a heady narration and a murder. John was brought in by Smirnov, the chief of police and an old aquantice who serves as his Commissioner Gordon. Since the victim is John’s ex, he was brought in to see if he knows anything and as you’d expect warned not to look into it further, as John dosen’t buy this was a simple robbery. His response is exactly what you’d expect. 

I mean.. what did you expect? You called him out of bed to see his former lovers corpse, KNOWING he’s one hell of detective, dosen’t give up on things easy, and would probably be curious. For him to say “Cool gonna go smoke some reefer and take in a looney tunes short at the theater, call me when you find the murderer?” Also  this series takes place in the 50s. Because of course it does. 

So John goes back to his office to brood, reflecting that the office feels like the remains of an ancient civlization because “It seems to be all that remains of the civlized person I used to be”. Hell of a line. 

We then get his backstory with the victim, Natalia. She’s a famous actress, who John first as a younger man when hired to investgate some death threats she’d received with a boquet of flowers. John shows off just how good he is at his job in just a few panels. 

IT not only shows in just a few panels just how ferocious our hero can be when needed and how good he is at his job, easily having tracked down the man responsible and scared him shitless without breaking as sweat, but how fucking gorgeous the art is. I meant it when I brought up the old disney comparison, as Steranko even mentioned in his introduction to the collection of the first three volumes how it looks like animation cels on the page. IT’s utterly breathtaking and ONLY gets even more lush and beautiful as the series goes on and perfectly fits the noir stylings with it’s realisim, making it’s animal characters feel utterly human and real while still keeping their animal traits in perfect detail. 

John impressed her, and as we see in the next page under his narration they not only had really steamy passionate sex, and why yes we do see them naked even if the bits are covered it’s still very much nsfw and we saw Natalia’s naked corpse earlier, so that ship had already sailed anyway, with Natalia taking him on both as her lover and her on staff detective and the two were much in love.. until the fame apparenlty got to her judging from the visuals, and the realtionship fell apart. 

Before we move on i’d like to talk about the narration which CAN be a bit overwrought here or there and is a bit overused.. but does have it’s mometns of being utterly effective as with above, contrasting John’s statments about a sucessful job and being hired on.. with the beginnings of his and Natalia’s relationship and their passionate lovemaking. IT’s not BAD and it works for the setting, but it can be distracting, but thankfully the series levels this out as we go and they learned from it so no harm done. Just the kinda thing that happens early in a series life when the creators are getting a handle on things, so no harm done. 

But naturally John isn’t going to take the love of his life, responsible for the happiest days of said life, being brutally murdered lying down and is going to find the bastard who did this. So he goes to an old friend, Jake Ositombe, a championship boxer and Nat’s former bodyguard who he recommended to her. Given we see him knock the shit out of his opponent without the slightest effort, yeah good call. Also yes we share the same name and no it’s not weird to type about another Jake, adventure time sorta.. knocked that out of me. Jake dosen’t know much since she fired him a long time ago as one of her lovers hired private security, and the last one he knew of was a guy by the name of Leon.  John, naturally, easily finds the guy’s apartment, Leon Kronkski, a screenwriter.. but also rules him out as the guy lived in a humble apartment and clearly didn’t have the cash to hire his own hired goons. 

He does find a clue, a matchbook for some place called the Cypher Club.. and another when the man’s sweet  mouse landlady shows up, who John charms by pretending to be Leon’s friend and flashing a big smile, finding out a msyterious man with “big bulging eyes”, took him. This scene also to me is great in subtly showing off John’s skill. While the previous flashback showed how badass he is, shoving a gun down the throat of a stalking wannabe murderer with pure rage in his eyes.. here we see a lighter approach, how despite his serious and dour nature.. he easily slips into being cheery and looking like an average joe off the street. He bluffs the landlady not because the plot says so.. but because like any PI he’s just that good at slipping into whatever roll he needs to get the info he needs. He can be his dour self or a charming happy go lucky guy without missing a beat. 

So with that he goes to the studio leon worked for where his boss.. is a walrus j jonah jameson?

But yeah J. Jonah Walruson wants pictures of spider-man.. moving pictures.. but he can’t film them with his star dead and his screenwriter indefintiely gone, with the same bulging eyed man having told JJ he’d be gone indefintely. Nothing suspicious about that!

So naturally John’s next plan is to find the guy.. who is already after him as you’d expect with both a knife to slash at our hero with and the fog covering him so he can hit and run. But unluckily for him .. well i’ll let john say it...

John  headbutts the myserious snake, who only managed to get his coat before and tries to interogate him.. but gets a quick jab to the gut and the guy gets away. 

We soon meet our big bag, who has a big speech about insects and things being usefufl.. and once they stop being useful.. they become dead and collectable, telling the snake man to back off John.. and sending his right hand man to go take care of the Snake who apparently took something from the office. Realizing his numbers up the Snake Man goes to a lizard bar, picks up a package from a friend and runs out the back, knowing he’s being followed.. and we get some hints there’s also racial tension between lizards and mammials here as the bartender, said friend, has the entire bar circle around the guy preventing him from following our mysterious bulging eyed man. 

Meanwhile John goes to the Cipher Club, a wretched hive of scum and villiany. Given Nat was a glamorous movie star, it’s very clear she was here to hide from something or someone, and the bartnender, a wild pig. 

No not you sweetie. The wild pig tells John leon was indeed here and a local rat, in both senses of the word, offers to take John to him.. though understandably John is supscious of the guy he just met in a seedy bar taking him anywhere except to get some heroin. Did Heroin exist yet? Questions for later. But he’s got a case so he follows. Though suprisingly the guy DOES actually come through and it’s not ENTIRELY a trap: he takes john to a tomb for Noel Krinsok.. an anagram for Leon’s name. Unsuprisingly he’s dead. And also unsuprisingly, two hired goons

Show up. As I said not ENTIRELY a trap but it’s obvious given the rat split moments before that our mysterious big bad knew where john would be headed next, and thus while giving him a clue, also set him up to get his head knocked in. And while John is badass.. these guys are a bear and a rhino,  both stronger, bigger, and with suprise on their size, as well as a tombstone to knock john’s head into. They easily beat him senseless and hope he got the message, though john gives a defiant fuck you before being punched out for it. He returns home, feeling like he’s aged 20 years “But no one respects the elderly anymore”, PFFT, and heads home to his rathole, not literally this time, apartment to lay on his cot and think as he gets some rest. 

And while the trail for Leon is cold. our mysterious murderer accidently tipped his hand: only someone with a LOT of money and influence could make a man disappear like this, and it tracks with what we’ve seen so far. The guy has multiple henchman and despite being a big star with plenty of clout, Natalia had to hide in a dive bar just to get away from him and even THEN clearly wasn’t so lucky given she and her new lover both wound up dead.  But Blacksad has bigger problems.. he wakes up in a jail cell.

Turns out Smirnkov had him arrested.. but for his own protection as the case is getting too hot and while he was late on that front given John’s face is hamburger, it’s clear from his tone and demeanor that while he may of been harsh with John earlier.. the two are old friends, and the Chief is simply worried about him winding up dead, and John takes you know being thrown in prison in stride. Which while not a bad scene it is a BIT suspect that a black coded character was thrown in jail for nothing and it’s treated very lightly and as a simple protection between friends, though given they wouldn’t think of coding john like that till next volume, I brush it off as accidental implications in hindsight. 

Smirnkov though also called John here.. because he needs his help. Since Natalia’s Murder Case is pointing very high up, so his superiors have ordered him to bury the case and as he puts it “the bastards know where to squeeze”. And given in volume 3 we learn Smirnov has a wife and children, it’s very obvious where they squoze and to the volume’s credit while we don’t know that yet it’s VERY clear from Smirnov’s body language they went after some form of family. So while he has to give it up.. John does not. So he brought him to jail to offer a proposal: John goes after this son of a bitch and nails him to the wall.. and Smirnov will FULLY protect John no matter what he has to do.  Now naturally given the rightful reckoning for police that’s been going on for almost a year, this SHOULDN’T play well. You have an officer outright telling an outside party that he and his boys will cover up his crimes. But.. honestly even in that framework.. it still works. That’s because.. the system has failed here. The higher up and more corrupt cops put pressure on the honest and hardworking family man Smirnov to stop a legitimate investigation into a horrible murderer.. because the guy is rich. And even now we’ve seen time and time again how rich assholes effortlessly escape the consequences of their action: How our own president who actively asked other nations to interfere in our election escaped his first impeachment trial, but hopefully not the second, aquitted. How Jeffery Epstien took YEARS to bring down with his years of ellicit parties involving innocent women and children he fucking enslaved. How Bill Cosby got away with all kinds of sexual assault for decades. The rich are often literally above the law in this country, so having a down on his luck detective, who retroactively himself is a minority, go after him with the full support of an actually GOOD police officer who genuinely believes in these people being held accountable but is held back by his family’s safety.. it works. John isn’t able to skirt consequences BECAUSE of a corrupt system.. but because the system’s so broken and slanted in the rich’s favor, that the ONLY option an honest officer like Smirnov has is to go outside it. And when asked WHY he’s doing all of this, Smirnov merley replies

... I got chills, their multiplyin. So John plans to find the bulge eyed snake after a hot shower.. only for the guy to hold a gun to John’s head, having been waiting for him and wave the murder weapon, in a baggie around, the item he had retrieved, feeling John’s trying to replace him as number two. However before he can do anything our snake  pal is shot full of holes by the rat from before, who John dispatches with his own gun. 

So the Snake starts to expire.. but feels a kinship with John “We are nothing right cat? Spent so much time waiting for the right chance and when it happens it all falls to pieces”. The Snake explains his roll in things: He was one of the private security our big bad hired to guard Natalia. But being supscious he also hired the rat to follow her around, and thus found out about her affair, brutally torturing and murdering Leon and shooting Natalia in the head. And we finally get a name as our snake friend tragically expires. 

The snake’s death and tragic dying moments are something I forgot about.. but damn if their not really good writing, taking a character who before was seemingly just a murderous goon.. and comparing him to our hero. Another working class joe, and one who just caught up with the wrong asshole at the wrong time. He easily could’ve been john in another life and vice vers and it’s a good parallel. 

So John’s nightmares finally have  name and he naturally goes to confront the guy since he has an almost literal get out of jail free card. Turns out Smirnov is the richest man in town, and has his own big tower. Huh.. sounds familiar, and John simply sneaks his way up and once Statoc’s guards from before hear him rustling about.. sneaks up on them and clocks both one at at time with a fire extinqusher. 

Statoc warmly welcomes our hero inside, and has the fucking lizard balls, as he’s some sort of lizard himself, to offer John a JOB

I mean he’s clearly lost a lot of his goons and most of them were incompetent. He fails to realize that John can’t be bought, is here for vengeance and has no intention of selling his soul to some rich asshole who killed someone he loved for the creepiest and most asinine reasons imaginable. He says john’s Concisence is why he can’t pull the trigger and that he lacks “cold blood”.. before we cut to the next page, where John’s shot the fucker in the head and left a gaping hole where his lack of a brain was. 

And again what makes this work is the aftermath: John is clearly shaken, having ONLY been able to pull the trigger beause of Statoc’s smug grin and clearly not taking the sight of Statoc’s dead body bleeding out well. And while Smirnov keeps his word, covers for him despite the two guards clearly providing an iron clad argument against john and knoiwng thier blatantly covering this up.. he’s not happy about it. 

This is WHY the narrtive still works. Statoc stacked the law against the bad guys. .but despite this being a necessary evil.. it’s still an evil and subverting teh law at this rightly leaves him not in a great place mentally. John himself isn’t even if he plays it off as otherwise, as we get our final bit of narration and one hell of a closing line. 

Final Thoughts:

Somewhere in the Shadows is a bit rough around the edges, leaning a bit too heavily into the noir pastiche and Blacksad being a harboiled detective, something the next volume would ease up on. That being said.. it’s still a masterpiece, with gorgeous art and masterful pacing. While it’s the shortest of the stories, like those after it the pacing is sublime and never feels like it has any down moments or stuff that could’ve been cut, and the mystery keeps you on edge the whole time. Having forgot a lot of the details since last read I was on the edge of my seat the entire story and loving every second of it. Somewhere in the Shadows is the perfect starter for the series, introducing an important charcter in Smirnov and the noir nature and giving us a case personal to John so we can see who he was before, what he is now.. and what he WILL be for the rest of the series. The moment that MADE him into an even harder man than the one we follows here.. when he took a life in cold blood. A masterful story, seriously check it and the other volumes out, on comixology, in stores, great stuff. Next time we look into john and as I said, he’s taking down some racists and we also meet his sidekick weekly for the first time. As for me tommorow I dive back into my Tom Luictor retrospective but hit pause on our boy for a bit to take care of some of the larger plot.   Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure. 

#blacksad #john blacksad #Smirnov #noir #anthropomorphic #anthro #funny animal #somewhere within the shadows #comics #dark horse comics #france #french comics #igor statoc #Natalia Wilford

[pokenimagines]

Raihan x Reader: Phone Jobs

So um long story short I didn’t get to writing any requests as I was cleaning my room today, but yesterday I wrote a thing. It’s extremely NSFW though and not my best writing since I was writing it while tired, but it’s something. Also, a special thanks to @swshstories​ because I was talking to her about her own story “Face-To-Face” (check it out, the link is a master list to all her fics btw) and this idea came up. Again, this isn’t my best work (tbh kinda hate it) but I felt a touch bad for not posting on my day off. Without further ado, some shameless smut with Raihan!

Warning: This is NSFW smut! If you’re under the legal age or uncomfortable with content like this, please skip over this one!

Info: Gender neutral trainer with vagina

The trainer looked over the room, keeping in a sigh while they looked over at Raihan. He was sitting on the couch in a pretty relaxed position while chatting with Leon. The trainer knew it started off as a call about the next time they'd battle, but now it seemed like the two men kept getting sidetracked. Sure they were close friends, but they had squirrel minds it seemed, and together they never stayed on topic.

"Oh ya, the match!" Raihan said into the phone, and the trainer rolled their eyes at his idiocy. They loved the idiot, sure, but gosh, he was always on that damn phone of his. The trainer briefly wondered who he loved more, his phone, or them. Of course, deep down, they knew the answer was them, but it didn't help them getting jealous over social media. Everyone had their little ticks, this happened to be the trainers.

That's then a small idea popped into the trainer's head, and a sly smirked graced their face. They looked over at Raihan, and he was already in the perfect position as they walked over to where he was. As they walked behind him, they placed a gentle hand, making him jump a bit before noticing who it was. He gave a small wave and pointed to the phone, and the trainer just nodded.

They were soon standing in front of him, the same smirk over their face as Raihan looked over at them, confused. Usually, when he was on the phone, the trainer would just wait to speak with him. This time they just stood there and looked him over before they did something he found to be a bit unexpected.

The trainer slowly sank onto their knees, and they looked up at him. He was always the type of guy to sit with his legs spread apart a good amount, so they were just staring at him from between his legs. The trainer let their head fall and rest on his slightly exposed thigh, drinking him in. They knew he'd probably either get really annoyed or incredibly turned on by what they were about to do. Perhaps he'd be both?

Raihan was still confused as he spoke to Leon, and he was about to address the trainer when they covered their mouth with a single finger, telling him to keep quiet. Raihan's heart leaped out of his chest as he began imagining what exactly the trainer had planned. He didn't have to think too hard on it as their two hands pushed his legs apart a bit more. One hand began trailing a bit until it landed right on the bulge in his pants, making him flinch back a bit as he tried not to make a sound.

"Ah, what was that, Lee?" Raihan asked, clearly having gotten distracted and not listening to what the man on the other side of the phone wanted. The trainer rubbed his shorts a bit before reaching up with their mouth and finding the zipper between their teeth. They quickly slid it down (as they had definitely done this to him before), and began sliding his pants down to his ankles. Raihan started to gnaw on his bottom lip as he tried to focus on his conversation,

"Next week, uh ya, I think that'll- oh shit," Raihan said as he covered his mouth. The trainer's own hot mouth was on top of his dick that was still covered by his boxers. He hadn't expected them to be moving so fast as they quickly freed him from the clothes.

"Um ya I-I'm fine. Just uh stubbed my toe." Raihan tried to play it off cool as his hand went to his mouth as he bit his knuckles. The trainer was delighted to see the twitch of his cock as they ran the flat of their tongue over the tip of it, knowing that it always drove him crazy. Raihan's hips bucked a bit more as he tried to get them to take more of his member into their mouth, but the trainer wasn't feeling overly generous.

Their cool hand began running along the length, followed by their tongue. They licked the underneath of his warm cock, right on the large vein, and Raihan was starting to pant a bit in his seat. He was trying not to let Leon know anything was up, but damn it was hard when the trainer's mouth was teasing his dick.

The trainer decided to stop their teasing, right as Raihan began speaking again, "Tuesday at noon sounds," Raihan let out a small gasp as the trainer took his cock into their mouth and began working him, "good. Real fucking good." Raihan said as he tried to hold his composure. He let an arm slid over the armrest of the chair that he was now digging his nails in. He was trying to not make too much of a scene.

The trainer's head began bobbing up and down along him as they looked up at him, their eyes trying to seem innocent despite his dick being halfway down their throat. Raihan just decided to hum in acknowledgment to Leon as to not tip him off. The trainer's free hand began to trail down their own body until they were unclipping their own belt. The trainer ran their hand down past their underwear and across their slit, feeling how wet they already were.

The trainer couldn't help but let out a small moaning hum around Raihan's dick as they began to finger themselves while. Raihan almost lost it right then and there, but knew he couldn't just hang up the phone or else Leon would know exactly what had happened.

As the trainer slowly began getting more daring and taking more of him in, Raihan decided it was time to end this game, "Okay, ya, ya, uh, I need to check some things before I can confir-confirm. I'll call you later when I know. I uh, I gotta go." Raihan said, and the moment Leon said bye, he was hanging up the phone and tossing it behind him.

The trainer's hair was grabbed from the scalp, and they popped off him with a string of saliva, the only thing connecting them. The trainer shivered at the way Raihan was looking at them. They weren't sure if he was pissed or incredibly horny, but they'd be finding out in just a moment.

"Damn, you're such a bitch sometimes." Raihan teased as he grabbed the trainer and dragged them up and onto his lap. The remainder of their pants were torn off, leaving them with only a top on as they were put onto Raihan's lap. The trainer's slit resting on top of Raihan's cock as he slid them a bit, grinding down on his length. The trainer let out a gasp of surprise before looking at him.

"I just wanted some attention, and you're always on that d-damn phone." The trainer said before letting out a breathy moan as he kept grinding them against his dick. The trainer wouldn't lie and say they didn't want him to just shove it inside them already and fuck them senseless, but they'd have to be patient. Raihan was pretty devious at times, and if they seemed too eager, he'd keep teasing them for some time.

"Well, you got it now," Raihan said as he lifted up their hips and began positioning them. The trainer let out a small yelp as he plunged his dick into them, not bothering to take it slowly. He knew they had worked themselves up enough, and they preferred it on the rougher side anyway. The trainer let out a ragged moan as he didn't waste any time lifting them back up and thrusting them back down onto him.

The trainer's hands went to rest on his shoulders as he began setting a rapid-fire pace, not wanting to slow down. He had already been so damn close when he took them off, but he wanted to get the trainer off before he came undone. Raihan squeezed down a bit tighter on the trainer's hips, no doubt leaving bruises for another day as the trainer threw their head back.

"R-Raihan!" The trainer moaned out as they felt themselves getting closer to finishing. He was hitting the right spot every time he thrusted back in, and it was driving them crazy. They were pretty sure he could feel their thighs were shaking from the pleasure of it all.

"Damn, I want you to come all over this cock already," Raihan said, his voice lower than usual and right in their ear. The trainer's breath hitched in their throat as they turned a deep shade of red. They always knew Raihan was an expert at dirty talking, but they still weren't totally use to it.

"Fuck Raihan, right there, please." The trainer begged, their nails clawing a bit at him. Raihan almost took them entirely off him before throwing them back down. The trainer let out a loud moan that Raihan was sure anyone near their home could hear. Their walls contracted around Raihan as they came on him, riding out their release with him continuing that steady pace of his.

Soon they were coming down from their high, and they were over-sensitive, and it increased everything they were feeling. Raihan kept pounding into them without any sign of stopping, making the trainer almost scream as they felt themselves coming undone all over again.

"Fuck, I'm close, babe." Raihan said as he leaned his head a bit closer to them to the crook of their neck was right as his face. As soon as Raihan knew he was about to cum, he bit down in the sensitive flesh on their shoulder. The trainer gasped in pain and shock as Raihan rutted into them a few more times. They could feel the hot cum filling them up, and as soon as it started, Raihan was already finishing off.

He unlatched his mouth and was happy he didn't draw any blood this time. He looked over at the trainer who seemed to be a total mess. He couldn't help the smirk on his face while one hand cupped their cheek and pulled it to him so he could kiss them. The other hand slowly found their clit and began circling it with a fast pace. It didn't take much longer for the trainer to be moaning into his mouth as they came for the second time.

The trainer was shaking as Raihan took his cock out of them and knew he'd have to carry them to get everything cleaned up. He nuzzled their neck a bit, planting a gentle kiss on the already forming bruise there, "You know it's still very rude of you to interrupt important league phone calls." Raihan murmured, making the trainer laugh. They couldn't see his face, but they knew he was joking.

"You didn't seem to mind much." The trainer pointed out, and it was Raihan's turn to laugh in amusement. He swears if Leon asks him what happened on the phone call, he'd have to think of one hell of a lie. Still, he wouldn't hate it if the trainer tried this again…just not anytime soon.

#pokemon #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon imagines #pokeimagines #pokemon raihan #raihan #pokemon raihan x reader #raihan x reader #raihan swsh #spicy salt

[anistarrose]

Fear The Reaper A Lot, Actually - Chapter 5

AO3

Summary: It’s time for the hunt to resume. Noelle makes a promise, Kravitz conducts an interview, Taako plans a séance, and Barry makes a friend.

Characters: Kravitz, Taako, Barry Bluejeans, Angus McDonald, Magnus Burnsides, Merle Highchurch, Noelle | No-3113, The Raven Queen, The Director | Lucretia, misc. BoB cameos, Julia Burnsides

Relationships: Taakitz, Angus McDonald & Taako, Barry Bluejeans & Kravitz, Kravitz & Angus McDonald

Sorry for the late update! I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Thursday I decided to focus entirely on losing my mind over the new TAZ episode, so that means it’s time for a rare Friday chapter. Lots of stuff is happening in this chapter, so hopefully it was worth the wait!

(Also, I normally don’t write the chapter titles on tumblr for this fic because it makes the title section of the post look cluttered, but this one is called “me and the boys at 2 am looking for jeans.” Just really wanted to make sure you were all aware of that fact.)

***

Long past the curfew established by the Reclaimers’ training routine, at the hour of night when the moonbase’s artificial lights dimmed and the bonfires on the planet below faded away, four pairs of eyes watched Avi from the shadows. A murmur of excitement escaped from behind one of the glass spheres when he yawned and checked his watch, followed by a chorus of disappointed sighs when he slapped himself across the face and set back to work unloading a new supply shipment, but he didn’t seem to notice them over the muffled roar of high-altitude winds.

Finally, a passenger sphere floated back into the port and the Bureau’s three top Regulators disembarked, back from a planetside drill that had run long. From her perch on Killian’s shoulder, Carey leaned down to affectionately slap Avi on the back, and he quickly accepted her invitation to join their gang for drinks at the Chug ‘N Squeeze. As Avi led the way out of the port, Carey and Killian hot on his heels while Noelle followed more distantly, there was much hushed rejoicing among their shadowy, impatient observers.

“Finally,” Taako huffed. “I was starting to think he was pulling an all-nighter.”

After checking one last time to make sure the coast was clear, Angus stepped out of his hiding place and reached for the door of the transport sphere, but Magnus grabbed ahold of him by the collar of his shirt.

“Sorry, little guy, but you’re staying behind this time.”

Angus opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again, at a loss for words for the first time since he’d started speaking in complete sentences at age fourteen months.

“It’s nothing personal, Agnes — we just need someone to stay behind and distract Avi if he comes back before we do,” Taako explained. “And no one can resist all your nosy questions once you get going, so you’re the perfect accomplice!”

“I can think of a few people who can resist it,” Merle scoffed. “Number one, me.”

Magnus ignored them both, kneeling down to look at Angus in the eyes. “Ango, if I’m being honest… we had some close calls last time, and that was in a cave where we honestly weren’t expecting to find anything besides a clue or two if we were lucky. Tonight, we’re going to try and get a lich’s attention, so this morning, we all sat down and talked about it and agreed we’ll feel better if you’re safe up here.”

Taako sighed. “Gee, way to let the kid know we actually care about him. Now his ego’s gonna grow until it’s bigger than mine, and then where will I be?”

“It’s okay, sir. I’m sure you and Merle will still find ways to keep me humble.” Angus managed a smile.

“Stay safe, all right?”

“That’s the spirit!” Merle laughed, as Magnus picked him up and placed him inside the sphere. “Now hurry up and set the trajectory, Taako. Barry Bluejeans isn’t gonna arrest himself —”

“Please, hang on just a second!”

Four heads whirled around to face the port’s exit hallway, where Noelle was floating.

“It’s just me, don’t worry!” she assured them, noticing Magnus and Angus’s guilty expressions and Merle and Taako’s panicked ones. “I won’t let the Director hear a peep of this, I promise — but if you’re going after Mr. Bluejeans, I’d like to come with you. If you’ve got room in that sphere, of course.”

“Well, the scale of this lich hunting team is rapidly veering past ‘secret club’ and careening into ‘elaborate conspiracy,’ but… I guess this whole bargain is about your life too, isn’t it?” Magnus thought out loud. “Taako, Merle, are you guys alright with this?”

“A ghost would know where to find another ghost better than any of us would, right?” Merle asked, and Taako shrugged.

“Then welcome to the lich-hunting conspiracy, Noelle,” Magnus declared.

On her way to the sphere, Noelle patted Angus on the head, surprisingly gentle despite her heavy robot arms. “Sorry, pal. I didn’t mean to replace you.”

“It’s okay, ma’am,” Angus told her. “I know you’re better in fights than I am, so… just be sure to keep them safe, okay? And if you get a chance, could you ask Barry if our theory about the Voidfish was right?”

Noelle’s face display flickered, somehow expressing a determined smile with just a few dozen lit-up pixels. “I’ll do my best, I promise.”

***

There were many reasons for a soul not to join the others in the Astral Sea, but most often, it was because they were waiting for someone. Luckily, the person Kravitz wished to speak with was one such soul, so he was able to find her in only a matter of minutes.

There was only one island in the Astral Sea with a cottage on it, after all.

Though expertly constructed, it was clearly unfinished, lacking a door, roof, or windows — so Kravitz knocked on the cedar doorframe, and waited outside for the house’s occupant to respond. Just seconds later, a tall woman with a bandana tied around her hair met him at the doorway, smiling sadly and shaking her head as she laid eyes on Kravitz.

“Oh. You’re the emissary of the Raven Queen. I’m sorry, I — I wasn’t sure if I was hoping or fearing that you were someone else.”

“I understand.” Kravitz said softly. “You’re Julia Waxmen-Burnsides, right?”

“That’s right.” Julia offered him a calloused hand. “Nice to meet — er, formally meet you, Death.”

“Death is my mother. Call me Kravitz,” Kravitz replied as he accepted the handshake, and Julia chuckled.

“Okay, Kravitz. What brings you over to my humble island?”

***

“Well, this spot should be as good as any,” Taako announced, kicking a pebble across the black glass circle that once was Phandalin. “Magnus, did you bring the sacrificial denim?”

“Sure did!” Magnus held up a pair of freshly purchased jeans. “Also some candles, and an ouija board that Carey helped me steal from Leon the other day as part my rogue lessons.”

“Tell Carey that gaslighting Leon is my job, and she needs to quit infringing on my brand.” Taako pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket, tried and failed to draw a circle on the glass, then conjured a paintbrush instead and started painting a pentagram.

Meanwhile, Noelle drifted around haphazardly, the lights on her face growing dim. “It’s… it’s so empty here. I was bracing myself for ruins, for bodies… but there’s just nothin’ left. I can’t even remember where the bar was, or the hotel, or the stables…”

Merle looked away. “Sorry we dropped the ball on this one, Noelle…”

“S’alright. You made up for it in the lab last week, with the savin’ the world and negotiating for my soul an’ all.”

“Well, don’t get too comfortable in your robot body, ‘cause we might not have much time left in the living world if Barry doesn’t show tonight.” Taako placed the jeans in the center of the pentagram, then lit them on fire. “But I think this’ll get his attention. Everyone, come join hands!”

Magnus kneeled and took Taako and Noelle’s hands, while Merle stood up on his tiptoes to do the same.

“You’ve done this before, right?” Merle whispered.

“Plenty of times.” Taako summoned a Mage Hand and adjusted his scarf to cover his nose and mouth, as the fire in the center of their circle intensified. “Noelle? Would you do the honor of reaching out for us?”

“Uh, I’ve never been to a séance quite like this one. Maybe you’d be the better one to —”

“Barry, you asshole! Too much of a coward to show your face!” Merle shouted. “Heard about how I banished Legion and got the heebie-jeebies, didja?”

The ruins of Phandalin fell eerily silent, aside from the quiet crackling of the fire.

“Sorry. Still not detecting any liches,” Noelle reported.

“Well, being a dick didn’t work,” Merle muttered. “Shoulda brought some booze and thrown a party — maybe that would get his lazy ass’s attention.”

“I’m pretty sure liches can’t drink, Merle,” Noelle told him. “And honestly, now that I’m thinkin’ about it, I can’t imagine why Barry would be obligated to haunt this here town just ‘cause it’s where he died. Are y’all sure this is the best place to look for him?”

“Positive,” said Taako, but Magnus spoke over him.

“Maybe we should widen our search area. Quick, what other places would be significant to Barry?”

“How ‘bout the cave where he got his ass kicked?” Merle suggested. “You know, the place where we met G’larg or whatever his name was.”

Magnus let go of Taako and Noelle’s hands to fan the air in front of him. “Well, a hike sure sounds better than standing around inhaling denim fumes, I’ll give you that.”

Taako extinguished the blaze then cast Phantom Steed, and Garyl manifested atop the embers of the fire, rearing into a majestic pose. “Hiking’s for chumps. Garyl and I will race you there!”

***

Julia led Kravitz inside the cottage, which smelled pleasantly of cedar and lavender, and motioned for him to sit down in one of two rocking chairs. She sat in the other, crossing her legs and absentmindedly rocking back and forth.

“So, Maggie went and got on the Raven Queen’s bad side, did he?”

“Not permanently, I’m hoping,” Kravitz replied. “I don’t know him as well as you, but he and his fellow death criminal associates don’t strike me as anything like the usual bounties I hunt. I was hoping you could testify on his moral character, and maybe also shed some light on how he cheated death, because he sure doesn’t seem to know.”

“Well, he’s survived some close battles — but I assume you’re looking for necromancy, not near-death experiences.” Julia drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “And I know Magnus is no necromancer.”

“I figured as much. Did he know any necromancers, though?”

Julia shook her head. “No. He’ll stand up to any authority figure if he believes they’re abusing their power, but that’s not because he just walks around looking for rules to break — it’s ‘cause he can’t stand injustice. He’s a good man, and I can’t imagine him throwing his lot in with a lich or someone like that to flaunt the laws of life and death…”

Her voice trailed off. “Do you know how long ago these so-called crimes happened?” she asked.

“They all registered in our system at once, about twelve years ago. Needless to say, I’m assuming he didn’t die 19 distinct times within minutes of each other, so there must’ve been some warding that was previously hiding him from our detection. We’ve seen that kind of thing before, although never quite to the same extent.”

“Twelve years ago was before I knew him,” Julia admitted. “I’m not sure I even know where he was living or what he was doing twelve years ago.”

“Forgive me changing the topic, but are his parents still alive? Or any siblings, aunts, uncles?”

“He was an only child, and his parents passed away before I knew him — I think he was an adult at the time, but barely, so… that would’ve been thirteen, fourteen years ago, maybe? He never told me how they died and I never pressed him, so — wait a second, you’re the Grim Reaper. Shouldn’t you know exactly who’s dead and who isn’t?”

“I really should,” Kravitz agreed, “and that’s the problem, actually. I can’t find any relatives of Magnus in the registry of deceased souls — no parents, no grandparents, no cousins…”

“You only found people who were Magnus’s family by marriage,” Julia realized out loud. “That’s why you came to talk to me.”

Kravitz nodded. “Exactly — but it gets even weirder. Magnus’s fellow adventuring buddies and apparent death criminals are an elf named Taako and a dwarf named Merle, whom I don’t suppose you know —”

Julia gasped, not in recognition, but in dawning realization. “Don’t tell me you can’t find their families, either.”

“All I found for Merle were some fourth cousins, and equally distant relatives. I couldn’t find anything about Taako.”

“The plot sure has thickened, huh?” Julia muttered. “You’re right that I don’t know Merle or Taako, they must’ve been… you know, after my time. But I can swear to you, if this is some kind of — some kind of necromantic conspiracy, then Magnus is the victim, not the one behind it. He could not and would not plan something like this for years while keeping it a secret all this time. He wouldn’t have hid it from me or from Steven —”

“I believe you,” Kravitz told her, “and I believe Magnus, when he says he genuinely doesn’t know how he died nineteen times. But because I believe you, and because I think you’re right on the mark with regards to a necromantic conspiracy, I have one last question: have you ever heard the names Lup or Barry Bluejeans?”

Julia snorted quietly at the latter name, but shook her head. “No. Are they… necromantic conspiracy suspects?”

“You could say that. More specifically, they’re liches whom we first detected around the same time as Magnus. At the time, I assumed it was a coincidence, but now… well, there a few different first impressions of Magnus and his adventuring buddies that I’m reevaluating.”

“Tell me about it. That man contains multitudes.” Julia leaned back in her rocking chair. “If there’s anything else I can do to help exonerate Maggie — any questions or testimony you need — I’m sure you’ll be able to find me here for a long, long time, but… can I ask something of you, if it’s alright?”

“Depends. What is it?”

“Can you help me send a letter?”

***

For the first few hundred feet of the race, Noelle kept up with Taako via her rocket boosters, but then opted to save her fuel, and Garyl surged ahead towards the mountains.

“Eat my dust!” Garyl whinnied. “I’m gonna find those oatssss!”

“Liches, Garyl. We’re looking for liches,” Taako reminded him.

“Yeah, but liches always have some loose spectral oats in their robe pockets!” Garyl scaled the foothills with ease, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. “Sometimes they even give me spectral sugar cubes! Why dontcha ever hang out with liches anymore?”

Taako yanked on the reins. “Excuse me?”

“You haven’t given me sugar cubes in decades,” Garyl moaned as they came to a halt. “Or even spectral carrots.”

Taako dismounted, turning away from the face of the mountain to look at Garyl in his iridescent rainbow eyes. “You gonna elaborate ‘bout me allegedly hanging out with liches, pal?”

“What is there to elaborate about? You used to hang with liches, and then you just —” Suddenly, Garyl’s eyes went wide. “Look out! Above you!”

Taako dismissed Garyl with a wave of his hand, and the binicorn disappeared in a flash of rainbow smoke. “Yeah, no, I’m not buying that. You’re just pulling my leg again —”

He turned around slowly and casually, not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary — only to find himself facing a crumbling mountainside, dozens of massive boulders already rolling on a trajectory straight towards him.

He instinctively raised his Umbra Staff, only to freeze up, no idea what spell he could cast in time to save himself — but then something in his peripheral vision flashed red, and not a full second later, he was standing atop a distant hill, a hundred meters away from the site of the rockslide.

“Are you okay?” a voice behind him rasped. “I didn’t mean to startle you — I know you probably had it under control, but I — I just panicked. Sorry.”

Taako turned around to face a familiar red-robed specter, two vaguely eye-shaped lights under his hood looking Taako over.

“You know, I was actually pretty un-startled until you popped up behind me and started rasping in my ear! Let an elf have his personal space, Barold!”

“What?” The lights beneath Barry’s hood froze in place, as did every thread of his robe, paralyzed in spite of the gentle breeze. The rasp in his voice dissipated as he went on: “Taako, how much do you remember?!”

Taako blinked. “Remember?”

“Talk to me, Taako! Please!” Barry grabbed Taako by the shoulders, incorporeal hands trembling. “Do you remember your sister? Do you remember Lup?”

“Ugh, that sound! Why do you have to do that right in my face?” Taako shrugged off Barry’s barely-tangible grip, clapping his hands over his ears.

“You heard static?” Barry gasped. “Oh, no. No. I thought —”

“You bet I just heard the worst five seconds of ASMR ever! What do you want from me, man? All I know about Lup is that she’s a lich like you, ‘cause that’s all Kravitz could tell me —”

“Kravitz told you about us?!”

“Yeah, he did! Told me you two were his most elusive bounties, and that I could never let my guard down around you!” Taako reached into the quiver slung over his shoulder, pulling out a sapphire arrow. “And I think it’s about time I gave him a heads up that you’re hanging out right here, soul ready for reaping —”

“Do NOT summon Kravitz!” Just seconds before Taako plunged the arrow into the ground, Barry tore it out of his hand and hurled it through a rift. “Why the fuck would you summon Kravitz?!”

Taako’s grip tightened on his Umbra Staff, and Barry recoiled. The lights under his hood looked like they were melting, shedding glowing droplets that cascaded down some semblance of a face within the void.

“Taako, please,” Barry pleaded. “I’m not your enemy, and — and Lup isn’t either, I swear! She wouldn’t want this!”

Taako raised the Umbra Staff to cast, but no spell fired from the umbrella as it shuddered in his hand.

“You can’t listen to what Kravitz tells you — he doesn’t know why we became liches! He doesn’t know about the Hunger!” Barry’s robe was fraying before Taako’s eyes, crimson threads unraveling at the edges of his sleeves. “What if — what if he thinks you’ve cheated death? What if he sends you to the Eternal Stockade?! Taako, I’m begging you, I — I — I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too!”

Taako cast again, and the Umbra Staff still refused to fire, the beginnings of a spell entering his arcane focus on one end but never leaving it on the other. As Barry drifted closer, sparks jumping between stray red threads and face a mess of swirling light and shadow, Taako turned to his last resort — stalling for time.

“You know, Kravitz was thinking real hard about sending me to ghost jail the other day, but I convinced him not to. Don’t you want to hear my side of the story?”

Barry froze, the unraveling of his robe momentarily halted. “In the Miller lab? What happened?!”

“We made a deal. He was going to arrest me, Magnus, Merle, Lucas, and Noelle — but I got an idea he liked better. I asked if he’d let us go free if we captured another bounty or two for him — so he gave us two months to capture you and Lup.” Taako shrugged, so focused on trying not to panic that he hardly noticed the sound of electricity crackling and fabric tearing. “So if you just turn yourself in, then at least you’ll only have to worry about me half as much.”

Barry convulsed as a jagged gash tore through his robe from shoulder to waist, an intangible darkness spilling out from within him and pooling on the ground below.

“LUP!” he shouted, voice echoing between mountains and through underground lairs for miles and miles. “They — they signed their own death warrant, Lup! I — I can’t do this without them, I can’t do this without you — where ARE YOU?!”

“Taako! There you are!”

Magnus sprinted onto the scene, Merle and Noelle hot on his heels. He thrust himself between Barry and Taako, then pulled a sapphire arrow from his own belt, jabbing it into the shadow-covered ground at Barry’s feet. “Kravitz, we’ve got a bounty for you!”

The lights beneath Barry’s hood coalesced back into two flickering eyes that immediately fixated on the arrow, which was already engulfed in a crackling blue aura.

“Boys, I promise I’m going to fix this,” he rasped, and then vanished into thin air.

“Wait, come back!” Merle called out, rushing towards the spot where Barry had been floating. “I didn’t even get a chance to talk to you —”

Taako yelped as his Umbra Staff inverted, and the arrow flew through the air towards its maw — but milliseconds before the umbrella snapped shut around it, Kravitz manifested in a puff of smoke, already dual-wielding sapphire scythes.

“Did you find Barry? Where is he?”

“He got away, I think,” Magnus sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have summoned you where he could see, but I rushed in because I was so worried about him hurting Taako —”

Noelle floated around Taako in tight circles, scanning him from all angles. “It doesn’t look he hurt you, but… I’m getting some traces of conjuration magic? Did you have a wizard’s duel or something?”

“Oh, god no. I probably wouldn’t be alive if we had,” Taako admitted. His heart was still pounding, but he tried not to let it show. “Conjuration magic, though… let’s see. That would probably be from when he — when he teleported me away from the mountain, after those rocks started falling.”

“Those rocks?” Noelle gestured towards the massive pile of rubble at the foot of the nearest mountain. “Those look like they could’ve killed you!”

“I know, right?” Taako replied. “Very uncharacteristically benevolent of him to show up when he did.”

“As great as it is that you’re not dead, Taako, it was also very convenient of him to show up when he did,” Kravitz paced across the hilltop, scythes crossed in front of him like the world’s most dangerous dowsing rods. “I can’t sense his presence anymore, meaning he’s squirreled himself away in some sort of warded hideout… but if he appeared out in the open here only shortly after you did, then that hideout of his must be nearby.”

He turned away from Taako, facing the mountains. “Which means he’s still nearby.”

Taako felt his hand grow warm, and looked down to see his Umbra Staff, energized from the absorption of the arrow… and pointing directly at Kravitz’s back.

“Let’s search the area.” Kravitz continued. “Leave no stone unturned —”

Taako pointed the Umbra Staff towards the sky — not a moment too soon. A beam of white-hot plasma pierced the clouds above and bathed the entire mountain range in daylight for a fleeting moment, before it fizzled out with a crackle of electricity and a whiff of ozone.

Kravitz whirled around. “Taako?!”

“I didn’t cast that spell! I don’t know how to cast that kind of spell!” Taako gasped. “My umbrella’s been acting up all night, but I didn’t know it could act up like this!”

Kravitz sighed and placed a hand on Taako’s shoulder.

“You know, on second thought,” he said, “maybe we should postpone the lich hunting until you get that thing checked out.”

***

Merle made a beeline for his bed the second the gang returned to the moonbase, while Taako took it upon himself to relay the night’s events to Angus as a bedtime story, and hopefully ensure that the kid actually got some sleep. Noelle had opted to stay planetside for a little longer and fly back up to the moon on her own later, explaining that she needed some time alone to process what had happened in Phandalin, and that left Magnus and Kravitz alone in the common room between the Reclaimers’ individual dorms.

“There’s no way Angus will relax enough to fall asleep in the next week if he hears about what happened tonight,” Magnus sighed, collapsing onto the couch. “Either Taako lies and says nothing happened, or he uses a sleep spell on a ten year old. You wanna make a bet on which?”

“I’ll pass. But you just reminded me, I actually have something for you.” Kravitz rifled through the interior pockets of his vest, pulling out a piece of shimmering blue paper. Although folded over on itself several times, it still felt almost intangibly thin, like parchment woven from cobwebs or even air itself.

Magnus raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “That better not be magical junk mail.”

Kravitz smiled, slowly shaking his head. “I spoke with someone in the Astral Plane today who had a lot of good things to say about you,” he explained. “She’s waiting to see you again, but hopes that day won’t come too soon, and… well, I haven’t read her letter, but I’m sure it speaks for itself.”

Magnus accepted the paper gingerly, eyes tearing up as he unfolded it to reveal Julia’s handwriting.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Kravitz plucked a raven feather from his robe, transmuting it into a quill pen with a snap of his fingers before handing it to Magnus. “I don’t allow this kind of thing every day, so don’t go around telling too many people about it — but you can use this pen to write a response on the back. Fold it up again once you’re done, and it’ll make its way back to her.”

Magnus leapt up from the couch to crush Kravitz in a hug that would’ve knocked the air out of his lungs, had he still been alive and breathing.

“Thank you,” Magnus repeated. “Thank you —”

Taako barged into the room, Umbra Staff slung over his shoulder. “You wanna guess what ‘cha boi had to do to get the kid to go to sleep? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t — okay, what am I interrupting here?”

A joke no doubt on the tip of his tongue, he froze as he noticed the tears running down Magnus’s face. “You okay there?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” Magnus let go of Kravitz, wiping his eyes and picking up the pen and letter again. “I — I’ll be in my room. I need some time to… I just need some time.”

Taako nodded. “Don’t forget to get some sleep yourself. Apparently you humans need, like, eight hours of it, go figure.”

“He’ll be alright,” Kravitz whispered to Taako, as Magnus closed the door to his room. “He just got a letter from someone he hadn’t heard from in a while.”

“‘Course he’ll be alright. He’s Magnus, he’s indestructible,” Taako replied, but Kravitz could hear the relief in his voice. “And in case you were wondering, the way to get Angus to fall asleep is to read him a detective story, but only as a distraction while you’re preparing a Sleep spell.”

Kravitz chuckled. “You know, speaking of distracting — what’s with that flashing Chug ‘N Squeeze sign on the moon campus? I don’t think it was there when I visited you the other day.”

“Oh, that? I think it’s some kinda wine and pottery place — why, you wanna check it out? ‘Cause it’s supposed to open in a day or two, or so says all the hottest moon gossip.”

“Well, I mostly just asked out of morbid curiosity, but it does sound like something I could enjoy ironically — and maybe even unironically, as a break from all this lich hunting and detective work. Do you want to check it out with me?”

“Oh, a wine and clay vacation day with the Grim Reaper? That’s a hell yeah from Taako!”

***

The second Barry returned to his cave, he bolted straight for an unassuming chest beneath a pile of discarded scrolls and tattered jeans. Though it only occupied about two cubic feet, it was warded against everything from fire to water to acid, and sealed with an arcane lock — which Barry dismissed by uttering the passcode, emergency bonds.

From inside, he retrieved a handful of trinkets — a driftwood necklace from Merle, a wand that Magnus had once unsuccessfully tried to summon a dog familiar with, and most important of all, a dozen different wedding rings, all hewn from different materials and given in different ceremonies on entirely different worlds. Barry picked up the envelope beneath them and then gingerly placed them back in the chest, opening the envelope to look through the pictures it contained.

The shadowy essence of his lich form had stopped leaking out of his robe the second he’d opened the chest and been comforted with the wave of nostalgia, but he felt his soul stabilize even further as he pulled out the first picture. It was a candid shot of him, Lup, and Taako in the Starblaster’s lab, buried up to their elbows in notes as they studied the Light of Creation, which the camera had only been able to capture as a vague white blur. The three of them all had bags under their eyes, but they were still smiling. They’d been so determined to develop a new theory, to find the answers that would save them and their family.

And there was no reason for Barry to abandon that determination or give up on that goal now.

For the next four hours, he scrawled calculations on almost every blank scrap of paper he had at his disposal, comparing research he’s done half a century ago with papers he’d read on cycles even further back. He unfurled no less than five individual maps of Faerun, circling promising locations before changing his mind and scratching out all but a few that he’d personally visited in the past.

By the time his plan was complete, almost all of the rips in his robe had mended themselves — though he still looked unsettlingly threadbare, and he trembled slightly even while floating in one place.

How long did Taako say they have? Two months, as of the crystal incident? There’s no need to panic — I’ve got time. I just need to play this smart.

He extended his senses outside of his lair, scanning the surrounding area for Kravitz or another emissary of the Raven Queen — and there was indeed an undead presence lurking near Phandalin, but unlike Kravitz, it lacked even the faintest trace of celestial energy. Even stranger, its aura seemed shielded, but less so than a lich possessing a living body would’ve been… as if the soul was inhabiting an inorganic body, instead.

The robot no doubt sensed him approaching, but gave no sign of signalling for help, which made Barry feel much better about his decision to venture out of the safety of his cave.

“Mister Bluejeans? That you?” she asked, and the sound of her voice was all it took for Barry to connect a series of dots that couldn’t have been further from his mind just a few moments ago.

“I know you. You were in the Cosmoscope — and before that, you were in Phandalin. You were a halfling.”

“That’s right. I’m Noelle — Noelle Redcheeck. I’m surprised you remembered me.”

“I’m surprised you’re not furious with me,” Barry whispered. “I couldn’t save you, or anyone else in Phandalin — I’m so sorry, Noelle. Maybe, maybe, if I’d been in my lich form, I could’ve —”

“You tried your best,” Noelle assured him, “just like the Reclaimers. Really, the only person I should blame is whoever made that terrifying gauntlet in the first place —”

“No,” Barry interrupted. “I knew her, and I knew how implausible this will sound, but she didn’t want this. She tried her best to stop it, too.”

Noelle took a moment to reply. “It sounds like you know a lot of things that the Bureau doesn’t.”

Barry nodded. “Speaking of which… I really shouldn’t stay out here in one place for much longer, or someone will sense me, be it the Bureau or Kravitz. Do you mind if we take this conversation somewhere else?”

“Just lead the way.”

They headed not to Barry’s main hideout, but to a slightly nearer cave that he used mainly for storage but had placed equally powerful wards over. Abjuration had never been his specialty, but his ability to pick it up on the fly had been invaluable during his time as a rogue lich — and now, he thought, my abjuring might be the one thing that saves my family’s lives. Funny how that works out.

“So, Noelle,” he asked out loud, “I saw you with Magnus and Merle earlier. Do they know you’re still down here?”

“I told them I wanted to stick around Phandalin for a while and think about what happened,” Noelle explained. “Which, come to think of it, wasn’t a total lie — because I did want to talk to you about Phandalin, and I guess I got that chance after all. But I’m also here because I promised my detective friend that I’d ask you something.”

“Assuming your friend’s alive, then they probably won’t even be able to comprehend the whole answer — but fire away, and I’ll tell you what I can.”

“Did the Voidfish erase the fact that you were a lich?”

“Getting right to the root of the problem, huh?” Barry paused. “Hmm. Let me put it this way — the Voidfish erased all memories that could make me believe I was a lich. Whenever I’m alive, whenever I’m amnesiac, the idea that I could be a lich or even a necromancer just sounds like a joke. I’ve tried leaving messages to remind myself of that fact, after coming back to life — but my living self never believed it.”

“It sounded like a joke to Magnus and the others, too.”

Barry sighed. “That’s ‘cause they’ve lost a lot of memories of their own.”

“But… they’re innoculated. How is that possible?”

“Noelle, we’re well past the point where I need to warn you about keeping this conversation a secret from the Bureau, right? And… probably from your detective friend, too, assuming they work for the Director?”

“Yeah,” Noelle sighed. “Angus will be disappointed, but I understand.”

“There’s a second Voidfish,” Barry explained. “It’s very well guarded, and only the Director’s been innoculated by it — so she’s used it to erase all kinds of information, from the Reclaimers’ pasts to… a coming storm, which this world is unlikely to survive.”

“This storm… will it be worse than the Grand Relics? Worse than what happened to Phandalin?”

“It’ll be not just worse, but maybe even infinitely worse. Because it’ll go on to destroy worlds beyond this one, if we let it.”

Barry had forgotten what it felt like to speak so freely about his past and the Hunger, to speak without worrying that his words would be distorted by static, and more and more information just poured out, far more than he’d initially intended to share.

“There is an entity called the Hunger that seeks to consume all of existence, and it’s only a matter of months until it begins its assault on this planar system. The Director and the Reclaimers and I, we were all like family, and we worked together in search of a way to destroy this Hunger, but… we had some disagreements. And really, neither side was right, but Lucretia — Lucretia used the Voidfish to erase our whole mission, the Hunger included. I became a lich to protect my family from the Hunger, so… when I’m alive, I don’t have any memory of being undead. And my family doesn’t have any memories of me… aside from that time in Phandalin when I got Merle to stab himself with a fork, I guess, which probably didn’t leave a great impression.” He managed a bitter laugh.

“How long ago did they forget?”

“Almost ten years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

It dawned on Barry that he was having most sincere, two-sided conversation he’d experienced in a decade — and ironically, the realization left him at a loss for words.

The same couldn’t be said of Noelle, who continued on without hesitation. “I promised my friend Angus not just that I’d get answers, but also that I’d look out for the Reclaimers. I don’t want the Grim Reaper, or the apocalypse, or whatever’s coming to hurt them — or anyone else in this world, like Angus, or Carey and Killian, or my family in Hogsbottom — so please, Mister Bluejeans, tell me what I can do to help. I want to do something with this extra time the Reclaimers gave me.”

“If you get caught helping me,” Barry warned her, “you’ll be imprisoned one way or another — either on the moonbase, or in the Eternal Stockade, depending on who catches you.”

“Well first of all, it sounds like at the rate I’m going, I’m gonna end up either back in the Astral Plane, or consumed by this Hunger entity in a matter of months if I don’t do anything to help you,” Noelle replied. “And second of all, I’m not plannin’ to just give up and let them arrest me if I do get caught.” She cocked her arm cannon.

Maybe it was risky to accept help from someone he barely knew, but Noelle had seemed nothing but sincere — and Barry had spent so long working alone that frankly, he was amazed it hadn’t killed him yet. He was a creature of bonds and of love; he sought out companionship by both nature and necessity. He didn’t know if he could do this alone, but alongside another undead soul who could actually understand and help, he knew for a fact that he could.

“Welcome aboard, Noelle.” Barry chuckled. “First things first: I’ve tried to stay out of the Raven Queen and her servants’ ways, because they’re really not evil at all, but if there’s any chance of stopping the Hunger, then we’ll need Taako and the others’ help for sure. Which means we’re going to have to do something about the Grim Reaper situation —”

“You know, I might have something to help with that.” A drawer Noelle’s main body slid open, revealing a sapphire-tipped arrow. “Magnus figured we should all have some summoning beacons on our person, in case of emergency.” She winked. “But I was thinkin’ we could use it to lure him into some kinda sinister trap.”

She paused. “He can’t eavesdrop on us through this thing, can he?”

“Not if we don’t say his name. But I’d close that drawer for now, just to be on the safe side.” Barry said as he summoned a scroll and pen, then started jotting down notes. “This is all perfect, though! I already hashed out the spell theory for a plan, but you just made it about a billion times easier to pull off — not just because of the arrow, but because you can gather components, and I won’t have to risk him sensing my location and realizing what I’m up to!”

“Makes sense,” Noelle replied, looking over Barry’s list. “That’s all you need me to get?”

“Yeah. I was thinking most of it would be salvageable from the Miller Lab — uh, except maybe the iron filings, which are commercially available anyway.”

Noelle beamed. “I won’t let you down, Mister Bluejeans.”

“Thank you, Noelle.” Barry looked down at his robe, which looked less tattered and more vibrantly red than he’d seen it in years. “For everything.”

***

End notes:

Apologies in advance if the update schedule gets a bit less consistent from here on out, since I’ve burned through my pre-written buffer chapters, but I’ve at least got a solid chunk of Chapter 6 written and a detailed outline for the chapters after that! It’s just about getting into the write headspace to write.

as usual, comments/reblogs mean a lot!

#taz #taz balance #taako taaco #kravitz taz #taakitz #barry bluejeans #no-3113 #angus mcdonald #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #julia burnsides #lup taaco #fic: FTRALA #rosalia talks #taz balance spoilers

[freddiesaysalright]

Soft in Love Part 3

A Gwilym Lee x Student!Reader Fic

Summary: Y/N is an acting student in her last semester of college. When a professor unexpectedly can’t make it for the senior capstone class, a very famous (and handsome) substitute is called in. When they connect, they face a few challenges.

Word Count: 3k

Tag List: @psychosupernatural​ @someone-get-a-medic​, @bensrhapsody​, @deakyclicks​, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession​, @minigranger​, @crazyweirdocalledfriday​, @benders-diamond-earring​, @im-an-adult-ish​, @anincurablefangirl​, @kiainspace​, @lookuptotheskiesandsee​, @god-save-the-deaks​, @assembledherethevolunteers​ @misslolasworld​ If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: So, some more pining and drama. Y’know, the usual.

Warning(s): Some guys being sketchy with women’s drinks.

Part 1  Part 2

Part 3 here we go!!!

Thankfully, the weekend passed without incident, though you found yourself thinking of Gwilym more often than you liked. Every time you read your library book, you thought of that moment among the shelves. Any time you ran lines, or sang from the show, you thought about the way he played the piano, and how you laughed together afterward. His smile, his eyes….

“Get a grip,” you scolded yourself.

And yet, you found yourself eager for the end of the weekend and anticipation for Tuesday morning.

You arrived early again, feeling oddly hopeful. Maybe you could rehearse “The Boy Next Door” again. You loved that song already, but singing it with Gwilym was something else. When you entered the auditorium, you were disappointed to find that instead of your handsome professor, Daniel, your ex, sat in your usual seat.

“Sup?” he said with a cocky nod. “Expecting someone else?”

“No,” you replied coolly, turning away to go and sit elsewhere.

You found another seat and pulled your book out, eyes going over the words, but not really absorbing it. You could feel Daniel gazing at you with such an infuriating smirk on his face. After about two minutes, you slammed your book shut and looked sharply at him.

“What?” you demanded.

“Nothing,” he replied with a shrug. “You look nice.”

“Shut up,” you returned. “Just tell me what you want and stop staring at me.”

“There’s a party Friday night,” he said. “At a friend of mine’s place. You should come. Bring Sloan too.”

“Why would I want to go to your dumb friend’s party?” you shot back. “If you need a date so bad, why don’t you just ask Allison?”

Allison was the name of the girl he had cheated on you with. Daniel frowned at the mention of her and it was your turn to smirk.

“What else are you going to do?” he challenged. “Sit at home at masturbate thinking about Gwilym?”

Your face heated up at the idea as well as the fury you now felt toward Daniel. 

“You’re an asshole,” you spat.

“Why, ‘cause I’m right?” he returned.

“No, because you’re clearly just butthurt that I don’t care about you anymore,” you said. “So you’re saying things just to try and make me feel like shit.”

It also struck a nerve. Not because he was right, but if even Daniel thought your behavior toward was exceptional in any way, then it was a problem. You were going to need to back off of him. Plus, you were beyond tired of hearing about it. One week of this man teaching classes, and rumors were already starting.

“Just come to the party,Y/N,” he sighed. “There’ll at least be free booze.”

You considered it. You really despised parties because of the crowds and the noise. But Sloan loved parties, and she might feel robbed if you didn’t at least tell her about it.

“I’ll see what Sloan wants to do,” you conceded.

He pumped his fist in the air. “Hell yeah!”

Your other classmates began trailing into the auditorium, followed shortly by Gwilym. You beamed at him as he passed you, which he returned. You remembered Daniel’s words and immediately adjusted your expression to something more neutral. Gwilym didn’t notice, since he began taking roll. Today was focused almost entirely on music, so you didn’t get to talk to Sloan about the party right away.

All through rehearsal, you avoided Gwilym like the plague. He approached you once with an expectant (and dashing) smile on his face, and you quickly ran off to grab some water. When he gave you direction on your song with Sloan, you nodded curtly and said nothing. You tried to always thank your directors for feedback, but you were so afraid of appearing too eager to please him now.

Edith on the other hand, had no such qualms. With you avoiding him, she moved to fill the space, brazenly flirting. She batted her eyes. She found any excuse to touch him. And once, while she was whispering something in his ear, she shot you a dirty look. You couldn’t be bothered about what she may have said. It was likely it wasn’t even about you, she just wanted to get in your head. Well, you weren’t going to let her. Besides, Gwilym was not yours to be jealous or possessive over.

When class drew to an end, Edith squeezed Gwilym’s bicep.

“Thanks for a great class today,” she said with a wide smile.

“I’m just doing my job,” he returned politely.

“Well, you’re very good at it,” she insisted.

You resisted a brutal urge to roll your eyes. You looked at Sloan to get the image of Edith’s desperate eyes out of your head.

“Hey, you wanna go to a party on Friday?” you asked.

She raised an eyebrow at you.

“Who are you and what have you done with the real Y/N?” she returned.

“Dan invited us,” you said. “He said his friend is having one. He mentioned bringing you specifically, so…”

“I’m always down for a party,” she said. “Are you actually going to come?”

You glanced back toward where Edith was now twirling her hair around her finger as she spoke to Gwilym. You couldn’t see his face, but you imagined he had his usual polite smile. An idea formed.

“Yeah, I’m gonna come,” you said.

“Alright then,” she agreed, a surprised smile claiming her lips. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too!” you agreed.

You left class without saying anything to Gwilym or Edith, just giggling excitedly as you exited the auditorium.

Gwilym’s eyes were trained on your back until you disappeared and the door closed behind you. He’d caught a whiff of you scent as you rushed by with Sloan. He wondered what made you both so silly. He heard Edith talking, but didn’t register the words she was saying. His mind was completely distracted by your behavior towards him.

You were normally quite friendly, but today, you seemed off. When he saw you were behaving as usual with your friends, he got nervous. What had he done to offend you? He hadn’t even seen you since last week’s class, except for once on Friday afternoon when he passed you on the way to his car. Even then, he had just smiled and waved. What had changed between now and then?

“Gwilym?” Edith said, a little louder. 

He shook his head to clear it.

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “What is it?”

“I said, I was wondering if you’d like to get coffee sometime?” she replied.

He felt the color drain from his face.

“Oh…” he said. “Oh, I - well, I’m flattered, Edith, but the university has strict rules about professors fraternizing with students.”

“I mean, it’s not like I’m some eighteen year old,” she argued. “I’m a grown...experienced woman.”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

“You’re putting me in a very awkward position,” he said.

“What position is that?” she asked, stepping closer.

“The position of rejecting you,” he replied as gently as he could.

“Because of the rule?”

“Even in spite of it.”

The air thickened. Her face fell as she looked at him and then down at the floor.

“Oh,” she said. “Oh, I see.”

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m just not interested. You’re a lovely person, I’m sure, but -”

“Save it,” she said, holding up a hand to stop him. “I don’t need to hear a lame ass excuse.”

She snatched up her bag, turned on her heel, and swept out of the room. Gwilym took a deep breath as the door closed behind her, leaving him mercifully alone. Again, his thoughts went to you. He wondered what he might have said if it had been you standing there instead of Edith. Yet, from the way you were acting before, he assumed he would never have to answer that question.

On Thursday, class went similarly. Only, you noticed you weren’t the only one giving Gwilym a bit of a cold shoulder. Edith was making quite a show of ignoring him. When he was directing others, she would cross her arms over her chest and huff, turning her head sharply away from him. It all seemed to go unnoticed by Gwilym.

“What’s up with her?” you wondered.

“I heard she asked him out and he turned her down,” Andrew said.

Your heart gave a jolt of excitement.

“Really? Where’d you hear that?”

“Mary,” he said. “You know how they’re kind of friends. Apparently, he spouted some excuse about school rules before flat out telling her he wasn’t interested.”

“Damn, that’s cold,” Sloan chimed in.

“I didn’t know the school had rules about that,” you said.

“They’re super strict,” Andrew said. “I looked it up after I heard this story and it could result in the professor’s termination and the student’s expulsion.”

You blinked, surprised.

“That seems awfully drastic,” you said. Then you smiled. “Especially for something that’s evidently such a popular porn trope.”

Andrew rolled his eyes.

“That’s just it, though,” he said. “It’s a fantasy.”

“Relax, I’m only kidding,” you replied. “No, it’s probably for the best. I mean, the lines are blurred because of the power dynamics and all that. It’s not an ideal situation for anyone.”

Sloan said something else that you didn’t quite hear. The triumph you felt at Gwilym’s rejection of Edith had ebbed away entirely. Now, you only thought about that rule. You looked at Gwilym as he spoke to Mary and Leon, who played your mother and father in the show, and felt an ache in your heart.

The following day, you went to Sloan’s to get ready for the party together. Andrew wasn’t going, since he had work on the weekends. Sloan did your makeup for you and everything, and you had a feeling the time with her was going to be the most fun you had that night.

You took a Lyft to the party, after Daniel texted you the address. When you arrived, it was in full swing. Music made the walls seem to shake as bass thumped along with whatever song was playing. The low lighting made you squint as you headed for the kitchen, needing a drink. Alcohol was probably the only thing that would get you through the nonsense. But you had to do this.

Sloan chugged a beer and then scanned the crowd. You watched her, her eyes like a panther on the prowl. She spotted a man she deemed attractive, and she pounced. You admired Sloan’s boldness. If she wanted something, she went for it. And if she got rejected, it rolled right off her back. You sometimes envied her confidence.

You looked around at the sea of people and tried not to get overwhelmed. You were hoping to start up a flirtation with someone so that people could see you were just friendly and totally not into your hot professor. When no one really struck your fancy, you sighed and retreated to the corner.

That was where Daniel found you.

“Hey, Y/N!” he shouted over the music. “Glad you made it!”

“Me too!” you returned.

It was a lie, but you didn’t care about lying to him.

“Wanna dance?” he offered.

“Nope,” you answered.

“Come on, one song!”

“No thanks!”

“How about you join me outside?”

That sounded better. Getting out of the sweaty bodies everywhere and the pounding music would be a relief. So you nodded, following him out to the back porch. With the door shut, the sounds of the party were instantly dulled. To your irritation, you were out here alone.

Daniel pulled out a cigarette. He offered the pack out to you, but you shook your head. He shrugged, stuck the cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. He took a long drag and then blew the smoke away from you.

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” he said.

“Oh, how rare for you,” you returned.

“Come on,” he groaned. “I’m trying to tell you something.”

“I don’t really care to hear anything you have to say.”

“I’m really sorry about Allison, okay?” he went on. “I want to give us another chance.”

“Well, I don’t,” you said firmly. “If this was your reason for inviting me, I’ll just go home.”

“Don’t be like that,” he pleaded.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” you snipped. “You’re acting like we were in love or something. We dated for four months, you cheated on me, I ended it. Don’t pretend I broke your heart.”

“What if you did?” he asked

“I know that I didn’t.”

He chuckled, smoke billowing out between his lips.

“You’re such a bitch,” he laughed.

You sneered at him. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Is this because you want to fuck Gwilym?”

“You know, as much as you talk about him, I’m beginning to think you want to fuck him,” you spat.

“I might, if he wanted me too,” he shrugged. “I’m nice.”

“Piss off.” 

You went swiftly back inside. Daniel just wanted a bed warmer tonight, you were sure. He didn’t want to get back together. But it upset you enough that you were going to find Sloan and tell her you were leaving. You stepped through the door and looked around. 

She wasn’t in the kitchen, so you assumed she was still dancing. Pushing through the crowd, you headed that way. When you got there, you carefully searched for her face. You didn’t see her anywhere. Worry started to grip you. Where was she?

You pulled your phone out of your pocket, only to discover it was dead. You cursed yourself for forgetting to charge it while you got ready. You now needed your friend to use her Lyft app as well. But still, you couldn’t find her. And you couldn’t text or call her.

“Sloan!” you called out, heart beginning to race.

You heard no response.

“Sloan!”

Again, nothing.

Full on panic set in, and you began aggressively pushing people out of your way to look around. Sloan was nowhere to be found. Taking a deep breath, you hurtled up the stairs and began checking the bedrooms, still calling out for her.

“Sloan!” you cried, bursting through the last door in the hall.

There she was. She was lying on a bed, unconscious. Her clothes were on, and there was no one else in the room. You flew to her side and started patting her cheeks to try and rouse her.

“Sloan, come on,” you urged. “Hey, Sloan, can you hear me?”

She groaned and rolled her head from the left to the right. But she was still not awake. The door opened again and your eyes snapped to the intruder.

“Hey!” he cried. “What are you doing in here?”

“What are you doing in here?” you demanded. “Why didn’t you tell someone she was passed out?”

“She’s fine,” he argued. “We were just about to have some fun.”

Your eyes went wide, horrified.

“She can’t have any fun, she’s barely conscious!” you spat.

You started to pull her off the bed, putting her arm around your shoulders. Her limp body was heavy, nearly making your knees buckle, but you weren’t going to leave her here with this dirtbag. Not if it was the last thing you did.

“Get out of my way,” you said firmly, hoping your voice did not betray your fear. The guy was pretty big - you assumed he was an athlete - and you weren’t sure you could overtake him if the situation called for it.

“You can join the fun too, y’know,” he said.

“I’d literally rather die,” you retorted. “Now get out of my way. Don’t make me call my boyfriend up here.”

He rolled his eyes and thankfully stepped aside. 

Getting down the hall was no problem, but the stairs proved to be difficult. You were out of breath by the time you were halfway down. You were also pretty disgusted that no one seemed to notice you struggling. And if they did, they weren’t offering any help.

“Y/N…” Sloan mumbled, before her head lolled against your shoulder again

Slowly, staggeringly, you made it to the front door. You grabbed your purses and slung them precariously across your body. By some miracle, you were able to open the door. The sound of pouring rain made your heart sink. Great.

Despite the downpour, you stepped onto the porch. Holding Sloan tight against you with one hand, you fished around in her purse with the other. You found her phone quickly. With a victorious swish, you pulled it out and tried to unlock it. To your dismay, hers was dead too.

“Fuck!” you cried, stamping your foot.

You turned around and looked inside, hoping to see Daniel. Maybe you could pop back inside and ask to use his phone. It would hurt your pride, but some things had to be sacrificed in this sort of scenario. You couldn’t see him. Frustrated, your mind raced for something to do, some way to get home without a phone or a car. Then, your body froze as you saw the guy from upstairs and two other guys just his size coming toward the door. They looked dangerous.

Terrified, you maneuvered out into the rain as fast as you could go. Hair and makeup be damned, those guys had something sinister in mind and you were not going to allow them to do it, even if you collapsed from exhaustion.

The water dripping over your face proved a bigger challenge than you anticipated. Your vision was completely blurred as the droplets clung to your brows and lashes. The darkness didn’t help. You shivered, despite the warm air. Your body was so weak just from getting her out of the house. How were you going to make it all the way back to her apartment? 

Suddenly, two lights were heading down the street. Headlights.

You glanced back and saw the three guys emerge from the house. Then, you took a chance and launched yourself out onto the road, waving your free hand wildly.

“STOP!” you shouted. “Stop! Please stop!”

The car screeched to a halt. The driver pulled around you slowly before stopping and rolling the window down, revealing himself. You sucked in a sharp breath.

“Y/N?”

“Gwilym?”

#gwilym lee #gwilym lee x reader #gwilym lee imagine #gwilym lee x you #BoRhap #BoRhap cast #borhap imagine #borhap boys #borhap cast imagine #borhap cast x reader #borhap boys imagine #borhap boys x reader #Queen #queen imagine #Brian May #brian may x reader #brian may imagine #brian may x you #soft in love series

[jvnghxope]

I put a spell on you (m)

drabble/short story

◦ pairing: Jimin | reader (ft. Namjoon)

◦ genre: halloween themed, smut

◦ word count: 3.7k 

◦ warnings: sexual themes, dry humping, dirty talk

◦ abstract: Your best friend managed to convince you to go to the Beta Tau Sigma Halloween party and things get an interesting turn...

Never, in your most crazy dreams, you’ve imagined you’d fell in love with Park Jimin. The greatest playboy in town.

This is going to sound cliché, but you are a normal girl. You have good grades. You never break the curfew. You enjoyed going to parties (although you hated crowds) but never got wasted enough to do indecencies. You were good. But that didn’t matter when Jimin allured you to not fuck him not once, but twice. Like you were under a spell. Maybe that’s the same reason you accepted being his fuck buddy for the last 3 months until feelings got in between and you decided to end things for good.

"You are crazy if you think I'll go to that party."

"Oh, come on!"

"No," you repeat, glaring at your best friend, Lisa.

"Please, ___. It's just one party. It's The Halloween party. You know Beta Tau Sigma throws the best parties. You can't let a certain blonde guy affect your social life!"

"He has nothing to do with it. I’m just not in the mood..."

“Right,” she gives the ‘I don’t believe your bullsh%t look’.

“Okay, fine. I don’t want to see him.”

She tsks. "You can't just avoid him your whole life," she points out. She dishes up the scrambled eggs she made for breakfast and hands you your cup of coffee. 

"Not my whole life. Only until we graduate and I don't need to see him again." Yeah, you know you sound kind of pathetic.

"Sweetie, it is a Beta Tau Sigma party. There will be hundreds of people. You could meet a cute guy, dance a little, have some booze and get laid. You'll forget that blonde by the end of the week!"

Lisa has a point. Since you ended things, he is the only thing you could think about. You are a breakdown away to go nuts. After the ‘breakup’, you kept yourself busy with a personal project. But now that you have finished it, you desperately need a distraction. The party indeed offers it, but then again it is a party at his frat house. He will be there and you are not sure if you are ready to see him again. In the end, you accept, because no one says 'no' to Lisa and you need to forget Park Jimin.

It took you all morning and half of the noon to find the perfect costume. You and Lisa arrive at the Beta Tau Sigma frat house around eight. You are not surprised it is already packed with people. Seeing many people having fun and the music blasting from the inside makes you buzz with both excitement and anxiety. 

“What are you wearing again?” Lisa asks you and you do your best not to roll your eyes. You both are walking towards the main entrance.

“I told you earlier, I am K/DA Akali. You know, from the videogame.”

“Right, I’m sorry,” she giggles. You know Lisa is not very fond of video games.

“Why didn’t you put on the angel costume? You look bomb with that.”

You blush a little with that, “Thank you but I used it last year…”

Your friend is dressed as Gamora. It was a pain in the ass to help her paint her upper body green, but she looks stunning.

Your friend’s inquisitive eyes scan you one last time, “Well, you look bomb with this one, too.”

“Well, I am not using it because I look bomb; I am using it because she is my…. Nevermind.”

Your friend stopped paying attention to your conversation the moment the both of you entered the front door and saw Jung Hoseok, a mutual friend, waving at you. She isn’t even trying to hide her crush on him. Not a little. She flew immediately to greet him. You couldn’t blame her. Hobi looks handsome dressed as Leon Kennedy. With a smile, you follow after her. 

A bunch of your friends are hanging out near the kitchen and Hoseok gently poured drinks for you and Lisa. Then, he kidnapped her to the improvised dance floor with the biggest of smiles. They look cute together. You like Hoseok. He is one of the fewest boys at the frat who is genuinely gentle and friendly. Before leaving, Lisa winks at you as if saying 'It's your turn to look out for your man" and she runs holding Hoseok's hand before you could even glare at her.

You glance at your male friends. First, there was Seokjin. An art and theater major. He is really, really handsome. The type to make your knees weak every time he smiles at you. The bad thing is he has the tendency to date his co-stars and has an ego bigger than this house. So, he was a 'no'.

Then, there is Yoongi. A music production major. He is the mysterious handsome; the type to not let anything out (or anyone in) until he trusted you enough. He's been dating one of your closest friends for over a year.

And there is Hoseok, of course.

For the next couple of hours, you hang out with your friends; chatting, drinking, even having a couple of rounds of Beer Pong. Nothing out of the ordinary. After a while, Lisa dragged you to the dance floor. You are not very good at dancing but you don't care. It is fun and you are with your friends.

You are already a little tipsy and maybe that is one of the reasons you accidentally bump into someone, spilling the contents of his cup in the process, thirty minutes later.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

"Nah, don't worry. This is probably a sign to stop drinking tequila," he jokes and you can't help but laugh. He's cute. The dim light of the room doesn't let you see how he looks like but his voice is deep and sultry. "I'm Namjoon. Are you all alone in here?"

Your eyes go slightly wide and you just hope he didn't notice. How you managed to meet the leader of the fraternity beats you. Then you remember Lisa's words and the whole purpose of coming to this party in the first place.

"I'm ___ and no, my friends are…" When you turn around, Lis and Hoseok are gone. "...nowhere to be seen."

He chuckles, "Do you want something to drink?" He offers with a smile.

What’s the worst that could happen?

You shrug. "Yeah."

10 minutes later, you are both in the kitchen.

"So, let me tell you: I admire how you manage to lead 30 young men where many of them only care about how many times can they get their dicks wet,” you wiggle your brows and lean your arms against the counter.

Namjoon laughs out loud and your chest swells with pride.

"Yeah, it is hard most of the times but they have become my family. My brothers. I’ll do anything for them."

“That’s so sweet,” you comment with a smile. Now that you can look at him properly, you notice how handsome he is: tall, ashy brown hair, dimpled smile…

“What about you? What is your major?” he asks as he poured another drink for you. “Do you want tequila? or do you prefer something else?”

“Tequila is fine,” you reply. “I’m majoring in graphic design. My biggest dream is to design and create video games.”

“Wow! That’s so cool!” he exclaims, displaying his dimples. He handed you your drink and you take a small sip. “I hope you can achieve your dream.”

You look at your hands so you can hide your blushing. “Thank you. What about you?”

Suddenly, the kitchen gets packed with people looking for something to drink. Namjoon, to your surprise, notices your discomfort right away.

“Do you want to go someplace quieter?”

You nod and follow him out of the room. He leads you through the house. You've been a lot of times at the frat house, but Namjoon leads you through a hallway you've never seen before. He opens a pair of mahogany doors and what you see inside surprises you.

It looks like what you've imagined a secret society room would look like. Inside, you visualize a decent amount of people. Between 20 and 30 in comparison to the hundreds of people outside. There is a pool table in the corner and enough liquor in the minibar to satisfy everyone in the room.

"I couldn't help but notice your costume. Is that… Akali?"

Wait...

Your face illuminates as a Christmas tree. "You recognized it."

He chuckles and takes a sip of his drink as he takes a sit in one of the many couches.

"Well. One of my frat brothers is obsessed with video games. So I knew I saw her somewhere."

You nod. You know exactly who he is talking about.

"Jeon Jungkook. My Nemesis. Smart and talented, but he is not going to get my scholarship."

He laughs at your outburst and god, you love his laugh. It is then when you notice he is wearing a costume too. You were too busy drooling over his good looks earlier.

"And you are…?"

He is dressed like a Victorian boy but you don't recognize if he is supposed to be a famous character or not.

"I am Shakespeare! Or at least, I am supposed too."

You face-palm internally.

"Is that weird? I wasn't planning on showing at the party but my roommate convinced me. This was the only costume I had…" He scratches the back of his neck.

"No! You look good!"

He smiles shyly, "Thank you."

For the next hour, you discover it is so easy to talk to him. The conversation flows smoothly as if he is an old friend you’ve not seen in ages instead of a stranger you just met. It is like you could tell him anything. It turns out Namjoon majors in Literature, which explains the choice of his costume. You could discuss with him any topic. Literally. First, you start to talk about movies, and it ends deciding each other's top five based on argument, character, actors, and directors. Then, the topic changes to music and Namjoon confesses his biggest dream: being a lyricist. Then, the topic changes to Global Warming (god knows why), which leads to a Namjoon's speech about how we help the planet more not having kids rather than just recycling.

Another thing Namjoon was really good? Kissing. You know it the moment your lips attached to his. Or his lips attached to yours? At this point, you don't know who kissed who first and you don't care.

He starts slow, tasting the waters. There is no rush. You are content with the way his lips brush gently against yours. He is intoxicating. He tastes bittersweet, the combination of liquor and soda.

You are merely conscious about the song playing in the background but you swear you'll remember the lyrics forever.

But darling just kiss me slow, Your heart is all I own…

At some point, you end up sitting on his lap. The mood between you two changes. You start to caress the nape of his neck, running your fingers through his soft hair from time to time. He starts to massage the exposed skin of your thigh, sending tingles all over your body.

"Do you want to take this to somewhere more… private?" He asks, his voice deeper than before.

"I'd love that," you already feel the excitement starting to feel your veins. But of course. Your body also has to embarrass yourself in front of the handsome man. "Don't laugh, okay? But I need to go to the bathroom first."

Of course, your body chooses this exact moment to pee.

He starts chuckling, his whole body vibrating underneath you. "I swear is not just an excuse to run away," you promise him. Your cheeks are burning.

"You are sure something else," he murmurs against your neck. "Okay. I'll wait for you here."

Once you finished your business inside the bathroom, something really strange happened. Just as quickly as you opened the door, someone enters the room (as if they were waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so) and avoids your escape.

Your heart starts hammering rapidly inside your chest.

“Wait!” you yell. “Let me out first you perv!”

The newcomer doesn’t pay any attention to you and closes the door.

“I am going to call the police, you-! ... Jimin!?” you can’t believe what your eyes are seeing. “You scared the hell out of me, you idiot!” You punch him in the arm with all the force you can muster.

"Ouch!" He exclaims as he rubs his arm. "I wanted to talk to you but you have had company all the time!"

"Why you didn't come to me in the first place like normal people do!" You yelled again.

"I don't know. I panicked, okay? You've been avoiding me since summer and I didn't know what else to do…"

You sigh, trying to calm your nerves. You take the opportunity to look at him. He looks handsome on his pirate costume. With his leather tight jeans, white shirt, and boots. But that's something Jimin always does –he will always look handsome.

"What do you want, Jimin?" You finally ask him.

"I miss you," he confesses looking straight to your eyes and making you gulp. “I miss us. I miss what we had… Why did you leave?”

He takes a few steps forward, dangerously close to you. Instinctively, you take a step back. If he touches you, you are doomed. You are weak when it comes to him.

“I-I wanted something more and we both know you can’t and don’t want that. Compromise. Strings.”

Your words sound bitter and you don’t know with whom you are angrier: with Jimin because he made you fall in love with him or with yourself because you fell with a player in the first place.

“Didn’t you miss me?” his voice is low.

“No,” to your surprise your voice doesn't quiver. He knows you are lying. He knows you too well.

“You are lying,” a little smirk appears on his lips. He is so used to be desired. He takes another step closer to you. To your misfortune, your back is already pressing the wooden door of the bathroom. There’s no escape and he is so so close. His face is mere inches away from yours. His breath brushes the skin of your lips.

“I’ll ask again. Did you miss me?”

He doesn’t wait for your response though. He is already kissing you. Jimin is good at this. He knows how to brush his lips against yours with enough force to make your head spin and your knees turn to jelly. He knows the amount of time he needs to wait before he can leak his way inside the crevice of your sweet lips, taking your breath away.

“You look stunning with your costume,” he whispers against your lips. To prove his point, his fingers caressed the exposed skin of your abdomen. You shudder at the sensation. His hands snake down your legs and he lifts you. You instinctively place both legs around his waist and you both sigh when his half-hard member touches your clothed core. 

“Ah, I can feel you are already wet. Is it for me only or you’ve been having fun with another man?” He tugs your earlobe with his teeth.

“What I do or don’t do with other people is not of your business.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

He squeezes your ass with both hands as he thrust his hips hard into yours. You tug the locks of his blonde hair as you moan softly against his lips. You hate the control he has over your body. He drives you crazy.

“Then why are you here with me instead of going back with your friend?” You hate to admit it but right now the only thing you can think of is Jimin and how good he is making you feel.

“Shut up,” you say before tugging him by the neck and attaching his lips with yours.

This time, the kiss is more sloppy. Hungry. Teeth clashing, tongues fighting over dominance. Licking and biting. His hips keep rolling into yours.

“I’ve missed this so much,” he whispers against your neck, biting and kissing the spot that makes you moan loudly. “I miss how your sweet and wet cunt feels against my cock. How you moan underneath me when I hit spots inside of your no one else can. How hard your walls squeeze my dick every time I make you cum. I bet you’ve missed that, too.”

He builds a merciless pace, rubbing his member against your core hard and fast. It doesn’t matter you both are still with your clothes on. You can feel everything. Until now, you’ve never thought you’d be into dry humping. You didn’t see the point in that. But Jimin is good at anything and he exceeds any expectations.

“Moan for me, baby. I want to hear you,” Jimin murmurs as his lips start a trail down your neck. Jimin knows you are not that vocal. That’s why he loves every time he makes you scream his name.

He pushes your jacket aside to expose your shoulders. He licks and bites the skin there before arriving at your chest. With one finger, he moves down your top so he can have some fun with one of his favorites of your body.

You are so wet right now that your underwear is ruined. At some point, you start to meet his hip-thrust with yours midway. He is hitting all the right spots. Even your clit is having some delicious friction. Your hands find purchase on his hair, tugging the locks hard every time he bites hard your sensitive nipples.

His warm hands are resting on your waist, his fingers caressing the soft skin. His hips rolling against yours. His lips and teeth attacking your chest. Everything is making the knot inside your belly get tighter and tighter.

“Jimin, please don’t s-stop. I-I’m going to cum soon…” you manage to say between ragged breaths. 

He kisses you hungrily one last time, putting all his energy on his hips to make you fall over the edge. It only takes another hot minute before you do so. Spams overtake your body as you see starts behind your eyelids. You dig your nails into his scalp and he grunts. Jimin rolls his hips harder against your own. You bite your lower lip to avoid moaning too loud. You are in the frat bathroom where anyone could here you. And you didn’t lock the door! You stay in the same position while you calm down. Then, Jimin helps you until you can stand properly. Your legs are still shaking with the aftershocks of your orgasm. You even sit in the toilet to regain your breath. 

It takes the rest of the toilet paper and half an hour to clean yourself up. You look yourself in the mirror. Your pupils are still blown, your cheeks are flushed and your lips bruised with so many kissing. Your hair is a mess and your hat is somewhere on the floor.

“The reason I wanted to talk to you is…” Jimin starts behind you, rather shyly. “I want to be with you.”

His voice is too low you don’t think you heard him right. You stop arranging your makeup to turn around and look at him with wide eyes.

“What?”

“I want to be with you,” he repeats, louder. You haven’t seen him like that before. He seems… worried that you’d turn him down. Men like him don’t deal with rejection many times in his life.

“Why?”

"B-because I can't stop thinking about you. About us. And I-" he's having a hard time getting the right words to say. "You are not going to help me with this, do you?" Jimin runs a hand through his hair, frustrated.

You shake your head and lean against the sink, giggling. It is something new seeing him like this. Park Jimin, a man of words, is speechless in front of you. It is kind of cute. You clear your throat. You need to get serious.

“Jimin, a relationship is not a game. You can’t run away when things get difficult; or when you find a prettier or hotter girl. A relationship is a commitment.”

He takes your hands in his, “I understand that. Call me crazy, but I feel like what we had was everything but just physical. I felt like I could talk to you about anything and you wouldn’t judge. Like I could be myself in front of you instead of the persona I built for other people. I liked how that felt. I am willing to stop the games, the lies, and the one-night-stands if that means I have an opportunity to be with you.”

“Are you talking seriously? You want that?”

“Yeah.”

You try to look at any sign that could tell you he’s lying. But you find any. A part of you feels like you’ll end being heartbroken. But another part of you is willing to take the risk. Brave ones probably don’t live that long, but cautious don’t live at all.

You just hope you won’t regret your decision.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

He pulls you to give you a soft peck as a big smile spreads across his face. The type that makes his eyes turn into beautiful crescent moons.

“Really.”

He holds you tight. “What you have done to me?”

“I put a spell on you,” you joke and you both chuckle.

You give him a peck before opening the bathroom door.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“I need to apologize to someone first,” you answer. “But we can meet at your room in 20... for round two.” You wink.

His bright smile is the last thing you see before you close the door behind you.

TO BE CONTINUED?

#jimin #park jimin #bts scenarios #bts smut #jimin smut #bts fanfics #jimin x reader #bts #story: I put a spell on you #jvnghxope

[fairymagicheart1]

Half Court Havoc

(I imagine this right in between the time right after Snow Day but right before Insane In Big Mama’s Train, and this is how I see their relationship in it's earliest as a budding couple in Fanfic version. :3

Mentioned OC: Dani is an OC belonging to my friend @mermaidsoul8, she helped me greatly in her input on this!! Kudos goes to her as well!

PS: This is my LONGEST fanfic so I hope you all enjoy it!)

It was just after 5 PM as Tati finally came through the Lair entrance and dropped off her bag. “Hey, guys! Sorry I was a little late, got held up at school with April, Sunita, and Dani..” Tati said as she passed by Splinter; sitting in his chair. “Uh hey, Sensei.. where’s Leo?” Then Some crashing can be heard, “I recommend looking in the kitchen, he’s been in there all day.” Splinter said rather nonchalantly. “Uhh... thanks, Sensei.,” Tati said as she walked ahead.

Leo was stumbling about to put the pots away after he had tipped them over. “Ok just keep it together Leon.. just turtle up and just ask her.” He said to himself, of course in his practice mode; Leo had knocked over the pots by his clumsy nature. Then a lightbulb appears over his head! “That’s it! I’ll just play it smooth like Lou Jitsu was before we found out he’s our dad..” He decided and with a proud smirk on his face.. which quickly changed to a surprised shock upon hearing...

“Leo? What was that?” Tati asked as she stood by the entrance to the kitchen. Flip-flopping around to face her, Leo tried leaning smoothly on the counter and showcased his trademarked grin. “Just uh... chilling you know?”To which, Tati just raised a brow and lightly smirked back. “You’re sure making a lot of noise for just “Chilling?” Leon?” She giggled, helping away to put away one last pot. “So uh, Tati? I was thinking you wanna go shoot some hoops with me... I mean if you want to?” He asked while leaning on his left elbow, even though on the inside he was shaking.

Tati turned and looked up with a smile. “Sure Leo! Should we ask your bros to play too?” She suggested but Leo shot up. “Oh uh I already checked in! They’re all.. busy! You know.. with their.. ninja stuff too?” He grinned nervously from the raised brow on Tati, “Well alright then, just let me get my phone.” She shrugged but smiled. She turned around to walk out and leaving Leo to do a dab and cheered in secret.

It turns out that the three brothers were already walking in from off-screen and were all smirking, they had heard the whole thing. “You know, a girl like it better if you just ask them straight up Leo,” Donnie said and chuckled as Mikey just grinned. “Aw come on!” Leo slumped his arms down.

“You didn’t have to lie, Leo, just go and have fun.” Raph smiled and Leo smiled as he took off to meet with her... with Donnie adding with: “How much you wanna bet he screws up?” Mikey rose his hand and Raph slapped his face.

The two already made it to the surface as Leo showed off his spinning ball trick with Tati smirking... with some unsavory eyes watching them... it was the recently mutated Ghostbear! “This Tortuga has a Novia now? And on a date? I shall ruin it like he and the other Tortugas ruined my pro-wrestling career!” He cackled and proceeded to follow...  Upon arriving at a half-court, Leo spun the ball and tossed it to Tati and grinned. “Let’s see what you got,” Tati smirked and held it. “Oh, I’ll bring it, Blue Bolt...” Tati started the game.. with her practically running with the ball without bouncing it! Though Leo caught up to her. “I’m not a rules guy but you’re supposed to bounce it as you run.” He smirked and Tati held it away above her head with her own smug grin. “Why can’t we?” She teased and stopped when Leo stepped in front of her. “Gotcha! The two of them ended up laughing as Leo tried to reach for the ball and knocked it into the air! Tati grinned as she used the magic from her hand and controlled the air to carry the ball right into the basket!”

”Ok that was not fair.” Leo teased and Tati just teased back. “Hey, you did say to bring it, and you were up against a fairy that in tune with air.” They both end up laughing... and they just realized how close they were standing still and blushed.

”So if you wanna do this more often..” Leo started to ask smooth... that was until a loud landing crash happened in front of them. Ghostbear decided to take action this time and cackled loudly. “Peekaboo Tortuga!!” He called out and cackled. “GHOSTBEAR?!” Leo cried in horror, This was the LAST thing he wanted. Leo took out his Odachi sword and tried charging at him... completely forgetting about his new ability to go Ghost!! Falling right through the mutant!

“I’ll ruin this date like you ruin my pro wrestling career!!” He cried out evilly and tried to swipe at Tati, jumping back, she tried unleashing her gale-force attacks and it did knock Ghostbear to the brick wall. Though he roared and Leo took the distracted opportunity to hit Ghostbear from the side.

Now was the time for a retreat! The noise brings people and people mean more risk in innocent civilian damage. Rushing down the alleyway they came from the first time with a raging mutant polar bear in pursuit.

Leo quickly found cover in the separate alleyway as Ghostbear was busy searching for the two and tore open any garbage bins, Leo covered his face before he turned to face Tati. “I’m so sorry about this, I tried being smooth and confident to ask you out and yet this happens.. probably messed up so bad now..” He sighed but Tati, with a pink shade to her cheeks, grabbed his hand. 

“Leo, no matter what and despite this evil, crazy, and might I add very petty mutant polar bear... I would’ve and always will say yes; I would love to go out with you.” She confessed and Leo squeezes his hand back in hers. “Really?! I-yes!” He said (rather) too loudly and Ghostbear turned to that direction and poked his furry head in.“Peekaboo Tortuga!!”

Before Ghostbear gets a swipe in, Leo and Tati quickly jump out of the way and in midair, Tati said quickly “Uh maybe not the time and place for a romantic confession!” “Agreed!!” Leo concurred fast as Tati had caught him and used her wind magic to help him land behind another alleyway. Tati and Leo poked their heads out to observe the seeking mutant bear.

“Señor Fuzzy-Jerk won’t leave us alone unless he’s stopped! We gotta do something..” Tati said.. then gave a knowing look to Leo. “Well, Leo?” In her eyes, she fully believes in him.“You.. really think I can?” Leo said looking surprised. “Leo, I know you can.” She squeezed his arm and now they both looked determined to the approaching Ghostbear. Leo lifted the basketball and he whispered his quickly made plan.

Separating as Tati ran out first. “Hey! You!! Over here Mal Oso!!” She cried and with an evil laugh, Ghostbear foolishly chased after her. Supposedly cornering her by a gate in the alleyway and Ghostbear cackled. “Looks like the Tortuga is gonna have to find another novia.. because I have ruined his date!!” He cackled so evilly.. but didn’t exactly noticed the smirk on Tati’s face.

“Yeah, I don’t think you have you moron.” She then pressed her cloaking badge and revealed her fairy wings and green eyes. “You really should watch out behind you!” She raised her hand to catch the basketball and used her air power to launch it into Ghostbear’s face hard and very quickly, in Ghostbear’s surprise and his guard was hit backward.. into Leo’s already opened portal!

Leo opened two more: one above the other to gain speed and finally a third opened to lead into the Hudson River and had shot Ghostbear through. “TORTUGA!!!” He cried before hitting the waters and he burst out soon after to catch on some driftwood.. exhausted and frustrated that he failed again.

Back with the couple, Tati and Leo high fives each other and laughed about it. “Leo! That was so good! You knew thy enemy and used it to our advantage!! You're amazing!!” She threw her arms around his shoulders and Leo enjoyed this feeling.

“And you’re amazing too Tati! Everything! Your wind powers and everything about you?” Leo complimented back and the two blushed and were silent for a quick moment.

“Let’s call this a pre-date and finish this night off with Pizza?” Tati suggested, “Pizza! Run Of The Mill?” He held his arm out and Tati gladly took it. “Run Of The Mill.” She giggled and the two finally went off towards the Yokai Pizza place... feelings confirmed but willing to take it slow.

#rise of the tmnt #rise of the tmnt fanfic #leo x oc #rise leo

[emma-nation]

Thinking Of You (Mona x MC Fanfiction) - Chapter 8

You said move on Where do I go? I guess second best Is all I will know

Summary: Years later, Allison has everything she wants, a brand-new internship as a doctor, a handsome boyfriend… but her first nightshift won’t go as expected…

Genre: Romance, Angst

Tag list: @zoe6111, @simsvetements, @mvrinettes, @whoinvitedalx, @scarlet-letter-a0114, @abunchofbadchoices, @kamilahmademedoit, @janurary, @talkinlikeateen, @eagle-one-1, @andreear17, @tia-bi, @monagf, @monahott, @fal-carrington, @crazzyplays, @honorablebicycle​, @teja-desai​ (let me know if you want to be tagged!)

Notes:

- English is not my first language, forgive me for any mistakes.

“Party, Allison?” Mr. Wheeler questioned. “This is how you intend to catch a serial killer? By taking her to a party?”

“Dad, first we need to get the seller,” she explained. “And what place is better than a party to catch a drug dealer?”

“I did not assigned you to the mission so you could hang out with her. You have a fiancé, don’t you remember? And besides, there will be alcohol, sex and...”

“We’re no longer teenagers, dad. We know what we’re doing, right Mona?”

Mona was not even paying attention. She was sitting on the couch, focused on Allison’s laptop. She wasn’t hearing a single word of the argument, she just kept a concentrated look on the screen, while she typed uninterrupted.

“What?” She finally asked. “In case the two of you haven’t noticed, I have an essay to finish.”

“You don’t have to worry about it,” Mr. Wheeler told. “Bring me more suspects, more evidence. This is what you’re supposed to be doing in college. Once the mission is over, you’re out.”

“Right, I forgot that wasn’t for people like me,” she scowled, closing the laptop. “Thanks for the reminder, Pops.”

Mona left to the bedroom, leaving Allison alone with her father.

“Dad, she has been so engaged with this college thing. Why did you have to ruin it?”

“I didn’t ruin anything, Allison. That’s the truth. They’re only allowing Mona there for the mission.”

“B-But can’t we arrange anything, after this is over? I mean, look at her essay. She’s so incredibly smart. All the teachers are commenting her performance in classes. It’s the first time I really see her finding pleasure in anything, other than... her past habits.”

“I’m sorry, honey. This isn’t my business and neither should be yours. She has made her own choices and there’s nothing we can’t do to change it.”

Allison went to check on Mona, but after the argument with Mr. Wheeler, she was no longer social or even accessible. She followed to the guest room, where she was supposed to have one final conversation with Griffin about their engagement. Though he was online, he took a long time to pick up the call.

“Allison, baby. Hey.”

“Hey Griffin,” she sighed. “Do you finally have a moment so we can speak? It has been days I’ve been trying to...”

“I’m sorry, I’m very busy right now. Yellow Fever epidemics. Too many patients to check.”

Another excuse. Allison rolled her eyes. It was almost like he knew what she was about to tell him.

“It’s only for a few minutes,” she insisted, losing her patience. “Come on, you had time to fly to Spain over the weekend, but you don’t have a minute for me?”

Griffin’s expression suddenly darkened.

“S-Spain? I’ve never been in Spain, Allison. I’m trapped here in this small village, without internet signal most of the time. Trust me, we barely have water to drink!”

“Well, your phone was displaying a different location a few days ago.”

“Oh...” he looked down for a moment, pensive. “I had to sell my old phone. That’s it, the new owner must have forgotten to disable my ID. Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem, now can we...”

A message of lost signal was displayed on her screen. Allison punched the keyboard, frustrated.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

----------

When Mona woke up in the morning, she was still in a bad mood because of the Detective, who was only using her to do the job he was unable to. Things only got worse when she had an accidental meeting with Allison. In the bathroom. When she had just finished. What lead them to be awkward around each other for the next hour.

"My bad," she was getting used to pronounce those words.

"There'd be no problem, Mona," Allison's cheeks went red again, "if you hadn't stared for so long."

"I was only appreciating the view. I hadn't seen it in a while, so..."

"No! Please, can we just forget it?"

"It'll be kinda hard, but I promise I'll try my best."

"Mona!" Allison's face was reaching a new shade of red.

"Consider it unseen," she spoke as Detective Wheeler arrived in the kitchen. "But I liked it," she whispered.

Allison's father interrupted them with another command. The University's basketball team would be hosting a 'Welcome Game', though Mona didn't have the smallest interest in attending, now she'd be forced to.

"Keep an eye on your suspect," he ordered, "and on this guy."

He showed the picture of a slender young male.

"He's the star of the team. Has been reported to be exhibiting abnormal behavior over the last few weeks. Watch who he speaks to, before and after the game."

She didn't have much work, as soon as they arrived in the University, the famous basketball star was casually chatting with Brian, who went back to his dorm carrying a small package.

"It'll be easier than I thought," Mona thought, snapping some pictures.

Later in class, she finished her lab experiment before any other students, so she took the time to search for places to take Allison after the game, as an apology for the morning incident.

"How do you even do that?" Her lab partner whined by her side.

His name was Leon, the leader of the RPG club, and only member too. He bonded with Mona for being rejected by the rest of their classmates as well. Later, they found out they had more in common than they could’ve imagined. He was in love with a med student, who was already committed to another guy.

"Using my brain?"

"I'm using mine, but it just... don't react!"

"Like this," Mona did all the procedure again, triggering the correct chemical reaction.

"B-But..." Leon stared at her in shock. “I followed all the instructions!”

"Now write your report, I'm not doing this for you either."

As they finished writing, they began to chat. She learned Leon had good computer skills, what could be useful at some point, in case they needed to hack Brian's phone to obtain proof.

"And how are things going with Allison?" He wanted to know.

"The same," she told, hopeless. "She hasn’t broke up with the douchebag yet. I guess I’ll just have to force him out of my way.”

"Are you bringing her to the game tonight?"

"Yes, I was kinda planning something special for after the game, but I don't really know what she likes."

"Bowling Alley," he suggested. "They have this fabulous milkshake and I've managed to achieve success with a couple of dates in there."

"Thanks for the tip."

---------

"So let's recap the plan," Allison said before they entered the stadium. "I'll seduce Brian, while you break into his dorm room and get pictures of the drugs."

"He's a bastard, Allison," Mona disagreed. "I couldn't let you do this alone. You're coming with me, I've assigned someone else to keep an eye on him. While he's distracted at the game, both of us will break into his dorm."

"D-Did you told someone else about the investigation? My dad said we should be as secretive as possible."

"We could use a hacker. Besides, Leon is like a fluffy unicorn. Loyal as a puppy."

Before they follow to the basketball game, Mona inhaled deeply, getting courage enough to ask.

"Hey Allison, would you like to do something after the game? Leon suggested we should go to the Bowling Alley, but he has been developing this stupid game, and... I don’t wanna go by myself."

She knew things didn't end well the last time they went out, but this time was different. Allison had clearly expressed she was no longer interested in keeping her engagement.

"No. Way." Allison frowned, scaring her a little. Then, her expression softened again. "You're not allowed to make such an effort yet, remember?"

"Oh, the doc's back," Mona smiled. "Anyways, he said they have a great milkshake. We don't really have to play it."

"So I'm definitely in!"

Leon was sitting in a strategic spot as combined between he and Mona. For her surprise, and displeasure, there was somebody else among the crowd, sitting in the VIP area, her father.

"What on earth is this guy doing here?" She angered. "He's clearly stalking me!"

Soon she got her answer. Before the game started, he was announced as the team's new sponsor. He looked at her and winked.

"I wish I could just go down there and pull this smirk out of his face!"

"Hey," Allison held her steady. "Focus! You said he's no threat. Let's stick to our plan."

Through his laptop, Leon sent her a message. Brian had arrived and was sitting only a few meters away, in the middle of a group of girls.

"We're good to go."

Leaving the stadium, they followed straight to the male dorm. The game was only getting started, what meant they'd have a decent amount of time to search for evidence.

"Do you have his room's number?" Allison asked.

"Yes," Mona answered. "It's right around the corner."

At the corridor, they bumped into another person. Krista. She was just leaving one of the rooms.

"Remember, Doug. Ezekiel 18:21 for our studies this week. See you there!"

"Hide me, please," Mona begged, but it was too late. She had been spotted.

"Mona, hi!" The girl greeted. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the game."

"I... uh... Leon, my classmate. He forgot his wallet in his dorm room. I came here to get it for him."

"And this is...?" She looked at Allison.

"Allison," Allison introduced herself. "You look strangely familiar, have we met before?"

"Hmmm, I don't think so."

"Yeah, I'm much older than you anyways."

"Hey Krista," Mona decided to mess up with her a little bit, as a payback for the other day. "I've decided to get rid of my sinful car. I'd like to purchase one exactly like yours, how much did you pay for it?"

"Good for you, Mona," she looked a little bit unsettled. "I don't know how much it costed, it was a gift from my godfather. Anyways, I should go now. I have an essay to finish."

With a satisfied look, Mona followed to Brian's room where she started picking the lock.

"Remember, your dad said I could do anything to obtain proof. Right?"

"Yes," Allison confirmed. "I'm your witness."

As the door opened, they both covered their noses.

"Ugh, it smells like rotten cheese," Allison commented.

The room was an extreme mess, it was hard to decide where to start looking for evidence. Mona started by Brian's computer, where Allison opened opened some drawers.

"No way I'm touching that pile of clothes in the corner of the room," she told. "It stinks like something died under it."

"It can't be more disgusting than that," Mona pointed to the computer screen. "He's ranking the freshmen girls and... I've got a 10, for the tough girl attitude?"

"Not even Brian could resist you, huh?"

"No one can, babe. No one."

There was nothing on his e-mail, except for Football Newsletter and party advertising. Mona sighed frustrated.

"If you were hiding your drugs, where would you hide them?"

"Under the mattress?"

"Good one," Mona lifted up the mattress a little bit, to find... romance books. "Really?"

"Come on, he deep down he must be a softie! So, in the closet maybe?" Allison suggested, but before they could even act, the door opened. Brian was back earlier than expected.

“What are you two doing in my room?!” He shouted. “I’m calling campus security, right now!”

----------

“Will you, bad boy?” Mona teased, in a intimidating manner. “Because I’m sure the last thing you want are the cops here, in your room. Am I right?”

“Oh, do you think a little thief like you? I’d like to see you prove, before I get your ass expelled from the university.”

Allison stood frozen, looking at them both. Mona had that look on her face, from when she was ready to get in a physical fight with someone. That would jeopardize the entire investigation, besides getting them both kicked out from university. Without thinking any longer, she made a decision. This is exactly what a brainless moron like Brian would like to see.

“Actually,” she removed her shirt off, revealing a lacy violet bra. “We were preparing you a surprise.”

“Excuse me?!” Brian asked, staring at her features.

“Mona told me about you and how irresistibly hot you are...” she pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top of him. “I’m sorry she isn’t good showing her feelings. I decided to give her a little hand.”

“P-Please, go ahead...”

Brian was smiling broadly. Allison winked to Mona, who was in extreme shock, inviting her to go along with her plan.

“What would you like us to do now, huh?” Allison asked him, in a seductive tone. “Anything you want.”

“M-Make out. The two of you. Please!”

Allison looked at Mona, to see if she consented. She was too dazed make a move or gave her any answer. Instead, she took a step ahead, cupping Allison’s face between her hands carefully, before placing a small kiss on her lips. Allison knew that wouldn’t be enough. Not for Brian, and especially for herself.

She pulled Mona by the waist, bringing her closer as possible and deepening the kiss. For a long time, she hadn’t felt so much pleasure in her life. The softness of Mona’s lips devouring hers, their tongues moving together, it all brought her that burning sensation she had been desiring for years. She wished that moment would never end, prolonging the kiss as much as she could, until they were both out of breath.

“Now, take off your clothes!” Brian ordered, bouncing in excitement.

“Let’s finish this...” Mona grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her pockets and restrained him on the bed post.

“Hell yeah, baby! It’s gonna get kinky here!”

“Where did you get those?” Allison asked curious.

“I stole from your father. I thought they could be useful at some point. Now go, finish searching his desk. I’ll check to the closet.”

“Wait...” Brian was confused. “What’s going on here? Are you guys cops?”

“Sort of,” Allison answered, irritated, “and if you open your mouth again, I’m going to gag you!”

Mona emerged from the closet, with the package she had previously seen Brian carrying in the morning.

“The party is over, bad boy.”

“No, please,” he begged as she unwrapped it. “D-Don’t tell anyone, I-I... I’ll pay you! My dad has a lot of money.”

“Oh shit,” Mona exclaimed, staring at the content. Allison approached, noticing some familiar blue pills.

“Really, Brian?” Allison tried to muffle a laugh. “We thought you were a drug dealer and you...”

“Can’t get it to work properly?” Mona completed, bursting into laughs.

“I have a medical condition, okay?! And if you ever tell this anyone, I’m going to kill you both!”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.”

“As long as our secret is safe too. And stop harassing girls, I mean it.”

After uncuffing him, the three of them sat down to talk about their task and what had been going on. Brian assured he wasn’t involved in any kids of drug dealing and would warn them in case he noticed anything suspicious, as long as his big secret was safe.

“I felt bad for him in the end,” Allison said as they left the room.

“Yeah, me too. All this jerk act he plays is because he...” Mona started laughing again, “has issues down there.”

Suddenly loud screaming and a big commotion started coming from all places in the University. Mona and Allison’s phones started ringing at the same time. The basketball player had fallen unconscious in the middle of the game. He had been hospitalized in a life-threatening condition.

“Stay where you are,” Mr. Wheeler ordered through the phone. “We need to check his dorm for evidence.”

----------

The police wasn’t able to find anything at the young athlete’s dorm, every evidence had been professionally cleaned. Their only hope were the surveillance cameras footage, that could’ve been caught who last entered his room.

Mr. Wheeler asked them both to go home. There was nothing else for them to do in there. Mona remained silent inside her car, blaming herself for aiming at the wrong suspect. Allison insisted and they stopped at the Bowling Alley as planned.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she told Mona, as they shared a milkshake. “It happens all the time with my dad and he has been a high-skilled detective, for years.”

“I should’ve known better,” Mona shook her head in denial. “We’re dealing with an expert, Allison. A psychopath. They don’t usually show this dark side of them. We need to start aiming for someone more... normal.”

“Any suspects?”

“None yet, but I’ll be thinking about it.”

Allison let out a deep and weary sigh.

“Jeez, I never thought this could be so intense and emotional. Even if we were just faking all the time.”

There was something else that wouldn’t leave Mona’s mind. That kiss. Was it only part of the role or Allison had true intentions when she decided to go deeper into it?

“Were we faking all the time?” Mona asked.

Allison looked down, avoiding her gaze for a moment.

“Not at all,” she finally answered, biting her lower lip.

Mona approached her, lifting up her chin.

“Would you mind doing it again? Only to be sure it was real?”

Mona leaned forward, her lips only one breath away from Allison’s. She hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on Mona’s chest and slightly pushed her away.

“Would you mind waiting only a little longer? I still need to break off my engagement. I feel bad for doing this to Griffin. While I no longer have feelings for him, we had an entire history together.”

“I’ve waited eight years,” Mona grinned. “What’s only a few more days, right?”

“Yeah,” Allison grabbed her hand, “until the weekend I’ll be free. I promise you.”

As soon as they got home, Detective Wheeler was already waiting for them with a scowl on his face. He advanced in Mona’s direction, pinning her against the wall.

“You! You’ve ruined my investigation!” He yelled. “I’ll assure you’ll get severely punished for that!”

“Dad!” Allison shouted, pushing him aside. “What are you saying? We followed the wrong lead, and so did you, multiple times!”

“Allison, she included a total stranger in the investigation. This kid named Leon. The security cameras’ footage is gone. Considering his computer skills, he’s our main suspect now.”

“L-Leon would never do that,” Mona argued, Allison could tell she was somehow scared. “I-I was in contact with him the whole time... he was sitting at the stadium, watching the game for us!”

“While he hacked into the security system and erased everything! Now, because of your irresponsibility, we’ll need to contact the company in charge of campus’ security and attempt to retrieve footage from their server. It’s going to take weeks! Do you have any idea of how many people will die until then?”

Mona stared at the open tab on the Detective’s laptop, the security company’s website and then she realized...

“Leon didn’t do it. This security system is 99,9% impossible to be hacked. And don’t worry. Until the weekend you’re getting your footage, Detective.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“My mom developed this security system and trust me, you don’t wanna mess with her tech skills.”

#playchoices #ride or die #mona #mona rod #mona x mc #choices stories you play #ride or die fanfiction

[tango-uniformed]

Attica! Attica!

This sucks but I like Attica as a neurotic republican politician. Idk how to write Leon being mute or whatever I just gave him a stutter bc...communication. Also I dearly wanted Serena to have a solid place in the cast so I was like, what the hell, she can be on Attica’s staff. Idk if she should have an important position like campaign manager or something but rn she’s just an assistant. Also since this is Attica’s POV Serena is less funny and Leon is idk more caring than he actually is bc she perceives them that way (Serena is actually funny and Leon is actually a dick)

Its funny because I’m pretty sure Attica is going to be the “good guy” on the protagonists side and help them and Milo is going to end up being a terrifying source of trouble for everyone. Also I was like ok and rolled the ethnicity dice and was like the Kings can be Chinese and the surname King was changed by their grandfather from Qing when their family really started grabbing power, and then was like ok Serena’s adopted but she’s of Iranian origin (guess that means Danny is too)

$$$$$

Attica King averaged 4 hours of sleep a night. And that was if she was lucky.

Looking at twitter was giving her heart palpitations, but what was she supposed to do, 5 weeks before the Midterm elections? Her numbers guy said that her district would re-elect her by a large margin-- it was red. It had always been red. It wasn’t like that hippie freak who was running against her had a chance in hell. People in Indiana loved her. People in DC though, where she spent considerably more of her time, hated her guts. The vitriol and fake news that journalists were spewing about her online proved that much.

“I’m gonna kill somebody,” Attica said. It was 7 am. She had already been to the gym, showered, sensibly done her hair and make-up, and put on the kind of suit that said ‘listen to me you dummy’. She brandished her phone at her Chief of Staff. “Do you see what they’re saying about me, Leon? They act like I’m some kind of younger, smarter, Chinese female version of Stalin all because they can’t bully me into voting for their stupid gun regulations. People are out there blowing each other up with their minds! What the fuck am I supposed to do, help get rid of guns and leave every sucker who can’t do magic defenseless?”

Leonard, Attica’s Chief of Staff and younger brother, shrugged helplessly. She liked to think of him as the RFK to her JFK. Without the whole getting shot in the head thing. “G-get off twitter,” he said. He was not partaking in the breakfast that Attica’s assistant picked up for the team. Something about the breakfast pastries and espresso made him bitch about how unhealthy it all was. Leon opted to bring a protein shake instead, which worked out for him. At 6 feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds of muscle, he was often mistaken for her bodyguard if he wasn’t dressed up. He kept his black hair shorn close to his head, which didn’t help either. It made him look like he was the type to rip people apart with his bare hands. “You’re obsessing.”

“Where the fuck is Myers?” she asked. “He’s my communications director. Shouldn’t he be out here, I don’t know, directing? Putting an end to all this fake bullshit.” Attica looked at her phone again, pulling up a particularly offensive tweet. “‘ King is unhinged and desperate, putting the needs of lobbyists in front of the needs of her constituents.’--and this is posted with that terrible picture of me, that unflattering close-up where I had pollen in my eyes so they looked red.” She was gripping her phone so tightly that her knuckles went white. “Now whose fault was that? I didn’t have my eye-drops.”

The only other staff member present, Attica’s personal assistant of 3 years, went bug eyed. This was magnified by her thick lensed glasses. She put up her hands defensively and almost dropped the armful of manila folders she was holding. “That’s not my fault, that picture was from when I took some personal time off.”

“That was when you were vacationing in the mental hospital again and I had to rely on a temp for two weeks and was completely up shit creek without you, Serena, so yes it was completely your fault.”

Serena was in her mid 20’s and pretty in a frazzled, underfed, nerdy way. She had only been hired because she was Iranian or something and Attica had been afraid she looked racist after making some allegedly offensive comments while supporting the President’s drone strikes in the Middle East. As it turned out, Serena was brilliant and had graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in Political Science, an inexplicable Chemistry minor, and a desire to work on the Hill. The only reason Attica hadn’t appointed her to a more important position at this point was due to her unfortunate tendency to eat handfuls of pills whenever life got too stressful.

Attica quickly cycled back to the matter at hand. She poured some coffee, which she knew would only make her keep vibrating. It was her 3rd cup of the day. She felt like a hummingbird. “What am I going to do about these people degrading me online?”

From where he sat on the couch, Leon leaned over to out his face in his hands. Dramatic bitch. “For the last time, remember the first amendment.”

“R-r-remember the f-f-first amendment,” Attica repeated in a high pitched child’s voice, mocking him. She chugged the rest of her coffee and caught Serena staring at her like she had lost her mind. At this rate she was going to going to have a heart attack before she turned 40. “Grandfather would have sent someone after those motherfuckers with a crowbar.”

“G-Grandfather was a monster.”

He was right. But being monstrous was just more effective. Who was that old dead guy who said it was better to be feared than loved? Napoleon?

Attica kept looking at her phone. Too bad people didn’t seem to fear her yet. She could feel the blood pounding in her face. When she was angry, her skin turned very red, blotchy and unattractive. It couldn’t be helped. And what she was reading made her angry. Half of what she was mentioned in was negative. And half of those were violent, threats against her. “Here,” she said, landing on an egregious one. “‘King’s giant tits once again distracting everyone from her cloven hooves lol’. I want this person dragged into the street and shot.”

“Jesus C-Christ, c-c-calm down.” The muscles in Leon’s face tightened. He was gritting his teeth.

“Ma’am, maybe you should put your phone away,” said Serena.

Attica kept reading. “‘The NRA owns King but how would she like it if she got used as target practice’. ‘If I saw (pretend this is an at sign)AtticaKingIN in real life I would punch that bitch in the face.’” She began to breathe faster. Were these people from Indiana? Would they vote? Did they actually hate her? Who were these people? “‘King is part of the GOP gestapo’. ‘(at)AtticaKingIN doesn’t care about gun violence in her own state, vote her out!’ ‘I hate that dumb cunt (at)AtticaKingIN she needs to shut her mouth or suck my dick’. ‘I--”

Leon stood up, snatched Attica’s phone out of her hands, then held it above her head where she couldn’t reach it. Attica punched him in the chest but her brother was a wall of muscle and didn’t seem to feel it.

“Seriously, A, you need to c-calm down,” he told her. Attica punched him again. “I don’t want to know about the threats anyone’s making towards you, it’s upsetting. At 9, that lobbyist who works for Madeline C-Caligaris--”

“Do you want some xanax?” Serena interrupted.

Attica spun around to glare at her. She was aware of how flushed she must look. It was just...she cared so much about what people thought about her. “No,” she said coldly, but breathing heavily. She brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Imagine if Grandfather could see her now. After all, he had wanted Leon to head the family business. Hell, before he died, the old man had even expressed regret for treating their youngest..brother, Milo, like a stray dog. But never her. And Attica had tried so hard for all those years and slaved away just to get his validation… “Do you need a xanax, Serena?”

“I do now,” muttered Serena.

Attica tried to grab her phone one more time, then gave up and sat down.

It wasn’t even 7:15.

She took a deep breath to clear her head. “Ok. Tell me about this lobbyist. Calligaris-- that’s the Proverge exec, right?”

Leon nodded curtly. He put his sister’s phone in his breast pocket and sat down next to her. With a sudden rush of urgency, Attica realized that all he had wanted to do was protect her. How had their roles switched like that? When they were little she constantly made herself torment the kids who picked on him for the way he talked. After 30 years he barely even stuttered anymore. “C-can I get those files from Foster v Proverge, please?” Serena leafed through her armful of papers and presented him with the relevant ones. “Thanks. You read this, A?”

“Let’s work under the assumption that I didn’t.” She had been too busy talking to her numbers guy about the polls the previous night to actually look into anything that would affect her policies.

“Proverge wants to build a factory in your district. Magic distillation for use in their products. 200 new jobs. They c-can’t get approval in Indiana anymore-- they c-can’t get approval from most places these days because of all the lawsuits. People protest.”

Attica rolled her eyes. Liberals. “What lawsuits?”

“From the early 2000’s. Proverge distillation factories in Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan all attempted to c-cover up widespread negative variant medical symptoms that affected workers who were exposed to thauma-slurry being distilled unsafely.” Leon flipped a few pages of the file. “Mostly c-cosmetic. But there were c-claims that the exposure to the slurry also lead to violent psychological problems and some c-clearly unsafe environmental effects.”

People were so whiny. Attica shrugged. “200 new jobs is more important than a couple honest mistakes the company made. I want to make this happen-- an announcement about job creation could really push my numbers in the polls. If protests become a problem, I’ll just send in the cops to clean them up.” She paused. “Or, I’ll send in Milo.”

Leon looked at her like he was trying to peerinto her soul or something. His broad, honest face was genuinely concerned. What did he see in her face? Did he see the will to do whatever she had to? “He’s g-g-getting worse. You c-can’t keep doing that.”

“The fuck I can.”

“He’s not listening to me anymore.” Leon’s face twisted up. Out of the whole family, he was the only one who treated Milo as more than he was. He allowed their deviant half brother to terrorize everyone as he pleased, just because he felt sorry for the bastard. “He’s go-g-going to screw up.”

The thing about Milo, was that someone had to be holding his leash.

“He’s fine,” Attica said with finality. “Maybe if he fucks up bad enough, he’ll actually learn his lesson.”

Leon stood up, handed her phone back, and walked out of the room without saying another word.

“Are you talking about your creepy little brother again?” asked Serena. She was scurrying around, straightening up the breakfast pastries and exuding her nervous energy. “He makes me uncomfortable.”

Attica massaged her forehead. “Me too,” she said. “Can you get in touch with the Proverge people and make sure they’re on their way?”

“On it.”

She could feel a headache coming on. But getting the credit for creating 200 new jobs... it was worth it. It was even worth dealing with Milo. It was worth it. She could be proud of herself. It was worth it. It would all be worth it.

Wouldn’t it?

#writing

[jellybeancookie]

My Endless Summer thoughts

Warning: this text includes a lot of thoughts about life and death, and also ES and TCATF spoilers. I apologize for possible mistakes, as English is not my first language.

I understand why right now, everybody is freaking out about possible deaths of Endless Summer crew members. But, to be honest, I’m almost 100% sure that they won’t die or that they will be resurrected after death. I have no doubt that writers in Pixelberry are amazing and if they want to kill somebody, they will. But I don’t think this is the case. This is not what Choices is generally about.

Remember TCATF. We had a literal war with the strongest enemy going on. So many people died, but none of them were members of the main crew. Even Raydan survived, after how wounded we was. Gabriel and Leon are about the only people we lost, and let me tell you - in a war, this is a very lucky outcome. And they still exist in Spirit World. I think that this means that general idea of Choices is not about death. Even talking about death, we have a positive message that makes us feel peaceful about the ones we lost (The Haunting of Braidwood Manor). Choices has a lot of tragic things going on, but, after all, we have one idea what goes through all the books: Choices is about life. With its downfalls, with losses, but also with happy and positive things that make it so beautiful and precious.

We all are attached to the members of Endless Summer crew, and that’s for a reason. We are shown that they are people, just like us, and absolutely all of them have insecurities and things that have changed their lives. Tragedy of their stories is actually hidden in their past, in things that happen to common people in real life. Betrayal, loss, having nobody to understand you. These parts of the crew’s stories are what the Catalyst Idols show us. I absolutely do not think that lives of our friends will depend on whether we bought the idols - those might help us find the way to save the ones we care about, possibly, but I think that saving somebody from death would be a completely different option. When I first saw an idol in action, my thought was that it shows our MC what can happen in future, so that they could find a way to prevent it. I still think this is the case. Everything we see in these future visions seems really off and surreal, because it’s the worst scenario of everything. Everyone dies in very bad circumstances. It’s possible, actually; just imagine how many times our characters could have died by now. Everything and everyone on this island is dangerous for them, so it’s likely that at some point, something will go the way we don’t want it to. But... This is not what this book is about. Somehow our guys still manage to survive, and I believe that it has to do with their destiny. It’s fate. They could die, but they should survive because of their fate, and they will fight for their lives right till the end, because they have motivation to do so.

Just think of how much they have grown as a team since the very beginning. Remember First Book’s ending. When told that only some of them could escape, nobody ran for their lives. Vaanti soldiers were there, but it wasn’t too clear whether they would kill the ones they capture or just keep them prisoners. There was still a chance to survive. And what about the portal gun? Literally nobody knew how it worked exactly, but it obviously moved people through the portal that could possibly go anywhere. Moreover, it could have killed them. Using it was the greatest risk ever. And yet, choosing between the Vaanti and the portal gun, they went for the one that could either save them all or kill them all, not leaving anyone behind. Nobody decided to stay for their own life. And then, in the latest chapter, did you hear Jake after Quinn revealed her secret? He was the one who originally wanted nothing to do with the island, and there he is, saying that they are a team and they will only leave La Huerta together. When the crew had to go after Diego (+ Raj and Grace), nobody decided to stay at the Celestial. Of course, it didn’t feel safe there, but going straight to enemy’s stronghold was crazy dangerous. And yet, everybody did it. Just to save their friends (even one friend, if you saved Raj and Grace before). Even Aleister agreed, and he’s the one who had always been trying to stay behind alongside Grace! All of them care about each other now, even if some won’t admit it. They have become more than just a group of extremely diverse people who don’t get along too well. They will stand for each other, even if it’s very dangerous. They are at the point where they care about who they are with more than they care about getting back home in one piece, because this possibility seems so distant after everything they’ve encountered. Everything is different now. Values change.

What I’m trying to say is that with every chapter, the bonds between characters grow stronger, they are not as easy to fight now as they were before. They will fight for each other’s lives. And our MC is shown as a pretty heroic person, so, given these future visions, they might actually figure something out. We already know (from Diego’s idol) that Rourke either has or will have a possibility to resurrect people. We are also aware that he knows more about the person in crimson spacesuit than we do, and we do know a thing or two (their hand was cut off, and they will possibly appear in future - you can see them briefly if you type in the right password the first time you’re in Rourke’s office). I think that this person might be one of us. From Raj’s idol, we know that Rourke uses some time crystals, still unclear what for. Also, going back to Book One, if you choose to help Grace talk to Aleister, you’ll find a clue - powerful healing plants growing on the Celestial’s roof. Maybe that has something to do with resurrection.

After all, there is a lot of possibilities to change something in Endless Summer. Remember the voice in the beginning of the Book Two? It told us that everything depends on our choices. That’s not exactly true about the gameplay - like, if you don’t have Rourke, Raj and Grace at the beginning of your book, they will still appear later. It’s something like destiny. But I think that Choices actually support the theory of having multiple universes, where everything depends on what you decide to do every moment of your life. Which makes me think that MC can actually change everything, whether they have the knowledge idols give or not. They are the person that can possibly change the story even more than anyone else in the team can, given the powers they have. But I think that they are not the ultimate savior here. MC is a leader, and a leader needs his followers. They can find a way to save everyone, but they can’t do it if at least one member of the crew is missing.

And maybe our crew’s deepest insecurities and fears will be the key to our victory. Just think of it - as a matter of fact, all of them have something that they have to hide from everybody, creating an image of a person that society possibly wants to see. They all carry their burden deep inside, and it is indeed painful. Some had to become tough, some try to drink and party and forget, some just can’t let people know that something’s wrong and make it look like they’re always happy or calm or strong and not really bothered by anything in their past. That’s not true, and we all know this. Michelle’s life is full of betrayal, and it’s hard to be nice and soft after everything she’s been through. Raj is never taken seriously, everyone is used to seeing him as a pretty dumb guy, and I don’t think that after this he can find motivation to be who he actually is - an incredibly smart person. Diego considers himself a sidekick, even of his own story, because he is always in the shadow, even though he actually wants to be more than that. And our MC? We don’t know much about them, but there was one line that made me think about their past. When we talked to Craig at Rourke’s marina, there was an option to say that MC had nothing to return home to - or, at least, nothing to care about. What was MC’s life like before the trip? Apparently, nothing they were too happy about. Everyone here has something to regret in their lives, something that distracts them from being who they are, because they can’t really tell who they are anymore. Now, every single person in this crew is facing the truth about themselves, they’re slowly opening up to each other, and they might as well find the key to their freedom and happiness. I don’t know what their lives will turn into if they return back home, don’t know if they will remember what has happened on La Huerta, but there is one thing I’m sure of - they will find the way to return home. They’ll do their best. Even if home means not their actual home in the USA, but their inner peace and happiness and people to care about, wherever they end up. We won’t be disappointed with what Pixelberry does to them, because we all, players and creators, love and understand the Twelve, they are more than just some characters that don’t matter to us. And Endless Summer is not a story that is meant to break our hearts - it’s a story about hope.

Thank you for reading this. I hope that, whether I’m right or wrong, this made you feel at least a little bit better about the future.

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